In December 2003, I had a chance to visit Koh Chang. Knowing nothing about the island, a friend had stayed at Chai Chet Bungalows, so I headed there. It proved to be an adequate choice, as they rent kayaks. The best deal for me was 12 hours for 400 baht. They also had 100-baht-an-hour rates, which is pretty expensive.
The boats were the ubiquitous Tri-Yaks from Feel Free. The guys at the bungalow kept trying to get me to sit in the very back position, not realizing the center seat is not for a third person but for a solo paddler. Thai people on holiday love to pile on to these little boats, but not me.
No matter. I went kayaking every day to my heart's content. Most of the hotels on the island had kayaks it seems, so it was a good place to go for a kayaking fix.
While I was there, a young couple from Seattle (one of whom hailed originally from Hopedale, Illinois) was there with their folding, inflatable Feathercraft - a great option that gives you total freedom to paddle whenever and wherever you want, as long as you can get to the water. Because they were so equipped, they were doing a lot of paddling, having boated over from White Sands Beach. They had paddled around Chai Chet Bay and the Klong Prao beach area for a few days, going "about as far as you can see out there". They were to move their operation to Lonely Beach and continue their exploration of the waters around Koh Chang.
I mainly stuck to Chai Chet Bay, exploring up Klong Prao as far as I could go. I also paddled way out into open water until I felt I could still turn back and make it. Coming back in, I bounced over the waves and imagined myself like the German submarine, the U-96 in Das Boot, when they are heading for the flotilla of American ships. The happy time. Politically and morally incorrect, but it kept me going.
Another day I paddled way out into open water and across to an island that I heard had some snorkeling. It was about an hour paddle and I was not disappointed. Indeed, there was snorkeling and there were snorkelers. There was even another pair of kayakers. But pretty soon I had the place to myself. The coral wasn't all that colorful, but a set of fins and a nice mask and snorkel loaned by a friend made going down and checking it all out a lot of fun.
For the last couple days of my visit to Koh Chang, my friend came to visit, and we did some more kayaking and snorkeling.
I found that staying in Chai Chet Bungalows wasn't perhaps the best. The staff seemed surly at first, but warmed up after I had stayed there a few days. Their English comprehension was limited - a bad sign for a resort that is seeing more and more foreign tourists. The 600 baht bungalows were very basic, with room for a bed and a small bathroom with squat toilet and cold, leaky shower hose. Made of concrete and tile, they were a bit sterile for my taste. There are a couple of other resorts on Chai Chet Bay, all about the same, though. There are some nicer resorts along Klong Prao beach, it looked like.
An idea for next time would be to ask for some extras when booking. If you want to do a lot of kayaking, ask that the kayak rentals be discounted or complimentary. Ask for a free breakfast, pickup at the ferry - anything. I asked for nothing and was offered nothing, so was nickled and dimed all the way for a ride to the hotel, for an hour's kayaking, for breakfast, for a cup of coffee, etc., etc., etc.
But I don't want to bitch too much. If anything, the rough edges around the tourist infrastructure were understable, as it was all new. Koh Chang has been having the hell developed out of it. Construction equipment clogs its narrow two-land blacktop. There's a ready mix plant on the island. A huge ferry brings more big trucks. There's garbage pickup as well as more garbage is coming in. An airport has been built in Trat by Bangkok Airways. So the quieter mode of tourism is giving way to bigger ways of doing things. Noise. Buses. Techno music. Crowds. Get there before all the quiet is gone.
Helpful link:
