Phuket is the largest and most well known of Thailand’s islands, but on the other side of Thailand in the Gulf of Thailand lies the second largest and less well known island of Koh Chang.

Koh Chang lies just off Trat in eastern Thailand and close to the Cambodian border. It is part of a range of 52 islands that are off the coast of Trat, like a string of sparkling jewels. The island is 30km long and 14km wide, but most of the resorts are along the west side of the island and getting around is quite simple. Koh Chang has a much more intimate feel than Phuket in my opinion.

Reaching Koh Chang is quite easy from Bangkok. I would recommend taking the bus, it is comfortable and cheap and doesn’t take too long at all. You can get the bus almost every hour from 6:00am until midnight at the Ekamai Bus Terminal which is located at the Ekamai section of Sukhumvit Road which is easily accessible by the BTS Skytrain.

Round trip tickets cost 456 baht (US $13) and one way tickets are 241 baht (US $7) on first class air conditioned busses. The trip takes about 5 hours and the busses are definitely comfortable enough to sleep on.

Once you arrive at Trat you’ll have to take a shared taxi from the bus station because it is located about 1km outside town. The cost is just 40 baht to the pier. Please note that after 5:00pm you may need to rent a private taxi which will cost you 300 baht so it is in your interests to arrive early.

Ferries depart from the pier about every hour during the high season (Nov – Apr) from 6:00am until 7:00pm. The ferry costs just 50 baht per person and takes around 30 minutes. Once you land on Koh Chang you will be able to get a songthaew to anywhere on the island. Please note that when returning from Koh Chang there are no Songthaew available to Trat after 6:00pm and you could get stranded at the pier. Make your plans accordingly.

You can find very detailed information at Koh-Chang.com

The atmosphere on Koh Chang is very relaxed and laid back and both Golf and I like it a lot. I’ll be posting photos from our last trip there later as well as more detailed information about places we’ve stayed, eaten and partied.

Is there anyone else out there that has been to Koh Chang and has something to share with us? I would love to hear your stories.

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While many visitors to Koh Phangan come for the raucous Full Moon Party, there are others who are looking for a more peaceful experience and don’t want the noise and party atmosphere to spoil their tropical island experience. Haad Rin is party central on Koh Phangan, but for a more laid back experience you need to travel to the west side of the island to Haad Yao beach.

Haad Yao (literally Long Beach) is the type of beach that postcards are made from. The kilometer long beach is wide and slightly curving, giving perfect vistas and fringed with tropical foliage, making it what some consider the “perfect” beach. While it has developed some over the years, it has mostly retained the original natural surroundings and beauty as well as the laid back feeling that has made it so popular with visitors since its discovery.

Because Haad Yao has become popular with a wide variety of travelers you are able to find the same variety of accommodations. Everything from cheap budget bungalows to luxury villas are available for rent, making Haad Yao a diverse and vibrant community during the high season. It also means you’ll be able to find a nice variety of great restaurants on the beach as well as in many of the hotels. Three good choices are Long Bay Resort, Haad Yao Bayview Resort and Haad Yao See Through Resort.

While night time is much quieter than Haad Rin beach, you can still find nighttime activities. There are numerous beachside bars, including the famous Eagle Pub, which has been built right into the rocks on the southern tip of Haad Yao. The pub includes great drinks, a wonderful steakhouse and an in house DJ playing some great tunes. If you’re still craving a huge party, Haad Rin is just a short ride away so you can have your quiet time on Haad Yao and still party the night away if you prefer.

Those looking for something to do during the day other than lying on the beach (which isn’t a bad pastime at all!) can find many activities around Haad Yao. The west and south coasts of Phangan are surrounded by coral reefs rich with diverse marine life. Diving and snorkeling are a great way to immerse yourself in the marine life and there are a variety of operators offering half and full day diving and snorkeling trips, either around Phangan or around nearby islands like Koh Ma, which is part of one of Thailand’s National Marine Parks.

In addition to diving you’ll find loads of great trails to hike through the tropical jungle and since the island is fairly mountainous you will likely get a pretty good workout. There are also waterfalls to visit such as Wang Sai and a fresh water lake called Laem Son, which is a short trip away and has giant rope swings over the lake which are a blast!

So, don’t think that the only reason to come to Koh Phangan is the Full Moon Party. The island still has quiet retreats and natural beauty for all to enjoy.

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Bangkok traffic is the worst traffic you will ever see and if you ever get stuck going across town at 5:30 in the afternoon on a Friday you’ll be glad to get back to New York or London or Los Angeles because these places will seem like a quick dash around the suburbs compared to what Bangkok can throw at you.

The traffic in Bangkok is the stuff that legends are made of. Imagine waking up at 4am so you can be off to the office by 5am and arrive near 6am and then wait for 2 hours because your office doesn’t open until 8am. This is commonplace in Bangkok as is the fleets of cars lining up outside schools as early as 5:30am with bleary eyed mothers watching over their seemingly still sleeping children. Anything to avoid the rush or rather the gridlock of rush hour.

Rode tid mak mak the Thai’s will tell you. It means “traffic is bad, very bad”, but that is normal for Bangkok. I once came out to Silom Road at 1:30 in the morning to see taxi’s lined up in both directions as far as the eye could see. What city has grid lock at 1:30am? And what looked like a short trip from Khao San Road to our hotel across the bridge in the Pinklao district regularly took up to an hour after 1:00am. Just a few miles and on the outer perimeter of Bangkok to be sure, but still a major undertaking at any hour of the day or night.

And yet even so Thai’s continue to buy cars because they are status symbols. The Thai government has a 100-300% tariff on auto’s which means a Toyota Corolla (or something similar) will cost up to $35,000. It hasn’t stopped car buying in the least. I can tell how important they are to Thai’s especially younger Thai’s as a status symbol by listening to Golf and her friends. Even though the public transport in Bangkok is faster and so much cheaper they all want the status that a car exudes.

Personally I would rather spend $0.25 to get across town on a bus (scary) or ferry or the Bangkok BTS or even spring a whole $3.00 for a taxi, but I think I will end up falling prey to the need to increase our status when we move back to Thailand. I may even end up driving the beast, but I don’t think I will have the same patience that the Thai’s have on the road. Maybe I need to cultivate the mai bpen rai attitude so common in Thailand. Why have a stroke over something you can’t change? Rode tid mak mak. Mai bpen rai…

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In most parts of Thailand (Bangkok is an exception) the songthaew (สองแถว) is a major form of cheap and reliable transportation. Those of you that have visited Thailand have seen these I’m sure, they are basically pickup trucks that have been converted into small buses with two rows of seating in the back. As a matter of fact, he word songthaew is literally translated as “two rows”.

Calling a songthaew is quite simple, actually the same as calling a taxi. You simply wait by the side of the road until you see one coming and then gesture for it to stop by holding out your hand with the palm down. In some towns the songthaews actually follow a regular route and there are set stops for them (Chiang Mai and Pattaya come to mind).

You will find that the songthaews can operate differently in different towns. In Pattaya, where the songthaews follow regular routes, all you need to do is jump in once the songthaew has stopped and then ring the buzzer in the back when you’re ready to get off. Fares can vary as well from town to town so it is often a good idea in most towns to ask about the fare before entering the songthaew. It can also be a good idea to ask about your destination to make sure the songthaew is going that way. If not, the driver will shake his (or her) head and drive on. Simply wait at the same spot for the next songthaew to come along which will likely be within minutes.

Fares for the songthaew are usually in the range of 10-20 baht, although prices can be significantly higher in tourist locations. Even a short trip could cost you 40 baht or more in places like Samui. While some people like to complain about this rise in prices I like to remember that 20 baht is only US$0.50 so it’s really not that big a deal and certainly nothing to get upset about. The fact is that the drivers are running a business and they will charge whatever the market (you and me) will bear. Capitalism at its best even in the Far East.

If you happen to see a parked songthaew you can often charter it just like a taxi to take you wherever you need to go. Because you are the only passenger the price will be higher than normal though. Expect to pay around 100 baht or so. You can even charter some songthaews for a half day or entire day, just negotiate the price with the driver and pay at the end of the day. Great if you have a large party of people. And don’t worry if you can’t speak Thai, most drivers have some English skills and often the combination of their limited English and sign language will be enough to come to an agreement.

One word of warning about the songthaew – it can be dangerous depending on your driver. Some drivers drink while driving the songthaew and some tend to drive very fast since the amount they can make is often dependant on how quickly they can make a circuit of their route. Golf was actually thrown out of the back of a songthaew when she was 15. The driver was speeding and he hit a bump while making a turn. The combination of the bump, the speed and the turn threw her up into the air and right out the back of the songthaew.

I still recommend that you use the songthaew to get around as it is quite cheap and in most cases is safe as long as you have your wits about you. If the driver is visibly intoxicated take a pass, but otherwise you should be fine.

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Yesterday I posted a small guide to Koh Phangan that I want to elaborate on a bit without turning it into a 10,000 word treatise. So over the next few days I’ll be sharing more information about the island that has become famous for its Full Moon Parties and yet can still offer you a place to get away from it all and relax without paying a fortune.
Today’s post is a simple guide for getting to Koh Phangan, whether that be by air, bus, train or boat. Your mode of transportation will likely be determined by two factors; your budget and your available time.

Getting to Koh Phangan from Bangkok

I’m sure many if not most of you will be interested in how to get to Koh Phangan from Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok. As the hub of transportation for Thailand it’s a logical place to begin your travels through the Kingdom.

Obviously the quickest way to get to Koh Phangan from Bangkok is going to be by air. You have two choices here, either fly to Surat Thani and take the boat from there or fly to Koh Samui and take the boat from there. The quickest method is to fly to Koh Samui as the boat from there to Phangan is only 90 minutes or so. Ferries from Surat Thani will take in the neighborhood of 4 hours.

If you plan on taking the quickest route then you can fly to Koh Samui with either Bangkok Airways or Thai Airways. I personally recommend Bangkok Airways as the prices are 60-70% less than Thai Airways. Off season flights are as low as THB3600. Once you land in Samui stop by the limosine counter to get your boat and bus tickets for Koh Phangan.

Those preferring to fly to Surat Thani can get there flying with Thai Airways or Air Asia, again the price for Thai Airways is 30-40% higher so unless you have some reason to fly with them I would choose Air Asia. Also take note that when booking air tickets during the high season (November-March) it is recommended that you book several weeks in advance.

If you are looking for a cheaper way to get to Koh Phangan and don’t mind taking a bit longer then a bus is a great way to go. Busses for southern Thailand destinations leave from Sai Tai Mai bus station (Borom Rachachonnanee Rd, Bang Bamru, Bang Phlat, Bangkok, 10700) each night at 19:30 and cost THB895. The trip takes about 12 hours and you can also get the boat tickets when purchasing your bus ticket. Thailand’s long haul buses are pretty comfortable and you might even want to take a sweater because they really crank up the AC!

Another inexpensive way to get to Koh Phangan from Bangkok is by train leaving from the Hua Lumphong station several times a night. Purchase a combination ticket for onward bus and ferry travel to get you to Phangan early the next day. Cost for the train is THB519 for 1st class A/C and THB248 for 2nd class A/C. You can get time tables and rates from the State Railway website.

Boat Schedules for Travel To Koh Phangan

KPG = Koh Phangan / KS = Koh Samui / KT = Koh Tao / ST = Surat Thani

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I’m in a party mood so I thought I’d write a bit about the biggest party in the world. Of course I’m talking about the Full Moon Party on Haad Rin beach on Koh Phangan which regularly has over 7500 partiers during the low season up to 30,000 people dancing and partying during the high season!

Now you can find full moon parties on other islands throughout Thailand for sure, but none of them even come close to what has become the world famous quintessential beach party on Koh Phangan. It is believed that the party started sometime in the late 1980′s (1988 or 1989) as someone’s birthday party and was so great that they started coming back each month to party again. Slowly the party grew as more travelers heard about it until today when it has become a virtual city of party people each full moon.

You really can’t imagine what it’s like without experiencing it yourself. Haad Rin beach is now home to 10 different sound systems pumping out all kinds of music from techno to drum beat to rave and everything else you can think of. People fueled by vodka and Red Bull buckets (a combination of Red Bull, Coke and vodka or whiskey), among other things, dance on the beach from sunset until sunrise and even after. Everyone is friendly and happy and it is like no other vibe you’ve ever experienced.

Of course the popularity of the Full Moon Party can make it difficult to find a room on Koh Phangan, so I would suggest getting there a few days before the full moon. It will be fine because the Full Moon Party usually gets started a few days before the full moon anyway. I have more detailed instructions on the post Getting to Koh Phangan including air travel, buses, trains and ferry schedules. You can find a great list of Koh Phangan hotels at Hotels.com or alternatively find the best deal, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor.

Full Moon Party Dates 2010

• Wednesday 28, July
• Wednesday 25, August
• Thursday 23, September
• Saturday 23, October
• Sunday 21, November
• Tuesday 21, December
• Saturday 25, December
• Friday 31, December

Full Moon Party Dates 2011

• Wednesday 19, January
• Friday 18, February
• Saturday 19, March
• Monday 18, April
• Tuesday 17, May
• Wednesday 15, June
• Friday 15, July
• Saturday 13, August
• Monday 12, September
• Tuesday 11, October
• Thursday 10, November
• Saturday 10, December
• Sunday 25, December
• Saturday 31, December

And don’t forget to stay safe while you’re partying. Follow these common safety rules for the Full Moon Party and you’ll have a much better time.

Enjoy the Full Moon Party Safely

1. Take a copy of your passport with you, and keep original passport in your hotel’s safe.
2. Take the hotel’s business card to contact them in case of emergency.
3. Don’t take bags with you, it’s likely you’ll lose them.
4. Take enough pocket money and keep it in 2-3 different pockets. It’s about 2,000-5,000 Baht.
5. Wear shoes to protect your feet from broken bottles.
6. Set a time and place to meet up with your friends, you WILL lose them in the huge scale noise and partying going on.
7. If you don’t want to be jailed, avoid bringing drugs to the party

There now you have the info to get there and you have the party dates. Don’t be like Golf and myself. We’ve wanted to go to the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan for several years and every time we’ve been in Thailand we’ve missed it be a few days one way or another. Ahhhhh…well it gives us another reason to keep coming back to Thailand.

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I was scanning through Yahoo Answers over the weekend and I ran across this question. I know that Pattaya has quite a reputation, but I didn’t know it was quite that bad. I mean really, Pattaya is a smallish city at best, with an official population of just 72,000 people. Granted there is a large-ish number of westerners who live at least part time in Pattaya and aren’t included in that number, but c’mon.

Take a look at Nevada which has over 30 licensed brothels. And what about prostitution in New York, Los Angeles, Moscow, Seoul and even Bangkok itself. There are much larger numbers of prostitutes and in some places it is just as open as Pattaya.

Since the Thai’s don’t put the same negative connotation on prostitution that westerners do it is much more open. Don’t get me wrong, upper class Thai’s will still frown on prostitutes and will view them as second class citizens, but they also acknowledge the reality of the situation and the fact that prostitution has and will always exist. They know what pigs men are

There is no doubt that Pattaya was developed due to the sex trade, maintained because of the sex trade, and prospers today because of the sex trade. It is likely that billions are spent annually in Thailand on sex and all of the related tourist dollars spent on hotels, food, drinks, condoms, gifts, taxis etc.

But Pattaya can be more than just sex. You can go windsurfing, parasailing, bungy jumping, horse-riding, Go-Karting, shooting, scuba diving, waterskiing, snorkeling, sailing, jet-skiing and bowling. Or you can play snooker, golf, badminton, tennis or squash. You can even race Formula 3 cars at the Prince Bira International Circuit which is located on the outskirts of town.

Pattaya is also by far the most westernized place in Thailand and you are just as likely to hear English or German on the streets as you are Thai. Most of the signs include both Thai and English, something you won’t find even in Bangkok. English language newspapers, books and magazines are easy to find and many of the bar owners in Pattaya are farang.

No, Pattaya probably isn’t the largest brothel in the world although it is the cheapest and that is the draw for many. That combined with the ease of obtaining any kind of sexual favor has made Pattaya a kind of legend among sex tourists and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Thailand would need to crack down on prostitution there as well as in Bangkok and Phuket and there is just too much money to be lost from the millions of sex tourists that come to Thailand each year.

If you are easily offended by seeing blatant sex for sale, fat old men with young girls or transvestites (katooey) then leave Pattaya off your tour agenda. But don’t expect it to change because Pattaya is what it is. Love it or hate Pattaya is there to stay.

BTW – I haven’t been to Pattaya yet, although Golf has. Seems a very interesting place for people watching. I do want to get there sometime if for no other reason than to see Tiffany’s Show. If you’ve been to Pattaya we’d love to hear about it, leave a comment.

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It’s certainly been a tough few years for anyone in the tourism industry in Thailand. First we had the PAD takeover of Suvarnubhumi airport in December of 2008 which had a severe impact of that years’ high season for tourism and even impacted this years’ high season if anecdotal evidence is to be believed.

And now, even before Thailand tourism has recovered from the PAD demonstrations, we’ve had the red shirt takeover of many parts of Bangkok, just recently ended when red shirt leaders surrendered to the authorities. Yet the aftermath of that surrender, with several dozen buildings, including the huge Central World mall, the Thailand stock exchange and various print and television media outlets being set afire, has probably caused more harm than the entire 8 week standoff.

Thailand’s Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij has recently said that the red shirt protest have had a “disastrous” effect of Thai tourism. He goes on to say that tourism makes up 6% of Thailand’s GDP, but employs roughly 15-20% of the Thai workforce. He anticipates that the troubles in Bangkok will result in an impact on GDP of 0.3-0.5% and says that “we expect the formal Q1 (first quarter) figure to be in two digits” for 2010.

Well certainly first quarter numbers will be good Khun Chatikavanij, with all due respect the protests didn’t begin until near the end of the first quarter. What I am much more interested in seeing is the results for the other 3 quarters of 2010. Let’s face it; the destruction of a shopping center that accounts for 7 billion baht in sales annually and employs over 1000 people is no small thing. Coupled with the fact that most tourists, even tourists to Thailand, book their trips anywhere from 3-12 months in advance and I think we will see more than a 0.3-0.5% reduction in GDP.

People may have short memories, but Thailand tourism was still recovering from the 2008 airport takeover and this will put tourism in the Kingdom back another step. Since I don’t believe that all is as peaceful and settles as we would be led to believe it’s possible that more turmoil could be forthcoming, further dampening the flow of tourists into Thailand.

Many people note that troubles in Bangkok do not necessarily impact tourism in the islands and I heartily disagree with that sentiment. The protest and rioting in Bangkok will affect all areas of Thailand as they are all tied together in the tourists mind. As an example look at the impact of the swine flu on Mexican tourism. Even though there were no reported cases of swine flu on the Yucatan Penninsula and all confirmed cases were in Mexico City, some 1800km (1100 miles) from the Yucatan, there was a significant drop in tourism all along the Yucatan from Cancun to Cozumel to Playa del Carmen. People simply knew that swine flu was in Mexico and that was enough for them to cancel travel to ANY part of Mexico.

Overall tourism in Mexico fell an estimated 11.4% in 2009. Additionally, unemployment rose to the highest levels since 2000 when records were first kept. Mexico derives 8% of its GDP from tourism, pretty much on par with Thailand’s reported 6% figure.

Mexico’s example certainly doesn’t bode well for the Thailand tourism sector in 2010 and with 15-20% of the workforce employed in tourism who knows what kind of unemployment will be seen. Additionally, I wonder if that figure includes support services such as restaurants, bars and shopping venues? I seriously doubt that it does. What is the total impact when all of the ancillary services and business are considered?

Luckily the Thai’s are very resourceful and will rebound from this set back I’m sure. Family structures are still in place and helping each other, whether financially or through other means, is still a commonplace practice in Thailand. Worst case scenario for many is that they will move back home to their parents or grandparents farms. It may not be glamorous, but at least they won’t starve. And eventually the tourists will return to enjoy some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the world as well as some of the most beautiful people in the world.

I know some of my readers live in tourist destinations such as Krabi, Ko Phangan, Chiang Mai and Phuket and I’d love to hear your take on what tourism was like this past high season and what it looks like now. Please leave comments below to help us get a better picture of what’s happening on the ground.

Photo credits: flickr.com users friskodude and jo.sau.

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Over the past months several people have asked about seeing pictures of Golf and I and I have been simply directing them to the Thai Brides page which has several photos of the two of us from our wedding. Last week I did that and realized that those pictures are now over 3 years old and you guys deserve some updated pics! [...]

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As you might imagine, along with Bangkok’s status as one of the top cities in SE Asia come some of the top hotels in the world. Below are 12 of my picks for great hotels in Bangkok, ranging in price from moderate to luxury. Golf and I like to try different places [...]

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So, Golf and I are planning our next trip to Thailand for Songkran 2009 and I’ve been doing lots of research on hotels in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. You know there are hundreds of hotels in each of the three locations ranging in price from $10 to over $1000 per night! [...]

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I know many of you have probably watched this weeks financial news with a sinking feeling in your stomach. The good news is that Thailand is still there and it’s just as cheap as ever. In fact, for us Americans it looks like the dollar has rebounded a bit against the baht so your trip will be even a bit cheaper.

To help cheer us all I’ve put together this collection of Thailand photos. [...]

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Looks like an online poll by Travel + Leisure magazine voted Bangkok as the top city in the world for vacation travel. The Galapagos were voted the top island in the world for travelers. Last year the winners were Florence, Italy and Bali, Indonesia.

This is the first time that Bangkok has grabbed the title for top vacation city in the world and it’s about time. All of us that have been there know the charms of the Big Mango. About time the rest of the world discovered it too.

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One of the best places to experience Songkran in Thailand is in Chiang Mai, featuring Lanna Thai style celebrations throughout this northern capital of Thailand. Songkran in Chiang Mai is celebrated on a grand scale [...]

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Some of you have probably visited Nana Plaza in Bangkok or have at least read my post regarding the history and future of Nana Plaza. Well in that post I told you about the declining business in Nana Plaza last year and continuing into this year. It seems that the major owners in Nana Plaza have decided to protect themselves by diversifying.

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