Beauty & the beach-By Kathleen Martens

Destination: KOH SAMUI, THAILAND
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%hQ;M,TC}-k+Y5~ No shortage of fun on island of Koh Samui   T*U]0`1O#Z;Kq
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By Kathleen MartensQwYU?
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Photos by KATHLEEN MARTENS/WINNIPEG SUN ,h:h f/e2ryX,_-fP
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Bangkok??s electric avenue
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What would Buddha think?
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&@Ej'X[ ???I look like Tom Cruise, no???? grins our elephant jockey as we jostle along the rocky path on the back of his 40-year-old ride. Palm trees bend and sway as we loop around Namuang Safari Park.
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[img]http://www.canoe.ca/Travel/Asia/SouthEast/2006/12/22/32a.jpg[/img]
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abR$hKl This giant mammal is the meal ticket that feeds the driver??s family, which he proudly tells us includes a new baby boy. FEPQ(h_Z
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He had us at ???Hello??? but cements a tip by disclosing his monthly salary (about 2,400 baht or $300 Cdn) and the fact his firstborn needs diapers and formula.
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#h[$~C"KA Families like his live in the park, which includes a crocodile farm and zoo, after following their animals from the forests of northern Thailand near the city of Chang Mai. The mammals provided the muscle for logging before the industry died out. 9ast)Dn(Nt
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The park is one of many attractions on this resort island 200 km south of the mainland. It??s amazing, really, how much there is to do besides enjoy its sugar-soft beaches, warm breezes and friendly, smiling people. ^^}:E/V^QV
  
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C \JE$x Everything from waterfalls to temples to an authentic fishing village wait to be explored in this tourist-friendly mecca.
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6sI7q.cB8Yn Samui (Koh means island) is Thailand??s third-largest island and the most commercial. It is known as the spa capital of Thailand and boasts several five-star restaurants backstopped by international chefs. 8W\._"HK
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There??s an easy, laid-back feel to the place. "@Smy
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The main beach, Chaweng, faces east toward the Gulf of Thailand. Accommodation is as varied as the dining. Z8L
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C/f1GGfm Our bungalow, with two beds, minimal teak furniture and silken Roman blinds, is private and mere steps from the beach for $60 Cdn a night. In the morning I collect shells and try to avoid crushing baby stone crabs as I stroll past luxury hotels and wooden huts on stilts. During the heat of the day the beach is packed with Aussie tourists, who are but a four-hour flight from Sydney. At night, patio furniture and wicker lanterns are swapped with beach chairs to create shorefront eateries featuring fresh and cheap seafood. Shoes are a definitely a no-no. ^m%^0a!PfT
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We??ve been alternating beach days with excursion days and anticipate a full day of kayaking and snorkelling in Ang Thong National Marine Park, roughly an hour-and-a-half northwest of here by tugboat. It is a protected archipelago of about 40 small islands that was home to the utopian society in Alex Garland??s novel The Beach.
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Z{*X P.M#h It??s not hard to see how the steep limestone cliffs, hidden lagoons, white-sand beaches and jungle vegetation inspired Garland??s writing. !UATUD Q U#ex

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zb [+| Divers love this place and it has reeled me in.