Koh Chang

For the New Year's Weekend, I decided to take advantage of two days off of school at a nearby island. Koh Chang is a less "touristy" island than some of the other islands. So for poor teachers that means CHEAPER.

I traveled by taxi to the bus station, then by wan to the ferry, then by boat to the pier, then by song tau (truck with seats in the back) to the guest house. The guest house sat along the rocky cliffs of the island. At first glance, this was an upscale place. There was a bar area that was full of hammocks and cushions for lounging while listening to the waves crash against the rocks. But the guest cottage was quite a steep climb from the mellow hangout and it was just a wooden hut with a fan, a bed and a mosquito net. Needless to say, I slept very little the whole 4 days. When I did it was during a siesta in one of the hammocks.

Since it was New Year's Eve, I met up with several friends at "Lonely Beach", where we were far from lonely. We ate a typical Thai meal (can you say fried rice with crab) then lounged at a live music bar. But by 10 pm we realized it was time to start the party. So 3 of ordered a "bucket" of vodka and red bull. Yes, it is literally a bucket full of liquor. Promise I didn't drink it all alone. After the bucket, it was time for the beach. Or should I say beach rave.

The beach was full of Westerners and Thais alike. There were smoke machines, strobing lights and raging DJs. People were jumping through hoops of fire (normal people, not trained professionals), turning flaming jump ropes and chugging buckets like it was going out of style. We decided the best way to start the new year was by dancing like maniacs in the sand. 10 seconds 'til, the DJ cut the music and everyone in unison counted down. My first act in 2012 was running into the waves and scream-singing Auld Lagsine. Unfortunately, I don't know many of the words.

On New Year's Day, I skipped the cabbage and black-eyed peas for plenty of coconuts (to treat the hangover) and noodles (because they are my favorite). After a slow start and a long breakfast, 5 of us headed to one of the National Parks for some easy hiking and sunbathing by a waterfall. The waterfall, of course, was stunning, the water- cool and crisp. It was wonderful to just enjoy the sun with other teachers. Teaching is a frustrating profession, but it is hard to discuss with people who have never taught before. Finally, we all could vent about our daily frustrations with students, teaching and complicated Thai practices. But, just like at home, the conversation ended on the positive, wonderful aspects of teaching - interactions with students, impressive student work and when that light bulb finally turns on in the students' minds. Isn't it amazing that for teachers, those little moments are so much powerful, than the hours of head-banging annoyances?

After the visit to the waterfall, we headed to the beach for more relaxation. We ended the night by watching the sunset, eating more fried rice with crab, laying in hammocks and talking about everything except teaching.

The rest of the weekend was uneventful. Beach, read, sleep, talk with friends, eat. But leaving day. That is something to write about.

First. It was raining. Remember the previous post about the rain. Just like that. The owner of the guest cottages took us to the song tau stop to catch the ferry. We had to throw all of our stuff in the back of the truck, so everything ended up getting soaked anyway. The driver of the song tau decided to pack as many people into the back of his truck as humanly possible. We were stuffed like sardines. He whipped around rocky curves, splashing water everywhere. I couldn't move. At one point, a Swedish man started screaming for the driver to stop. A Thai woman, who was pregnant, had been sitting at the back of the truck was vomitting as she was getting soaked with rain. All the men on the truck got out so that she could sit on the bench and have some space. I still don't know why they didn't just get another truck. There was a need.

The trip through the rain took 1 hour. So of course we had to rush onto the ferry. There we grabbed some Mama (instant noodles) and prepared for the next leg. Which was worse. By the time we got back to the mainland, we had missed the wan back to Bangkok. So we had to take the slow bus. That means we were stuffed onto a coach bus that literally stopped for every person standing on the side of the road during the journey north to the capital. A trip that took 4 hours in the wan, took 7 on the bus. Nightmare.

But I liked Koh Chang!

Photo: Mary at the Waterfall