Koh Chang....The Final Resting Place

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So to Bangkok I returned. The feeling I experienced on my return was peculiar? It felt like I had come full circle; back at the beginning of January I had arrived in Bangkok full of hope and trepidation. Since then I had been through so much: completed the TEFL course, formed bonds and new friendships, traveled through Cambodia and Vietnam, and almost settled down in Hanoi. It was now the end of April and I was still waiting for the necessary documentation to leave for Korea.

Once again I stayed near Koh San Road, a bad idea as I spent the next ten days bumming around doing little apart from drinking and getting into mischief. However during this time I got to see a few of the guys from the TEFL course which was great. With still no news about my documents for Korea, I needed to get away from Bangkok to preserve my sanity. I made my way down to the island of Koh Chang.

What a brilliant decision this turned out to be. Koh Chang is a beautiful Island and a place I now hold dear to my heart. For two weeks I truly relaxed; hanging out on the beach, eating, reading, catching up with my internet blogging, and traversing the island on a moped. For days on end I rode up the island, down the island, around the top of the island, every accessible piece of road was explored. The views are stunning and the beaches were deserted. There are parts of the island that are just odd? The newer developments, off from the beaches, look like parking lots flanked by units. I was expecting to stumble across B & Q and PC World at any moment. I divided my time on the island in half; for a week I stayed in a hotel with a TV, clean room, fridge, nice bed, etc. Then a week in a no-frills beach hut. One day it occurred to me that I had used the fasted internet service, spoke to people on my mobile phone, watched the FA Cup final live on my TV (while my beers cooled in the fridge), taken money from an ATM, and eaten pizza? I was on a tropical island for heavens sake? This was not tropical island living? Why was I not sending postcards, speaking to people on the one payphone that worked on the island, cashing travelers cheques, drinking warm beer, eating basic local food? How times have changed for the modern traveler. This was Twenty First Century living; I just happened to be on a tropical island.

In a bizarre twist of events, I received a call from friends coming across on the ferry, then five minutes later received the e-mail from Korea which gave me the go-ahead to get moving. I would only have that one evening with Chelsea and David as the next morning I returned to Bangkok (again) to organize my visa and fly out to Korea.

My time on Koh Chang was truly memorable and was the perfect way to conclude my travels, for now. The easy life would be no more, it was time to crack on with the job at hand, it was time to go to Korea.

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Photos

Storms
Storms raging on Koh Chang

Bay
The view from the SW of the island

Beach
Beach on Koh Chang

Beach....again
Beach on Koh Chang....again

Resort street
This is where most people stayed

An island to myself
The roads down the east side of the island were always deserted

Plantations and Beyond
Down south

Transport
This was the bike I used on the island; an absolute godsend.

Pier
A little used pier.