Ko Chang - Lonely Beach, Thailand

Arrival: 01/19/09 10:00pm

Departure: 01/26/09 noon

Sight Seeing: The beach, tourist shops, and a large number of 40+ year old white men with beautiful young Thai women on motorbikes (gross)

People: Snotty tourist, indifferent locals

Food: Awesome and cheap (Pai Thai and Fried Rice for $1.25!!!)

Accommodations: Paradise Cottage - uncomfortable accommodations, but a million dollar beach front view ($15 per night for the both of us)

Pictures: Pictures of Thailand

Summary: Ko Chang is a beautiful tourist island with a little something for everyone. Be careful about where you stay as the party scene can be a little overwhelming even if you aren't involved. The beaches and tourists are beautiful.

Details: After a sleepless first night, we upgraded our room to a beach front bungalow with a million dollar view. The view was great, but the rest of the bungalow didn't change much. The first day we walked around the small town which was divided by one road that goes around the entire island. The town consists of small restaurants/bars and beach shops. The town looks as though it was build with the local jungle resources so it's quaint but not Rodeo Drive. The restaurants have wooden plank flooring, straw hut roofs with large ceiling fans, hammocks for lounging, and Christmas lights to attract the tourists. The primary method of transportation is by motorbike which anyone who looks to be over five can rent. It was tempting, but considering the road was narrow and windy and most the other drivers were huge fans of Beer Chang, we opted to pass and continue with our trusty feet.

About 1/2 a mile through town is a short stretch of white sandy beach where most of the tourists spent the day. The water is a beautiful turquoise and is great for swimming/snorkeling. We found ourselves walking along the beach enjoying the strong sun and watching large and small boats off the shore. After returning to town we had dinner and called it an early night to avoid the mosquitoes which come out at dusk and dawn. The first day became our routine for the remainder of our stay as there was not much else to do but relax. We did do quite a bit of work in the afternoons at a few different local restaurants that offered free WiFi so long as you order a meal. After about a week we decided it was time to move on and head to Cambodia.