Journey
to Koh Chang
Contributed by Trevor Ranges
Part
3
The
driver was reluctant to take us to Lonely Beach, insisting
that it was a long and tortuous road. He tried to
dissuade us by informing us that we would have difficulty
getting a ride back so late in the day. Was he trying
to drive the price up? Would we become stranded on
some remote beach? These were questions I would normally
have asked myself if it were not for the cool, soothing
caress of his air conditioning, seducing my hot sweaty
body and subduing my sensibilities. Speaking in her
native Thai tongue, Nat deftly negotiated the fare,
nevertheless ridiculously high, and we eased into
the chilly comfort of his cab oblivious to the consequences
of our decision.
Soon the even, two-lane road became cracked and narrow,
barely a car's width across. The songtaew struggled
up one near vertical hill then, like a rollercoaster,
plunged rapidly down another's precipitous side. As
the driver expertly piloted the truck around blind,
hairpin turns, he honked almost as an afterthought,
apparently unconcerned by oncoming traffic or the
sheer cliffs to our side. We gasped at each panoramic
vista that the songtaew threatened to launch itself
out into. We laughed at the terrified faces of the
now foolish motorbike riders as they quickly steered
their bikes onto the miniscule shoulder when our truck
came barreling around each corner. I felt sympathetic
but vindicated as we sped along towards our next destination.
Nearly half an hour later we made the final descent
and the truck came to a halt in front of Siam Bay
Resort, Haad Thanam, a.k.a. Lonely Beach. Two bronzed
beach goers were shooting a basketball. The hoop was
nailed to a coconut tree, the first of a long row
of palms running along the idyllically serene beach.
Hammocks hung unnoticeably amidst the trees and a
wooden swing hung listlessly, gazing out at the imperceptible
transition of blue where the cloudless sky merged
with the tranquil sea. Along a long sandy courtyard
quaint thatched huts stood upon stilts and the spicy
scent of gang kieawan curry drew my attention to the
tastefully decorative dining area. We had arrived!
We inquired about their rooms and learned that only
two of the 40 huts were vacant. We had already paid
for our room at Haad Sai Khao and we mulled over the
dilemma of paying for another cabin. During those
brief agonizing moments of discussion one of the huts
was rented and several people expressed interest in
the other. Facing the prospect of spending the weekend
in the dankness of our first hut, we chose to shell
out the 250 Baht for last remaining cottage.
Our next dilemma: Would we stay the night at Lonely
Beach without any gear? It was one thing to go without
change of clothes, toothbrush, contact lens kit, etc.
another to sleep well knowing our packs were waiting
to be stolen from an extremely un-secure hut, that
I had felt weary about leaving for a simple day-long
stroll on the beach. Or: Would we attempt the long
voyage back to White Sands, where we would again have
to make a difficult choice: Stay the night in the
mildewy hut, or over-ambitiously try to bring our
things all the way back to cozy Siam Bay before nightfall???
As we debated, large black clouds and encroaching
thunder demanded a decision.
Rain or not, we decided it was best not to leave our
things unattended. Perhaps we would not be fortunate
enough to make it back to Lonely Beach that day, but
at least we would have a hut reserved for the remainder
of our stay. Despite the chill from the fat droplets
of rain, I felt reassured that this was a good day.
The noises of the jungle, the sound of the rain splattering
on the lush green flora, and the smell of ginger and
flowers calmed and soothed me. My overtired body was
comforted by the wonderful journey we had undertaken
and the discoveries we had made. As the large, tropical
drops of rain splashed down on our faces, we waited
anxiously for another ride.
Trevor and Nat's weekend had a fairytale ending. The
island of Koh Chang may have a less happy one. As
this story was being written, the Thai government
decided to turn Koh Chang into an upscale resort destination.
While supposedly leaving the national park lands for
"eco-adventures", full-scale development is already
underway on the aforementioned pristine and primitive
beaches. An airport will surely be built in Trat (thankfully
sparing future travelers the 5 hour hellish bus ride),
but Koh Chang will surely never be the same. Fortunately
there are many other unspoiled islands to explore
in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. Let's
all try and keep them that way.
