On Elephant Island (Koh Chang)

We are still in Thailand—but Koh Chang cannot be more different from Bangkapi in Bangkok: cooler temps, soft ocean breeze, no traffic sounds, no choking smog, no skyscrapers, no schedule. Just…here. Quiet. Green mountains, warm seas, and soft rain today.

We flew into Trat on Saturday afternoon after a completely uneventful (thank goodness—I still worry when traveling in new situations) travel day. It was a one-hour flight from BKK, with the fields and orchards of southern Thailand stretching out below us in the hazy heat of a March afternoon. The clouds in Thailand seem different—harder, more compact and lumpy—than those of the American Midwest and Northwest.


The tiny Trat airport was a delight. It looks more like a bungalow than an aviation center.



If I had qualms about how we were to get from the airport to Koh Chang Island, they were unfounded. We were met with enthusiastic signs and invitations to rent a van that would take us to the ferry, across to the island, and drop us off at our hotel—for the reasonable fee of $30 per person. We had a 30-minute ferry ride to the north port of Koh Chang Island. It was a gorgeous day, with intriguing views of the island.


Our hotel was a short ride from the pier, up a steep road that twisted and turned and gave Phil second thoughts about renting a motorbike. We were let off at Kacha Resort, an impressive hotel that splits its rooms between the mountain side and the ocean side of the main road. Our room is far more elegant that what we enjoyed in Bangkok, and the pool is beautiful and uncrowded.

The “mountain” side of the resort.


Our balcony, which overlooks a parking lot (we got the cheapest room).

The ocean side of the resort has a pool too, but this one is bigger and quieter.

That afternoon we explored down the main road of the island, which is lined with shops, cafes, massage parlors, bars, and tattoo parlors.

Like Bangkok, Koh Chang Island is a mixture of 
new elegance and dilapidated poverty. 

We ate at another resort’s restaurant, which had a great view of the beach and wonderful tom yum shrimp (Phil had fish and chips).



Since then, we’ve done a lot of…nothing. Reading, swimming, eating, napping, walking. Just perfect. The breakfast buffet is from 7-10 a.m.; I’ll add pictures in my next post. So we fill up on breakfast, eat snacks for lunch, and then eat dinner out (usual restaurant meal here runs about $5-15–the most expensive being beef, fresh seafood, and drinks). Last night there was a fire show on the beach at Kacha Resort. Phil and I snagged bean-bag loungers just above the beach and enjoyed the tranquil evening.



View of the ocean from our resort’s restaurant.


This is a kind of timeless place, very different from our scheduled life in Bangkok. We are able to rest deeply here, to immerse ourselves in warmth and sun and water and green. A gift for which we are deeply grateful.





Comments

  1. DeniseMarch 4, 2024 at 9:46 AM

    I had just finished a post and I lost it. So maybe this will be posted twice. I loved reading about all your experiences and reflections. God is so good in using even our opportunities to give out to others to be deeply impactful to us. So glad you had time on a beautiful island to be refreshed in beauty before heading home. Can't wait till we can talk on the phone.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 6, 2024 at 8:02 PM

    I loved reading about all of your experiences. This most recent post sounds and looks like tranquility.. a gift from God to you and Phil. Praying for safety and relaxation, and a safe and healthy return to the US. Love you both, janna

    ReplyDelete

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