Day 20 Arrival in Ao Nang

It was time to say goodbye here too. Time flies and the next adventure is on my agenda... Ao Nang

The evening before, I organized my ride to the pier at the reception to take the ferry to Ao Nang. It was a fun ride because the cab driver's son rode with me on the back of the ramp. But I was too bored and so he took a nap later. Now that's what I call relaxation!

I got there in good time and grabbed a snack before continuing on the ferry. It was simply fascinating to watch all the tourists and locals. The very different people who spend their vacation here in very individual ways.

And then the hustle and bustle of the locals. The cab drivers who vie for every tourist and argue with their colleagues... You have to know that there is also a lot of fun to be had here.

However, there were also two women who had a proper exchange of words. A cab driver, who probably found the situation just as amusing as I did, just said: they always do that, I don't understand it. Are they bored or is it just part of their routine?

We both had to laugh.

Then our ferry arrived. Everything went smoothly and quickly again. The one passenger disembarked and we got on. Everyone dropped off their luggage in the hold and looked for a nice spot for the journey. For each stop, a lady walked through the boat and called out the landing stage so that no one missed getting off.

Shortly before arriving in Ao Nang, however, the ferry suddenly stopped in the middle of the sea. Nobody really knew what was going to happen. Another large ship came towards us. It seemed to stop right in front of ours. A bit of confusion arose among us tourists, because it was absolutely unclear what was going on here.

Unfortunately, the windows were a bit dirty, but I think you can see how curious the situation was.

In the end, it was a mobile transfer. The other ship continued on to Phuket. So some of our tourists climbed from one ship to the other in one big step, here in the middle of the sea. However, the luggage was transferred by the staff. I had expected a lot of things, but not this... hahaaaaaa

I love these uncomplicated things here!

It wasn't long before we docked in Ao Nang. Everyone took their luggage again and disembarked here. Some small trucks with benches on the loading area were already waiting here. We named our hotel and were assigned to a vehicle. The luggage was placed in the middle of the loading area and people gradually took their seats. A Greek couple sat down opposite me and chatted. I pulled out the rest of my Greek language skills and asked if they were from Greece. Yes, and then a funny conversation took its course, while the other 20 people just looked at us in confusion. Anyone who knows Greeks knows how a conversation like this goes. A big hello, where do you live, how do you like it here, what have you seen, where else are you going... And it was all very loud, funny and incredibly entertaining. There were two such nice young Greek men who found it totally exciting where I was and that I was exploring Thailand alone with my backpack. We had a lot of fun on the trip with a mix of English and Greek. I'm sure they'll go on their next vacation to Ko Lipe... They were just thrilled with my pictures. Just like me!

The last stretch to the hotel was by tuck tuck. I was very curious about this hotel. It was very reasonably priced and was labeled “adults only”. I wasn't sure how to interpret this. In the end, I thought to myself that the two nights here would somehow work out, right? After all, everything had gone really well so far.

I arrived and was perhaps surprised! I had expected everything, but not this!

It was such a nice, small and cozy hotel. An incredibly nice owner with his dog and his mother. It was very lovingly cared for and he spoke excellent English.

I settled in a bit and the owner said it was only a short walk to the main road, which then led directly to the sea. You can be there in 15-20 minutes.

And so I set off!

What a comparison to that moment a few weeks ago. The effort it had cost me. Just going out, setting off. To look for something like a supermarket and a restaurant.

Now I just set off. Without a single thought. It was so easy for me.

I just felt at home here in Thailand.

And as nice as it was on Ko Lanta, I missed the hustle and bustle on the street. Those street food stalls and the many options of cafés, bars and restaurants. Of course, there was that there too, but not in this variety and everything was rather scattered.

I was curious about Ao Nang. It is a classic tourist stronghold. But I was pleasantly surprised. Of course there was a lot going on here, but it was still a pleasant atmosphere.

So I walked along the main road towards the beach and the center.

Hühner in der Innenstadt

Hühner

Sonnenuntergang

I couldn't believe my eyes what I saw here on the side of the road... Chickens! They were running around here and feeling at home.

On the way, like everywhere else in Thailand, I passed small tourist offices. It's often just a small stand by the roadside. This is where I booked my excursion for tomorrow. It was to be another day trip, as there were many small surrounding islands. It was certainly worth it. And then I found a nice café on the beach with a view of the sea. The sun was setting and I took countless photos while sipping my iced coffee.

Sonnentuntergang

Ausblick aufs Meer

Wonderful!

The sun had set and I was starting to get hungry. Apart from breakfast and the snack on the pier on Ko Lanta, I hadn't eaten anything proper today. I had seen a street food hall on the way to the beach. Several stalls and lots of seats in the middle. That was exactly my taste. There was real Thai food here, few tourists and great prices. The selection was gigantic. You could get whatever you wanted from anywhere.

I was so hungry that I forgot to take photos ;)

Afterwards I strolled back through the street, past lots of restaurants, massage studios, bars and cafés. I was getting tired, the day had been long with the journey and I would be picked up quite early tomorrow for the excursion. So I made my way back to the hotel and made sure I had enough water for the night and a small breakfast for my excursion. The hotel didn't offer its own breakfast, but there was a restaurant two doors down that served a good breakfast. However, this was too stressful for me before tomorrow's excursion.

So I went back to my hotel at my leisure and packed my things for the excursion. I was excited, I had already seen lots of pictures of these islands and bays here. The weather was great and so I hoped that I would get some great photos and videos.

Conclusion of the day:

“Have hopes, but never expectations. Then you may experience miracles, but never disappointments” Franz von Assisi

Yes! Yes! Yes!

I can't remember how many times I've mentioned it. There were countless wonderful moments here. New experiences, beautiful places, beaches, bays, excursions. Nice people and a wonderful time here throughout.

I had hoped from the start that I would simply see and experience beautiful things here. I didn't have any great expectations. “I'll take it as it comes” and ‘let's see’ was my motto before the trip, which caused many people to shake their heads. But it was precisely this attitude that brought me many small wonders here. Wonders of the beauty of nature, humanity and experiences. And also a small miracle of what's inside you.