The sea view.

It’s been a while since my last post, but it wasn’t because i was so busy or something, i probably was just too much in a chilling-mode. To be honest, writing a blog is more challenging than i thought it would be. Thinking about the content, finding the right words, choosing pictures… that’s all work and you need to be disciplined in a way. And then again you just prefer to go to the beach 🙂 But it is okay, because nobody chases me and i just take the time that i need. Maybe that is what this trip is about.

But i’m not only slow in posting here, i’m also in travelling. Basically i’m practising the so-called slow travel! Taking your time, stay where you like it longer, meeting friends along the way and just enjoying every sunset (at least if there is one, lol). That’s the way I have spent the last five weeks between islands and beaches in southern Thailand and i can say it was worth it.

Even though it wasn’t my first visit to Thailand, i never made it to that southern part for no reason. From a tourist point of view it seems to be the most popular region in the whole country. The names of the islands, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao, Koh Phiphi, Koh Lanta… and not to forget Phuket (actually i never realized that it is an island as well, until now) sound promising and somewhat familiar. I guess everyone knows someone who has been there and there before. But finally i can assign the places between the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand with a geographical location and that makes my cartographer’s heart beat faster, lol.

As tempting as the pictures may look like, the reality is often a bit different (…well, isn’t it always like that in life? 🙂 ) I mean, i don’t want to sound arrogant or insulting, but often everything is a bit rotten there… and i mean places and people, lol. The cristal-clear water is sometimes rather a green-something and the fancy beach-bungalow turns out to be a shabby hut. But probably all of that is just my over-accurate and small-minded german view on things, so i better stop here and focus on the nice things. Cause there are plenty of, and the locals are part of it.

To be honest, the two islands which i stayed longer on, Koh Phayam and Koh Phangan, have been a challenge. The first one due to the wildlife and the other one due to the unexpected adverse weather. In Koh Phayam i stayed in a nice bungalow completely made of bamboo, in the middle of the jungle. It was wonderful to watch hornbills from the patio and to feel the peace of the forest during the daytime. But as soon as night fell, i became a scared little child. Noises everywhere. Above and behind me. Everytime i was so happy to have my mosquito net, which protected me from all that evil little and not-so-little animals around me. Spiders and frogs, squirrels and mouses. Of course, i exaggerate. But it was really a unusual and bit scary situation for me, the big city boy i became. I get used to it after some days and just in the moment when i felt safe and comfortable, they found a snake in the neighboring bungalow…