23 Nov

23 Nov - Phase 1 of the new Tranquility Bay development is now on sale. If owning a fully furnished, luxury low rise condo or beach villa with superb sea views and easy access to the islands south of Koh Chang sounds like an enticing prospect . . .that's because it is. Leave Phuket, Samui & Pattaya to the masses and consider Koh Chang for a second home in paradise a.k.a. Thailand. Click for Photos, plans, information and gentle persuasion as to why you should buy a place here.

Tip for anyone thinking of getting married on Koh Chang, bring your own music. Whilst the couple who had their ceremony on Klong Prao beach recently may have been lost in the moment, onlookers were forced to put up with dirge such as 'The Power of Love' , 'Take my Breath Away' and other 80s synth & drum machine driven romantic ballads. These give anyone within earshot - (or was it only me?) - flashbacks to a night of embarrassing fumbling and fondling at the 6th Form disco. So, have some consideration for other beach users and bring your own CD of decent tunes, preferably those which illicit fond memories in the mind of listeners and not flashbacks of teenage angst.

The weather has been great, the sea is calm, avoid the weekends and the tour boats aren't busy. (Avoid the tour boats and you'll have islands to yourself.) The Marine Department had their big boat from Bangkok out the other day surveying boat captains to see how many people were on the boat, how often they took people out, how many people visited the snorkelling islands per day etc.

What are they watching? A) Tom & Katie sunning themselves whilst honeymooning on Koh Chang? B) A troop of sea gypsies who play impromptu jazz concerts for passing boats in return for loose change? C) A showing of the James Bond film 'Moonraker', that's being projected onto a cliff face as part of the Koh Chang International Film Festival D) Something else.

It isn't A), as eagle eyed readers will have spotted Tom & Katie are in disguise and on the boat. You think that's a grey haired woman who really should know better than to wear a bikini at her age. Think again. B) As this photo was taken on a Thursday - the traditional day of rest for sea gypsies of Burmese descent - this cant be the correct answer. C) A trick question, as, having won the Best Foreign Film category for the past 26 years, 'Moonraker' wasn't entered into this year's celebration of celulloid due to fears of possible explosion of immorality on KC caused by exposing Thai youths to the wily western charms of 'Dr Holly Goodhead', which only leaves D). See the new 'Day on the Boat' Photo Gallery for the answer.

Down in Bangbao there's a very nice fisherman's house for sale in excellent condition and for a very sensible price. See the photo to the right. If you've ever fancied a dive school or simply a house where you can walk out of your living room and into your boat then this is it. The asking price includes all furniture, fixtures & fittings including AC unit, satellite TV, phone line etc

Paulo and his girlfriend are looking for anyone who's interested in sharing a private hire minivan from Siem Reap to Koh Chang on 5th January. If you'd like to share the cost, please email Paulo direct as soon as possible at: < Paolino.Tona@ifp.fr >

Finally, a nice story from a family who took a tour organised by their hotel to see how local people live. They were packed off in a minibus with a young Thai woman who they assumed must be a fellow guest at the hotel as she never said a word to them. It was only half way through the day that it clicked that she must be the guide. So with that misunderstanding out of the way the family went off to see how local people fish. This entailed spending 3 hours on a small boat bobbing around in Klong Son bay. Needless to say the novelty wore off and so they asked the guide "Do your customers ever get bored doing this?" The reply was "I don't know, this is my first time here." The moral of this story is not to automatically expect your guide to have any knowledge about where you are going other than what they have been told by their boss. Also don't assume just because you're paying a small fortune for a room that the guide provided by the hotel isn't a tourism student from Bangkok here for their work experience.