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Published: February 6th 2013
With a few days to spare before our flight to the Philippines, we found ourselves back in Bangkok and after a 5 minute discussion on what to do with our time, we decided to go back to one of our favourite Thai islands, Koh Chang for a bit of R&R.
We didn’t arrive into Bangkok until quite late, and as it was a Friday night the area which we usually stay in around Soi Rambuttri/Khao San Rd was packed. We went to 5 or 6 guesthouses and they were all full and we were starting to worry about finding a room when Scott eventually found us one at Bella Bella guesthouse. It wasn’t the best room we have ever had but it was fine for one night and it was cheap, so we checked in, showered and changed and headed out. We then tried to book on a bus going to Koh Chang the next morning, but as it was late (and busy) all the buses were full until midday, and then only mini-vans were available which were costing almost double what we had paid to go there at Christmas. As we really wanted to go though and didn’t fancy
spending 5 days in Bangkok, we swallowed it and paid the price, happy that at least we would be on the island the following night. After all the running around, the long day travelling from Laos and Scott not feeling 100% still, we had a bite to eat at a nice food stall but went back to the room early to get a good night’s sleep.
Not leaving until midday actually worked in our favour in the end, as it meant we had the morning free to spend getting pampered! After a 7/11 brekkie (which we had been missing in Laos!) we found a great little salon and spent a couple of hours in there getting massages, having facials, I had a pedicure and foot scrub and Scott, whilst attempting to have his eyebrows slightly tidied up, inadvertedly got talked into having his eyebrows waxed (his face and the pain were priceless - haha!), plus I had a bikini wax, and for everything it came to less than £15. I couldn’t even get a bikini wax alone for that at home so we were really pleased and felt very relaxed afterwards. Sometimes it’s nice to feel treated once in
a while, as although travelling is fun and like a holiday most of the time, it’s still tiring and stressful so we felt we really needed this little treat. After some spring rolls we were ready to get on the mini-van going to Koh Chang, although we had Lewis Hamilton at the wheel which made for a pretty hairy 5 hour journey, especially in the rain. Seriously the guy was driving like his life depended on it, going at speeds over 120km an hour most of the way. We were relieved to finally get out of that mini-van in the end when we got to Koh Chang, although not too impressed to see that it was still raining a bit.
We headed back to Lonely Beach where we had spent a fabulous few days at Christmas and although it was busy we found a cute room at the back of a Mexican restaurant in town (well Scott found it while I waited by our favourite street food lady and had a Pad Thai!) for a couple of nights. That night we went for dinner at Café del Sunshine, our favourite café, and after chatting with Alex the lovely manager
for a while we enjoyed a delicious chicken yellow curry and a beef massaman with rice – we have missed Thai food so much, and thankfully Scott has his appetite back! Then we went to Himmel bar for a few drinks and caught up with the bar staff there – the guys working there are so nice and we enjoyed a few games of Tequila Jenga (where the loser had to have a shot of Tequila) and some free buckets. The people on this island are really friendly and it was so good to see them again, plus they all remembered us from Christmas which was nice. We also met a Canadian guy who was a bit strange but nice enough and we had a few drinks with him before ending up at a party at Magic Garden until the early hours. We love this island and are so glad we came back.
The next morning we woke up…to rain and clouds…where was the glorious sunshine we had expected? It didn’t matter too much as we had woken up late anyway so were prepared to have a day catching up with online bits, but the sun soon came out
so we went down to the beach for a few hours. The water wasn’t as clear as normal due to the weather but it was still nice and we chilled on the sand for a while, having a nice lunch at Nature Bar before going back to the room. That night it was raining a bit again but we had dinner at the street stall that we love and went for a few drinks after, finishing down on the beach where there was a small party going on. Walking back to our room we grabbed a late night snack of fried rice before going to bed at about 1am after another fun night.
We had to find a new place to stay as the Mexican only had room for 2 nights, so I set off early and found a great bungalow just a stone’s throw away from the water at Seaflower resort, next door to where we stayed at Christmas. It had rained a lot in the night but at least was dry while I was hunting for a room, if a bit cloudy. The room was spotless and had a cute veranda with table and chairs at the
front, plus windows looking towards the water and a hot shower, ideal for the next few nights and cheaper than the Mexican! The sun was finally out at midday so we went down to the beach for a while and treated ourselves to a yummy lunch at Nature Bar. We have been so good with money and always try to eat cheap where we can, but we can’t deny that once in a while it feels good to order whatever we want and we enjoy it even more! That night we had dinner and a few drinks/free buckets at some of the bars in town and as had become standard, we got a fried rice on the way home to eat on our veranda, where we were joined by a friendly cat who sat on both of our laps and even popped into our room for a little look! But Scott wouldn’t let him stay so we put him outside and went to bed.
Thankfully the next day, which was to be our last on the island, was sunny almost all day so we spent the day at the beach dipping in and out of the water, before going
back to Alex’s restaurant for dinner one last time. We caught some live music at Ting Tong bar and had a couple of drinks but we had to be up early for the boat so didn’t have a late one.
Even though the weather wasn’t perfect this time we still had a lovely few days on Koh Chang and it remains one of our favourite islands. We are already trying to work out if we can make another visit there on this trip before we go home in a few months time! For now though we were saying bye bye to Thailand as we made our way by boat/bus combo to Bangkok airport (almost missing the boat as we went to the wrong pier, then a bit of a panic as the bus got caught in bad traffic and we didn’t know if we would make it to the airport in time, but we did!) for our flight to the Philippines, a destination we had been dreaming about for months…
S&V's Travel Info & Tips: General Info: Approx 48 Baht to £1. Transportation: As we didn't book until the last minute, we had to pay 550 Baht each for the bus/boat combo to Koh Chang, instead of 300 Baht. But we only paid 300 Baht to get back to Bangkok.
Food: As before we loved the food on Koh Chang! The street food stall on Soi 1 is fabulous and cheap, Cafe del Sunshine does a good breakfast and a yummy yellow curry, Barrio Bonitio Mexican is good for a change and Nature Bar on the beach is great for lunch - the burger and the chicken salad is amazing. Accomodation: First room at Barrio Bonito on the main street was nice and in a boutique style, costing 600 Baht a night with bathroom/hotshower. Then we moved to Seaflower Resort for the last 3 nights and this was great with a lovely bungalow near the water for 500 Baht a night, inc bathroom/hot water. Would reccommend Seaflower Resort. Other observations: x) A lot of Russian/Polish visitors on the island compared to Christmas time. The beach seemed a bit busier but the bars and restaurants in town didn't. xx) If heading straight to Bangkok airport from the island, you will get there around 6pm, if you have an earlier flight you may need to leave the day before.
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Jade
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Scott you are looking...
So skinny!!!! I think you need a big roast when you get back to the UK. :)xxx