Newly gained freedom, Thai helpfulness and diving fully on Koh Lanta

After the time on bustling Koh Phi Phi, I was looking forward to deceleration and five whole nights on Koh Lanta. More diving and a premiere were on the agenda.

It only took a two-hour boat ride to arrive in a completely different world. On Koh Lanta, it was immediately noticeable that the low season had started, it was leisurely, the streets were relatively empty, and many shops were closed. Without diving, the nearly seven days would have been too long for me, but with diving, it was perfect.

Freshly arrived, I stomped to the dive shop with all my gear. I had chosen Kon-Tiki because they mostly offer three dives per tour, and I wanted to fully absorb the underwater world once again before saying goodbye to the sea for six weeks. I was greeted by Bo, a Belgian woman, who was my only customer for four days, and luckily, we got along great. In the low season, the dive schools join together, so several now share a boat, and I could only do my three dives in one day. That wasn't a problem in the end, as I had wonderful hours underwater. But more on that later...

I continued to my accommodation near the very relaxed Hippie Beach of Koh Lanta - Khlong Kong Beach. I'm sure I paid too much for the tuk-tuk ride there, but well... The small resort is called Pitt Bungalow, and here too, the low season made itself felt. I paid less than 50€ for six nights, had my own room with a double bed, a refrigerator, and a private bathroom. It was a relief after the cramped, overcrowded hostel of the previous days - my own kingdom, space to spread out - wonderful!!! Sometimes I think that I'm slowly outgrowing the hostel age, at least the dormitory age... But the best part of the deal was that scooter rental was included, and just the daily rental alone usually costs at least six euros.

Until now, I hadn't dared to drive, on Koh Samui, everything was still new, and the traffic seemed too chaotic to me. The other islands are quite hilly, and there are many unpaved roads, you can see quite a few foreigners with bandages. It was a bit too exciting for me. On Koh Lanta, my time had come. The owner of the accommodation offered to give me an introduction, and I was very grateful for that and gladly accepted it. After a short successful test drive, there was no stopping me. On the first afternoon, I circled the island completely, at first slowly and cautiously, then with increasing joy and speed. Every day, I took the opportunity to explore and simply follow my nose, the newly gained mobility greatly increased my freedom. My ecological footprint surely suffered.

At first, I made the mistake of not keeping an eye on the gas gauge. As it had to happen... On a hilly road between two places, I ran out of fuel after sunset, and I prepared myself for a lot of pushing. A young Thai couple drove past me, turned around, and asked if I needed help. I told them about my mishap, and they were off to get some gas, only to return a few minutes later with a bottle of fuel. My gratitude was immense, and I was also touched by their helpfulness, as they really saved me a lot.

I spent the afternoons and evenings quietly, and that was fine thanks to the social interactions while diving during the day. I treated myself to a few days off from being approached by strangers and enjoyed some beautiful sunsets by the sea.

A little adventure was my trip to the post office. I had decided to send a small mountain of clothes and belongings back home and travel lighter. When I tried it for the first time, I had chosen Buddha's birthday - it was a holiday, I hadn't informed myself beforehand, and I stood in front of a closed door. The next day, I should have more luck. Only the dear employee didn't like me; she was simply unfriendly. What I didn't want to carry anymore, I had packed into my small backpack and wanted to send it as it was. The good woman only said briefly - unpack, I need to see what's inside. Okay - so I took everything out and put it in the box, but at the same time, I said that I would like to pack it neatly again afterwards. Obviously, she didn't understand that and started stuffing and closing the box. I was initially confused and earned an angry look when I said that she shouldn't do that. A few more niceties followed until I could finally leave this 'wonderful' place relieved of six kilos...

The diving was a dream again. I arrived on Koh Lanta on May 6th, and it couldn't have been a much later arrival because the marine national park closes for several months from mid-May. Of course, I didn't know that, luckily... During these days, I saw my first seahorse named Sammy, my first turtle while diving, and my first sea snake. I watched as a pufferfish tried frustratedly to shake off a cleaner fish, how a huge jellyfish glided through the water surrounded by big and small fish, how huge silver fish with blue fins darted and hunted through the water at lightning speed, dived into caves, and swam through large schools of fish. Usually, we spent an hour underwater, which probably means that my oxygen consumption is already quite good. So together, we covered distances that dear Bo had not yet covered with customers. These were relaxed and beautiful dives for her too. Of course, I loved hearing all that 😊.

I would like to tell you about a particularly fascinating encounter. Towards the end of a dive, a small school of squid appeared near us. I couldn't look away anymore, and I never thought that these creatures would captivate me so much. They hovered in place like little UFOs, their fins made elegant wave movements. Slowly, I swam closer until I could look one directly in the eye. Contrary to my expectations, I had fallen in love. In that moment, it occurred to me that these creatures are much more enchanting to look at in their home than dead on my plate. After the fasting period, I didn't touch meat anymore, but occasionally, I still ate seafood. Since the rendezvous underwater, I have also removed that from my menu.

On May 12th, it was time to say goodbye to the sea for more than a month. After all those weeks, it wasn't easy for me and hard to imagine, but I had something to look forward to. Early in the morning, I was picked up by a minibus, and a few hours later, I was dropped off at Krabi Airport. The plane took off for Bangkok at noon, where shortly after, dear Evi from Leipzig landed. Since then, we have been traveling together and have already experienced some adventures...