By Songchai Angkathip
Picture of Somjet Wattanawekin, the same Mr. Song
Koh Chang, Ranong Province, is a large island stretching from the north to the south. Anyone who goes to Koh Phayam must pass by the lush green Koh Chang, one of the most natural islands in Thailand. When I was working for VOYAGE magazine, I had to make a documentary on Koh Phayam. When I took a boat past Koh Chang, I asked the boat driver what island this was. The boat driver said, “Koh Chang.” Foreign tourists who like peace and quiet would head straight to this island instead of Koh Phayam. I thought to myself that one day I would have to visit Koh Chang. If I could kayak there, it would be great… That was the starting point or origin of this journey.
Start the journey
Before leaving, we had already planned the paddling trip. We would spend 4 days and 3 nights paddling around the island. We chose to stay in bungalows on various beaches. We didn’t need to bring a tent because Koh Chang has accommodations on almost every beach and the prices are not expensive. But first, I must say that there are not many conveniences. This island uses generators. At around 10:00 PM, all the electricity is turned off. There are no air conditioners in the accommodations. We sleep with fans and natural wind. We also sleep under mosquito nets. I only brought enough food and water for paddling. We will eat the main meals at the accommodations. Therefore, we only prepare high-energy foods and minerals. For this trip, the weight of the luggage that we will carry in the kayak was almost half gone.
Prepare to disembark the boat at Ton Son Pier, Ranong Province.
Prepare luggage to be loaded onto the boat at Ton Son Pier, Ranong.
Come to Koh Chang, Ranong Province, there were 2 of us, me and Phi Chet (Somjet Wattanawekin). We left Bangkok at 12.00 noon and arrived in Ranong city at 10.00 p.m. The next morning, we drove to park at Ton Son Pier and left our car at Ban Bang Boi (09-3625-9990). The parking fee was 300 baht (3 nights). Ban Bang Boi was only about 100 meters away from Ton Son Pier. The boat was in the water, loaded with all our belongings in the storage compartment, and we were ready to set off. We paddled comfortably through the beautiful mangrove forest. From the pier to the mouth of the canal, the distance was about 8 kilometers. The landmark at the mouth of the canal was the Black Sand Beach Village on the left. At the mouth of the canal, we could clearly see Koh Chang in front of us. From the mouth of the canal to the Koh Chang pier, the distance was 9 kilometers, which was the period when we received the most waves and wind, including the strong current during the 15th lunar month. Paddling against the wind and current was not fun at all. It was extremely tiring, and we couldn’t stop paddling because the boat would roll back, which would cost more energy. Therefore, the only way to get through was to paddle continuously without stopping.
The key to rowing is to plan your rowing well. You have to distribute your strength to match the distance each day because if you run out of energy early in the day, you will not reach your destination that day. Good rowing skills are essential. People are not machines and will get tired. Managing the use of muscles in each part of the body is very important. And most importantly, do not let your body lack water and energy. You should gradually drink water and replenish your energy. Do not let your body starve because if your body is hungry, it means that your body lacks water and energy. These are the secrets of rowing touring that I have used throughout the past decades.
Phi Chet sat looking handsome while having lunch on the first day, not far from Koh Chang Pier. After that, he lost his cool because Uncle had to drag the boat onto the mudflats, which made him look unattractive.
As soon as we touched down on Koh Chang at the pier, we rowed on to find a place to stop for lunch. Then we rowed around the island to the right, up north, passing the Moken village. At the head of the island, the Moken village receives waves and wind from the west and you can clearly see the islands in Myanmar. At the head of the island, be careful. If there are strong waves and winds, you should row around as far as you can. Don't go near this groove at all. Even though the sea was calm this afternoon, there was still a whirlpool (I later learned that a villager's boat capsized and died here). From the Koh Chang pier, we rowed to our first night's accommodation at Sunset Bungalow, a distance of 9 kilometers.
In the evening before paddling into Ao Yai, Koh Chang, which is the first day of the trip.
The evening view from Ao Yai Bay on Koh Chang is truly beautiful. The island is in Myanmar.
On the morning of the 2nd day, the weather started to change to cloudy, different from yesterday when the sun was shining brightly. Today's paddling distance was not much, only 8 kilometers. We started paddling around noon, paddling leisurely. We started to notice that the wind and waves were starting to be felt along the way, especially when we paddled into Ao Khai Tao, which is in the area of the Ranong Islands National Park. This was exciting. We surfed into Ao Khai Tao and rested to enjoy the view for a while. This is an area of the national park. We asked and found out that we could come and set up a tent.
Phi Chet took a photo with the Ao Khai Tao sign on the way to Ao Siat.
Leaving the shore with big waves, first pull the boat close to the waves hitting the beach, then sit in the boat, put on the skirt, set the bow of the boat straight to receive the waves, slowly and quickly slide the boat down, take advantage of the waves and retreat, quickly slide the boat into the sea as quickly as possible, at that second, paddle quickly, control the direction against the waves all the time, now do not stop or slow down the paddle. The advantage of the FeelFree Emotin EVO boat is that the boat can break through the crest of the wave very quickly, easily, really do not have to worry.
We arrived at Ao Siat in less than an hour from Ao Khai Tao and stayed at Green Banana (Pirate), a trendy accommodation that we really liked.
On the morning of the 3rd day, it rained heavily since early morning. We had to wait until almost 09.00 to start paddling to Koh Phayam. The paddling distance from Ao Siat to Ao Yai, Koh Phayam is about 13 kilometers, round trip is 26 kilometers. A warning from Nong X of Green Banana, be careful of the head of Koh Phayam that you can see in front of you. There are very dangerous triangular waves. In the afternoon, the waves and wind will be strong, so be careful. After the rain stopped, the waves and wind calmed down. We paddled past the head of Koh Phayam without any problems, passed Ao Kwang Pib, Ao Khao Kwai and entered Ao Yai before noon. The total paddling and stopping time was about 2.40 hours. We paddled to eat lunch at Ao Yai, Koh Phayam. It took us a little over an hour to eat and rest. At 13.00, we started to leave Ao Yai and headed back to Green Banana, Ao Siat, Koh Chang. As soon as we passed the curve of the bay, I thought to myself that I would definitely be tired on the way back. Both the waves and the wind that I had to paddle against were completely different from the morning.
We rowed back north, Myanmar on the left and Phayam Island on the right. The waves hit the bow of the boat around 10 o'clock. I was rowing about 700-800 meters away from the island. In this situation, we could see each other from afar and could not hear our calls. Phi Chet was about 200-300 meters ahead. While rowing past the head of Phayam Island, at the dangerous point, we had to go around to Ao Siat, but he did not turn back to Ao Khai Tao. Like this, I could not remember the direction. I decided to row faster and shouted, waving the paddle at intervals. The unexpected happened. The current swept my boat towards the head of the island very quickly. The moment I realized what I was going to face, I quickly regained my composure and adjusted my sitting position to accept the terrifying situation. The waves at the head of the island hit the head of the island. The reflection was directionless and disorderly. I tried to balance myself and row when I was at the head of the wave. When I went down with the wave, I kept the boat steady. When I fell into the swell, I quickly rowed alternately until I broke through the three-way wave. I was able to get out of that spot because of my awareness, skills, and most importantly, the FeelFree Emotion EVO boat, which is very stable. If the boat had low stability, it would definitely have been a movie. This work is truly a job to be thankful for everything.
After we got out of the three-way wave, I shouted for Phi Chet to wave the boat for a while. He started to turn the boat towards Ao Siat. After reaching the shore, I asked Phi Chet why he was rowing towards Ao Khai Tao. He said he couldn't remember the direction. He also said that it was okay if he got lost on the way back, he could just follow the waves and come back. He had plenty of power. Hahaha. I really shouldn't have called him. Hahaha.
The sun sets at Ao Siat, Koh Chang, Ranong.
On the last day of our trip, we left Ao Siat and headed back to the Ton Son Pier without stopping. The distance was about 16 kilometers, paddling along the high tide, with the highest tide at noon. On the way back, we encountered both sun and rain, which was a farewell. It was truly a complete experience.Author : Songchai Angkathip
Former feature editor of VOYAGE magazine, has been a travel media writer for decades, especially in adventure travel such as trekking, mountain biking, white water rafting, touring, and lifestyle travel under various pen names such as Jonathan, Moo Wan, Nai Song Kon Derm, Mr. Paddle.
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