[Bangkok April 2024 Brief Trip Report]

2 hours ago, reader said:

As I've gotten older I find that I no longer seek out guys with glorious bodies or prettiest faces. Perfectly willing to settle for attractive young men who offer affection and intimacy sans the attitude games. Nevertheless fully appreciate why others do flock to Jupiter.

I say amen to what you wrote above.

That is why I chose to retire in Asia and not Europe or the USA - where the attitude games are a daily ongoing frustration.

[Taking off shoes before entering a house]

quick funny story to add to the flavor of this post

back in 2011 when I moved back to Rome from Budapest I was in a new apartment and I was waiting for the Telecom technician to install my wifi box and setup my internet in my new apartment.  He was sexy.

When he finished his work, he said to me get your laptop so that we can test the performance of your new internet.

I opened my laptop and then my Chrome browser and what pops up - the web page for CircolodelleSeghe - https://clubdelleseghe.forumcommunity.net/

Oh my God, the Italian jerk off club was in full view in front of the Telecom technician.

I turned apple red and said excuse me so that I can test another web page.

His reply astonished me - "Don't change the web page - I like to jerk off with other guys......"

Next thing I know we are jerking off together - his cock in my hand and his hand on my cock.....

Reminds me - we never did complete the internet speed test....

but he did a good job as everything was fast - hahahahahaha

I tried to contact him again for more fun but he told me - "I am straight and married with kids....."

I said - so what - all straight guys need to jerk off from time to time  :>))

[When you've got to go...]

21 hours ago, reader said:

From Pattaya News

Pattaya City has invested 30 million baht in buying six new toilet trucks to accommodate tourists, elderly, and disabled people, especially during events.

Mr. Manoch Nongyai, the Deputy Mayor of Pattaya, proudly announced the initiative on April 25th, 2024, after the city received three out of the six new vehicles.

He stated that these new vehicles will be added to the existing 3-vehicle fleet. Previously, Pattaya relied on just three older mobile toilet trucks, with some having been in service for many decades. The bulky size of the old vehicles made it difficult to park them in areas with limited space. The growing number of tourists, particularly during major events, further necessitated the need for expanded restroom facilities, Mr. Manoch added.

The newly acquired mobile toilets feature a compact design, making them suitable for navigating tight spaces. Two of the six vehicles come with units specifically dedicated to elderly or people with disabilities as they are equipped with hydraulic lifts. They also offer over six restrooms for both genders.

Meanwhile, the other four toilet trucks come with standard units with two restrooms each for men and women. The city has invested over 30 million baht into the project, Mr. Manoch stated.

For now, the city will deploy the three trucks they received at Walking Street, the area near the Pattaya City water pump station, and Central Beach when events are not taking place.

Deputy Mayor Manoch is confident that the city will receive the remaining three toilet trucks in May of 2024. He expected that the initiative will significantly improve restroom accessibility for tourists and residents in Jomtien and Pattaya beaches.

========================

From Pattaya Mail

Pattaya launches electric baht-buses

As part of the project’s strategy to curb carbon emissions, the electric pickup trucks will undergo trial service as fixed-route public transportation vehicles from April 2024 to December 2025. Operating along the “Route 4,” these twelve electric vehicles will shuttle passengers from the Bali Hai Pier Parking Lot in South Pattaya to the Bang Lamung District Office.

 

 

Wow - I am now living here for 18 months and I was not aware that there are several Pattaya baht bus routes.  Above is mentioned, "Operating along the Route 4..."

So, I queried Google and sure enough there are many routes - here is the source article: https://www.pattayaunlimited.com/getting-around-pattaya/

with a link to a custom Google map, image below:

Prior to reading this article I was only aware of the Jomtien & Pattaya route and the Beach Road & 2nd Road Loop routes.

The above map implies that there are in fact 8 routes = wow....

Everyday we learn a new thing....

 

[I may do a side trip]

6 minutes ago, ichigo said:

This is great information @bkkmfj2648.

To further add to the above, the only place in Vietnam I've been to is Phu Quoc, and similar to Da Nang, the massage boys will make themselves known on the apps (I used Grindr), whether they are from a shop or freelance (although there is not a lot of choice there, and the grid even reaches to nearby Cambodia). One guy that approached me sent me a price list, from memory I think it was 300k VND if I came to his shop, or he said he could come to me and I can pay what I like. He ended up coming to my hotel and we had quite a good time. When I converted 300k VND to my home currency, it was incredibly cheap so I just gave him double. 

Thanks for the compliment ichigo.  This forum gives me so much enjoyment and information that I like to share whatever intel that I have with our fellow forum members.

I spent the 2019/2020 New Year's Eve in lovely Phú Quốc and I had a great time.

I have a funny massage story from Phú Quốc.  I was walking in one of those narrow alleyways near where all the main hotels are that go from the main road down to the beach and there was this very sexy massage guy that convinced me to get a massage in his shop.  The only problem was that there were no walls just a sheer type of sheet separating each of the perhaps 10 massage beds from each other.  This guy got me so excited with a BIG erection while I was laying on my stomach and he kept massaging my dick but I could not moan too load or shoot my load as there were women and other straight customers to my left and right.  When I rolled over onto my back we had to stop because things became too obvious.  I left there so horny and frustrated.  My only regret was to ask him for a way for us to continue in a more private place.  To this day, I think about that moment.  If I ever go back to Phú Quốc I will try to find him again but after 4 years already I am sure that he has moved onto other things by now....

[I may do a side trip]

12 hours ago, Marc in Calif said:

May I ask where you found your masseurs? And do you know anything about the massage spas in Da Nang?

I found my masseurs in the apps:

HeeSay and in Grindr

Note that the word "massage" is an illegal word to use within the HeeSay app - so everybody just uses a different version - I used "maxsage" and I had no issues with the HeeSay chat monitors and the Vietnamese audience was able to understand what I was looking for.

I am a 4 hands massage afficionado and I had difficulties to arrange those in my AirBnB room - as the Vietnamese are much more conservative than their Thai counterparts - as they still need to hide what they do - as they are all expected to get married by their traditional conservative families.  I told all of the guys who complained to me about this to find and marry an open minded lesbian who has the same predicament - which will allow:

 - the family to be happy with the desired facade,

- they can live their lives with their respective man-to-man and woman-to-woman partners,

- and if needed to produce children for their respective families - then it would be easier to organize within this open minded facade family structure

Almost ALL of the conservative Vietnamese that I told this to - were like WOW - now how do I find an open minded lesbian?

None of them knew of any lesbian bars, or apps where lesbians can meet.  Is there a lesbian life in Vietnam?  Thailand ?

They all envied the openness of Thai society - as the gay Vietnamese community was very interested in the Thai government's idea to legalize same sex marriages.

I digressed - too much free time as a retiree....

For 4 hands massages - I used this massage shop = "Spa 4 some" which is located at:  43 Tân Thái 6, Mân Thái, Sơn Trà, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

The contact details for this unique massage shop are:

  local phone number: 0363 640 356

WhatsApp number:  +84363640356

email:  bkhanhkaka@gmail.com

The owner, (I do not remember his name) is very nice and he contacted me via Grindr and proposed his massage shop to me.  Normally I don't frequent massage shops as I like to order in - and since this was difficult to arrange for the above stated reasons, I agreed to go to his shop.  He has 6 guys that he works with and he arranged for me to have 2 of them (site unseen - as I wanted a surprise) for my 4 hands 90 minute meeting for a charge of 1.400.000 VND - approximately 2.000 baht - 50% of the price that I normally pay back in Thailand - so, Vietnam is so much cheaper because of the poorly performing VND (Dong) currency.

The meeting was very good - professional 4 hands massage with a nice smooth transition into the elongated happy ending phase - I was a very happy customer.

Lastly, the local guys in the chats use a slightly different mechanism to identify that they are for hire:

 - the most frequent one is CB or CallBoy or Call Boy - for our Thai equivalent of MB - Money Boy

- for massage - they tend to use variations of Massa or Mass or some other iteration

You will figure it all out as each country has its hidden secrets to discover :>) which is the joy of why we like to travel and discover.

[I may do a side trip]

I just returned from 12 days in Da Nang, Vietnam - as I needed to escape Thailand's Songkran water splashing madness.

I LOVE Da Nang - a mid size city right on the South China Sea with little to no pollution as the winds from the sea keep things fresh.

I live in Jomtien, Thailand and I found that Da Nang from a financial point of view to be between 20% to 30% cheaper than what things cost in the Pattaya area - I believe that is because the VND - Vietnamese Dong currency is not doing well at the moment.

I hired a local gay guide to show me around and he was great - DM me if you want more info about him.  No sex - but a great kind guy who has his own car and could take me out of Da Nang to nearby Hue (to see the imperial city), Hoi An where we went to the nearby off-shore island of Cham to do snorkeling and on return to Hoi An proper we visited the unique coconut island water farm in those typical round circular Vietnamese boats (this was one of the highlights for me on this trip to Da Nang).

The other thing that I did was rent a motorbike for several days and I just LOVED driving out of Da Nang up into the surrounding hills where you have an amazing view of all of the beaches and the Da Nang city skyline off in the distance.

Da Nang has 1 gay bar = https://www.facebook.com/qbardanang1

I did not visit it as I was too busy touring around and getting my daily massages in my lovely 22nd floor AirBnB that overlooked the entire South China Sea.  

To meet guys, the number ONE app is BLUED - now renamed to HeeSay.  Hornet is not big in Vietnam like it is in Thailand.  and then there is Grindr (which I hate).

Just from the HeeSay app alone - I received over 300 messages in 12 days - truly off the scale - for sex, dates (even for just a romantic walk on the Da Nang seaside), massages, and general queries.

Food was great and my gay tour guide turned me onto a different type of Vietnamese coffee - which is called - Cà Phê Muối = sea salt cream coffee - this is now my MOST favorite Vietnamese coffee.

so, I guess I need to do a trip report - how do I hate those - as they are so much work to write a proper one with maps, photos, info, etc. - but I will do it eventually.

[Need to know precise date for Songkran water splashing]

Getting exact dates for this year's 2024 Songkran festivities has been confusing because the local government extended everything to help the slumping local economy.

Below is what the PCEC (Pattaya City Expats Club) posted in their recent newsletter about the Songkran dates which I used to book my flight to Vietnam to escape the water bazooka mayhem.

https://mailchi.mp/6c8ad0cceeae/your-news-from-pattaya-city-expats-club?e=f32891168a

 

[Is "don't call me" the new standard internationally now?]

48 minutes ago, Mavica said:

Nothing is provided for, or done for "free".  Nothing.

You and Moses both wrote the same response.

I am well aware that nothing is done for "free".

The point that I was trying to make is:

In the 1980s in New York City (NYC) these types of concierge services and access to a type of bellboy service were readily made available to you by the building that you lived in.  Yes you had to tip them - so it was not free and their salaries were in the condo assessment fee.

Now in the 2000s these services are no longer readily available - except for the elite and ultra rich - due to cost cutting and outsourcing.

Now in the 2000s (2024) what was once available in NYC in the 1980s is still available in Thailand in many of the large condo places.  Yes it is not free - as their salaries are included in the condo assessment fee.  But what is more important is that these concierge / bellboy services were not taken away from us in Thailand.

So, by living in Thailand - you can have the joy of going back in time to the good old days and get services (not free) that were readily available in the 1980s that are still available in Thailand.

 

[In Progress Trip Report (April 2024)]

I am enjoying your cock tease writing style.  I cannot wait for the next segment....

[Is "don't call me" the new standard internationally now?]

14 hours ago, Moses said:

The service you are used to is already a thing of the past.

One of the joys of retiring in Thailand is that the past is still alive.

When I lived in New York City in the 80s is was still popular for concierge / bell boy services to still be free and abundant in many of the NYC residential buildings.

Fast forward with the western move to outsource everything and to eliminate formerly "free" services - these types of free concierge services quickly disappeared - remaining only for the elite and ultra rich people.

I moved to Pattaya 18 months ago and the services available to us condo dwellers in View Talay are amazing and remind me of that time in NYC when we also had these free services.

For example - I don't own a car - but when I first started settling into my condo - I had to make many big purchases and rent special Bolt vans - SUVs to get these purchases home.  I would struggle to get them out of the Bolt when it arrived to the View Talay lobby and amazingly, many from the condo security team would run towards me to help me unload these large boxes and then assist me with the freight elevator and bring them into my condo room - all for free - and with a BIG smile as they are always happy to see you return home.  Of course I tipped them all.

This is one example of many where the free services we get in Thailand are a remnant of what we used to get back in the west....

so, retire in Thailand and have the joy of going back in time :>))

[Does anyone know where Mr. B has gone?]

he is hot and is my type of man.

is he in BKK or in Pattaya or somewhere else in Thailand ?

[Pattaya swelters as temperatures soar ahead of Songkran, Bangkok hits 40 degrees]

Yes I agree - it has been hotter than hell here.

With my ongoing motorbike lessons, two of my Thai friends suggested that we go over to Koh Larn (there are no cars on the island - only baht bus songthaews) which makes learning to ride a motorbike great.

But the piercing sun limited how much we could drive around on our motorbikes so we just headed over to my favorite beach, Tien beach to lay in the shade under the trees.  Thais being Thais would not join me to swim (they wanted the shade) in the lovely transparent turquoise clean water.

I had my first fall on my motorbike - this was lesson #10 - my fault - during the ride up the steep narrow mountain road from Tawaen beach over to Tien beach - the wind started to blow my hat off of my head and I instinctively with one of my hands let go of the handlebar to capture my hat resulting in me going off the side of the narrow steep path - speed was VERY slow as it was a steep incline and on a curve.  So physically to the motorbike or my body no damage was done - only just to my ego.

However, I learned a valuable lesson to keep both hands on the handlebar when driving a motorbike (let the sun hat fly away) - unlike when driving a car - to take one hand off the steering wheel does not have the same risk.....

[First-timer: confused about how massages work]

1 hour ago, MaxBKK said:

This is the current rate for Thai customer massage shops -> non-sex massage shops in non-tourist areas.  

exactly - usually from Twitter when a Thai person is quoting prices for the various services it is for Thai-on-Thai and generally NOT for us farangs - as the marketing of Thai services to us farang is usually done in Grindr, Hornet, Heesay, or PlanetRomeo where the price is generally much higher than the Thai-on-Thai price.

Kind of like what us farangs pay to get into a national park versus what a Thai pays to get into that same national park

In my opinion, this is fair - as our incomes tend to be several multiples more than theirs......

[Advice please]

3 hours ago, vinapu said:

I simplified my life and use VST (Vinapu Standard Tip ) in massages :

wow - first I learned about the "Vinapu tuck" and then I started to apply it in my life

Now I learn about VST - at first I was confused - as I thought that it was a new time zone = Vinapu time....

[TCS Spa & Prestige Massage]

1 hour ago, sydneyboy1 said:

Any information appreciated. There are some cuties on their websites.

Hi Sydneyboy1,

Please check out my GayGuides forum post that I made in January - as I discuss 2 of the many Twitter/Line groups that discuss massage shops and their masseurs extensively primarily in Bangkok - with some comments for Chiang Mai, Phuket, HatYai, and Korea and Japan.  Unfortunately, there is nothing for Pattaya as the massage scene here in Pattaya is messed up when it comes to social media access and online booking systems like Bangkok has.

I hope that this information will help as I see that TCS Spa and Prestige are perhaps in the top 20 of the places discussed in these Twitter/Line forums.  Note that this information is only in Thai but with Google Translate you can open this gem which is chock full of juicy and great information.  I have even put my own questions into their forums (using Google Translate) and the forum members were very helpful and responsive.

 

 

[Songkran question]

I am also escaping the water bazooka squirting madness of Pattaya - I leave for Vietnam on 12 April and return after the last squirts and water splashing should have been concluded on 22 April.

Some years back, I participated in the Songkran madness but one of my eyes got an infection from some of the dirty water that is splashed around and it took 1 entire week for the infection to go away - so I want to avoid this year's festivities.  Many of my friends are saying that I should wear googles but I also wear glasses and it is just so inconvenient to do that for 7 continuous days of water madness.....

Already here the stores are selling these GIANT bazooka water pistols - OMG 

[Pattaya Booms, Hotels Exceed 90% Occupancy]

7 hours ago, Vessey said:

There could be many reasons for the lack of gay tourists, but I would suggest that one of those reasons is that most gay establishments are utterly hopeless at self-promotion on social media or elsewhere

In my opinion you HIT the nail on the head with what you wrote above.

Firstly, there is a HUGE missed opportunity of presenting ALL of the Gay Pattaya on social media.  

Currently it is fragmented - you have the Jomtien Supertown Complex website system (https://www.gaysupertown.com/) which has web media, blog, Facebook, and Twitter feeds.  BUT - it is ONLY focused on what is within the walls of the Jomtien Supertown Complex - like a medieval city.  To hell with anything gay that is outside of those walls - even if they exist in Jomtien.  This blog also is missing a very much needed section on how to retire successfully in the Pattaya area - like what are the things to do and those things to avoid.  Instead, each of us who chose to retire here need to do it on our own and pray and hope that we made the right decisions to make it successful.

Then Boyztown and Sunee are almost non-existent in social media.

So, in my opinion, the worst enemy of the gay community in Pattaya is the same gay community that allows for this defragmented and not united methodology to marketing on ALL of the millions of social media outlets a COMBINED focus on what Gay Pattaya has to offer.  It is absent.

In closing, in my opinion, until there is a change in the above marketing deficiencies - I believe that Gay Pattaya will continue to disappear - as there is no SINGLE marketing voice to market Gay Pattaya to the world.

[Hatyai GL Sauna and gogobars]

I was down in Songkhla Province - including Songkhla city and also HatYai and many other places for 17 days during the Christmas and New Year (2024) period.

In HatYai city there was the G-Club Spa   https://line.me/ti/p/RQSlvYKWJv   --> Twitter information below

and also the Kamyan HatYai Massage   https://line.me/ti/p/lL62VopRFv  -> does not have a presence on Twitter

I then also employed the services of 3 different local tour companions that I found in Twitter and Hornet - in case you need more information.

[Bars hopping last night]

11 hours ago, t0oL1 said:

As opposed to tonight. I stayed at hotel until 12:20 am intending to go out late for an after bar club- the Soi was dark and quiet due to a little known holiday and will be closed tomorrow also. Oops!

I believe that there are around 4 primary Buddhist holidays where the bars must shut down (due to the no alcohol sales rule), of which the Makha Bucha Day holiday is one of these 4 holidays.  I was also in the Jomtien Supertown Complex last night and at midnight all the bars were already closing with lights off.  It lasts for 24 hours.

Performing a Wikipedia search https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_in_Thailand

below is a list of these holidays but I am not sure which ones require an alcohol ban - perhaps those with the "Bucha" word in the holiday name?

Do any of our more knowledgeable readers know ?

[Moving to Pattaya, looking for translator]

3 hours ago, colmx said:

potentially know more about what is going on than the expats that live sheltered lives.

oh no - these words cast a bad omen on us new entries - I started retiring here in September 2022

how much time would you estimate I have left before I won't know what is going on as I crawl into my turtle shell into my expat retiree sheltered life ?

[Moving to Pattaya, looking for translator]

Hello JD.  Hit me up if you want to hang out after you arrive in Pattaya.  I sent you a DM.

[Better to be retired than retarded - Thailand and Cambodia in January 2024. Trip report, brief but long.]

12 hours ago, vinapu said:

In meantime , rest assured my friend Bkkmfj find way of occupying himself with suitable company but that is his business. We left at the same time but in different directions.

It was great to see you again Vinapu and to catch up after 1 year.

Firstly, I loved those urinal photos that you took from Phuket.  That is very original.  I guess the only things that can watch you piss are the bats and birds ?

Since you shared with us you offing sexy ARM - I can share that I offed 2 small guys that looked almost like brothers - but one was Thai and the other Cambodian (? was that correct Vinapu ?) - anyway they lived kind of near each other where only the Thai/Cambodian border separated them but they met in Pattaya in the go-go bar scene and then became good friends.  I used the usual technique - call down the first guy and see if he is cool with the second guy - which the mamsans confirmed and were elated that Vinapu and myself - we offed 3 of their best looking guys within 30 minutes ?

Were mine good ?  Yes, we got the deed done in bed but only after I fed them as they were both starving and we made a food stall stop on the way to my place.  Then after everybody's respective orgasms - they showered and left - unlike Vinapu - I love to sleep alone - as I find it difficult to sleep with one eye open.

And remember Vinapu - I want to join you one time in BKK - because since I retired here in Jomtien since September 2022, I have only been in BKK (other than the airport) 1 single time - and it was for shopping.  So, I need a Vinapu training course regarding the delights of BKK and the guys.....

But I am not complaining - as Pattaya and Jomtien keep my hands busy....

[Trip report - Koh Chang - 15Jan2024 - 18Jan2024]

2 hours ago, siriusBE said:

Thanks a lot for the report. I stayed on Koh Chang last week (in the very south, Chivapuri Beach Resort) and liked it very much. having your own car is great. The ferry for the car is only 120.

Thanks for your feedback.  Could you elaborate some more about your choice to stay at the almost southern point on Koh Chang?

The reason that I ask is we are thinking of returning again to Koh Chang and maybe it would be nice for us to also stay at the Chivapuri Beach Resort.

Is there civilization outside of the resort?  We noticed that the farther away that you got from the 2 primary tourist areas; White Sands beach and Lonely Beach it becomes quite remote.  Was that your experience?

We truly enjoyed eating outside of our resort at the Beach Tango place at the White Sands beach as it was much more lively and genuine than the sterile type of experience you can have when you remain confined within a resort for too long.

Many thanks in advance for any ideas, suggestions, feedback you can share regarding this almost southern most point of the island.

[Trip report - Koh Chang - 15Jan2024 - 18Jan2024]

5 hours ago, khaolakguy said:

Really interesting report, thank you. I always heard that the mosquitoes on Koh Chang were HUGE! And real bloodsuckers! Was that your experience?

Then I consider myself lucky - as I only recall a few mosquito bites that only left small bite marks - none of those large bloodsucker bite marks that I hate and itch for days.

[Trip report - Koh Chang - 15Jan2024 - 18Jan2024]

Trip Report – Koh Chang – 15 Jan 2024 – 18 Jan 2024

 

I am behind on my trip reports.  I present this one from Koh Chang (which was easier to prepare) and then I will have a bigger one from Christmas/New Years - 17 day trip report for Songkhla.  Sorry for the delays.

 

Up to now, my favorite island in proximity of Pattaya has been Koh Samet.

Hanging out with my volleyball friends at the Dongtan beach (Sea Rescue area), we were chatting about a new island place to go to and we decided to make a 4 day / 3 night visit to Koh Chang.

Aerial shot of the Trat island archipelago

One of them has a car, so that made the transportation modality easy. Note that a quick search in Google - notes that there are many busses that also go there – primarily from Bangkok but I believe that I saw one from Pattaya as well.

    -> Please note that their facial photos are included in this trip report with their permission given as well as their contact details in case any of you would like to use their services. <-

We departed Jomtien around 9:45am and we arrived at the Ao Thammachat pier in Trat at around 14:30pm, almost 5 hours – leisurely driving with breaks for the bathroom, iced coffee, and gas.

We were able to get onto the 15:30pm car ferry at a cost of 120 baht for the car and then 80 baht for the each of us for a total of 360 baht. The ferry crossing is about 30 minutes.  Ferry info can be found here at:  Koh Chang Ferries price list 2023 / 2024 

Map of Koh Chang and surrounding islands.  As you can see there are many ferry options to arrive onto the island from the mainland.

Above places highlighted with a red circle are the places that we visited

We booked our 3 night stay at the Klong Prao Resort    Klong Prao Beach Resort webpage 

We booked 2 rooms and paid 1,840 baht per night for a total of 11,040 baht for 3 nights.

This resort is lovely and very big with a beautiful sandy beach and lush tropical plants everywhere.  As we booked kind of at the last minute we were assigned to 2 older rooms.  There are 3 distinct zones around a large pond, where the zone we stayed in is the oldest and the other 2 zones are more modern.  My only complaint about our rooms were there were hardly any electrical outlets for all of our devices (electric razor, tooth brush, boom box, mobile phones, etc.).  Other than this inconvenience the rooms were perfect – air con worked very well, shower had hot water, and unlike my stay in Koh Samet and also in Songkhla (I still need to write this trip report) there were NO noisy geckos

to wake us up in the early morning with their annoying chirping sounds.  However, they are very handy for eating any annoying mosquitos, bugs and spiders.

Note that the 2 newer zones have many electrical outlets as they were probably built after the advent of the popularity of mobile phones and all of our electrical gadgets.

The highlights of this resort for us were:

• The pool and their pool bar with early evening 2 for 1 sunset happy hours – as evidenced in the below photos,
• The white sandy beaches and blue turquoise water.  Note that the Koh Chang municipality has strict rules that keep the noisy speed boats and jet skis away – thus rendering the beaches to be more in their wonderful natural state.

Day 1 (15 Jan 2024) itinerary

Arrive onto the island, check in unpack, enjoy the resort grounds, pool, beach, happy hour, fantastic sunset and eat at the resort dining facility = RimHad Restaurant.  Watched a great fire show performed by some hunky macho guys (similar to the familiar B-Boys, who perform all over Pattaya, Boyztown, Jomtien) on the beach in front of our resort restaurant.  Like when I visited Koh Samet, these fire show guys can be found traveling up and down the beach performing in front of the many resorts and beach restaurants.  It lasted about 10 minutes and was very entertaining.

I realized that I did not take any still photos so the above photo is from a movie clip that I made.

 

Then before going to sleep I received my customary massage – as both of these volleyball friends are also masseurs.

Day 2 (16 Jan 2024) itinerary

After the great resort buffet breakfast (an enormous selection of Western and Thai foods were available) we headed off to the Khlong Phlu Waterfall in the National Park.  It was nearby, and perhaps after 30 minutes by car we were already at the trailhead for our hike.  The hike took about 30 minutes and was rather easy. 

Explore Koh Chang - description of Koh Chang waterfalls  

As it was not rainy season, the waterfall was a little bit subdued, but it was still cool and refreshing to take a dip and to swim with the millions of fish that were in the water.  You need to resist their lite nibbles at your skin – kind of like those tourist places that you see all over Thailand where the tourists put their feet into a fish tank to get their dead skin nibbled off.

There were about 20 to 25 people there when we visited with about half of them brave enough to enter the chilly refreshing water.  There is a lifeguard off to the left up on the rocks to prevent that tourists climb up onto the waterfall, as it can be quite dangerous as it is very slippery.

And there I am trying to acclimate myself to the lite nibbles by the fish before I dove in and swam

over to where the water was cascading down – as that end is very deep.

 

Entrance fee to the waterfall (which is part of the national park system) was 40 baht for each of my 2 Thai friends and 200 baht for me for a total cost of 280 baht.

Afterwards, back to our resort to relax, swim in the pool, take advantage of the 2-for-1 drink specials at the pool bar, and to watch the sunset.

For that night’s dinner we drove over to the popular White Sands Beach area – full of restaurants, hotels, resorts, markets, etc. to eat at the Beach Tango restaurant 

     Beach Tango restaurant Facebook page  

which became our favorite go-to place to eat.

Why?

The food and drinks were good.  There was interesting eye candy – one of the wait staff had our constant attention.  Plus, there were many interesting people walking up and down the beach – as there are many, many, bars and restaurants in this area.  Beach Tango is smack in the middle of all of the fun and is an entertaining place to be situated.

Then after dinner back to the room to relax for my nightly massage.  Life is good.

 

Day 3 (17 Jan 2024) itinerary

Enjoy the buffet breakfast and then head down to the extreme southern part of Koh Chang (on the opposite side of the island) to visit the very famous Koh Ngam beach.  It was a very long drive as we needed to cross the island to the other side (mainland facing), and this part of the island is not built up like the other side, so consequently, the main road became narrower and narrower up into the mountains to the point where there was only room for 1 car to pass one way with very steep curvy roads.  Scary, but well worth the reward to arrive at the tiny boat station to take the 10 minute boat to cross over to the breath taking Koh Ngam.

You can choose your mode of transportation – by kayak or by motorboat.  We chose by motorboat as we were too excited to already be on Koh Ngam.  I believe that we paid 80 baht for each Thai person, and I as a farang had to pay 200 baht, which included the boat ride over to the island.  Fee is paid to a ranger on Koh Ngam – as it is now part of the Thailand National Park system.

Here is a good short video with some drone footage of Koh Ngam:  Youtube video with drone footage of Koh Ngam 

And here is what awaits you on Koh Ngam – truly amazing.

After enjoying Koh Ngam (swimming, relaxing, and enjoying the view and the nature) – back on the boat to Koh Chang and then back in the car for the 1 hour trip back to our resort for those 2-for-1 pool bar cocktails and amazing sunsets.

Rinse and repeat the previous night at Beach Tango for dinner and drinks and then back to the resort for my nightly good-night massage.

Day 4 (18 Jan 2024) itinerary

Enjoy the last breakfast buffet and check-out of the resort for the long 5 hour drive back to Pattaya (Jomtien).

Phong says to me – do you want to see one more exciting place before we head back?  I say, sure, why not.  So, we drive over to the Kai Bae Viewpoint, which is famous for its spectacular view of 4 of the Koh Chang archipelago islands, Koh Yuak, Koh Man Noi, Koh Pli and Koh Man Nok.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kai+Bae+Viewpoint/@12.0205768,102.2919516,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x3104105179b452c7:0x2b4a04572dce185b!8m2!3d12.0205768!4d102.2919516!16s%2Fg%2F11b6tz721w?hl=en&entry=ttu

Note that there is excellent coffee available at this Kai Bae viewpoint.

Before almost reaching Pattaya, my 2 tour guides noticed that we were all sad that our 4 day trip was coming to a quick end, so they said do you want to eat at a fun place that is near Pattaya (about 1 hour away) before we call it a day?  I said sure – as I really like to see and experience new places.

So, we stopped off at the Tamnanpar Resort & Restaurant – one of these many nearby Pattaya / Rayong restaurants that are tucked away in a jungle theme – various Thai friends have taken me to different ones as each Thai person swears that his/her’s is the best.

Tamnanpar resort and restaurant Facebook page 

This place is famous for their unique game cuisine where you can eat ostrich, crocodile, snake, and deer. All was good and our random waiter was someone that my 2 tour guides already knew and were teasing him about his in-the-bed attributes – he was quite shy but willing to tease back my 2 Thai friends.  I truly enjoy when the Thais do this to each other as it is very entertaining.

Then they dropped me off at my condo room in Jomtien and our trip concluded.

 

 

Trip summary:

Would I go back to Koh Chang?  Most certainly – it is a large island and there is still more to see. Especially to visit many of the many off-shore islands in the archipelago. Maybe stay for one more additional day to take some time to do kayaking.

Any regrets?  Yes, we did not have time to see the famous abandoned boat “ghost” hotel.   Nation Thailand article on the famous "ghost" ship on Koh Chang

 

Contact details (HORNET and Line) for my 2 Thai tour guides from the Dongtan volleyball field in Jomtien.  They can be available to be a tour guide, companion, or masseur. 

•  permission was granted to me by the both of them to publish their details for all of you

Also, come and visit them at volleyball (nightly from about 5:30 pm until 8pm to 9pm daily) – right next to the Sea Rescue in front of the Pattaya Park Tower on the beach road of our Dongtan beach. 

Phong Hornet ID is:  @m-thailand

Boat Hornet ID is:  @13hq91