Journey’s End is an island on an island. It is in the far less populated Southeast, near the end of a road, in the hamlet of Chek Bae. It is a bit on the hippy spectrum, certainly welcoming, unpretentious, mellow, delicious, beloved by guests and neighbors, and family. It gets many repeat visitors, and is a hangout for many of the neighbors. A 5-star resort it is not. A wonderful place to chill, it is in spades.
By the way, Google defines a “homestay” as:
Homestays offer a personalized touch, cultural immersion, and support local communities, ideal for those seeking a unique experience. On the other hand, hotels provide standardized services, convenience, and luxury amenities, catering to a wider range of travelers.
Located in the southeast of Koh Chang, on a beautiful bay, we experience near-perfect weather, with warm winds. Except for the salt water, mangroves and mountains, this could be a lake in Minnesota in the summer. All of the neighbors know each other, and there is much comradery.
Since coming here, we have met people from:
- Thailand
- Cambodia
- Austria
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- South Africa
- Belgium
- Denmark
- Italy
- Australia
- Russia
- Romania
- Sweden
- France
- Netherlands
- United States
Our bungalow has all we need. We have a comfortable bed, warm shower, air conditioning, and a deck with seating for four.
The rest of the place contains a very comfy restaurant which seems to double as an outdoor living room. There are a few beach chairs and kayaks, and a new outdoor grill/kitchen.
There are cats and dogs running freely, and the cats like to help out in the kitchen. One of them also like to sleep on the refrigerator on our porch. We had to think a bit on how great for Finnley and Mila to be able to just roam. These guys all know their territories. At night the dogs will occasionally “sing” (howl) with the neighbor dogs.
We’re trying to walk every morning. Every so often, we run into some neighbors.
The thing about being on an island on an island is that every so often, one wants to get off of the island. Fate has suggested I give up the goal of motorcycling around the island. There are too many hills with hairpin turns, and there are frequent accidents, especially with so many tourist renting motorbikes and not knowing how to control them. We decided to opt for renting a car. Nikki was able to find us one for less than $14/day.
With our new found sense of liberation, we went to lunch at Sellokkhok, a seafood restaurant on the water, quite near Journey’s End, but too far to walk.
Turns out there was indeed another Salak Khok restaurant after all.
This one is in a fishing village in a mangrove swamp. It features row boat tours.
The thing about taking a month to chill on a tropical island on the beach, is that it it very difficult to get motivated to do anything. Sorry it’s been so long since the last post. Expect more Journey’s End and Ellen’s Postcards soon!
Great to read your post. Thanks. Thinking about you!
Beth