Phuket (12.03.- 18.03.2019)

Early in the morning, Ben and I headed to the airport. We had already arranged with our accommodation the day before to have breakfast at 5 am. Everything worked out perfectly. When we booked our flight, we also organized to leave our big suitcases at the hostel in Bangkok. This makes flying really cheap. We are only staying in Phuket for 6 days and then returning to the same hostel. Once we dropped off our suitcases, we were already in the taxi. The taxi ride was really scary, like every ride in Thailand. Very fast and tailgating is the norm here. When we arrived at the airport, we didn't have to wait long. Ben and I each had a window seat with two empty seats next to us. The flight took about 1.5 hours. It felt like a bus ride. We didn't have the typical flying feeling. From the airplane window, we had a good view of the Thai islands. Absolutely stunning. When we arrived in Phuket, we quickly found our way and took the bus to Phuket Town. The bus ride took about an hour. We used this time for sightseeing. In Phuket Town, we went to our accommodation. We had a double room with a private bathroom, air conditioning, and it was well located. Our room was cleaned every day and breakfast was included for a total of 14 euros per night. The bed was really big and there was even a TV in the room. We couldn't complain. We rested for a while and then took a walk in Phuket Town. Ben also ate at a restaurant, which later turned out not to be so good. We ended the evening relaxed.

The next day, Ben wasn't feeling well. He complained of a headache and stomach ache. Nevertheless, we set off for Monkey Hill. On the way there, we saw many stray dogs. They looked really bad. Many were very thin and some were limping or had other wounds. Going uphill was already very exhausting. Ben was especially tired. We took a break in the shade, but still didn't see any monkeys. Just as we were sitting there and thinking that we wouldn't see any monkeys, a monkey suddenly walked past us. We were so happy and took thousands of photos. Afterwards, we asked passersby if there were any more monkeys at the top of the hill. They said that there were many just around the corner. With new motivation, we continued uphill and around the corner. Again, no monkeys in sight. Ben couldn't go any further. He couldn't take it anymore because the pain was getting worse. I didn't want to give up yet and continued a little further. Suddenly, I was surrounded by monkeys. So cute! There were also very small monkeys. Really adorable. They were not afraid and suddenly a baby monkey sat next to me. I preferred not to touch it because I saw some monkeys push and attack visitors when they tried to touch them. After taking thousands of more photos, I went back to Ben and finally back to our accommodation. That was enough for us that day because Ben was feeling worse and worse.

The next day, Ben had a fever. He stayed in bed all day to rest. I took a public bus to the east side of the island to Patong. The bus ride was really nice. I felt like an explorer in this small, rickety bus. It was quite fun to ride it. After an hour of beautiful views, I arrived in Patong. Patong is not so pretty, but it's right on the beach. However, the water is really dirty. We were really spoiled coming from Australia. I walked along the beach and swung on a giant swing right on the beach. Then I walked around a bit in the center of Patong. Massages, food, and souvenirs were offered everywhere. Patong reminded me a little of the Ballermann in Mallorca. Quite crowded and very touristy. But it was nice to look at. Afterwards, I went back to Phuket Town. In the meantime, Ben was feeling a little better.

In the morning, Ben and I discussed the next few days. Ben still wasn't feeling well, but he was getting better. So we decided to book a day tour to Phi Phi Island after a long back and forth with the hostel. The tour would take place the next day. We decided to take the day very relaxed. I really wanted to try a Thai massage. So we went to a Thai massage place. I was massaged for an hour. It was a nice experience to have a massage. Afterwards, we went back and focused on getting better. I already packed everything for the next day and then we went to bed quite early.

Now something big was coming up: When we woke up at 7 am with the alarm clock, we got dressed and the car from our day tour organization was already in front of our accommodation. When we went downstairs, we got on the bus right away. The rides in Bangkok are always very exciting. Everyone drives like crazy. The shuttle service was the same. When we arrived safely, we were greeted with a welcome drink and cookies. We felt very comfortable and the team was very friendly and humorous. After a short introduction, we got on the boat. The boat was surprisingly small. But the boat ride was fine. Ben and I were a bit scared, but neither of us got seasick, which was already a win. Then we arrived at Khai Nai island. Beautiful. White sand, blue water...wonderful. It was really beautiful and we finally felt at home in Thailand. Then we took a wobbly path to Koh Phi Phi Don. First, we went to Monkey Beach, where we were delighted by baby monkeys. They were so small, it was really cute. Then we had lunch. There was a Thai buffet. Delicious. Some dishes were spicy, but there was also a lot of food for the sensitive European stomach. After a while on the island, we continued to Koh Phi Phi Leh. There, we first visited Viking Cave. However, it is currently closed due to construction work. Then we went to Pileh Lagoon, where we could swim in the turquoise water. We also went to a spot where we could snorkel. The fish were not as diverse as those at the Great Barrier Reef, and the corals looked totally different from those at the Great Barrier Reef, but it was still special to dive among the big rocks. Then we went to the famous Maya Bay, where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. However, Maya Bay has been closed for environmental reasons since the middle of last year. I think this is a good thing! Finally, a thought for the environment in Thailand. There is so much trash lying around here. I would really like to give everyone garbage bags. Even the locals just throw their trash on the street, it's terrible. It has really made me more environmentally conscious, I would say. Seeing how rundown and littered a neighborhood can be is really off-putting.

Overall, it was a beautiful day. The landscape was unique, the colors of the sea were beautiful, and the atmosphere was really relaxing. On the way back to Phuket, we saw a couple of plastic bottles in the sea. I hope Thailand will focus more on environmental protection soon. The islands are really beautiful and it would be a shame if such magnificent nature is destroyed by humans.

Since Ben felt even worse the next day than yesterday, it was back to bed. I wanted to take the bus to Big Buddha, where there are also elephants. However, when I arrived at the bus station, I was advised against it because the walk to Big Buddha is apparently very long and hilly. When I returned to the hostel, we thought about renting a motorbike. Everyone seems to ride motorbikes in Thailand, and it's also more practical than a car. But we were also advised against it. Taxis were definitely too expensive for us, and we wanted to be more flexible. After much consideration, I decided to stay in Phuket Town. First, I treated myself to a manicure. It took a really long time, but I had plenty of time. I enjoyed it very much, and the work was done more carefully than in Germany. After having nice nails, I walked around the city a bit. I also wanted to try a coconut, which was fresh and everyone drinks it here. When I found a stall, I already had a coconut in my hand. Unfortunately, I found out that I really don't like it. Somehow it tasted different from what I remembered. Well, at least I tried it. It looked really nice and gave me a Hawaiian feeling. Then I went back to the accommodation and rested for a while. In the evening, we went to the night market. The first one was near our accommodation, so Ben accompanied me. The second one, which was a bit bigger, was a bit further away. Both night markets had small street food stalls and you could buy souvenirs everywhere. The larger one reminded me a little of the market in Bangkok. We walked the whole way back in the dark. When we arrived back at the accommodation, we packed our things and went to bed.

On March 18, we had our return flight to Bangkok. Since it was in the evening, we made good use of the day. I really wanted to see the Big Buddha, so we took the bus in that direction. The Big Buddha is on a mountain and offers a 360-degree view of Phuket Island. Unfortunately, you can't get there without a car. When we arrived at the bus station at the bottom of the mountain, there was a sign for an elephant park 2 kilometers away. So we set off for the elephant park because I really wanted to see elephants in Thailand. When we arrived there, the park didn't look animal-friendly. We talked to one of the staff members and she assured us that an elephant would come to the entrance in 20 minutes. We waited and looked at the cage where the elephant would come in. You could already see a foot chain on the ground. So we were really curious about what was going to happen. The elephant arrived after 20 minutes. It was a baby elephant, but it made a very strange impression on me. He occasionally hit the bars with his trunk and kept walking in circles. I stroked him and took a few photos. That was enough for me. I didn't want to ride on him and bathing with elephants was not for me either. So we went back. Watching and petting didn't cost anything, so we didn't support the park either. However, I was really happy to see an elephant on our trip to Thailand. Afterwards, we took the bus back. Ben and I really enjoyed the rides in this bus. They have a certain charm that is really unique. The rides are also very cheap. When we wanted to pay, the bus driver initially tried to charge us a higher price. However, I knew exactly from previous research how much the ride was supposed to cost, and the journey there (the same route) was cheaper than what the bus driver wanted to charge us. After some persistence on my part, he gave us the correct change and we went back to our accommodation. There we took a break and then went to the airport bus station. After about an hour's drive, we arrived at the airport. Since the airport is right next to a beach, I really wanted to go to the beach and watch the planes land right over your head. However, we would have had to pay a lot to access the adjacent national park, so we decided against it. Back at the airport, we got some food at Subway (I had been craving Subway since Australia) and then we had to wait until the evening when we would fly back to Bangkok at 9:40 pm.