KOH CHANG Weekend: Travels and Beach (January 19th - 21st)

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January 19^th -21^{s t} : Koh Chang Weekend

Friday we left at 7am for the airport to fly to Pattaya and begin our big traveling day to Koh Chang Island. In hindsight, we were unprepared for the amount of traveling ahead and didn’t expect the day to include so much traveling! Arriving at the airport, we unloaded our luggage and I soon realized we were quite late according to the time on our tickets. The ticket said we should be getting ready to board at 7:30am yet we were still waiting to check our bags close to then. Not only did a few of us Messiah people looked nervous, including Ajan Debbie and Greg, so did a few of the BCNC staff. We tried and move as quickly as possible and arrived at the gate on time, as the boarding process hadn’t even begun. This was a little bit of a stressful situation for me internally as I am a very on time person, often early. This is how my family runs and how we travel. Thai time was going against my internal instincts for sure! Yet, I was mostly focusing on the “go with the flow” attitude I have been adapting, flexibility and grace, as we progressed. I have gotten into the mindset of follower while here, except during group discussion, at this point and let other lead me to where I need to go and when to be there. The flight felt quick in comparison to our lengthy others and I finally got into my book. We arrived to Pattaya, collected our luggage and headed into the vehicles for a long 4 hour drive to the Coast. The first thing I noticed how much hotter it was in more Southern part of Thailand, it was amazing! I do not have much to say about the drive, it was long, hot, and cramped but doable. Arriving to the Coast and the ferry was a breath of fresh air and I could finally stretch my legs. The vans were transported across the water and we soon arrived to the resort, The Chill. Wow it was amazing and luxurious. We were greeted with fruit drinks and hot towels and a beautiful sight. All evening I couldn’t get over the beauty and luxury I felt, from our hotel rooms, to the amenities, to the view of the water and beach, to our mocktail hour and dinner service, the food: it was all delicious, beautiful and amazing. The hospitality and service was amazing and I again felt overwhelmed by the generosity and service of the staff just like I had when we arrived to Thailand. A beautiful sunset and a fluffy comfortable bed made me feel right at home and I slept good that night, especially due to the later.

Saturday morning I desired to get up early to embrace the beauty again, as our time was bound to be short, yet couldn’t convince my body to follow. I was greeted to an endless breakfast, served by the staff and anything could be ordered. I felt a little uncomfortable with this, as we, a big group, ordered new items left and right and sometimes felt we were overwhelming them or seeming greedy. I guess this was a gift and I shouldn’t feel that way, yet it still bugged me a little. I accomplished firsts through a boat ride and snorkeling on the ocean around the island later that day. We towed around the little island that dotted the water and found places to snorkel, swim, or even get onto the beach. As my first time snorkeling, I was nervous and hesitant yet found it enjoyable and relaxing once I got the hang of it. Most of the Messiah students had been before, so they encouraged me through their confidence. I overall don’t enjoy swimming all that much but did just fine, even jumping off the front of the boat into the water below. Thankfully, I didn’t slip! My favorite part of that boat ride was shifting through and collecting coral from the beach and water of the one island. We stopped there for a while and I was able to collect some beautiful pieces and it left me in awe of God’s creation. I found some that looked like letters and spelled out LOVE with some coral to frame as wedding décor. I love that so much! We ate off the resort for lunch and had an afternoon of free time. I know we were all anxious to do as much as possible as we know tomorrow will be mostly travel and no beach time. Dinner we dressed up and had a delicious, all-you-can eat seafood meal with made to order food, endless side dishes, and a fantastic dessert bar. Each moment I felt so fancy and overwhelmed by the instant service, being called madam and ma’am and being served. My family has never gone to a resort like this and the high class nature of it. I am realizing it’s quite nice yet it can be stressful for me in that I don’t want to be slaved over and burden someone else. I believe it is just the way I was raised and that is okay with me. The meal was amazing yet topped by the incredible fire show. I would never juggle fire, do fire-breathing, or anything like they were. I find it fascinating, but no way too scary! I went to sleep with the feeling like were still on the boat rocking across the waves.

Today was Sunday and our departure day from Koh Chang Island and the Chill Resort. It was a beautiful morning and I was successful in getting up early and going down to the beach to read more of my book, which has gotten really good by the way! I keep telling myself I need to finish it before I leave Thailand, otherwise I’ll never finish it at home. I sat on a lounge chair until breakfast, which proved to be another incredible meal and endless food. We traveled in reverse order as our arrival, to the ferry, across the ferry, 4 hours to the airport and then an hour flight home. This trip was much better than the first as I knew what to expect, I sat in the first row of the back, and this trip had air conditioning. We stopped for lunch and ventured through a big market, which helped me stretch my legs. The flight was a blink, as I read my book furiously and the hour went too fast. The day was overall uneventful, just following the group and letting the travel be competed. The highlight of the day was eating Japanese hot pot for dinner. This is where you get a pot of broth in the center of your table, which is set on a hot plate, and you can boil the veggies, meats, and the wontons in the broth as your table likes. We even added garlic and chili to the broth to add some additional flavor. I enjoyed this meal/activity combination very much and I thought this was one of my favorite meals out. It was a restaurant, but a whole new experience. The Thai staff kept saying this was not Thai, but Japanese, and it was a unique experience. I realized that I often group Asian food together yet the Thai staff saw this as a treat and more of a take-out experience. This was an interesting revelation to me; it’s like how we see Chinese food or Mexican food. This seems like a simple kind of thought process though it was an interesting thought.

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