Tales and treats from Thailand

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The journey to Thailand started fantastically! We boarded the Maglev- for those less traveled or non train enthusiasts, it's the worlds fastest train- cruising at a mere 300km/hr and got us to the airport in great time. We were a bit anxious about our flights as they were Malaysian airlines but that was quickly put to rest, after our first flight to Kuala Lumpur went swimmingly......or so we thought! It was a mad dash to the inter rail at KL (it's a huge huge airport), 2x rides back and forth-because we didn't know if we should get off the first time, and another dash to the gate for our connection. The flight from KL to Bangkok was only meant to take an hour- it took us 6!!! Half way through our flight we were in the middle of a thunder and lightning storm. Matters only got worse when we tried to land at Bangkok! Two failed attempts to land and me and Jo were near on crying! It seemed all our fears about Malaysian airlines were valid at this point. Sick with fear I was only marginally relieved to hear we were being re directed to Phuket. We were there for ages on the plane whilst it refuelled and the pilot awaiting confirmation on if we could head back to Bangkok. After what seemed like an eternity we landed in Bangkok. We both felt sick with tiredness and relief. The queue to get into Thailand though would keep us from sleep for another two hours. 6 hours later than planned two zombies checked in and literally fell face down on the bed asleep. A few hours later we were woken by a call from reception to tell us that Tom and Andrea had arrived (Jo's very good friends from home, who would be spending two weeks with us!)
The day was spent orientating ourselves to the area, mainly koh San road. We did manage to sneak a cheeky nap in before heading back out for the evening. That evening we experienced local cuisine- scorpions on a stick (crunchy and fishy), pad Thai (delish), buckets of cocktails (yes a bucket- for the princely sum of £2.20). To round the evening off we took a ride in a tuk tuk- which would now be our local means of travel. Imagine four people in a side cart come wheel barrow attached to the back of a motorbike, lit up like Brighton pier being driven by the crazy bus driver out of Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban! Lights going past in a literal blur and squeezing through impossible gaps! I am please to say it didn't put us off as the next day we explored the city in one. For 10 baht (22p) we had our own personal driver who took us to numerous temples and dropped us off at the palace. The temples were amazing but paled in comparison to the palace! WOW just wow. The intricate details were amazing- I could have stayed and looked at it all day, if it hadn't of been for the blistering heat! On the way back we took a local taxi boat- I never knew you could squeeze so many people onto a barge!
Having walked around all day, in the evening we decided to do as the locals do and splurged on a pedicure for our pinkies and did some shopping! After my prowess in China, I was in charge of getting the deals!
After a few days in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok it was off to Koh Samui for a change of pace and scenery. A quick flight and we arrived to glorious sunshine and a fab beach.
We went on a trip to the local marine park where we kayaked and snorkelled around beautiful islands- it really was something out of the film 'The beach'! Kayaking turned into a water version of bumper cars much to our amusement and trying to relax on the beach was impossible- A young boy thought I would make a good friend and wouldn't leave me alone. I tried to float with my head under the water so he would leave me alone, only to be tickled by him to get my attention ! If it hadn't of been vaguely cute I think I would have drowned him! So I took to 'sleeping' with added snore sound effects on the beach to shake him off! We also got see monkeys living in their natural habitat on the island. There wasn't much dissimilarity between them and the young boy!
We also Visited Koh Tao, which so far has to be my favourite. Stunning panoramic views and white beaches with crystal clear waters. Amazing for snorkelling and confirmed for me and Jo that we would be back here to get our scuba qualification. I spent most of the day chasing a reef shark, so I could show my brother I swam with one!
Enjoyed a massage- or two!! Deep tissue Thai massage is something to be experienced, not by the faint hearted! I have been cracked and slapped back into shape by a woman old enough to be my great grandmother, whose toothless grin was a thing of great entertainment. Got piercings late one night on mass, from the happiest man ever!
Went to a cabaret show/ drag show where we cried with laughter, sang our hearts out and were in total awe of how beautiful and lady like they were. I think Tom enjoyed the attention a little to much! Had a jolly round of mini golf late one evening, chaos ensued and somehow I came last!
To round our time off with Andrea and Tom we had our last dinner at a lovely spot called The Jungle Club where we looked out and across Koh Samui as the sun set. We're back off to Koh Tao tomorrow to continue the adventure! Lauren and Jo xxx

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