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“Big Buddha”!
Ok all you culture tourists! Let’s do a little something for your education... 
“Big Buddha” (at Wat Phra Yai), anyone visiting Samui should definitely not miss this. It is a 17 metre high statue of Buddha, can be reached by crossing over a dam (near the airport). Apart from a temple with all the things that belong with one, one is also able to have a meal there, there are also absolutely loads of souvenir stalls, statues of Buddha in various shapes and sizes, joss sticks are lit up and gold leaf is applied.
There is even a sort of “electrical oracle” to predict ones own fate. One has to throw in a coin, a light rotates in a circle, first of all quite fast, but it gradually slows down until it stops at a certain point. This point has a number, and very practical, for each number there is a note below with all one needs to know about their near future written on it. Reminds me a little of the “Electrical Monk” from Douglas Adams. Of course, we tried it out…. My next baby is to be a boy, and Noi’s will be a girl. Oh well, I will have to find someone else….
The whole facility is very colourful, I liked it very much. Thais really love lots of colour, the shining of gold also has something about it as well. It is known that Buddha teaches to be simple and modest. When it comes to religion, (also with Buddhists), gold is not so well liked by the Thais because it is expensive and valuable, but because it shines so nicely. Of course, Buddha is “the enlightened”, and the rays he produces are supposed to help others take the same path. For this reason, there is nothing better than gold.
For the last minute tourists (meaning those who hadn’t managed to get a travel guide, and get themselves accustomed to the customs and morals, and the does and taboos of the country), and also for those who are resistant to making experiences, there are notices informing one that shoes must be removed, and that one should make sure that one is moderately dressed.
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