Koh Chang

On the ferry to Koh Chang

After the madness of Bangkok and Hong Kong a beech break was much needed. Before I left for Thailand I found out that a friend of mine, Gemma, was going out to Koh Chang on holiday. This was was the perfect excuse to hit the beech. After 5 days in Bangkok we hopped on a bus for the Island. 5 1/2 hours later we had arrived.

There was an initial confusion with the taxi service as there only seems to be one road on the Island and taxi drivers seemed to have a monopoly. The taxi driver was looking for something like 600 baht each unless he had a full load (12 people). So we decided to wait until the next ferry arrived so we could get a full load and be charged a slightly more respectable 100 baht each.

Most of Koh Chang now seems to be taken up by large, expensive looking resorts with the exception of the area known as Lonely Beach, where all the backpacker and hippie types seem to hang out. The area looks a little well worn compared to the concrete resorts that we drove past in the taxi but it had a charm of its own and laid back style. Gemma had been kind enough to scout out some accommodation in the style of an air-conned concrete “bungalow”. The “bungalow” was a reasonable 700 baht per night and, although not the cleanest I’ve come across, it did the job nicely.

The inside of our Bungalow (click to see a larger image)
The outside of our Bungalow (click to see a larger image)

After getting settled in and showered we decided to get something to eat. Gemma made the smart move of ordering something without the spices and myself and Donna opted for the “Sweet Chili Chicken” thinking that it would be much like the sweet chili that we know from back home. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Lets just say that there was nothing “sweet” about this chili chicken. I was sweating from places I’ve never sweated before and my lips had gone numb.

After the Chili experience we decided to head for a much deserved drink in Ting Tong bar. This was our first experience of Thai style seating (or lack of seating) where you sit on the floor on a pillow. The music was in a Reggae style and was fairly relaxing after a while. There was also the option of kicking back in a hammock.

Gemma and me enjoying the infamous buckets

Over the next few days we took the opportunity and chilled to the max on the beach. We spent a lot of time here sleeping, swimming or frying on an inflatable lylo. Donna managed to give her back a right roasting after spending about 3 solid hours just drifting up and down the beach on the lylo. We also opted for an hour long Thai massage with Aloe Vera after seeing that Donna’s back was burnt up a treat.

On the Saturday we went to a “Full Moon” party but it decided to rain down monsoon style rain and put a bit of a dampner on the party spirit. We managed to get soaked in the space of a few seconds. This party also happened to the party where I made my first (and hopefully last) petty theft of the trip. In the bars on the Island you are expected to take of your flip-flops or shoes before entering. You are then supposed to be able to successfully spot your own pair of knockoff Diesel flip-flops in a sea of other knock-off Diesel flip-flops. I thought I had the right pair at the time but the alcohol must have got the better of me. The next day when I woke up I noticed that my flip-flops had grown about 3 sizes too big over night.

The rest of the trip was your standard beach holiday affair with the exception of one place known as “Art Cafe”. This place is just incredible and is going to get a blog post of its own dedicated to it.

That pretty much sums up most of the happenings of Koh Chang. You can view all the photos from Koh Chang by clicking here.

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