While our New Mexicans were here, the final thing on their Thailand Bucket List – tigers, ruins, elephants, and monkeys accomplished – was to spend some time on a beach or an island. And, as islands are something that Thailand has in abundance, but travel time was something we were short on, we decided on Koh Chang at the strong recommendation of some friends.
Relatively undisturbed in terms of development and tourism, Koh Chang is far quieter than anywhere we had been in Southern Thailand, although not for lack of effort. The majority of the island is covered in vast complex cliffs and meandering evergreen and jungle mountains. The road that rushes along the perimeter of the island, although failing to make a full, connecting circuit, is something akin to a rollercoaster, with its steep inclines and hairpin turns.
The lack of development has led to a spike in the number of luxury resorts on the island, intentional on the part of the developers with an eye for big bucks. However, if you venture slightly farther to Lonely Beach, cheap accommodation and moderately priced meals abound. A decent beachfront (or had there been more beach and less boulders, what would have been beachfront) bungalow ran us 300 baht a night, and even included a mosquito net over the bed and a hammock out front. We fell asleep to melodious waves lapping at our doorstep, our wallets not suffering horribly.
We did a full day of snorkeling, this time with no major catastrophes. Win and Ansel rented motorbikes to cruise around the little island, while Jenny and I hopped a taxi to the resort-quality beaches to lounge, read, and have some lunch. It was over-cast, but as we were both slightly burnt, it was perfect. It was a lovely, relaxing way to finish off our unpaid vacation, and it cost far less than a trip to the other islands.
