Here you can do plenty of things. We explored a “sticky” waterfall. So we rent a scooter again and go there. Unfortunately it was an hour away. An hour of riding the busy, loud and dirty highway. We were burning to a crisp in the sun and had to stop for a cold drink in between. Just when we are ready to explore the area it starts to suddenly rain. You can only laugh this off. This is a mere joke of life. A small test of patience. So we hunker down After thirty minutes it luckily stopped and we can explore the waterfall. Going on the waterfall goes against every instinct we know. Your brain is conditioned to think it is slippery. Every step you shortly hesitate. You then have full grip! You can even run around! How strange is this?

On our way back we found this desolate temple in the forest. No one was there and we indulged on the inviting stairs into the forest. We didn’t know what we should expect at the top. At the last stair our jaws drop. There is a massive cave connected to the stairs. We take a few steps more and this massive golden Buddha is smiling down on us. We can’t believe what we are seeing. Wow this is an amazing place and no one is here. We couldn’t believe the stillness of this place.

Thailand’s biggest sport is Thai boxing. There are many matches you can watch. We decided to check one out as well. We didn’t know the rules but it was still fun to watch. These fighting machines hitting each other. There was even one German one competing. We were cheering him on. He was so fast the round didn’t even last and the opponent went to the ground in 50 seconds. For me it’s clear. This is not my sport. I rather hit those waves.

Driven by the many Buddhas we have seen, we are driven to learn more about Buddha. So we visited a monastery to learn about Buddhas teaching. Here a monk taught us about impermanence and enlightenment. He started with a meditation. After the meditation he taught us about small nuisances. Like traffic, or noise, or something that bothers you in a moment. He proceeds to explain about impermanence. The mind can always be annoyed, be angry, furious or in any other mental state of unhappiness. He proceeds to explain how this is an impermanent state of the mind. The mind also often creates desire. “Things make you happy for a while, but then you chase the next thing”If I get this one thing I will be happy”. When the thing comes around it creates impermanent happiness for a short time until the mind moves on. We live in an impermanent world, though. This would create an endless loop in chasing the next thing and the next after that. To free the mind from this desire, is to stop this viscous cycle and be contempt’s and happy how you are now.

The Path to Enlightenment is a purification of the mind by training the mind, reaching a point where the mind experiences only peacefulness, calmness, serenity, and contentedness with joy – the Enlightened mind

https://www.buddhadailywisdom.com/

From here we go to Chiang Rai. In Chiang Rai, there is supposed to be more beautiful temples. Here we rent a scooter and check out the white temple. It is one of the most beautiful temples I have ever seen. The white color with the shining glass shards is supposed to resemble the purity of the Buddha and Buddha’s wisdom. For me it feels like being in an air temple of avatar.

After that we also visited the blue temple it is to represent the the lack of materialism of the Buddha. We cruise onward with our scooter. I took this beautiful shot. We didn’t stay long though and we didn’t find the blue temple as impressive as the white so we carried on.

From here we go further to the next temple. We cruise to the goddess of mercy. It is supposed to be a 9 story high statue. We cruise through the green landscape with it’s chaotic traffic. The statue is visible from far away because it is so huge! The massive statue is smiling down on us once we arrived. The white dragons invite us to climb the stairs. This place is so peaceful and quiet. It was not even

From here we went back to Chiang Mai to catch the night train to Bangkok. The night train was really comfy and an absolute showcase on how traveling can be. But once arrived in Bangkok, we were struck by the noisy, dirty and smelling city. We were staying in an old wooden Thai style house. Sounds beautiful, I know. The only problem was the missing air-conditioning, so we were sweating like crazy. We booked a flight out of Bangkok, but we had to kill a few more days. We didn’t want to see more temples so we just explored the city and watched the sunset on the river. While we were sitting and enjoying the sunset a literal queue of people standing there to take a picture was growing. We were just watching with amazement, how people would wait half an hour to take the same picture the other 50 people did before. Humans are crazy sometimes..

After the two days in the old Thai style house we had enough of Bangkok. It was not worth to go somewhere else, though so we rented a room with a gym. This was the best decision we made. We were tired of Bangkok and this was a good solution. We just trained with the Thai people. Some were Thai boxing, others just lifting weights and some were on the treadmills. Another evening we went out to a rooftop bar. Here you can see the city from a quiet perspective. We enjoyed the sunset and let the city turn from day to night with all the crazy lights.

When we went down again we noticed how quiet it was up there. Meanwhile the contrast of the city couldn’t be any heavier coming from a rooftop. With the expensive roof top and the ground completely different. All the restaurants and street stalls that are advertising with it’s smells together with the smog and the noise, that never seems to stop in Bangkok. What a crazy city. You have the locals, the tourists and the crazy mix of the markets. The rich and the poor, the homeless, the fisherman, the street foods stalls, the tuk tuk drivers. They make the life in daily Bangkok. Here are a few more Impressions

Until next time! Cheers.

This is supposed to be a secret travel tip to experience the Jungle. However, all the restaurants and tourist shops tell us a different story about this ‘secret’ tip. Even worse, Khao Sok gets four months of sun and then eight months of rain. The four month just passed and the season is slowly changing. It’s showing, when we arrive, as it is already pouring down. We decide to head to the hot springs close by. These hot springs are specifically hot! They have pools reaching from 40°C to 45°C. The locals were enjoying their thermal bath in this quiet area. We were the only tourists there and the locals even asked to take pictures with us. We saw some of them sitting in the 45°C pool. For us it was unbearable until they told us the secret on how to sit in the 45°C water. The secret is getting in and not moving. I tried it anxiously. At first it felt too hot, but then the body acclimatized. To my surprise it became actually bearable for some time.

What an experience! When we get back to the scooter we notice our misfortune. The key hole of our scooter is blocked. Usually you can open it with the key again. In this case the key is too worn out to open it. I was sweating like a pig from the 45°C water. We tried to open the keyhole, while the sweat drops from my face. After 15 minutes we gave up. It’s closed. We realize, that we are stuck at the hot springs. Some friendly Thai people tried to help us, as well. After a while they also gave up and called the owner of the scooter. He brought us another key thirty minutes later. In the meantime I went back to the hot springs to buy a coke. This was the moment I saw the funniest sign placed at the entrance. The sign said ‘Do not boil egg’. I had to laugh. These are the things you only encounter in Asia. Behind every sign there is a story… After that we drove under the star light back to our accomodation.

One special thing about Khao Sok is the nearby lake. The lake was created when the Thai government build a dam to capture the water in the 1980s. We researched different ways to get to the lake, but the only way seemed to book a tour. We get picked up by a van and of course stop at some tourist shop. This is why I usually hate booked tours. You get no freedom. I need to move in my own pace at my own will. I am the happiest, when I can move my body all day. The worst for me is sitting and waiting all day. We are out of luck, as this tour almost only seems to be sitting. From the van we got hoarded into a longboat. We cross beautiful lime stones that are covered with green plant life. It almost seems that these things reach the sky. We can’t wait to get moving in the Jungle. We have to be patient, though. The boat is cruising for another hour over the lake. The engine is the only noise we hear after a while. So far we were just sitting all day. After a long wait we finally arrive at the bamboo huts.

Later that day we finally went hiking. For this we had to take the boat again to get to the hiking spot. Spirits are still high and the group starts to get to know each other. The engine is blaring and we skip through the water and pass more lime stones, monkeys and rainforest.

We started the hike to one of the caves inside the jungle. These caves were used by communist in the 1980s to hide from the government. After a bit we arrived at the trek. We hike through small rivers and the jungle. On the way we saw a big black scorpion. It had it’s stinger ready for an attack. What a crazy animal. At some point we arrive at the cave. You almost miss the entrance and you have to take a closer look as it is just a small hole on the cliff. There is a river running through the cave. Usually you can hike through and continue trekking on the other side. Because of the rainy season; it becomes more dangerous to pass through. The river can get unpredictable and the water level can rise pretty quickly. So we just enter the cave for a few minutes and go back out again. We spent the rest of the day at the bamboo huts. At night I heard a cockroach crawling close to my head. This is one of the most disgusting sounds I have ever heard. The clacking of the legs directly next to my head was too much. I didn’t sleep much the rest of the night. After that we head to Khao Lak.

Khao Lak is a famous place. Not only for it’s beauty, but also for the tsunami that hit the coast in 2004. Four thousand people died in that disaster unfortunately. Today Khao Lak is mostly rebuild. You can still see some watermarks at some of the older buildings. Unbelievable, you can even spot them kilometers inland. There are also some buildings, that were abandoned afterwards. Great places, that had life in it always have a weird vibe. Nature suddenly takes over and becomes a bit spooky. This resort was build like a temple. Now it is only a temple for mosquitoes and place slowly falls apart. It’s still full of life. Just not human life.

There is a police boat, that got carried away from the tsunami. It was left as a reminder for the tsunami victims. Today it is a small landmark in Khao Lak. We enter the place with a weird feeling. This puts many things in perspective. This must have been such a crazy disaster. There must have been so much water everywhere! The police boat is literally kilometers away from the sea. Our stomachs turn at the thought to be caught in such a natural disaster. Drowning must be one of the most unpleasant deaths. Imagine grasping for air and your lungs soak full of water. We get the chills, just from thinking about it. There are a few small stalls next to the police boat. They show you pictures of the tsunami and the magnitude. What we didn’t expect was to see uncensored corpses in these pictures. Now our stomachs completely turned. Looking at the dead people lying at the beach. It was probably supposed to be their dream vacation and it quickly turned into their nightmare. We leave this place with a little bit more understanding on how terrifying it must have been. May the families of the victims be at peace.

I heard there is a surf spot nearby. This spot is supposed to fire up in June during monsoon season. How convenient to be there at the right time. Mostly wind swells arrive here. I have to check it out for sure! We rent a scooter and we are off to the spot. Renting a scooter in monsoon season is a fun thing to do. You never know, when the next rain is coming. We did often get wet, because it starts to rain so fast so abruptly. A good indicator is to look at the locals. If they are suddenly packing and hurrying it is going to rain pretty soon, so you can prepare.

For the surf spot you have to pass a beautiful pine forest. The spot seems to be hidden, yet very developed. There are several board rentals at the beach. I’m even more surprised about the board quality. The boards are all in a good shape. Almost no dings. There are even some restaurants with a some good prices here. We know we are going to have a good time here!

We find a small bungalow in the middle of nowhere. It is close to the surf spot and hidden in a banana plantation. We enjoy a few days surfing exploring and chilling. Here we meet a South African, that was working in the oil industry. He has worked in most countries and has finally moved to Thailand. He has opened a café, which is close by our accommodation. We often did go there and listened to the stories he had to tell. The vibe is relaxed and enjoy the quiet times. We had good food, smaller adventures to a waterfall and surf. The waves were even getting pretty good. I had some head high waves, where you could do some decent turns on. What is better, than finding a surf spot in a country you didn’t expect to be surfing in? That’s right an empty line up in a country you didn’t expect to be surfing in.

Thanks for reading and until next time.

We didn’t expect Koh Lipe to be this small. There isn’t even a pier, where the boats can be docked. Let me explain how you get from the ferry to the beach. First you get picked up by a long boat. It is the smaller boats you see on the right. The long boat brings you to the blue floating pier. The floating pier is shaking and moving from the small waves and the water. Some people almost loose their balance on it. From here you enter the beach and you can enjoy the show of other tourists walking like ducks on the pier. This hilarious sight let’s you kill the time.

Before I entered the country legally I already walked around the island. I got some Baht, the Thai currency, and I even got a coffee before I went back to the immigration office. The immigration office was just a desk at the beach. Talking about a dream job, this must be pretty close. Toes in the sand and waiting to be called for the stamp in the passport. This is definitely one of the craziest, but also most relaxed immigrations I have ever seen!

When we first discover the island we notice that Allah gave way to Buddha. Muslim are suddenly a minority and Buddhist people are the majority. Weed is legal in Thailand and we stumbled upon a lot of cannabis dispensaries. Even on such a small island. This is even more crazy considering that Singapore and Malaysia have some of the heaviest penalties for cannabis possession. This has always been the craziest part to me. You cross a border and suddenly the language and culture are very different. This has been one of the most extreme cases for me. Usually the change is gradual. You notice a few differences here and there. On this border it was a massive difference.

After that we tried to find our accommodation. We decided to stay in a traditional bamboo hut. We search for it and apparently we have to cross a beach. Unfortunately it was high tide, so we were literally walking through the sea again. Eventually we find our bamboo hut and it becomes inherently clear that this is not a stay for two days. It is just to good to be true! We ended up extending for two more days and than two more days, again!

Koh Lipe is just beautiful. I didn’t expect the clear water. On Langkawi the water was rather murky and grey. Here it is crystal clear and as blue as it can get. With the swimming glasses you could even explore the reef, which is right outside of the door. We did this everyday. Well I did this everyday. Sally’s foot was infected so she had to wait a few days. Sounds like torture to me. Imagine seeing this beauty and you can not immerse yourself in it. After a few days the infection was gone and Sally could enjoy this, too. We even found Nemo in the reefs near the beach.

What a beautiful place on earth. Nothing more I have to say. Enjoyed the Thai cuisine and our bamboo hut. We didn’t do much more, than snorkeling and relaxing at the beach. The upside traveling in low season you have all this beach almost all to yourself and the prices are very low. If you are not bothered by a little rain this might be the perfect time for you. However keep in mind that the ferry operation is shutting down in June. The reason is the monsoon. It creates a lot of waves and turbulences in the Andaman sea in that time of the year. This makes the ferry not operable. This is our queue to get off the island before the ferry shuts down. You can only charter speed boats to get back to the mainland. The best part I will remember about Koh Lipe, was the sweet old lady that sold donuts at the beach for ten baht, equivalent of 27 cents. The moment I was dreading the most arrived. We had to charter a speed boat and drive back. Luckily the sea was just flat. So no anxiety for me this time!

Back at the mainland we go to Ao Nang. There are beaches too. However nothing beats the beaches at Kho Lipe. Ao Nang almost seems a little bit ugly in comparison. Don’t get me wrong it is a beautiful spot. Just not the same, when you come from such a beautiful island. That’s why we decided to do something else. Luckily there is plenty to do or to explore. We rented a scooter and started to cruise around. We want to check out an elephant sanctuary. To get there, you need to ride the scooter along of these beautiful lime stones full of jungle and plant life.

Turns out the elephants of the sanctuary walk around freely in the jungle. They are not forced to be there. There are no cages, no fences or anything like it. This means the elephants just come to the sanctuary for the feeding time. We are out of luck and and have to try again later. On the way back we found a goat farm. We saw it before on Maps. I told Sally, that we also have goats at home and asked her what the big deal is here. Since we are already at that location we went and checked it out anyways. This let to some fun pictures with the goats. There was no person there, so we just picked up the goat. Sally even thought to steal one goat and carry it on the scooter. The small goat always came back and wanted to be picked up. I have to admit it is quite a scenery!

Anyways, when we got back to the elephant sanctuary the owner tells us the dark story of the two elephants. The name of the elephants are Pinky and Pumpuy. Pinky was formerly used as a tourist attraction. At some point she murdered a person and got neglected afterwards. People were riding on the back of Pinky until someday someone rode on the head. Pinky had enough and threw him off of his head. The person fell down and Pinky stepped on the person. If this was accidental or on purpose is unclear.

Pumpuy was used in one of the rubber plantations and had to carry heavy logs around. In the end she had a lot of scars and a skin issue. Not useful to the plantation anymore she was neglected, as well. Now they roam around the jungle freely and can enjoy the rest of their life’s peacefully. The sanctuary gives them baths and showers and a location they can trust. The whole relationship is build on trust here. It was a great experience to feed these magnificent creatures. They are so big, but so gentle when they pick up food from your hand. They also still posses joy and trust to humans. This is the most impressive part in my opinion. Such gentle animals. The only beasts are the persons standing on the other side of the fence..

We saw a café in Ao nang that is supposed to be in a rubber plantation. There is a great view on top of the cliff. When we got there, we got swarmed by a million mosquitoes. This is not a great start. Afterwards we want to explore the cliff, that lies above the café. The owner pointed us to the hiking trail. The trail was almost not visible anymore. We tried to go anyways. After a few hundred meters the trail just disappeared. We were also wearing flip flops, so we had to gave up. We were not keen of having leeches suck our blood. We were also not keen about ticks or any other animals that could bite us in the food. This would have been a different story if we had long clothes and proper shoes. Sometimes it is just not worth the risk. The café was still gorgeous and in the middle of nowhere. Oh what crazy places you encounter, when you travel.

Thanks for reading and until next time!