Packing and backpacking on the island where The Beach was filmed.

(A 7–minute read)

Thailand is famous for being “the land of smiles.” But after several days on Koh Samui, a lovely beach-fringed island in the Gulf of Thailand, a 40-minute flight north east of Phuket, I’m sorry to report there are few, natural smiles.

It started at the airport. The limo driver from the Santiburi Dusit Resort wasn’t there to meet me. I went to the Taxi/limo Desk. I smiled, she didn’t.

“Have you seen the driver from Santiburi?” I smiled.

“There’s no driver,” she frowned.

“Then I’d like a shuttle bus ticket to Santiburi, please,” I smiled.

“100 baht,” she demanded.

As I was motioned to the bus, I pointed out my luggage to the driver. He put the smaller of the two pieces on the front seat next to him and asked, unsmilingly, “How long are you staying?”

“A few days; why do you ask?” I smiled.

“It’s heavy,” he scowled.

(Did I somehow get off in the Bahamas?) At that moment, a man with “Santiburi” on his shirt, tapped on the window. He retrieved my ticket from the driver and told me I could get my money back from the woman at the Taxi/limo Desk. (I was going to like this! It had been a war of smiling vs. not smiling, and since the driver had indeed showed up, I was getting ahead in the game.)

I handed her my ticket, she shrugged glumly and handed me a 100 baht note. “For someone living in paradise, you don’t look very happy,” I risked, smiling.

On my side of the counter, an Australian gal jumped. “What did you say? she asked.

“Oh nothing, I was talking to her.”

The Australian answered, “She seems awfully rude. What do you think it is?”

I paused, glancing at the masses of tourists claiming their luggage, “I guess it’s us; we’ve done it.”

Over the next few days at the plumiest resort on the island, even my Thai guide remarked on the sullen faces: whether reserving a Hobi-Cat, choosing chaise-longues at the pool, and, of course, the vodka-martini-on the rocks-with-olives litmus test, each opportunity to show off the kindness I experience with wonder throughout the rest of Thailand, was met with an initially, unsmiling face.

Happily, after a while, when each realized that I appreciated his kindness, a smile would slowly emerge, but it certainly took an effort. I can only surmise that the people on this island have been pummeled by such rudeness that they are frightened to be themselves. You see, backpackers looking for the cheapest in every category, first discovered and have since frequented Koh Samui. I’m sure this attitude has been hard to handle, and I’m equally sure the natives are upset with themselves, for, like all the other Thais I have ever met, inside, they are the loveliest people on earth.