Last Stop - Thailand

Pubblicato: 09.12.2018

For our last stop on our journey, we decided to visit the well-traveled country of Thailand. In Chiang Mai, in northern Thailand, we met up with Matthias' brother Stefan, who joined us for the last 3 weeks of our adventure.

Since it is recommended to rent a scooter in northern Thailand and explore the surrounding hilly landscape with its villages, waterfalls, and temples, we took advantage of the first day after our arrival to visit one of the largest temple complexes in the area.

The next day, after much deliberation, we decided to take the infamous 762 curves to Pai by scooter. We had to search half the town for three suitable vehicles for the trip ('sorry, high season!'), but in the end, we found three decent ones.

We drove the winding roads until nightfall, but we didn't miss out on some fun along the way.

When we finally arrived in Pai, we were informed at the accommodation, with broken English, that it was overbooked. So we had to settle for a two-bed room with an extra mattress in the anteroom. Well, at least it was cheaper! :-)

After a not so restful night, we explored the surroundings of Pai the next day and were guided through one of the largest caves in Thailand with a lamp.

Before heading back to Chiang Mai, we cruised to a viewpoint,...

...a 'landsplit', a giant crack that stretches several meters and was caused by earthquakes,...

...and lastly, to one of the many long bamboo bridges that stretch across the rice fields.

Back in Chiang Mai, we took a break with a Thai massage,...

...and then immersed ourselves in the hustle and bustle of the famous Lantern Festival, Loi Krathong, where devout Buddhists float rafts with lanterns and offerings down the river and release small hot air balloons as a sign of gratitude.

We ended the evening in a cliché manner at one of the numerous rooftop bars with a cocktail, overlooking the Bangkok skyline.

We then took an overnight train to the south to the Khao Sok National Park.

Once there, we explored the surroundings a bit and organized a two-day tour deeper into the park.

We took a traditional longboat across an artificial lake into the heart of the national park, where we set up our camp on a small floating resort for the night.

Before that, a jungle walk to a cave was planned, which our enthusiastic guide 'Kiki' announced to us as follows:

'You will get wet 100%. But no wet, no fun!'

The next morning, we had an 'animal watching' tour and visited a cave with many small creatures.

After these adventures, we decided to spend the last days of our stay in Thailand at the beach.

Our first destination for this plan was Ao Nang, a typical holiday destination in Thailand with its many bars, restaurants, and souvenir shops, reminiscent of Lignano. But it was still bearable. :D

After that, we headed to the island of Ko Phi Phi, where we immersed ourselves in the 'gap year mania' for two days with a snorkeling trip to the famous 'Maya Beach' from the movie 'The Beach,' beautiful beaches, and beach parties.