|
Other Activities :
 When you look out to the sea after dark you will almost certainly see the bright lights from the squid boats shining in the distance. Fishing can usually be organized through your resort for individual and for group. The trip is often on a long-tail boat or a fisherman boat depending on the amount and demand of the group. The normal equipment is a hand line on a basic trip, so if you are looking for something a bit more high-tech ask around or go to a water sport shop or bring it yourself. The fisherman or the local who goes with you will guide you to the best spot. If you have some luck, you may get 20 kilos of squid or the 20 kilos Mackerel.
Bikes are rarely to rent here as the main road on Koh Chang is not safety for biking. The road has no path for a bike. Also the route on the mountain is still a new route for invaders so it is quite dangerous for the non-resident. The better way to go around Koh Chang is to rent a car or a motor bike.
 Leisure trips can be arranged at most resorts, beaches, fishing villages and from Laem Ngob. Popular activities are snorkeling, scuba diving and fishing. There are establishments along the White Sand Beach, Klong Prao, Kai Bae and Bang Bao that organize boat trips in groups. You can register to join them. Costing 400-600 baht per person, there is a minimum required, usually 10 persons, before they embark on a trip.
A speedboat can normally take 15 people at the maximum and can be privately hired at 8,000 – 12,000 Baht per day based on your destination including a driver. Due to the high cost, most of individual travelers will join a trip, which is packaged. The speedboat can be contacted at the diving and snorkeling counter.
 Kayaks are available for hire on most beaches and resorts for 80 - 150 Baht per hour. The obvious precautions should be observed such as covering your skin from the hot sun, allowing enough time for long trips, taking water to drink and checking the weather and rain before departure. The west coast offers the calm sea and wind, also the beautiful islets lying along to the South that you can take the best scene of the sunset on the sea. But don't be too late until dark because of no lifeguard on the Koh Chang shore.
 Jungle trekking is a new activity on Koh Chang but gain a lot of popularity. There are 3 trekking routes on the island. The first route is Klong Son. Professional trekker will take you to the best spot and view point of Koh Chang. Along the path you will find countless species of vegetation, bird and giant trees. Trekking time is 08.00 hrs.-15.00 hrs. The trip costs 600-800 baht per person. The full day trip includes lunch, fruit and drinking water.
Klong Plu Waterfall is the second route which offers 2 programs. The first one is the full day tour (08.30-16.30 hrs.). Visit Klong Plu waterfall. Walk upstream. See 4 waters, various wildlife, many types of birds and flower. The price is 1,200 Baht per person inclusive of pick-up transfer, lunch, water, fruits and national park fee and walking shoes. The other program is overnight tour, starting from Klongplu Waterfall to Than Mayom waterfall. Cook by an open fire, sleep in a hammock and catch fish in the stream.
The package includes pick-up transfer, lunch, water, ruit and national park fee, walking shoes and hammock. The last route is to trek at Kongoi Jungle in the south of Koh Chang to explore the virgin natures on the route. The 500-Baht price includes lunch, fruit, water and pick-up transfer. The information can be asked at your resort and they will contact the guide or at the agencies at Bang Bao Village.
 There are three elephant trekking operators on Koh Chang. The Chang Chutiman Tour (Tel. (+66) 9 939 6676, (+66) 7 135 7424) near Klong Prao Beach operates two-hour treks for 900 Baht, children under five years old free of charge, that take you into the tropical rainforest, pomelo orchard and the secluded Wang Nam Kiew Waterfall where you can relax, picnic, swim in the pond and enjoy the environment.
Elephant-handling lessons by experienced mahouts are available. If you don’t have the pleasure of time, you can still experience the thrill of a one-hour trek (500 Baht) short of the waterfall fun. Open daily from 8.00 am to 5.00 pm, you can start your tour any time of the day.
The Klong Son Elephant Camp or Ban Kwan Chang, supported by the Asian Elephant Foundation, operates half-day tours from 8.30 am to 11.30 am which include elephant bathing, feeding and performances, and a 1 1/2 -hour trek into the forest. The cost is 900 baht inclusive of transportation to and from resort, your drinking water, and bananas and coconuts to feed the elephants.
A smaller program at 1.00 pm includes a 35-minute trek and a 15-minute performance. Fare is 450 baht inclusive of transportation. The last operator is Ban Chang Thai located on Baan Klongprao. The elephant will take you to the forest along a river and pass the river then take a bath for the elephant for the 2-hour program. But 1-hour program is a short program which excludes taking a bath with the elephant. The 1-hour trip costs 500 Baht and 2-hour costs 900 Baht.
Thai cooking as now enjoyed all over the world is a blend of Asian and European influences adopted through centuries of trade and diplomatic exchanges. Thais have traditionally lived close to the land and the waters, and original Thai cooking reflected that. Main ingredients were rice, fish, vegetable and herbs. Very little meat was used, and traditionally beef or buffalo meat was eschewed since the animals were the mainstays of farm life.
|
