April 4th to 10th, 2019
Our week on Koh Chang was apparently a quiet time to visit the island. This was the week prior to Song Kran (Thai New Year) and after Spring Break period for overseas tourists. It was the hot and “dry” season here.
Bob Marley has a strong presence on this island. Directed at tourists? We didn’t see many locals sporting his colourful red, yellow, and green apparel, hairbag, or dreds. Yet, there were numerous shops sporting his colours and selling souvenirs as well as “Hippy shack” and “Rasta” promotion. In fact, ironically the elaborate Tranquility Bay resort complex was nestled between Rasta colours and lower cost “hippy” huts.
We ate our first dinner at Rastaview located beside our resort sitting on cushions on the floor overlooking the jungle as dogs and cats wandered around and lay beside you or on the tables. Hygiene wasn’t a priority and although the location was unique, and had a definite following, it wasn’t our scene.
Our Airbnb at the Tranquility Bay Resort was large (2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms), self contained, and had a magnificent view from the main area and master bedroom. My son’s cooking skills were revisited after a lengthy hiatus! We enjoyed our breakfasts on the deck listening to the birds, monkeys, and local geckos and lizards.
There were 2 geckos living inside the condo that made chirping sounds periodically. I never saw them, but the guys did on rare occasions. They didn’t bother us and we figured they were consuming unwanted bugs!
In terms of transportation… Taxis ran constantly and usually had room (truck with open back, covered roof, and bench seats), and rental scooters were available in every beach area and most accommodation locations.
Booking boat tours to nearby islands or to go fishing was also painless. Booking agents were available in all the major beach areas and tours supplied taxis to pick up from your accommodations. Weekends were more popular than weekdays, but we had no trouble accessing availability for tours. Another blog post will follow dedicated to our day snorkelling and exploring islands.
You can also book vans for longer trips. We booked vans to transport us from Bangkok to Koh Chang and return. However, in spite of the heat… our choice as the main means of transportation for distances of a few kilometres was walking.
We experienced the sites and sounds of the surrounding jungle; and we saw enough scooter accidents on the narrow, windy, eroded roads to avoid that mode of transport here. While walking we were immersed in the sounds of tropical birds, frogs, insects (especially cicadas), and monkeys— as well as vehicle motors! Road kill victims were mainly large squashed frogs/toads, geckos, and 1 snake! There is much to experience here on hot and humid Koh Chang.
Sandy's Global Eyes 