From the south to the north of Thailand

Hello everyone!

First of all, thank you so much for following our blog so diligently and making us feel closer to you! We really appreciate it and we always love your kind feedback! ❤️

So, what's there to tell... in this post, we will talk about our time on Koh Tao island and the start, specifically our "Mae Hong Son Loop Trip" in northern Thailand...

After leaving dear Gilles and Samara II in Phuket, we embarked on the long journey towards Koh Tao on the east coast of Thailand, together with Sascha. Why Koh Tao? First of all, we wanted to give Sascha a comprehensive impression of the diversity of Thailand, and that includes, roughly speaking, beaches, cities, mountains, and nature. With the 3 days on the sailboat, we made a good start, and now it was time to go to an island before heading to the mountains in the north... Another reason why we specifically chose Koh Tao was that we met dear Mateo about 3 months ago in Georgetown... Mateo is a free diving instructor on Koh Tao and his stories about diving without additional oxygen immediately captivated us... a brief explanation: In free diving, you only use your own breath, which means you rely on nothing but your body, a diving mask, and, if necessary, fins and a snorkel. We wanted to experience this feeling of freedom, without a heavy oxygen tank on our back, and the challenge of training and controlling our breath and mind so that we could spend a certain amount of time underwater without getting panicked or breathless. So we contacted Mateo, he was thrilled, and we set off towards the east. The transfer took about 10 hours by taxi, bus, and ferry, and went as smoothly as always... when we arrived at Koh Tao around 8 PM, we decided to walk the 1.2 km to the hotel in order to soak up the island's vibe a little better... and we immediately loved it! Although Koh Tao is quite touristy and crowded, it still has a relaxed and cozy charm. Of course, you also have the typical "Ballermann" tourists, but you can easily escape them if you stay in the right places. The water is clear, the beaches are beautiful, and there is delicious food everywhere at reasonable prices.

At Freedom Beach (another beautiful beach but you need to be skilled in Tetris to find a spot for your towel), we were lucky enough to spot a big sea turtle... Mine was ecstatic about it (#bigbigturtlelove)! ❤️

As planned, the two of us also tried free diving and took a beginner course with Mateo. It lasted about 5 hours and included an introduction, breathing techniques, and diving... the maximum depth was 12 m. Initially, you learn to maximize your lung capacity and equalize the pressure underwater... we hung on a rope while hanging our heads or feet first and had to equalize the pressure in our ears every meter or so... unfortunately, this proved to be a challenge for Mine as the equalization only worked on one side... it happens, but it's a shame when it stops at 4.5 m; but at least I was able to work on my fear of deep water a little bit 😉. Sergi, of course, rocked it and made it all the way down to 12 m (although he was a bit scared down there ;)). It was a great experience, and the breathing techniques were especially interesting for Mine as a yoga lover... but one course is certainly not enough to fully enjoy the potential of a free dive... you are too busy dealing with all the things you need to consider and trying not to drown or panic... 😂

I'm exaggerating a bit, of course, but there's a lot of new stuff to take in when you know absolutely nothing about diving! So we would definitely do Koh Tao again if the opportunity arises (if only for the Thai massage at Tiki's :)).

After 1 week, we continued to the north, to Chiang Mai... half of the journey was on a sleeping train - a time and cost-saving way to travel and very comfortable - and the second half was on a regular train.

The trip took a total of about 28 hours, but we were glad we could avoid taking a plane this time too! :) So Sascha experienced almost all means of transportation on his journey!

Chiang Mai was a total contrast to the tropical island, with its urban feel and cooler temperatures... nevertheless, we really enjoyed our time here. Here you can experience Buddhist culture even more intensely as the city is teeming with temples and monks... the nature and climate are completely different, and at this time, it even had a touch of autumn... after 2 days of getting used to it, we rented scooters and Sascha got a CRF, and we did the Mae Hong Son Loop through the mountains of northern Thailand... the landscape was amazing, and driving on the winding mountain roads was so much fun! It took us 4 days to cover nearly 600 km.

Our rough route took us from Chiang Mai to Pai, then to Mae Hong Son, Khun Yuam, and Mae Chaem, and finally back to Chiang Mai. The roads are very well-built and scenic for most parts of the route... of course, there are also some rough sections where Mine managed to get a puncture right away! 😅 After a long search and the use of his fantastic translation app, Sascha found some nice guys who towed us with their pickup truck to the nearest workshop - that was our third flat tire on the trip. Well, at least the two daughters had fun! ;)

Nevertheless, we can definitely recommend the tour to anyone looking for more remote places beyond Chiang Mai, Pai, and Chiang Rai, and who enjoys nature and mountains. In addition, there are several beautiful waterfalls, hiking trails, and national parks along the way. But be prepared and bring warm clothing, as it gets quite cold up there in the evenings :).

Two days after our return, Sascha unfortunately had to continue to Bangkok to fly back to Frankfurt from there... we had a great time and we are happy that dear Göbster was there and discovered Thailand for himself!

Who will be the next visitor!? 😊

The two of us spent a few more days in Chiang Mai, visited our 100th temple, and celebrated Chinese New Year a little. Now, we are continuing our journey through the north and enjoying the "autumn" time up here...

We send you all our love and big hugs from afar! ❤️