Koh Chang

For the next few days, we did not get up to much. Our days consisted of sleeping in, going to the beach, getting fruit smoothies and cocktails, napping in the afternoon, and then going back out for dinner.

We were staying in a little bungalow which was simple but had everything you'd need: a kettle, big fridge, fast internet, TV with Netflix and Prime, a little table and chairs, and a communal kitchen. Trying to keep it cheap, we bought granola, yogurt, and fresh fruit for breakfast and some snacks for the middle of the day when we got peckish.

The walk to the beach was over a boardwalk and pontoon, which went over an estuary that filled up from the sea at high tide. The beach was beautiful, with trees overhanging it and relaxing beach bars and restaurants that allowed you to sit on their deck chairs as long as you ordered a drink. The water was SO warm, like bathwater, and fairly murky, sadly. The tides also made it SO shallow for ages, and there were quite a few sharp rocks. Good thing we brought our swim shoes! I did scratch my thigh on the first day trying to swim when it was still too shallow.

Highlights of our stay included the authentic Italian pizza restaurant, run by an actual Italian owner, eating freshly caught fish on the grill two evenings, and binging Fallout on Prime.

One evening we went to Lonely Beach, which was the party spot on the island. After a few pre-drinks, we caught an island taxi, which was just a converted pickup truck with seats in it. They just go back and forth along the only main road, and you hail it down and pay at the end. When we got there, it was DEAD. We passed a couple of huge clubs pumping loud dance tunes and strobe lights with no one in them. After a walk back and forth, we decided "fuck it" and went into one with the best music and got drinks. After 20 minutes of being there, two other groups of locals came in as well. We found a pool table and played two games. I won the first one; James won the second, and we had a great time. Lesson learned: sometimes you need to make your own fun.

One of the other major highlights was a day trip of snorkeling we did. We booked it not expecting to see much, just a few fish, but it was actually so amazing. We went to three spots for snorkeling, the best being the first two. They were off some teeny tiny islands that had some rocks around them. We actually saw coral, fluorescent, purple, and yellow coral! And sea anemones with clownfish rubbing themselves on them and swimming away to hide. I can't express how amazing it was. It wasn't the Great Barrier Reef, but it was still so amazing. After the big buffet lunch they served, they dropped us off at an uninhabited island with a paradise beach. The water was crystal clear and the sand silky smooth. It was the best beach I've ever been to in my life, and I'm from Greece! The last spot we went to was a bit too murky to see much of the coral, but we had fun splashing about before heading back to our origin. Even though I wore suncream and reapplied, we both still burned our back legs and bum, but not too badly.

One of the things I most enjoyed was all the unique wildlife I'd never seen before. In the morning, the cacophony of birds was like a recording you'd get on your wake-up alarm, and the beach was full of crabs scuttling about. Overall, it was pretty perfect and so nice we definitely struggled to leave.Les mer