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Why Koh Chang is Thailand's Most MISUNDERSTOOD Island · Phil and H Travel - Is It Worth It? Top Travel Destinations Explored!

• 0:00
  OK, so let's let's jump right in.
• 0:03
  Welcome to the deep dive. Great to be here.
• 0:05
  We are diving straight into this really fascinating stack of
• 0:08
  sources you sent over. And they take us, well, they
• 0:11
  take us far away from the usual tourist trail in southern
• 0:14
  Thailand. Yeah.
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  Far. Away we're landing on the shores
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  of Kochang. It's magnificent.
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  It's mountainous and I think, as we'll find out, it's often
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  wonderfully misunderstood. It really is, and I think this
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  is such an important deep dive to do because Ko Chang, which
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  people call Elephant Island, it holds this this really unique
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  spot in the pecking order of Thai islands.
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  How so? Well, when most people think
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  Thai Island escape, their brain immediately goes to the big
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  names, you know? Ukat Kosami.
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  Phukat, Sami, maybe Kofi Phi with those famous limestone
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  cliffs? And what do they all have in
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  common? International airports easy
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  access. Exactly.
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  They have the airports, the five star resorts, the the heavily
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  manicured, slick infrastructure. And what's so interesting is how
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  the source material sets up Ko Tang as the complete opposite of
• 1:03
  that. It's positioned as the
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  deliberate alternative. It is.
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  It's the rugged, less polished cousin in the family, right?
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  But it has the same core DNA. It offers that same stunning
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  tropical beauty. You know, the lush jungles, the
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  beautiful beaches, but it almost feels like it's put up a barrier
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  a. Logistics filter.
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  That's a great way to put it. It has this built in filter that
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  automatically weeds out the casual low effort visitor.
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  It forces you to commit. And that word commitment, I
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  think that's the key. It seems to define this entire
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  deep dive, doesn't it? It absolutely does.
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  The sources we have, they just meticulously breakdown every
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  single part of this place. We're talking about the
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  challenging journey just to get there.
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  The the very distinct personalities of its four main
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  beach areas. The food, which sounds
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  unbelievable. Oh, the food is a whole chapter
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  in itself and the essential activities.
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  So the central mission for us, and this comes straight from
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  your material, is to figure this out for the modern traveler, you
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  know, budget to mid range. The person who wants an
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  adventure but still wants a decent bed.
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  Exactly so for them, given that Kochang is so isolated, so
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  demanding to get to, and it just lacks that slick, high speed
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  feel of its competitors, is it actually worth all?
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  That effort, that is the perfect mission statement.
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  So OK, we have a road map, we're going to detail the journey,
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  that commitment. We're talking hours, logistics,
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  the whole thing. Then we'll decode the four main
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  beach vibes, which is critical. Where you stay really shapes
• 2:29
  your trip. After that we explore the
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  island's wild side, the jungle, the sea and of course that world
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  class food. And finally, we deliver the
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  verdict. We're going to answer that
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  question. Does this Emerald escape deserve
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  a spot on your itinerary? All right, let the adventure
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  begin. Let's start with the hard part,
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  the journey. Yeah, let's get into the nitty
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  gritty of it. OK, phase one, committing to the
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  journey. You called it a travel filter,
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  and I think that's the perfect term.
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  This is the first and maybe the biggest thing that sets KO Chang
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  apart. You have to earn your spot on
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  the beach. You absolutely do.
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  And the first fact, the most crucial piece of information, is
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  the one we already touched on. Unlike Phuket or Sam Lee, there
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  is no commercial airport on coaching.
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  So that's it. That one fact changes
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  everything. It dictates the entire
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  experience. You can't just fly in, grab a
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  cab and be poolside with a drink in 90 minutes.
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  It's it's just not that kind of place.
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  Instead you have to face what the source is called, the
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  Bangkok to track corridor A5 to six hour haul on the road just
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  to get from the capital to the coast.
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  Yeah, just the land portion. So for a traveler trying to
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  figure this out, what are the actual logistics you even start?
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  The main hub, according to the material, is the Ekamai bus
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  terminal in Bangkok, which is pretty convenient.
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  It's right on the BTS Skytrain line.
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  Right. But as soon as you get there,
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  you're faced with your first big decision and it's an important
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  one. Do you take the big bus or do
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  you take the minivan? OK.
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  Walk me through this because the source has painted a really
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  vivid picture here. It sounds like a choice between
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  like speed and sanity. That's a good way to put it.
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  If you value your personal space, if you want comfort and
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  frankly a feeling of safety, the big government bus is your best
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  bet, especially the VIP air con ones.
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  And those are easy to book. Super easy, you just go to the
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  ticket counters on the first floor of the terminal.
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  The price is what around 450 to 550 baht for the VIP service, so
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  about 12 to 15 U.S. dollars. For a 6 hour trip, that's really
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  not bad. It's great value and for that
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  you get a dedicated seat with actual legroom.
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  They usually give you a little snack box and a bottle of water.
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  And crucially, the driving is well, it's sane.
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  They stick to a slower, steadier pace.
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  They stop once or twice at a proper rest stop.
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  It's a relaxed 6 hour journey. OK, so that's option A, the
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  sensible choice. Then there's Option B, the
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  minivan, which promises to be faster but seems to deliver a
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  very different kind of thrill. A thrill is one word for it.
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  Look, the minivan is faster. It can sometimes shave a whole
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  hour off the trip, which is tempting.
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  But the experience the. Experience, as one source put
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  it, is like the driver is auditioning for a Fast and
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  Furious movie. Fast.
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  That's not a good sign. No.
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  And it's not just about the speed, it's about the whole
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  package. They often cram people and
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  they'll strap enormous amounts of luggage to the roof with like
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  a single bungee cord. And the driving style is just,
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  it's aggressive. It can be really unsettling to
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  be in that environment for four or five hours straight.
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  So for you, our listener who's looking for that comprehensive
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  knowledge, the take away is pretty clear.
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  The minivan is a high risk, high reward situation.
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  It's faster, yeah, but it's less comfortable.
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  And the sources are very clear that the safety standards, the
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  insurance, it's all a bit more questionable than the official
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  bus lines. Exactly.
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  I mean if you're traveling with a big suitcase or you have your
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  family with you, saving that one hour is just stuffed.
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  It's not worth the trade off in comfort and Peace of Mind.
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  So either way, 5 or 6 hours, that journey time alone proves
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  the point. This destination demands a huge
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  chunk of your day. It filters out anyone looking
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  for a quick weekend hop. It immediately separates the
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  casual tourist from the determined adventure.
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  OK, so we survived the road we make it to trapped.
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  Now comes the second part of the journey, the nautical
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  transition. And this part at least sounds
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  like a bit of a reward for our patients.
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  It's the scenic payoff, absolutely.
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  You get to 1 of the Piers on the coast, usually out of Tamasha is
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  the main one and you board a ferry and these, these aren't
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  little long tail boats, these are big stable car ferries,
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  right? They're built to handle trucks
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  and buses and hundreds of people.
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  So they're very steady. The ride itself is pretty quick,
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  maybe 30 to 45 minutes. But the sources all emphasize
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  the visual experience of this part of the trip.
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  This is when the island really starts to reveal itself.
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  This is the moment you realize what you've been traveling for,
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  yes? That's a moment of realization.
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  You see this huge, dark green mountainous silhouette of
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  Kochang just getting closer and closer on the horizon, and you
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  get this profound sense of scale.
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  It's not just a little sandbar. Not at all.
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  You realize that this isn't some tiny, flat little island.
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  This is a massive landmass with a properly wild, undeveloped
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  interior. It feels like you're approaching
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  a real jungle outpost. That sense of arrival is so key
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  to the story. But as the sources gleefully
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  point out, even when you step off that ferry, you're not done.
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  The final, and maybe most memorable part of the journey is
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  still ahead. This is where you meet the song
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  Thos. The iconic white pickup trucks.
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  With the two benches in the back they are the islands de facto
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  taxi service and they are just lined up bumper to bumper
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  waiting at the pier as soon as you get off.
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  The system is simple, right? You just tell the driver which
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  boots, you're going to haggle a price a little bit and you're
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  off. Pretty much.
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  But getting from that pier on the North End of the island down
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  to the main tourist beaches on the West Coast, that involves a
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  road that one source so perfectly described as a roller
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  coaster designed by a sadist. I love that description because
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  it feels so true. This is not some smooth 4 lane
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  coastal highway. No, not even close.
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  The road is it's defined by constant sharp, winding turns
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  and these unbelievably steep hills.
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  I mean hills you would never see on the mainland.
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  We're talking inclines that feel like they're at a 45° angle.
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  The engine is just grinding in first gear to get up them.
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  I remember reading that detail about just having to hold on for
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  dear life gripping the metal rails in the back of the truck.
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  You really do. And that wild kind of untamed
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  infrastructure is so integral to the Ko Chang experience.
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  It's part of its character. It's what keeps it feeling a
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  little bit less developed. It means that even going a few
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  kilometers between beaches isn't just a quick taxi ride, it's
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  another mini adventure in itself.
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  And that geographical challenge serves a real purpose, doesn't
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  it? It limits the big tour buses, it
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  makes large scale construction more difficult, and it
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  reinforces that the whole journey, which by the time
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  you're done is taken 7 or 8 hours of your day.
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  It really demanded something from.
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  You it did. It successfully weeds out anyone
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  just looking for ultimate convenience, and it rewards the
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  person who is willing to work for it.
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  OK, so we've made the commitment, we survived the
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  journey and we are finally on the island.
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  Which brings us to Phase 2, choosing your vibe.
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  And this is so important because as the sources make clear, where
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  you stay on this island is going to completely define your trip.
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  It's a huge island and the personality of each little zone
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  is surprisingly different, especially considering how tough
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  the roads are that connect them. So we really need to break down
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  the four main areas starting up north, closest to where the
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  ferry drops you off. OK so first up the most
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  accessible spot, white sand beach or hot Sai cow.
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  The sources called this Ko Chang on easy mode.
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  That is the perfect way to describe it.
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  It's the most commercial, the most developed part of the
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  island. This is where you'll find the
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  biggest resorts, all the essential services like banks
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  and proper pharmacies, and of course a 711 on every corner.
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  So if you're a family with young kids, or maybe it's your first
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  time in Thailand and you're a bit nervous, this is the logical
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  place to start. It is if you want convenience,
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  if you want familiar amenities and you don't want a long somtor
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  riot After that long journey, White Sand Beach is your landing
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  spot. But there's a trade off, isn't
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  there? The sources were pretty clear on
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  this. While the beach itself is lovely
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  and wide, you can feel crowded and a lot of travelers said it
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  it lacks the soul of the island. I think that's fair.
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  The soul is maybe a bit diminished because the
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  development here is geared towards package deals.
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  The accommodation is all over the place, from a simple 800
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  byte bungalow to big resort rooms that are 345000 byte a
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  night. It's serving the mass market.
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  It is, so if you're picturing yourself in a quiet little
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  independent beach shack, you're probably not going to find it
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  here. The traffic is also the heaviest
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  on the island in this section, which adds to that feeling of
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  commercial density. OK, so White Sand is the busy,
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  convenient hub. If that's not what we're looking
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  for, where do we find the island sweet spot?
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  The place. For that you have to head a
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  little further South Down the to the next two areas, Klong Prow
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  and Kaibay. These are consistently presented
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  in the source material as the perfect middle ground.
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  How does the feeling change when you leave white sand and head
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  South? It's almost immediate, the whole
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  pace just slows down, it gets much more chilled out.
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  The resorts in Klong Prow are often beautiful mid range places
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  and importantly a lot of them are right on the beach.
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  You can walk straight from your room onto the sand without
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  having to cross a Rd. That's a huge plus.
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  It is Klong Prow is known for having this really long, quiet,
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  sweeping beach. It's fantastic for couples or
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  anyone just looking for genuine peace and quiet.
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  Now what about Cai Bay? The sources seem to really
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  single that one out. Yeah, Cai Bay is arguably the
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  most popular choice for the kind of traveler we're talking about.
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  It has a bit more life than Klong Prow, but it's still very
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  relaxed. Its main advantage is that it
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  has a genuinely walkable Main St.
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  Which is a rare thing on this island.
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  Very rare and that street is lined with fantastic mid range
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  restaurants, great Thai food but also good quality international
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  options and cool laid back little bars and massage shops.
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  That sounds like the grown up choice.
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  You get the relaxation and the beauty, but you can also just
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  step out your door and go for a great meal or a drink without
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  needing to jump into Song Sue every single time.
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  That's it exactly. And the accommodation in Caibe
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  is in that sweet spot, you know, maybe 40 to 80 U.S. dollars for
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  a really nice bungalow. It's also where you can easily
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  get to the Kai Bay viewpoint for those classic postcard photos of
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  the coast. It just, it strikes the perfect
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  balance. It's developed enough to be
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  comfortable, but it still feels like a relaxed tropical island.
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  OK, I think I've got my spot picked out already, but let's
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  keep going. We head further South, over
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  another one of those terrifying hills, and we land in Lonely
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  Beach. And the name, as the sources
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  point out, is just a fantastic piece of irony.
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  It is a complete relic from the past.
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  The sources are so clear on this today.
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  Lonely Beach is absolutely anything but lonely.
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  So what is it now? What defines the lonely beach
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  experience in the 21st century? It is the island's undisputed
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  concentrated party hub. The entire area is just this
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  dense cluster of cheap hostels, budget bungalows.
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  We're talking under 500 bar to night tattoo parlors and most
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  importantly, bars that blast music deep into the night.
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  So this is where you go for the bucket.
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  This is where you go for the bucket of cheap Thai whiskey and
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  soda. It is built for the 22 year old
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  backpacker on a shoestring budget.
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  And the sources had a specific warning here, didn't they, that
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  travelers over 30 might feel ancient?
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  That's a very fair warning. It's an immersion into a very
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  specific youth driven party culture.
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  And here's a really important detail.
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  The actual beach at Lonely Beach isn't great.
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  It's quite small and rocky. The real appeal is the scene,
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  the dense, social, loud scene that's packed in behind the
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  beach. So if your goal is a pristine
• 14:10
  stretch of sand and a quiet night's sleep, this is the place
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  to avoid at all costs. You must skip it entirely.
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  It's a very specific vibe for a very specific traveler.
• 14:18
  But this raises a question, though.
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  If Lonely Beach is now this kind of relentless party zone,
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  doesn't that sort of undermine the island's whole identity as
• 14:28
  the unpolished alternative? Isn't this just swapping one
• 14:32
  kind of mass tourism for another?
• 14:34
  That's a really sharp point, and I think the difference is 1 of
• 14:37
  scale and containment. While Lonely Beach is dense and
• 14:41
  loud, it's still geographically contained in one small pocket of
• 14:45
  the island. It hasn't sprawled out and
• 14:47
  consumed the whole coast in the way that, say, Patong has in
• 14:50
  Phuket. So it's a dedicated zone.
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  It's a dedicated zone, but you're right, it absolutely
• 14:54
  represents the challenge that any developing island faces.
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  How do you manage these pockets of high volume, youth focused
• 15:01
  tourism that are built on being cheap and loud without letting
• 15:04
  it spoil the quiet, sustainable character of the rest of the
• 15:07
  place? A tough balancing act.
• 15:08
  OK, finally left date that last song Ha Ride all the way to the
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  southern tip to Bang Bao. This place sounds completely
• 15:15
  different structurally and functionally.
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  It's entirely unique. Bang Bao is not a beach
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  destination in the traditional sense at all.
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  It's a working fishing village that is literally built out on a
• 15:25
  long concrete pier that extends way out over the water.
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  So you're not staying in a bungalow on the sand, you're in
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  a guest house built on stilts right over the sea.
• 15:35
  Exactly, which is a really cool experience.
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  You can hear the water lapping right under your floorboards.
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  You get these incredible unobstructed views out towards
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  the marine park. It feels very nautical.
• 15:45
  And it has a specific purpose, right?
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  It's not just a place to stay. Right.
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  It's main function now is as the primary departure point for all
• 15:52
  of the islands major diving and snorkeling trips.
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  Almost all the big tour boats leave from this pier.
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  I imagine that gives it a different energy from the other
• 16:02
  more leisure focused beaches. It does.
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  It feels more functional. It's busy in the morning with
• 16:06
  boats getting ready and it can be much quieter in the evenings
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  than Kai Bay. It also feels the most remote.
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  A song Tall ride from Bang Bao back up to the middle of the
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  island is a long haul, especially late at night.
• 16:20
  So it's perfect if your main goal is diving or snorkeling and
• 16:24
  you want that unique stay, but maybe not if you want to be able
• 16:26
  to easily explore other parts of the island everyday.
• 16:28
  Precisely your base camp choice is everything.
• 16:30
  That is so clear. OK to recap Phase 2, White sand
• 16:35
  for maximum convenience and families.
• 16:37
  Clone Prow and Kai Bay for that perfect grown up balance of
• 16:40
  relaxation and amenities. Lonely Beach If you are 22 and
• 16:44
  want a party and Bang Bao for a unique over water stay focused
• 16:48
  on boat trips. And now that we've picked our
• 16:50
  vase, it's time for phase three. Flavor forest and sea.
• 16:54
  Because once you've settled in, you have to eat and the food on.
• 16:57
  Kochang is a main character in this story.
• 16:59
  The sources are, and I'm not exaggerating, almost evangelical
• 17:02
  about the food here, particularly the seafood they
• 17:05
  basically crown. Kochang is seafood central.
• 17:07
  And it's a well deserved crown. The quality, the freshness and
• 17:10
  the accessibility of the seafood is I think, a huge reason to
• 17:13
  make the journey. The number one mandatory
• 17:15
  experience is the evening seafood BBQ.
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  You see these everywhere, right? These huge displays set up on
• 17:21
  the street, especially in Kai Bay or down at the Bangbo Pier.
• 17:24
  They're spectacular. At dusk, they wheel out these
• 17:27
  huge displays packed with ice, and they're just loaded with the
• 17:32
  day's catch. You'll see a whole Barracuda,
• 17:35
  massive tiger prawns the size of your hand, squid, blue crab
• 17:39
  trays of muscles. It's a feast for the eyes before
• 17:42
  you even order. And the best part is the
• 17:44
  process. It's not just pointing at a menu
• 17:47
  item. No.
• 17:48
  It's interactive, it's transparent.
• 17:50
  You walk right up to the display and you physically point at the
• 17:53
  exact fish or the specific prawns you want to eat.
• 17:56
  So you choose your victim and then, and this is so key to Thai
• 17:59
  cooking, you choose how you want it cooked.
• 18:02
  What were the best methods the sources recommended?
• 18:05
  The classics are the best for a whole fish like a snapper or a
• 18:08
  Barracuda getting its steam with a ton of lime, chili and garlic.
• 18:11
  What they call plan non manao is just out of this.
• 18:14
  Oh, that sounds amazing. Or if you have those big
• 18:17
  beautiful prawns or some squid, you can just get it grilled
• 18:19
  simply with salt to let the freshness shine through.
• 18:22
  Or of course, you can have them toss it all into a rich,
• 18:24
  fragrant red Curry. The sources were unanimous on
• 18:28
  this. Seafood is phenomenal.
• 18:29
  It's world class. OK, but world class usually
• 18:32
  comes with a world class price tag.
• 18:35
  Is this experience accessible for a budget to mid range
• 18:38
  traveler? This is where coaching just
• 18:40
  destroys the competition. It is incredibly affordable.
• 18:44
  You can often get a whole grilled fish big enough to feed
• 18:47
  two people for somewhere between 350 and 500 bet.
• 18:51
  Which is what, 10 to 14 U.S. dollars?
• 18:54
  Now try to get that same quality hole snapper on a popular beach
• 18:58
  in Phuket. You could easily be paying 12115
• 19:01
  hundred. Bet.
• 19:02
  The value proposition on coaching is just staggering.
• 19:05
  And this isn't limited to just the big BBQ spots, right?
• 19:08
  What about the general street food scene?
• 19:10
  Oh, the street food imperative is non negotiable.
• 19:12
  It is everywhere, it's cheap, and the quality is ridiculously
• 19:16
  high. The key is to look for the
• 19:18
  little stalls that specialize in just one or two things.
• 19:20
  The sources gave some really specific examples.
• 19:22
  Let's start with some Tam. Yes, the spicy green papaya
• 19:26
  salad and the sources stress. You have to find a stall where
• 19:29
  you can see them pounding the ingredients fresh for you right
• 19:32
  there in a big clay mortar and pestle.
• 19:34
  There's a great little anecdote about one near Klong Prow.
• 19:37
  There was. The writer described it as a
• 19:39
  salad that genuinely made you sweat, and that's the sign of a
• 19:42
  good one. It's that perfect explosive
• 19:45
  balance of spicy, sour, salty and sweet that just defines
• 19:49
  great Thai food. You eat that with a little bag
• 19:52
  of sticky rice cow now and it's a perfect $2.00 meal.
• 19:55
  And moving away from the chili heat, there are the smoky
• 19:58
  grilled classics. For sure, you have to look for
• 20:00
  Guy Yang. That's marinated grilled
• 20:03
  chicken. You'll see it cooking slowly
• 20:05
  over charcoal on the side of the road, which gives it this
• 20:07
  incredible smoky flavor you can't get any other way.
• 20:10
  And of course, the theater of a good Pad Thai.
• 20:12
  Oh yeah, watching them cook it in a flaming hot work right on
• 20:16
  the street, that high heat gives it that crucial OK, the smoky
• 20:20
  breath of the work. And you can get a massive
• 20:22
  delicious plate of it for 50 or 60 baht.
• 20:25
  So the message is clear, amazing flavor, doesn't have to cost a
• 20:28
  lot here, and there was a really good pro tip in the sources for
• 20:31
  how to spot a good place to eat. Right.
• 20:33
  It's a simple rule. If you walk up to a restaurant
• 20:36
  and the menu is like 10 laminated pages long and it has
• 20:40
  pizza and pasta and burgers and sandwiches right next to the
• 20:44
  Thai food, just walk away. The Jack of all trades, master
• 20:47
  of none. Exactly.
• 20:48
  They're trying to please everyone and they end up making
• 20:51
  nothing. Well, you want to find the spot
• 20:53
  with the short menu. Maybe only a few plastic chairs.
• 20:56
  That's usually the sign that they do one thing, and they do
• 20:58
  it exceptionally well. OK, my mouth is watering.
• 21:01
  Let's move from flavor to forest.
• 21:03
  A huge part of Kochang identity is that 70% of the island is
• 21:08
  protected National Park. This isn't just a ring of
• 21:11
  beaches, it has a wild jungle heart.
• 21:14
  And that protection is the only reason the island hasn't been
• 21:16
  completely covered in concrete. It preserves that wild core and
• 21:20
  provides all these amazing things to do away from the
• 21:22
  water. The 1st and probably the most
• 21:24
  popular jungle activity is chasing waterfalls and the most
• 21:27
  famous one is Klong Plu Waterfall.
• 21:30
  Yeah, Klong Plu is near Klong Prow, so it's really easy to get
• 21:33
  to from the main West Coast beaches.
• 21:35
  You have to pay an entrance fee, about 200 baht because it's
• 21:38
  inside the National Park. And then it's a bit of a hike.
• 21:41
  It's a short, pretty easy walk on a well marked path through
• 21:45
  the jungle, and at the end you're rewarded with this big,
• 21:48
  beautiful, deep swimming hole at the base of the waterfall.
• 21:52
  A natural swimming pool sounds like the perfect way to cool
• 21:54
  off, but the sources had a pretty big warning attached to
• 21:57
  it. A very important caveat, it's
• 22:00
  popularity because it's the easiest 1 to get to.
• 22:03
  Quan Clio gets incredibly busy, especially from midmorning
• 22:06
  onwards, so the essential advice is you have to go early.
• 22:10
  Like right when it opens. Be there when the park opens,
• 22:12
  that way you can enjoy it in relative peace and quiet before
• 22:15
  the tour groups and the songthos full of people start to arrive.
• 22:19
  And for someone who really wants to get off the beaten path, was
• 22:22
  there a quieter alternative mentioned?
• 22:24
  There was. The sources pointed to Than
• 22:27
  Mayhem Waterfall, which is over on the much less developed East
• 22:31
  Coast of the island. It takes more effort to get
• 22:34
  there, a longer song thoi ride for sure, but your reward is a
• 22:39
  much greater chance of having the place all to yourself.
• 22:42
  So you're trading convenience for solitude?
• 22:44
  A classic coaching trade off. And besides hiking to
• 22:48
  waterfalls, the other great way to experience the island's
• 22:51
  nature is by kayaking. Yeah, kayaking is super
• 22:53
  accessible and really peaceful. The best place to do it
• 22:57
  according to the sources is from Klong Prow Beach.
• 22:59
  You can rent a kayak for cheap, maybe 100 and 5200 baht an hour.
• 23:04
  And you're not just paddling in the ocean.
• 23:06
  No, and that's the cool part. You can paddle up the river
• 23:08
  estuary, the clong, and go deep into these dense mangrove
• 23:11
  forests. What's that experience like?
• 23:13
  It's all about the soundscape. As soon as you get into the
• 23:15
  mangroves, the sound of the road and the beach just disappears.
• 23:19
  It's replaced by this total silence, the rustling of the
• 23:22
  leaves and the sounds of birds and insects.
• 23:24
  It's a really cool close up look at a different side of the
• 23:28
  island's ecology. Now let's head out to sea,
• 23:31
  because as beautiful as the island is, the real underwater
• 23:35
  jewel is actually a little bit South in the Korang National
• 23:39
  Marine Park. You have to get out on a boat,
• 23:41
  it's a mandatory part of any trip to poaching and the day
• 23:44
  trips to Korang are the absolute highlight of the marine park.
• 23:48
  How do those tricks usually? Work.
• 23:49
  The logistics are really well oiled.
• 23:51
  Most boats leave from the Bangbo pier in the morning around 9:00.
• 23:55
  You can choose between a bigger, slower, more stable wooden boat
• 23:59
  or a faster, bumpier speedboat. And what's the value like?
• 24:02
  Is it an expensive day out? It's incredible value.
• 24:05
  A full day trip, which usually runs until about 4:00 in the
• 24:08
  afternoon, will cost you somewhere between 800 and 1200
• 24:11
  baht, so 2030 five U.S. dollars. And that price almost always
• 24:15
  includes your transport from your hotel, the boat trip
• 24:18
  itself, and all your snorkel gear.
• 24:20
  And it's about a 45 minute ride out to the marine park.
• 24:22
  About that and the reward for that boat ride is the water.
• 24:25
  The clarity is just exceptional. One source beautifully described
• 24:29
  it as swimming in an aquarium. And you see a lot of life.
• 24:33
  A ton. Assuming you find a healthy
• 24:35
  patch of coral, you'll see these brilliant blue and green
• 24:39
  parrotfish angelfish, massive schools of shimmering little
• 24:43
  silverfish. It really is a fantastic
• 24:46
  snorkeling experience. I read that lunch is usually
• 24:49
  included on the boat. Is it just, you know, a sad
• 24:51
  sandwich? No, never.
• 24:52
  It's another example of the island's high Food Standards.
• 24:55
  It's usually a simple but delicious full on Thai lunch
• 24:59
  served right there on the boat. You know, a big thing of rice, a
• 25:03
  couple different curries, some fresh fruit.
• 25:05
  It's always really good. Just quickly for the divers out
• 25:07
  there, it's a good. A fantastic spot specifically
• 25:10
  for the HTMS Chang shipwreck. It's a massive former U.S.
• 25:14
  Navy landing ship that was sunk on purpose to create an
• 25:17
  artificial reef, and it's one of the best wreck dives in
• 25:20
  Thailand. OK, before we wrap up the
• 25:22
  activities, we have to talk about the elephant in the room,
• 25:24
  so to speak. On an island nicknamed Elephant
• 25:27
  Island, there's a huge critical ethical consideration around
• 25:31
  animal tourism. This is a really firm, non
• 25:34
  negotiable point for any responsible traveler and the
• 25:37
  sources were very emphatic about this because of the name.
• 25:40
  The temptation to visit an elephant camp is high, but you
• 25:44
  have to be so careful. The sources were clear.
• 25:47
  Do not endorse or recommend any camps that offers elephant
• 25:50
  riding. Why is that line so firm?
• 25:54
  Because the practice of elephant riding and the training that
• 25:57
  leads up to it, is based on a process that is fundamentally
• 26:00
  harmful and cruel to the animals.
• 26:02
  It involves breaking their spirit when they are young and
• 26:05
  using physical coercion like bullhooks to control them
• 26:08
  throughout their lives. It's widely recognized as an
• 26:10
  unethical practice, and spending your money on it just fuels the
• 26:14
  cycle. So for the listener who loves
• 26:15
  elephants and wants to see them respectfully, how do they tell
• 26:18
  the difference between a real sanctuary and a tourist trap?
• 26:21
  We need to be practical here. Absolutely, because the word
• 26:23
  sanctuary is often just used for marketing.
• 26:25
  So the first step is to do your research.
• 26:27
  Look for a place that has accreditation from a recognized
• 26:30
  international animal welfare organization.
• 26:33
  And read the reviews. Read the most recent reviews and
• 26:36
  read them critically. Look for any mention of riding
• 26:39
  hooks, chains or elephants performing tricks.
• 26:42
  If you see photos of elephants painting pictures or playing
• 26:45
  football, that is a massive red flag.
• 26:47
  That is a tourist trap, not a sanctuary.
• 26:50
  So what is a good ethical interaction look like?
• 26:53
  A real sanctuary is all about rescue and the goal is to give
• 26:58
  the elephants a life that's as natural as possible.
• 27:01
  Any interaction should be on the elephants terms, not yours.
• 27:05
  You might observe them from a distance, maybe help prepare
• 27:07
  their food or take part in a supervised mud bath where the
• 27:11
  interaction is gentle and the elephants are choosing to
• 27:13
  participate. The key take away is if the
• 27:16
  animals are being asked to do anything for your entertainment,
• 27:19
  it's the wrong place. Exactly, and if you have any
• 27:22
  doubt at all, just skip it. Your tourist dollars are
• 27:24
  powerful and they should only support ethical treatment.
• 27:27
  That's a really clear and important guide.
• 27:29
  OK, let's move into our final phase, Phase 4, navigating the
• 27:33
  rough edges and the verdict. We know Ko Chang is rewarding,
• 27:37
  but what should a traveler actively avoid?
• 27:40
  What are the real downsides of this unpolished charm?
• 27:43
  Right, let's start with the essential skips.
• 27:45
  And the biggest, most serious warning is about transportation.
• 27:49
  Skip number one. Do not rent a scooter if you are
• 27:53
  an inexperienced writer. This goes right back to that
• 27:55
  roller coaster design by a sadist.
• 27:57
  It does. The sources are so adamant about
• 27:59
  this. The hills are dangerously steep,
• 28:02
  the corners are sharp, the road surface can be sketchy, and it
• 28:05
  often gets wet and slippery. Tourists have serious accidents
• 28:08
  here all the time. And I get the temptation.
• 28:10
  A scooter is cheap, maybe 250 bat a day and it offers freedom.
• 28:13
  But the risk is just not worth it.
• 28:15
  The alternative? The songthos are cheap and
• 28:17
  everywhere. A ride between main beaches
• 28:20
  might cost you 100 baht a couple of bucks.
• 28:22
  Why risk a massive injury and a huge medical bill for that tiny
• 28:26
  bit of convenience? Just leave the driving to the
• 28:28
  local experts who know those hills inside and out.
• 28:31
  A very strong piece of advice. What's skip #2?
• 28:34
  Skip number 2 is the resort bubble.
• 28:36
  This island is big. It's over 30 kilometers from top
• 28:39
  to bottom and it's way too easy to just get stuck on your one
• 28:43
  beach, especially if you're staying at one of the big
• 28:45
  resorts on white sand. You risk missing the whole point
• 28:48
  of being there. You do.
• 28:50
  You went through that whole epic journey to get to this diverse,
• 28:53
  interesting place. Don't let your entire vacation
• 28:56
  be confined to a single kilometer of sand.
• 28:59
  Pay the 100 baud for the song Thaw.
• 29:01
  Go explore the quiet waterfalls. Check out the fishing village
• 29:05
  vibe in Bang Bao. Try the seafood on a different
• 29:08
  beach. I agree with that, Yeah.
• 29:10
  And skip #3 is a smaller one, but a good one.
• 29:12
  The generic fire shows, they're at every beach bar in Thailand,
• 29:16
  and the sources say they're often just loud and obnoxious
• 29:19
  and they kind of break the peaceful atmosphere.
• 29:21
  Find a quieter bar. There are so many.
• 29:24
  Find a little spot on the sand where you can just have a beer
• 29:26
  and listen to the sound of the waves in the jungle.
• 29:29
  That is a much more authentic and rewarding experience.
• 29:31
  And finally, a strong repeat skip #4 is to avoid unethical
• 29:35
  elephant camps. It's a responsibility we have as
• 29:38
  travelers. It has to be the foundation of
• 29:40
  any visit. So this brings us to the big
• 29:43
  idea, the aha moment we have to define this unpolished vibe.
• 29:47
  Why is the island's ruggedness actually its greatest strength?
• 29:51
  The sources are really honest about this.
• 29:53
  Kochang is not perfect. The infrastructure is, as they
• 29:56
  say, a bit creaky. The roads have potholes, the
• 30:00
  power might go out for an hour, your Wi-Fi might be a bit slow
• 30:04
  in some places. That is the reality of being
• 30:06
  outside a perfectly manicured resort bubble like Samly.
• 30:10
  But that creakiness, that ruggedness, is exactly what's
• 30:13
  preserving the island's character.
• 30:15
  It is. It means the island has found
• 30:17
  this amazing balance. You can still get a great cup of
• 30:19
  coffee, you can have a world class meal, you can find a
• 30:22
  comfortable bed and good Wi-Fi. It has enough comfort, but it
• 30:24
  hasn't lost its wild jungle heart.
• 30:27
  It feels more like a real place. A much more real place.
• 30:29
  You see more local life, you see fewer international chains, you
• 30:32
  feel more of a community. And the trade off is the essence
• 30:36
  of why you go to coaching. It is for the traveler who is
• 30:39
  willing to sacrifice maybe 20% of their convenience.
• 30:42
  In exchange for 50% fewer people.
• 30:45
  And a way more adventurous, authentic and natural
• 30:48
  experience. You get 90% of the raw beauty of
• 30:51
  the more famous islands, but without the crowds and the crazy
• 30:55
  high prices. It's the adventurous reward, the
• 30:58
  effort is the price of admission, and the reward is
• 31:01
  that authenticity. Perfectly sad.
• 31:03
  All right, I think it's time. Let's bring this home with the
• 31:05
  final verdict, the official scoring.
• 31:07
  On a scale of 1 to 10, is coaching worth a long, demanding
• 31:11
  journey to get there? OK, I'll go first.
• 31:14
  For me, that journey is a real drawback.
• 31:16
  It's a full day of travel and that eats into your vacation
• 31:19
  time. And the roads on the island do
• 31:21
  present a genuine safety concern you need to be aware of.
• 31:25
  But the value for money is just off the charts.
• 31:28
  The quality of the food, the low cost of a really nice place to
• 31:31
  stay, and the sheer raw, protected beauty of the place.
• 31:36
  They are huge, undeniable positive.
• 31:38
  So weighing all of that, I'm giving Ko Chang a very solid 8
• 31:42
  out of 10. And eight is a very strong
• 31:44
  score. I think I'm going to go a little
• 31:45
  higher. For me, the things you listed as
• 31:48
  drawbacks, the difficult journey, the lack of an airport,
• 31:51
  the scary roads, I honestly see them as features.
• 31:55
  They're not bugs, they're the filter.
• 31:56
  They're the filter. They're the mechanisms that are
• 31:58
  preserving this place. They screen who comes and they
• 32:01
  protect the environment from overdevelopment.
• 32:03
  I love that it requires an adventurous spirit.
• 32:05
  The food is truly unforgettable, and I love that you can find
• 32:09
  total peace on one beach in a huge party just one hill over.
• 32:13
  It has that contrast for me. Kochang is a nine out of 10.
• 32:16
  Wow. OK, so that brings our combined
• 32:19
  official verdict to an 8.5 out of 10.
• 32:22
  Kochang is officially, resoundingly worth it.
• 32:25
  And that is our deep dive on Thailand's Emerald Island.
• 32:28
  We've navigated the sketchy roads, we've decoded the beach
• 32:31
  vibes, we've tasted the incredible food, all to help you
• 32:34
  figure out if this rugged, unpolished gem is the right fit
• 32:37
  for your travel style. And it's so important to repeat
• 32:40
  that one observation from the source material.
• 32:42
  The lack of an air court is a feature, not a bug, because it
• 32:46
  keeps the masses away. The island self regulates its
• 32:49
  tourism just by being inconvenient.
• 32:51
  And that leads us to our final provocative thought for you to
• 32:53
  chew on. As Southeast Asian develops at
• 32:56
  lightning speed, as more and more airports and highways are
• 32:59
  built, these kinds of truly unpolished destinations, places
• 33:04
  that deliberately make you work to get there, they're becoming
• 33:08
  an endangered species. They really are.
• 33:10
  So we have to ask, is that deliberate inconvenience, that
• 33:14
  willingness to trade your time for a more authentic experience?
• 33:17
  Is that the true measure of a destination's worth?
• 33:20
  And is it ultimately the only thing that can guarantee its
• 33:24
  long term preservation? It's a huge question.
• 33:26
  In an age where we expect everything instantly, Do you
• 33:29
  want the convenience or do you want the commitment?
• 33:31
  Something to think about until our next deep dive.
• 33:33
  We're packing our bags and heading for the mountains.
• 33:35
  We'll be exploring the culture and the misty peaks of Chiang
• 33:38
  Mai. Travel safe everyone, eat well.
• 33:41
  Bye for now.