Thailand: Koh Chang

After ruffing it in the jungle, we headed down to Koh Chang an island off of east coast of Thailand. It was much bigger and full of more tourist (mostly Russians for some reason, weird huh?) then we had expected. We stayed at a place called cliff cottage which was peaceful as it was far away from all the night life. The crooked little cottages were like the huts we stayed in before our hiking trip, but with a mattress. We had cold showers, so to say the least it was not our favorite place we stayed. But they had hammocks hanging all over the common area which made it comfortable, and we enjoyed exploring the tide pools at night. We were only there for two nights, and one full day, so we made the most of it by renting a scooter for $6 to take us everywhere we wanted to go. And like many places here in South Eat Asia, riding a scooter around is no walk in the park. I thought Koh Chang had it bad with it's windy roads and sharp corners, but at least most people obey the rules, except the few that forget to drive on the left side (us).... we got better by the end. 

We spent our time on the beach, hiking to a water fall, eating, and riding elephants. Riding the elephants was an internal debate for both me and Blake. We wondered if it would feel cruel, subjecting an intelligent animal to drive you around... or if it would be like riding a horse. So we did our research and tried to find a place that let the elephants roam instead, without prodding them into submission. I forgot the name of the company we went with, but it seemed nice, the elephants were not chained, and as we road on his back the elephant got to stop and eat freely. We road up into the jungle a little, through make-shift paths made by daily tours. It was an interesting ride, they are so tall it felt a little wobbly as we marched along, one giant step at a time. I have gained a lot of respect for elephants after our trip to Thailand, they are so powerful yet gentle at the same time. 

Eating in Thailand was different for us, because we spent a lot of time traveling around the country we did not have much time to sit down and order many meals. So we ate on the go, picking up random things at bus stops like fresh fruit, breads, plantain chips, juices, and anything that looked good. On Koh Chang we had more of a change to take time and eat. Being on an island we took advantage of fresh fish and local dishes. Ending each meal with yummy desserts, like pancakes (not the same kind we make in the U.S.) and mango sticky rice, which we love so much we ordered it three times in one day.