Koh Chang Useful Information

You will find the people of Koh Chang are friendly & polite as are most people in Thailand. The tourism industry here is well developed, well organized and English is widely spoken but you should keep your requests and language simple.

Clothing

Koh Chang has a hot and humid climate. Light, loose cotton clothing and natural fabrics are best for staying cool, Nylon should be avoided. A long sleeve shirt might be needed during Cool Season evenings. A sun hat or baseball cap is another extremely useful item to take with you.

Generally Thai people tend to dress informally (mostly in a western style) but neatly and prefer visitors to do likewise.

Respectable dress is required when visiting temples. Shoes and any head gear, cap etc. should be removed whenever you enter a temple or a private home.

Cameras and Photo Processing

Most major brands of film and digital memory cards can be bought on Koh Chang.

Film and digital photo processing is available in White Sands Beach, a same day service is common. Throw-away one-time cameras are also widely available.

Vaccinations

You should check with your doctor prior to your departure.

Recommended Vaccinations

• Polio
  
• Tetanus
  
• Hepatitis A and B

Although Koh Chang has mosquitoes malaria is very rare and really not a problem. Taking Prophylactic malaria medication (i.e. marlone) is not necessary.

However, we do recommend you use an insect repellent, sleep in air-conditioned room or under a mosquito net and keep covered as much as possible during the early morning and evening when the mosquitoes are out and about.

Money

In Thailand the Thai Baht (THB) is used as the currency.

The most popular way of bringing money to Thailand seems to be with travellers cheques and/or ATM debit cards.

You will probably get a slightly better deal through an ATM than with a travellers cheque but this will depend on what your bank charges for withdrawals.

Banking Hours on Koh Chang are Mon to Fri 08.30 to 15.30

• Notes: come in 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1,000 denominations

• Coins: come in 1, 2, 5, 10 denominations

Smaller coins known as satang are also in use and come in denominations of 25 and 50. These represent .25 and .50 of 1 baht

Electricity

The Electricity supply on Koh Chang is 220 Volts. Several different plugs and sockets are in use, but two pin flat (US type) or round (European type) are pretty universal.

Adapters are available at 7/11 stores and most other mini marts.