Finally something new again

January 9th - February 5th, 2024

Yes, it's been too long since we posted here on our blog. We really enjoyed Thailand and at some point Tine was weeks behind with her diary that it was getting on your back and you certainly didn't feel like writing. Well, now we're taking a day off, Flo is catching Pokemons and Tine is sitting in the Tasmanian sun and feels like writing.

Thailand: a country full of contrasts. When we arrived in Tailand from this small town in Cambodia with the help of a travel agency with a minivan, Bangkok greeted us with a beautiful dark red sunset. It's been quite hot the last few months, but Bangkok destroyed us, especially Flo. The extreme heat of 37 degrees and humidity unbearable. From 2 p.m. we holed up in various malls where you can actually spend a whole day, after getting up we went on a photo shoot with banded monitor lizards in Lumphini Park. We were more than fascinated by these free-roaming reptiles, which are up to two meters long and for the local residents it's a very common occurrence that they have to share the bike path with them. After we had seen Bangkok a bit, we took a ten-hour bus ride to Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand, where we happened to meet Martin again, whom we had met in Vietnam. Chiang Mai consists of a small old town center in which around 200 temple complexes can be found, so after you left one, the next one came straight away. And actually one is more beautiful than the other. The city around it also had great corners, especially fewer tourists in one place and a more pleasant atmosphere, always with a mountain backdrop in the background. An incredible number of elephant park visits are offered from Chiang Mai. We thought about it for several days because we wanted to find one that would make it as comfortable as possible for the animals. We decided on the Elephant Nature Park, where we also treated ourselves to an overnight stay. It was an incredible experience. On the first day we visited the outdoor enclosure with our small group of 10 other visitors with a guide, always keeping a sufficient distance from the huge animals; some were allowed to get closer, others not. In the evening we watched from a footbridge at a height of five meters as the elephants walked from the forest back to their night quarters and got dinner. The next morning we walked with a guide and in an even smaller group into the jungle, where elephants were running around freely in various places to hand them the melons and bananas they had brought with them and we were also allowed to pet them if they didn't turn away. That was a great highlight. Finally, we made an elephant cake for an older female elephant using bananas, melons, cucumbers and rice coconut milk mash, which we then ceremoniously presented to her - she ate it in just a few bites. Our idea afterwards was to go to a meditation monastery for a week. However, after careful consideration, we decided to rent a scooter so that we could drive through the various national parks with very little luggage (camera equipment and a spare set of clothes for each of us) in order to see even more of the beautiful north. Via Phayao, where we admired an absolutely indescribable sunset on the lake with a beer. Then on to Chiang Rai, where we left the backpacker life behind for one night to enjoy life in a cute bubble hotel with a bathtub on its own terrace, wine and sunset in the background. Of course we visited the huge, white Buddha “Goddess of Mercy” on the mountain and also went to the “White Temple”, which you definitely have to see. After visiting so many temples over the past few months, we were quite unimpressed with this work of art. On to Wiang Pa Pao, somewhere in the middle of nowhere to Doi Inthanon National Park with the highest mountain in Thailand, then to Li to Mae Ping and back to Chiang Mai. These days with so little luggage showed you once again that you really don't need that much to live. We always worry too much about what to wear and whether we look smart enough. Yes, we also had to buy some new clothes because we underestimated the weather and got wet to the bone, so we spent a day in bed so that the clothes could dry again. But nature more than compensated us. It was so beautiful that we actually went south. Tine actually really wanted to go south to an island, relax on the beach and do a bit of snorkeling. However, we liked it so much here that we didn't just spend the eight days planned on the scooter, but 12 days. Indescribably great, mostly wild nature and the freedom to go wherever you want on your scooter and quickly book accommodation for the coming night from anywhere using your cell phone. A feeling of indescribable freedom. The people we stayed with or met on our way were also so warm and nice, we mostly communicated with Google Translator and hands and feet. Tine would have liked to have had a more in-depth conversation with one or two women. But even Google sometimes just conjures up a deep question mark on the other person's face. For example, we found an old silk weaving factory by chance. It's amazing what great silk products are created here on ancient wooden looms. A concrete hall in which twelve looms stand close together, only dim light, and Tine next to them. Not being able to communicate properly when you have so many questions, but you also don't want to keep the women from working. We had great accommodation at Doi Inthanon, but unfortunately we weren't able to communicate properly with the owners. The family probably consisted of 10 adults. Everyone probably went to the field early in the morning and came back in the evening to cook and eat together. Everyone lived under a small roof, with a toilet and shower in the house next to it. Do these people know or would like a different life? They were always friendly and certainly looked content and happy.

And yet at the end of this tour you enjoy the luxury of being able to use a washing machine and not having to wash your laundry by hand in the river. Being able to take a long hot shower and not having to wash your hair with cold water. Things that we both no longer want to do without and that were/are/will be normal in our everyday lives. Back in Chiang Mai, we leisurely strolled around in different places than before for a few days before taking the bus back to Bangkok. Because that's where we met Mira and Seb, friends of ours. That evening we went to bed with an overdose of sugar because Mira had been asked to bring gingerbread. Something Tine missed most during the Christmas season. We spent two wonderful days with the two of them, with one, two, three beers in this metropolis of millions before the journey continued.

However, before the plane picked us up, we had one more mission. We got soaking wet while traveling on the scooter. What we saw made up for it, but it didn't change our grumpy shoes. That day we saw giant peacocks roaming free in an orchard outside a tiny town on the way to our accommodation. We actually wanted to go to the signposted waterfall, which we couldn't find, but instead we saw peacocks. One of them was so startled by us that he flew up into a tree. That was awesome, it got dark for a moment when he flew up above us. Such a beautiful animal. But the remaining time of an hour on the scooter in the pouring rain became torture for Tine's feet and Flo's fingers. Flo couldn't even open his shirt buttons in the hotel anymore because they were so frozen. Luckily, the next day the clothes and shoes were dry again, but Tine's shoes smelled. So we bought alcohol spray for the inside of the shoes and room spray for the outside of the shoes. All right, the plan worked, they didn't smell so bad anymore. That day we drove to Mae Ping National Park. First we drove a bit through the forest and looked for birds to photograph when it started to rain lightly again. But this time we were prepared, we had bought rain capes in the morning, so we didn't let that stop us from visiting the waterfall. It looked really impressive turquoise. We drove back to the hotel in pouring rain and with plastic bags over our shoes. Unfortunately, Tine's bags didn't keep out as much water as Flo's and so she had squeaky shoes again, ahhhhh. This time we couldn't get rid of the wet-dog-and-rotten-fish smell. So new shoes were needed. In Bangkok we made our way to a Brooks flagship store. Disillusionment after a 45 minute taxi ride. Reopening in March. So take a taxi to the nearest Brooks store: closed. Telephone number left on the front door, no one answers. Great. Our mood at its lowest point. But there was a huge street market set up around the corner. We wandered through the various street themes: there was one with garden supplies, fertilizer, seeds and plants; one with fruits and vegetables; another with “pets”, small hedgehogs, rabbits, goats, fish, baby dogs and all sorts of accessories; another with all kinds of food, which we were almost forced to try because there were no tourists anywhere. Further back there were tents in which the students presented their research work, sustainable toilets, ice cream made from flowers, new rice cultures and their taste, projects with NASA. After we asked a lady behind a stand if she could speak to the shop owner on the phone for us, as she probably doesn't understand English, after we actually reached her, we walked back to the shop in a hurry. And as proud owners of new black Brooks shoes, now in a twin look, we left the smallest shoe store we had ever visited.

Mira and Seb took us to the bus that took us to the airport and so we left Thailand wearing partner shoes. Just as we previously laughed at other couples who wore partner looks, we are now one of them too.