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. Especially for swimming. My dad was complaining about it until he got into the water and after 2min of floating he was having the best time of his life and didn‘t want to get out.

Arriving back to the pier, the taxi driver picked us up. We planned to do an afternoon trip with him, where he would show us some highlights. We asked if he can recommend a restaurant and take us there before the trip. He then asked if we liked Thai food and suggested to go to the market and to cook together. So we got some vegetables and a gigantic fish that got killed in front of our eyes with a big knife and put in a plastic bag.

The cooking was amazing. We made some rice. And he got some green veggies from his garden. We cooked some leaves (that looked a bit like spinach) with egg and garlic in a pan. He didn‘t add any spices really, some salt and pepper…and it tasted just incredible. We also made coconut soup and he gave us a coconut, mango and a papaya from his garden. And afterwards…I was so full, I didn‘t need dinner today.

He told us how he is planning to build a bungalow but wood and wood work is very expensive so it takes a lot of time. His wife works in a hotel and also works as a taxi driver occasionally or organizes the drives for her husband. Whenever we were talking about a price for a drive, it was always the wife we discussed it with. Their only son (who is in his 20s) works as a taxi driver during day and as a bartender at night. It sounds like a hard life. And at the same time, he seemed very contend. It also felt in a way, he is way closer to being content with life than many of us in the West. I imagine it is grounding in a way to live so close to nature, have a small wooden house with a garden, growing vegetables and getting fresh ingredients from the market. His house was simple but it had everything that it needed to. The kitchen utensils were of very good quality. And at the same time, he can’t afford many things. I don’t know if he goes on holidays with his family. He said he has never been in another country or even Bangkok. I felt sad about it at first, but also, I feel sad that I think that that’s something to feel sad about. As if being able to go abroad says anything on how a person perceives and experiences life. Do the „more opportunities“ really make life better? And what means „better“? Sure, generally speaking, I think you could say that more opportunities and money lead to a better quality of life from a purely outside perspective, e.g. being able to afford more comfort, travels, or just thinking about medical treatment. But that‘s not what I am thinking about. I mean what is going on inside of us. Life filled with kindness, aliveness and an open heart. I am so grateful for his hospitality. He seemed like a very caring man. When we arrived to his home, he greeted his 2 dogs and one cat with a smile on his face and seemed very excited to show us how he cooks his dishes.

We also had to go to the hospital to check on my dad‘s foot because he hurt it on a rock two days ago. They needed to cut some skin and put some bandage on it. The driver waited with us and helped with the language a bit. He also helped to organize a bus to our next destination for tomorrow. I felt very touched by this kindness. Tomorrow we are going on a tour with him again.