Hello!
Our second last stop in Thailand was the beautiful jungle-clad island of Koh Chang. The first thing that struck us was the size! The island is separated into 5 beaches, Hat Sai Khao, Ao Khlong Phrao, Lonely Beach(Hat Tha Nam),the floating village(Bang Bao), and Long Beach(Hat Yao). We stayed in the not so lonely Lonely Beach at a wonderful guesthouse called Paradise Bungalows made up of thatch and cocnrete huts looking out to the ocean. Laden with hammocks galore, it didn't take us long to settle in and enjoy our first sunset on the island.
We spent four nights on Koh Chang, and the days flew by! Our first day we decided to rent a motorbike and drive through the different beaches. We made our way over to Bang Bao, an old-fashioned fishing village, all built off a dock in the ocean. They call it the Floating Village. It was really neat walking down the docks, shops and little cafes on either side. Locals selling everything from sawdust and glue dragons, to bracelets and shark teeth. It was a very relaxed area, other than it being the hub for any boat tours off Koh Chang. After a stop for lunch and an iced coffee, we jumped back on the bike to tour more of the island. We made our way to the Lighthouse Bar, where we climbed several sets of stairs for a lovely view of yet another sunset.
The next day we were up early for breakfast and a nice walk into town. We decided to jump on another bike and this time head for the Khlong Phlu Waterfall. After a short hike in, we spent some time cliff jumping and swimming around the falls. The water temperature here felt a little more like home!
On the way back, Andrew decided it was time I took a turn driving.. Yeeaah, me and driving motorbikes don't get along so well...but, hey, I decided I had a good teacher, so we pulled on over and I jumped up front. Keep in mind, vehicles drive on the opposite side of the road in Thailand, so we had a bit of a rocky start when I pulled out onto the wrong side of the road. After a quick recovery we continued on to a less busy path. Things were going fairly well until I looked up and seen an elephant coming towards us.. "Oh my goodness, Andrew, there's an elephant coming...what do I do now?!?" A brief moment of shaky steering and we were back on track. Phew. (It wasn't a wild elephant or anything, but still..you wouldn't expect to pull over for an elephant to cross the road. Although, there were SEVERAL wild monkeys we had to avoid as well)
All in all, Andrew was a very patient teacher, and by the end of our Koh Chang biking adventures, I think it's safe to say I could handle a bike to myself :)
Motorbikes, watching the sunsets, lounging in hammocks, and touring the island pretty much sums up our stay in Koh Chang. We spent a day on the beaches, where the water was just as hot as it was outside! We didn't even think the ocean could be that hot.
All that relaxing had us ready for some action! So we headed back to Bangkok to catch the night train to Chiang Mai. First train ride for the both of us..and what an interesting ride it was...
I'll fill you in next time!
Love to all
A&C
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