An alternative tropical Christmas

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Bangkok and Koh Chang – part 2

After a great first few days relaxing on the beach we decided to do another boat trip to visit a few other islands as the first trip was so good. We had taken it easy the night before so we were up early and after a quick breakfast we were picked up and taken to Bang Bao pier to get on the boat. The format was similar to the other boat trip we did, stopping at different islands and beaches to swim and snorkel throughout the day, with a delicious lunch on the boat in between. The staff were kitted out in Xmas outfits which was cute and again they were super friendly. The water was a bit choppier this time so while the snorkelling was still good it was harder to stay afloat as the current was quite strong, but we still saw some colourful fish and coral, and at one point Scott jumped off the top deck of the boat straight into the sea! In the afternoon we were surprised with more food, a BBQ this time, and some chocolate and fruit which was a nice touch before getting back about 5pm after another enjoyable day.



Not long after we got back and were walking towards our bungalow did we bump into our friend Steve from back home who had come to meet us on Koh Chang for Christmas. It was good to see a familiar face and that night we all caught up over dinner and went for drinks in a few of the bars in town. Nowhere was especially busy as everyone was gearing up for big parties on Christmas Eve so we called it a night just after 1am and went to bed, looking forward to Xmas Eve tomorrow.



The next day the three of us met for breakfast and spent the day chilling on the beach – the weather was glorious and we had bought some red Xmas hats so played around having photo’s with them on, much to other people’s amusement. That evening we were really excited as there was going to be a big beach party on the beach at Nature Bar, so we got ready and met up with Amber & Jim (who we met a few days ago on the bus from Bangkok) for some pre-drinks with the local guys at Himmel Bar and danced for a while to classic Xmas songs. As we have got to know the guys from the bar over the past few days, they even gave us plates of food from their staff BBQ which was so nice – they had a whole pig on a spit roast along with loads of chicken, salad, bread, corn etc so even though we had eaten a bit earlier we still tucked in – well it was free! At one point Scott knocked over a bottle of sweet chilli sauce and it landed in a girl’s shoe which was under the table so we left soon after that and headed to the beach.



The beach was busy when we got there and had a great vibe with fire shows and music playing; Amber is a burlesque dancer back home so she did a quick show on the beach with some fans and her hula hoop which was cool, then with our buckets we all danced the night away on the sand and bought in Christmas when a big sign was doused in petrol then lit up to read ‘Merry Christmas 2012’ – I think we left about 4am (Steve stayed) and got a cheeky pad thai noodles on the way home – a great Xmas Eve and certainly beats going to our local at home in the freezing cold!



We woke on Xmas Day feeling a bit tired from the night before and although it was a bit weird not opening presents and seeing family we had a great day sunbathing on the beach and treated ourselves to a Western lunch at a beach bar of homemade burgers and chips which was delicious and the first Western food we have had for ages! We blew the budget today and spent almost £10 on food which is a lot for us but it is Christmas after all. That night the five of us met for dinner and a few drinks but we were all pretty tired from the night before so it wasn’t a late one, plus we had to be up early as we were leaving to go back to Bangkok in the morning.



Our time on Koh Chang has been amazing and it is probably our favourite island in Thailand. It had everything we liked going for it, nice people and great food at reasonable prices, along with a gorgeous beach and good weather. We stayed eight days in the end instead of four, that’s how much we loved it and we still didn’t want to leave! We both said we will come back for sure on this trip and would recommend it to anyone wanting to visit a Thai island without heading down south.



The journey back to Bangkok was painless and we were back in the city by 4pm. We checked back into New Siam Guesthouse just off Soi Rambrutti and after collecting our new bus/boat tickets for Koh Phangan from the lady at Well Done travel, we freshened up and went for some dinner. We found a great little street stall which we hadn’t tried before and had a yummy meal of Massaman curry and chicken with cashew nuts, watched some football and went to bed. The next morning we checked out early as we had to visit the UK Embassy to enquire about Scott getting a new passport – he hasn’t got many blank pages left in it even though it’s only 3 years old but you now have to apply to Hong Kong to get a new one which takes up to 4 weeks so we need to work out what is best as we don’t have 4 weeks in Thailand in one go…I’m sure we will figure it out, it might just mean not visiting one or two countries we had planned who need blank pages for visa’s but we will see.



We then went shopping and checked out MBK shopping centre which we found disappointing, then Siam Paragon which was lovely and very Vegas style but full of designer shops so not for us, then lastly the Siam centre which again wasn’t great. We have only taken the boat once before in Bangkok and as a pier was quite close to where we were we decided to go the long way back to Khao San and take a scenic boat trip along the river which was nice, and we actually ended up buying quite a few bits back on Khao San – Scott got some shorts while Vic got a bikini and a new beach bag and we both had a xmas foot scrub so we were pleased. That evening we had a bite to eat and took a night bus to Chumpon where luckily there was an earlier boat going on to Koh Phangan from there at 4am (we got there at 3am) otherwise we would have had to wait until 7am.



We are now on Koh Phangan and looking forward to the Full Moon party on New Year’s Eve…it should be pretty mad and we can’t wait to celebrate the start of 2013 in our favourite country!

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Comments

[Susan]

Happy New Year
By now you would have had New Years Eve - cant wait to hear about it. A very happy, healthy and exciting 2013 to you both. Love and miss you lots. Auntie Susan, Uncle Gert, Alexander and Jack xxxxxxxxxxx