On April 29th we got up one last time at 5am to drive to the observation tower in Khao Yai National Park. We sat around for a while with a few amateur photographers (their lenses were huge! Our little monocular is really cute in comparison!). Unfortunately we didn't see any big animals - like elephants!
A hornbill Well, at 8 o'clock we ate something and went for a last little hike. Back in Pak Chong, a serious accident happened in front of us. We had a green light and turned right. A scooter rider missed his red light and drove at full speed into the car in front of us. Her helmet flew off and she landed on the asphalt. The woman was still conscious and someone called an ambulance. Another came with an umbrella to give the woman shade. We were sent away. Since we don't speak the language anyway and there were enough first responders, we left. What else could we do? Direct the traffic? Thailand is in 6th place for the most traffic fatalities in the world (2016, ahead of Indonesia, USA, Brazil, China and India in ascending order). I'm a little surprised that Vietnam isn't higher up... The roads in the national park were so good that it attracted many cyclists! Here is a group with supply wagons!
We returned our scooter and went to the train station. We took the train back to Bangkok.
Not the ideal picture of me, but it describes my condition after several days of getting up at 5 a.m. and hiking.
The next day I went to the hospital. I've had a red spot there for 3 months that occasionally itches. And I don't know what to do anymore... I chose an international hospital again. The doctors there speak English and they have an international standard.
However, these hospitals are also private. So the decor was really pompous! The waiting area in the dermatology department looked like a hotel lobby! Awesome! The fancy waiting area Since I didn't have an appointment, I had to wait an hour. Even in Germany you do that with an appointment! Haha! Finally there was a scale again. The result was satisfactory! :)The doctor took a good look at my area, even took samples to look at under the microscope. Unfortunately she had to tell me that I was eating for two. I have a parasite under my skin. Well, I don't have to eat for it, but the copycat is burrowing through my skin and it itches. It's easy to get it in Asia by walking barefoot a lot or sitting on the ground a lot. The larvae stick to the skin and the parasite develops. However, we humans are false hosts. Normally the critters dilute themselves again. I must have been particularly tasty! Anyway, I've named my parasite Helmut and will be using tablets and cream to kill him in the coming days. Unfortunately I also have to put up with Ivar's comments.
Later I drove a motorbike taxi for the first time! It was an adventure in itself due to Bangkok's heavy traffic. And the helmet was a must!!!
The traffic The helmet...
On May 1st we went to Koh Tao, an island in the Gulf of Thailand. Particularly famous for diving.
Since one diving school after another dominates the beach promenade, the prices are relatively low. We want to do our advanced diving course here! Unfortunately, our accommodation was a bit of a disappointment. It does have a small kitchenette, a fridge and a comfortable bed, but it is right on a main road. And there are a lot of scooters driving past! In general, we don't like the island very much. Too densely built up, too many scooters and the locals aren't really nice. They are probably just annoyed or numb from all the tourists. On May 2nd, we spent a day at the beach and just lay around or went into the bathtub-warm sea. We did our course on May 3rd and 4th. This included 5 dives on 5 different topics. On the first dive we practiced a new swimming technique and improved our buoyancy. Buoyancy is the state of floating in the water without rising or falling. We even had to turn on our heads and bob in the water. We also practiced navigating underwater using a compass. In the evening there was a night dive. It's quite fun diving through the black water, equipped only with a flashlight! Then you can also see nocturnal hunters, such as the blue-spotted ray. The next day we dived deep, to 30 meters. When diving deep, more nitrogen accumulates in the body. This has an effect on the brain, which shows itself in limited thinking or fits of laughter. For example, we had to solve simple math problems. The diving instructor held up a few fingers and we then had to show with our fingers how much was still missing to the total of 11. Ivar couldn't solve his first task so quickly (the diving instructor showed 8 fingers, so there were only 3 left to the total of 11, but Ivar showed 4 fingers the whole time!) and that made me laugh a little. But I managed my maths too! Finally, we dived down to a wreck. That was pretty cool! Lots of fish and unfortunately lots of divers too. I spent the rest of the day in bed. I had upset my stomach with something. I managed the dives, but afterwards I was just miserable. Today, Sunday, I was at least hungry again in the morning! After breakfast, however, I took a nap. Ivar didn't hold back and of course joined in straight away. Later, we rented a scooter and drove to Tanote Bay. Here, there are corals right up to the beach! Really beautiful to look at!
