Koh Chang

Ahhh...it's the island life for me.

You're a bear. Bears don't live on islands.

Yes, we do!

No, you don't, Captain.

I happen to know there are quite a few bears living on islands.

Where?

Alaska!

And do you know of any bears living on tropical islands?

Well...ummm...

I didn't think so.

But that doesn't mean there aren't! We'll just have to visit a lot of tropical islands to see!

If it means proving you wrong, Captain, I am all for loads of tropical island vacations.

 Anyway, as I was saying, I really love the island of Koh Chang. It is small, mountainous, and has beaches and waterfalls!

It is an island with a lot to offer.

This island is reachable by ferry from the mainland, and it is on the eastern side of Thailand, near Cambodia. Once there ferry arrives, you can hop on a songtaew to your hotel unless you paid for transport with your ferry ticket. The songtaew's leave when full (100 baht per person) or when those onboard agree to pay the full fare and leave without waiting for another ferry to arrive. The main road ALMOST circles the island.

 Almost?

At the southern tip of the island, the road ends without connecting to the other side. There is a mangrove forest there. Because of the mountains, there are no cross roads connecting the two sides.

While on Koh Chang, Captain and Kellie Bear and I hung out on several beaches, including the well-known White Sand Beach. We also hired a driver to take us to the two National Parks to see the waterfalls and to the mangrove forest walk.

 

Along the way, our driver stopped beside a durian grove. 

Oh, no. Not the durian!

It is one of the most popular fruits in Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia.

But the smell!

I know. Even bears have reservations about eating anything that smells THAT bad! However, you are supposed to eat it with your mouth closed and rumor has it that it tastes really sweet.

That rumor will not be tested by me!

Me, neither!

We also were fortunate to see some unique things along the road until we got to Mu Koh Chang.

(Mu is the Thai word for park)

 

It was only a short hike back to this water fall. At the base of it is a small pool where many residents of Koh Chang like to take a swim!

It was a hot day, but we decided not to get our paws wet. Our next stop was the mangrove forest.

If you go on the raised walkway through the forest, you will see they build the path around trees so occasionally  you will need to duck! At the end of the walkway is a bay. We were there at low tide and saw people gathering crabs and clams from the mud. 

We chose not to get our paws muddy, too. It was past most people's knees in places! 

The next stop was Khlong Phlu Waterfall. This one was a bit of a hike with some hills!

  

The waterfall was really tall compared to the Thom Ma Yom fall. Because this is the dry season, it was narrow. During the rainy season, it's much bigger in size.

The view at the southern most tip on the west side was amazing! Here is a fishing village, Bang Bao. Dive boats, snorkeling trips, and fishing boats leave from this pier. It's more of a tourist village now, since many fishing families now sell souvenirs, t-shirts, and stuff like that.

Just like anywhere in Thailand, it's always nice and refreshing to have a coconut drink at the end of a very long and hot day!

 

Wat Phu Tok, Bueng Kan

If  you saw a flat topped hill rising out of flat land, what would you decide to do?

Is this a trick question, Spike?

Not at all! This is serious.

I would probably just keep going? Why, what would you do?

I don't know, either, Captain. But I probably would not think to make temples on the sides and carve and build path ways around it to get to the top.

Like Ajarn Juan did?

Exactly!

Wat Phu Tok, is on a 359 meter isolated hill in Bueng Kan Province. Phu Tok actually means "lonely mountain."

  

 

 

And Ajarn Juan, a Buddhist monk, decided to dedicate it to hikers meditating on the seven levels of Buddhism as they climb ladders, cross wooden walkways, and walk through tree lined areas as they go up.

If you choose to make the climb, we will pass on the advice we were given: stay left! The left path stays in the shade, has wide ladders and paths, and is a lot easier going up. The right path? It uses the wooden paths that cling to the sides of the cliffs and has steeper ascents.

  

Signs are all in Thai, so it's difficult to know which level you are at if you don't know the Thai numerals. However, when the path ends, you know you are at the top! Do be on the lookout for snakes on the last part of the ascent.

One thing to be sure to do is bring plenty of water! Especially if you try the cliff path. That one is all in the sun!

    

Him Sam Wan (Three Whales Rock), Bueng Kan

We took a day trip from Udon Thani to see a few places. One of these places was Him Sam Wan.

He's Sam Wan?

No, Him Sam Wan. Three Whales Rock?

Oh, right. Sorry, Spike, but I wasn't paying attention.

That was rather obvious. Anyway, these three rocks are 75 million years old, and when seen from above, it looks like three whales swimming through the trees! The tops of the whales...I mean, rocks are flat with steep sides. There are two adult sized whale rocks, and one baby.

 

  

They have marked the top with yellow stripes. Don't cross the line! It's a long way down, and there are no guardrails. And this might not be a great place to visit if you're really, really, really scared of heights.

Or if you are afraid, just stick to the middle of the rock formation! When standing on the rocks, you can see into Laos across the Mekong River. The views are incredible.

 I liked the fact that the truck took us right to the back of the whale and we just walked up to the end! It was a rather bumpy ride, wasn't it, Spike?

 

That's right. Song taews, or trucks with benches and rails in the bed, take you around the site. You cannot drive yourself. There are other viewpoints and rock formations to see.

 

 

It's something that will take you all morning to see, if you come from Udon Thani like we did. Not to worry, though, because there are some local restaurants at the base of the site where you can get drinks or lunch.

And because you are in Bueng Kan, we recommend visiting Wat Phu Tok on the same day since it's also in that province.