Never again Koh Samui

Three weeks ago the boys finally arrived and we had a really fantastic last two weeks in Bali. We spent our time in Canggu but also visited the neighboring islands Nusa Penida and Nusa Lembongan. Matilda from Sweden joined us again on Nusa Penida after her short trip to the Philippines, We cruised around the island all day on scooters and also went on a cool snorkeling trip where we saw about 30 manta rays. Everyone except me went into the water and had a close encounter with the rays, I was too scared. I heard it was quite a scary experience ;). Bene (Hot from Weilheim) joined us on Nusa Lembongan, after his three-week vacation to Bali, Borneo and Singapore. Lembongan is very relaxed and peaceful. We actually wanted to go surfing again there but the waves didn't cooperate.

After the islands, we spent the remainder of our time in Canggu. Surfing, happy hour, long nights and lots of fun with the whole crew.

After seven and a half weeks in Indonesia, three days ago it was time to say goodbye. After spending so much time there, experiencing unique moments, meeting so many great people, and especially Canggu becoming a second home for me, saying goodbye was hard. A few tears were shed but all good things must come to an end. Unlike our adventure, which fortunately is far from over.

Last Friday, Felix and I embarked on a very long journey to Koh Samui, Thailand. Two flights, a bus and ferry ride later, we finally arrived after what felt like 24 hours and I have to say, Koh Samui was a complete culture shock for me after Indonesia. European prices, only German package tourists, and a beautiful landscape completely overrun with expensive resorts. Everything costs extra and everywhere you go, you feel completely ripped off as a tourist. But the worst part for me is the massive animal cruelty that goes on here. Felix and I went to a waterfall which has lost its natural beauty due to built-in slides. In front of this waterfall, there's a facility for elephant trekking. The animals are kept in cages where they can only move in circles and they exist only to provide european and Asian tourists with a funny ride through the jungle. A look into the deeply sad eyes of the elephants, who move back and forth apathetically in their cages, was enough for me to immediately flee and not support any of this circus.

On such a long, amazing journey, there are also dark sides, and that's a good thing in order to not completely lose touch with reality.

But enough of the deep subjects and on to our next plans. We're currently sitting on a ferry on our way to Koh Tao, the neighboring island. Koh Tao is much smaller than Koh Samui and an absolute paradise for divers. We hope to find fewer tourists there and, above all, people our age :) After Koh Tao, we'll head to the southwest side of Thailand, where we already were three years ago. Krabi and the island Koh Yao Noi are on the agenda before we head to the north of Thailand where we'll meet Max, Johanna, and Moritz again and celebrate the Thai New Year (Water Festival). There are also many sanctuaries for abused elephants in northern Thailand. I hope we have the opportunity to help in some way and make at least a small contribution to fight against this animal cruelty.

Until then, we'll keep you updated via Whatsapp and Instagram.

Love,

Lisl & Felix (would love a Leberkässemmel)

PS: By the way, I hardly eat any meat here and I feel very good about it. Especially after I've seen how the animals are mostly kept here...

PPS: Watch the documentary "The Disappearance of Madeline McCann" on Netflix. Very well done, but not for the faint-hearted or moms :)