Coming back to Thailand was a weird thing. Is like going from Thailand back home to Switzerland. Almost everything improved at once. Getting super markets back, reliable public transportation and getting hostels back. Yap, in Myanmar they have guesthouses but hardly no hostels.
Ready for a couple of days relaxing on the beach I headed down to the popular island called Phi Phi. Not sure since how long this place is so popular but latest since the movie ‘The beach’ almost 15 years ago. The most you can do here is to relax and to a few short hikes over the main island. To be a bit more active and to do some useful I signed myself up for a PADI open water course. Did that the next three days together with my swiss dive instructor. And during the curse I once more realised what the big difference is between Asia and Europe.
Here they use things till they break with minimal or no investment into repairing it. Back home we keep them in good shape. On our first dive we had to go with another schools boat since ours was under repair. Just before we wanted to go to water the engine stopped working. Took them several hours and tries to get it on again. Later on, my instructor told me that there were 3 dive schools on the same boat cos 2 of 3 boats were broken. The day after we went on another dive schools boat, ours was still not available.
Not enough party? Lets go to the Ibiza of South East Asia – Patong. This beach place its not exactly what I was looking for but kind of interesting to see. Especially by night when all the dressed up lady boys were on the main walkway. They don’t like to be on pictures 😉
Beside that, you get offered dozens of ‘Ping Pong’ shows or Russian strip shows. Not sure if that was for the huge number of Russians or more for the older guys hanging out here. In general a very touristy place which you will easily recognise in the prices. A taxi ride for 5km will coast about 400 THB. In Bangkok same distance would be about 65 THB!
The last few nights before my flight back to Europe I spent back in Bangkok. A totally different district than the first time. More likely the modern business district with all the big buildings and fancy malls. In the hostel I started to talk to one of the workers. A guy from Myanmar working in Thailand since 16 years or better since he is 13years old! He moved here together with his at that time girlfriend and now wife and living since then together.
He never finished school but instead started to work in a fish factory at the time he got to Thailand. And that all to send money back home. Six years ago they became parents but they haven’t seen their kid since over 3 years. At some point they handed the baby over to her parents in Myanmar. Now they both work in the same Hostel and send every month money back home in the hope their kid will have a better future. And both never returned to Myanmar since they left it sixteen years ago!!!
A similar story the receptionist in Patong told me. Coming from the north of Thailand, having a kid with a dad she doesn’t know where he is and a kid staying at her mum’s place she didn’t visit the last two years. And that just because she doesn’t have the money to travel there but working in a place which makes a town which is highly reliable! Fucked up world!