Koh Chang - or - What went wrong..??

After spending the first three days in Bangkok, I had enough of the big, hectic city and set off for Koh Chang early on Saturday at 8:00. I wanted the sea, sun, beach, palm trees.. Read, lie in a hammock, explore the island by scooter, do nothing.

The small catastrophe, which of course is not a catastrophe - I only call it that because what happened next was a bit different from what was described above - started on the bus.. I was given a seat and, as expected, I sat right by the terribly stinking toilet. With my scarf wrapped around my nose and mouth, we set off on the announced maximum 4-hour bus ride, which actually took 6.5 hours. Oh well, I have time. 😊 Arriving at the bus station in Trat, I followed a man who muttered something about a pier and waited to be taken there. With two other Thais, I climbed onto the back of the truck. However, it did not take us to the pier, but to a kind of intermediate station where we sat for another 45 minutes. Unaware of what would happen next. But without a time problem, it is also completely relaxed. After the next truck, we went directly to the boat to the island and from there with a shared truck to the accommodation - a total of 9 hours. I had booked accommodation for the first night because I didn't know exactly when I would arrive and because I wanted to move to one of four hippie hostels the next day, which couldn't be booked in advance. After a very good green curry in an open kitchen on the street and a 1-hour massage, I quickly fell into bed. The next morning, with all my belongings packed, I set off towards the hostels. The taxi-truck driver told me that they could only be reached via the beach. I was supposed to walk to the left on the beach. After about 15 minutes of walking, I realized that this was probably the wrong direction and walked another 30 minutes in the other direction. The first hostel was closed due to renovation, but in theory I could stay there - alone. The second one looked a bit strange from the outside. The third one, my favorite, was rustic. d

The rooms built up the mountain slope were small, damp, and smelly, and I would have had to stay for at least three nights - there were no other guests here either. I didn't even reach the fourth one because it's not possible during high tide. By now it was noon, I was hot, and I had to take a moment to gather my thoughts and think about what to do next. After a short while, I found a small hotel - according to the description, it was the most beautiful beach - for 350 Bath (about 9€) and decided to go there. I got my own little hut, took a shower, and sat down on the terrace for a moment. After about 2 hours and the urgent need to go to the beach, I realized that this large, winding complex was located on a cliff and therefore there was no beach. But there was a staircase that led directly into the water - the waves hit the rock walls with a lot of force. Do I need to say more? 😂 So I decided to leave this place as well. On the internet, I found the super cool Pajamas Hostel, which I apparently overlooked before, and booked 2 nights. But I still had the upcoming night in my hut. Did I mention that in this hotel, too, besides me, NO ONE was present? So it got dark and I heard noises everywhere. A bit like in a bad horror movie. If someone had tried to kidnap me, no one would have noticed - because no one was there. 😳 Last but not least, it started pouring rain. I survived the night unharmed but with little sleep and let myself be driven to Pajamas the next morning - it's so nice here. 😊 I sleep with two strange girls who don't talk to anyone in a four-bed room. At least it's quiet at night.. 😁 Fortunately, there are other people here too. At noon, I went to the waterfall. Beautiful!! I sat there for a while, just listening to the water. How idyllic. Then I walked back on foot. Somewhere along the road, I spotted an elephant sanctuary - one where the elephants are chained up very short. Suddenly, you feel the urge to take the trainers' whips and take all the elephants with you. 😕

I decided to rent a scooter the next day and explore the rest of the island. In the evening, I went to the night market at the nearest beach and got some delicious food from the grill and waffle iron. Unfortunately, shortly afterwards it started raining... It is now the next evening and it is still raining - cats and dogs!! Non-stop! Okay, about 60 minutes during the day in total not. I used them for a mini walk in front of the hostel. You never know when it will start again. The rest of the day, everyone hung out - read, slept, stared at the air, and waited for it to finally stop. I just went across the street in flip-flops and with a huge umbrella to get something to eat and have another massage. As a reward for sitting so quietly today. 😊 Tomorrow I'm heading back to Bangkok on a whim, I can't stand another day of rain. And the day after tomorrow, I'm going to Chiang Mai, where the sun will shine at least, even if there is no sea and Anja is waiting for me.

Conclusion: Koh Chang is certainly a beautiful little island. Unfortunately, I can only partially judge that. 😁