The Island Koh Phangan - Paradise on Earth!

In this blog post, I will report on the last 5 days on the island of Koh Phangan. I didn't write because I had no WiFi and it was too beautiful to waste time on the computer! 😊

On 21.02.18 we left Suratthani. First, we walked to the bus station, where we waited briefly and were picked up by a small minivan. We were just sitting in it when the couple behind us started talking to us because they heard that we also speak German! We were so lucky with these two! They have been to the island 6 or 7 times and therefore know it perfectly. They know every secret tip and know what is worth seeing and what is not. Since Koh Phangan is not as big, touristy, and developed as Koh Samui, but still not so small that you would get bored, it is the perfect island! Hopefully it will stay that way and not become a second Koh Samui! So we quickly had our personal super nice guides from near Dortmund. Super funny 😊 We joined them and drove to the harbor for about 2 hours. We then boarded the ferry. Thanks to Patrizia and Aleks, we were in an air-conditioned room with beds on the ferry :D It was real luxury and the 4-hour journey flew by! The ride brought us closer and closer to paradise as we sailed over turquoise blue water. When we arrived, they showed us the Tölzer Hütte. A piece of home, a piece of Germany. This restaurant belongs to a German, there is German television, football is played, and German radio is playing, and it was really funny there. We had a cold cola and then let ourselves be driven to the hostel by the opposite Bügelperle :D They called it that because she has a laundry service, but also drives a taxi and rents houses on the side. Everyone can do everything :D We arrived at the hostel just in time for sunset. The complex consists of many small wooden bungalows and is right on the beach. We first watched the sunset by the water and then went to the room. A little girl showed us the way. The owner said that the hostel will not exist for much longer because the landowner wants the property back to build a luxury resort. That's the story of the second Koh Samui... Well, after it got dark, our bungalow wasn't so great anymore, it had no windows and is open everywhere, and the sounds of flying foxes, normal dogs, geckos, salamanders, rats, and insects that were causing mischief outside were a bit spooky :D Well, we got used to it over time. We then rented a scooter and went to the Tölzer Hütte and had a delicious meal :D I had meat patties with fried potatoes and Tim had goulash with dumplings. It was delicious, and we also had a great conversation partner. He sat next to us at the table and is from Holland. We went from one topic to another, and in the end, he told us about his work. He works in the field of energy research for the Dutch government. The ideas they have and that have already been implemented are fantastic! For example, he explained that everyone who owns an electric car charges it overnight and drives it during the day. The next evening, when he usually comes back around 5:00-6:00 pm and plugs his car back in, the battery is usually still about 25% full. Now he has the opportunity to sell the electricity back to the company for more money than he bought it for. And that works because he sells it at a time when most people need it and buys it at a time when few people charge. Super idea! Even more fascinating was the next thing. He explained that there is energy in everything that humans do. They are currently trying to use this energy more often and better. For example, they are currently building dance floors. Now imagine a large festival with 20,000-50,000 people who walk, dance, and jump on the dance floors. This energy could be used, and it would even be possible to get the energy invested to zero through the energy produced there. That means no money and above all no harm to the environment. I am really amazed, and I find this topic very interesting. He says that it is important for him as a human being to take responsibility for our world. And the best way to do this is through education and the opportunity to grow up in a "wealthy" country. I think this view is much better than saying, "it doesn't matter if only one person does something, it won't make the world better anyway". I am very grateful to have had this conversation and I can always say how exciting and interesting it is to meet people from all over the world with all sorts of stories! After this great conversation, we went to the hotel with the other two and had something to drink. It was wonderful! Right on the beach. Feet in the sand. Great people around you. You can hear the sea softly and sip a cocktail. What more could you want? 😊 We then moved on to another bar and met acquaintances from last year with the two. Then we went to our hostel and slept great!

On 22.02.18, we had a delicious breakfast right across the street (and ate there for the rest of the days :D) and then drove to the next beach with our scooter. Along the way, you drive through small streets and past beautiful beaches, sometimes it is very steep and everything is green. Truly dreamlike. The two were already waiting for us when we arrived, and we were amazed. The water was so clear and turquoise blue, and the sand was white like powdered sugar :D You can already enjoy it there! We stayed at the beach until the afternoon and then met Igor. A colleague of the two. He accompanied us from there on. In the afternoon, we went to the Secret Beach. It is a small bay, beautiful. You can see it best in the pictures and videos (which I unfortunately cannot post). There are fish swimming everywhere, and the sunset from there is beautiful! We enjoyed that and then went back and ate something at the food market.

On the next day (23.02.18), we took off and first visited the elephants and fed them a little. Majestic animals and so sad that they are used for riding. We then drove to a waterfall. You had to climb a bit over the rocks, but it was really refreshing! It was so much fun splashing around in the water! We ate something and then said goodbye. The three of them went out for fish dinner together. We went back to the food market.

On the next day (24.02.18), we all had breakfast together and said goodbye to Igor, who continued to Bangkok and flew home from there. We then threw ourselves back into bed and went to the beach in the afternoon. There is also a pool on a cliff there, and you have a beautiful view over the sea. After that, we all went to the food market again, and then our last evening was already there. We sat down at Patrizia and Aleks' hotel again. After a short time, we started talking to 2 other Germans. The night was long, and in the end, we were in bed at half past 5 in the morning :D The conversations were deep, ranging from the police (the one we met works there) to today's child rearing (his wife is an educator) to the question of infinity, religions, and other beings in our galaxy. It got profound :D PS: today, even educators are no longer allowed to remove a bee sting from a child. That is an operation, and the parents must be notified and give their consent beforehand. What nonsense! And at 9:30 am this morning, we were already awake because we continued our journey. We had breakfast together once more, and then Alkes kindly drove us to the port on his scooter. It was a bit difficult for me to leave the island. We then got on the speedboat and crossed over, and right now we are on the night train to Bangkok, to go from there to Kanchanaburri. We are excited!

PS: Aleks, if you read this: The thumb greets the cool one :D