We finished our Thailand trip with some island hopping in the South. The first island on the list was Ko Samui. The trip there (night bus) was quite painful and took around 18 hours in total... But in the end we arrived in a nice chalet at the beach. The sea and the beach were nice, just the weather could have been better. We didn't actually do much there. We had to relax from the strenuous stay in Bangkok. On the beach was a big firework every evening. All the tourists couldn't wait until New Year's eve and bought the fireworks from the merchants.
I guess you know me good enough to know that I can't stay at the beach for the whole day. Thus I did a slightly adventurous jungle hike one afternoon. There was a little hill quite close to our chalet and I pictured that you have a nice view from up there. So I aimed for one big boulder you could spot from the bottom. Of course there was no trail up this hill - I rather had to fight my way through the jungle. It wasn't very dense though, but the slope was quite steep. But having climbed the boulder finally I was rewarded for my efforts (see pictures). The next challenge was to find the way back (passing some wild animals...) - but I managed that finally, too.
The next island was Ko Phangan - famous for the monthly Full Moon Party. Since there is an extra New Year party we went there to catch this one. You can describe the whole thing in just one word: CRAZY.
The whole island was almost fully booked - we could only find a one-bed-room for the three of us, one hour away from the party beach. On the party itself there were only Europeans/Westerners on the beach - you could hardly find any Asians. It was a great party though. And alcohol in this place is damn cheap... Unfortunately I still had to recover from a fish poisoning a got on Ko Samui. But I enjoyed myself anyway - even if I couldn't party as hard as the others.
After having cured our hang overs we went on to Krabi - the bus ride: no comment (I really started hating Thai travel agencies). Krabi is definitely my favourite place in Southern Thailand. The limestone formation look just incredible - especially Rayleigh Beach is breathtaking. The first challenge we faced, however, were the fried insects on the local market in Krabi town. The girls were very eager to try them - so they finally convinced me too. We tried silk worms, bamboo worms, grasshoppers and crickets. They looked more scary than they actually tasted. It won't get my favourite snack, but it was not too bad - much better than Durian for sure...
The next day my travel mates went on to Ko Phi Phi. Since I had only two days left I stayed in Krabi and I didn't regret it! Rayleigh beach was really awesome. You could climb one of those giant limestone rocks and have a great view from up there. On one of the surrounding islands, the James Bond movie "The Man with the Golden Gun" was actually shot. I haven't been to that particular island but the others were equally amazing. The beach and the sea were really great as well - unfortunately it was very touristy. The beach was quite crowded...
In the last morning in Krabi I went kayaking in the mangrove forest. The whole thing was a bit short, but the area was really beautiful. We went along the forest and paddled up a canyon. In the canyon there were a lot of monkeys. And some of them even jumped in the water and swam over to the boats! They knew of course that the guides alway bring some fruits for lunch.
After that it was already time to leave. I had to get to Phuket to be able to catch my plane back to Singapore the next morning. This time I took the public bus - not better than the private ones, but at least nobody tries to scam you. I didn't see much of Phuket though. I just spend one evening in Phuket town, walking a bit around, getting a nice last dinner and a Thai massage. The restaurant was a very nice place, it rather resembled a gallery than a restaurant. The Thai massage was totally amazing. I wasn't exactly gentle, but you felt totally relaxed after it. She squeezed every single muscle of my body for more than two hours - and that, if I remember right, for a price of 200 Bath (<5 Eur).
Like that the last evening in Phuket was a great conclusion for the Thailand trip. Thailand is definitely a great place to visit - I just think that everything is a bit too touristy already. But I have probably been only to the major tourist spots. When I come back I will try to go to the less famous and popular places - I think the you can enjoy it even more.
The first day at University was fine. Everybody is very friendly and helpful there. I was given a small campus tour and I was equipped with everything I shall need for my stay. I got to know some of my colleagues already, who are mostly foreigners too. Most of them, however, have already finished their Phd degree. So Its gonna be challenging for me...
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