Koh Chang

After a couple of days in Bangkok, I left the city for Koh Chang, an island south east of Bankgok. I opted for this island for several reasons: it is a national park and has some good hiking and kayaking, it isn't quite so touristy as the southern islands and mostly because it is quite close to Bangkok and therefore didn't require another lengthy journey. We left Bangkok by bus at 8:30 yesterday morning with promises that we'd be here by 1:30. I got settled into my bungalow at 7:30 last night - gotta love the way things work in developing countries.

Remembering the wonderful bungalow I stayed in last time I was in Thailand, I opted for something a bit more rustic and quiet on the beach. I got far more "rustic" than I bargained for, and given that I arrived after dark with no idea where I was, I had to stay for the night. It was very short on human company and very long on the wilder kind. I did manage to get some sleep although I was wakened fairly frequently by the sounds of animals, birds, waves, wind etc. This morning I moved to a more occupied part of the island and have an air-conditioned room complete with sheets, running water and a lock on the door. I feel much better here, and may actually find someone to have a conversation with later on!

The weather isn't the best as we're still at the end of the rainy season. It's quite hazy today with strong winds along the beach. The sea is quite stirred up and not all that pretty - certainly not the way I remember Thai beaches to be. I'm not sure if this is due to the weather or if the beaches on this side of the country are generally not as nice. It is still very hot and humid, so it's hard to even get psyched to go for a hike. I've desperately wanted to go for a run for several days, and was hoping that when I left Bangkok I would find a place to do it. However, there is only one road on this island and it doesn't have any shoulders, so even if the weather was tolerable I don't suppose I'd risk it.

I am having trouble with Yahoo here. It seems that I can receive messages okay, but am unable to reply or even compose new ones. Not sure what the problem is, but if you don't hear back from me this is why. I'd still like to hear from you, so please keep sending me mail.