We had wanted to visit Koh Chang as it was a quaint island. An island of beaches and palm trees. Of simple pleasures, like a swim after breakfast or a plate of fresh morning glory stir-fried with chillies. It is an island far from Bangkok. Five hours by car and another 30 minutes by boat. It is nothing like the spectacular scenes of Phuket or Krabi. But Koh Chang grows on you. 

THE ISLAND 

The island is mostly jungles. A road goes all around the island but none that cuts through Koh Chang National Park. In the southeast near Memorial Beach is a fishing village where we have handmade crab cakes and fried barracuda – all fresh from the sea – at Salakphet. In the west where civilisation prevails, there is a touch more hustle and bustle. Outside Happy Restaurant, duck and chicken are cooked on a spit-roast, their aroma beckoning guests in. Carts of grapes, persimmons, bananas and watermelons are placed on the road for sale. In the evenings, a handful of street vendors are grilling squid and lemongrass seabass.

On a sunny day, we are whisked away to the national park to see clownfish and swim in an uninhabited beach. By dinnertime, we find ourselves at an unnamed road marked by the flashy pink coloured menus that serve as the stalls’ signboards. There is an imaginary boundary separating each stall and we end up at Thai Food Sor Chuanshim having grilled pork neck, chicken wings and morning glory. 

KAI BAE BEACH

The sun is our cue to go to the beach near our hotel. In the winter months of November to February, the sun is remarkably congenial at Kai Bae Beach. There is a regular breeze that makes the sea and sand welcoming. We lie under the shade of the palms, our towels unrolled and a coconut always within reach. Others slip under fat novels or gather sand for castles. Nothing is urgent. When sunset comes, Roy goes out to the tidal pools to look for hermit crabs scuttling in between the sand holes. There really isn’t much to do at the beach, and that’s pure bliss. 

GOOD LUCK SEAFOOD

There are two things that keeps drawing us to this place. One: the food. Two: Koy. Roy calls him the maître d. He’s the one to go to when you need a seat, a drink, another plate of chicken wings. Anything you need, Koy makes it happen. The very first time we wandered into Good Luck, Koy said, “Hope to see you here at dinner!” We did come back and he remembered us. That night, we had grilled squid, chicken wings, morning glory and prawns with glass noodles. We went back again and again (glass noodles with crabs the second time), each meal somehow better than the last. On the night before we left the island, we ordered the seabass baked in salt. The fish, steaming and flesh-tender from the salt crust, was dipped into the most perfect chilli sauce. It was a meal to remember. 

AWA HOTEL

On the morning we left for Bangkok, the sun was shining at its brightest, almost showing off its rays. A light breeze ruffled the sun-tinted fronds of the palms that shaded our breakfast of watermelon, pancakes and waffles at AWA Hotel. As we were driven to the pier, we gazed at the dreamy kodak-coloured scenes that passed us by and we wished we had stayed in Koh Chang just a little longer.