Go east young man and seek your fortune. Having tried running a noodle stall, a t-shirt stall, a motorbike repair shop, a laundry service, a tour agency and finally a combination of all five run out of the same shophouse, Somchai was about to give up hope on ever making it big on Koh Chang. One night, a little over a month ago, a chance encounter with an Arabian oil billionaire in his brother's karaoke joint changed his life. Somchai listened intently as the stranger told him of the vast wealth that lay beneath the dry, unfertile desert. Surely, he thought, if oil can grow under the arid sands of the Middle East there must be huge quantities hidden, just waiting to be discovered under the fertile roadside plains of Koh Chang's Klong Prao sub-district. A week later his pick-up truck was in the pawn shop and Somchai was proud owner of a second hand oil rig. I called by to see how work was progressing, it's slow admitted Somchai but he's down to a depth of over 40 metres now and manages to produce enough of his own fuel daily to half fill a dozen Johnny Walker Scotch bottles that he sells to passers by - to refuel their scooters or for use as petrol bombs - at 30 baht a time. As for the future, it's looking rosy, Somchai has another 12 bottles on order from Noi's recycling emporium and is hoping to break even sometime in the coming decade.
But if you think Somchai will have a hard time making any money then spare a thought for whoever ends up renting a shop unit that's being advertised for sub-lease in Whitesands. The unit, which is scheduled for completion by the end of the month is located roadside opposite Grand View Resort at the quieter, southern end of the beach and could be yours for a mere 500,000 baht 'key money' plus 15,000 baht/month rent for a 3 year contract. Without going into a lengthy rant about how ridiculous this is, you got to be on crack to rent it . . . and you got to be selling crack to make enough profit in the brief high season to pay the rent, let alone pay for a place to live plus make a profit.
If you still haven't booked anything for Xmas / New Year, you're going to have problems unless you're after a 10,000 baht/night Jacuzzi suite at one of the 4 star hotels. People are even booking Kerdmanee Resort - my interpretation of 'resort' obviously isn't the same as the owner's. But two places that are worth a look, have their own websites in English and accept advance bookings are:
www.kachapura.com - upmarket backpacker accommodation, it will be quite loud here as there are loads of bars nearby, but the rooms are very nice. Good if you need a posher than usual place to crash after a late night on the Vodka / Red bull.
www.gardenresortkochang.com - just off the roadside in Kai Bae, describing the location as being at the back of a 7-eleven gives a false impression, as the owner has done a good job of building some pretty nice bungalows in a quiet garden setting.
Officials from Trat province and the Thai Navy have got together and come up with the idea of bringing a couple of old navy ships to the area and sinking them in order to 'sex up' plans to make Koh Chang a site for people who are interested in historical naval warfare tourism. (These guys know how to spot a niche market when the see one.) One boat will be scuppered near the naval memorial in the south-east of Koh Chang and the other in somewhere in deeper water so that scuba divers can get an idea of what it must be like to be on a warship when it sinks.
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