| On the small tropical island of Koh Samui off the | | | | proud. The actual buildings, which were finished in |
| eastern seaboard of Thailand there exists what | | | | 1984, are not only pleasing to the eye but work |
| has got to be the quaintest little airport on the | | | | hand-in-glove with the island's natural environment. |
| planet. | | | | It is, in itself, a compelling advert for greenness in |
| Why is that? Well, for starters every building on | | | | all its forms. The vast Bangkok Airport (BKK) |
| the airport complex is entirely thatched over with | | | | may be the newest and flashiest airport in the |
| palm leaves and not many airports can claim that | | | | world but I've never seen anyone standing around |
| can they? In the main public areas the exterior | | | | taking hundreds of photos of it like they do of |
| walls have wide-open sides for the ocean breezes | | | | Samui Airport. This airport almost seems to be |
| to waft through keeping it at a nice cool | | | | smiling at you - wanting its photo taken. And for |
| temperature. The smiling staff who work there | | | | sure no other airport replaces its roof with fresh |
| are ever-helpful and polite and greet every | | | | palm leaves every two or three years like they |
| new-comer as though they have just come from | | | | do here. The fact is, once upon a time, little Samui |
| outer space - which to those on this remote | | | | was the world's largest exporter of coconuts and |
| island is exactly how it must feel to them. It's the | | | | palm trees are one commodity they still have |
| opposite when you leave because the islanders | | | | plenty of. Its what they have used for centuries |
| really hate to see people depart from their island, | | | | on the roofs of their villas and bungalows and the |
| they figure: having spent ALL that money to get | | | | ubiquitous salas that abound everywhere - so |
| there why would anyone want to leave? And it | | | | they figure; why stop there? Why indeed? |
| makes you wonder who really is nuts - the smiling | | | | As the plane starts its gradual descent approach |
| islanders or the grinning farang! | | | | towards the narrow jutting peninsula on the |
| When they gently direct you to Terminal One | | | | northeast sector of the island you will now get a |
| with pride in their hearts - you really have to | | | | fantastic bird's eye view of Samui and all the |
| chuckle because of course it's the only terminal | | | | other outlying islands. You'll see the surf breaking |
| they have! There are no gate numbers to rush | | | | on the beaches and trace the wakes of small |
| to, as all passengers arrive and depart courtesy | | | | fishing craft as they criss-cross the incredibly |
| of a clean and modern air-conditioned shuttle bus, | | | | green-blue turquoise sea. Then as you get closer |
| which covers the distance from the plane to the | | | | you can make out the coral reefs growing |
| main building or vice-versa in about two minutes | | | | beneath the dappling clear water. And if you look |
| flat. There is no carousel except the one going | | | | harder still you might even see a pod of dolphins |
| around in your head. There are no loudspeakers | | | | jumping and dodging around the fishing craft |
| and no information screens. Just people cheerfully | | | | waiting for the friendly fishermen to throw them |
| carrying out their tasks with absolutely no hustle | | | | a morsel. Phew, what a sight for sore eyes! |
| or bustle on their minds. Time has almost stopped | | | | Frankly, the whole experience is just too much |
| still. | | | | for the human soul to contemplate and you really |
| There is only one single arrow-straight runway to | | | | cannot wait to land to check that it really wasn't a |
| handle both incoming and outgoing planes, which | | | | figment of your imagination. Maybe the airport |
| total no more than about twenty flights per day | | | | workers are not that wrong - because it certainly |
| between 6.30 am when the airport opens for | | | | feels like you've just come from outer space - as |
| business at sunrise and when it closes at sunset | | | | surely nothing on this planet awaits the visitor |
| exactly twelve hours later. | | | | more pleasingly than this tropical hideaway located |
| Playing the ace green card, Bangkok Airways, | | | | in the balmy Sea of Siam. Jet lag? Well, you can't |
| who built and own the airport (International | | | | get jet lag in paradise, but I bet you didn't know |
| Airport Code - USM) have attempted a truly | | | | that either did you? |
| unique experiment and one of which they can be | | | | |