(Photos taken in 2004) |
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More than anything, I love tropical beaches, with tropical islands on the top of the list. In Thai, "Koh" means island, and here are two of my favourites. The first is Koh Chang, "Elephant Island." A strange name, considering there are no elephants there. It's close to Cambodia and quite a trek from Bangkok -- 4 hours by car, then a ferry ride. This may explain why it is still relatively undeveloped, with thick jungle areas inland and undeveloped natural beauty on the beach. I loved it there and plan to visit again next spring. Some of the things that made an impression on me, besides the beaches, was the lush greenery of the resort I stayed at. There were geckos everywhere, some of them huge. One got in our room and I have to admit it kind of freaked me out. In fact, when I go to edit the book I'm writing now (May, 2008 as I write this) I plan to go back to this resort. It's quite isolated, it's gorgeous, it has great sunsets, a fitness center, a bar on the beach, a stellar pool, and most importantly, at about US$40-50 a night off-peak, it's cheap. The bungalow will be something like the one below, with a large balcony, perfect for some relaxing work on my laptop. See the map below for locations. |
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As much as I loved Koh Chang, it's this next island that is closest to my tropical heart. Koh Samed (and/or Samet). A 2 hour taxi or bus drive to the coast of Rayong Province and a short (and at 50 Baht -- $1.50 -- cheap) ferry ride over, it's extremely convenient. And that explains why it's recently getting full of highly annoying groups of package tourists. But even with the unsightly fat farang (foreigners) lying on the beach like gaggles of beached whales, it's still breathtakingly gorgeous, particularly at sunset. Koh Samed has the whitest, sandiest beach I've ever seen. The sand is like baby powder. And you can enjoy the feeling between your toes all day and night, since the restaurants and bars set up everything right on the beach. The BBQ places are great there. You just point to what you want, and they BBQ it and bring it to your table. Meanwhile, you're enjoying ice cold Chang Beer (about $1 a bottle) to the sound of waves breaking just 10 metres away from your table. In fact, I wrote the first 3 chapters of my last textbook on this island. I rented a cheap, beachside bungalow on one of the better beaches for 800Baht (about $25) a night. OK, they shut off the electricity from 9AM to 5PM, but it was still a great place to stay. I'd get up and have a swim in the tropically warm blue-green waves. Then I'd do my morning writing session for a few hours over breakfast in the restaurant. Then I'd take a long walk up the beach around lunch for a break, with a nap to refresh. Then I'd do my afternoon session on a table at another restaurant by the beach, at which point I'd have my first beer or two. Then I'd do my night writing session at a beachside restaurant-bar run by a British guy until about 3 AM. I'd usually be a bit drunk by the end of the night, which made for interesting reading the next morning, as I read the shite I'd written the night before. Anyway, I LOVE Koh Samed and I look forward to returning sometime soon. |
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