Koh Chang - some boring pictures but of a very pretty beach destination.

welcome to Koh Chang. best beach - Klong Prao. powdery sand, very clean, not too shallow nor too deep. perfect for long swimming sessions.


Klong Prao also has a river flowing in. which makes the beach much more picturesque than everyone's favorite White Sand beach.

the east side of the island. no sandy beach. mainly rocks. but a lot less crowded. plus the views are breathtaking.

accommodations here are geared towards eco crazy backpacking travelers. this one is the most famous: Tree House

favorite part about the trip - wild life!
saw some elephants by the side of the road. some are brought in for tourists' entertainment. but you can also see some grazing peacefully just out in the open after a long working day.

there was also a frog. this one landed on our car window.

and these are just some monkeys hanging out by the curb.

Koh Chang - how to's

we rented a car from Avis. in bangkok. loaded up our hotel's phone number into our basis GPS device. the GPS generated directions to our destination. we hit the road. 3.5 hours later we were at the ferry to Koh Chang.

for the road:
a "good luck on the road" jasmine flower garland. an offering to the journey goddess Mae Yanang. all taxi drivers in thailand use one. so we decided to have one too. it's pretty and works well as air freshener.

the ferry to the island takes about 40 minutes.


hotel - Nisa Cabana. up on the cliff, in the middle of a jungle forrest, at the end of the road. very secluded. and very nicely designed. (if you don't critique the artwork on the walls too much).
the room:


the pool area:

the library:

the view:

best way to book - through this site: Agoda
our rate was $60 per night. very reasonable considering the quality of accommodations and service. i use this site all the time for all of my Asia hotel bookings. and they always quote the best price. without fail. have yet to try it for other destinations. the site's customer reviews are also very helpful in making the final commitment.

Wat Arun - The Temple Of Dawn

the first tourist site i've visited in Bangkok.


so much detail it's almost painful.






the stairs to climb to the top are almost vertical. a bit challenging. even for a German:)

the cats of Wat Arun

find the cat in this picture