Day 24 - idyllic

24 May 2019

As if we didn't learn anything from the previous night, we (I) had to turn off the fan again during the night. Well, all good things come in threes.

I wake up around 8:00 am and do some work on my laptop. I enjoy the chirping of the crickets and the tweeting of the birds - our bungalow is once again surrounded by greenery and right next to a lake. Jonna joins me, we have breakfast and go for a swim in the pool.

Around noon, we set out to rent a scooter for our last few days in Thailand. After a short walk, we arrive at the rental place we chose yesterday, only to find it closed. I read the sign on the door that says 'Open'. 'No, not really,' I reply and shake and knock on the door. The owner of the massage parlor next door notices our attempt to break in and gives us the tip to go to the restaurant, 10 meters away, and look for our scooter luck there. We thank her for the tip, go to the landlady and quickly finalize the deal.

Yesterday, we roughly planned where we wanted to go today. So we zoom along the chosen route to a national park - a mangrove area where you can walk on a wooden path. Once again, the journey is the destination, as we are presented with a breathtaking panorama alongside the roads. When we arrive at the entrance gate, we pay the ticket (€2.80 per person) and enter the nature reserve. It is incredibly green, untouched, and overall a somewhat surreal sight. It becomes more impressive with each step. We stare until our eyes dry out and take countless photos. Jonna takes a refreshing bath (this time really refreshing - about 21°C) in a exposed swimming area. We take many green-blue pictures:

We leave the park and continue our scooter ride. This time, we head back to the coast. We decide on a remote beach that can only be reached by a dead-end road. It is well developed for tourists, so it is exceptionally beautiful, clean, and quiet, but it has not lost its charm. We eat sliced watermelon that we bought at a market earlier and walk along the beach. Just above our heads (20m), we spot a bird that at first glance we mistake for a stork with a very short neck. Upon closer inspection, we realize that the bird is actually a bird of prey (later research reveals: white-bellied sea eagle).

We lower our gaze and feel as if the sand in front of us is moving - 'maybe it's the wind,' we try to explain. It's not the wind, but tiny crabs (about the size of a penny) that create this amusing sight. Like little fuzz balls, they scurry by the hundreds over the sandbanks and bury themselves in the wet mud as soon as we approach them.

About the pictures: The 'roughened' areas on the sandbanks are created by the sand particles that the crabs throw up while digging their holes.

The evening atmosphere slowly sets in, and we want to enjoy it with a drink. However, since there is no affordable alternative at this beach, we hop back on our scooter and ride back along the coast, searching for a nice bar. We find one after a short time - a reggae bar. It doesn't have much to do with reggae in terms of price or image, but the atmosphere is right. The waiter insists on a handshake, calls me 'Brother' from the first second and generally acts all buddy-buddy. I try to ignore the innuendos of my new best friend and grin foolishly, not wanting to be rude; but I can't help finding the approach somehow annoying.

We have a cola and an iced tea - unspectacular - and watch the sunset from the beach - unfortunately, equally unspectacular. After about half an hour, exhausted from the day, we almost fall asleep at the table. When saying goodbye to our waiter aka 'Brother,' I am called back for another handshake. After that, we saddle up our scooter and zoom home.

- Alex