Kantang
March 3 - March 5
There is a saying that originally comes from a Native American who, after his first train ride, sat down on the platform and, in response to the puzzled looks of his companions, said: "When you arrive at a new place, wait, it takes time for the soul to catch up." (Nick Martin, 2020, Die geilste Lücke im Lebenlauf - "The coolest gap in the resume.")
I actually took longer than expected to arrive in Asia. On many days, I wondered why I was here, what I was doing here, or why I hadn't returned to Germany. Why Asia is so different and when I will manage to feel comfortable here. That was also one of the reasons why we stayed on Thailand's beautiful islands for so long.
The second bout of tonsillitis was particularly bad. On the 9th or 10th day on Koh Mook, after a wonderful day at Charlie Beach, I already felt that something was not right. The next day, I had a fever of 39 degrees Celsius and felt really crappy. I wished I was back in Germany. Because of the high fever, we went to see a doctor. The doctor was super kind and mentioned that she would prefer to give me an antibiotic infusion, but since she didn't have the appropriate equipment, she recommended that we go to the mainland hospital if it didn't get better the next day. However, after consulting with our medical professionals in Germany, they didn't see the situation as critical. And indeed, the fever subsided somewhat the following day, so we went to the mainland, but not to the hospital.
But now, I think I am finally here. I wonder if it would have taken me just as long to arrive on a three-week vacation. Intuitively, I would say no. But where the difference lies, how long I will stay... I don't know...
Tourism in Thailand
Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Krabi, Ao Nang, Koh Mook, and now we are in Kantang... I have been amazed at how different the relationship between tourists and locals can be. I would like to share some of my impressions on this topic with you. These are my personal experiences and impressions, and it is entirely possible that someone else may have a completely different experience.
The "Walking Wallet" stereotype
Our brains are trained to make snap judgments about other people in seconds. We judge others based on religion, sexuality, culture, ethnicity, skin color, hair color, and more. In Thailand, I often feel that I am placed in a certain category by the Thais, and it's not a category I want to be in. It's the "Walking Wallet" stereotype. I am constantly approached with greetings like "Sawadee" (Hello), "Where are you going?", "Taxi, Taxi." Every time someone approaches me, it's about trying to get me to buy something. Sometimes, I am approached every 3 meters. There have been a few situations where we definitely paid too much for something. It's not about the money. Whether I pay 50 cents or 3 euros for a bus ride doesn't bother me. The problem is being treated differently than everyone else. I can't escape this role and can't get out of this stereotype. My appearance, my skin color, immediately reveal me as a foreigner. From the perspective of the locals, I am "the wealthy one," regardless of how I see myself. I am reduced to this characteristic. It doesn't matter whether I see myself this way or have a completely different self-image. A walking wallet on two legs. I hate this feeling.
Three thoughts on this:
1. Arriving
Being approached and put into this category actually stressed me out quite a bit. Maybe that's a reason why it took me a relatively long time to feel settled here.
2. Discrimination
Experiencing being reduced to an (external) characteristic by someone else is very interesting and at the same time shaping. This experience is the reason why I say that I cannot judge whether someone feels discriminated against in Germany. I am sure that the Thais do not mean anything bad with their approach and are not aware of what it does to me. Not to mention that fortunately, I ended up in a "positive" category. I don't know what it's like to be in a "more negative" category, for example as an Eastern European, Syrian, Turkish,... These people are generally attributed negative qualities from the outset, even though we don't know them and don't know what they are like. That must be even harder.
3. Standard of Living
... and on the other hand, I can somehow understand the Thais as well. Compared to them, we are indeed "rich." Sure, our cost of living is higher, but come on, something we rarely think about: we already have a good standard of living, we have great infrastructure; we have a functioning waste system; a sewage system that has no problem with toilet paper (here, used toilet paper has to be thrown in the trash) ...
Tourism in Thailand
Koh Lanta, Koh Phi Phi, Krabi, Ao Nang, Koh Mook, and now we are in Kantang... It surprised me how different the relationship between tourists and locals can be. I would like to share a few of my impressions on this topic with you. These are my personal experiences and impressions, and it may well be that someone else has a completely different experience.
White as a renewable resource: the takeover of the pale-skinned and red-faced
On Koh Phi Phi, for example - Karli mentioned it in passing - there are sooooo many tourists, so that it feels like 95% of the people on the streets are tourists. Basically, all the people who are "strolling around" are white, and all the people who are working are Thai. You still get approached sometimes, but only a small fraction of the shop owners do that. I suspect that most of them don't feel like talking their mouths off. Or the reason is that there are just so many tourists on Phi Phi that they are confident that there are enough customers for their products. Tourists as a renewable resource.
I didn't feel like a walking wallet there, simply because the streets were full of tourists. Really. I don't know. On the one hand, it's liberating, on the other hand, it's creepy.
The white tourists with the white vests?
Oh yeah, by the way, the tourists often behave badly... Why do I say that? For example, the tourists on the observation platform of the Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi: As soon as you get a little bit into Buddhism and temples, the first advice you get is that you should wear covered shoulders and knees when entering a temple. There were also three signs visible before and inside the temple, for everyone to see. I didn't take pictures of the signs, but one sentence, in particular, stuck with me: "please show some respect to our Religion." It made me sad to see that most tourists don't follow the rules and wait for the sunset with tops and shorts on.
On eye level
But it can also be different! Fortunately, not all of our encounters with Thais have been like that. Koh Mook is the island where we experienced the most original atmosphere. According to our bungalow host, during the high season, there are about 3,000 people on the island, half of them being tourists. Walking around the island gives you an impression of the everyday life of the people. There are still many residents who have a job independent of tourism. Road workers. Fishermen. We met a hairdresser who also drives a minivan on the mainland during the season. You can meet people on Koh Mook on eye level, if you want to. If you are friendly and respect the people here, they will treat you the same. Gai, our host, told us about an 80-year-old Swiss woman who comes back to Koh Mook year after year and is warmly welcomed by the locals because they recognize her. And we also had such an experience... One evening in Kantang, we were looking for food. Suddenly, there was someone on the other side of the street, calling and waving excitedly. I walked a few steps further, but then turned back to the person calling. She was looking in our direction. I turned around to see if there was someone behind me who was meant. No one. Meanwhile, the woman made it to our side of the street and headed towards us. It wasn't until she stood right in front of us that we recognized her - it's Sugar! She runs a restaurant on Koh Mook where we ate a few times! We are very happy to see her again, as we didn't have time to say goodbye to her due to our tonsillitis.
Thai Tourists
On Koh Mook, we also saw some Thai tourists. From what we have noticed so far, Thais seem to travel with their whole family or at least in groups. Gai told us that most Thais come in April when it's already off-peak season for European tourists. April and May are Thailand's "hot season." Many countries in Asia have different seasons than us. In Southeast Asia, it is usually a "dry season," "wet season," and "hot season." In the "hot season," it is indeed hot in the south, but much more bearable than in the rest of the country.
Farang
And now we are in areas where tourists are rarely seen. In Kantang, we actually didn't see any other "whites." Well, there was one at the immigration office; he seemed to be in Thailand for a longer period, as he had to do his "90-day report." (For visas that allow staying in Thailand for several months, for example, due to work, I think you have to submit these 90-day reports.) Anyway, that was the only other foreigner we saw during our 3 days in Kantang.
Foreigner is called "Farang" in Thai. The people in Kantang are happy to see a Farang. Passing children wave at you. The people along the road and even those sitting in their shops are happy to see you and even happier if you smile at them. You get the impression that only a few dare to talk to you. Karli once returned the greeting of a construction worker, and then all of his colleagues just had to say hello to a Farang. 🤣 Children are of course much more carefree. They chatted us up regularly.
And we have been fortunate to experience how helpful Thais are. More on that later.
Kantang
As mentioned in the last Koh Mook post, we came to Kantang because it has the nearest Immigration Office. In Thailand, we don't need a visa, as German citizens, we get a visa-free stay of 30 or 45 days upon entry. Normally, it's 30 days, but due to Covid, there was an extension to 45 days. The special regulation expired at the beginning of April 2023. After 30 minutes and 1,900 Baht per person less, we can stay in Thailand for another 30 days.
We spent two nights in Kantang. I rested a lot due to the tonsillitis, while Karli explored Kantang.
📷 There aren't so many pictures in the photo album for this post.
I sometimes find it difficult here in Thailand to distinguish between public and private space. There are often no indications from a European perspective. That's why Karli and I eventually decided to walk everywhere. And if we end up somewhere we shouldn't be, the Thais will surely let us know.
That's how I ended up walking alone through Kantang and went deeper and deeper into a supermarket. There were no barriers or doors, but eventually I noticed that there were no more lights to illuminate, and I wondered if I was still in the right place. Suddenly, three Thais stood around me and tried to help me or explain that it was the storage area. In the evening, I told Karli about the situation, and he burst out laughing: the same thing happened to him in the same supermarket.
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