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A Hut on the Beach in Thailand
Back when I visited Thailand some years ago, my travel companion and I decided to try and find someplace remote and adventuresome to seek out. She had flown from England, and I from the United States. Prior to arriving and meeting in Bangkok, we had both done some reading up on general info regarding our Southeast Asia trip. After some discussion about the places we had researched – while sitting in the lounge of the guest house where we were staying in Bangkok, we agreed on an island called Koh Chang.
Koh Chang, Thailand is not the easiest place in the world to get to. Not even from Bangkok – the center of Siam. Nonetheless, we went for it. And the destination was absolutely worth the trip, the highlights of which are included here. Our adventure went something like this…
We took a bus from Khao San Road in Bangkok – a popular jumping off point for backpackers – for an eight hour ride to Trat Province via Rayong and Chanthaburi.
After winding our way out of the urban areas, the better part of that journey was dirt roads with vistas of rice fields, a mountainous backdrop, and villagers with assault rifles slung over their shoulders, walking the road alongside cattle. It was like being transported back in time. Then, after arriving in Trat Province, there was a 30 minute ferry ride out into the Gulf of Thailand to reach our destination.
Upon docking in Koh Chang, there was another 45 minute or so winding and hilly jitney ride, to get to the resort area. As luck would have it, by the time we arrived, the office of the only resort with any rooms available, was closed. Night was falling fast. And, not knowing our way around, we decided to stay put and camp out on the deck of the resort office. This way we could be among the first to cue for a room in the morning.
The deck was perched right on the beach. And the temperature was a balmy 75 degrees after sundown. So I suppose there could have been worse accommodations for a night.
Finally, at sunrise, we collected our things, checked in and got our hut. It was only a few paces from the beach. Inside, the shelter held little more than a mattress with a bug net, some space along the sides to move about and stow our things, a window, and a small front porch. We slept to the nearby sound of soft waves. It was great!
So many sights are around for one to take in on a Thailand expedition such as this. There isn’t enough room here to show all of the great photographs that we took. But I have included a couple…
Koh Chang in Thai means “Elephant Island”. Rumors abound as to how it got this name. And even though there are no elephant species that are indigenous to Koh Chang, there are still plenty on the island for animal lovers to see and enjoy.
Our stay in Koh Chang lasted four days. We were only in Thailand for two and a half weeks. And there were a lot of other things to see and do. But it was a memorable visit. And I would recommend a stay on Elephant Island to anyone planning to visit that part of Southeast Asia.
Depending on your country of origin, there may be visa issues that you will need to investigate and attend to before starting your journey. So be sure and do you homework. And seeing a physician before traveling, to get properly inoculated, is a prudent measure as well. If you plan accordingly, you will have a great time and an experience to remember. So by all means, when you can, get to Thailand, visit Koh Chang, and stay in a hut on the beach.
by Ken Omega
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Vietnam During the
Covid-19 Pandemic
Hey, everybody. I just wanted to check in with a sitrep on what it has been like here in Ho Chi Minh City for the past couple of months. Right now it is the wee hours of 11 April 2020. For us, the Coronavirus situation began to kick in at the beginning of February.
This was right after the Tet holiday. So many people (especially expats) were returning to Ho Chi Minh City, and other parts of Vietnam, after having travelled around for the two week vacation. What we now realize, is that this return of so many people who had travelled around Southeast Asia and the rest of the world, was the time when Covid 19 cases began to make their way into the country.
Although precautions were lax back then, Vietnam has been relatively fortunate. There are still less than 500 reported cases here. Luckily, At the beginning of March, when cases in China and Italy were still skyrocketing, the Vietnamese Government began taking more stringent preemptive measures. For example, many major airliners such as Asians Airlines, were turned away midflight. And as a result of these and other meaningful actions on the part of the Vietnamese administration, the outbreak has been reasonably contained here.
For the past week – since 06 April, the entire country has been on semi lockdown. I say semi, because you can still go out for necessities
like food and medicine. But you have to keep at least 2 meters from any other person. And gatherings – including for business, of more than
2 or 3 people are prohibited. These measures do appear to be working. As the growth of new virus cases does not seem to be steepening all that sharply based on what has been reported. However, reported infections have increased.
I have included some photos of what it has been like here in these past few weeks. There is an eerie sort of calm. There are very few people
out during the day as a result of the social distancing measures that are in place. And if you know anything about what Ho Chi Minh City is
normally like trafficwise, then you can appreciate how strange it all seems. Though I know the same goes for other cities around the world as well.
All we can do is hope that things turn around soon. Stay safe everybody. And try to remain mentally positive as best you can.
Although I know it won’t be easy.
Hold tight.
Ken
Shout from Vietnam
What’s up, everybody! Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Just wanted to send y’all a shout from Vietnam. Hope you’re good. Here are some recent pics from Ho Chi Minh City. Thanks for stopping by. I’ll get back with some new music soon. Peace!
© Ken Omega 2019
