Southern Thailand - diving down to the end of the Andaman Coast

Lying in the tent in Tasmania underneath the Southern Cross, hoping for Aurora Australis letting, we were letting southern Thailand pass the revue :). Leaving the country with very much mixed feelings, we haven't had much energy to write about it. As many of you have seen already on facebook, we are safely down under; time to catch up a bit on the blog!!

ANOTHER DAY IN BANGKOK
We took the nightbus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, arriving in the morning around 0400. We were dropped a few kilometres away from the  office where we were supposed to leave our bags until we were supposed to continue in the evening to Koh Tao (one bus ticket :)). So fighting our way through steamy BKK (it just rained and still about 45 Degrees at 0400!!!) to the office...when we got there we were told by a lady IN! the office that she just opens at 0630 :$. Not willing to help us, or watch our stuff (as promised once more!!), she simply told us with an agry voice that we could NOT use the sofas, as they belong to the guesthouse. As if anyone else might want to sit there at 4 am. In order to find a hostel/hotel that could keep our bags for a few hours as well as Jan's insulin turned into the next torture as 8!! of them simply said no. Not even for money!! They were super uncooperative.  BKK welcomed us back (or not) in the same way as it received us the first time... We hated this place - noisy, crowded, steamy, unfriendly, ignorant,... Maybe we were just unlucky? Maybe our friend Aom was right when she told us that the South Thai are totally different than in the North - out of the bus into the hostility....

We used the day in BKK to pick up our winterstuff, tent and insulin at the Hotel in which we officially never stayed over Christmas (thanks again Jen & Blaine!) Now that was a different story!!! "Welcome back Miss Erickson." They were fantastic, let us use the pool all day, the internet, print our tickets,... :) Money does matter sometimes!!

We sent another parcel home. Not the cheapest, but the most efficient so far! With a tracking number for surface mail :) Status so far (Google translate):

1. received box...
2. opened box...
3. closed box...
4. sent off box...

Sounds promising! :) I wonder what they did at step 2 and 3.....and it might only take 6 months to get to Germany!

KOH TAO - A DIVING PARADISE THAT LEFT US BOTH STUNNED AND WOUNDED
Taking the nightbus to Koh Tao (island in the Gulf of Thailand) was hot but we met our travel companions Ophélie & Mikel again, whom we met in Mongolia and Laos. Huge coincedence but simply fantastic!! They planned to stay for a longer in AUS, but decided to go home instead earlier. We never planned to go to AUS; we are so to say taking their place:)

We survived the bus ride; luckily received our bags unsearched or stuffed with narcotics (happens here often!!), were stuffed in an open pickup with 25 others and finally dropped for the boat; it meant another 4 hours waiting at 3 am - those we used for sleeping :)

The boatride was nice, we loved it. Half of the other passengers (down below deck) hated it and vomited over the whole place. Pffff. We reached Koh Tao after 4 hours; all you see at first glance is a big bay developed from A to Z with Bars, hotels and diving shops!!. The Diving is actually what we came for; it is supposed to be the cheapest and good to learn. Already on the boat we were approached by a guy advertising his diving school... He seemed ok and we got a good deal incl free accomodation, 5 dives etc. As a special we got a free dive after our course - a birthday present (as it was Marjoleins birthday :)) (we asked for it though :D, you don't have to like birthdays to milk them :D)

We started with the course the very same day with  a nice international group that clicked very well. The four day course was good fun we didn't have any problems and enjoyed it thoroughly :))!!

Actually, we had one little problem with some sort of fish called green wrass & blue striped wrass. Tiny... but they are cleaner fish; cleaning other fish! Making no distinction between fish and humans, we were easy victims due to our scabs & wounds from the scooter accident. As we just wore shorties they bit off chunks of what we couldn't protect. Man that hurts!!! :)) We ended up diving with socks,leggings and bandage... And they even tried to eat through the socks!! Bad fish, Bad fish :)...

So...... we are proud PADI open water divers!! Licensed until 18 meters :)
The feeling of diving is magnificient, a completely different world you hoover around like in outer space and still so easy and relaxed.... Awesome!!!
Our birthday free dive (which were doubled on a party by the (little tipsy) owner to two ;)) we decided to do a day later to relax for a day (otherwise getting up at 0500 :o - it turned out to be a little sore as they have seen a whale shark!! on the very day when we intended to go!!! So we missed this great creature but we hope for another chance... They are around there relatively regular as they say :)) A little underwater collision made Mar scratch the coral. A clean cut, but the poison made a serious infection; an elephant hand as a result. The doctor was crap, the ladyboy assistants a horror and the diclofenac that was prescribed as "anti-inflammation" probably just sugar. Hmpf. 7 days antibiotics, just what you need. LOOK, DON'T TOUCH should really be taken serious.

We celebrated Mar's birthday with the two of us, dinner on the beach. Firedancers around us, even some fireworks in the still warm sky. It's weird to be so far away on days like this - but we have each other :) And after all, it's a day like any other!!! One to wake up for, one to stay up late for!

After celebrating our certification on the last night with a ladyboyshow  (they dó wear 4 underpants to cover things up!! And plastic does not move naturally :D), followd by a good party on the beach; we had to say goodbye to the island, the diving, our new dear friends and a good time.

Only one thing left a mighty bitter aftertaste as we got seriously ripped off and threatened by a Burmese scooter rental guy. We still hesitate to write about it, but it is important to share and learn from it.
We took pictures of every side and scratch of the scooter; but not of the bottom of the exhaust. A 0.5 cm scratch was supposed to cost us 200 dollar...We didn't pay; the drugged guy immediately got extremely agressive, threatened us with a knife, a bat and a screwdriver and rape and did not return our passport. It is good that time heals, as the painful memories are now fainted a bit...Worst was that while Mar was literally screaming for help in the middle of the street, and we both approached more than 15 Western people personally, EVERY SINGLE ONE turned away. No one helped, no one wanted to testify. It ended up like 5 Burmese people saying Mar hit the guy on the eye (a lie) and no one being on our side. If you ever see anything like that happen, think about Mar and do something, please!
A Thai-German lady negotiated for us in the end...we got away with 50 dollar painfully lost and a burning agony inside. We were utterly disappointed in humanity; in everyone. We feel sorry for the female restaurant owner next door; she comforted us very kindly, and kept repeating: "He's burmese, not Thai. Thai people don't do this. Thai people friendly. Please come back to Koh Tao next year. promise?!" Later on the boat we heard 4 more similar stories, with a financially much worse outcome than ours.

Despite the burmese m...........r, now we think back of Koh Tao with a good feeling. Time does indeed heal wounds.

AO NANG - WE LANDED IN HOLIDAY LAND
Still a bit in shock, we headed west to the Andaman Sea (Westcoast of Thailand) to Ao Nang (Krabi), which is close to Phuket and PhiPhi. An incredible touristy town with expensive accommodation. We decided to take a break, not hurry to any more islands and just stay, although it didn't feel ideal. Seen The Beach? You know why not to go to Phi Phi. Ao Nang comes close to that and although it doesn't have that party scene, the place is literally full of tourists, exhilaratingly expressing how marvellously cheap everything is. Coming from the north, all prices tripled, if not quadrupled.; we couldn't share their excitement completely. There are no backpackers here, rich families parade the streets, and Swedish advertisements are souding from loudspeakers driven on cars. There is even a store that plays Swedish radio to attract customers, and snus is everywhere to be found. All the things a northern European would need is available; not what we normally would be looking for.

Despite all of that, we stayed. It wasn't a normal week anyway, we needed some stress-free time. We snorkelled the 4 island trip, enjoyed some massages on the beachfront and ate garlic pepper chicken and pad thai every day at the local street food muslim. The swelling in Mar's hand finally became less, but the cuts still looking like massive mosquito bites. (It's still not healed and itches after more than 1 month!!)

We bought a Thai lantern on the last night; a goodbye to Thailand and a wish for nice things. It had little hearts on it, and our drawings and wishes. It sailed the sky so high until we couldn't see it anymore, taking our wish with it. Just how to it should be.

LEAVING FOR MALAYSIA - SAYING GOODBYE TO 5 MONTHS ASIA
From Ao Nang we were driven to Hat Yai. A crazy driver, (hopefully the last one!!!) switching lanes all the time, overtaking on both sides, nervously clicking the indicator all the time and making funny sounds while doing so. We asked him to stop at the post office near the train station. "No" was the answer. "yes" was our repetitive reply, as this was the reason why we too a minivan and not the regular bus..... Hopeless to discuss with someone that doesn't speak English, nor is capable of reading maps. Our nerves must have been still a little set on Red alert when the driver suddenly stopped and shouted "thrie nie"' (or something that looks like that). We immediately defended with: "NO!! Train station!! 6 of us have to go there!!" totally fed up with the fact that nothing in Asia will work in the first time, we had forgotten about the 2 sleeping in the back that needed to go somewhere else :)
Oops, sorry about that!

A little surprise was in Hat Yai: a package from Holland. A million thanks again to Judith from Chiang Mai, who forwarded it!!! Liquorice, cinnamon candy and liquorice tea!! It might have been in the wrong post office and thus an extra 3 km walk (I gave Judith the wrong zip code :( ), but it was there!!!

MALAYSIA  - END OF THE LINE

The nighttrain to Kuala Lumpur was actually quite comfortable. When the airco finally worked, even quite cool :). Bunk beds like in Russia, but somewhat more luxurious. Stepping outside on the short stops at the stations, the heat hits you like a wall. Even in the middle of the night, the humidity makes it suffocatingly hot; even hotter than Bangkok!

The customs at the border had a good laugh about the Holland package, which of course was unopened still; we were waiting for a quiet, special moment with the 2 of us in the train.
Officer: "What is this?" (opening the bag with the box)
Mar: "a package from my mother"
Officer: "what is in it?" (turning it upside down...)
Mar: "I don't know" (realising I said the most stupd thing ever)
Officer: "from where?" (desperately looking for the address)
Mar: "Thailand"
Officer: "Your mother lives in Thailand?" (looking at me with big unbelieving eyes)
Mar: "No"
Officer: "..." (looking even more puzzled at my passport) "You come from ... Germany? Netherlands?"
Mar: "Netherlands" (thinking: I have an unopened package from Holland with the word "candy" on it, but don;t know the content of it. I'm facing Asian customs officers...not good...)
Officer: "..." looking to his colleagues
Mar: "it was my birthday...?" (smiling as lovely as I could)
Officer: "..."  (smiling) "ok you can go"
Simple as that, my birthday helped me twice. I'll think about it when the next one comes that I don't want to celebrate.

KUALA LUMPUR - CAME IN FROM A RAINY THURSDAY ON THE AVENUE
Kuala Lumpur feels like a Western city in Asia. White people blend in with the Asians, people in suits everywhere. It's early in the morning and we decide to take a train into the city. With 14 hours to kill, the skyscrapers our first target!! The buildings that once were the highest in the world were definitely something worth trying to see!! The lockers for our bags are more expensive than the traintickets though :S and the towers are now not free anymore (20 euro!! Thank you Lonely Planet for keeping stuff up to date..) So we comforted ourselves with a huge late birthday chocolate cake. It just had to be :) There was actually "hazelnoot-schuimtaart" in the cooling area of the supermarket, but 15 euro for a little pie was just too much. It will have to wait another 6 months.

We hadn't known, but it is monsoon time in Malaysia. Heavy rain "forced" us to go to the aquarium. Couldn't get enough of looking at big fish :)  This time the little blue cleaner wrasse was nicely behind glass. And what else to do on a rainy thursday?? The movies!!! It felt like a rainy day in Hamburg :)

We were happy to have spent the day in the city. The low cost carrier terminal is crap, so is the internet and the non-existing service of Air Asia.  The flight has no service of course, but 9 hours and not even a cup of water is something we haven't had before!!!
But then... We landed in Sydney. Almost 7 months on the road, of which about 4-5 in Asia. It was nice, we had good times, but it was enough. Welcome to Western civilisation!!!!

"I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for. Because it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're a part of something. And if you find that moment... It lasts forever." Richard in "The Beach".