Don't worry be happy

Hallo, hello, hallo everyone! :)

Yes... we haven't been writing much on the travel blog lately and we are also quite behind schedule. But we will catch up, don't panic.

After saying goodbye to Koh Samui, on November 17th (oh man, I just realized how far behind we are) we went to Krabi. At least that's what we thought the whole time, until it turned out that our actual destination was Ao Nang. It actually took us the whole long day to get to Ao Nang, using a ferry, bus, and mini-van to reach our hostel. By now, we can mentally prepare ourselves for the crazy driving style of the bus drivers, but we still haven't gotten used to it - the adrenaline level keeps rising during the ride. The next few days were relatively uneventful: we explored the area (by constantly walking in the wrong direction when we wanted to go somewhere), treated ourselves to fruit shakes from time to time, and basked our bellies in the sun. But of course, that wasn't our entire Ao Nang program, because we also wanted to see some sights in the area. So we once again grabbed a scooter, put on our helmets (being exemplary as we are) and made our way to the so-called "Tiger Cave Temple". However, the temple was not in a cave, as the name suggests, but on the top of a mountain. It could only be reached by climbing a few flights of stairs. And by 'a few', I mean 1260 stairs. Some people might think, 'Oh, that's nothing.' and maybe it would be manageable in a normal staircase (even though a staircase doesn't have as many steps). But under the blazing sun, with a cozy 28 degrees Celsius and a humidity of 90%, it's a different story. We actually imagined it to be much easier, but when we saw the stairs and had to raise our legs at a right angle, we realized that we might need to take a few smaller breaks in between. And so we did. After a good hour of agony, we reached the top, now crimson, completely sweaty, but happy that we made it. It was truly a triumph and the view was fantastic. After admiring, taking photos, and incorporating some stretching exercises up there, we made our way back, which turned out to be much more pleasant. Because now came the relaxed part - just walking down the stairs. Of course, at some point our legs started to feel like jelly, but that was balanced out by the sight of other visitors on their way up, still having all the fun ahead of them. Even though we fell into bed exhausted in the evening, with the feeling of impending muscle soreness, all the effort was definitely worth it.

The next day, luckily, we were still able to move our legs, which can still be seen on the streets of Ao Nang to this day. Because clumsy as I am, I actually managed to step into a freshly poured concrete spot, leaving my footprint there forever. So, if you happen to be in Ao Nang and see a footprint on the sidewalk - that's mine! Despite my slightly cemented foot, we still went to the night market in the evening, which happened to take place exactly on our last night in Ao Nang. It must have been quite a special attraction for the Thais, as there was even a statue, a stage, and lots of small stalls. There was even live music playing and we were greeted with "Don't worry be happy" (greetings to Eva - you would have sung it better). That's all about Ao Nang. The next few days, we plan to continue to Phuket, but we'll see.

Big hugs to all and remember "Don't worry be happy!"

Philine