To Koh Chang

17/06/2015

We have to get up early. At 7:45 am the bus goes to Koh Chang from the Ekkamai bus station. We have to take a taxi to the station because I can't get moving.

The taxi driver drops us off in front of the ticket counter and helps us buy the right ticket. Despite my morning sluggishness, we still have a good hour until the bus departs (we are German after all). We use the time for a 'Birdy' (iced coffee) for breakfast and a bit of planning for the rest of the trip.

Our bus is really comfortable, with air conditioning and small lunch packets at each seat. For 260 baht (about 7.00 €) it's really cheap to travel. The journey is supposed to take 4.5 hours and if it starts raining (it's going towards the rainy season), water drips from the ceiling, but you can overlook that.

The rest stops we visit are also rather unusual for us Germans. There is no toilet paper in the toilets, but also no small hose like in Arabian countries. There is a faucet and a plastic bowl floating in a water basin. I think everyone is left to figure out how to handle it on their own. There are no limits to creativity.

The squat toilets are also a bit strange, but we're already familiar with that from France. It's only annoying when you're not used to using it and your flip-flop slips off the footrest and your bare foot lands in the toilet. I'm speaking from experience...

But there is running water at the sinks outside the cabins, where you can wash your foot.

The journey is really great if you want to see something of Thailand. We see both small villages and larger cities from the bus and get an impression of the country we are in. Waving children on pickup truck beds, roadside stalls where you can buy animals, fruits, and food, and the colorful gambling buses on their way to Cambodia. Gambling is illegal in Thailand, so different companies offer trips to the border with Cambodia.

When we reach the Ao Tammachat Pier in Laem Ngop after a 4.5-hour bus ride, it is pouring rain and we start looking for the ticket counter for the ferry. The whole thing is made more difficult by the fact that the bus driver doesn't speak English and the signage is only in Thai. On top of that, the ticket counter is the size of a portable toilet and it is rather hard to recognize it as a ticket counter. But we're not stupid, we find the ticket counter and buy a ticket to Elephant Island.

The ferry is typically Thai, equipped with plastic chairs and wooden benches that have been repainted 10 times, but that gives it the typical Thai charm that we love. We find a nice spot from where we can look at our destination and off we go. On the ferry, there are all kinds of shakes and juices, melons, and coconuts at a small kiosk, and there are maps of Koh Chang. Naturally, we immediately grab one and see what we can do during our time on the island.

Then we set off and after a very short crossing, we arrive again. At the pier, pickup taxis are already waiting like vultures to take tourists to their accommodations. After a short negotiation with one of the drivers, we agree on a price and climb onto the loading area of the pickup truck, our luggage is thrown onto the roof, and off we go.

On the way, 4 more people are picked up and it gets really cozy back there on the loading area. It is as expected, the rain starts again. To keep the luggage from getting wet, it is placed on the loading area with us 11! passengers. Now it really feels a bit like being in a sardine can. Up and down serpentine roads, at a speed that can make even a little sardine on the narrow roads fearful. I also have the feeling that the monkeys on the power lines are laughing at us...

Our hotel is located on White Sand Beach. A great complex on both sides of the road, with a pool and its own beach. Our luggage is taken to our room and we enjoy a refreshing welcome drink. The hotel is really cheap because we traveled during the low season. Otherwise, it would probably be unaffordable for us.

Our room has a partial sea view and is really nicely furnished, with its own balcony and a large, clean bathroom. Well, we didn't fly all the way to Thailand to inspect the great hotel rooms. We head towards the pool/beach, of course with camera and swimwear. The pool is fantastic, with little elephants spraying water and pavilions for relaxing. But the beach blows us away. White sand, blue water, small islands in the background, and it's all framed by palm trees and green trees. I am in paradise.

Hunger makes itself known and we decide to explore the main road a bit and look for a supermarket. Due to the low season, the main road is pretty deserted and the vendors who have their small shops along the road pounce on every tourist who passes by. Massages at a special price, tattoos, little fish that nibble the skin off your feet, and 'fantastic' sun hats are offered to us. The vendors are not as pushy as in Arabian countries: after a 'no' they usually leave you alone.

After dinner at the hotel, we take a romantic beach walk and discover the 'Seabar'. A truly enchanting beach bar that we immediately like. We treat ourselves to a few cocktails with a great view of the white beach and enjoy our first evening in paradise. Until... yes, until the storm and the rain start again and I am very crowded by a plastic sheet coming too close. That's our sign to go to bed.