Thai Island hopping

Since setting off on this adventure two months ago we havent really had that much time to relax.... (i'm sure you feel extremely sorry for us) so, rather than venturing further into Cambodia, we decided to spend the last month enjoying the sun, sea and sand of the Thai islands. Oh and the food of course!

We had our priorities straight upon returning to the land of smiles as we headed straight to the nearest cafe for some Pad Thai! It was really delicious after the rather bland food we had eaten elsewhere.

After a bite to eat we set off on the journey back to Bangkok to drop in for a night on Beth and Pete before heading down South.

This time we took the 3rd class passenger train which although very slow and unbearably hot was a welcome change from the local buses and actually quite enjoyable. There are so few tourists on this route so we were sat with all the locals. In their company you are reminded of just why Thailand has the nickname the 'land of smiles' .... one lady smiled at me the whole way and then shook my hand and then Nat's hand vigorously when we finally reached Bangkok, another boy smiled and sang Rihanna the entire way (tone death but entertaining) and others laughed at the Cambodian TShirt I was wearing (probably not a good move) although they did it in the nicest possible way, even the random people who jump on and off the train to sell food and drinks on route have a smile for you.....so as I looked out on the beautiful countryside and the lightening sparks in the sky from a distant thunder storm I thought there is nowhere else I would rather be right now!! ....until I was reminded of some of the not so pleasant local habits such as picking your nose and putting it on the floor, coughing and spitting everywhere... hmmmm travelling does have its drawbacks!

Arriving in Bangkok we were keen to book the train down to Surat hani for the next day, unfortunately our timing was lousy as it was not only the weekend but also Chinese new year so all the seats were completely booked up! An hour of discussion with various train station staff and we were eventually offered two tickets (which were double the price as they had been sold to the travel agent who then sold them back to us - argghhh very frustrating but it got us where we needed to go).

So it was a quick overnight stop in Bangkok where we managed to do all our laundry and hand over a bag of souvenirs for safe storage (thanks again Beth and Pete)and we were off on the road again.

The traffic is absolutely mental in Bangkok so what should be a short journey to the station ended up taking 1 and a half hours - thankfully we arrived 5 minutes before our train and we legged it to the platform and took our seats. This was foolish as we should have learnt our lesson by now that absolutely no transport leaves on time... an hour later we were off!

This time, with a lot more experience under our belt and the help of Chang beer we slept better - Nat passed out and I didn't see her again until the morning and I at least felt like I did sleep a fraction. We did have an argument with the staff about the beer though as they seemed far too keen to encourage westerners to buy another one. I was on to them and suspected the prices would be sky high and indeed they were, cheeky tactics!!

After yet another delay we finally arrived in Surat hani and took the ferry over to our first island stop: Koh Samui.

Koh Samui is renowned for being a party island with some chavtastic resorts so we opted for the trendy fishing village of Bo Phut. It attracts a more affluent crowd with more expensive accommodation but we managed to bag a special offer on the Samui Heritage Resort so had a fabulous luxury stay.

We really enjoyed Bo Phut. It has some nice reggae bars with deck chairs and beds right on the sea front so you can sit back in the evening and watch the waves with a beer in hand! Bliss!

It does seem difficult to escape the typical holiday style resorts on the islands and really see local life but at least in Bo Phut you still have some street food stalls and feel you are able to chat with the locals a little bit.

After 4 nights here we headed back to the mainland and over to Krabi Province (on a public bus - why we do this every time I dont know as it is the same price to take a tourist bus but as usual it was so entertaining and so behind schedule!!). We arrived in Krabi after dark so we had to take a taxi to Ao Nang (a coastal resort where all the people who cant afford Railay beach seem to go - that's us!!).

We hated Ao Nang, it was extremely touristy and despite its natural beauty I couldnt help but think of the similarities with Blackpool!! Plus we stayed in budget accommodation here so for the first time on our trip we were really going back to basics....well I say that but we still had a pool and I suppose the room was okish..we've been a bit spoilt on this trip and i've become a snob now it seems!

The guy running the hotel must have thought i was a looney as I screamed when a moth flew at me when we opened the door to our room and then I ran away from the flying cricket outside our room - i'm really not a fan of insects and I didnt sleep a wink!

On the positive side Ao Nang is a good base from which to visit Railay. We took the longtail boat round the coast and spent a day on Railay and Phra Nang Cave beach. I loved it there and it was well worth the time in Ao Nang to see it.

From here it was back on the bus/ferry to Koh Lanta. We opted for this island as it is supposedly less developed than the islands to the East of the mainland, however it still feels much like you are on a package holiday when you arrive here. I have to admit that I have been disappointed by just how much on the tourist trail Koh Lanta is, mostly it seems to be full of European families and I feel a bit like I may as well have gone to the costa del sol. Plus the people do not seem as friendly and laid back here as in the rest of Thailand and it has been raining for most of our stay.

I may just be on a downer as we have just been chased by 10 dogs (yes yet again) - we were walking in the pouring rain and tried to take a short cut when they all came chasing after us, i made the mistake of shouting run so they pounded after us even further. Thankfully when i shouted stop they stopped too and left us to walk off but I have seriously never been so scared in my life. I must react better if i come across any wild animals in Canada!

Although we were keen to get to the island we are now beginning to realise that we are more city folk at heart and we should have gone to Kuala Lumpa and back up through the islands. Not that I am complaining about having 3 weeks to relax and take it easy!!

From here we head to yet another new country for 4 nights: the island of Langkawi in Malaysia so we shall see what that part of the trip has in store for us!