Ko Chang 9-10th

After a sleepy 5 hour bus journey and a breakfast of pad thai (we were all slightly put off bananas from the night before in Pat Pong), we were all very excited to jump on the ferry to Koh Chang, a beautiful tropical island. We took a very full open air taxi (about 12 people) to White Sand Beach and dumped our rucksacks to have a fresh coconut and make an executive decision about where to stay. After asking in about 10 hostels, which were all a bit more than we wanted to pay, we found two great rooms on the other side of the road, which was the cheapest & actually very clean/spacious. It seems that all the bargains are to be found on the non-beach side of the road, which makes sense! The first thing we all did was put on our togs and swim in the sea, which is crystal clear & very warm. The beach is beautiful with gently shelving sand & palm trees full of coconuts. There are some great bars and restaurants along the beach front with all the tables in the sand. We chose our freshly caught red snapper & enormous shrimps for cooking on the beach BBQ - they made Waitrose's lobster look insignificant. There are a few places which have mats and cushions & candles on the beach with live bands, which is possibly one of the most relaxing ways to spend an evening. Although White Sand is a little touristy, the touts are all very polite and do not hassle you at all - the people seem very friendly & are definitely helping Thailand to live up to its reputation of being the Land of Smiles.