Thailand

Sunday 15th May 2016 – Late morning…we both woke up with hangovers after Pam and John’s last party night in Bangkok! We decided on a duvet day to recover which also gave us a chance to plan for our long awaited trip to Koh Phangan Island where we hoped to relax and get a bit of a tan. The trip is around a 770km journey South incorporating a mixture of coach and ferry transportation. From what I could make out online you took an overnight bus southwards and then a ferry the next morning over to the island…quite a trek. As it was a Sunday no local travel agents were open so we agreed to hunt out tickets the next day. After dinner at Terminal 21 and delicious rum n raisin ice cream for dessert I finished my Stephen King book which John had given me and Aaron had some cave time listening to music and watching videos on his phone.

Monday 16th May 2016 – Waking up Aaron was craving a KFC brunch so off we set to seek one out. He gorged on a chicken feast while I was craving carbohydrates so had a big plate of chips (I never eat chips at home so I knew my body needed carbos!). Popping into a local travel agent they quoted £30 each for our trip to Koh Phangan Island. I knew this was a steep price so we declined and instead packed our bags and took a taxi to Khaosan Road where tourists are known to get cheap combined coach and ferry trips to Thai islands. We were not disappointed for on arrival were quoted £13 each for our trip…we were delighted and booked 2 tickets straight away for departure on a coach at 6.00pm that evening. For the next few hours we stationed ourselves at a cafe…drank coffee, ate pancakes and played Spelltower on our iPad. At 6.00pm we boarded a luxurious coach with aircon and reclining seats and set off southwards for a Thai Island adventure.

Tuesday 17th May 2016 – Rudely awakened at 5.30am we were all ejected from our comfy seats and told that we had to swap buses. Everyone seemed to be going to different islands so collectively and sleepily we all awaited our onward buses…hanging out at a small family restaurant in a tiny Thai village. Our island was famous for its Full Moon parties and we realised we would probably still be on the island at full moon time when it would be at its busiest. We had to wait a good 2-3 hours before we were transported to the ferry. 19 hours after we had left Bangkok we arrived at our Thai Island and our hotel Lime n Soda. We were positioned right on the beach front and after a quick dip in the inviting pool we slept for 5 hours in our air conditioned room before awakening for evening cocktails and beers at the beach bar…bliss!

Wednesday 18th May 2016 – Overnight travel is our least favourite way to get around. You always suffer afterwards. We knew it had taken its toll when we arose from a deep sleep at 2.00pm that afternoon. We were exhausted. After a late lunch we hired a scooter to drive around the island to find a nice beach where we could stay for a week or so. Taking the coastal road we headed to the West of the island where we found a lovely beach hut for £10 a night called ‘No Name Villa’…great name! We booked immediately and headed back to relax by the bar for a few drinks. That evening we got drenched in a thunderstorm and feasted at a local restaurant on traditional thai food…absolutely dripping wet from the storm!

Thursday 19th May 2016 – After vacating our room we booked a taxi to the west of the island, an area called Haad Yao. Taxis are extortionate on the island and the locals know it taking full advantage of tourists with heavy bags! We arrived around 10.30am at our beach hut and settled in. Our hut was simple but great value with a veranda you could sit on that looked towards the sea. We walked along the beach hand in hand and sipped happy hour cocktails and beers while watching the sun set…it was very romantic. Later a storm whipped up, we took cover in a double hammock in a beach bar and shared one last local beer before stumbling back along the dark beach to our little hut for a sleep to the sound of the ocean.