In March of 2012, designers/photographers, Nannette Gonzalez and Joseph Kredlow traveled to Koh Samui, Thailand, for a one week holiday from their extended stay in Manila, Philippines. The following is their photographic study of the island of Samui, in which they focused on three areas. The first area as it appears in this publication is that of the beach and includes photographs taken in and around the gated five-star resort, Rocky's, located in Lamai Sud. The second includes photographs taken at Buddhist temples that are peppered throughout the island. And, finally what is sometimes called "street photography," taken at various locations during their travels, predominantly in the area of Lamai beach. Although the photographs have been placed into three sections, there is a fine line in determining exactly which section each photograph should have appeared.
The photographs in this publication are their interpretation of Koh Samui and sometimes not the traditional tourist pictures; their individual locations, therefore, are not indicated in captions nor are they in any particular order. One must only look at the individual photographs to get a feel for what the photographers saw during their stay in Koh Samui. Excruciating heat made it nearly impossible to enjoy the photographic process, but hopefully in their short stay, they were able to take photographs that will allow the reader to experience what they had experienced and understand their views of the island, one that is normally not recorded.
Although Koh Samui is not without its beauty, it does suffer from what afflicts most resort areas in Asia. Overbuilding and a growing tourist population have almost destroyed the once natural beauty of this island. Continuing future development will eventually destroy the beauty that still exists. The photographs here within record both the beauty and decline.