Thailand - Cambodia and vice versa. Part 2 Wonder Island
The beginning - about Kaboja - here http://www.turpravda.com/kh/blog-158086.html
Day five. On the way to Thailand
Given that a solid move to about. Koh Chang, we planned to leave early, at six in the morning. The day before, we discussed the transfer to the border with the driver who drove us these two days. The prospect of an early departure did not excite him. And at the end of the trip to distant temples, he asked... to pay him for the transfer from the evening. I sincerely laughed and made a counter offer - to pay for the trip in the morning. The driver did not insist. This is why the inhabitants of Southeast Asia are more attractive to me than the Arabs, if they try to breed, then somehow unpersistently and without unnecessary aggression. It didn’t work out, so this is the karma... I, of course, speak on average, because there were (rarely) more persistent ones.
Surprisingly, the driver was not late in the morning. Only... it was a completely different driver, so to speak, subcontracting in action. Perhaps our first driver immediately planned such a scheme and asked for an advance payment in order to earn extra money himself. But it doesn't matter anymore. The main thing is that we left on time.
Cambodia left a double impression. She is strange, interesting, but she doesn’t want to return... Or she pulls... You won’t understand)
On the way to the border, we finally got our impressions of Cambodia. Impressions were twofold. It seems that there were no frankly negative moments, there are a lot of impressions, but I don’t really want to return here either. Wonderful country. In everything. For example, roads. There is a good paved road from Siem Reap to the border, but in the surrounding forests there is still a chance of running into an anti-personnel mine. A truck of a quite decent (for Asia) type is driving along the road, but, since the body is full of cargo, a couple of passengers sit on top of the cab (! ), Just holding on to the roof. And I saw this picture five or six times.
By eight in the morning we arrived at the border. The passage opens at seven. And the closer you arrive to the opening, the higher the probability of completing all the procedures before the heat of the day. I did not book a transfer to Koh Chang in advance, because from the reports of our predecessors it followed that there was no problem to take it on the spot. And you won't have to wait (as in Bangkok at the beginning of the trip). And so it turned out.
We had just managed to cross the Cambodian border, when we were offered to get to the ferry to Koh Chang at a price of 4000 baht (for all). Here I will make a small digression. On the last trip, we bought tickets for a minibus to the island in street travel agencies. You could do the same this time. It would have been cheaper than a hundred baht from the nose. But, believe me, traveling with your own company (5 people) in a minibus is much more convenient: more space (the child comfortably lay down in the back row and slept most of the way), there are fewer disagreements about air conditioners, duration of parking, etc. In general, I consider it an acceptable price to pay a hundred or two baht per person for this.
As a result, having passed the border control, we immediately left in the direction of Koh Chang. And already at three in the afternoon they were safely settled in the Chill Paradise guesthouse on White Sand Beach.
Housing and beaches
There is a lot of information about Koh Chang, both on this forum and on others. Therefore, I will briefly outline our conclusions (based on the results of several trips to this wonderful island). Don't worry too much about housing. There are a variety of options on the island - from expensive hotels with villas and swimming pools (why it’s three steps from the sea, I don’t understand, but it’s important to someone) for a hundred dollars, to modest bungalows with a fan and the sound of the surf beyond the threshold for a thousand rubles in those the same day. There are always rooms and free bungalows for every budget (they say there are exceptions, for example, on New Year's Eve, but I have not come across this). If you go for a week or more, I would recommend doing this (in 2014 we did just that): book a hotel in advance for a couple of days, and after their expiration, move to where your “soul lies”. Because not all options are presented on the Web. Well, this time we were not very drawn to the bungalow, but the guesthouse we stopped at really looked. And we spent the whole week on the island visiting Mike (the owner of the guesthouse) - a very cheerful and hospitable person. His guesthouse is the entrance of a three-story building. On the first floor there is a reception, utility rooms and a kitchen, which Mike generously gives at the disposal of the guests, on the second floor he lives himself, and on the third floor there are two rooms that we have reserved for our company. Well, since Mike gave us the keys to the guesthouse and disappeared somewhere for days on end, in fact, we rented the entire guesthouse. Yes, it took about seven minutes to walk to the nearest beach, but everything else needed for relaxation - cafes, shops, laundry, bike rental, etc. It was literally within a 100 meter radius. For a family holiday - very convenient.
And a few words about the beaches. The west coast of the island is divided into several "beaches", or rather zones, and each has its own advantages, and you just have to decide what is more important for you (and this is very convenient):
- White Sand Beach - the most "civilized", with the most developed infrastructure + a gentle entrance to the water and almost no stones, but at the same time, of course, the most crowded - just right for a family vacation;
White Sand Beach is the most "civilized"
- Klong Prao and especially Kai Bae - much calmer, fewer people, prices are lower, but entry into the water is not so convenient (many stones) and the choice of shops / catering is more modest - if you are an unpretentious person and appreciate peace more than a variety of entertainment, then you're better off here
- Lonely Beach - they say it is the most "party" and "backpacker", I don't know, in my opinion "party" is not at all about Koh Chang, but the fact that it is very beautiful here and there are a lot of young people from all over the world, that's for sure – in general, young people (regardless of age) will like it here more than on Klong Prao
And Lonely Beach is the most "photogenic"
- Bang Bao is a fishing village, the beaches are not very good, but if you are interested in fishing, diving or snorkeling, then this is the most convenient location.
That's probably all in a nutshell. And finally - about how to get out of the island. And it's very simple. On the same White Sand Beach, transfers to Bangkok and Pattaya are sold every 50-100 meters, on other beaches a little less often. The cost is also very affordable: from 700-800 baht for a ticket in a large bus to 3.000 baht for renting a car (for 2-3 passengers) and 4.500 for a minibus. Having chosen the last option, on January 30 we left the island. We had three days ahead of us in Bangkok and a return to the Siberian winter. About what - in the third part.
