Day 2
845am We boarded our dive boat a little stiff , a little sore and with severe sunburn.We hoped that the renewed sun exposure was going to be worth it and that the 600Baht (20AUD each ) was going to be money well spent.On board with us were 4 experienced drivers ,2 Austrians (husband and wife)and 2 French girls plus 1 instructor and crew We were informed as soon as we board the boat that the diving /snorkelling destination had changed from the plan of last night and instead of going 40mins off coast we were actually going to be heading 90minutes offshore.We didn´t really care because obviously we weren´t familiar with any of the dive spots but we were later to learn that the dive instructor had disobeyed the owners request and that this may have cost us the chance to see a Whale Shark.Whilst it would have been fantastic to see a whale shark the area where we were taken was absolutely incredible and we couldn´t have asked for a better introduction to offshore snorkelling.In the area we were taken there were and are impressive reefs with a variety of soft and hard corals which support a range of tropical reef life.Before we even entered the water you could see that it was crystal clear with exceptional visibility, we were later inform there was 25m visibility and that the water temperature was 30 degrees.David got off to a bad start by jumping into the water and promptly losing his mask and snorkel but with visibility being so good it was quickly located sinking to the bottom.The water literally crackled with what sounded like electricity and we can only assume that this was being emitted from some if not all the 1000s of fish that were swimming around and with us.Words can not being to describe the feelings and sensations of what it is like to be surrounded by this many fish it is a pure kaleidoscope of colour and movement.Fish ballet is something that everyone who can bear the thought of swimming around in megalitres to the umpteenth power of fish excrement should experience at least once in their lifetime.Oblivious as to what was going on on the boat we soon realized that lunch was being prepared as missiles of watermelon and pineapple chucks were being fired by the captain and his deck hand directly at our heads not to get our attention but to show us in the beginning that tropical fish eat their fruit and vegetables and secondly that they will eat directly from your hand when you collect the objects being thrown to us.We later learnt that they eat red chilli as well! We were also surrounded by dozens of people wrapped in lifejackets from packed snorkeller boats as many could not swim. They soon floated away and were rescued by an inflatable dingy after standing on as much coral as they could find. The dive boat provided excellent food which probably would have been worth the cost of the trip alone. We moved across to the next location about 40 min away but the visibility was not as good as the first. We swam around for a while then something changed in the water and the visibility suddenly went to about 25 metres and we could clearly see the divers below us. This gave us a chance to take a good look at the fish and coral deep on the steep walls on one side of the island. I wasn't having much luck with the underwater photography as the point and shoot camera was not really up to the task and it was taking about 10 shots for one in focus and with correct light. The best shots still looked as if taken through a glass bottom boat which is not far from the truth as the waterproof case is essentially a fancy ziploc bag with a glass lens cover. Clearly good underwater photography requires good equipment.We got back to the dive shop and found that a whale shark had been at one of the locations that we were supposed to visit today so decided to book another trip out to the area on the chance that it had remained in the same area.
Our accommodation has a bit of an identity crisis. It has very rustic bungalows in a beautiful setting that are reasonably priced yet the drinks and food are really expensive. Who is the target market? Backpackers want cheap; Tourists generally want more luxury. We just sit around on the deck use the wifi, ignore the menu when the staff drop it where we sit. We don't eat the food or drinks and head into town 7 minutes walk away and eat for much less and we are not the only ones that do it at least 90% of the people staying don´t eat here. It doesn´t seem like a very good business model to us.
Day 3
We were quietly hopeful of spotting a whale shark today. The one yesterday was reported to be have been about 6m and said to have circled the dive boat. The captain spotted it first then jumped in and swam with it. The others on board followed. Our destination was only about 3km off the coast at a rock outcrop. It was windier than yesterday and visibility was lower. There was no whale shark to be seen when we arrived but we were hopeful of it turning up. It felt a little dangerous snorkelling in deeper water without being able to see the bottom. The visibility was only about 5m and it was very different being rock rather than coral. There were small fish schooling, some interesting parrot fish close to the rock face and a couple of large barracuda in the wash. We swam with the school for a while which was amazing. It was average snorkelling. No whale shark.
Lunch was nice! On the first day we decided that a trip on a boat for a day and lunch would be enough to keep us happy.
The second site was about 40 min away. The swell had picked up and we jumped in and found that the visibility was really poor and the warm water seemed to be full of particles so after about 30 minutes of looking around we heading back to the dive boat where the captain ,who spoke a little broken English, proceeded to show us rope tricks. The divers said that all they could do was feel their way along. It was a nice day but was a bit of a waste of time and a big disappoint after the previous day for all of us
Day 4
Rented a 125cc motorbike 200Baht without insurance.How foolhardy and maybe even how stupid I suspected you are saying to yourselves but insurance isn´t an option at any of the rental agencies in Koh Chang so knowing that our World Nomads Travel Insurance didn´t cover us if we had an accident whilst we operated a mechanically driven vehicle we took the only sensible option open to us .......we grabbed two genuine ´fake´Yamaha motorbike helmets prayed to the Buddhist´s deity of safe travel and jump aboard our bike and started humming ´Born to be Wild´ as we started our journeyed across the island to the fabled Treehouse 2. It was a 60 km journey to get there and the last 2km were on an exceptionally rough road. Quite a challenge for an inexperience skooter boy. The hostel is almost like a commune and is very basic and centred around a beautiful tree on the beach that give shade. The main eating area is around the tree and the food is cheap. The place is full of backpackers some who look like they may have stayed for a while. Treehouse 2 is the closest location that I have seen to the book 'the beach'.
We stayed for lunch. Our measure for price reference at restuarants is the price of pad thai (our staple). It was 45 baht at treehouse 2 which is the cheapest we had found on the island. Take note of this cliff cottage who want 120 baht for a pad thai meal. We just spend 200 baht in scooter hire, 100 baht in petrol and got to the other side of the island and back, had a cheap meal and only just came in a little more expensive!
Why are there so many fat old men with young thai girls on the back of their scooters on Ko Chang? Hmmm. The power of money.
Day 5
Extended the motorbike rental and rented a triyak (3 seater kiyak) for the day for an excessive 600baht (20AUD) and paddled out to island that we were repeatedly told were a long way away. It took us about 30 min paddle as we were battling a headwind and when we arrived we found other boats moored at the beach. I wasn't impressed as we thought it would be ours for the day. Nice island. Covered with jungle and nice sandy/coral beach at one end. We beached the triyak and put our gear under a tree. Almost perfect. On with the snorkelling gear and found that the coral had been wrecked near the beach however once out in the deeper areas it was quite nice but the visibility was a bit low.
We moved on to a second island about 15 min paddle with a smaller and steeper coral beach. There was nobody on that island and again we had jungle and a trees right near the water line to provide shelter. A nice spot for a banana sandwich or two. Mmmm. We headed into the water and found that the snorkelling was completely different but better. There were a lot more sea urchins and the coral was much better than the first island. Visibility was improving. Vanessa and I found a large cuttlefish moving around but it wasn't keen on having us follow it. Beautiful to watch in motion.
Our final island was another 15 min paddle away. It was small as well but there was no obvious place to bring in the triyac as it was only rocks with sharp shells attached. So we carefully pulled up trying not to scrape the triyak too much. Then snorkelled around parts of the island and found a good spot to bring in the canoe without the sharp shells. I moved the triyak just in time for a group in a speedboat to turnup. They only stayed for about 15min before getting bored. Little did they realised that there was some exceptional snorkelling about 30m for where they were trying but I had no intention of telling them where to look as they were standing on coral outcrops. Once they went I showed Vanessa a patch with a clown fish and some stunning coral. A very nice spot and the visibility had improved quite substantially which allowed us to see the orange fern like corals and rich green coloured corals which had previously had their colours dulled.
The tide was starting to run in at this point and the wind was also assisting so the paddle back to shore was quite easy apart from having to avoid a large rocky area.Vanessa did her best to emulate Sally Robinson´s (Lay down Sally) efforts by laying down in the triyak whenever possible but at least she kept paddling We are beginning to think that just like many things in South East Asia SPF50 sunburn cream by Nivea is a genuine fake.
Day 6
A bit sore today after using muscles that we had forgotten about in our kayaking trip yesterday. We decided to take it easy and not go snorkelling even though the ocean was dead calm and crystal clear looking. Vanessa needed to rest her back and her sunburnt legs from the sun anyway. So we extended the motorbike rental and went for a ride to our local el cheapo eating spot at Lonely beach then a little touring. Dropped in to feed the last of our bananas to an elephant located in a camp near the road. We stumbled across a shop with swimming trousers. Yes full length swimming trousers which will be perfect for those long hours watching tropical fish while snorkelling. When we got back to our bungalow we noticed that mine colour matched my flippers and top. One must always be fashion conscious when dressing for the ocean even if it does mean looking like you are ready to play cricket.!
Day 7
Heading off to Cambodia as our 30 day Thailand visa is about to expire.
Bye for now,
Vanessa and david
