Raining during Rainy Season, who would have thought?

Koh Chang Part 2

Heather arrived on Wednesday night and we immediately took her to Mercy as many of our students wanted to meet her and they were waiting up. The children were really welcoming to her, greeting her as she entered the room. The adults in the AIDS hospice were also very friendly. Uma talked more than usual, but we soon found out that it was because had a crush on Heather. As she was leaving he pretended to take out his heart and give it to her.

After visiting both Mercy and Soi 40, we took Heather to our favorite restaurant in the night market. As usual the food was very good. We got home around midnight, talking for an hour and then fell asleep.

We woke up to the alarm around 5 am so we could all get ready for our weekend away. Heather had a flight to catch to Trat and Misty and I were travelling by bus. We bought our tickets at the bus station the night before while waiting for Heather so that we would be able to get on the 7: 45 bus.

The 5 ½ hour bus ride seemed incredibly long this time and it did not help that the movie being shown was too gory for my taste. I slept for the first hour, but was quickly disappointed to find that our first stop was only an hour into our route, and not our final stop at the pier like I dreamed.

We arrived at a different pier than the last time we came to Koh Chang, which was strange considering we took the same bus. The ferry was much nicer and the ride seemed so much faster. Misty and I had a little picnic of peanut butter and bread which we brought along with us. I am sure it was quite the sight to see us spreading peanut butter with a spoon.

Upon arrival we caught a songtheaw taxi and made our way to the opposite end of the island to a place called Bang Bao. We got the name and the address from the place Heather was planning on staying before we left so we went to look for her. After riding on the songtheaw for a good 45 minutes, the driver told us that he had no idea where our accommodations were. He drove us to the main fishing village in Bang Bao, where I asked for directions, only to find out that we were on the wrong beach. Back we went. (Heather ended up going through the same trouble we did, so the address on the internet was wrong). Our huts were a short walk from the main road and at this point Misty and I were ready to collapse from the heat.

The huts were very cute, made out of bamboo and had a reed grass like top. I cannot imagine what kind of time and work goes into making one. The bathroom was in the back of the hut and kind of outside. It was complete with a cold shower, a non flush toilet and a sink. The place was booked up for the night so we did not have an option of renting 2 huts, but they allowed all 3 of us to stay in one.

The worker was asleep in the hammock when we arrived. He did not seem to have any clue as to who Heather was and if she checked in, which was surprising to be considering there were only 12 places to sleep.

We decided to venture down to the beach, but the 10 minute walk to the beach was more like an hour. After combing the beach in search of Heather we decided to just go back up and wait. After having a drink and waiting about 30-45 minutes the other worker told us we should go check for her up at hut 12. (He told us earlier that he was sure she went to the beach). He ran up and checked and came down with the biggest grin on his face, telling us that she was up there sitting in the hammock. We were so happy to be reunited again. We had supper at the little restaurant there and we all agreed that it was unbelievably good. We also brainstormed about our big adventure for Saturday, which I will not share the details of just yet.

We sat on mats on the floor and at one point I repositioned myself and put my hand right on a bee! He stung my wrist and the stinger got stuck. Having never been stung before I panicked and Misty ended up pulling the stinger out. It hurt so bad and swelled up very quickly. As I am writing this, 36 hours later, it is still very swollen.

We went to bed around 10:30, all 3 of us side by side in a little hut, sharing a double bed under a mosquito net. Surprisingly all of us slept quite peacefully until the downpour in the middle of the night. We could feel very small amounts of rain coming through the reed roof.

This morning we awoke, had a COLD outdoor shower and a delicious breakfast. The food at Little Eden Bungalows and Restaurant was worth talking about, and we all would give it 5 stars.

Sadly it was raining outside. At this point we already decided that Friday was going to be our beach day and we would treat ourselves to a nicer resort for the night. Frustration soon set in again when every place that we checked out on the internet appeared to be booked. We decided our best option would be to take another songtheaw and check out some of the places in person. We waited about 10 minutes in the pour raining until one finally came.

We had a good laugh when it was the same driver Misty and I had yesterday. He dropped us off on the beach where Misty and I stayed last time we were in Koh Chang. We checked out a few places and finally found a place with a room for one night at the Amari Beach Resort and Spa on White Sand Beach. The pool was big and very deep and our room was spacious and included 2 double beds and a balcony. Unfortunately it also came with ants, but that is expected anywhere in Thailand.

After eating we spent some time pool side and than Misty and Heather got a massage on the beach. Heather was brave and decided to go for a Thai Massage. From her comments when it was finished, it was one of the best massages she has ever had. Misty also enjoyed hers, and I enjoyed my relaxing alone time.

After the massages we came back for a hot shower, which made my stay in Koh Chang worth while. It had the most amazing warm shower of 48 degrees with decent water pressure. Sorry girls if I took so long.

We went for a nice romantic candle lit dinner on the beach where I feasted on mashed potatoes and BBQ chicken. Unfortunately our beach front dining was short lived as it started to rain, so we moved ourselves inside.

After supper we headed to 7/11 for some sweets and came back to watch some TV.

Oh I forgot to mention that we saw a monkey on our way to breakfast on Friday; a real monkey in a real habitat. He comes every morning to feast on the bananas from the restaurant. He was a little shy and took his banana away from where we were, to eat it. He was also a little camera shy, however I did peak while he was eating the banana, and yes dad, I really do peel my bananas the same way as a monkey does.

UPDATE: It is now 7:30 Saturday morning and it is still raining. Our amazing race might have to be changed as it is raining and we were planning on renting motorbikes. Riding in the mountains here would be very dangerous when there is so much water on the road. We may also have to rethink our zip-lining and jungle swinging adventure.

I will post pictures when I get back in Bangkok.