@vasssileek

I’m still on this trip. Koh Phangan’s wildlife surprised and slightly frightened me from day one, when I met a green tree snake that looked exactly like a branch. I was told it was harmless, unlike the cobras that also live here. Around my jungle house, there are centipedes, squirrels, lizards, beetles, small spiders and all kinds of other creatures, yet surprisingly few mosquitoes. The house feels like a treehouse, with a terrace looking through the trees toward the ground far below. During rain or sunset, the jungle feels incredibly vivid and alive. The island itself is beautiful, and riding a scooter along the coastal road feels like being inside a feel-good movie, far away from ordinary life and all its worries.

I came to Pattaya hoping for a quiet month by the sea: a beachfront home with a beautiful view over the bay, away from the city. That part came true. Palm trees, the sound of the waves, no motorcycle noise, and cycling whenever I needed to go anywhere helped me slow down and relax. The swimming itself was underwhelming, though. It felt closer to Gelendzhik or Adler than a tropical resort. So I decided to continue to Koh Phangan for the island experience and better beaches I was still missing. Pattaya itself left me with the impression of a budget Thai Las Vegas.

I had dreamed of living high above Bangkok after seeing reels showing that, for the price of an ordinary Moscow apartment, you could rent a condo on a high floor with a rooftop infinity pool and a gym overlooking the skyline. That dream came true, and the experience felt surreal. At street level, Bangkok was far more complicated: strange smells everywhere and wealth and poverty existing side by side. I also struggled to form an emotional connection with people. Behind the constant smiles, bows and politeness, made harder to understand by the language barrier, I could rarely tell what anyone truly felt. I wondered how much of it was shaped by Buddhist ideas about harmony and karma. That distance left me feeling deeply lonely on a human level.

Tbilisi was beautiful, with architecture that sometimes felt European, great food, and endless walks up and down its hills. Back then, I didn’t realize how much I would appreciate its sidewalks: here on Koh Phangan, the landscape is just as hilly, but getting around without a scooter is nearly impossible. It was my first trip outside Russia in seven years.