Ko Tao: After the horrors of the sleeper. We arrived in chumpon at 5/5.30 in the morning. After a quick wash we were back on a truck bus and off to the port for a 3 hour boat to ko Tao. This was not a nice experience for either of us as we were both knackered after the last few days as well as the boat jumping up and down. To make the trip better a little boy was sick everyone on the deck (which really wasn't that big) then a woman sat in it without knowing and the mother of the boy keeping quiet!!! The hotel was lovely and very friendly! We were a bit worried at first with the bar downstairs under construction but the room was one of our favourites and importantly for Sam... Clean! Ko Tao itself was far more touristy than we thought it would be, however it turned out it would be the least busy/ touristy! The 5 nights in ko Tao would be pretty relaxing with every day having a similar feel to it!! Wake up lateish, breakfast or big early lunch, beach, shower, dinner and drink, bed. It sounds dull but it was definitely needed after the north and sleeper trains! We did visit the island ko ngan yuan. It was a taxi boat ride out and good for snorkelling. It was ok, very beautiful, but I burnt my shoulders badly so didn't last long in the sun!! We did find the best chicken satay ever here though!! It is still to be beaten after the whole of Thailand! We also met up with one I my old uni friends and her chap for the last 2 nights. A few drinks and dinner. The food in ko Tao was usually pretty good but we did find a really good restaurant called lanta. It wasn't on the main strip and did the best Thai food on the island!

Ko samui: After a relaxing ko Tao we hit the busier samui. Surprisingly we both really enjoyed samui! The resort we were in had a bar on the beach with free sun beds for us and swings in the bar!! This is where the pool competition started! The score currently 10-4 to me. Shaky start but made up for it when I was drinking and playing instead! Pool is not a sober game! Samui would be a detox few days for both of us before the full moon! The next few days were similar to Tao in terms if beach etc but we did do a full island tour for what was around £7. Cheap for a reason! They forgot about us!! We were waiting for over an hour before transport was sent for us! We still got to see everything and it was nice to not be on a beach all day! We saw a mummified monk, monkey show (a monkey getting coconuts off a tree!), the grandmother and grandfather rocks which were rocks in the shapes of a penis and a Virgina(!!), elephant and waterfall trekking (poor compared to what we had already seen although the elephants looked in better health). Giant Buddha and a temple on the water. Not bad for the price but the organisation was poor! Samui also had a big fire show at our resort in the swing bar on the beach. We took up our seat on a sunbed and watched the local fire twizzlera perform a similar routine for the next few hours with the big firework man performing every hour. He was quite good with his performance getting bigger every hour until 1 in the morning until I guess he blew himself up!! We didn't stay until the end as it got a little boring! The best thing about samui though was the market! It had a great range of fresh BBQ and Thai food. We tried everything even the Indian on the market one night. Great place to eat.

Ko phagnan After samui we got another boat to ko phagnan. Full moon time!!! I must admit I didn't know what to expect as our bungalow we had booked was to be the cheapest accommodation so far at that point at £5 each a night. When we arrived it looked pleasant enough on the quieter side of the island. Descent beach near and far enough away from haad Rin where the full moon is to warrant any worry about burglaries. The room itself would become one of the worst in Thailand! Suffocatingly hot at times due to it being a fan only room. The worst mattress I have ever known as it was just springs! We also had no bed sheets and a pet lizard. Sheets were not necessarily needed as we had sleeping bag liners but we would have needed something as there was no mosquito net. The plus was we had a balcony and hammock! The day before the full moon we decided to check out a local snorkelling site. We also unexpectedly met up with 3 Americans and 2 Spanish friends for a late lunch in the beach restaurant. Now at this point, I must state that I would have eaten if I had had money for food and a beer. But I didn't and chose the beer! Whereas Sam chose food along with the others. That night was the start of a Long few days for Sam as she had no sleep due to serious sickness and stomach pains. Both full days we had left we spent in the bungalow only venturing out for dinner the last night. I had ventured for water and supplies but I began with the runs a little bit! Not illness like sam's though. After an early departure and good riddance to ko phagnan, we were both looking forward to a non beach destination. We were both in good spirits and got chatting to a few others who were making the trip. The faffing from the coach/bus/mini van journeys made megabus look like kings!!!