How Koh Chang Became My Second Home
A place can become so much, in such a short time
It was the beginning of January when I first arrived in Koh Chang. I had traveled all around the country before, but I had never made it to that set of islands. I remember sitting on the ferry reflecting on how crazy I was. I’m headed to an island I’ve never been to, to work for people I don’t know.
*Context*
I was meant to fly back home to Portugal in December. Halfway through November I was already sure that it wouldn’t be the case, so I canceled my flight. There was just too much left to see.
But there was a problem: I had saved an x amount of money for my travels, which allowed me to spend 3 months in Asia. My funds would soon run out.
Throughout my trip, I crossed paths with many Australians (as you do in Asia) and non-Australians who had the Australian working holiday visa, which allows you to legally work and travel around the country. I ended up applying for it in December.
Now I just had to come up with a way to survive until I got granted the visa, which could take from 1 day to 6 months — lovely.
I’ll work in exchange for food and shelter, I thought. So I started looking on Google Maps for restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, and retreats in…
