Romancing the sun, sand, and sea at Koh Chang Island in Thailand

The moment one hears the word Thailand, names of places such as Ko Samui, Phuket, and Pattaya come to mind. But there’s more to this Southeast Asian country. Koh Chang, one of the largest islands of the province, has something for all kinds of travellers, as I discovered on my recent visit.  

After hopping off the flight at Bangkok, I board a connecting flight to Trat, the easternmost province along the Thai coast. The Trat Airport is a far cry from the usual airports that are replete with glass walls, tons of security, immigration, and customs clearance counters, bustling with officials and passengers. Here, elephant topiary (figurines created from clipped shrubs) greet you as you alight from the flight. With its high wooden ceilings, cosy benches, and a serene ambience, the airport looks like a grand cottage, setting the mood for the holiday. It’s a good indicator of what I can expect from my destination — Koh Chang Island, which means Elephant island.

SOAKING IN LOCAL FLAVOURS

Elephant topiary art welcomes visitors at Trat Airport

As I make our way out, I stop by one of the roadside food stalls to enjoy a quick meal of home-style sticky rice with chilli, garlic, basil chicken, and polish it off with a tea-flavoured ice lolly.  After boarding a large-car ferry, I finally reach KC Grande Resort & Spa, which overlooks the White Sand beach. A refreshing spa experience awaits me, which is just what I need after a long, tiring journey. My masseuse uses lavender oil and gently kneads away the fatigue from my body as I slip into a deep slumber. After a lavish dinner, I decided to take a stroll on the street along White Sand beach that transforms into a makeshift food market every evening. Vendors sell an eclectic mix of items right from meat on skewers to grilled squid, fried insects and other Thai delicacies including roti gulay (Thai pancake), a popular snack made from a flour pancake, dollops of butter with a filling of either bananas, mangoes or pineapples, and topped with Nutella. Truly irresistible!   

GETTING AN ADRENALINE RUSH

(Clockwise from top left) A local restaurant at Koh Wang Island; Bunny, the owner of Napalai Thai Cuisine school, which conducts cookery classes for tourists; Sweet sticky rice with mango; and Pad Thai noodles

The first stop for the day is Bangbao, a quaint fishing village, which is the main point from where you can set out for a day-long trip of island hopping, scuba diving and snorkelling. Once home to fishermen, it’s now replete with souvenir stalls and seafood restaurants. Here, locals build their houses with poles pitched into the sea while a common bridge links the community.  

As I set out with my companions on a speedboat, mixed emotions surge through me — excitement as I feel the wind on my face and anxiety since I’m supposed to attempt snorkelling. We stop by at Koh Mak, a beautiful tropical island that boasts of blue waters, white sand, palm trees and untouched fervour. Located in the National Marine Park in Eastern Thailand, it is the biggest privately-owned island in the country. Our next destination is Koh Rang where I’m supposed to conquer my fears and snorkel. For a person who doesn’t know to swim, it seems like a herculean task, especially since here snorkelling is done off the boat rather than from the shore. But I manage to pull it off and see the amazing underwater attractions comprising corals and vibrant-hued fish. Our last stop for the afternoon is Koh Wang Island where we tuck into a delicious lunch, consisting of pomelo salad (seasoned with chilli, peanuts and shredded coconut), Tom Yum soup, Kao Phad (fried rice), and Thai shrimp cakes.

After a hearty lunch, it’s time to head back to the hotel. In the evening, we set out towards Napalai Thai Cuisine School, which is run by Bunny, who set up it up in 2013 to familiarise tourists with authentic Thai cuisines. She tells us that Thai basil leaves, kaffir lime leaves, garlic and chillies feature in most dishes. I’m super excited for this session as it involves preparing a four-course meal under Bunny’s guidance and tasting it ourselves. We start off by rustling up Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Coconut Soup), which is light on the palate. For the second course, we prepare the popular Pad Thai (stir-fried rice noodles with minced chicken, peanuts and bean sprouts) and follow it up with Thai Green Curry and red rice. The rice has a nice nutty flavour and pairs well with the mildly-spicy green curry.  We end the meal with dessert — Khao Neeo Mamuang (sweet sticky rice with mango), which is like payesh or payasam, (Indian-style rice and milk pudding). The evening’s highlight is Bunny presenting us with a culinary certificate, proof of the fact that we are no longer novices when it comes to Thai cuisine.   

EMBARKING ON RIDES OF A DIFFERENT KIND

We start the day with a visit to the mangroves of Salak Kok fishing village. Located on the east side of Koh Chang, the Salak Kok Bay, where the village resides, has the largest mangrove forest on Koh Chang and is a source of eco-tourism.

(Clockwise from top left) Phu-Talay restaurant; Thai fish fillets; Steamed fish

Our next stop is Ban Kwan Chang  Elephant camp. It’s supported by the Asian Elephant Foundation, whose main endeavour is to maintain the Asian pachyderm population that has dwindled in Thailand in recent years. We embark on an elephant trek and it’s a wonder to see the pachyderm from such close quarters. Our mahout tells us that we need to feed our tusker some bananas before embarking on the trek and keep feeding it at regular intervals so that its energy is refuelled.

After a bumpy 30-minute ride, we grab a quick lunch and then head to Tree Top Adventure, for the zip line. Let me confess, I’m not the adventurous kind. I dread the thought of doing any kind of activity that would require me to do gravity-defying stunts. So, after receiving instructions from the trainer, I attempt it but perform it dismally. Thankfully, I’m not alone.

Soon, it’s time for dinner and my companions and I make our way towards the highly-recommended Phu-Talay restaurant. A small eatery located in Klong Prao, an island in Koh Chang, it is famed not only for its food but also for its location. Situated right on a canal, with the sea to the right, and mountains to the left,  it offers a boat tour among mangroves.  The interiors are painted in white and bright blue, which lend it a chirpy feel. We tuck into an elaborate spread of Thai fish fillets, Prawns in coconut milk (which is quite similar to the Bengali famous recipe of Chingri Macher Malai Curry), Steamed fish and Minced chicken stir-fried with basil and chillies.    

After the scrumptious dinner, as we head back to the hotel, realisation dawns on us that our trip to Koh Chang is over. The next morning, as I board the ferry back to head back to Trat Airport, the sun rises above the horizon and slowly the sky turns from a dark, dusky ombre to a bright orange. Moments from the trip flash before my eyes as I bid adieu to Koh Chang with a heavy heart but a smile on my face.