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A brief history about Koh Samui..
Samui was discovered several hundred years ago as a place for
fishermen and sea traders sailing through the Gulf of Thailand
to shelter from storms. Early Chinese and Malay settlers
marvelLed at the island’s beauty and abundance, and there are
those that believe the name is derived from word ‘Saboey’, which
means ‘safe haven’ in the Chinese tongue. Maps of the island
date as far back as the seventeenth century, but there is very
little documented history of the island because most of the
knowledge was passed down through the generations by word of
mouth.
The first communities that developed here survived mainly by the
sea, and then later planted crops, which flourished in the warm
tropical climate. Tropical fruit became an important export
industry, and even today Samui is known throughout Thailand for
succulent fruits such as ‘Lang San’, a small round fruit similar
to a lychee, and the infamous ‘durian’ with its pungent yellow
flesh.
Although the palm tree has come to be known as the symbol of Koh
Samui, it wasn’t until relatively recently that coconuts became
the most prolific fruit on the island. Over the years farmers
slowly turned the island into a huge coconut and rubber
plantation, and with the crops fetching a good price, Thai
people from the mainland began to arrive in numbers to benefit
from the island’s economy. Samui now boasts more varieties of
coconut palm than anywhere else in the world, in 2005 an
infestation of beetles was a threat but has been treated now to
preserve these majestic tropical trees.
In the early days it could take seven or eight hours to reach
Koh Samui by boat from Surat Thani, so many of those that came
to the island decided to stay and build a home, living alongside
their foreign neighbours in what was to become a strong and
independent community. Although Buddhism established itself as
the principle religion, a small Muslim population also
flourished and local spirits are still worshipped today in a
tolerant blend of beliefs that adds to the island’s unique
cultural appeal.
Agriculture remained the main source of income for Samui people
throughout the next twenty years until the first foreign
travellers began to arrive in the early 1970s. Young,
adventurous backpackers from Europe then established Samui as a
favourite location, and before long the local people were
providing basic accommodation, food and services to their
newfound friends and customers. Samui became something of a
hippy paradise during the seventies and eighties, the laid-back
lifestyle and natural surroundings attracting those in search of
a real escape. Bungalows sprang up all over the island, and
slowly the infrastructure began to develop with a more regular
ferry service from the mainland and then finally, an airport.
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