Coral Spawning đȘžâš
Today I had a quiet morning and went to a café to draw and work on a project. I spoke with friends over videochat and it was so nice to catch up. And then it was already 5pm: time for a second attempt for the night dive and hoping to see coral spawning. First we took turns to snorkle and see, if any...
Beach Clean Up đïž
The dive school organized a clean up today. We went there with 30 people maybe and had one group on the beach (which was mostly covered in big rocks), one group snorkeling and one group staying on the boat to separate the trash. There wasnât that much trash in the water, I only collected like one sm...
Day 15 - Morning Dive đȘž
Today we did a morning fun dive (with a little bit of coral identification). Itâs nice to dive in the morning, I liked the quietness of the sea. The visibility wasnât the best, but I am just happy to be able to float through the underwater world. Itâs beautiful nethertheless. Afterwards I had to tak...
Day 14 - Night Snorkle
Today we had a double lecture, one about sponges and one about coral spawning, since they might spawn around the weekend and we will try to catch that event. They usually always spawn around full moon. There were some more exciting parts but I am too tired to write them. But here I have twoâŠno tree...
Day 13 - Coral Taxonomy 2
We learned 19 new coral genuses today and took a dive at shark island to identify them. Imagine being underwater, being pointed the same looking mushroom coral for the 5th time when they look basically the same. And I donât know what it is, but being underwater makes ur brain function less. When we...
Day 12 - Coral Diseases
Todayâs focus was coral predators, diseases and other demages. We mostly covered predators, eg a trigger fish biting off pieces of corals to get better access to some clams or a damsel fish putting algae onto the coral. There are also sponges or macroalgae that can attach to the coral. The afternoon...
Day 11 - Sharks (and no diving)
Today we learned everything there is about sharks in the morning. And I couldnât dive bc my other ear started to feel a little off so I gave it a rest and Iâll see tomorrow how I feel. This week I am on schedule to feed the baby turtles and inspect them for infections. It is the cutest. Tomorrow we...
Sunday - Rest Day đ§đ»ââïž
First I had to pick up my motorbike from the other side of the island where went dancing yesterday. I met up with a friend for coffee on the way. We spoke for a few hours and the cold brew coffee was just incredible. On my way to the bike I found a holistic center offering different yoga classes and...
Saturday đ»
First - I slept in. It was very much needed. I played some violin and practiced some improvisations. Yes, you can practice improvisation. I found this great string band which does different kind covers. I was looking for a violin cover of âson of a preacher manâ and it impressed me much. It felt lik...
Day 10 - Turtles & Drupella Snails
After learning about different characteristics of turtles and how slim their chance of survival is, we had a diving mission to collect invasive drupella snails. It was in shallow water, like 2,5m deep. We got long tweasers and big empty water bottles. You had to be careful not to mistake the snails...
Day 9 - Transplanting corals! đȘž
I count the days in the title as weekdays of the course, if anyone was wondering! Today I could finally dive again and it made me very happy. We learned more about artificial reefs in the morning and then I packed the equipment and off we went with the little boat bringing us to the larger dive boat...
Day 8 - no diving đ
I still cannot dive because of my ear, but maybe tomorrow. The doctor is going to check. â Ears are fine! Yey! I went snorkling and while looking at basically just sand for a while, all of the sudden, a massive 2m turtle swam pass me. It was such a beautiful moment, it made my day. I cannot describe...
Day 7 - no diving đ
Since I still cannot dive and my group had 2 dives planned, I had a day for myself. I went to a QiGong lesson at this beautiful resort with an incredible view. It was basically the only one there and we did some Tai Chi with a bamboo stick, it made me feel like a ninja. I could imagine doing this as...
Day 6 - Coral Conservation Course
I still cannot dive but today it didnât matter because we had 2 lectures. And trying to learn 19 different corals and being able to differentiate them the extremely hard!
Songkran - Thai New Year
Today was Thai New Year, which means, the whole island transformed into a massive water fight, people armed with water guns and water buckets on pickup trucks, everyone driving a motorcycle getting absolutely soaked in water, no one is save. My diving center organised a party at the beach with live...
Day 5 - Coral Conservation Course
Today I couldnât dive because of my ear and spend the most relaxing day in a cafĂ©, it was truly amazing. I had a really good breakfast, and coffee, and lunch. And after the conservative team came back from their dive (they found the illegal fishermanâs net and removed it!), we continued did one lect...
Day 4 - Coral Conservation Course
Today we changed plans and went to a dive site with a massive illegal fishermanâs net. Our plan was to remove it and save the entangled marine life. BUT, the visibility was really awful and the directions weâve been given were probably wrong, because we couldnât find it during our two 1h long dives....
Day 3 - Coral Conservation Course
Today we learned about different fish and how to distinguish them. I still need a little bit if practice but the colourful ones I already manage quite well. I absolutley loved the little stories about the fish and I can feel so much excitement and energy. For example, morays and small groupers tend...
Day 2 - Coral Conservation Course
Today we learned about the different types of invertebrates. Flatworms for example. The weirdest creatures. Think of flying colourful carpets. And then they showed us a video of two flatworms fighting. Apparently, they always have both sex organs and then when they mate, they both try to get the oth...
Day 2 - Coral Conservation Course
Today we learned about the different types of invertebrates. Flatworms for example. The weirdest creatures. Think of flying colourful carpets. And then they showed us a video of two flatworms fighting. Apparently, they always have both sex organs and then when they mate, they both try to get the oth...
Day 1 - Coral Conservation Course
I am already thinking about extending my 4 weeks here because I absolutely love everything about this course. We have a lecture at 9:30am in the most idyllic consitions, I am talking upper level terrace with a roof, directly at the beach and a view at the calm ocean. We got a book that we can keep a...
Feeling at home
Today was an incredible day. Every day is basically paradise. But today especially. My own room - pure happiness I have a room for myself for the month and I could not be more lucky. With no AC, so I am barely surving the night, but I take it. Itâs 5min away from my dive school and I have my own spa...
Long day âïž
Today has been a long day, and I just realised that. Where do I start. I started off with getting up from my bed at 8am and went with my yoga mat trying to do yoga but got distracted bc I wanted to find a room to rent for 1 month. And because that stressed me and my hostel accomodation is only booke...
Advanced Diving Course
Arriving on Koh Tao is like a dream. If you picture a paradise island, this is it. It doesnât feel crowded, but at the same time the island feels alive and there are many young people and the energy and atmosphere feels has a lot of kindness. Today and tomorrow I am doing the advanced diving course....
Quiet day at the canal
Returning to Bangkok made me feel like home. Maybe because it was my starting point and I went back to Bangkok to pick up my parents. Itâs something about it when you walk through street that feel familiar and hold past memories. And I could remember how I felt walking these streets the first and th...
Easter in Hanoi
If I didnât know it was easter, I wouldnât have noticed. There were no easter celebrations going on, I didnât see any decorations either. So, when I woke up, I joined an online art class while sitting in one of my favorite cafĂ©âs that I found during my time in Hanoi last time. Afterwards I picked up...
Bus adventure
First I got driven by motorbike to the road where a bus was waiting for me. Completely full with Vietnamese people, there wasnât even a bus stop, and we were a little bit late bc we waited for keys to the garage with the motorbike which made me feel very awful. I mostly slept during those 6h up unti...
A few peaceful days
Spending time at the homestay was really lovely but also let me have a look into such a different life from what I live back at home. From transporting a gigantic (still alive!) fish in a plastic bag to taking a chicken and seeing it being killed and prepared for dinner in the most quiet and somehow...
Ancient tea tree
Today we went on a little adventure into the mountains. We barbecued a chicken over open fire (I didnât realise we had a whole chicken and a big bowl of rice in the backpack. As well as a million snacks). I painted while eating crisps and Bick showed me the probably oldest and largest wild tea tree...
Village life & teaching art đ©âđš
Being at Bickâs homestay, welcomed by the very kind family, eating together and spending the day, feels very special. Waking up, opening windows from the bed and seeing the misty mountains and a duck walking around the house just makes my heart feel warm. Today I teached some kids english and art. A...
Ha Giang Loop
I cannot put into words how beautiful the landscape was when doing the 3 day Ha Giang Loop, but also gave a heavy view on the hard life of the farmers living in the mountains. We were a group of 6 people: my host Bick with her dad as a driver, 2 germans, my driver and me. We stayed in 2 different ho...
On my way!
I am going to Ha Giang to volunteer at a tea farm for a few days. They wanted someone to help them with photos and videos for their online presence. See this short film one of their last volunteers made for them. I love the style and it shows the people and life on the farm: https://youtu.be/Tm9k-QF...
Hope for my sandals!
I really liked the last two days in Hanoi. I completed my personal missions: sandals & art supply shop. The sandal shop was (of course) in a very dark alley. I probably walked like 15min trying to find this one shop and thought that maybe it just doesnât exist. I asked a local by showing pictures of...
What is Egg Coffee..?? And why?
Egg Coffee is the âCappuccino of Vietnamâ. Let me quote the book I found on it in one of the hostels but unfortunately I only took pictures of the information on egg coffee and not what the book is called. The history of the drink began in 1925, when a young Hanoian man named Nguyen Van Giang starte...
Goodbye đđŒ
Today I had to say goodbye to my brothers. I went with them to the airport at 2am and it felt a little bit surreal that the next days they will not be here with me anymore. It felt surreal but at the same time so natural being here in Vietnam together. Itâs something special that doesnât happen ofte...
Some bits and bobs of Hanoi
We decided to go to Hanoi from Cat Ba a day earlier than planned. It was quite cold and windy and we wanted to have some time to visit museums. We ended up visiting one. And only 1,5h because we mismanaged time. But the time we spend there, was very interesting. Every room portraying a different are...
Boat tour â”ïž
The bus bringing us to the boat tour was planned to pick us up at 8:10am from the hostel. I went down to the reception 5min earlier and asked if I have time to get a coffee. They said yes, but who could have known that getting the coffee would take more time (probably everyone). So, when I got out o...
Private Bus đ
Getting out of the taxi at the port in Hai Phong, a lady approached us and said that the ferry doesnât operate but we can take that one bus and some other ferry. It felt a little like a scam but we trusted her and got into a completly empty bus. We googled if we can find information online about the...
Train Ride Journey
Getting up today was hard. Not really that much harder than the last days but I am just tired and felt like I wanted to sleep in. But no time to waste! Our train to the coast was at 9:30am, so my brothers and I got up, packed our backpacks (which to be fair, we could have done yesterday but life is...
Tourist Bus - Day Trip
Itâs the first time I booked such a tourist day trip since I came to South East Asia. From 7:30am to 7:30pm. It was fun and it was nice not having to think about anything and get surprised by what we are going to see. The bus picked us up and the first stop was a (of course) huge souvenir shop with...
Train Spotting and Egg Coffee
After arriving with the train at 11:30am, my brothers and I directly went to our hostel. Konrad met up with a friend and Karol and I explored the city. I was on a mission to find a shop that can fix my sandals, I wanted to try the famous egg coffee and check out an art supply shop. Other than that,...
Abandoned Waterpark & Temples
Karol and I got up early in the morning to see the old town of Hoi An by day light. We had like 30min before we had to be back at the hostel. Our plan was to go to Hue today. Maybe like 10min before bus departure, we got some baguettes to-go for breakfast and ran back. My other brother Konrad was al...
Beautiful Ancient Town đ
We reached the hostel close to sunset and got a little nervous because there was a NIGHT CLUB sign next to it. But luckily the night was surprisingly quiet even though it was saturday and we shared the room with maybe 15 other people. Walking through the old town was out of this world. Small shops a...
Epic Ruins
My Son Sanctuary is a UNESCO World Heritage Site built by the Champa Kingdom between the 4th and 14th centuries AD, making it one of Southeast Asia's most significant archaeological sites. The sanctuary served as a religious center dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Fun Fact: polish architect and arc...
Bridge with Hands
After a little bit of a slow morning and ridiculous tiny breakfast portions at a café, we went to see Lady Buddha - the largest statue in Vietnam. The temple area was truly beautiful. Later at the beach we saw some fishermen. They had those round boats that look like a boat, not sure why they are th...
Exploring Da Nang
Arriving so late in Da Nang yesterday and kind of hungry, we went on a mission to find food close to our hotel. And there were quite a few options available! We sat down on tiny yellow chairs with tiny yellow tables and got some street food sandwiches. It wasnât enough, so we continued our search at...
Siblings Reunion!!!
I donât know how much I like Ho Chi Minh City. The contrast between the poor districts and skyscrapers was intense. And the thousands motorcycles and traffic was a lot to take in. The hostel room we stayed in, was in a very rural area. The hostel owner slept on the floor downstairs. He and his wife...
Skyline & Infinity Pool
I contemplated for a while if I really needed a SIM card for 2 days but yes, it was worth it. Especially in a big city. And for directions. Sure, itâs possible without, but itâs way more convenient to not be dependent on trying to find WIFI. And I believe it helps to be safe as a solo traveler to al...
Good Bye Thailand! đ§ââïž
I let go of my plans to do diving or going to Koh Lanta (apparently a very beautiful island) before going to Vietnam and meeting up with my brothers. I spend a lot of time painting in a café, speaking with people and sitting with myself and some uncomfortable feelings. If you are seeing new things e...
Taking a few rest days
Over the last days I got a cold, my pulse was very high for most of the day and I got some allergic reaction on my hands. Itâs not bad, but I did start to worry because I didnât know if maybe the symptoms are related. I didnât want a strange tropical disease. I went to the doctor 2 days ago but only...
Saying goodbye
Spending the last 2 day together felt very nice. Watching the sunsets, having good food, and making the best of the time that was left. And I am very happy that my parents came to visit. The highlight of the day was the little drive to the boat. Since the pier to the boat is maybe 500m and completel...
Leaving the island
We went by boat to a very small island with only goats living on it for a 3h snorkling trip in the morning which would have been great if we didnât only recieve 1 snorkle to the 3 goggles, the water visibility wasnât like 50cm and we werenât stung by tiny little jellyfish. We came back after 1h. The...
A place with no tourists
Today was a chill day. We are on a very remote, small island. There are like 2 other tourists here and maybe only 2 hotels on the entire island. It is a bit strange to be honest. The quietness. The bungalows are next to the sea. The beach seems endless and a little sci-fy when the tide was very low...
My mumâs birthday & James Bond Island
Today was my mumâs birthday and it turned out wonderful. The bungalow owner brought us some breakfast snacks in the morning: sweet sticky rice with a fruity mousse on top wrapped in banana leaves. It tasted amazing. He then organized a boat tour for us. We had a whole long tail boat for ourselves. A...
Monkeys, Lagoon & Temples
I didnât feel well today. I woke up with stomach issues, headache, my heart beating quickly and my whole body felt as if it was out of stone, every movement felt very exhausting. I probably need a full day of rest. And drink more water. The heat was a lot yesterday. I could feel the dryness in the m...
You want to cook?
Today we went on a boat tour. Which was absolutely incredible. It was a tiny long-tail boat. And just 3 of us and the boat driver. We saw hornbills. And big rock pillars overgrown with trees in the turquoise lake. We had a stop in the middle for swimming and kayaking. But only with life jackets. Esp...
I have to come back đ«¶
This island got a special place in my heart - the sunrises are beautiful when looking over the rough ocean and green rocky hills surrounding this little white sand bay making it feel magical. I did 8 dives, 367min in total. And each dive I am getting more confident and relaxed that I can enjoy the f...
3 day diving course!
Itâs gonna be fun! đȘŒ
Arrived on the island!
After a long bus drive and going on a boat through a rough sea (a lot of people got sea sick đ”âđ«), we finally arrived on Koh Tao after 11h. Our Bungalows are just at a beach, itâs very beautiful. My parents got one with a proper sea view with large windows. Today it was raining the whole day and I...
Me - the guide
My friend from Chiang Rai arrived with the overnight train in Bangkok today and asked if she can leave her bags maybe at mine. We spend the morning together while my parents were still sleeping. It was raining quite a lotâŠfirst rainy day actually! At midday we decided to all go together by boat to W...
Meeting my parents!
After arriving at 6am in Bangkok and smelling like sweat and metal and wishing nothing more than a shower, I got disappointed at the hotel: No shower because check-in is at 2pm. So I left my bag, ate some toast with tuna and went to pick up my parents from the airport. Since the flight was delayed b...
Overnight Train to Bangkok đ
After taking the 3,5h bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai in the morning, I felt very tired and looked with dread toward the overnight train, where I booked a 3rd class 7$ seat, because the sleeping cabins were sold out. But it turned out: it wasnât that bad, except that I smell like metal now. I met...
White Temple! đŻ
Some thoughts on meditation - I never thought meditation would be something for me but I can feel that it really helps me. I committed myself to do a 30 day challange, waking up at 6am and doing a 30min yoga-meditation practice at 7am. Of course, the timing doesnât always work, especially if I have...
Daytrip!đ§ââïž
Today I was very determined to go to the hot springs that are right next to a cold river. It took me a whole day and now I am very tired. But it was worth it. When I arrived there, it was beautiful. The mountains in the background. The trees. The grass. Everything so lush. Buffallos and birds. I wou...
2nd day
You know these small and fluffly white dogs that look like a tiny cloud and seem as if they have the biggest smile on their faces? I saw one today. On a scooter. He wasnât held or anything. (He also wasnât driving). He was just standing on the seat behind the driving granny. I wasnât quick enough to...
1st day
I like Chiang Mai. I arrived at like 8am at my hostel and the owner is incredibly kind. I slept maybe 2h at the airport, it was awful. But surprisingly, I wasnât that tired during the day. At the hostel is a little kitchen and you can make breakfast and use whatever is there. After resting and makin...
Involuntary Stop
I missed my connecting flight, the check-in was closed or my flight was cancelled, I didnât really understand the woman at the check-in shelter. But what I understood: I was not going to Chang Mai today anymore. She said I can take the plane tomorrow at 6am for a fee of 17âŹ. I didnât blink an eye an...
Genozid Museum
Since today is my last day in Cambodia, I wanted to take a deeper look onto its dark history and visited the Genozid Museum. Khmer Rouge regime in 1975-1979 lead ultimately to the death of 1.5-2 million people which decreased Cambodianâs population by 25%. Mass executions and torture, beating childr...
National Park
Today I rented a scooter to explore the national park. On top of the mountain there is a colonial french palace/hotel and I was curious to see it. Google showed, it would take 1h to go up there. It took me over 2h. Nearly every curve had a speed limit of 20km/h, which I followed, but everyone else w...
Journey to Kampot
I got up at 6am, it was raining a little, but wasnât too bad and actually quite nice when I went to the bathroom. The outdoor bathroom. But this time with an actual shower and proper sinks without baby frogs. After a swim and a bit of snorkling I wanted to check if there is a boat leaving back to th...
Surprise meet up!
I decided to go to Koh Rong Sanloem. I was told that there is a boat at 6amâŠwhen I went to the pier, there was no one and no boat. Only an old man on a bench. Who, it turns out, is the guard of one of the beaches. He didnât really speak english but I think he understood that I want to go to the isla...
7th day đ€ż
I canât believe I am already 7 days on this island. And at the same time It feels like it has been longer. I woke up at sunrise and observed the crabs in the morning. After some meditation and yoga, I had some breakfast (very good eggs! and coffee! Didnât have coffee in a while, so was very happy ab...
6th day đïž
Today was the first day I had a proper rest day. I woke up with the sound of wind, the sea and a bit of rain. I watched the palm trees around my bungalow getting more and more light from the rising sun. I read and painted and observed the tiny crabs running on the sand. The beach is magical and turq...
5th day & plankton!
Finally!!! I saw some glowing plankton!!! It was incredible. I changed my location to stay at the beach to increase my chances for plankton and SUCCESS. After watching the sunset I waited until it got completely dark (and before the very bright & still looking like a full moon gets up). It could be...
3rd & 4th day
Yesterday I spend a whole day at the beach, observed some fish and had some great conversations about diving and what to see on the island. Going by scooter is the way to go around here and since the roads are basically empty and in a very good condition, I thought this might be a great place to lea...
1st & 2nd day
The island is very beautiful. My little wooden hut is located directly on a Mangrove-type of river, so I just open the door and see water and green trees. And the water is very clear and I can see those small but very long fish with a neon yellow nose (called long-nosed pipe fish maybe?). Anyway, th...
Overnight bus
I am sitting at the port at 7am waiting for a boat to take me to an island called Koh Rong. The light has a golden touch and the turquoise water is very calm. My stomach whatsover, not that calm. I imagine the slightly greasy fish yesterday didnât do me that well after a full week of very healthy fo...
After the retreat
The retreat was very special and I could fill pages about it. I am grateful for the digital detox, the mindful space, the fish in the pond, the yoga and meditation practice, the laughter, the dance, the silence, the meals together and the people. I took a lot with me from the retreat, I can feel an...
6 Days Yoga Retreat đ§đ»ââïž
Iâm on a yoga retreat for the next 6 days and will not use my phone for that time. SoooâŠno updates until next week ;)
3rd day @temples
I donât think I can get bored of temples. Today I went to see the sunrise on top of the temple Phnom Bakheng on a mountain. There were maybe only 5 other people there and I could see Angkor Wat from above. It was beautiful. Very peaceful. The other temples I saw todayâŠbreathtaking. Every single one...
2nd day @temples
Initially I wanted to go see the sunrise at Angkor Wat by bike, but the bike was locked in the morning so I got a TukTuk (little taxi car). Angkor Wat was quite crowded, which is not surprising because the main tours advertise sunrise @Angkor Wat. It was still beautiful and I am happy I went. Very h...
Exploring Angkor Wat
The historical park is massive, I could probably stay here for a week and still not see every temple. Itâs very beautiful. I didnât believe it when people told me that a one-day pass for the temples isnât enough. I didnât consider myself someone that is extremely into temples. But being here, seeing...
Arrived!
After a 9h bus drive (in a very comfortable bus with wide chairs, free snacks, lunch and coffee) I arrived like 4pm at my hostel. Already after crossing the border, I noticed that Cambodia has a different feel, but I cannot really describe it. Whatâs interesting, there is a local currency but US Dol...
5th day in Bangkok
Today started quite slowly. After a small breakfast I went to the Talin Chan Floating Market by bus. I was surprised how quiet it was! I loved it a lot. I got some mango from a very friendly old lady on a boat and amazing coffee from a small stand. While ordering I noticed that the coffee stand had...
Spontaneous Day Trip
At 2pm I decided that I wanted to see the Ayutthaya temples and was very lucky that I caught the bus 2min before departure because any later bus wouldnât make sense since already that one would arrive there 1h before sunset. Ayutthaya was beautiful and the sunlight just made this place look insane....
4th day in Bangkok
I went out very early today to see the sunrise. The city had a completly different feeling in the morning, it was empty but busy at the same time. I observed a few monks running errands, people starting to set up their food stalls or grabbing a small snack before work. I saw a parade with dressed up...
3rd day in Bangkok
Today was the first day I spoke to some people and socialized a little. People of different ages and untypical backgrounds. I am glad I am giving myself time to explore and not rushing from one spot to the next. Today I checked in at another hostel with a beautiful garden and went on a walk along th...
2nd day in Bangkok
After having breakfast at a cute café I went to wander around following the canal. On my way I found a hostel that I plan on staying until sunday. Initially I planned to go to Cambodia tomorrow but feel like I need a few more days to fully arrive. Before I started my travels, I got the advice to alw...
I arrived!
Finally! I arrived around 10am in Bangkok, organized a local sim card and cash and off I went to find my hostel. On my way I discovered a tiny place with fresh crayfish for lunch. It was incredible, I need to get them again for dinner. Now I am sitting at a small canal. The colors are very vibrant,...
Passport Adventure
Nothing better than starting a journey and loosing my passport IN THE FIRST PLANE. I arrived 12:20 in Frankfurt and went to the next gate. Next flight: 13:15. I need to take out my passport to go through and⊠itâs not there. Itâs nowhere. I stay calm. I donât remember taking it out of my bag. It has...
It starts!
Hoping I packed everything, I look at all the planes waiting to depart. Soon I will be on one of them, going on a 16h journey to Bangkok. Traveling for 6 months. I still canât believe it. I count my sketch book and snorkel to my most valuable possessions. I feel excited but also heaviness. Leaving e...