Nicole here!

I've been back home 2 days now, just about have unpacked and started to distribute presents! Me and Matt had seperate flights back, only 1/2 hr between eachother. Matt was smug he got the extra leg room. I beat his chuffedness as i had a whole 4 seated row to myself, fluffed up 3 pillows for my head on one end and there was my bed!

The last time we left you we were on our way to Koh Sok National Park. Blimey was that FANTASTIC! Que the same trademark limestone cliffs of South Thailand and add jungle-like foilage and a huge still warm water lake. We stayed in these floating bungalows (which meant no mozzies as too far from land.. phew i was starting to look like a bitten pepperoni pizza by that point). We kayaked around the lake; it was impressively still. Not a wave in sight, each time we dipped in a paddle it made those fantastic circular ripples. And without the ripples the lake acted like a mirror, duplicating already impressive landscape into a symmetry.

There was 8 of us in the group, 4 dutchys, us, Ali and Dianne, two friends we made who were trainee nurses. We went on a few small treks, saw even more monkeys (blooming monkeys im fed up of the sight of them!), saw some fab caves, and laughed at the guy with his huge lensed camera we nicknamed the 'penis extension'. And he photographed EVERYTHING!

The night back from the 2nd day trek, despite our sweaty clothes we got a bus straight to Surat Thani, the port, located on the east side of the peninsula. It was just to stop through for the night, the only highlight being the excellent street food (pad thai, spring roll and a fresh juice for about one pound fifty).

We arrived at Koh Samui island the next day after the 1.5 hr boat journey reading on the deck. I'd say i got most of my tan there. 10 minutes more and the pink would have turned scarlet and peeling disaster, but was ok. We jumped on the sangthaw bench truck and headed for lucky mother hostel, where Cat and I had stayed two years previous. Wow it was newly renovated- the perks of having your hotels name in Lonely planet and the money it brings in. They still had the cheap wood huts, but had renewed their restaurant and had extended to make some stylish concrete huts. But the best thing about Lucky Mother is that despite how touristy people say Samui is, the hotel is on the quiet end of the stretch and it is so peaceful.

We stayed in Samui for a fair few days as were getting suits made. To be true, our trip really slowed down at that point. Where 2 days per place was the norm, from Samui, Tao and Bangkok we had a good 3 nights each. Night life in Samui is always funny, particularly when we caught the ladyboy caberet- hilarious and genius!! Matt was utterly shocked at how realistic these young boys were at playing women. Which reminds me of Chloe from Fiji mentioning how her friend had taken one back to his place for the night, and didnt work it out until he was.. lets say in full swing of things! what i find most worrying is that he admitted it happened to Chloe the next day- shameless!

I'd never been to Koh Tao before and the good rumours were not incorrect; it was lovely. The cliffs of Phi Phi were replaced by huge boulders but equally lovely sand. We had a bit of a sweat trying to find accomodation at first in the newly built Sairee area, and after a night or two there we moved to a LUSH appartment we'd spotted when we hired a moped out one day. In this appartment was our own air con bedroom, private bathroom, Kitchen diner, living room with balcony and patio doors over looking the sea, dvd player, tv, sound system and a roof top balcony area. Cost a fortune but wanted a treat to celebrate the end of the trip! We managed to share it with Victoria and Sunny, two Kiwis we met while splashing around in the sea at sunset.

Another good point of Koh Tao was the viewpoint from the top of the hill we rode up. There housed a little bar/restaurant where we had some thai food by the view.

After 4 nights we were ready to leave and headed to Bangkok. We missed the morning boat (which almost gave Matt a hernia about lol) and got one a few hrs later at 2.45pm. We arrived in Bangkok at half past midnight and stayed in the four sons in off koh san road. It was the end by the food stalls (handy).

In Bangkok we shopped, pampered and sight saw - grand palace, the reclining Buddah, and then later took a bike ride free (a great thai government initiative - borrow a bike scheme.. like the bikes in paris but free). Through this we saw a few more Wats (temples) and got more of an insight into Buddhism; such a peaceful and thoughtful air surrounded the temples.

So i hope you enjoyed the blogs! Its such a thing to think back and actually see how much we've covered.. almost humbling. We were all ready to get back to our friends families and jobs, and I will particulary look back to this trip with fond memories; seeing the mountain driving up route 1 in New Zealand, running the sand through my fingers in the Whitsundays, watching the rainbow touch the neighbouring island in Fiji, watching another circular rainbow go 360 around the sun while swimming in the lake in Koh Sok national park, jumping in unison with 5 other girls to get the perfect motion picture in Railey Beach in Thailand, clubbing in Ministry of Sound in Singapore and the roti the day afterwards, the muslim man blaitenly ignoring me in Malaka, being wet in the Fraser island cyclone, getting interviewed by Chris Rock's brother in LA, watching the Opera at the opera house in Sydney and the cheescake from dinner a few hours before hand, and leaving mum and Ayeshas family in Heathrow and seeing mum and Matts parents in Heathrow again 2 and half months later.. :)