Our trip over the border into Thailand was easy and straightforward, it just took a long time. All the buses from Siem Reap leave at exactly the same time, so of course they get to the border at roughly the same time, then at the border they only have 1 desk open to start with, eventually they decided to open a second one. You can tell nobody really thought this whole process through all the way. We were however lucky that our bus driver agreed to drop us off at the train station in Bangkok.

Once at the train station things were really easy and you could tell they were use to having tourists come through a lot. They have an information desk, you tell them what train you want and they go with you to the counter to buy the ticket, this way the person at the counter doesn't have to speak english and you don't feel stupid because you don't speak Thai and have to use hand gestures or write it down or try many of the other techniques of communication.

Our train south was pretty good. Happy we got the top bunk, not only is it cheaper but it is nearer the fan and away from the bugs on the floor. Yes we travel in the lowest class. Just don't forget to bring your eye shade so you can block out the light. The toilet in itself was also an interesting experience, I almost fell off once. It was the height of a western seat, but it had foot places on each side so you could squat. Takes some skill to use, luckily in the past 3 months we've become master squatters.

After our bus to Bangkok, night train to Surit thani, bus to Krabi, night in Krabi and then mini bus to Koh Lanta, we were very ready for a relaxing week. Because it is high season we made the decision to book in advance, always risky here. So we set out on a search for the cheapest bookable place via internet on the island. We found a great deal in a cozy bungalow hidden up on a hill as part of a really nice resort. We had a view of the bay, access to a pool which just happened to be right next to the beach. At first we felt it was a bit far away from everything else, but this turned out to be a good thing as it meant it was far quieter. Plus the rental of a moto solved our problems of getting around anyways, because let's be honest we really aren't the type of people who can sit by a pool/beach all day for an entire week, we need to explore.

Our days consisted of spending the morning by the pool/beach laying out, swimming, reading or napping. Then we'd head out to some other part of the island, explore, find a bar, have a cold drink, sit by the beach reading, watch the sunset, head back to the bungalow for a vodka/coke and listen to the crickets and waves.

Only two days varied from this very stressful and busy routine. One day it was a little overcast in the morning so we decided to give the laying by the pool a miss. We went off exploring early and came across a bar that was very chilled out. They offered a service for something we had been talking about doing for some time now. Bamboo Tattoo's. So yep that's right we each got a Bamboo Tatoo. It is very different from the regular ones, doesn't hurt as much, but takes longer. Overall we are both very happy with the final result.

On our last day we went on a snorkelling trip to Koh Rok. This was the best day of snorkelling we have ever done. It was breathtaking, almost like being in Finding Nemo. There were so many colourful fish and different corals. We had lunch on a beautiful white sandy beach and spent the day snorkelling 4 different reefs in perfectly clear waters. The only downfall to the day was that our waterproof camera decided it didn't want to be waterproof anymore. Hopefully we will be able to get it fixed and recover our pictures.

We had a fantastic time on the island and now it's to Bangkok for a visit with my Uncle Philip and do some sightseeing...