We needed a break from Bangkok so decided to head to Koh Chang which is an island off the south east coast of Thailand, quite near to Cambodia. The usual trek there is a 12 hour plus minibus ride but we decided to live it up and take the 45 minute ($90AUD) flight from Bangkok to Trat airport and then transfer via minibus and ferry across to Koh Chang. A much quicker trip, and although more expensive, worth it if you have the money.
On Koh Chang there are a few major villages, each with a slightly different personality and vibe about them.
We picked Bai Lan Bay, which is one of the southern strips along the west coast of the island. Whilst our "beach" was a series of rocky coastlines, we were about 10 minutes walk away from the nearest sandy beach - known as "Lonely Beach" which wasn't that lonely but was a great place for a morning and afternoon dip! We decided to stay at Bai Lan Bay Resort which had been recommended on trip advisor as a place to get away from it all and not a party area. After hitting the cities of Singapore, KL and Bangkok - this was exactly what we needed. Bai Lan Bay Resort huts overlook the ocean and the jungle and whilst remote (no wifi, no tv, no one really around) our stay there has been the highlight of our trip so far.
Our typical days at Bai Lan included:
waking up to the sound of the ocean
brisk 10 min uphill walk over to Lonely Beach with the monkeys keeping watch
morning dip in the warm, bath-like water before walking home
enjoying the sugary bright red "jam" on toast and our black strong coffee for brekky
some writing, reading and a lot of lazing about
late lunch of various curries and of course, som tam (as spicy as we can handle) upstairs watching the ocean
afternoon walk for more exploring the beach or just reading by the beach bar with a coco drink or three...
dinners at the restaurant upstairs - our favourites, fried fish with ginger, pad thai and green curry with Leo beer to keep us cool
We had mixed weather which has mostly been nice hot days with afternoon showers. One afternoon we were caught in an amazing rain storm and ended up walking home from the beach soaking wet. It was funny at the time - how often do you really get soaking wet in the rain from head to toe?
There are many other beaches and villages on the island - Bang Bao (fishing village with long pier covered in tourist shops and seafood restaurants. We enjoyed a bloody mary at the buddha view and spoke to the guide from "Friendly tours" about getting out to some of the smaller islands around Koh Chang as the boats aren't running in October); Pearl Beach (great bookshop with awesome coffee and free wifi, post office but not much else) and Kai Be (a hike from the beach, mostly tourist shops and restaurants, mainly private beaches for the Russians) but Bai Lan area is our favourite. It has everything we need and is close to the atmosphere of Lonely Beach without being part of the backpackers hovel.
So, after intending to stay 5 days in Bai Lan, we ended up spending 12 and loving every one! We were sad to say goodbye to our little piece of paradise, who knows when we'll be back...
