Easy Does It

Koh Chang has proved to be an ideal choice for our first venture on to Thailand's beaches. It's the second largest Thai island (after Phuket) and is designated a national park. This means that developers have not been allowed to slash and burn the luxuriant tropical foliage that covers the mountainous interior and overlaps almost onto the beaches.



There are busy resorts along the golden sandy beach areas, but most accommodation is modest bungalow style, with just a scattering of low rise hotels.



We've jumped on and off the songthaews (flat bed trucks with bench seats that masquerade as shared taxis ) to check out resorts all along the west coast, finding a range of different options (quiet, lively, pebbly, sandy), and surely something to please everyone.



We preferred the quieter resorts with a choice of bars and restaurants where we could make the most of the fresh seafood. A diet of grilled barracuda, or tiger prawns with pepper and garlic, plus constant fresh vegetables and exotic fruits, must surely help in our battle to shake off some of the pounds we've gained in the last seven months.



Although lots of activities - elephant trekking, snorkelling, parasailing, kayaking to name a few - are on offer, it's so hot we've limited our daily exercise to lots of swimming and a little walking in the evenings. In the heat of the late afternoon our idea of heaven is to lie in the shade with a book, listening to the waves lap the shore, keeping an eye out for the start of another glorious sunset.



No sooner has the sun gone down than dozens of squid fishing boats appear on the horizon, lit up like a chain of fairy lights to dazzle the poor creatures into capture and on to the plates of the tourists. Not us, I should add; we've never managed to acquire a taste for squid - just bring on the lobster, crab, scallops, red and white snapper, that are also in plentiful supply.



Most of the bars and restaurants are open-sided homemade constructions, made attractive by colourful furnishings and cosy lighting. A few bars have pretty girls and lady boys looking for business, but mostly the tourists are honeymooners or oldsters like us.



One evening in a quiet bar, Brian asked the rather camp entertainer (fire-eater, dressed in a grass skirt) who had befriended us between acts, where the toilets were. The guy not only led Brian there, he started to massage his neck while he was peeing. This didn't go down well, and the fire-eater quickly retreated when he felt the neck muscles tensing!