Koh Chang

About five hours from Bangkok is the Island of Koh Chang. The name means Elephant Island, and yes there are elephants there. Although we saw them from the distance, we did not get to do any elephant trekking. We did, however, get do to some snorkeling, fishing, fed some monkeys, rode motor scooters around the island, hiked to see a waterfall, and of course were lazy on the beach. There was so much to do on Koh Chang, it could really deter from the true reason to take a vacation; rest and relaxation. One of our favorite days was spent on the beach doing absolutely nothing. Amanda slept in the sun, I slept in the shade, all while listening to the soft drumming of the fingers of the ocean on the wet sand. There is something innately soothing about the sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore. Cares and worries just seemed to melt away.
If you ever visit Koh Chang, here are a few pointers:
1. Pack light – We only had our backpacks with us, and were glad that is all we had. The main means of transport on Koh Chang is either on the back of a pickup or motor scooter. Therefore, having a lot of luggage can be a hassle and frustrating.
2. Don’t take the first hotel you see – When leaving the pier from the ferry, one may be tempted to take a taxi to the closest beach (White Sands), and stay at the first hotel with an available room. It may be better to pay the taxi driver a little more, and go to a beach farther away (i.e. Lonely Beach). If you do that, you can probably get a quieter room for a much better price.
3. Rent a scooter – An alternative to paying the taxi driver to take you to the far end of the island would be to go to White Sands beach and rent a scooter there to explore on your own. This might make it easier when looking for a place to stay. The downside to that is that you will have to find a way to return the scooter.
4. Bug Spray – Unless you are such a tree hugger and can't stand the thought of killing anything that you don’t mind being a buffet for mosquitoes, bug spray is a must.
5. Take out the trash – Our last night on Koh Chang we had ribs. They were very good but we left the bones in the trash can in our room. Soon after going to sleep we were awakened to a loud sound of flapping plastic. There was a rat in the trash can going after the ribs.
6. Boutique Resort and Spa – This resort was pretty nice. The prices were not the lowest but also not the highest. The rooms were clean, had A/C, and had mosquito netting. It also came with a free breakfast. The staff there was also very friendly, and the ones who worked the desk spoke English pretty well.
Frank

Travel only with thy equals or thy betters; if there are none, travel alone.
The Dhammapada