Ko Chang

Feb 6, 2003
88
0
0
In my second Island motorcycle trip I had a Honda Steed and a rider on the back from Pattaya to Ko Chang via Trat.

The trip from Pattaya to Trat took 3+ hours at a high speed rate down the Super (Route 3) to Rayong where a brief lunch stop was made. I don't like supers and try to find more secluded runs but here there was little choice and the super is heavy with fume spouting lorries passing each other often blocking lane passage while you take in the noxious air and soot ravaged eye goggles.

A few short kilometers east of Rayong you can exit Route 3 for a more leisurly run along route 3145 running close to the beaches in this area. Just past Mae Pim beach an even more romote road continues east eventualy terminating at Chanthaburi, there you can pick up the Route 3 super again, cross into Trat province and hang an almost immediate right turn (south) on route 3156 running along some tree line areas eventually bring you to the ferry departure point for Ko Chang at Laem Ngop. The vehicle ferry runs once an hour up to 19:00 hrs and takes 25 minutes to cross the short channel.

Once on Ko Chang you ride off the ferry and hit a "T" junction where the turn to the right will take you immediatly up a steep grade with sharp twisties. Be careful here, these twisties are sharp and no warning signs exist. I did this in the dark and fortunately was going slow anyway in a low gear. About 4-5 kilometers the road peaks out and you're downhill towards the town of White Sands Beach were you will find a range of prices for guesthouses. Most have direct beach access. Its a one-road town not all that large with a mountain immediately on the side of the road away from the beach.

Riding on Ko Chang is Ok but not a speed-freeks paradise as only one road exists that almost skirts the islands perimeter. Construction is now nearing completion on the section that will allow a complete circumvent of the island in about 6 month. For now you need to turn back and continue in the other direction to see all of the island.

Not heavily populated and very low key I can only recommend about 4 days here and you've done it all. But still worth the visit if you are in the South of Thailand anyway. A special trip here from say, Chiang Mai would not be recommended for Ko Chang only but as an excursion from Pattaya absolutly. There are 4 petrol stations spaced well apart on the Island. Eats are fairly good and easy to find from Thai street causal to the more exclusive resorts. Prices are about 10% up here from the mainland. The Island is quiet and folks tend to keep to their own here even the Farangs but its not unfriendly, simply more conservative than most places in Thailand.

Beaches are not as good as on Ko Samui nor is there any big social scene. It is a National Park after all. Beer Internet guesthouses are all here and the ubiqutious 7-11 but I found no Babes but I wasn't looking very hard as I had one from Pattaya with me already.

-When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It.
 

DavidFL

0
Staff member
Subscribed
Jan 16, 2003
14,455
5,287
113
70
Chiang Khong
www.thegtrider.com
Stan "the man":
Gday mate. Good to see you doing some island rides.
I did an island trip today - Don Kho - in the Mekong 15 kms north of Pakxe in Southern Laos. No riding , but drank a bit of rice whisky.
In 2 more days head south to the 4000 Islands in the Mekong.
Eventually a ride report will surface, once we get all the facts & bullshit organised in the right proportions...but not sure whether the report will tilt towards the BS (a snow job) or the hard facts?? The hard facts could be embarasssing for some.....

Davidfl
Keep the power on
 

simonq

0
Nov 9, 2005
2
0
0
I did the Pattaya-Koh Chang trip myself about a month ago, just before moving to Chiang Rai. I agree 100% about route 3. I found the roads on the island "interesting", and found my TTR250 (Michelin Sirac trail tyres and 4 tooth smaller rear sprocket for on the road) ideal. For anyone who may be going there, beware of sand, for some strange reason it only ever seems to gather on the corners. Also, just South of Whitesands there is a lot of construction going on, and therefore a lot of dirt and gravel on the road, I had just a light shower and instantly self and bike turned clay red. Hmmm, no babes? there is a small cluster of bars with the ever present "babes" at the Southern end of Whitesands known locally as "Little Pattaya", personally it looks like most of the "hostesses" are rejects from the original.
Funnily enough, I had a call only yesterday and it looks like I'm going back there for the coming season to work in Whitesands as a diving instructor. But, I think I will put the bike on the train from Chiang Mai or Lampang to BKK and ride the rest. I learned the hard way about the comfort levels of a 250cc enduro riding by from Pattaya to Chiang Rai in two days, but, that's another story. Simon