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  1. This was a trip we did a few years ago but as a few have asked about Koh Chang here you go.. Well we was running late as always and we got load up by 6am and collected our friends to head for the border of Cambodia and Thailand. So with the two bikes and the four of us we was making good time and we got to the border around 10am and Krzysztof was in a bit of a panic as we all decided to do some shopping as my Cambodian visa was in process but Krzysztof didn't bring his passport.. So then I headed into the line for the Cambodian visa (1500 baht) next to Thai immigration still in Thailand and the man who took my passport told me to wait here and don't go anywhere, but we had planned on shopping in Cambodia for a few duty free goodies. I told Puang & Krzysztof's lady to go and me and Krzysztof would wait here.. 5 minutes later Puang comes back sad and told me we can't go, we have to pay for them go for us. At this point I said "Thai mafia" and the Cambodian officer said yes to me.. Then i started to chat to him and he said mafia no good and told me to come to one side and we all got into his car and he drove all four of us around the small town inside Cambodia and took us shopping. Here's a few Photo’s Over the border Back into Thailand. So I ended up buying 2 sleeves L&M lights and case of Angkor beer for 850 baht what a deal... Krzysztof was over the moon about it, he didn't even have his passport with him... It was time to get back on track. NEXT STOP KOH CHANG Koh Chang 2 hours and 20 minutes away, I was thinking if the ferries run every hour we would make the 1pm crossing so it was foot to the board and gain some ground while everyone had 40 winks. For this leg we didn’t stop and got there around 12:40, its some kind of ticket drive thru and check in if you’re crossing with a vehicle. At the first counter you pay and I told puang to tell them we are taking the truck, 4 persons and 2 bikes. So Puang does her Thai bit then asks me for 440 baht, at this point I told Puang this is the price for the truck, 4 persons and 2 bikes? She told me 80 baht each and the truck is 120 baht … what a deal. I was smiling all the way onto the ferry. here's a few shots of the ferry port and on the ferry heading to Koh Chang. So we landed on Koh Chang and everyone was wondering if I could remember where I was heading to. I told them the same place where all the baht buses are going up and over the top of that hill, at this point Puang looked up and said very big hill and have cloud and we drive over? I said, Yes we can just like everyone else can darling.. So we hit the hill and I put on the power and around the sharp corners the truck was wheel spinning and Puang gave out the odd scream… but everything was ok.. We got the white sands and looking at the main street it seams more built but than before but I can remember the odd place as we drive past. So I remember the name of the place "Tantawan" but can I remember where it is.. I dove into the drive no sign as before and there we where at the right place.. Puang jumped out and looked around you could see the beach thru the bungalows she was smiling and couldn’t wait to get checked in. Now when we have called before for this place to make a booking we have always been told there’s plenty of a bungalow so we have never booked and something else has come up and we have ended up not going. So this time we didn’t call and we just turned up. Puang asked about the rooms and they only had one room as four rooms was taken this morning…. Well I was pissed off at this point and you know what its like finding a good place to stay at the very last minute.. So we all jumped into the truck and didn't waist a minute and we drove up white sands looking, we tried a few places and no Wi-Fi, not on the beach, rooms smelt of damp. We was driving on almost coming to the end of white sands and we came to this place “grand View Resort” Puang went in and asked the questions and out she came with a one of the staff and a bunch on keys. Now I guess the staff here have a played out routine on this as we was shown the main road side bungalows first as 1000 baht then the second row at 1500 and the third row beach side as 2000, Puang did her stuff and managed to get them for 1800 per night. Sat on my balcony with all my supplies and WIFI.. Our bungalow Meet the neighbours.. A walk around the hotel grounds After a few hours of relaxing and having a few beers and 40 winks we decided to have a bit of a wonder down the main road into white sands. After a wonder around on the main road we headed to the beach. Here's a few more from around the island:-
  2. Koh Chang (Elephant Island) is the largest island in the Gulf of Thailand, at 492 sq km, is the second largest island in Thailand after Phuket. Koh Chang is about 70% undisturbed rainforest, the best preserved in Thailand, which provide the source of rivers and waterfalls. A mountain range with steep cliffs rising to 744 meters shield the island from prevailing winds. Tourism is very seasonal with several months of rainfall during the year. Weather is cool and pleasant, with plenty of sunshine, during high season from November to April. Temperatures reach 34C during March and April, and the southwest monsoon from the Gulf brings an abundance of rainfall from June to October. The eastern side of the island is a sediment area brought from the Trat River, making it a fertile fishing area, while resorts and beaches populate the western side of the island facing the sea. GETTING THERE Your options are air, public bus, minibus, and taxi. Bangkok Air owns the airport at Trat so no competitive pricing, one-way for 2600 on a prop plane from Swampy, flight time is about 30 minutes. There were just a couple dozen passengers when I took this flight. The island is too mountainous to support an airfield, the Trat airport is a single airstrip on the mainland, about 20 minutes from the ferry pier. It's still necessary to take a minibus along the more treacherous 2-lane segment of the journey for a slightly unreasonable 500 baht. After leaving my condo in Bangkok at 9:30 A.M., I arrived at the resort just after 2:00 P.M. That's very good time, I imagine a minibus would take at least until 4:30, or later if I had to wait for more passengers to fill the seats. Minibus is most convenient and economical, you can even get door-to-door service from Pattaya. Using public bus you'll need to transfer to a baht bus 15 km west of Trat, waiting up to an hour with no a/c. I tried taking a taxi once but, upon reaching the pier, the driver refused to take his cab on the ferry. He said I needed to book a minibus from Malibu Travel after crossing on the ferry. I deducted the cost (300 baht) from his fare. Ferries depart every hour (until 6:00 PM I believe) and take about an hour. ACCOMMODATIONS Accommodations exist in all price ranges, from a small room with ceiling fan for 300 baht per night up to several thousand baht high-end resorts. Rates for the more expensive properties will vary dramatically between seasons. Many visitors prefer to stay at White Sand Beach, near the nightlife. Personally, I think this is the wrong approach. Anyone visiting Koh Chang for the nightlife is likely to be disappointed, the best reason to come to Koh Chang is to relax. I've stayed at the Sea View, Mercury Hideaway, Tropicana, Chang Buri, Nirvana, Kacha, Aana, and Paddy's Palms but now I only stay at the Emerald Cove Resort. I've stayed there 15 times, usually off-season when occupancy is low and rates are half-price. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and I particularly enjoy the 50 meter lap pool. The resort is beautifully illuminated at night. It rains a bit off-season  I usually book a mountain-facing room for half-price, rooms are identical, but sometimes they gave me a free upgrade to a sea view room because I'm such a good customer.  I enjoy the sea view at the Pool Bar with the money I've saved. Half-Price drinks 4 PM to 6 PM, including tasty concoctions like Passion Fruit Mojito and Mango Daiquiri.  Alternately, for about the same price as a sea view room at the Emerald Cove, you can book a pool villa room at the Mercure Hideaway with private plunge pool. A 10 foot wall provides privacy, and the small courtyard also includes a Jacuzzi. The pool is too small for swimming but loads of fun if you have company. For my most recent visit I tried staying at The Chill at Kae Bae Beach. Opened in 2010, about 1-2 km south of the Emerald Cove, The Chill is a boutique resort with ultra modern decor. Only 38 rooms, of which about 6 are occupied. The Chill gets the highest ratings on Trip Advisor at present so I was curious what the buzz was about. Rooms are smaller than the Emerald Cove, but have a second bed on the balcony.  All rooms are facing north, towards the pool. The property is long and narrow so only the last unit, the most expensive suite, has a sea view, but ground-level rooms feature direct pool access from the balcony. The beach is a bit rocky so I did all my swimming in the pool. Caution: The wooden deck can be very hot on the feet!!!  Breakfast is served all-day, any time from 7 AM to 10:30 PM at the Chill Out Cafe, and is ala cart, just order as much as you like. Complimentary for guests, 695++ for walk-ins. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at The Chill. The staff were wonderful and really went out of their way to see you were comfortable, but I still believe The Emerald Cove is the best place to stay on Koh Chang, and not just because it's slightly less expensive. WATERFALLS Klong Plu waterfall is a large waterfall of three levels. The entrance is about 3 km from Ao Klong Plu with a 500 meter walk into the forest, entrance fee includes parking, The entrance fee can be applied to other points of interest within the Koh Chang National Marine Park, since it occupies the interior of the entire island. I once visited Than Mayon Falls on the eastern side of the island, about a 45 minute walk from the parking lot. There are two stones bearing the initials of Rama IV and Rama VII. BARS The main bar area is at White Sands Beach near the Chang Buri Resort. The white building in the background serves as a short time hotel. The second largest bar area is on the northern edge of Kai Bae near the Sir Henry Morgan Pirate Pub  The third largest concentration of bars is at the southern edge of White Sands. BANG BAO VILLAGE Bang Bao Village is a small fishing village in the southwest corner of the island built on wooden stilts in the sea. Buildings are connected by a bridge. Besides the usual stores selling crap souvenirs, there are some very good seafood restaurants, and the village serves as a place to rent boats and make arrangements for visiting other nearby islands, including Koh Mak and Koh Kood. See my Koh Kood Trip Report  The village includes a hospital and pool hall ROADS Roads are treacherous with sharp S-turns up steep inclines on the north side of Koh Chang, and a dangerous hairpin turn near Lonely Beach on the southern end. If you rent a scooter, I strongly advise staying between White Sands Beach and Kai Bae Beach, particularly at night. I was never injured riding my motorcycle, but had some very close calls, once nearly being forced off the road by an SUV barrelling around a corner at night. SUMMARY Koh Chang is a great place to chill out and relax. The ferry pier is about 4 hours from Pattaya, 5 hours from Bangkok. Ferries run about every hour from dawn till dusk, the crossing takes an hour and costs 120 baht each way. Check it out soon, before it becomes more like Phuket and Samui. 
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