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Published: April 16th 2007
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Cambodian countryside
on the way back to Thailand So, last time I blogged I was still in Cambodia. I ended up buying a package ticket from my guesthouse straight to the Thai island of Koh Chang for $25 US. Not too bad I guess considering it was an all day drive. It was beautiful scenery through the georgeous and lush Cambodian mountainside including 4 river crossings on a handmade barge powered by automobile engines. Once we got to the Thailand border, we boarded another bus and were on our way to Trat, the mainland city nearest to the island of Koh Chang (where I will meet up w/ Nate once again). It rained a little on the way, but was still a pleasant enough ride. After a 20 minute ferry ride and a 40 minute ride in the back of a pickup truck (a total trip of 10 hours) I arrived at Hat Tha Nam section of Koh Chang, aka Lonely Beach.
Koh Chang National Park is the 2nd largest island in Thailand and the entire island is dense, mountainous jungle which is protected by the government. Only the coast is populated and not much of it. I stayed at a "resort" called Sunset Huts and it
Koh Chang
view from the mainland was just that, a hut. For 150 baht, I can't complain because it had a large bed, fan, mosquito net, and was just a few feet from the water. Nate, Taryn, and Casey were eagerly awaiting my arrival at a beachside bar just down the road.
We rented motorbikes (aka scooters) the next day and planned on visiting the mangrove forrest on the other side of the island. We were delayed a few hours by buckets upon buckets of rain, but made it regardless. Rentable kayaks were available and we took a nice tour of the area where a very peaceful mangrove-lined river empties into the ocean. Very beautiful! The next day we chartered our own boat for the day for fishing and snorkeling. We went to 2 other nearby islands and had a great time. I got extremely sunburnt, but it was worth it. The coral reef and tropical fish were stunning and our guide was very helpful. The next day was spent recouperating and being lazy. By lazy I mean eating 5 times in a day, drinking copious amounts of beer, and laying around in my own filth and sweat. It was nice. At least the beer
Koh Chang
view from my beach "resort" and food part was.
The next day I headed back to Bangkok for my last leg of my trip. April 13-16 is the Thai New Year, or Sangkron Festival. This is one of the worlds' most famous festivals and I was very excited to be a part of it, but didn't know quite what to expect. I ended up staying near the Khoa San Rd area again which, as it turns out, is one of the most popular places for Thais to celebrate. How convenient, I hardly had to even leave my guesthouse!
Songkran Festival is EVERY Thais favorite holiday. The ENTIRE country celebrates and all the stores are closed. This put a bit of a damper on my souvenier buying plans, but the festival more than made up for it. Ages 8-80 are all throwing water on each other from noon to late in the evening. The streets are packed! I can't even describe how many people are out for this. It seems like every available person in Bankok is in my neighborhood, and theyr'e all soaking wet, laughing, dancing, squitring each other w/ squirt guns, and smearing flour paste on everyone for good luck! I wanted
to take more pictures, but was afraid my camera would get as wet as I was getting. The vibe is the most positive I've ever experienced in my life. Never have I seen so many smiling faces and it was definately the highlight of my trip! I was sad to go, but I packed up my bag and set off for the airport. I didn't want my trip to end.
I've decided to take another trip sometime next year. This one will be much longer and hopefully will span the globe. I have met so many people taking several months to several years off just to travel and every single one says the same exact thing. It's the best thing they have ever done. I don't want to be jealous or envious of these people. I don't want to look back in 10 years and wish I had traveled the world when I had the chance. Right now, I have the chance and opportunity w/ no responsibilties holding me back. I'm going to see everything I have ever wanted and dreamed of seeing, and I'm going to love every second of it.
In one form or another, I've
Koh Chang
Slakkhok Mangrove Forest heard the following Mark Twain quote from people ages 19-61. Travelers from Sweden, Australia, Belgium, Holland, Germany, New Zealand, and America.
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
I plan on doing just that.
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Jermaine
non-member comment
Sweet