Scientific Exploration (Ko Chang)

Ko Chang is a small island off the Northern Andaman Coast in Southern Thailand (not to be confused with the more famous Ko Chang in Eastern Thailand - where I was this time last weekend). The group woke early Wednesday morning to head out on our long drive to Ranong to sleep for the night before boarding a boat to the island of Ko Chang. The island is very quiet and special thanks to black sandy beaches and unique nature and rocks. We stayed in whimsical, little bungalows right on the beach, called Lae Ta Wan Bungalows, where the air was as fresh as the fish and veggie sandwiches I practically inhaled throughout the entire stay. Beach felt great, breath smelled terrible.

As for our class, we were able to conduct research on the local tree species, as well as take coral reef samples and numbers for our semester report and general knowledge. We had the opportunity to snorkel and see everything from sea anemonies, urchins, moral eels to large schools of fish. I loved looking all around to see the silver specs of fish as I swam through their formation. I was even able to get over a fear of sharks! When we weren't in the water or hiking in the forest, we were relaxing on the beach, swimming and playing beach volleyball while drinking the local ginger wine (and Chang beer for the crazies who didn't enjoy the local wines). My only regret of the trip is not purchasing at least five more bottles of the stuff to bring back home. Such a great weekend! Can't wait for Ko Sak next weekend!