We are “suddenly” on Koh Chang in the Gulf of Thailand. Sipping a cool Singha beer, with the tingly fire of green curry and tom yum soup on my lips, while the kids take turns on a rope swing hanging from a palm tree over the waves. I’m reclining on comfy triangular cushions with Karen, listening
to smooth Thai pop love songs wafting from the bar. The girls have just located a friendly dog to play with, as well as a nice young Dutch boy to attempt communication... A shirtless Sammy Hagar look alike is hanging 
out by the bar, and several European couples are also hanging out nearby, enjoying the sunset with lungfuls of tobacco… the dang French! They all still smoke!
After a couple sweaty nights in our claustrophobic Bangkok guest house “cell,” it was wonderful to board a comfy bus bound for Trat… We were headed for Koh Chang, a huge island down near the Cambodian border, to get some beach and snorkeling time before we head home to ski season… Karen and I were here about 
12 years ago, back when the bumpy one-lane road only went part way around the island. Back then we walked past the end of the dirt road to find several cheapo bamboo cottages for a few bucks a night. Well nowadays this place has exploded with development! There are hundreds of places to stay now, from plush 5-star resorts to a few hold-out crusty “budget” bungalows in the $20-30 range. The main road is now smooth & freshly paved, and lined with countless souvenir & dive shops, restaurants, pharmacies, and 7-Elevens… There are ATMs 
everywhere! Times change, especially 
with Thai island tourism!
Nonetheless, we walked 10 minutes down a quiet dirt side road, to find some mellow beach huts. The kids are literally flipping out with glee, as we now have warm water, sand, shells, coconut palms, cool breezes, papaya, mango, and pad thai in abundance. They don’t care about what this island “used to be like.” They are thrilled to just hang out, swim, and play on the beach for several days! And so are we…
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