Korat/Kolat???

Hello everyone,

We are currently sitting in a huge air-conditioned mall in Korat, enjoying our coffee which cost the same as our night in the hotel...

On our last day in the hippie bungalow, we joined two other backpackers early in the morning to hike to the largest waterfall on the island. In the early morning hours, we refreshed ourselves in the water and took the opportunity for morning exercise, as we had to keep moving because of the many biting fish. Afterwards, our newly formed small travel group set off to Kai Bae Beach. While Konrad basked in the sun, David and Mara swam to a nearby island (sunburn count: 3/3).

In the evening, we went to our new accommodation where we spent the next four nights.

In the somewhat upscale resort built on stilts in the water, Konrad unfortunately fell ill and spent the next day in bed. Thanks to the hotel's kind offer, when Konrad was back among the living (his first sign of life was a monologue about the movie 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' to which Mara and David reacted with even greater concern), we were able to ride canoes on the water and swim. In the restaurant, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast in the morning and were able to order fresh seafood in the evening.

After the quieter days, yesterday (alarm set for 4am) we returned to the mainland to reach the largest city in the northeast. The journey was full of adventure. Since the morning taxi ride, we can't confirm that Thais are a calm people, as the taxi driver honked every 15 seconds at 4:30am and the other passengers were practically shouting at each other. It was also an interesting experience to spend 9 hours in a crowded bus (only with Thais) as the only Europeans. We were glad to have actually arrived in our destination city Korat in the evening, as there were some language barriers: the lack of English skills of the Thais, the potential confusion with the island Ko Rad in the south, and the pronunciation of the city name (those who do not pronounce the 'r' in Korat like an 'l' are laughed at by the Thais).

Now we are staying in a small but clean hotel room and today we visited a weekly market and huge shopping malls, where we couldn't resist Western food.

You will hear more about our experiences soon! Greetings from Ko(r/l)at!

David, Konrad and Mara