During the Labor Day holiday in 2015, we went to Koh Chang. We planned our trip a lot because it was a long weekend. We were afraid that there would be no cars, no accommodation, and we were stressed. In the end, we decided to go without much of a plan. We just booked accommodation. We wanted to travel at night and arrive in the morning. We searched for information because it was our first time going. When the travel date was approaching, there was an incident that prevented us from leaving at night. We had to leave in the late morning of the next day.

This is where the problem started!!!

To get to Koh Chang, you have to leave Bangkok before noon!!!! Otherwise, you won't make it to the boat (the boat leaves at 7:30 pm and the journey takes 5-6 hours). I arrived at Victory Monument after 12:00 pm... I walked around the monument, but there were no buses! The next one was at 3:00 pm, but that wouldn't get me to the boat on time. I screamed internally. I went to eat at McDonald's to calm down (how could I even eat at that point!!). Then I remembered reading in a review that people had queued to get their cars on the boat at 11:00 pm. Hope started to flicker... I called the Koh Chang ferry port and they said that the boat usually leaves at 7:30 pm, but!... if there are a lot of people, they will wait until the last car gets on the boat. We decided to take the risk. Where is a where where where (what the heck). We took the BTS to Ekamai to catch a tour bus. There are buses every hour (06.00-23.00). There must be a bus. We arrived and got on the 4:30 pm bus. The only seat left was on the 3:00 pm bus. Life... Cheechai Tour, 254 baht per person.

We were on the edge of our seats for six hours, worried that we wouldn't make it to the boat in time. We arrived at Trat Bus Terminal at 10pm and rushed to catch a shared taxi. Normally, if the taxi is full, it costs 60-80 baht, but since it was late at night, we had to hire it for ourselves. The uncle charged us 500 baht. He also called the pier to check for us. The Center Point Pier had no more boats, but there was still one at the Koh Chang Ferry. Before getting off the taxi, we called the pier ourselves, so the uncle wasn't lying. We were in a hurry, driving under the moonlight. We were full of hope and anticipation. When the car turned into the pier, the people sitting at the shops looked at our car with one eye. It was a bad omen. As soon as we got off the car, we rushed to buy tickets, but everything was quiet. We could only hear the sound of crickets. It was so quiet, there was nothing. We met a man who came to close the door. He told us that the last boat had just left five minutes ago. He then proceeded to tell us about his life problems. (Wait a minute, our lives are in trouble right now!)

Screaming, crying, whining, rolling on the ground, shaking the fence gate (we just thought about this).

Everything went wrong! Car! Boat! Lost money again! I want to sleep here guarding it, selling tickets and waiting for the 6am boat!!! We agreed with my boyfriend...to find a place to sleep and ask the uncle to help drive us to find accommodation. The uncle found a place near Laem Ngop so that we could easily get on the boat. But! Everything was full after 11pm. So the uncle took us back to find a hotel in the city. In the end, the uncle charged us an additional 600 baht. My boyfriend bargained for us. TT In the midst of bad luck, there was still good luck. We found a very nice hotel called 365 Days Hotel. It is located opposite the market and near 7-11. The room costs 800 baht per night and has two floors with air conditioning on each floor. The decoration is cool, with themes from various movies. We got Spiderman. Hehe, my boyfriend said that when tomorrow comes, we will forget everything that happened today and have fun. ^^

In the morning, I sat on the balcony of my room to watch the morning life of the Trat market people...

After a delicious breakfast at the market, I was ready to explore. The chicken rice was amazing, and the dipping sauce was unlike anything I've had before. It was delicious in a different way. The chicken rice vendor joked, "Are you going to Koh Chang? Be careful not to get stuck there because it's crowded with tourists." Wait, was that a joke or sarcasm? I got directions from a vendor selling lotus leaf wraps (Victoria lotus, to be precise, because it was so big) to walk to the bus stop in front of the pharmacy. I thanked her and walked out. Wow... there were so many pharmacies! I kept asking around, and it turned out to be right in front of a pharmacy. I can't describe the location exactly, but it's right in front of a pharmacy, okay? The uncle charged 60 baht per person, but we had to wait for the van to be full. If you want to leave earlier, you can pay 70 baht. I agreed because I wanted to get there quickly. T0T It was a blue songthaew that said Laem Ngop, I think. I forgot to take a picture.

Ferry to Koh Chang

There are two ferry piers to Koh Chang: Center Point Pier and Koh Chang Ferry Pier. We took the ferry from Center Point Pier because it has motorbike rentals available on the Koh Chang side. Our friend who went ahead told us that there are no motorbike rentals at Koh Chang Ferry Pier, and you have to take a shared taxi to your accommodation for 100-120 baht per person. However, the Koh Chang Ferry is faster than the Center Point Ferry. We bought round-trip tickets for 180 baht per person, valid for any return trip. After buying the tickets, we waited for a shuttle to take us to the ferry.

Hooray! Finally going to Koh Chang ^^ Wait a minute, what's that water!!! Looking towards the island, oh my... it's like the sky has suddenly gone crazy! What a warm welcome!!! Will there be any more obstacles?

After the boat had been sailing for a while, the sky cleared up and the sun was as strong as ever. Hmmmmm...well, it's going to have to be exciting!!! There are drinks and snacks for sale on the boat.

As soon as we got off the boat, we immediately rented a motorbike. The rice shop is right by the pier, on the right side as you walk down from the boat. It costs 200 baht per day with a 500 baht deposit. The deposit depends on the bike. Another bike, which seemed newer, had a 1,000 baht deposit. The owner will provide you with a helmet and a map explaining the different points of interest. My friend rented a bike at Lonely Beach for 150 baht per day. He filled the tank with 95 baht worth of gas and was able to ride the entire trip. ^^

Stopped by to fill up the tires... the mechanic wasn't there, so he left a young child to watch the shop. We asked how much it cost to fill the tires, and the child said it was free!! The kindness of the people on Koh Chang...

The road is quite scary for inexperienced riders, especially at night when it's very dark. When it rains, the road gets congested because cars cannot pass each other at high speeds on the S-curve. During traffic jams, officers are always there to help...

We rushed to check in at our accommodation near Lonely Beach, as we had booked it but were unable to cross over to stay there, losing a night's accommodation for free. The owner was very friendly and easy to talk to, right from the moment we booked. This place accepts walk-ins and bookings through Agoda, and they don't even have a credit card. We never booked it before, but we contacted them through their page and they made the booking for us. Booking our accommodation was so easy, and when we told them that we might not be able to make it to the island, they said that if we did make it, we could check in whenever we arrived. So kind! ^^ (But the next night when we returned to the accommodation late, we saw that the lobby was closed, so it probably isn't open 24 hours every day.) We read reviews and asked around (thanks for the information from friends in the backpacking group!), and the cost of accommodation is 400 baht per night for a fan room. However, we came during the holidays, so the fan room was 600 baht per night, and the air-conditioned room was over a thousand (seen on Agoda). We booked a fan room because we wanted to end the trip with minimal expenses, but... we got hit with the extra expenses mentioned above. Painful! TT Please bring your own toiletries, soap, and toothpaste, but towels are provided. ^^ This place... is full of pomelo trees, and we were thinking of climbing them to pick some. There is a swimming pool and lots of cool places to take photos. We loved it! We think it would have been much better if we had booked an air-conditioned room. It's hot season, did we forget?! But at night the air was cool and comfortable, so we opened the windows and doors and slept soundly... I forgot to mention the name of the accommodation. We stayed at KLKL Hostel, which in Thai is called "Kalah Kala Hostel".

We hurriedly packed our belongings and headed to our first destination, Klong Plu Waterfall. We called our friends to let them know we were on our way to the waterfall. They told us we wouldn't make it in time because the waterfall closed at 4:30 PM!!! We looked at our watches, it was almost 4:45 PM... We had been stubborn a lot, so what's one more time? It's quite a distance from Lonely Beach to Klong Plu Waterfall... Will we make it? This feeling came again, will we always miss out? TT We were already being dramatic 555. When we arrived, we don't know what time it was, we rushed to the ticket booth first. The officer sold us tickets, we made it!! The entrance fee is 40 baht per person. We also asked for a stamp to put in our National Park Travel Passport ^^

We had to continue on foot. The officer said it was 500 meters and the walk was very easy. The water level is low right now... I took a picture but you can barely see the waterfall. But the vendors said that during the rainy season, there is a lot of water. There are still pools where you can play in the water, but we just stopped by to take pictures ^^

We have an appointment with friends at Bang Baew to capture the colors of the evening sky. Today, we probably won't see the sunset because the sky is cloudy. On the way back, we passed the viewpoint at Kai Bae Beach. There were a lot of people who wanted to take pictures with the rocket. Or maybe it was the red mailbox. We only got a picture of the view. ^^

Bang Baeo is a fishing community. We arrived in the late afternoon when most shops were closed. We love this place and would love to stay in a homestay here. The atmosphere is amazing. The squid fishing boats were leaving the shore one by one. We walked to the end of the road by the lighthouse where people were fishing for squid. It was the first time we had ever seen live squid. They can sing! They look cute, but they are also very delicious. I don't dare to feel sorry for them. Hehe.

This evening, the sky at Bang Bo is very cooperative, with a big splash of colors ^^

Upon arriving at Bang Bo, I read reviews about a must-try restaurant, Ruea Thai Seafood... The highlight is the shrimp in fish sauce. We ordered four dishes: shrimp in fish sauce, fried pork ribs with garlic, steamed squid with lime, and mixed seafood tom yum (small), a pot of plain rice, ice, plain water, and a large bottle of Coke. The total for this meal was 1200 baht, which averages out to 300 baht per person. I don't know if it's cheap or expensive, but everything was delicious! ^^ (I also took a picture of the menu highlight to share with you ^^)

Tonight, it won't end easily. We've come a long way, so after eating rice, we have to eat fermented rice. We chose a restaurant to chill at Nature beach resort, the bar is called Nature Rocks, mostly foreigners... Tonight there is a fire baton show at ten o'clock. I saw a small card on the table. Fullmoon party promotion!!! Hey!!! Is it Fullmoon today???? It's just the right time ^^ There are fire shows, there are colors to paint on our bodies, we even walked to paint. There were foreigners writing on our arms. I don't know what the picture is, I can't hear it very well. He asked us to write back on his arm, but my drawing skills are so bad that the color is all over his arm. The foreigner cried Oh! Noooooooo! 555

Today is the last day... We booked a diving trip. Actually, if we arrived on time, we would take a wooden boat. But since we didn't, we took a speedboat because we had to travel back in the evening. What we didn't know was that if people who travel at night arrive in Trat early in the morning and want to go diving right away, they can't take a wooden boat. We asked our friends and the people who sell diving trips, and they told us that we wouldn't make it to the wooden boat because it leaves early and we would have to board it at Bang Bao. We don't know if there is a car to pick us up (this is the information we found, if anyone has different information, please feel free to suggest it ^^). We took a speedboat and a car picked us up at our accommodation. We boarded the boat at Kai Bae Beach. The speedboat left at 9:30 am and the trip ended around 3 pm. We had time to shower, pack our things and go home. There were about 25-30 people on the boat. I liked that there weren't many people. It was a tour that was located right at Kai Bae Hut. I don't remember the name of the tour because my friend arranged everything. It's good to have nice friends like that ^^ The price was 800 baht per person for a trip to 5 islands, including diving equipment and lunch.

The islands we went diving at were... Ko Yak Lek, Ko Yak Yai, stopped for lunch at Ko Rang, Ko Mapring. Another island we couldn't go to because of the storm. The lunch menu was stir-fried vegetables, pork stir-fried with ginger, fried fish cakes, fruits, you can eat as much as you want!!! I like the soft and fragrant rice, very delicious. All the food was delicious ^^ We would like to ask the staff who went with us on the boat to explain how to use the equipment roughly. We can't swim, never dived before. It would be good to have a brief explanation of the knowledge, and more importantly, what should and shouldn't be done while diving, such as feeding fish, catching marine animals for photos. We saw people doing it, and no one said anything... It's very important. We would like to leave it at that.

We prepared a waterproof case for the camera... thinking we would take beautiful pictures underwater. But!!! We forgot to consider that we don't know how to swim. We couldn't even get our bearings, so we were worried about the camera. We threw the camera to our friend first. Oh my god, we took several gulps before we could see the coral. We choked and it burned all the way to our ass... I mean, our nose. Enough! We tried to take pictures and videos. It was hilarious... all we got were shots of us choking on water. The crotch strap was also... tight. 555 This is the only decent picture we got...

On the way back, we braved the rain on a speedboat, which was another super uncomfortable experience. But the diving trip ended smoothly, and we arrived at Koh Chang before 3 pm.

We checked out of the hotel and didn't have a place to shower, so we stopped by the Klong Plu Waterfall. There were free showers, and the staff remembered us. They asked us, "Aren't you going to the waterfall again today?" We asked about camping, and they said we could camp at the Tham Mak Yom Waterfall. We've never been to that side, but we can also camp here. If we come, they'll find a tent for us. We were so happy! The staff is so kind. ^^

After showering, we rushed to return the motorbike. We were several hours late, but the staff didn't charge us extra. ^^ Before arriving at the pier, the cars leaving the island were lined up for miles at both piers. People with return tickets could board the boat directly. They would collect our tickets on the other side. We had to go back... We didn't get to see everything. TT We arrived on the other side after 7 pm... We walked to the shared taxi, and the uncle charged 60 baht per person. He dropped us off at the bus terminal. We took the bus because it was already dark and there were definitely vans available. We left at 9:30 pm and arrived at Ekkamai around 3 am. Oh... Does Cherchai Tour provide blankets? It was my first time on a night bus, and it was so cold!!! The staff said they would give out blankets, or maybe we have to ask them. If anyone has information, please share it. ^^ We went home, changed clothes, and went back to work. This is the life of a salaryman. We work hard to save money, waiting for the holidays so we can go out and have fun again. ^^

This was my first trip with just one backpack, and someone kindly carried it for me the whole time... Traveling alone has its own charm, but if I had a choice, I wouldn't want to go alone, no matter how many problems I might encounter... It's more reassuring to go together, right? ^^

I was super stressed about planning this trip... I encountered so many problems... But I stubbornly decided to go anyway, and every obstacle led me to amazing experiences and places.

...It led me to stay in a cool hotel decorated with themes from different movies (but I secretly regretted spending the money because I had already booked a hotel on the island).

… which allowed us to visit the waterfall during a time when there weren't many people around.

…which allowed us to catch the twilight colors of the sky at Bang Baeu, to see people squid fishing, and to eat delicious seafood at a local restaurant.

...which gave us a Full moon party with body painting and fire shows.

...This allows us to take a speedboat to go diving and surfing through the rain. Even though it's more expensive than taking a wooden boat, we don't have to go with a large group of people, which can be a mood killer.

…and many other events that if we were there, we wouldn't have encountered…

This trip may have been painful at the beginning, but we ended the trip with a good impression. As we sat on the boat back and saw Koh Chang slowly disappear into the darkness, we told ourselves that we would have to come back for a rematch. We believe that Koh Chang will impress us even more.

***Traveling should have a plan, but don't stick to it too much. We have a plan to be a destination and to deal with the situation. Everything should be flexible because we don't know what we will encounter in the future... and it will be more fun and exciting. It's like our lives. If we have too many rules and stick to them too much, it's not fun. It's better to be relaxed, right? ^^