Unforgettable moments in Thailand

For us, it is now time to further explore Thailand.

After Bangkok, we're heading to Koh Samui, an island on the east coast of Thailand.

-an island that we have all been looking forward to from the very beginning. Unfortunately, we didn't consider during our planning that we would be traveling during the rainy season. Which means it thunderstorms or rains almost every day, but this doesn't change the daily temperature of 30 degrees Celsius and above.

A shower for cooling off actually feels quite good.

We stayed in an Air BnB right next to Fisherman's Village, the accommodation is comparable to a hotel complex. We were able to enjoy the benefits of a pool, a gym, etc.

So we spent the first day taking advantage of these amenities and buying a lot of water supplies for cooking, drinking, and brushing our teeth, as drinking water is unfortunately not potable here. On the way to the kiosk, we really noticed the high humidity for the first time, we all felt like we were walking against a wall. With 12 liters of water in our hands each, we made our way back to the Air BnB and sweat out about 12 liters of water each as well.

So the next day, with plenty of water in our backpacks, we set out to explore the most famous temples of Koh Samui (Wat Phra Yai and Wat Plan Laem). Personally, we consider all temples in Asia to be absolutely worth seeing! Even though they may sometimes look similar, it is always impressive to stand in front of a temple and realize how much work went into building it. Apart from that, they are taken care of with absolute dedication, which is also visible.

After spending a few hours in the heat, we treated ourselves to a traditional Thai massage. With an unbeatable view of the sea and relaxing music, we let ourselves be kneaded for an hour, for only about 10 euros. For those who already love Thai massages in Germany, an absolute must!

The next day, we were lucky enough to hire a taxi driver for 3 hours and thus be able to visit almost all of Koh Samui's remaining must-sees. We still had the Na Mueng Waterfall, the mummified monk, and a viewpoint from which we could see a picturesque coastline with an endless view of the sea on our list. A beautiful day with many different impressions.

Since we visited so many sights in one day, we spent the last two days exploring Chaweng (Koh Samui's party street) and the beach. We also went to Jungle Club to enjoy some cocktails and snacks with a breathtaking view. The Jungle Club is located at the top of a mountain and you can basically look down on the whole of Koh Samui, simply beautiful and a perfect ending to our time on this diverse, beautiful, and worth seeing island.

After packing our seven things (not an understatement), we headed to Phuket. Here too, we stayed in an Air BnB complex with a huge pool and a gym - very good!

On the first day, we booked a tour to the Koh Phi Phi Islands. An island group that is also known from several movies, such as Fack ju Goethe or The Beach (a film by Leonardo di Caprio). Since the scenery in the movies looks very overwhelming and extremely beautiful, we were very excited and looking forward to it. And one thing is for sure - we were not disappointed! We will never forget this tour.. we went to Khai Island, Bamboo Island, Koh Phi Phi Don, Monkey Beach, and Maya Bay. In between, we were spoiled with delicious food and went snorkeling. Although there are sharks there too and we all also have a lot of respect for them, the joy outweighed the fear and, just like in Australia and Fiji, we plunged into the sea, dived along the coral reefs, and enjoyed the underwater world.

At the end of the tour, we sailed into a bay - one of the most beautiful things we have all ever seen.

Turquoise water surrounded by green rocks and caves - it looked like something out of a movie, if not a hundred times more beautiful. Simply gigantic. We jumped from the boat into the water and enjoyed this unique moment.

The next two days were a bit less exciting but no less beautiful. We went to Patong (another party street for backpackers), lay on the beach, and strolled through the weekend market.

The markets in Asia are definitely worth seeing. They reflect the lives of the locals: countless Thai food stalls, clothes, souvenirs, etc.

We also visited the Big Buddha and Karon Beach.

Phuket started and ended just as beautifully. On the last day, we took another tour - but this time to an elephant sanctuary.

There, elephants that were previously mistreated for tourism purposes, for example, they worked in hotels and were trained to have breakfast with people, are taken in. One elephant even had a broken back from being ridden too often.

In the sanctuary, the elephants are rehabilitated and efforts are made to provide them with a humane and loving life.

It was very touching to see the bond that the people who work there have built with the animals, they do not only consider them as part of their job, but they also count the animals as family.

We fed and petted the elephants. Additionally, we were allowed to help the caretakers with their daily care.

You could literally feel how comfortable the animals felt.

Elephants are such powerful and at the same time lovable animals, it was simply impressive!!

So after a few beautiful days in Phuket, we set off to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), the next stop on our journey.

There we will spend Christmas, the first time away from our families. Luckily, we have each other, our second family.. I wonder what that will be like..