Ko Chang and a Visa run to Burma

A rare waddle out in the sun
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There are two Ko Changs in Thailand. Mine was the smaller , yet perfectly formed one on the West coast of the Peninsula.

Ko Chang is only 5km off the coast , but it might as well be 50. The island is quiet. Very , very quiet. There is virtually no commercial development other than the resorts themselves , and they consist of  raffia or wooden bungalows on the beach and an attached restaurant.

The bungalows are basic. The shower - a bucket of water and a bowl ; the loo , a hole in the ground....but for 100 baht ( under 1.50 ), I'm not complaining..

morning alarm call
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Fantastic to open the door in the morning to a wide sweeping beach. Even better though are the evenings. The sunsets are truly beautiful. The clouds are lit in shades of pink and orange , the sun a blood red ball.  Of course i took photos , but when the sun is that deep red , it's too dark to capture. ( with my camera).  So , I just had to sit back and enjoy the spectacle.

Lots of wildlife to be seen. Sea eagles circle high above the treetops , hornbills and humming birds closer to earth , and more lizards that you can shake a stick at.

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For many people this is the dream. Nothing to do and all day to do it. , but for me ,after a few days of watching the chickens scratch for food , reading , navel gazing and the occasional walk , i feel it's time to move on. Some people stay here for months but it's a little too quiet for me , especially as i'm the only English speaking person here.

Next stop was a quick visa run to Burma , as it's only across the river. I met a fellow Brit at Immigration and we shared a longboat for the 30min crossing.

Monks in retreat. ( sorry , couldn't resist)
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I saw a sign on the harbour proclaiming the governments war on drugs. Two minutes later a swarm of touts were offering Valium, Viagra , Keratin and just about anything else . No horse tranquilizers today ,thanks.

We managed to shake of all but one of the touts. i thought if we let him follow us it might at least discourage others from bothering us. We had a quick mosey round the market and found that was about all there is to see. The terms of the trip mean you can travel no further than the port town , so it was back on the boat to re-enter Thailand and get another 30 day visa.