Hello everyone, they say that "you can travel to the Thai sea all year round". It seems to be true.

From November 9-12, 2016, it was the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the cold season. Most people will go up to experience the cold weather on the mountains.

But my friends and I want to go against the trend a little bit. We want to challenge the wind and rain + heat at "Koh Chang".

Koh Chang is an island with many tourist attractions, including the sea, mountains, waterfalls, and many activities to do.

Whether it's diving, snorkeling, visiting waterfalls, climbing mountains, riding elephants, fishing, etc., it's all fun and exciting.

This trip, we used a Sony a5100 camera to capture our moments and edited them with a touch of whimsy.


Day 1: November 9, 2016

We boarded a van from Bangkok to Trat at Ekkamai around 10:00 AM. We purchased round-trip tickets for 600 baht each.


The van will drop us off at the ticket booth. Round-trip tickets cost 150 baht per person. Then, we will take an orange shared taxi to the pier.


This is the ferry pier for the natural bay. Ferries depart every 45 minutes from 6:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The ferry crossing takes 30 minutes.



We have arrived at Koh Chang! Hooray!


At Koh Chang, there are shared taxis called "songthaews" that operate like buses, picking up and dropping off passengers along their route. The fare is 50 baht per person.


Check in to our accommodation, "Paddy's Palms Resort," located on White Sand Beach (not directly on the beachfront). This beach is the most popular tourist destination on Koh Chang, with numerous hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, and convenient access due to its location on the island's main road. The front of Paddy's Palms is a restaurant; our rooms are located slightly further back.


The overall atmosphere of the resort is decent. The rooms are satisfactory, with prices suitable for students (around 1,000 baht). The rooms include complimentary tea and coffee. The resort also features a swimming pool (which closes at 8 pm, which some may consider early).


After checking in, we went out to find something to eat. There were quite a few restaurants near our accommodation, and we ended up choosing one at random (due to hunger). The restaurant was called "Uncle Dam's Rice Soup" and we ordered four dishes. The taste was okay, but a bit too spicy for our liking (we don't eat spicy food). The total cost was a little over 1,000 baht.


After lunch, we went to buy a snorkeling tour. The tour shops are located on both sides of the main road. There are many shops, so you can choose any one you like.


We purchased a diving package from the company "Phuket Poolthip" based on the salesperson's recommendation. They informed us that the package included diving at 5 islands, round-trip transportation from the resort, a buffet lunch, afternoon snacks, life jackets, and diving masks. (Fins were available for rent at an additional cost of 100 baht.) Kayaking was also included in the package. The total cost was 700 baht per person.


Day 2: November 10, 2016

After showering and getting dressed, we went to the restaurant to have breakfast and wait for the car to pick us up for diving. The restaurant is located at the front of the resort, where we entered. Breakfast was a buffet with both American and Thai options. The food was okay, but we ate quickly for fear of missing the car.


An army marches on its stomach. No matter how urgent the situation, it is important to eat well beforehand.


The car dropped us off at Bang Baeo Pier. On the way to the pier, there were many souvenir shops and restaurants.



This is the boat that will take us diving today. It's a two-story boat. Most people (all of them) will be sitting on the second floor. The bottom floor is empty. Haha.


Once everyone is on board, the staff will introduce themselves and their roles, and then take us snorkeling at the coral reefs around the islands.


As we sailed for a while, we looked to the left and saw a dark sky. Oh no! It's raining (Someone please plant lemongrass urgently).


The rain stopped after a while. Hooray! Thank you, heavens, for cooperating with our scuba diving trip to see the coral reefs.


We will dive at a total of 5 islands: Ko Yak Lek, Ko Yak Yai, Ko Rang, Ko Mapring, and Hat Uthayan Ko Rang (this beach is not for diving, just for a relaxing walk).


The dive site we visited was shared with another tourist boat, and safety officers were present in the surrounding area.



Each group of tourists will have a staff member to take care of them closely. Our group got "Nong La" to take care of us and lead us on a dive around the island. We could understand each other sometimes, and sometimes not. 555555


Proceed with haste!

We did not take underwater photos because our camera is not waterproof (saving up for a GoPro). Overall, it was okay. There were a decent amount of corals to see, but it's not comparable to the southern seas.


This is what we looked like after diving on every island. We were exhausted, but we had so much fun. The staff on the boat took this photo for us before we got back on board. It turned out beautifully.


The final stop for today is Koh Rang National Park Beach, which has a bridge for walking or you can swim there, as the staff told me. Hehe.


The entrance fee to Koh Rang National Park was beyond our budget, so we opted for a relaxing afternoon on the beach instead.


The name of the last island escapes us. The staff informed us that it was the island with the most monkeys. (Our friend whispered, "Probably not as many as Lopburi, though," hahahahaha.) We would stop by to see the monkeys before returning to Koh Chang.


On the way back, I wanted to sit and take pictures at the bow of the boat, but someone was already sitting there. I took a picture of them instead. 555555


We arrived at the resort around 4 pm and continued swimming until 6 pm. We then showered and changed before heading out for dinner. The restaurant we chose was based on online reviews, which claimed it was delicious. We decided to give it a try, even though it was quite far from our accommodation. We rented a motorbike to get there, and used the Wongnai app for directions. When we arrived at "Aiyara Seafood," the reviews mentioned a beautiful view of the canal and the sea. However, it was already dark, so we couldn't see anything.


We ordered a total of 5 dishes, and I must say, everything was delicious, living up to its reputation. The total cost for this meal was 1,050 baht.


After a satisfying meal, we took a few photos before leaving. (I couldn't help but wonder if the bench would break under our weight. 555555)


Day 3: November 11, 2016

Today, we plan to have a relaxing day trip. We will drive to a waterfall and then go souvenir shopping at Bang Baen Pier. For safety reasons, please wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle. Look at these three people as an example. However, riding three on a motorcycle is not recommended, as it could cause a flat tire.


The "Klong Plu Waterfall" is located approximately 3 kilometers from Ao Klong Prao. It is a large waterfall with 3 tiers, and visitors must hike approximately 500 meters to reach it. The entrance fee is 40 baht per person.

Before we set off, we must first read the signs and study the path to the waterfall, just like any other tourist.


There is also a small convenience store nearby, in case you want to buy some water to drink on the way.


Let's start our journey to the waterfall.


The path to the waterfall can be challenging in some sections. Please exercise caution when walking.


Along the way to the waterfall, there are rest stops and areas for swimming.


The water teemed with fish. We dipped our feet in to let the fish nibble, and they bit with surprising force.


Keep going, you're almost there.


We have arrived at Khlong Plu Waterfall. As usual, there are many foreigners here.


The water is quite deep, and there is a rope to hold on to. Please be careful if you are going to swim.


The water is incredibly clear, and there are a lot of fish. Be careful, though, because they can bite quite hard!


My friends and I were only playing on the rocks next to the water. We didn't dare go down to play below. It's deep! (Was the sea deeper yesterday? 555555)


After playing in the water, we rode our motorcycles to buy souvenirs at Bang Baen Pier.

We just realized that the roads on Koh Chang are incredibly steep (around 45 degrees). We need to drive carefully.


The souvenir shops at Bang Baen Pier offer a wide variety of items, including both edible and non-edible goods. We opted to purchase primarily edible souvenirs, as we intended to enjoy them ourselves.


After shopping, I sat down to take some photos and catch my breath before continuing.


After leaving Bang Baea Pier, we stopped by the "Gai Bae Viewpoint".


We love this message, located on the way up to the viewpoint: "We will leave nothing but footprints, we will take nothing but photographs."


We then went for a walk to watch the sunset on the beach, because since we arrived at Koh Chang, we haven't been able to swim there yet (we've only been swimming on other islands, haha).


Wandering around, I started to feel hungry again. I saw a roti shop nearby that looked delicious, so I ordered some to tide me over before my real meal. Hehe.

Everything was delicious, not just because I was hungry, but because it was genuinely good. The seller was also very kind.


The appetizer is done, it's time for the main course. The restaurant we went to today is also close to the roti shop, located on the main road.

"Nong Bua Seafood"


The front of the restaurant offers fresh seafood for customers to choose from, which the chefs can then prepare into one or two dishes.


If you don't want to choose fresh seafood in front of the restaurant, you can order from the menu.


We ordered five dishes (four are pictured, as we forgot to photograph one). Everything was delicious, and we loved it more than any other restaurant we've been to before. The total cost was 1,200 baht.


Total expenses summary

We went with friends, a total of 5 people, and collected 5,000 baht each, for a total of 25,000 baht.

The cost of the resort for 3 nights is 6,440 baht.

The round-trip van fare is 3,000 baht.

Round-trip boat fare: 750 baht.

The fare for the shared taxi is 250 baht.

The cost of renting two motorbikes is 750 baht.

Food + Snacks + Others: 5,785 Baht

Total 20,475 baht, remaining balance 4,525 baht.

Each person received 905 baht back (enough to buy snacks on the way home).

Follow us on https://www.instagram.com/plartwo for more updates.

Thank you to everyone who watched.

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