Koh Sichang

I managed to actually get away for a couple of nights in between Christmas and New Year.

Not quite as spectacular as last year’s New Year on Koh Phi Phi, but Koh Sichang was the first Thai island I ever visited, and I have found myself becoming surprisingly fond of it over the years.

“Surprisingly”, because there’s actually very little there. Unlike Phi Phi, Koh Sichang has no nightclubs, no western-style bars or pubs – in fact no bars at all, that I’ve ever seen – and very few westerners.

The Thai way of coping with such an absence seems to be to order up a mixture of dishes at one of the countless restaurants, then stay all night for after-dinner drinks. Who needs pubs?

I stayed at a hotel with a few grounded barges, now effectively converted into very pleasant bungalows:

The island does have a number of temples, a few beaches, and was once the site of the King’s summer palace, a century or so ago. Only the foundations now remain, although they sit in some very pleasant gardens.

What Koh Sichang is to me though, is a place to escape to. It’s surprising just how few people in Bangkok have even heard of the place – including Thais. Surprising since I believe it’s actually the closest beach island to Bangkok. Most people seem to prefer Samet, a little further to the south-east. I’ve never been – precisely because everyone seems to prefer it.

Because sometimes, particularly when you live in the center of such a bustling city as Bangkok, a little peace and quiet, even dullness – as others might describe it – is good for the soul.

Happy new year.