We caught the sleeper train from Bangkok to Trang. Opted for our own cabin as all of were still full of cold which Bangkok fumes and air-con hadn't helped rid! Owen in fact ended up with a heap of medicine from a jaw-droppingly effective hospital in Bangkok. in and out in 40 mins! So, the coughing Gerrys' wait patiently for the train to leave, when a man with a hammer walks under the train and starts hammering directly beneath them. He is soon joined by an army of officials, police, monks and general busy-bodies, all admiring the growing puddle of oil. Anyway, we arrived ok at our final destination, a hot and humid Trang, H and J sleep deprived ( J rattled to bits on the top bunk, H awakened constantly by fidget O).

Middle class, waitrose and home counties raised Owen really did have his first understanding of 'poor' on that train as it rattled its way out of Bangkok through slums.

Not wanting to spend the whole blog comparing home to where we are (we've already met the 'i hate the uk crowd of travellers'.As members of the opposition, one has to bite ones lip not to say, you sod off then and there'll be one less overcrowding - rant over!), we had an amazing, hot dinner of pad thai, tom yum soup and fresh fruit - not the microwaved burger or hotdog on trains at home.

The last hour on the train showed us lush forests, stilted longhouses, buffalo and the signature sight in southern Thailand of sharp rising forested hills 'like the top of fairy cakes'.

Spent an admin day in Trang, sorting out the next part of the trip. A middle sized town, very much a hub for island departures. we stopped the night in a 14 pound hotel where we took advantage of a days rest to pay 1.30 pounds for heaps of laundry! Owen, obsessed with all forms of transport got a go in the local form of tuk-tuk which had a truck like back. We explored the day and night markets, eating corn and pad-thai and had our first unwelcome bedroom visitor - the cockroach.

Next day took us via minivan and longtail boat to Ko Libong.This island is famed for its Dugongs 'sea cows'. The colony here suffered great loss during the tsunami. We planned to see them, but our plans changed. The thatched bungalow we hired looked idyllic, but were a bit primitive for us softies. A cobra found near our hut and watching either a mouse with a rat-like tail or a cute rat strutting along the beam above our heads in the morning was a no no. However, walking home from dinner with our head torches on to avoid the crabs, stories of which we had read to O before leaving, going to sleep in total darkness with the sound of waves and then waking to the deafening sounds of the rainforest waking too was fab!

We planned to stay a week, but left after 2 nights as this was really a romantic getaway place - too quiet for travelling with kids. We were a little surprised how little the two resorts on this island looked after it. The beaches faced west so crap washed up on the beach and no one did a thing. Due to its location, there were signs all the way along the beach warning us that we were in a tsunami danger zone and where the evacuation points were. Hmmm.

We moved to the next island,Ko Hai and had to leave at 6am (Hayley very moody about this!). Head torches on and off to the beach. As the tide was out, O, H and the bags went out to meet the longtail in a canoe (O clocked up another mode of transport!) As always, there's a positive side. A grumpy Hayley pulled out of her grump by Os excitement in the canoe and the incredible image of J wading out in the water with two other guys, along with the steam rising off the rainforest as the sun came up behind him. It was breathtaking - camera sadly on Js back! Mental picture only!

Longtails again to get to Ko Hai. H and O got drenched - chose the wrong place to sit,whilst J sat up in the prow, dry as anything, doing his 'king of the andaman seas' impersonation. As the sea was a little too choppy for the longtail, H and O couldn't change seats!

Ko Hai island, a good choice as it had more going on, but was still remote enough not to feel anything like Ko Samui that Hayley had hated 12 years ago! What a beach, what sea and what views of the karst islands dotting the bay! If the bar at our hotel didn't insist on playing pan pipe version of Celine Dion it would be 100% perfect paradise!! Another lovely thatched hut -this one better sealed so no mouse/rat creatures!O continues to struggle with massive shyness and the locals here seem to be more child-friendly than anywhere else we've been. Kill or cure?

H took O out to see Morakot cave or emerald cave as it more popularly known on Ko Muk, another island half an hour away. The ever sceptical and stuck-up lonely planet wasn't too keen on it, stating that it 'stank of urine'. Local opinion differed, so H and O Longtailed it to see for themselves.H assumed the boat would go into the cave. She was wrong. O, with his arm bands firmly blown -up was thrown into a life ring and H and two others swam into the cave, pulling O. The cave is about 100m long, pitch black for half of it. H didn't in a million years think O would actually go as she was nervous, and expected to just show him a glimpse from the entrance. To her utter surprise, not only did he want to go, but he really seemed to enjoy it. The guide, Gi, shone his torch on the roof so O could see all the stalactites (or is it stalagmites?) Swim over and utterly knackered, we were greeted with the whole reason to go there, which is a massive sink hole with rainforest-clad walls of over 100m in height, and a gorgeous beach. A plaque told us that pirates used to hide their treasure here, so a long hunt of various holes ensured a good time for O and a rest for H as it was utterly exhausting swimming in! The lonely planet writer is an utter ass as the 'smell' is the earthy smell you note in a rainforest, slightly dank. (I think he should travel more!)Swimming back out in shoals of fish was fab. Around the last corner, a little mooring boat was making its way in - H and O felt very smug to have swum it! H rewarded her hard swim with a coconut massage!! J had a good days peace and quiet!

Next day was snorkelling day - the life-ring was brought out again and O was pulled around as H and J snorkelled. There were so many fish that O got a littel nervous as you seem to getlittle electric shocks when you're in the middles of a shoal. O and H safely back in boat (Funny how that freaked him out but a pitch black cave was fine?), J mastered snorkelling and was off! No stopping him now!

We walked through the islands rainforest to reach an even more beautiful beach. It was a bit tricky for O as some of the hills were so steep you needed to pull yourself up by rope. He of course loved this (Good old fashioned boys stuff!), but hated the flat bits as of course the foliage is truly in his face!

H got in two dives, J decided to hold fire until we get to Oz.Having not dived for 6 years, the first dive with its terrible visibility was not too good, but the second made up for it, with clear visibility. As it was a shallow dive, all the soft coral colours were on display and the fish seemed to perform as in a Thai tourism ad -the 'nemos' swam in and out of their anenome, the puffer fish puffed up on cue and the Leopard Shark swam away elegantly, but slowly, and there were so many seahorses! Poor guide with H was most likely freaked out as H had made him hold her hand for most of it. I'm sure it was royally squeezed to bits!

J and H as ever stunned by some Europeans lack of sensitivity. Southern Thailand is quite Muslim, yet the amount of flesh we saw (J not too disgusted!) was quite shocking? Add to this Js proposition whilst having a massage in the novotel Bangkok (would you like me to be cheeky - extra 200 baht for me!!!) and Hayley flashed by a pantless dutch lady on a longtail, and we would say that we are ready for Malaysias supposed stricter sartorial code! We're also looking forward to getting to Malaysia for some culinary variety. Whilst the food in Thailand is scrumptious, it is very samey. It makes us so pleased to live in a country where we embrace and use on a daily basis so many different kinds of food.