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Travel Guide and Tips: Koh Chang

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Koh Chang is Thailand's second biggest island. It's located on the east side of Thailand, closer to Cambodia. It's a great pit stop if you're travelling to or from Siem Reap. 

We stayed at Lonely Beach in Koh Chang. It has more of a backpacker's vibe, which is great for people on a budget. 

Things to do 

Hang out at Lonely Beach

Just a short walk from the town, Lonely Beach is a great place to relax and cool off in the water. It's not a long beach, but the water is calm and shallow, so it's the perfect place to swim. 

Klong Plu Waterfalls

If you're feeling adventurous, head to Klong Plu waterfalls for hiking and swimming. Just take a taxi over to the waterfalls. You'll need to take a short 600-metre hike in, but you'll be greeted by a waterfall. Jump in to swim and cool off. There's fish that nibble at your feet. 

There's an entrance fee of 200 baht for adults or 100 baht for children under 14 years. 

Nightlife

Lonely Beach is known as the party beach and it really is. If you head into the centre of town or the beach, there's tons of bars opened late. You might be able to catch a fire show as well! 

Where to Eat

Stonefree 

Located in the centre of town, this is a quirky restaurant filled with interesting (and phallic) chandeliers. The owner has two dogs and also plays the drums! We usually grabbed breakfast here at a decent price. 

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Cafe Del Sunshine

This cafe is opened early, which is great for those who are catching an early bus. Their prices are a bit more expensive than Stonefree. They also serve a delicious lava cake with cookies and cream ice cream! 

Where to Stay

Stonefree 3 Guesthouse

We ended up booking a double room here for 450 baht. It's a very basic room right in the centre of town. The room is small with a big bed, mosquito net and ensuite washroom. Just note that the washrooms in this area aren't flush toilets. You'll need to use a bucket and pour water to clean it out. It's not so bad. 

Part of the room is open, so insects will probably get into your room. We used duct tape to cover a hole where ants kept coming in.The walls are really thin, so you'll hear everyone. The guesthouse is also located right near the bars, so it's definitely not ideal if you're looking for a quiet place. Otherwise, it was fine. 

Paradise Cottage

Had we known of the conditions of Stonefree 3 Guesthouse, we probably would've booked here. It's 400 baht for a private bungalow. And from what I heard, the conditions are very similar. It's just located five minutes from the town, so there area is more secluded. They also have hammocks to relax on with a beach view! 

Happy Travelling! 


Volunteering with Not Just Tourists

Let's get real here. 

Not Just Tourists is a Canadian non-profit organization that works to bring medical supplies to countries in need. The best part about it? Everything is accomplished by volunteers. 

The supplies are donated by hospitals, clinics or medical centres. They are then packed into suitcases, backpacks or smaller bags by volunteers. Travellers can sign-up and pick up one of these bad boys and deliver it where it's needed. It's this simple process that can make a huge difference. 

How can you help?

Contact a Not Just Tourists location near you. Since it's a small Canadian-based organization, there aren't too many out there. The Toronto Chapter seems to be growing quite a bit as word gets out. Their website got revamped so, it's even easier to sign up. 

1) You can carry supplies. 

Are you heading out for your next adventure and have space to bring supplies with you?

2) You can volunteer

Do you have some extra time to pack medical supplies, write materials, help with administrative work or speak to groups? 

3) You can donate supplies

Are you a healthcare professional who is in a position to donate medical supplies? 

Our Experiences

We got in touch with Not Just Tourists Toronto and signed up to bring a small pack of medical supplies with us on our backpacking trip to Southeast Asia. Before we left for our trip, we headed over to a pack meeting in Roscesvalles, Toronto to picked up our packages. This is where you'll learn how the process works and what you need to do for a successful drop-off. 

It can be a challenge to pack medical supplies into an already small backpack, but it forced us pack only essentials. We didn't bother dropping it off in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, since these cities were bigger. Instead, we ventured off to northern Thailand and dropped it off at Pai Hospital, a medium medical centre in the countryside that caters to the villages nearby. They were really grateful and happy to receive our packages. 

It's a great experience overall knowing that you're travelling to fulfil a purpose - helping out people.

Picking up our packages at the pack meeting! 

About to board our flight.

Dropping off the supplies at Pai Hospital. 

Happy Volunteering! 

This sums up the organization quite well. Thanks Karen Gord for the poster!

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Travel Guide and Tips: Pai

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As a small town in the countryside, there's tons of adventurous activities to do in Pai. 

Things to do

1) Pai Canyon

Located 8km south of Pai, the canyon is accessible by scooter, biking or by hiring a taxi for the day. The canyon offers picturesque views of the mountains. Be careful, as it has steep 50 metre drops on either side. The best time to visit is at sunset! 

2) The Land Split

The Land Split is a unique spot, not because of the attraction itself, but for the hospitality you'll receive from the owners. The moment you walk in, they shower you with fruit, snacks and drinks all for free. You can just leave a donation in the box for them! 

 The tourist attraction was created in 2008 and 2011, when the land split 11 metres deep, making it unsustainable for farming. 

3) Waterfalls

There are two main waterfalls in Pai.

Pam Bok Waterfall: You can ride a bike, rent a scooter or hire a taxi to get there. Many go to swim the falls. Just note that it does dry up if there hasn't been too much rain. Also, the Land Split is along the way to this waterfall.

Mae Yen Waterfall: Take a 4-5 hour hike (round-trip) to this waterfall. The hike should take you up the river to the falls. 

4) Natural Hot Springs

Located south of Pai, the hot springs are great on a cool morning or evening. There is a 200 baht entrance fee. 

5) Wat Pra Tat Mae Yen (Temple on the hill)

East of Pai is the Temple on the Hill. Climb up the 300 or so steps to the top to see the big white Buddha. You can get a great view of Pai from the top! 

6) Other Activities

There are other activities like fishing at Pai Pirahna Fishing Park, visiting the Memorial Bridge or taking cooking lessons. 

Where to eat

Night Market

Every night, there's a night market along the main street in Pai. It's really hard to miss. There's a ton of carts that offer different foods, snacks and drinks. Try the cart with the tea in a bamboo cup!

Where to stay

Happy House Pai

We stayed at Happy House in a private room which was fine. Just know that roosters will caw in the morning. The washroom is not great. It's better to use the one that's upstairs. The common has couches and a pool table. 

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Exploring the Land Split in Pai

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The Land Split is a unique spot, not because of the split itself, but for the hospitality you'll receive from the owners. The tourist attraction was created in 2008 and 2011, when the land split 11 metres deep, making it unsustainable for farming. It's just a short walk up the stairs to see it. 

I didn't find the Land Split to be that fascinating, however, owner's kindness to you is amazing. The moment you step onto the farm, he and his wife welcome you by offering you fruits, peanuts, banana chips, sweet potatoes, tamarind, roselle juice, wine and jam. They don't charge you for anything, but there's a donation box where you can offer a little something. 

How to get here:

It's not too difficult to get here. Head south down Highway 1095 from Pai. Look out for this the "Land Split" sign and turn right. From here, it's another 2km to the Land Split. 

Look out for this sign on highway 1095. It's on a hill! 

This is the front of the farm. Park your bike and head inside! 

Happy Eating! 

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Cute Cafes on Highway 1095 in Pai

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If you're riding along Highway 1095 in Pai, you'll notice a bunch of cafes along the way. There were a few that caught our attention as we made our way to Pai Canyon. 

Coffee in Love

Stop here for a quick break to check out the view. The coffee shop is a yellow house with white picket fence. There is a pathway leading down to the countryside. 

The Container in Pai

This colourful cafe has unique hanging eggshell chairs. Stop here for an iced coffee and relax a bit before you head back out. 

Love Strawberry Pai

This strawberry farm sells a variety of strawberry products from dried strawberries to strawberry pop. There are large strawberries around the sign, which is great for photos (as you can tell from ours). There's also a giant swing and zip-line here. 

Fun fact: Thailand used to farm opium poppies, but the government eliminated its cultivation and imported non-narcotics crops to farm. Strawberries were one of the crops.