Day 8 - pleasant

Last night we decided that we (Jonna, me + our acquaintances) want to go on a smaller excursion today. We are going to Freedom Beach in the south. So a taxi is booked (by the way, pick-up trucks where you sit on the loading area) and things are packed.

We drive up the incredibly steep road from our beach to the inland. By the way, you should take the advice of holding on tight during the ride seriously. Even if the driver takes some care with his cargo on the loading area, the rides can be quite exciting. We stop at a 7/11 (a supermarket) and buy some things for the day at the beach. The pickup truck stops at a smaller parking lot, we get out and want to go to the beach, but a woman calls us back energetically - tourist tax!

After the amount of 1.50€ per person has been paid, we walk down wooden stairs to Freedom Beach and notice that not much has been cleaned up since the last festival here (April 18th). By that I don't mean trash, but rather the infrastructure of the event. The bars and huts, with one exception, are abandoned; even the stage for the DJ is still there, as if the last party was yesterday evening. It could also be that it's not worth dismantling everything - who knows. A row of smaller trees provides shade three meters from the shore, where some dogs have already made themselves comfortable and consider the beach their home.

The water here is a bit rougher than on the east side, which makes snorkeling a bit difficult, but you can climb excellently on the stones on the sides of the bay. Since we are spoiled by our 'home beach', Freedom Beach doesn't really impress us, even if it may look different in the pictures.

Therefore, we order the taxi a bit earlier to go back and make our way home - of course not without stopping at the 7/11 again. Luckily, some food stalls have opened next to the supermarket, where we get fried chicken fillets with sweet chili sauce and eat them on the way - very delicious (9/10 - €0.60 per piece).

In the evening, we meet at our friends' bungalow, from where you have a magnificent view over the bay. There is also a pleasant breeze up there. We get Chang, THE Thai beer, it tastes pretty good; even though probably everything that is bitter, cold, and carbonated tastes wonderful at that moment.

We decide to go to the same restaurant as the night before and get food, beer, and gin tonics there.

Highlight of the evening: Jonna scratches her foot because a fly tickles her there. Unfortunately, the fly is a thumb-sized cockroach that zooms over Jonna's foot. There is a small and short-lived hysteria, but it is limited and dissipates after a few seconds - it could have been worse. I, for example, would probably have jumped off the platform and into the water without hesitation. A couple in the restaurant notices our little escapade and asks what it's all about. We calmly say 'cockroach'. The girlfriend turns pale and looks at her partner. She calmly but very determinedly picks up her mats and checks if she also has a little visitor cuddled up there. Although the search is unsuccessful for her, she flees after a few minutes and marches down the stairs. The friend follows behind and explains to us in laughing English: 'She has a little problem with beetles'. 'Oh, you don't notice at all!' I think.

- Alex