Chai Chet Beach, Ko Chang, Thailand
In November, we spent two wonderful weeks on the Thai islands of Koh Lanta and Koh Lipe. The food, pace of life, beaches, and warm, azure water were so magical that we decided we couldn't leave the region without exploring at least one more. We chose to spend the last ten days of our Southeast Asian journey on the Thai island of Ko Chang. Ko Chang is larger than the other islands we visited and much more jungle-like. The upside to that is that we saw monkeys a few times, but the downside is that no amount of OFF! Deep Woods bug spray could keep the mosquitoes away. If you notice scars all over my hands and legs, those would be my Ko Chang souvenirs.
We are trying to stretch the budget out, so we didn't stay beachside this time and that worked out fine. After a 30 minute walk north or south we could cool off with a swim and then relax on the beautiful beaches of White Sands or Chai Chet. For 200 baht ($6) a day we were able to rent a motorbike a few times and explore more of the island. The process of renting the motorbike was interesting. We walked across the street from our bungalow, pointed at the bike, handed over the cash, were given the keys and two helmets and then we drove away. No questions about whether or not we'd driven a motorbike before, or even had a license for that matter. We could have driven it onto a ferry and cruised through the country without ever turning back. Good thing we are nice people. On our final day with the bike, after cruising around the sparsely populated, undeveloped side of the island we were fortunate enough to get a flat tire almost directly in front of a repair shop. Less than ten minutes and $3 later we were back up and running and headed to the beach.
Chai Chet Beach, Ko Chang, Thailand
White Sands Beach, Ko Chang, Thailand
White Sands Beach, Ko Chang, Thailand
Other highlights from our time on Ko Chang was a day of scuba diving and our daily interactions with John, the proprietor of where we stayed. Scuba-wise we had a fun day out and while the diving wasn't as good as it was from Koh Lanta, we saw blue spotted sting rays for the first time. I was also happy to be back in the water with Jake in his first dives since the Koh Lipe incident.
John is originally from South London but left when he joined the Merchant Marines at age 16 and traveled around the world. Somehow he found himself on Ko Chang 13 years ago. When he arrived, he couldn't find a decent breakfast on the island and it sparked the idea for his first business which focused on serving english breakfast. We got to reap the rewards of his fine breakfast making skills each morning and enjoyed lots of his homemade bacon. His London accent was like nothing we've ever heard before - and we've both visited that city several times. Most of the time, it was incredibly difficult to decipher what he was saying. We had to ask him to repeat himself several times and had to translate to other guests who were more lost than we were, probably because English was not their first language. Over the years, my brother has made me laugh so hard with his British and Russian accent attempts. I wish that he could have heard John speak and would love to hear my brother try an imitation. The most challenging part of this trip is the time away from my brother. Sometimes I envision being a few years apart in age from him instead of 18, and what it would have been like to take this trip together as young backpackers. I really miss him. Hopefully someday we will be able to go on a fun trip together.
~ Jesslyn