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Thailand Winter 2022

December 2022 - January 2023
A 18-day adventure by Lani Read more
  • 47footprints
  • 2countries
  • 18days
  • 230photos
  • 17videos
  • 21.9kkilometers
  • 19.3kkilometers
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  • TravelerThailand Winter 2022
    Day 17

    ….

    January 3, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    and you know
    you can
    you can think anything
    what matters is which thoughts guide you
    you can paint the world black
    and see it completely colorful
    you may go ahead and turn around at any time
    you may fly and fall
    you may stand up
    and above all you may stay lying down,
    if you long for it
    you may insist
    on yourself and your thoughts
    and to tell everyone about them
    no one has to understand them
    you may count all the stars at night
    and you can stop time before it passes by
    you may search for what you are missing
    and decide when you have found it
    - your life
    you know, you may
    you are allowed to live    Read more

  • TravelerThailand Winter 2022
    Day 16

    Last Update

    January 2, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    What do you do on an evening with nothing? Without internet, without a book? Everyone is asleep, it's dark, but not quiet. The crickets and frogs are incredibly loud and now and then you hear animals screaming. Even the fish in the lake make noises!

    I use the time and fill in my travel diary.
    In the first time I have night much written down. It is nice to look through all the photos (about 700!!!) and to keep the experiences. So if you feel like it, you can now find the texts at the respective footprint.
    M
    This trip could not have been better!
    Everything worked out and I am still alive. I even still have my cell phone this time. Forgetting my PIN of my SIM was the worst thing that happened, but my provider was able to help me!
    Oh yes... The platform through which I booked my return flights went bankrupt. I got an email. But according to my airline I am lucky and my flights are valid. This is because I already paid for them months ago. Whereby I was then disappointed about the validity. I would have had no problem to fly via Singapore and insert a stopover... In case of need, I would have also liked Doha or AbuDhabi....
    The 3 weeks off seem like half a lifetime to me! Grateful, happy, fulfilled and rich in new experiences, I am now flying back to Zurich via Bangkok. And will do it again: Travel!

    If you want details about the tours, costs or the providers, please feel free to contact me. As always -with the exception of the Tuktuk-Cub in Chiang Mai- I don't advertise for providers, but I'm happy to share experiences and contact data if you are interested!

    See you on the next trip!    Read more

  • TravelerThailand Winter 2022
    Day 16

    Khao Sok #3

    January 2, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    With the longtail boat we go out to the Khao Sok. A reservoir, which was built in 1982. Flooded were 5 villages that lie forever deep down in the water. Somewhere out there we will then spend the night tonight on the raft... the last night in Thailand....

    What I didn't know is that there are Thailand bears! Unfortunately I was too slow. By the time I had my camera in my hands, the baby bear had already disappeared....

    And what I also did not know is that here at Khao Sok lives the Indonesian tiger. About 200 tigers live freely in this national park. I have seen none. But you can hear him at night. Leopards, monkeys, Fishing Cats and the Asian Golden Cat are easier to find.
    The Khao Sok is full of fish. Giant specimens that live up to 40 years....    Read more

  • TravelerThailand Winter 2022
    Day 16

    Khao Sok #2

    January 2, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    The last section of this trip is once again totally different than the north or south. I would not repeat this trip again either. It is not touristy in the same way as the south. But doesn't have much to do with dm travel as I like it. Mostly families with kids travel this section and they keep to themselves. It is disconcerting that there is little mixing and sharing.
    It's clean, every minute scheduled and the food bland and lacking in spiciness. I miss Thai cuisine already....

    What I like most about traveling is meeting people and sharing some time or a section of the itinerary with them.
    It was on this section that I met Jenny and Joel. Jenny is from Uruguay, lived in Argentina for a few years before finding her home in Israel. Joel is American and met and fell in love with Jenny in Tel Aviv a long time ago. Both are much older than me and travel a lot. Both are incredibly nice and I enjoy the exchange. Jenny founded a startup in 2016 with the app Air Doctors and I am so impressed with her knowledge and dedication. To all the travelers out there: download the app! How can it be that you can order anything online, but can't find a doctor online in a foreign country? You can even book your doctor's appointment through this app, should you ever need one!

    AND they invited me to visit Israel and of course them....
    Actually I was planning to visit Morocco in April.... But who knows! As always, let me see how the airfares work out. I am the queen of cheap flights and in the end, the best and cheapest flight always decides where I will go next. And Israel is expensive... More expensive than Switzerland....
    Both will be in Austria in February with their grandchildren to ski. Maybe we will meet in Europe before my trip to Yemen/Israel.

    Shared my cabin on the catamaran with Lann. She is Vietnamese and lives in New York. A crazy person, totally her own, but heart on the right side. Together we slept on the deck every night. We are the same age, that connects. Lann will visit me in Bern and I look forward to meeting him again.

    And then there is Zipora and her son Jacob! With them I was allowed to enjoy the tuktuktour. Both are incredibly sweet and somehow very close to me. Zipora's parents have a typical European history as Jews. From Austria, to Italy, to Zurich, to emigration to the USA. And as mothers of children on the spectrum, we share quite a bit. I wish I had had their mindset when my daughter was younger. She travels the world with Jacob and has probably found the right balance between rest and activity that is right and doable for Jacob. As an aside, Jacob is so lovable, open and playful. As perhaps only children on the spectrum are. How I would love to share my travels with my kids!
    We plan to meet up again in Chiang Mai and then do the 11 day tour by tuktuk....

    And then there were all the other encounters with lovely people.
    Micky, Aifa, Suzie, Bruce, Boyz.... I am so rich and blessed!    Read more

  • TravelerThailand Winter 2022
    Day 15

    Khao Sok #1 Elephants

    January 1, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Getting up at 6am on New Year's morning is tough! I'm not sure I'm still drunk or just have a hangover....

    Transfer from the clamping in the south of Phuket to Khao Sok starts early.... Point 7.25 on the 1st of January 2023 we go on.
    only three days left...but let's forget that..for a moment

    A little more than 3 hours lasted the journey. So now I'm standing in the rainforest and I'm about to go hiking.

    Khao Sok National Park is home to around 200 of these wild elephants which roam free in the rainforest…. Elephants grow old. Up to 80 years and more. And they eat a lot: about 300kg a day. Every few years the elephants teeth fall out and they get new ones. When they reach 70, their teeth fall out for the last time and they can't eat anymore and die.
    In Thailand, elephants are no longer allowed to be used for work and the upkeep of the animals is no longer affordable for the Thais. Everywhere there are "retirement homes" for elephants. Some of them are blind or have no teeth anymore... and here they are well looked after

    On the first kayak tour I already met green vipers, spiders, monkeys, elephants and small crocodiles... Tomorrow morning we will go further and deeper into the rainforest. AND for the first time we won't have wifi... so the last updates from this trip will be uploaded at the airport.    Read more

  • TravelerThailand Winter 2022
    Day 14

    Review-Outlook: Happy New Year

    December 31, 2022 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    It was right to travel the islands of the Andaman Sea by boat. And for me it is clear: I will not travel the south of Thailand again.

    The southern mainland and Phuket but also the region of Krabi is for my taste much too touristy, partly sexist, too loud, too garish. It reminds of Mallorca and the Ballermann.
    If south, then finally Indonesia /Malaysia next!

    😉 New Year also means to take on things. to do:
    1. I could give it a first try in Borneo in the summer, when I have 4 weeks of vacation. With a stopover in Singapore. Let's see how the prices of flights develop 😉

    2. I have fallen in love with the north of Thailand. Especially in Chiang Mai.
    I really want to travel 5 weeks North-Thailand- Laos- Vietnam-Cambodia in December 2023. I am very interested in "insider tips" and experiences!

    ❤️And by the way : happy new year❤️ 2023 will be great ❤️

    Where and how we will celebrate the New Year's Eve is not yet clear. I would still like to watch a Muay-Tay. Let's see where it will take us.

    I will complement the pool day with a Thai massage. Here is to say: In the north as well as in the south, every 5 meters you have the opportunity to enjoy incredibly good massages for little money. I have never paid more than CHF/EUR 10.- for a whole hour. I will absolutely miss it.

    Tomorrow I start early in the morning towards the rainforest and inl the Khao Sok National Park. By the way, I will sleep there again in a tent, but on a raft! Thais love camping and I now also 😉.
    In Khao Sok National Park live wild elephants... The anticipation is huge.    Read more

  • TravelerThailand Winter 2022
    Day 13

    Start Glamping

    December 30, 2022 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    2 days off!🤷🏽‍♀️😉😉😉😎 The glamping is really nice.

    ... and when you have time off, the household is on the agenda.... something i totally love in asia is: you bring your laundry to the laundry and get washed and ironed back after 24h... paid by the kilo... i have around 3.5kg of dirty guard and the service costs around 150.-bath, which is around 4.- swiss francs....

    The place is very touristy and has nothing to do with the Thailand I love.
    Paul comes from Rotterdam and also sailed with us. We have spontaneously decided to spend two days together here in the south. So we will therefore just spend tomorrow at the pool. Afterwards it goes on for me to Khao Sok, in the floating Rainforest Camp. Paul will meet his partner in Bangkok and travel on to Laos.
    The glamping reminds of Bali. The food, the drinks are excellent. Somehow an ideal break.    Read more

  • TravelerThailand Winter 2022
    Day 13

    Heavy update

    December 30, 2022 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    yesterday while snorkeling we saw something floating on the water. A. our guide then changed direction and said that is probably a doll... we did not question it. Then this morning the shock:

    Two bodies of male foreigners were found floating in the sea near the Racha Island, South of Phuket.

    The Royal Thai Navy told the Phuket Express that at 12:35 P.M. today (December 29th) they were notified from a tour boat captain ( Ours!!!) that two bodies were found floating near the Rang Gai Beach, East of the Racha Noi Island off the Chalong area.    Read more

  • TravelerThailand Winter 2022
    Day 13

    Naka Yai: last snorkeling spot

    December 30, 2022 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Our boat starts early at 6.30 am and already before breakfast we enjoy the last snorkel spot…
    At noon we will be back in the marina of phuket, where the sailing trip will end.

    This lovely little place is also known as Koh Naka Noi or Pearl Island. The Naka Noi Island in Phuket is a small island off the north east of Phuket known for its popularity in pearl farming.
    The island is only 800 meters long and only 200 meters wide.

    The coasts are generally rocky, but the west and northwest coasts have a marvelous white sand beach. It is a beautiful, pristine, unspoiled stretch of sand with overhanging coconut palms.

    On the northwest side, there is a lovely beach. This is wonderful retreat where you can find really satisfying snorkeling

    The Naka Noi island doesn’t have any accommodation or proper places to have yourself a meal but you can have a picnic in tow with your snorkel gear. It is an ideal place to go and relax for a few hours on the lovely beach.

    ;    Read more

  • TravelerThailand Winter 2022
    Day 12

    Yao Yai: Last dinner with a great group

    December 29, 2022 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Being on a ship for 7 days with strangers can be tricky. You can't just run away or retreat. The youngest person was 21 the oldest over 60.
    Americans, Canadians, Chinese, Koreans, Serbs, Vietnamese, Australians, English, Irish, Dutch and with me a Swiss we were really a multicultural group.
    For me personally it was a very good experience. We laughed a lot, talked, drank, danced, played and grew together in a short time.
    In short: I would repeat this at any time.    Read more

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