A simple rule to remember is that low level Thai staff and email seldom mix well. Speak to the local noodle stall owner, the guy in the hammock who sells overpriced litre bottles of petrol to passing motorcyclists and anyone else who doesn’t appear to be awash with cash – that’s how to find the cheap land. If you want a two story concrete construction job information then you don’t hire a guy who makes his living putting up wooden huts – his workers won’t have the experience needed to do a good job of finishing concrete etc. There are now ATMs pretty much everywhere along the west coast – in Klong Son, White Sand Beach, Klong Prao, Kai Bae, Lonely Beach and several all within 20 metres of each other in Bangbao.

The problem is that most people don’t walk to the back of a U-shaped plaza, they linger at the front, near the roadside. VJ Plaza in Klong Prao is the definitive example of a death zone for businesses, with many units at the rear changing owners virtually every year. And the rear units at 339 Plaza in Kai Bae were only occupied for 12 months when it first opened, and until everyone saw how quiet business was. There are an increasing number of afternoon / evening markets on Koh Chang. Vacant plots of land are rented to traders who set up at various places on different days of the week.

If you are building a house, build it on titled land and have the plans approved properly. It will cost you a bit more but you’ll have peace of mind. The large Kodak Shop on White Sand Beach, in the roadside shop units at Koh Chang Lagoon Resort, is probably the best place to get photos developed. You can also get passport photos, for around 100 baht for a four pics, and https://coinbreakingnews.info/ they will do portraits and other tacky soft focus photos of you and your wife and child. Prices at this shop are far higher than in Bangkok, but are still much cheaper than getting pictures developed in Europe. For a good value, proper massage away from the beach in well decorated, clean surroundings try Sima Massage, Klong Prao – near Chang Chutiman elephant camp.

Judging by the signs outside all the large restaurants have been featured on one or more Thai TV shows at some time in the past. Prices don’t vary too much providing you steer clear of the fancy hotel restaurants. Don’t automatically rush to the beachfront restaurants though. Take the signposted turn towards the beach, just north of the Post Office. Another small place where you feel like you are eating in someone’s garden rather than in a restaurant. The resort only has a handful of bungalows and the restaurant consists of even fewer tables in a very nice garden setting by the sea.

A really beautiful mangrove forest can be found in Salakkok, in the south-east of the island. If they need ice they pop down to the 7-Eleven or supermarket. And to the best of my knowledge, these businesses aren’t deliberately trying to poison the entire population of the island. In the grand scheme of things, dodgy ice is the least of your worries. It’s possible to lay your hands on free island maps of varying degrees of usefulness and accuracy or you could lay out some cash and buy a fold out map from most minimarts in tourist areas.

Find a coach from Bangkok to Trat: Compare all companies

During this time it will rain during your stay on the island. With luck on your side, they’ll be a shower in the morning , clouds will clear and the afternoons will be sunny. Big bikes and dirtbikes are also available to rent from a couple of shops for anyone wanting to display their manliness by wrestling a V-Max around a few hairpin bends or going off-road in their resort car parks. Visit Koh Chang Choppers, at the southern end of white Sand Beach, just past the International Clinic, for Honda chopper rentals from around 600 baht/day.

The main undersea attractions are the underwater rock pinnacles which range from about 5 – 30 metres in depth. Whale sharks are also regularly sighted between December and February. There are a handful of wreck dives, but these are small fishing boats. No public transport here though, so head to Salakkok on your rental scooter and follow the signs the ‘Salakkok Kayak Station’.

This isn’t an option for your average budget traveller though as weekend trips start at about 7,000 Baht/head but it is a unique way to see the islands. Gulf charters or Sunsail both in Baan Rong Thian on Salakphet Bay can get you sorted. Residents and resort operators are left to their own devices when it comes to securing a source. The most common way is to dig a bore hole or lay several kilometres of pipe and syphon off water from mountain streams and waterfalls. As 90% of the rainfall on Koh Chang falls during the rainy season, this means that come January/February time the natural water supplies begin to run low. In some areas you’ll feel as though you’re being stalked as they’ll be tailors approaching you with flyers, business cards and the promises of wondrous offers and discounts.

Take care and be wary of drunk drivers at night on these stretches. There is one dental clinic, called ‘Baan More Fun’ on Koh Chang, Koh Chang Dental Clinic ( ) is located roadside near the Amari Emerald Cove Resort. It’s run by Dr Itsakpong and a couple of other dentists who have had their own private clinic in Trat for well over 10 years. The equipment all comes from overseas – mainly USA & Germany and the place is spotlessly clean. Get your teeth cleaned for under 1,000 baht or a have them whitened and return home with a movie star smile for 10,000 baht. Just remember, just because a gleaming toothy smile looks good on Brad Pitt it, doesn’t mean it will suit you.

Other Services

Make yourself at home in one of the 54 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and LCD televisions. Complimentary wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Conveniences include phones, as well as desks and separate sitting areas. See also ‘Sailing’ What better way to explore the Koh Chang archipelago than by sailing boat?

This is something that no supposedly informed source ever agrees with another equally ‘reliable’ source. Counting ferry tickets is the easiest thing to do, but that requires obtaining accurate figures from the ferry companies. But, how would you discriminate between locals and market traders from the mainland regularly using the ferry, Thai tourists, overseas visitors, Thais visiting on business, etc etc. More a strip of a couple of dozen fisherman’s houses on the shore of a large inlet than a village. Not often visited, but try to make the effort as there are some great views of mangrove forest. The view across the bay from the eastern shore is one of the best anywhere on the island.

Tratok Twitter

I have an interview and wanted to know the compensation plan and job. There isn’t a specific Koh Chang Yellow Pages full of useful numbers in print. But most free maps & guides of the island have numbers of varying degrees of usefulness listed. The most popular brand is ‘Mae Ang-Ki’s’, but many of the massage women on Koh Chang sell a locally produced ‘no-name’ brand which smells like it should do you some good. Whether it does or not, I have no idea as I don’t have a caged chimp or rabbit to do a spot of DIY animal testing on. But if it is carcinogenic I wouldn’t worry too much as the effects are unlikely to kick in for another years or so after first application.

Thailand isn’t as safe and crime free as you might think, it’s just that as most crime doesn’t involve tourists it isn’t reported in the English language media. In most aspects it is far safer than living in the UK for example, you won’t find hoodies lying in wait on street corners here. But it still pays to watch your possessions and not to antagonise the natives for no good reason. On Koh Chang violent crime against foreigners is pretty rare. One of the reasons our first plan for a small business was to open a coffee shop was that we couldn’t find a decent place to buy the stuff when we first came here.

• Pick up a copy of ‘Thai Girl’ by Andrew Hicks at the airport or any good bookshop in Bangkok.
• Whether it does or not, I have no idea as I don’t have a caged chimp or rabbit to do a spot of DIY animal testing on.
• For a nicer mangrove forest experience, head to the head of the bay in Salakphet, turn left as you pass the temple in the village and follow the road to the end.

However, you can use your own jet-ski as a handful of people do. They are good fun for those riding them, but extremely annoying for anyone else within a two kilometre radius. Forget Walls, Nestle and the shockingly poor but very cheap ‘Cremo’. Keep a look pout for the vendors of locally made coconut ice-cream. You’ll see the guys riding on motorbikes with a sidecar containing a large super cooled container of ice-cream.

Women’s Pajama Set | Family Pajamas Set | Mom Pajama | All Family Set

You’ll see the ATVs and offroad buggies, parked by the roadside which can be rented for guided rides of the trails which take you onto the peninsula and up a hilltop for some amazing views. Prices are from around 500 baht and go up to 1,700 depending on type of ATV and how long you want to ride for. Long established restaurant group with a long menu of Thai and International food at sensible prices.

• If you need to continue your journey with a flight, you can find the most popular airport transfers departing from Trat.
• You’ll also see the local fishermen with their boats moored outside their houses, something that you’ll miss if you just drive through the village.
• You’ll quickly learn that virtually all Thai recipes include adding liberal amounts of sugar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, mysterious seasoning sauce and soy sauce to enhance the flavour.
• The average Thai citizen’s unnerving reliance on lifejackets as the only thing standing between the wearer and certain death whilst on or near water is something just waiting to have a PhD.
• For sale on White Sand Beach is pretty good but almost Bangkokian in it’s pricing.

If the sight of sweaty, well-toned, young Thai guys swinging balls of fire around their heads is of interest to you then be sure to stroll past at about 8.30pm every evening. Of course, the fire show’s popularity has ensured that virtually every beach bar on the island now has a fire show of a varying degree of mediocrity and danger to spectators. In late 2008 there was a large blaze at VJ Plaza, Klong Prao. By the time the fire truck arrived the blaze had just about been put out by locals with their own water truck. The fire engine was delayed as it couldnt’ get over the steep hill at the north end of the island with a full tender of water, and so had to fill up before going to put the fire out.

If you’re in a resort then they will have their own generator and so you wont be affected. But all small businesses will have the lights out until power comes back. However, a newly constructed concrete walkway enables lazy-arsed visitors to walk about 800 metres through the mangroves. An experience that leaves you marveling at the poor construction on the concrete walkway for which huge tracts of mangroves were obviously cut down to enable it to be built. For a nicer mangrove forest experience, head to the head of the bay in Salakphet, turn left as you pass the temple in the village and follow the road to the end.