Easy Transport

One thing I love about Asia is that you can easily get from one place to the next without having to deal with a bunch of different companies and timetables. Although you may need to take a bus, a boat, and a tuk tuk to get somewhere you only need to talk to one guy. To get to Koh Chang we took a very comfortable minibus (with WIFI!) from Bangkok to the port. We were picked up right from our hostel. From the port we got on the ferry, while still on the minibus, and then took some seats up top to enjoy the smooth ride across to Koh Chang. We then got back onto our minibus, drove off the ferry and were dropped off at our accommodation.

Now, my past experiences here have always involved easy transitions from one mode of transport to the next, but this was by far the most streamlined trip I’ve had in Asia! We put our bags on the bus in Bangkok and took them off at our bungalow in Koh Chang. Delightful.

Pearl Beach

Our first home was a bungalow on Pearl Beach. This was more of a local area with fewer tourists around. It was set right on the beach and was quite secluded and private. It was also wonderfully shaded with palm trees. We saw a lot of creatures here including tiny geckos, beautiful butterflies, toads, bats, and a golden tree snake.

While we were staying there we also went to see some elephants. I will start by saying I should have known better. Our host was a great guy and he regularly needs to clear his property of all the leaves and trim up his trees, etc. He was telling us that he takes the palm fronds over to one of the elephant camps because they love to eat them. He said it was up in the jungle and that it was a nice place. He said he didn’t agree with riding the elephants either and understood my position but offered to take us if we wanted to go with him just to give them their treats. I liked the idea of bringing them something they loved. We even grabbed a coconut to bring along. Another favorite.

So we loaded up his truck and set out for the camp. On the way our host told us some stories of his adventures over the years. Turns out he worked in Canada for a while. He found himself up in Northern mainland B.C. where he did a number of odd jobs including laying carpet and chicken catching. He said his stint as a chicken catcher only lasted 2 days. In this time he ruined his shoes running though all the chicken shit with a bunch of inmates and decided there were better ways to make a dollar. I said that on the flip side he probably made some great pen pals. Dear Knuckles… Andre thought it was funny.

Anyway, it was a long and bumpy ride and when we finally arrived there wasn’t an elephant in sight. I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. A trek had just left and wouldn’t be back for several hours. So we headed back toward home to a different camp. Our host hadn’t been to this one before. When we pulled in I immediately knew I was going to leave the place depressed. All the elephants were chained up by the leg to a post under a stall. They just stood there swaying side to side. We gave them our goods and left after a few minutes. I didn’t want to be ungrateful to our host so I tried my best not to look as distressed as the elephants, but as Andre will attest that my face hides nothing.

On a brighter note, I got to see a bunch of critters that were not captive while snorkeling. I didn’t go out on a boat or book a snorkel trip, I just went snorkeling off the beaches, so I didn’t see a ton of beautiful fish and coral but I did see some good size schools of fish and a few tiny ones with bright blue colours.

 

Food

The closest grocery store to us was Big C. It was really well stocked and Andre was particularly excited about the doughnut offerings. Andre decided that half a doughnut a day for breakfast was acceptable as long as he also had some fruit to balance things out. Breakfast of champions.

One great thing that we noticed is that Big C has stopped providing plastic bags as an option. You could buy a good quality fabric bag or bring your own but plastic is no longer an option.

The Big C also had a nice selection of fresh fruit, followed by a deli section with various types of meats. Now, I have never been a big meat eater. When I was younger I flat out wouldn’t eat it. I remember having track and field days in elementary school where you would get a hot dog lunch along with one of those Dixie cup ice creams with the cardboard peel back top and tiny spoon and a McDonald’s orange drink. I was an unusual child. I wouldn’t eat the hot dog or the ice cream (I didn’t love sweets) and I’d maybe sip a bit of the orange drink. I really didn’t eat much in the way of meat until I moved to Australia, and even then I preferred a vegetarian diet when possible. Seeing all the meat sitting out in the supermarket killed any tiny bit of desire I may have had for it.

I had also just finished watching a film called The Game Changers. It’s worth watching. You can check out their website https://gamechangersmovie.com/

The following is from the website.

Directed by Oscar®-winning documentary filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and executive produced by James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton, Novak Djokovic, and Chris Paul, The Game Changers tells the story of James Wilks — elite Special Forces trainer and The Ultimate Fighter winner — as he travels the world on a quest to uncover the optimal diet for human performance.

Showcasing elite athletes, special ops soldiers, visionary scientists, cultural icons, and everyday heroes, what James discovers permanently changes his understanding of food and his definition of true strength.

So back to my old ways. Luckily there are quite a few vegetarian options in Thailand and most often restaurants will modify things if you ask them. We had several excellent veggie dishes at place close by called Thai and Italian Food. It was a small family run place on the side of the road just a short walk away. A gentleman named Po did all the cooking and most of the serving. Sometimes his older son would jump in and help when it got busy. Here he is at the “soup station”.

We had also heard about a restaurant called Potato. Yes, Potato. It had great reviews and was meant to have food for Farangs (white folk). We thought we might try out a “Western” meal but when we arrived it turned out to be a teeny Thai Bonanza. Back to see Po.

Dog Gangs

On the short walk to Po’s restaurant we always encountered a lot of feral dogs. I love animals but these dogs are sketchy and they travel in little gangs. They could be docile one minute and then up chasing a passing bike the next nipping at the heels of the driver. They made me nervous. One night as we walked to dinner a group of about six dogs started barking at us and sort of circling around showing their teeth. After this I was pretty freaked out. We asked our host about them and he said that they were a real problem.

He told us that if they started becoming aggressive we should pretend to pick up a rock to throw at them and that should be enough to get them to back away. I thought I’d rather have an actual big rock on me than have to pretend. I picked up three good-sized stones on our next walk and gave them a wash once we got home. These became our “fuck off” rocks for the rest of our stay in that area. Every evening when we’d go out I would hold two and Andre would take one. We never had to use them but it made me feel better, especially after that one incident. I left them on the porch for the next guests when we checked out.

Getting Around

I mentioned before that we failed to get our international driving permits before leaving Canada. We just didn’t think about it. Turns out you can do it online through AMA but you need passport photos to upload and an address to have the permits sent to and it all seemed like too much to bother with. As it turns out the permit wouldn’t have been useful anyway. After further questioning about renting scooters we found out that if you want to ensure you don’t run into problems with the police you need to have a motorcycle license from your country and the international permit. Since neither of us have a motorcycle license the permit wouldn’t make any difference. We ended up chancing it and taking one for a day. Our host said that basically all that would happen is you’d have to pay a couple hundred Baht if you got pulled over.

I prefer to ride in something with four wheels. I have always been nervous riding on a bike so I was happy to take a songthaew when we needed to go anywhere. It didn’t seem to matter how far you were going within the town. Every time we took it the price was 100 Baht for the two of us ($5.00).

 

We learned that in order to drive a taxi in Koh Chang there was one guy you had to go through. He ran the whole thing and no outside drivers were permitted in the area. Period.

 

White Sand Beach

We were really enjoying Koh Chang and decided we wanted to stay a bit longer. This had been the longest we had slowed down since leaving Canada on July 5th. We had been in Koh Chang for 6 nights and it was so nice to slow down and feel settled in. For the next five days we stayed at a bungalow on White Sand Beach. This was were Andre had initially stayed when he first came here 20 years ago.

Again we were right on the water, and this part of the beach was relatively quiet considering the popularity of this beach. There is only one road that accesses the resort and it’s very steep. If you’re approaching it via the beach then you will run into a point where you need to cut through a restaurant and some accommodation to continue on as the water comes right up to buildings. Like myself, I’m sure most people think they have hit the end without realizing you can pass through. This keeps it fairly quiet. You will see what I’m talking about in the video. It shows the “secret” route between the two stretches of sand.

 

Although there were not a ton of people out this way the ones we did run into all seemed to be German. We asked our lovely neighbor Verena what the deal was with all her countrymen flocking to this area. She wasn’t sure but she did say that November was not a nice month in Germany so many people did holiday during this time. Verena also shared something with me that I am very excited about. I mentioned how much the mosquitoes love me and told her I had been attacked the night before. She had this little gizmo she lent me called Bite Away. A brilliant German invention!

This pen runs on batteries and you simply push one of two button (3 second button or 5 second button) and the tiny ceramic surface heats up to around 51°C. Then when the light goes on to show it’s ready you place it on the bite. It worked really well. It took away the itch and reduced the time the bites lasted for. I will be ordering one on Amazon!

 

I may also consider something like this. Despite the fact that I am using bug spray, both natural and Deet I still seem to get bit. It’s ridiculous. I had high hopes for the essential oils mosquito bracelet (Para Kito) I bought in Antwerp but I can’t say its done much for me. 

Monkey Mischief

Our new place was also home to some troublemakers. There were several days when we got to see monkeys creeping around the bungalows in search of treats. They had no qualms about coming right up onto your deck as you sat there. One afternoon a couple of them were wandering around and one went right up the steps as Verena tried to shoo him away. He could not have cared less. He later jumped onto our other neighbors deck and ran right over her shoulders behind her as she tucked herself forward in her chair to avoid him. Super cheeky.

One afternoon I saw one of them take off with some stolen fruit and I followed him (at a safe distance) down the beach until I reached some rocks where I would go snorkel. I waded into the water to get a better view of where he had gone and as I hung out there slowly and steadily around 15 other monkeys came around to join him. Many were still very tiny. They were jumping around in the trees and chasing and fighting with each other. I watched them for about 20 minutes before they wandered further into the jungle.

Price Hike

It turns out that we were there at a good time. The cost of our beachfront bungalow was around sixty Canadian dollars a night. After we checked out (mid November) the prices increased for high season and the same room would then be around $120.00 per night. Basically accommodation doubles for high season.

Loy Krathong

 One of my favorite experiences was taking in the Loy Krathong festivities. The festival is celebrated on the twelfth lunar month according to the Thai calendar on the full moon day. Usually, this falls anywhere from mid-October to mid-November and lasts for a few days. ’Loy’ means to float, while ’krathong’ is a small container, traditionally made from a piece of banana-tree trunk, containing a candle, incense and flowers. The krathong is released into the water taking away past mistakes and negative thoughts with it. It is a purification ceremony. Some people also put pieces of their hair or fingernails inside.

As we walked along the beach to dinner the tide was way out and the moon was full. It was stunning to look up and see the colours in the clouds around the moon.

The beach was buzzing with activity and families sat around creating their own krathongs. Many of the restaurants had lights up and some had people performing fire shows.

 

We were each given a krathong at the restaurant we ate at. After our meal we walked further down the beach and then decided to head up to the street to see what was happening before we released our krathongs. Walking down the road we saw much of the same thing. People dancing in the street, spending time with family, crafting krathings on the pavement in big groups. As we carried ours past one family who were busy working on theirs I stopped to watch them. All the kids were busy putting on final touches. They looked at ours and they must have felt they were too simple because they started adding beautiful flowers to both mine and Andre’s. Their faces were so full of joy. Their happiness and excitement was infectious. Eventually we walked out into the water and pushed them out to sea. It was an amazing experience.

132 days in…

Heading to Cambodia.