Sunday, August 09, 2015

Koh Chang, Somewhere in the Middle of it All

Ice Cold Beer with Sunset on Koh Chang
It sizzled, the perspiration that fell onto stone floor of Mercure Koh Chang Hideaway as I dragged my luggage towards the reception. The blazing noon sun scorched the island south east near the Cambodian border. One of the last few islands I had yet to adventure, one of the islands that never crossed my mind. My perception of Koh Chang had always been not a good one. The water not as crystalline as that in western Adaman, it was tinted green and my experiences with Ao Thai often ended up with scores of itching spots on my body after a swim. Ao Thai is like a ginormous bay where the Chao Phraya and her sister rivers drain into. Carrying silt from the northern farms, the “treated” waste water from the numerous industries, and the sewers from the many uncharted black water klongs of Bangkok metropolitan area. No major ocean current passes into and out of this bay, only the sun and moon working in tandem pulling the seas in and out. What’s in the bay stays in the bay. That said, waters of Ao Thai had never been my favorite.

Twist and Turns
Like how Burma is separated by mountain ranges from Thailand, there is actually Western and Eastern Koh Chang separated by high terrain. Unlike Koh Samui where the road went one big round along the fringes of the island, on Koh Chang, the road forked away starting from the north where we arrived, and did not join up on the southern trip. That said, wrong turn meant ending up somewhere far far away and having to turn back. That was why GPS was invented, and we were blessed with in car GPS. The western side of the island was more popular in every way, an abundance of secluded resorts from cheap to the luxurious, stretches of shores and breaking waves, plenty of restaurants, loads of both hip and rustic pubs, and homespun coffee shops. Driving was fun and frustrating at times. The fun bit was negotiating the twisty up and downhill roads. The frustrating bit was when we encountered drivers who drove what seemed like cars powered by squirrel in their exercise wheel.

Sunset at Sea View Resort and Spa
Food, well if you are a farang, all Thai food will taste nice to you on Koh Chang. As a seasoned foreigner here, food was not strikingly good. Plenty to choose from, Thai food from the common shops, exquisite cuisines in the hotels, or that tried to be western food so hard by the beach cafe. First day, we had lunch at Jea Yu Seafood (Sister Yu), trusting the reviews on the ever so popular Pantip Website in Thai. It was bang for buck. It was the better than average Thai food going at mainland prices. And one day we had a salad dinner high on top of this hotel called Sea View Resort and Spa, and that’s where I discovered that Thai avocado was very bitter. Best sunset view however, and they even had a tram that goes down to the beach below where another beach bar and restaurant was located. For one of our lunches, we hopped into Nong Bua Seafood at Klong Prao Beach. It felt like eating in a seafood restaurant in Bangkok, the prices the same too. But I have to say, this restaurant has standards, it was the best meal I had (because I am from Bangkok??).

Fishermen Village
Venturing all the way to the southern parts of Koh Chang was interesting, a placed called Bang Bao Fishermen village. There, a jetty extended out into the sea and along side of it, a settlement of eateries, shops and residential homes built on stilt had evolved. Or maybe it was the other way round, a jetty was impaled into the settlement, I don’t know. It was an alley way the jetty had become, and as we strolled thankfully in the fully covered walkway, scores of restaurants offering fresh seafood to choose from. They were Bangkokly priced however. We turned into an inviting café for a good coffee and some fruit smoothies. Yes I mentioned some, it was so hot I had to cool from inside out. This café featured a free roaming Holland Lop rabbit. We could see the critter hopping around creating long moving shadows on the wooden well glazed floor. The good side of being there on an extremely hot mid afternoon was, there were no crowds. Thais are distant relatives of ancient vampires, they do not venture out when the sun is high up. The farangs however, not too many, were there and some bare bodied to beat the heat and collaterally emitting armpit odors.

Beach Bar After Dark
There was a drinking joint slightly to the north of Lonely Beach. You need to try turn every corner to discover places like theses. They had a bar serving cocktails and booze, they had a wooden deck spread out across the shore front. Most Thai clubs and pubs have really bad taste of western music. About the only songs they played were pluses of electronic drums at 200000000 decibels to go along with euphoric minds on yaba (drugs). In cafes and chill out joints wannabe, they played mainstream over the radio songs we hear over and over again in our cars while stuck in notorious Bangkok jams. But at the place we went, KYGO was reverberating pleasantly over the air. Chill out vibes, the occasional breeze. The sound of gentle breaking waves, darkness and stars. It was unison and it drew a smile across me face. This place knows real music.

My smile was wiped into oblivion when I was served my barbequed steak. It was real bad. Like I mentioned before, many eateries tried hard to be western, but never will be. Can’t blame them. Cambodians on the grill. I had problems ordering initially as well, our common language was Thai, he spoke bad Thai, me spoke bad Thai, it was a miracle we somehow telepathically understood each other. And then came an unruly crowd of Indians, likely tourist. Fat cow sat on my table without even asking if seat was taken, me wife went to the ladies. I tried to explain to that woman seat was taken and she refused to budge. So wanted to sacrifice her in a religious ceremony then. Her husband who fortunately spoke English came to herd her away to graze on another table.

Township on Island
Never did have time to venture over to the eastern side of the island. Was told there was not much to do, but plenty of original localities one could find I guess. The shores we visited plenty. For me, best was Whites Sand Beach towards the north. Large gentle sloping shores, whitest sand on the island. The rest were mediocre, and the beach in front of our hotel, only if you like to swim with rocks and mud. Koh Chang, a change from the over infested Samed Island, a more rustic setting then Phuket and Samui. No nasty mafia ran Jet Ski touts like those on many other popular destinations and umbrellas do not grow on shores like in Pattaya. Was not overly infected by chic cafes like those all over Hua Hin and amenities were more accessible compared to stuck in one resort on Koh Kood. To get far away from Bangkok onto an island in the middle of the tourism scales, that what it was.

Ferry to Koh Chang
Ferry to Koh Chang
Ferry to Koh Chang
There a Hog there... . .
Fishermen Village
Fishermen Village
Fishermen Village
Fishermen Village
Fishermen Village
Fishermen Village
Sunset on Koh Chang
Mercure Koh Chang Hideaway
White Sands Beach
White Sands Beach
Alley in Fishermen Village
Interesting Bike for Rent

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