Why we chose Samui to be our home in Thailand and the home of The Bamboo Rooms, arguably, the world’s best bamboo tattoo studio.
When looking for our Thai home, we needed somewhere tourists visit but also somewhere peaceful, still quintessentially Thai. Not overrun with drunken partying. Somewhere we could raise our children within both the western and asian cultures.
When considering Samui, it is important to look at its history and its roots in order to understand its beautiful mixed culture and why it is so special. Religion and culture have played a large part in Koh Samui’s history and bamboo tattoos are both a part of Thai culture and Thai religion. Although, despite much research, I am unable to find when the first tattoo studio (or even bamboo tattoo studio) was opened on Koh Samui. All round the island you will find temples or small Buddha statues which are believed to bless the island and warn of evil spirits. There is even a beautiful temple on the south of the island where the Buddha statues are made from local coral with some dating back over one hundred years. This place is only known by the original Samui residents who kindly shared the temple with me and allowed me to wonder at its glory. It was important to us to raise the children amongst their Buddhist roots and Samui has this in abundance.
According to historians, fishermen and traders from the Malay Peninsula and the coast of southern China first settled in Samui 1,500 years ago. Koh Samui’s coordinates are shown on old Chinese maps dating back to 1687 as Pulo Cornam. For the name, Samui, there are two options. Samui’s name may be derived from the island’s native Mui (coconut) tree or come from the Chinese word Saboey, which means “safe haven.”. Samui proved to be a safe haven for Chinese traders who moored on the shores to settle and start their lives. There is still a thriving Chinese fisherman settlement in Hua Thanon with the family trades being passed down through the generations since the first settlers who may have been involved in the original naming of Samui. However, today, Samui is known as the coconut island due to the mountains being covered in the beautiful trees. It is no wonder it is considered the jewel in Thailand’s crown.
Until the late-20th century, Ko Samui was an isolated self-sufficient community, having little connection with the mainland of Thailand. The island was without roads until the early 1970s, and the 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) journey from one side of the island to the other could involve a whole-day trek through the mountainous central jungles. Getting around the island was initially only possible by foot or boat and the 15-kilometer journey from one side of the island to the other was the only way to cross the island before the ring road was built. It was a strenuous task to hike across the mountainous jungle and coconut plantations and potentially very dangerous due to the lack of a hospital at that time. Contrary to today, watching the sunrise in Lamai and the sunset in Lipa Noi could not be done in a single day.
In the early 1970s, word of the uncharted tropical island spread among the hippie subcultures. The backpackers gradually arrived with wooden beach shacks, no electricity, and a hammock swinging in the jungle. Because of Samui’s incredible beaches and tropical climate, tourists swarmed to its shores and still do. And no doubt, at some point in the 1970’s the first bamboo tattoo studio will have opened with the artist traveling the traditional way, by boat. It wasn’t until 1988 when Bangkok Airways opened Samui Airport creating a new era for Koh Samui and the first mass tourism which would have brought many tattoo artists specializing in both bamboo tattoos and machine tattoos. Although, I like to think mainly bamboo tattoos in keeping with tradition.
Koh Samui is without doubt a paradise island with a storied past and expanding tourism industry. A growing number of families are vacationing on the island of Samui. On the island, waterparks and theme attractions are being built with families in mind. However, these attractions are located around the main tourist areas of Chaweng and Lamai with the south of the island still beautifully untouched. Take some time to tour the south of the island and stop and say hello to the locals as you travel. They are happy to chat, and by doing so, you might learn something new about Samui that even we don’t know. Some of the family’s here are descendants of the original settlers and Thais love to keep their history alive through storytelling. You might even receive an invitation from locals to share a beverage or some recently picked fruit and enjoy a distinctly more Thai experience than those offered up by the tourist hotspots. And within this experience and your trip to the south of the island, you will understand why we love Samui, you will see it truly has the best of both worlds and both cultures and why it is now our home and the home of our bamboo tattoo studio, The Bamboo Rooms.