Thailand Chapter 2 - Koh Chang

*any greeting phrase*

For those who have found their way back here:

Welcome back to part 2 of our journey.
Without further ado, let's continue with the text....

(If you don't like to read a lot other than shower gel packages in the bathroom, you better close the link again.
Because I don't know how short I can keep it and will or maybe not....)
;)

On Friday the 13th, we left the city behind and finally arrived on the island after an almost eight-hour bus and ferry ride.
For those who don't pay much attention to the headlines, we chose KOH CHANG. ;)
It is located in the Gulf of Thailand on the east coast and very close to the border with Cambodia.
Yes, I know, I've been here before, but you know - when something is good, you want more. ;)
But the decisive reason was actually that it is the fastest accessible island from Bangkok.
Well, at least one of the islands that are worth seeing for me.

The bus ride to Trat to the ferry was... well... like bus rides usually are... tedious... stupid... The smell of cheese feet, sweat, and other indefinable odors filled the air and hung like a thundercloud right above our seats... We had a break in between and noticed that the drivers don't feel like turning off the engine during that time.
It was the same in Bangkok before.
There was a minivan standing there when we were waiting for the pick-up command in front of our hotel.
And this engine was happily humming around for about 15 minutes, even though no one was inside.
(how dare you!?)

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When we arrived at the pier, we had to wait for about 1.5 hours until the ferry departed.
But that was quite okay, because we could finally move around, breathe fresh air, and besides, paradise was within reach. 🏝

It's quite funny to see what an old boat we were sailing on.
It looked like it came from a different century and it was so slow that it took us 2 hours to cover a distance of about 2 kilometers.
(next time we'll swim across)

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We didn't know exactly where our accommodation is, which we booked just 1 day earlier for the next 3 days.
Only that it is located at the end of the island and is called Nirvana.
Arriving with a taxi in the middle of nowhere, we were surprised.
In a really positive way.
The resort is so much better than expected.
Palm trees everywhere.
Nature.
Water from 2 sides.
Moreover, our bungalow is also super spacious and has a phenomenal view of the bay.
Furthermore, it is so secluded, quiet, and empty that we sometimes have the pool all to ourselves.

And the highlight came just 2 minutes after our arrival during check-in.
At least Juli's welcoming committee consisted of MONKEYS!
MONKEYS. 🐒
They live nearby in the jungle and are everywhere here.
Especially in the morning.
The next day, we were even woken up by them.
It was about 7.
Suddenly loud noises above us.
Steps on the roof.
Clearly the sound of small agile paws.
As a result, we moved the curtains aside...
And boom - a few monkeys were really seen, comfortably sitting on our terrace railing.
That's how you can start the morning, right :))

We had only been here for 1 day and we already extended our stay in our awesome hut by 4 days.

So now we are in Nirvana for a whole week, with exactly 2 days left from this moment.

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It's really awesome to travel independently and always change accommodations, islands, cities, and/or countries according to your mood and preference, BUT:
You know it - the agony of choice!
So far, we have spent 10 hours Googling, researching, comparing, and contemplating back and forth to find the best route, because getting from point A to point B in Thailand is not easy..
And then there's the weather, which sometimes gets in our way....
For example, in Bangkok, we had already booked flights to Krabi, and 1 day before departure, we see in the weather app how monsoon-like showers are expected in the next few days.
Danger recognized, danger averted.
We decided to let the flights expire.
Better to lose some money than to lose the good mood. ☔ 🔚

Because for 9 days we haven't received a single drop of rain and I'm fine with that.
The sky is always blue and even when there are clouds in the sky, they never move in front of the sun. 👍

By the way, Juli has a pretty nasty rash on her arm, she suspects some kind of sun allergy - however, a wise woman once said that she just needs to eat a steak again, then it will go away. ;)

(Greetings to Frau Elke)

I am thinking back to what we have done so far....

So.... Um.... Pool, beach, scooter riding... Yes, especially scooter riding is quite an experience on Koh Chang... Nowhere else in the world have I driven such steep roads and tight curves.
The island is hilly, almost mountainous.
However, the roads themselves are in pretty good condition in most places
So if you trust yourself and your vehicle, and the pillion passenger behaves calmly (Juli does that of course fantastically), after the initial heart palpitations, it's just a lot of fun to zoom around here.
Unlike in Germany, scooters here are much faster. And that's definitely my cup of tea. :)

We rented one right after our arrival at the neighboring resort.
We paid for 3 days and immediately jumped on it to test it thoroughly.
After 3 minutes - 'hmm. This thing doesn't really have much power.
How are we supposed to conquer these serpentine roads with this wimp?'
After 5 minutes - 'hmm. The brake levers seem to be just decorative.
Is it my imagination or does it really brake so poorly?'
Not even 10 minutes later, we returned the scooter and exchanged it for another one.
That could have gone wrong.
I guess the brake pads were completely worn out.
Risky.
And definitely not a two-wheeler with which we would have made it out of here alive....

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Hey, it's really so damn beautiful here.
I'm once again laid-back by the pool, the pool area is empty, unfortunately, so is my can of cola, the ocean next door, which I can see very well from my lounger, almost touch, shimmers turquoise, and funny birds fly by every now and then in search of food...
By the way, I'm still almost cheese-white... Only the sunburn on my nose reveals that we also catch some rays from time to time.

I got that two days ago during the snorkeling tour we did.
Juli, me, a speedboat, and a handful of Chinese people... I'm not a big fan of Chinese people, you might have already noticed back then.
But it's just that they usually stand out so unpleasantly.
Even the lady from the tour stand couldn't resist making comments about this nation.
Coupled with the appropriate expression on her face. :D

.... 

And at that stand, we also witnessed a really interesting and previously unknown event.
-I was admiring the many monkeys hanging above us on the telephone lines and grooming each other on balconies when suddenly there was a loud bang.
And it lasted quite a long time and seemed to get louder.
Fireworks were being set off.

For minutes.
And monkeys were running across the lines towards the jungle from everywhere like crazy.

I didn't realize how many there really were until I saw how many suddenly fled from the village.
We already somehow assumed that THIS was the purpose of the fireworks, but we still asked and it was confirmed - they are being driven away with them.
They have really become a nuisance for the locals here.
A blessing and a curse - as it always is - the Thais don't want them, tourists love them.
Especially ME. :)

.... 

Back to the main point - snorkeling trip!

When we arrived at the pier where the boat departed, we saw 2 baby elephants as the first thing, which were being ridden before they took a bath in the sea.
And even though I love these fantastic animals so much and I'm always happy to see one, it is really cruel how they are mistreated here and elsewhere.
I think elephant riding should be banned worldwide. Starting with the keeping conditions.
How they endure their existence on 50cm chains day after day....

Just really sad.

-Phew.
The clear view in the ocean and all the fish in it are really impressive.
Juli and I couldn't get enough of it.
Among other things, we found Dory and spotted huge sea urchins.

At the 3rd stop, the highlight happened.
A sea turtle crossed our path.
It was amazing.
Because in all my travels, I have never encountered one and seeing how it glides through the water so calmly was truly breathtaking.
At some point, the hustle and bustle around it got too much for it and it swam away.
I focused on my surroundings again and when I resurfaced a few minutes later to take a proper breath, Juli was suddenly nowhere to be seen.
A brief shock.
Do you know the movie 'Open Water'?
I had that in mind for a moment.
It took a few minutes until we found each other again.
In the end, it turned out that Juli had followed the turtle and got carried away.
How nice that she made the sea unsafe with her new buddy and forgot everything else around her. *sniffle
But she promised never to do that again. ;))
(Oh no!!)

Oh, almost forgot to mention:

On the boat, we also passed by a piece of land where we made a short stop.

Rugged cliffs, lush jungle behind them.

The crew whistled a few times and on cue (which it actually was), several dozen monkeys came running and gratefully accepted what the crew threw at them.

They already knew the routine.

They actually received the remnants of our lunch, so rice, fruit, and so on.

Getting rid of trash.

Feeding monkeys.

Win-win situation.

It was funny to see them fighting over the smallest pieces, almost falling into the water, and not even allowing each other to have some.

(reminded me of my siblings and me back then)

But nothing more than that.
It can actually be even better.
I'm speaking from experience. ;)
(yes baby, I know that the word 'bragging' is flashing in your pretty head again....)

And if it hadn't been for those very... well... let's call them 'smelly' Chinese people who (wet or dry) were actually quite intrusive even outdoors with their emanations, I would even give an extra point.
I'm telling you... Those Chinese... 😆

Alright folks - I have to go on now, it's half past 2 and it's almost bedtime & we actually wanted to do something else.
In the tropics, the sun sets very early - it's already pitch dark at 6 o'clock.

By the way, next time I will take you on some kind of expedition.
If you are the schadenfreude type, you will definitely get your money's worth in the next blog entry, which will be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow............

Stay tuned!

*any farewell phrase*