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Published: August 2nd 2012
Day 1 (25th July) Arrive in Bangkok
Met Clare and Gemma at the airport. Very relieved we were all there with bags and no delays. Hopped straight into a taxi and got to the centre around
4pm. Checked straight into our hotel, took a well needed shower and went out exploring. We stayed in the area around Khao San Road and had dinner on what appeared to be the Vegetarian Street. It was delicious though. Clare had a Green Curry and I had Pad Thai. We carried on walking the streets just taking it all in and then settled in a bar near our hotel for a Chang. On the walk home we went passed a massage parlour and we thought we can't walk passed another one without going in so we had a little Thai (for Steph) and Foot (for Gemma and Clare) massage. Day 2 Day in Bangkok Earlyish morning. Went for breakfast in the restaurant opposite hotel. We needed to book our train journey to the south of Thailand so we decided to take the boat trip down to to train station. We saw lots of "the tops" of places of interest for us to go back to at a later date. Places such as 'The Grand Palace' and various other temples. Once we had found the train station we found out the there was only one train available that was a bit earlier than we had hoped
at 5:05pm. This meant that we would get to Surat Thani (the transport hub)
at 4:30am!! But we really wanted to get south so that we had enough time to fit in enough island hopping so went for it anyway. Whilst there we also booked our sleeper trains to and from Chiang Mai for
next Sunday and following Saturday. After booking all these things it left barely anytime so we had to skip the lunch in Chinatown that we had planned but we will do it when we get back. En route to pick up our bags we visited a temple 'Wat Chana Songkhram'. It was a beautiful temple but unfortunately we didn't have time to take our time to fully look around. Currently we are on the sleeper train heading to Surat Thani. We have booked a bus and then boat to Ko Samui where we will chill out for a few days before heading on to Ko Tao for some more chilling. Still struggling with jet lag i think so using these half
12/1 o'clock times to write these entries. Day 3 Travel from Bangkok to Ko Samui We took then
5:05pm sleeper train from Bangkok to Surat Thani arriving at about
5am this morning. We then had to wait until
8am for our bus to take us to the port where we caught the boat over to Ko Samui. The experience was very long however not too bad. I didn't manage to sleep on the train but I think that was down to jet lag still and also being freezing cold. I was a little worried about where we should go when we arrived at Ko Samui. I am not used to organising this such thing and worried about getting the price and location wrong. We decided to go to Bo Phut as this was not as lively as Chaweng and Lamai however still had lots going on. We can also get the boat to Ko Tao (which we plan to do on Monday) from this area. We struggled a little to find accommodation however as we searched we realised that there was a standard price of 1500bhat per room per night. It became compulsory however to get a swimming pool to justify paying the amount. After looking at about 10 places we settled on hotel Hacienga Villa that had only been open two weeks. It is a little basic however we can use the sister hotel (5 buildings down) beach and roof top pool that has stunning views on Ko Pha Ngan. We chilled out by the pool for the rest of the day.
Tonight there has been a street market that was brilliant. Lots of things to buy and lots of delicious food and drinks. We spent the evening meandering through the very long market and sampled some of the street food. I had some king prawns and then a nutella crepe later on. We also washed this down with 3 Mojitos for only 60bhat a piece, bargain! Day 4 & 5 Bo Phut, Ko Samui Spent a few days relaxing by the pool and on the beach. Day 6 Boat from Ko Samui to Ko Tao We caught the early
8am boat from Ko Samui to Ko Tao. The boat journey was very picturesque and I really enjoyed it. We have decided to stay in Mae Haad area. Day 7 Ko Tao Ive had my first bout of sickness and diiarreah which is horrible. No energy so have decided to come back to bed to sleep it off. Fingers crossed it will pass. Really missing home today. Day 8 (1st Aug) Ko Tao - Snorkelling Trip We got up early and went on a fab snorkelling trip. The trip toured the island and we were able to snorkel bay to bay. I absolutely loved it and has made me want to do more. We saw lots of amazing fish but no sharks which I am not sure if I am relieved or disappointed for. We also saw a turtle whilst we were on the boat. We stopped at Mango Bay, Lighthouse Bay, Shark Island and finally Koh Nang Uang. Koh Nang Uang is a little island off the coast of Ko Tao. it is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. There are two hills covered in lush greenery with a thin strip of beach connecting them and crystal clear waters either side. We stopped here for a couple of hours so decided to walk to the view point at the top of one of the hills. It was a bit of a slog but we were rewarded with amazing views out to sea and also of Ko Tao. Day 9 Ko Tao - moving to Sairee Beach We have moved to another area on Ko Tao today and will be staying the next two nights. We are staying at the far end of Sairee Bay. The accommodation is a dorm however shares the facilities with an expensive hotel so well worth it. There are two lovely pools and it is right on the beach. There also looks like there is an amazing restaurant that I am sure we will sample at some point. We have spent the rest of the day chilling on the beach. Clare and I have decided to go diving tomorrow. Neither of us have done it before and are really excited if not a bit scared. It seems as though we will be doing a test dive in the pool in the morning and then go out to do two dives in the afternoon.
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Kerrie and Nate
non-member comment
Sounds fab
Nate and I are just sitting eating grapes reading about your trip so far. A brilliant account of all the places you have been. Brings all the memories back. Very jealous of the nutella crepe!!! So glad you are going to dive. You will love it! And if you get scared, remember Barb P's motto, 'Feel the fear and do it anyway!' I had to say this a few times to myself before our dives. Nate says he would like to see some piccys so get uploading ;-) x x x x