Imagine waking up on an island where palm trees sway in the breeze, bright-green blue water stretches to the horizon and boats glide past small green islands. That is Koh Samui, a tropical island in southern Thailand.
Then imagine traveling to Bangkok, a huge city filled with cars, colorful markets, tall buildings, rivers and canals. Bangkok and Koh Samui may look very different, but people in both places depend on the water, plants, animals and weather every day.
Koh Samui is surrounded by the warm Gulf of Thailand. It has sandy beaches, coconut palms, green hills, tropical forests and small rocky islands rising out of the sea. The island stays warm most of the year, but this community also experiences a rainy season. When heavy rain comes, the roads can flood and the waves can become rough.
Bangkok is almost the opposite of Koh Samui. Instead of quiet beaches and forested hills, Bangkok is a huge city built on flat land near the Chao Phraya River. It has skyscrapers, homes, roads, food stalls, temples, parks and busy waterways. But nature is still everywhere: rain falls hard, rivers flow through the city and trees offer shade from the hot sun.
