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Due to the unfortunate situation of a fellow volunteer who was mistakenly given a tourist visa and not a business one and so was unable to extend it for the stay of her volunteering and hence faced deportation, we left Cambodia for a week in order for her to get a new visa on return. We decided to make the most of this rather messy situation by going somewhere nice and so we set off to Koh Chang, a tropical Thai island on Sunday morning and are returning to Siem Reap tomorrow.
Like always, the journey to our destination was eventful, and tested the patience of the four of us on the trip who are in many ways still learning how to cope with the relaxed South-East Asian way of life. The first leg of our trip to the Thai border was confusing as we were on the same bus as people going to several places in Thailand, and we were sure we were going to end up somewhere like Bangkok. Three hours later by the time we got to the Thai border we were slightly more confident we would eventually get to our destination, but another three hours later when we were still at this same border point we were wishing we'd never come! We had been told that the entire journey would take 12 hours, and so this three hour wait made us understand why! We were finally put into a rather plush minibus and driven another three hours to the ferrypoint. By this time it was dark and so we couldn't see much of our surroundings although we could see some lights in the distance which we knew were from the island. The ferry crossing took a meagre 30 minutes and at the other side we took a taxi (the island taxis were pick-up trucks) and spent another 30 minutes driving to the village our beach huts were in (we would have to choose the furthest away resort!). The taxi driver dropped us off in the middle of Bang Bao, a relatively small village visited more by honeymooning couple than party tourists. Although we had paid the driver to take us to our accomodation, he then wanted another dollar each to take us from there even though it was only meant to be a quick walk across the beach. Stubborn as we are, we decided to walk, which really wasn't the best idea seeing as it was dark and Thai people aren't as good at English as Cambodians. An hour later, after we had walked along a pier, through what felt like a jungle, down a never ending road, over two hills and through 2 holiday resorts, we finally came to 'Homestay Bungalows' where our beach front huts were. I don't know if it's just me, but when I think of beach huts I don't imagine five star comfort but I do envisage simple comfort. Our huts are about 100 square feet, with a naked bulb and a rock hard mattress on the floor covered in an enormous mosquito net. We are used to being able to eat at any time of the day or night in Siem Reap, and so were rather suprised when the restaurant on our resort had stopped serving food at 9pm, and that was generally true over the island all week as even bars closed at about midnight.
One of the perks of our accomodation was free transport, and the owner either drove us to Bang Bao in his pickup or some other guy attached to the place took us by motorboat. So on the first morning we were taken into the village and wandered around - not that it took long. Bang Bao is on the southernly most tip of Koh Chang and is mostly all on a long pier ending in a lighthouse. Later in the afternoon we were taken by boat to Bang Bao beach which was what one thinks of as being stereotypical Thai.
On Wednesday we booked to go scuba diving which was very scary! In the pickup on the way to the boat we were all silent with nerves, and when we got onto the boat were slightly intimidated as all the other divers on the boat were experienced. However we had two very friendly Thai dive masters appointed to the 4 of us who explained the diving procedures. We had chosen a course where all the training was done in open water (as opposed to one that is done in a swimming pool) and then the plan was to do 2 one-hour dives. I was so disappointed in myself because I never actually got around to the diving part - I couldn't breathe properly with the mask during the exercises in the water which panicked me a bit, and the girl I was partnered with was desperate to get down (I would probably even go so far as to say getting impatient at me) which was obviously offputting and made me feel guilty, so I abandoned it and went snorkelling instead. Before leaving home I bought a new camera which is also waterproof, but up until that point I had been too scared to use it, but I did and I am so glad because the coral reef and the fish were so cool! The trip took the whole day because we had to sail quite far to the dive spots and then had lunch inbetween the two dives, and on the way home the boat broke down which delayed us by about an hour.
The next day 3 of us were again picked up by pick-up and taken to 'Chang Chutiman Elephant Jungle Trekking' in the middle of the island. Upon arrival we were told that we would have to share one elephant, as although we had booked two, one had run away and couldn't be caught! Getting on the elephant was in itself a challenge, and probably more scary than anything any of us had experienced diving the day before. Only two of us fit on the seat on the elephants back and so the third sat on the neck which was apparantly the most comfy apart from the fact that our elephant kept flapping its ears and therefore slapping who ever was (un)lucky enough to sit there! Terrifying enough as it is to sit on an elephant while it's walking along a flat piece of land, it is a million times more terrifying going up or down hills - I can't decide which memory was worse! We trekked through a wooded area and a small rubber plantation for about an hour before arriving at a small waterfall where you could choose to get into the water with the elephants for half an hour before making our way back again. Riding an elephant was something I have always wanted to do as I have grown up being told the story of how my grandad used to ride an elephant to school everday when he lived in India, but I really don't know how he did and I now have a lot of respect for him even getting on the million tonne animal!
We have only left Bang Bao once all week in order to eat in a different village, because there really is everything here - street vendors, fancy restaurants, seafood restaurants, even a coffee shop! We were planning to spend our last day at the beach but it's actually incredibly cloudy today so we will probably just have a lazy day and then go somewhere nice to eat.
Here's to hoping our journey back tomorrow doesn't take as long as the one here!
- comments
Beatrice Somers Grandad will love it when I read him this!
Janette When I heard you were going scuba diving I thought you were incredibly brave - I'd love to try it but have never been brave enough. The photos are fab, even from a snorkel. I find breathing in a snorkel quite a challenge myself. And what an adventure just getting to your resort. Keep the stories coming...