Once upon a time, Koh Samet was the residence of the Pirates. There were numerous myths that the Pirates' gold and booty were hidden somewhere on the island. This has attracted many adventurers from time to time to hunt for this treasure.   In the past, visitors were not allowed to overnight on the island, but this was long time ago and it is long forgotten.   On 1 Oct 1981, the Forestry Department of Thailand declared Koh Samet and its surrounding to be a national park. Officially, it is named Khao Laem Ya - Mu Koh Samet National Park and covers the area of 131 square kilometers of land and sea.   Admission fee to the national park of 200 Baht is to be imposed to every foreign visitor by the authority   The peak of the Samed Island (Koh Samet) is 112 meters high covered by thick jungles. On top of the hill, there is a big but mysterious hole of 8 meters deep, surmounted with ruins of a brick wall of over a century old. This hole is known as "Bor Thong" or Gold Pit. According to the myth, the pirates dug this hole in order to hide their gold, gotten from the sunken Chinese vessel. After being surveyed by the Thai geologists, it was officially announced that this gold pit is merely the water well. The myth believers then argue that it is hard to believe that such hold would ever be dug on top of the hill under the dry stone for a purpose of water well. Up-to-date, treasures have never been found!   Nearby this "Bor Thong" sits a metal casting of 100 footprints of the Lord Buddha, a replica of the footprints at Wat Phra Phunhabat in Saraburi Province.   The magical beauty settings of Samed Island inspired the great Thai poet, named Sunthorn Phu, to write the great Thai Epic - Phra Apai Manee (a story of princes, saga, mermaid and giants) over 150 years ago.