Brian’s Other Island
The wheels of the car rumbled across the steel deck of the ferry and finally crunched onto the island of Koh Chang. At last, I had arrived in my new home. What joy. As the island is a national park and mountainous, there is very little development except along the main tourist drag. There is one coastal road covering most of the island and connecting several what one were traditional fishing villages. Now, these villages have expanded and become part of the tourist trade. There are different sections: the higher end or posh section, the backpacker section, the Russian and Eurotrash section and the family section. Or at least that what others have told me
We took the eastern coastal road and were soon winding up hairpin bends at a stately pace while young Thais on scooters zipped past at frightening speeds. Apparently, road deaths are very high in Thailand. At first I was disappointed at the shabby tourist resorts and the lack on any planing or “design” but grew to appreciate the organic growth and development of the island. Footpaths would be nice though. The first village, White Sands, is, I suppose, the downtown area of Koh Chang with banks, police station etc. It’s pretty nice but as the road goes on, the touristy places predominate.
The weather here is ferocious, 39 Deg C and feels like 48 according to the weather guide. The humidity is very high and I struggle with that more than the heat. But, I am getting used to it and have a positive mental attitude towards the weather which I think helps a lot.
More tomorrow. I have my first weekend off work and will be donning my bush hat, sunglasses and lathering on the sunscreen to explore…
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