Koh Chang

It's pretty nice. The 12' wide French doors of our one room cottage face west, out past our deck over the water and across the lagoon. While this side of the water is a scattering of cottages in a managed garden that looks very much like a jungle, the other is the real thing. With first light the Cicadas roar. The din will only last 20 minutes, but it is an impressive 20 minutes. Leaving our rooms there is a sand path leading toward the ocean which gives way to a boardwalk over the lagoon, and finally a pontoon bridge across the lagoon to the sea side. The first thing you notice when you hit the beach is that the white sand is so fine, it doesn't feel like sand, it feels more like talc, a bundle of silk at your feet. As I write, I sit beneath an almond tree, who's small, white, lilac scented blossoms litter the beach around me. At six in the morning the air is just slightly cooler than the 29 degree water, but that will not last long - by midday the air wil be in the mid thirties. The avian life here is stunning and at this time of day virtually the only sounds you will hear are bird song and surf. Along the 4 km of beach no more than a dozen souls have stirred. The Gulf of Thailand laps gently at the shore. On either side of the Blue Lagoon beach are larger, European built resorts and their patrons seem to find the bustle of the town more appealing. The few who do come to the beach pretty much remain on the sand in front of their rooms. For the few of us who stay a Blue Lagoon, the beach is often wonderfully lonely.

Blue Lagoon is owned and run by a welcoming Thai family who - compared to all the other family run guest houses we have patronized this trip - totally get what westerners expect in a resort vacation. They are open and accommodating. The cottages, while rustic, are clean and well furnished and spaced about the grounds so that one never feels that they imposing on, or being imposed on by, their neighbour. The grounds are a beautiful jungle garden - tall banana, banyan, betal and tamarind trees, many in bloom, shade flowering undergrowth. Even in the midday heat it is wonderfully cool under the canopy and there is a constant whisper of staff sweeping away the jungle litter. All the paths are simple dirt tracks in the wood.

Days are spent reading and swimming on the beach - where there is a canteen selling simple foods and frosty beverages - kayaks are available, there is a shaded bocci court and any island recreation can be booked at reception. While I agree that those are fairly standard offerings, there are others that are not. Every Friday evening a BBQ is held at the restaurant. All the staff and guests gather, prepare a meal and eat together. The market cost of the food is shared by all who participate. Two of the current guests are professional musician and this Sunday will perform for all to enjoy.

It may be difficult to find material for this blog over the next couple of weeks - I mean, who in Canada right now wants to read, over and over, "yes, another honey scented day mooched in off the gulf.....", but should anything of note arise, I'll be sure to report it.