If any of you ever need a time-out from this world but you don't want to be stuck in the middle of a flock of wanna-be hippies and pot-smokers, this is definitely the place to go: Ko Chang, one of Thailand's famous islands even though it is nowhere near Phuket. We had to travel more than 24 hours in a row to get there (bus, bus, bus, sawngthaew, boat, sawngthaew) but the effort was definitely worthwhile. Ko Chang welcomed us with a set of bungalow-hotels right next to the beach and amongst palm trees and we found a wonderfully calm spot to chill out and relax. Appropriately, it was called Paradise cottages and for us, it really turned out to be so.
Can you imagine waking up in the morning looking out on the ocean from your bed? Then you get up and enjoy a wonderful breakfast with fresh fruit juices, fruits, pancakes, and tea while lying in your hammack? You can spend hours and hours swinging in the soft salty breeze coming from the ocean, listening to jazzy guitar and trumpet sounds, sipping fresh coconut milk, reading, reading, reading.. Or what about a swim in the lukewarm water where you can bob up and down (duempeln) for hours? Or maybe a nice barbecue of fresh fish in a tree house restaurant where you can watch the whole spectacle of a summer thunderstorm during sunset?
Of course, this was much too good to be true and I am not used to so much laziness anymore, so I quickly found myself another occupation. While strolling along a pier, I started talking to a nice dive instructor from Germany and thirty minutes later I was hammering theory into my head (not easy as my head is in sleep-mode right now ;)) and getting ready to pass my Open Water Diver Certificate within 2 1/2 days. Luckily, I was the only student and after having expedited the theory within one afternoon, I spent the next morning close to the white beach of a lonely Robinson Crusoe island with crystal clear water and performed many different exercises.
In the afternoon, the program included two dives and more exercises. The next morning, I took the written exam and in the afternoon, I went diving with David for the first time! Do I have to tell you how awesome that was? The two different spots were awesome, very varied and exciting, and I saw so many things that I could write for hours telling you about them. Having passed the practical part as well, we just couldn't resist the temptation and ended our "lazy and recreative" with a night dive! Wow, that was special. A little scary at first but once we had gotten our little group of 4 oriented and organized under water it was a fantastic experience.
Overall, we could not have found a better place to spend our last days in Thailand, to let our soul catch up with our legs and traveling speed, to forgive all Thais who had cheated on us, and to make peace with the country and culture. Thailand was a great experience even though I did not truly warm up to the people and the culture. I guess, I am more the person for extroverted, spontaneous, and passionate cultures and the everlasting smile on everybody's face perturbs me a lot. Nevertheless, Thailand has some fabulous spots to over and I wouldn't mind coming back one day to explore more of the Eastern Isan, some far off beaches and the underwater world! ;)
If any of you ever need a time-out from this world but you don't want to be stuck in the middle of a flock of wanna-be hippies and pot-smokers, this is definitely the place to go: Ko Chang, one of Thailand's famous islands even though it is nowhere near Phuket. We had to travel more than 24 hours in a row to get there (bus, bus, bus, sawngthaew, boat, sawngthaew) but the effort was definitely worthwhile. Ko Chang welcomed us with a set of bungalow-hotels right next to the beach and amongst palm trees and we found a wonderfully calm spot to chill out and relax. Appropriately, it was called Paradise cottages and for us, it really turned out to be so.
Can you imagine waking up in the morning looking out on the ocean from your bed? Then you get up and enjoy a wonderful breakfast with fresh fruit juices, fruits, pancakes, and tea while lying in your hammack? You can spend hours and hours swinging in the soft salty breeze coming from the ocean, listening to jazzy guitar and trumpet sounds, sipping fresh coconut milk, reading, reading, reading.. Or what about a swim in the lukewarm water where you can bob up and down (duempeln) for hours? Or maybe a nice barbecue of fresh fish in a tree house restaurant where you can watch the whole spectacle of a summer thunderstorm during sunset?
Of course, this was much too good to be true and I am not used to so much laziness anymore, so I quickly found myself another occupation. While strolling along a pier, I started talking to a nice dive instructor from Germany and thirty minutes later I was hammering theory into my head (not easy as my head is in sleep-mode right now ;)) and getting ready to pass my Open Water Diver Certificate within 2 1/2 days. Luckily, I was the only student and after having expedited the theory within one afternoon, I spent the next morning close to the white beach of a lonely Robinson Crusoe island with crystal clear water and performed many different exercises.
In the afternoon, the program included two dives and more exercises. The next morning, I took the written exam and in the afternoon, I went diving with David for the first time! Do I have to tell you how awesome that was? The two different spots were awesome, very varied and exciting, and I saw so many things that I could write for hours telling you about them. Having passed the practical part as well, we just couldn't resist the temptation and ended our "lazy and recreative" with a night dive! Wow, that was special. A little scary at first but once we had gotten our little group of 4 oriented and organized under water it was a fantastic experience.
Overall, we could not have found a better place to spend our last days in Thailand, to let our soul catch up with our legs and traveling speed, to forgive all Thais who had cheated on us, and to make peace with the country and culture. Thailand was a great experience even though I did not truly warm up to the people and the culture. I guess, I am more the person for extroverted, spontaneous, and passionate cultures and the everlasting smile on everybody's face perturbs me a lot. Nevertheless, Thailand has some fabulous spots to over and I wouldn't mind coming back one day to explore more of the Eastern Isan, some far off beaches and the underwater world! ;)
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