Big Buddha
This is the most noticeable landmark of Samui, visible even from the air. A huge statue of a smiling Buddha, twelve meters tall, stands on the grounds of Wat Phra Yai. To reach the gilded giant, you need to climb a hill via an impressive staircase. At the foot of the Buddha are prayer bells-if you ring each of them, it is said that your karma is sure to improve. By the way, this viewpoint is considered the best place on Samui to watch the sunset. Around the temple there are many shops, cafés, and souvenir stalls selling products made by local craftsmen, jewelry, and Thai silk.
Temple of the Sitting Mummy, Wat Kunarom
A very unusual temple, where the mummified body of a Buddhist monk is kept. In 1975, a local meditation master named Luang Po Daeng bequeathed that, according to Buddhist custom, he should not be cremated after death, but seated in the lotus position and left in the temple. When the monk finally died on the day he had predicted with perfect accuracy, his students carried out his will to the letter. Over time, despite the humid tropical climate prevailing on Samui, the monk’s body naturally mummified, and now Luang Po Daeng-frozen forever in meditation-is displayed in a glass case for all to see. Near the seated monk at Wat Kunaram Temple, you can find out your destiny with the help of magical sticks. They say that local predictions come true with astonishing accuracy.
Rock of Grandma and Grandpa
In the south of Lamai Beach on the island of Samui, there is the rock “Grandmother and Grandfather,” an outstanding (and literally in the truest sense) landmark of this place. The rock’s structure miraculously resembles the shape of a man’s and a woman’s intimate anatomy. The rock was created by nature, but an enormous number of legends circulate around it, all somehow connected with love and romance. According to one version, it is two unfortunate young lovers who were destined never to be together in their lifetimes. According to another, it is a husband and wife who lived together for a long time, and who drowned during a shipwreck near the island. And finally, the third version says that a married couple was sailing to the island to take a bride for their son, but a storm arose that destroyed them. Near the rocks there is a small bay with a soft sandy beach.
