We couldn’t come to Thailand and not make a trip to the islands. We choose to rent a scooter in Pattaya and drive 3 hours south to the island of Ko Chang. There is nothing I enjoy more than getting our own transportation and getting off the beaten path. And Thailand is the most fun and exciting place to do this. We caught a 20 min ferry ride from the mainland to the island and could feel the excitement growing the closer we got. The west side of the island has more hotels, restaurants and nightlife activity than the east side of the island but we wanted to check out both so we spent two nights on the west side and 1 night on the east side. Before arriving we plotted out every beach, waterfall, market, village and spot of interest on the island and spent 3 days scootering around the island looking for all of them. Our hotel was a bungalow perched on a hill side with an amazing sunset view of the ocean. As amazing as the beaches and waterfalls are it’s the small village restaurants, street food vendors, markets and people that make these trips so special. From the mountains up north to the islands in the south and everywhere in between there is no better way to discover the true Thailand than on a motorbike. Before we even left the island we were planning a month long island hopping tour for this spring. Thailands new marijuana laws and lifestyle have quickly made Thailand the premier destination for smokers. Thailand is recovering from the pandemic faster than most SE Asian countries in large part due to marijuana tourism. Where else can you sit down at your favorite eatery and have the waitress bring you a joint while you wait for your food. Amsterdam used to be the weed capital of the world but the title now goes to Thailand. We are sad to be leaving Thailand soon but getting very excited to make our way to country # 45. Ko Chang is small enough to be relaxing and laid back with everything you could ever want in an island paradise. We loved it and will definitely be back soon.