It has been just over three years since my last Sea Paddle over more than s few hours and it was late in 2019 before Covid one four day trip with a friend from North Avon Canoe Club and helping Andy previous owner of Kayak Chang on a three day trip another great reason to get on the water again for a Sea Paddle.
I was lucky I guess during Covid could not return to the UK for over two years but managed to keep my fitness taking my Sea Kayak to a Dragon Boat racing course nearby and get out cycling twice a week , the Authorities here were not as strict as in the UK and I was usually on my own so did not have a problem unlike a lot of my other kayaking and cycling friends from Wales and the UK who suffered during that time and still have not regained their fitness that they had before Covid so I count myself lucky , anyway about two months ago a good friend of mine David Brain contacted me and said a member of his Bristol Canoe Club called Genny was touring Asia and would be in Thailand for a few months, I had already been trying to arrange a three day trip te from the Island of Koh Chang with Amy and Tu the new Thai owners of Kayak Chang and South East Asia Kayaking with whom in the past havebeen on many Sea and River trips in Thailand and big groups of their Kayaking friends from Bangkok and other areas in Thailand, Kayaking has really taken off here especially in the last 5 or 6 years and Amy and Tu are a great driving force for our sport over here. They had promised to accompany me on a three day trip using their best gear Tiderace Kayaks , Werner Paddles and good Palm Gear ,last year I decided to get rid of all my kayaks and trailer with all the other paddles and gear as no one from Wales or the UK been over now for three years or more and now getting older did not want to continue doingsolo trips no Coastguard Services or rescues her you are on your own completely , so Amy and Tu were interested in most of my gear my three single and one double Sea Kayak and a lot of the best gear plus two white water kayaks and my trailer, I also donated a lot of my other gear to them all second hand but not used a lot to either use or pass on to any young paddlers who could not afford nee kit . So once I knew that Genny was coming over it was a no brainer to organise with Amy and Tu our three day trip , I met Genny at Nakhon Ratchasima Station. She stayed with us for a few days then showed her around some of the local sights then drove the 500k to Koh Chang Island to prepare for the trip.
DAY ONE :
We started from Magic Resort Beach in Kae Bao along the coast practicing our skills between the exposed rocky outcrops stopping on the way at Lisca Beach for a snack and to cool off, then continued along the coast into Bang Bao fishing village and landed on the Beach in front of out a accommodation for the night at Cliff Cottage Resort and to explore the fishing Village.14.5 km
