Greetings in paradise

From 14,486,679 residents to 7,200 residents, from 23,951 residents per square kilometer to 144 residents per square kilometer. After just four hours of flying with a short layover in Kuala Lumpur, I felt like I was immersing myself in a completely different world and era. While I was afraid of being run over by a car, a rickshaw, or a tram at almost every step in the traffic chaos of Kolkata, on Koh Yao Noi the only danger is getting hit by a coconut.

From the loud, hectic, overcrowded Kolkata to a quiet, lonely paradise in Thailand.

From overpopulation to solitude, from city life to island life, from loud and obnoxious car honking to the leisurely pace of boating and birdsong.

I experienced this extreme adjustment when I arrived on the Thai island of Koh Yao Noi seven days ago. Nestled in the bay of Phang Nga, surrounded by towering rocks jutting out of the sea and shimmering turquoise water, secluded and untouched by the tourist masses that dominate other Thai holiday islands. From Phuket, I arrived on the small island after a 30-minute boat ride to attend a one-week yoga retreat. After just a few kilometers on the island, I realized that Koh Yao Noi is truly a hidden secret paradise that has preserved its originality. You only meet very few tourists, most of whom are dropouts cruising comfortably on their scooters through the green, rubber-lined island. The predominantly Muslim island residents are extremely friendly and helpful, taking you on their scooters or happily explaining the way. It reminds me of the old Thailand that I sometimes longed for in my past vacations in this country.

A total of 4.5 hours of yoga per day and the occasional beach run have loosened up my tired bones after the two weeks without sports in India, and above all, the dreamlike surroundings of the yoga retreat have contributed to making me feel completely isolated and far away from the outside world. The bungalows and the yoga room are located in a tropical green garden full of banana and papaya trees and coconut palms, overlooking Tha Kao Beach, far away from any car noise or everyday noise.

Together with about 15 yogis from Europe and the USA, I practiced countless sweaty asanas, perfected the downward-facing dog, and tried to forget or "breathe away" the muscle pain during the umpteenth plank position, as our yoga teacher taught us daily :-). In addition to the yoga classes, there was still plenty of time to explore the beautiful hilly island by mountain bike and even climb a few meters, enjoy a coconut-papaya shake with a delicious prawn curry in one of the chill beach bars (unfortunately, there was no alcohol due to the death of the king - or fortunately, depending on your perspective :-)), or simply lie in a hammock on the beach and watch the fishing boats. Namaste!