We left Ko Tao in the afternoon, 24 hours of travelling ahead of us. Our goal was to get to Ko Chang as soon as possible to be able to meet Anni's friend, Onni, who was somewhere on an island close to Ko Chang. The ferry to Chumphon took about 4 hours and there we jumped into an overnight bus to Bangkok. The overnight bus took 2 hours less than expected.
We were woken up at three in the morning and we got dropped off somewhere that was not Khao San Road, like promised. Our next bus was supposed to leave from there, and we did not know where we were. It's not easy to stop and think when you just woke up in the middle of the night. We saw some people walking away and some jumping into taxis and tuk-tuks. We asked a taxi driver how far are we from Khao San Road, and he answered that it was far, and told us he would drive us there for 400 baht.
We told him we would pay him 200 baht, and he nodded and wanted to carry our backpacks into the taxi. Wait, what? Our previous experience in Bangkok had proven that the taxi drivers barely let you haggle. They either give you a price and you take it, or you spend half an hour looking for a driver that is actually willing to use the meter, and still you get ripped off by driving in circles. If something seems too good to be true, it usually is. So we were saved by Anni's Nokia and its GPS and maps. She checked her phone and we realised we should be quite close to our destination. So we started walking. On the way we asked 7/11 cashiers, who confirmed that Khao San was about two minute walk away.
Last time we were in Khao San Road it was absolutely horrible. Khao San is THE backpacker hell in Bangkok with all the bars, touts, tailor shops, "cheap" clothes and souvenirs, two McDonalds's and guesthouses all somehow made to fit on this small street. By day, it was chaotic and busy. By night, it was bloody hilarious. We had plenty of time for people watching and indeed it kept us amused for five hours that we had to wait until our next bus at 8:00. The drunken people were fun to watch, and it was for sure safer waiting there than somewhere on an empty street. And you could get coffee and food at any time. Great!
We did not expect Koh Chang to be amazing, we hadn't even planned to stay there. And because of that, we actually did not really know what to expect. It proved to be not bad but ridiculously overpriced. Most of all it seemed to be a playground for middle-aged sex tourists. It was sad to see in many ways. Sometimes we couldn't decide if we should feel more sorry for the girls or for the old, desperate men playing happy family with their barely 18 year old girlfriends. Sure, there were real couples too. But mostly it didn't look like that. We'd love to know how many of those men getting drunk from early morning, spending their time in girl bars were married men on a "business trip". Or actually, never mind. I guess it's not our place to judge. But sometimes you just can't help wondering why.
Other than that, Koh Chang was okay. Beach was okay, island itself was okay, weather was okay. For some reason it was especially popular with Russian tourists, almost every sign was written in Russian, English and Thai. Ko Chang left us with the impression that there is not really anything to complain about but nothing special to come back for.
After resting for a few days we felt good about getting out of Thailand. Thailand was a much needed holiday from traveling. For a while it was fantastic to be in a country where traveling is as easy as it gets. But after a while it becomes a bit boring when everything is done for you. Traveling without thinking and fighting a little to get what you want is fun and relaxing, but never as rewarding. It was also sad to see South Thailand's backpacker scene slowly disappearing and turning into overpriced resorts for rich tourists and the old budget places putting up their prices without doing anything to improve the quality. And who can blame them? There are more and more people coming for short holidays, willing to pay. Why not? Easy money. I'd do the same. - source
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