Actually it was Khoa Sok - but it was very confusing and when we got on the local bus at Phuket - just to get of the blinking island we weren't really sure where we were going, how long it would take, what we would do when we got there - but then that's backpacking!

We eventually arrived after realising that when the man said "bus stop 30 minutes" that it literally meant the bus stopped for 30 minutes (no wander everyone else got off), in fact our bus stop was only about another 40 mins down the road (this was after 3 hours!?). Khoa Sok is a national park - of ancient jungle and limestone pinacle islands formed when they flooded the area to allow an HEP plant to be built. It was very remote with a few tree house type resorts and not alot else. We were met by a guy selling his cottages for 500 bt - we lmanaged to get one for 350 - which was a big reduction after 2000bt in Phuket.

On offer were canoe trips, elephant rides, lake trips - all quite extortionate in price - we opted for elephant riding - which was very good - authentic and not too touristy. We went through a rubber and banana plantation sitting on chairs on the elephant and on the way back FT and me sat on the neck of one. ET was livid.

We have slipped very easily into the BP lifestyle - with late breakfasts and no fixed plans. On the second day we eventually made it into the National Park itself and walked about 6k into the jungle without a guide. It was v hot and sticky, but we did see some great wildlife, leeches !, tiny frogs and brilliantly some monkeys.

2 days was enough though and we set off to Surithani thinking we could get on a boat to Koh Phangan. Not so easily and we got swept up in the tourist net and herded along with 30 other Forengs on to buses and tuk tuks and finally after 5 hours finally a boat heading for Phangan.