We were up early on Wednesday and took an airplane to Trat (or Trad). Really it was a mistake spending a day and night in this town since there was nothing to see really, and the area was very quiet with few foreign tourists. (This is Thailand's low season.) But the best thing about the town was their airport. The town has a little airstrip cut out of the jungle with verdant hills around it which were shrouded in morning mist when we arrived. When you get out of the plane, a little bus takes you to the "terminal" which is nothing more than a small building with a bamboo roof and no walls. Then a fellow just drives a truck up with your luggage.
The next day we took the ferry to Koh Chang (Koh means island) and booked into the "15 Palms" hotel. The bar opens onto the beach, and I had the laziest day since coming to Thailand. I sat in a deck chair under a tree with sand under my toes and had a couple of beers and read a book (the first time I've read since the flight from Vancouver). I also had a couple dips in the ocean, and couldn't believe how warm the water is. Also, I'll never forget the feeling of first walking out onto the beach and looking all around me. The ocean is sparkling blue, the sand almost snow white, and the jungle reaches up to the sky on the backs of mountains just behind us. This is exactly what I imagined island paradise to look like. Unfortunately in between the mountain and the beach is a road littered with tacky souvenir stores, discount tailors (all run by Indians as they seem to be in Thailand), 7-11s and cheap massage spas. Nevermind.
The sun set some time before seven, a giant red ball right in front of us. Very nice. I've not decided what to do tomorrow. Maybe explore the island a little.
