70. THAILAND IV

Another Thailand chapter and my 7th visit to the beautiful country of smiles, delicious food, and positively crazy locals! :D Thailand is one of those places that never gets boring, never really disappoints, and somehow always gives you a good time. It feels like a kind of heaven and safe harbour for travelers and nomads, a place that just keeps pulling you back.

This time, I visited four different places over 50 days:

1. Cha-Am:

The small, quiet beach town on the Gulf of Thailand became a good 3-week base for working, extensive walks along the really long coastline, scooter adventures and delicious & cheap seafood. A lot of European folks retire here, but it doesn't have that over-farang touristy vibe of Hua Hin, Phuket or Koh Phangan. Prices are still cheap, the beaches are nice & lonely in many parts and there are plenty of nice markets all around the area. There’s not a ton to do, but honestly, that’s probably why I ended up finishing more than three books in three weeks :D

2. Hua Hin:

Hua Hin had a totally different vibe! More lively, but still relaxed in its own way. I actually never wanted to come back here after my first visit in 2015, but a friend of mine, who is based in Hua Hin, asked me to take care of her cats due to a visa emergency where she had to leave the country urgently. I moved into their house for 10 days and took care of the 2 funny, young Siamese cats. They have a beautiful big house, which made me not wanna leave home at all! :D Hua Hin itself actually isn't my cup of tea, too many trashy bars, crowds, really high prices (imagine 7-9 USD for a cup of coffee with a piece of cake in Thailand! :D) and more foreigners than Thai. Most Thais I met there come from Isan and moved there for work in several farang-connected work fields. I had a great time with good memories tho! :)

3. Krabi

Krabi, another place that I visited on my first Asia trip in 2015, was more of a strategic stop than a volunteer stop. The entire reason is pretty much plagued by mass tourism (especially during Christmas and New Year) but I stayed here for a few days before and after an island trip. Krabi town itself is quite small, has some of its own charm but the same case as in Hua Hin: Mass tourism just sucks. Imagine shirtless British tourists walking on a night market, drunk Russians screaming & fighting in front of a massage parlour and a majority of shops catering to Western tourists. That's Krabi. But it is a good transportation hub with some really stunning scenery, I mean it became popular for a reason.

4. Koh Yao Noi

A place that I really like and already visited in the first year of my world trip in 2019! A very slow-paced, Muslim-majority island with absolutely beautiful scenery. For me, it’s one of the best islands in Thailand: perfect for exploring by scooter or boat, with beautiful sunsets, great food, low prices, and genuinely friendly people who are always up for a chat. If I needed to recommend a single island to a Thailand first timer, it would for sure be Koh Yao Noi!

After these amazing weeks, it was time to head into the European winter… with temperatures below 0°C :D

I managed to find a great flight deal from Krabi to Amsterdam via Mumbai. The short stopover in Mumbai felt like a little teaser for what’s coming next, more on that in the next blog post.

Wishing everyone a beautiful 2026, and thanks for reading, life is good! 😊