Koh Chang

I just thought I would let you all know what it actually looks like here!

The island is pretty big (for a little island) but is only populated on the very edges (next to the to die for white sand, palm tree beacehs), the inside is made up of moutains. Obviously not the snow covered type, these are covered from head to toe in green trees (some with the odd red leaves hanging down). From the coast road the view is pretty impressive, the moutains looming up all shrouded in mist. The jungle itslef, when you manage to get into the edges of it like we did today and yeaterday, is not too dense. It's shady (obviously) but not wet, even though I believe it does rain a lot out here. The ground is sandy as opposed to soily (altho I read a sign today which claimed that in ages gone past the trees grew on the rocks as there was no soil, and their roots grew into the crack which split the rocks up, and as time went on these rocks became tiny pebbles, and eventually the soil which now provides nutrients for the trees we have today... erm im not sure thats actually how it works...). Anyway, back to my description... there are tree roots sticking up out of the ground all over the place, and the ground does consist of a large amount of large rocks, worn smooth on the paths by many many feet I should iamgine!

Today we also encounterd, on the way back from the waterfall, real mangrove trees! I have (obviously) never seen real mangrove trees today, but these were not quite as I imagined... some of the trees were quite large, but the majority were only small - planted in orderly rows!! This is a lot like how the trees are on the mainland. The whole bus journey here all the forest that could be seen was man made, planted in rows, and clearly of varying maturity. although i'm prretty sure the mangroves wont be cut down for timber!

Apart from this, Koh Chanf is a lot like bangkok in how it has the rich and the poor almost shoved together, tinny huts rubbing shoulders with massive white hotels! however, as always, the thais seem happy with their lot, and I must admitt, I dont think I would complain if I lived here! There has been talk of the ferry closing on the 18dec, which would be rather frustrating being as we leave here on the 19th! But as I said, if I could chose one place on the world to be stranded, it would be here!
(Especially if I was allowed my own pet elephant to wander around the jungle on!)