We decided to skip the included “American Breakfast” as it’s called and cross the street for something a bit more interesting and healthy. We first dropped off our dirty laundry, also across the tiny street, where they wash your clothes for 20 Baht (50 cents) and it’s ready by 6PM the same day. The breakfast cafe was small and charming with statues, flowers and little offerings of food in dishes which the passing dogs seemed to enjoy very much. Tamar had a fruit, yogurt and muesli cup and I enjoyed a mushroom crepe and some very strong and good coffee.

We rented a motorbike yesterday and we’ll probably keep it for the entire week that we’re here. Motorbikes are only 100 Baht here in Pai which is about $2.50 and you can fill up the tank for about the same price so it’s just good to have a bike handy for whenever you might need it. However, the air is so cool and clear in the morning that we plan to go on mini-excursions each morning before the afternoon heat arrives.

Narrow walkway along the Pai Canyon

Today we ventured South past the turnoff to the waterfall we visited yesterday, our current destination being the Pai Canyon. The travel agent we spoke to in town apologized to us in advance that it’s “much smaller than the Grand Canyon” and she told us to not be disappointed. It’s true that if Las Vegas were to create a “Grand Canyon, the Experience” theme park it would be roughly the size of the Pai Canyon but with the mountain view and trees everywhere it was really a nice place to visit. Many narrow natural walkways or dirt paved ridges surrounded the canyon, most of them looking too precarious to even attempt. The view from the canyon was beautiful.

We then continued further South to the “WWII Bridge” which was an old steel bridge over the Pai River. This was actually the same location from which we set out on the previous day’s bamboo raft journey down the river. From the bridge we could see several miles of farmland extending all the way to the surrounding mountains.

Water buffalo in the fields near the Mae Yen Waterfall

We decided to visit another waterfall to the East of Pai and we stopped for lunch along the way. While waiting for our food I set out on foot down the road a bit to photograph some water buffalo. I got pretty close to one who was near enough to the roadside but I think the real camera worthy moment must have been me jumping up and down, waiving my arms and making noises trying to get the buffalo’s attention for my own photo.

We followed the flow of water while driving on a narrow dirt road through fields of crops until the road ended in the shade. We found out that the waterfall was another seven kilometers walk from there. Since this was the hottest time of the day we decided it would be best to return for the hike to the waterfall tomorrow morning when it’s still cool and we weren’t stuffed from eating such a large lunch.

Back in Pai we have WIFI Internet, electricity and a large selection of organic, vegetarian food (and seafood) and fresh baked goods at a nice restaurant called “The Sanctuary” just along the river. It’s the perfect place to chill out during the peak of the day’s heat and to catch up on our blogging!

The Pool at the Coral Resort, Kaibe Beach

We stayed a total of seven nights on the island of Koh Chang and four of those were at a very nice resort, the Coral Resort, located at the northern end of Kaibe Beach. This is not a huge resort or even a fancy resort like the ones a bit further North at Klong Prao Beach. But this resort had what we needed and more.

We opted for a private cabin with air-conditioning which ran us 2,000 Thai Baht ($53) a night. Identical cabins with a sea view were 2,500 but from our cabin the sea was still visible between the neighboring “sea-view cabins”. Walking about 20 meters brought us to the edge of the sea for an unobstructed view.

The cabin was really very nice. For starters it was quite spacious and hexagonal in shape. the ceilings were very high and the structure was a combination of painted cement and wood which was attractive and clean looking. Each cabin had its own stairway and balcony that wrapped around a third of the cabin, facing in the direction of the sea. There were plenty of windows for fresh air but the AC was a nice defense against the mid-day heat and the mosquitoes at night. The bathroom was particularly nice with a large shower.

Probably the single most attractive part of the resort was the large swimming pool situated between the restaurant, the massage tables and the sea. The views from the pool looked out over the water and it was simply stunning. Most of the resorts on Koh Chang face west and so sunsets are incredible to watch from any part of this resort.

Massage was very nice and only 250 Baht for one hour. However, for an amazing massage or spa treatment we recommend Bodiwork Spa located on the main road.

Coral Resort doesn’t really have its own beach but you can walk just a bit to get to a strip of beach from the neighboring resort, still within sight of Coral. We’ve found the other resorts on Koh Chang (and on Koh Mak) to be very relaxed in terms of hanging out on their sands, even sitting in their beach chairs when we’re not staying at their resort. Nobody ever asks to see our room key, requests money or tells us to move on.

The restaurant was good but nothing special. The food was tasty but sometimes the portions were rather small. However, the pricing of the dishes was probably less than you would expect from a “resort” anyway. The room included a choice of breakfast and we opted for our daily fruit, yogurt and musli combo which was nice. The neighboring Nang Nual Resort to the South has an even better restaurant which serves an amazing crab with garlic and peppercorns and stays open into the night unlike the restaurant at Coral. The two resorts are under the same family ownership and are separated by a small foot bridge over a canal.

The staff was friendly and professional and this was a smaller relaxed type of place. Tipping is only necessary for housekeeping and possibly at the bar/restaurant since it’s not like there’s a concierge staff or porter carrying your luggage around.

The Coral Resort is only a short walk from the main coastal road and is therefore conveniently located near all of the restaurants, bars and ATMs, 7-Elevens, etc. It’s always nice to have a rented motorbike handy to visit other beaches but it’s well known that Koh Chang is full of steep inclines and winding roads which are only suitable for experienced drivers.

The most interesting part of Coral was the family of animals that also share the resort. All of the animals are domesticated but they add a nice friendly atmosphere and it’s interesting to see them all sort of inhabit the same piece of the island together. There are 2 small pigs (a small one and a tiny one), a cat and several dogs and they all wander around pretty freely or nap in the shade when they’re not busy playing with each other.

One other perk at the Coral Resort was the WIFI access that easily reached our cabin. Prepaid cards are sold at the reception for 100, 250 and 500 Baht for 60, 200 and 500 minutes of WIFI access.

We definitely recommend the Coral Resort for its spacious rooms, beautiful pool, friendly atmosphere and four-legged friends. The clientele is older than what you’d find at the backpacker scene at Lonely Beach and there were a few families with small children. But the resort is very quiet and is a real getaway yet still near enough to the action you might seek on the rest of the island.

Click here to view photos of the Coral Resort!

View of Japan Airlines Planes from Cafe Avion

We’re sitting at the beautiful “Avion Café & Bar” at Narita Airport in Tokyo. We arrived early this morning and have over 4 hours before our next flight leaves for New York. We walked around for a bit and looked at all the goodies and yummy confections, we even passed a “Yahoo Cafe” where people can use the Internet for free. The “Avion” has huge windows overlooking the tarmac area where large airplanes are parked waiting to take off.

We ate a light breakfast on board at 3 a.m. (!) and were hungry again by 9a.m. We got gyoza dumpling and shrimp tempura udon to share, both were great! It’s so exciting to have Japanese food in Japan!