AROUND CHANTABURI - PHLIO WATERFALL, LAEM SING & CHAO LAO BEACHES

The next day was a huge ride, first south to Nam Tok Phlio (Phlio waterfall) which is a really nice spot with streams and swimming holes that are just loaded with fish, that WILL take a little nibble at you, in amongst beautiful jungle.  

There is a moss covered chedi along the way, built in 1876 to honour the place King Rama V would take his main squeeze, and future queen, for courtship.  Of course the main attraction is the waterfall which is nice enough, once again huge numbers of fish swimming around in the cool, crystal clear water.

You can buy bags of long beans to feed the fish with along the way which is great fun as they scramble over the top of each other for a snack, not as amusing when your swimming with them and people are throwing all the beans right at you!

From here we headed further south and to the coast, which we then gradually followed north past Laem Sing and up to Chao Lao, making frequent stops for refreshments and to take in the great views.  Not the most spectacular beaches by any means, but I loved them and the whole area, barely a tourist in sight and miles of deserted coastline to enjoy.  But soon it was time to head back to town.

We covered a lot of miles, lots of funky little fishing villages interspersed with canals and inlets, a few beach front stalls with cold drinks and fresh seafood, there is even a small forest park along the way and the whole area just has an attractive charm to it.  For a quiet beach getaway, it hits the spot just nicely.

 There are quite a few other attractions around the place but they would have to wait for next trip, after the big day we'd had it was another great night back at Wang Phla with dinner and drinks on the balcony, while we all took turns stirring the fish into a feeding frenzy with the little pellets they sell there.

Next day we took the bikes to the mini bus station and organized for them to follow us to the bike rental shop, once again to save on any taxi fares, and that was no problem.  A mini bus back to Pattaya was cheap, can't remember exactly, and took under 3 hours.

A fantastic break away and so close to Pattaya, I can see many future trips here on the bike, the whole coastline from Sattahip, Rayong etc all the way around is really nice and generally very quiet.

KOH CHANG TO CHANTABURI

It was time to leave Koh Chang though unfortunately, and we hopped the ferry across to the mainland, the price including a mini bus trip to Chantaburi where we would stay a couple of nights.

According to all the info I could find online, the only place to get rental bikes here is through a small laundry shop, so with the help of the girls we organized for 3 bikes to be waiting and our driver took us there...  eventually.  It is a hard place to find, even though we had the boss talking to our mini bus driver by phone.

"Motorbikes can be rented from a man named Jong, who runs a small laundry shop on Tha Chalaep Soi 8 near Burapha University. It's not easy to find, so Jong encourages travellers to call him at (081) 853 1763, and he will deliver the bike(s) to anywhere in town. The cost is 300 baht per day. If wanting someone else to handle it, River Guest House can make arrangements for you. "

Quote taken from Tavelfish.org

The driver then took the girls to our intended accommodation for the night while we followed on bikes, once again another hard to find place, Wang Phla Resort.  A really nice place with excellent over-water bungalows all the way around a huge pond that was just teeming with large fish, though unfortunately you aren't allowed to fish here...

The rooms were really nice and great value at 500bt, with a small balcony you can relax on and feed the fish from.  The menu was a little expensive, but we just got food from nearby and all had a couple of beers and relaxed a little before hitting the road and doing some exploring on the bikes.

 Wang Phla Resort

  

It was quite a big afternoon on the scooters, exploring some of the coast and then night markets, before kicking on back at Wang Phla after eventually finding our way back, it proved quite tricky actually and we were getting a little worried!



Snaps from our first afternoon

Mmmmm...  delicious!  Back home - bait,  Thailand - dinner!!

I just want ONE cast!!

TRIP TO KOH CHANG

I cheated a little on this one as I had 2 mates coming that had never ridden bikes in Thailand and were not comfortable making the trip down there, which is fair enough, so we took the mini bus from Pattaya and ferry across to Koh Chang for 550 bt ($20 AU) a person through 35 Group on 3rd road near Pattaya Tai.

A very painless process that only took a few hours and we had the whole mini bus to ourselves, after leaving the ferry the mini bus then drops you in Haad Sai Khao where we easily grabbed some bikes for 200 bt a day. I would definitely use their services again. 

 Once on the island the boys were given clear instructions that we WOULD be riding scooters here and it was a good place for them learn.

We stayed at Blue Lagoon in the Khlong Prao Beach area for the first 3 nights, a great place at decent prices, set in beautiful surrounds including wooden walkways over a crystal clear lagoon inlet, bungalows right on the water, with the added bonus of sharing a great beach with the neighbouring Centara Resort.  We loved it here and had some great times on the beach at night with huge spreads of food and drink.

Another mate, Danca from my Isaan trips, also turned up later the first evening after making the trip on his Honda Phantom 200 and there were many beers and much food harmed during our stay.  We also covered as much of the island as possible on the bikes, exploring everywhere we could.

We decided it was time for a location change though for our last night, or maybe Blue Lagoon were booked out and we had to leave..?  Either way we ended up at Mam Kai Bae and lashed out 1500 bt for a great room with sea views and rooftop pool.  The beach there was nice also.

Mam Kai Bae Resort, our balcony

View from the rooftop pool

Porn's Bungalows looked great, slightly run down, but amazing location with your balcony sitting right over the ocean and with cheap prices, they were fully booked but I will certainly check them out next trip.

We rode all round the island, hiked to waterfalls, partied and had a great time, Koh Chang has definitely become one of my new favourite spots, though having a great group of mates there made a huge difference.

Koh Chang - a place you could go solo, with mates, take the family or your girlfriend, something for everyone.

Around the island

This is the view from one of our favourite restaurants on the island

An apparently abandoned resort, of which we found a few

Cockfight training

Our 'secret' waterfall,  pictures do not do it justice.  Was just an amazing little afternoon swimming hole with a couple of beers