11. It's not the same anymore (Chaloklum Beach)…

Since there's not much to see at my 'home beach', and Koh Ma probably isn't much better for snorkeling either (plus, doesn't the sandbank that used to connect both islands no longer exist?), we roll north to Chaloklum Beach. I was kindly (and for free!) lent a snorkeling mask by the rental owners. The beach is (or rather: the beaches are) expansive, picture-perfect, and almost empty. We wade for ages in the water towards the rocks (did I mention that the sea here is only knee-deep at most - after that, I usually don’t feel like walking any further), and then find only dead corals underwater, with just a few (more or less colorful) fish. A few anemones, everything is rather bleak - especially for those who have been here before and have been able to experience a much greater variety of colors and marine life… So if anyone still doubts what climate change etc. is doing, they should take a look at underwater pictures from the last 20 years to today, it's heartbreaking…

Feeling quite disillusioned, we look for a restaurant or similar where we can enjoy the sunset. My companion has some tips - however, at the 'hotspots', you have to pay an entrance fee of 300 Baht (≈ € 8.10), which seems rather outrageous to us. So, we watch the sunset at the roadside and eat afterwards. We ride through other festively lit streets, park the scooters at home, and head to a stylish beach club in the neighborhood. The menu is very international, with little Thai, and doesn’t appeal much to us, so we leave - for a well-frequented street restaurant just a few meters away. There, I have 'Fried chili onion with chicken' (for about € 1.61!), and in honor of Chris and the whole old Thailand crew, 'Noname Chicken' (fried chicken). We gladly trade our return to the beach club for one last drink at 'our beach', and this day ends as well…