PICT0006
Date: 05/16/2005
Due to a complete muss up of our tickets and a run around of maddening proportions, we were finally blessed with first-class tickets to Bangkok. Ahhhhhh.
PICT0013
Date: 05/16/2005
Arriving at Khao San Road, the mecca of backpackers in Asia. This ATM machine was built right into a van.
PICT0015
Date: 05/16/2005
Khao San Rd. was flush with tourists from around the world. It is packed to the gills with bars, guesthouses, and buisness-savvy locals willing to provide anything from tasty street food to bootleg CDs.
PICT0022
Date: 05/16/2005
Wandering aroudn the city, we decided to grab breakfast at this food stand. Stewed pork foot... MMM. Actually it was really tasty. The meat was very tender and the sauce was just right. Alison loved the fact that the locals around us were just picking up raw peppers and eating them straight.
PICT0030
Date: 05/16/2005
We came across a fabric market that seemed to be run by Sikhs. Alison made a few friends.
PICT0033
Date: 05/16/2005
The traffic in Bangkok is horrible. Honestly, if you are in a car in Bangkok, you are stuck in traffic. Much better to take the Skytrain.
PICT0070
Date: 05/16/2005
Ahh, finially made it to Koh Chang. It was an 8 hour bus ride; we watched 3 movies as the Thai countryside rolled by. Landing at the pier with no concrete plans, we ended up at this medium priced beach bungalow resort.
PICT0092
Date: 05/16/2005
This place was 500baht a night. (12.2USD, 100CNY) It was very clean, friendly, and nicely appointed. Great value.
PICT0139
Date: 05/16/2005
There was a stip of undeveloped land full of palm trees. This is one of the reasons we chose Koh Chang. It is on the east side of the Gulf of Thailand, the opposite direction from the more well known, and far more concrete encumbered Phuket.
PICT0192
Date: 05/16/2005
There was a small strip mall across the street from the beaches. It was all very, hawaii-ish. Koh Chang is not the most developed resort area, but it is not a backwater by any means.
PICT0239
Date: 05/16/2005
We took the scooter to a waterfall in the middle of the island. Klong Plu waterfall has a small swimming hole, and it was cold!
PICT0293
Date: 05/16/2005
After hiking out of Klong Plu, we drove down the road and visited some of the other resorts. The one pictured here would run about 3500baht (85USD), a little out of our price range - this time. Here they had real rooms, a pool, those sorts of things.
PICT0351
Date: 05/16/2005
After 3 nights in the first resort, we decided to pack up and see what life was like on another side of the island. There is only one road on Koh Chang, that pretty much circumnavigates the island. We had stopped about midway down, we decided to continue all the way to the bottom.
PICT0355
Date: 05/16/2005
This resort was far more remote than the previous. It seems that less people make it down the road this far. The rooms were cheaper, and more rustic, and the beach was even more pristine.
PICT0370
Date: 05/16/2005
The rate for a bungalow here was 200baht (5USD, 25CNY), but again, more rustic. There was no A/C, but a powerful ceiling fan, and the matresses were just on the floor. The place had a charm though. The staff was very friendly and open, and we had a very relaxing day.
PICT0372
Date: 05/16/2005
Well, time to head back to Bangkok. We waited at the resort entrance for a shuttle to take us back to the pier.
PICT0401
Date: 05/16/2005
After a 45 min shuttle ride, a 30 min ferry, a 20 min truck, and 8 hour bus ride (the last 2 of which were gridlocked), we were back in Bangkok. We spent the next day exploring Bangkok further. We went to check out the shopping malls. Alison got her hair done.
PICT0409
Date: 05/16/2005
This square was impressive. Huge TVs, towering shopping malls on all sides. It was a far cry from the beaches of the day before.
