| Until a few years ago, the island of
Ko
Chang in the Gulf of Thailand was one of those secret travel gems that
backpackers in the know only spoke about in whispers. The island's growing
popularity and easier access from Bangkok via a new flight route have since
opened Ko Chang up to the rest of the world.
 I
had been in Cambodia
working on a short documentary and was en route from there to Ko Chang last
Christmas when a massive tsunami destroyed miles of coastline in Southeast
Asia. After being assured of the island's safety by a friend already there,
I decided not to cancel my trip. Beyond
Phuket,
Phi Phi and parts of the deep south skirting the Andaman Sea, most of
Thailand was untouched by the tsunami. And as any resident of a
tourism-dependent vacation spot knows, the drop in visitors and business
after a natural disaster can lead to economic disaster for locals for years
to come. So two days after the tsunami, I dipped my toes into the calm,
clear ocean on Ko Chang, a lucky little island that completely escaped
damage, and pondered the good fortune that had guided me there.
Why travel all the way to Thailand to go to the beach, when Hawai'i has
everything a beach-seeker desires? Ko Chang is a wonderfully laid-back spot
in which to recuperate for those doing hard traveling in other parts of
Asia. After three weeks in Cambodia's capital city, and several more to come
in crowded Bangkok, Ko Chang was literally a breath of fresh air. And with
its dirt roads, thatched bungalows, and "anything goes" atmosphere, Ko Chang
has what Hawai'i has unfortunately almost entirely lost: a mellow beach vibe
on a mostly undeveloped sandy coastline, and affordable beachfront
accommodations that start at about $5 a night. Not to mention elephants and
monkeys.
Bangkok to beach
From Bangkok, getting to Ko Chang is a snap. Back in the day, this trip
meant a cramped six-hour bus ride from Bangkok. Now Bangkok Airways runs two
50-minute flights a day to a tiny airport in Trat, the mainland port that
connects to Ko Chang with a quick ferry ride. An air-conditioned minibus
service awaits the planes at the Trat airport and for only $5 per person,
they'll drive you and your bags to the pier, onto the ferry, and then to the
doorstep of your chosen bungalow or hotel on the island.
A few beach resorts on the island cater to bigger spenders, but the
farther you go along the island's perimeter road, the more rustic and
secluded the beaches get. Making your way down through the beaches on Ko
Chang is like peeling the layers of an onion. Each consecutive beach takes
you closer to the true essence of Thai beach living.
My boyfriend, Matt, and I spent the first two nights at Hat Sai Khao,
also known as White Sand Beach, the most popular beach and the first stop
after the ferry landing. This long, narrow beach is the most developed on
the island, but that's not saying much compared to most beach resorts.
Bungalows, beach bars, restaurants, and low-rise hotels are stacked side by
side here along the white sand beach. For most of the year, the water is
like glass, the bars are hopping, and you can get a one-hour Thai massage on
the beach for about $5. At KC Beach Resort, you have your pick of solid wood
bungalows with en-suite bathrooms and air conditioning or very basic
thatched bamboo huts with mosquito nets on stilts over the sand ($5-$15).
That night, fresh-caught fish, crab and squid were barbecued on the
beach, as they are almost every night. Two women lit a floating lantern to
honor those who died in — and those who survived — the tsunami in southern
Thailand. The entire island of Ko Chang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief
for having escaped the catastrophe.
It pays to continue down the road after most of the taxi trucks turn
back. Lonely Beach, a wide, sandy stretch with a calm bay, is the hidden
jewel further along the way.
Scooting around
The next day, we hopped on a motorbike — by far the best way to get
around Ko Chang — and sped off down the road to check out the rest of the
island. Song-thaews, or passenger trucks, make hourly rounds of the island
and cost less than a buck to ride, but the stops are infrequent and not that
dependable. Motorbikes rent for $5 a day, and many hotels and guesthouses
provide them.
The Paradise Cabins bungalows on Lonely Beach have balconies on stilts
above the water and orchids growing in the open-ceiling showers.
A morning one-hour massage on the sand at the KC Beach Resort costs $5 to
$10. Then you can rent a motorbike for $5 a day to see other parts of the
island.
On our bike, we passed a pair of elephants, the namesake animals of Ko
Chang (chang means elephant in Thai) clearing lumber in the jungle beside
the road. Ten minutes from White Sand Beach we reached Laem Chaichet, a
small cape with a secluded little bay. Few bungalows operate here, but the
restaurant off the main road has a fantastic view overlooking the
palm-fringed bay below. A hop farther down the road takes you to Hat Khlong
Phrao, a long beach divided by a wide canal. Two deluxe resorts dominate the
north end above the canal, and a handful of bungalow operations are
scattered among the palms to the south. Lots of couples seeking a quiet spot
stay here, and the shell-hunting is the best I've ever seen.
Around the bend, Hat Kai Bae is a favorite beach for vacationing Thai
families. Down a long sandy path, wooden bungalows dot the narrow beach, and
Thai toddlers splash in the shallow water. The sandy bottom is knee- to
waist-deep a quarter-mile from the beach, and during low tide, you can wade
out to an offshore island. At night, a treehouse bar at the end of the path
jams world dance beats under the stars. The Thai bartenders here put on a
mesmerizing fire-twirling show. Barefoot dancing is encouraged.
After Hat Kai Bae, the road takes a few sudden twists and dips. The first
time on the motorbike, I found myself gripping the seat with white knuckles.
This is where most of the trucks and tourists turn back, which is exactly
why the best parts of Ko Chang are hidden further on down the road.
Beyond the Bend
Just around the bend, Lonely Beach is not as lonely as it used to be, but
it's a world away from the clamor of White Sand Beach. Just a handful of
bars and guesthouses are sprinkled along the wide sandy beach. Once a
secluded bay with few visitors, Lonely Beach is now the place to go for
twentysomething and thirtysomething travelers, and Hawai'i's own Jack
Johnson seems to dominate the airwaves. We ran into a honeymooning couple
from Amsterdam we had met on the plane ride over and agreed to move our camp
down to Lonely Beach. Here the bungalows are a little more spread out, the
beach is a little less populated, and the music just a bit mellower. Around
the cape, we found a secluded little cluster of bungalows at Paradise
Cottage, where our newly built bungalow opened onto a little balcony on
stilts over the water. The lantern-lit veranda of Treehouse, a bar,
restaurant and bungalow village on a rocky cape at the end of the beach,
became our local hangout for the rest of the week.
As an omen of changes to come on Lonely Beach, Treehouse is closing down
after this season because the owners lost their lease. It will most likely
be replaced by an expensive new resort, the one thing Lonely Beach has yet
to acquire. In an effort to outrun big-money tourism, Treehouse is moving
down to Long Beach, a less populated beach accessible only by water taxi.
On one of our last days on Ko Chang, we rode our motorbike to the very
end of the road, where we came upon Bang Bao, a little fishing village where
restaurants and seafood markets are set up on a long wooden pier over the
water. We saw few other foreigners on our stroll around Bang Bao. Thai
fishermen and families seem to have found their sanctuary here, where racks
of fresh-caught squid and crab outnumber racks of tourist T-shirts and
sarongs.
There's a family atmosphere at Bang Bao that is conspicuously missing at
most tourist resorts. Walking into a local guesthouse on the pier in search
of the owner, I found four Thai fishermen — her brothers and uncles —
drinking whiskey and talking story on the patio after a day on the bay. They
greeted me like a returning member of the family, offering me shots of
whiskey that I couldn't refuse. The warm sun sank lower on the horizon, and
amid the giggling of children and the low murmur of the fishermen recounting
the day's catch, I briefly, for a fleeting moment, felt I was home.
|
Bhumiyama
Beach Resort Koh Chang