TIME TO GO HOME NOW DAY 72: Bangkok to London After a Starbucks-in-bed breakfast (thanks Jen), we decided to have an hour and a half by the pool on the roof terrace for a blast of sunshine before we made the long trip home. And we had it all to ourselves for a bit. After checking out at midday we had a few hours to kill so we lunched at our regular place before doing a sweep of the Khao San Road market for Christmas pressies. With a resounding success I migh...

BANGKOK-BOUND BY BOAT AND BUS DAY 71: Koh Tao to Bangkok One final panoramic view of the sea at breakfast, then we were off - back to Bangkok where we would have one more night before embarking on our long, 19 hour trip home. We had to wait at the small, but busy jetty for our catamaran, where all the locals are shouting 'Taxi boat? Taxi boat?' at you, even though you are quite clearly waiting for a ferry. We were hoping for a much smoother journey than the ...

SNORKELLING FOR SHARKS IN SHARK BAY DAY 70: Kao Tao We decided to have a change of scenery today and give one of the other beaches a chance at wowing us, so after breakfast we had a taxi pick us up and take us to Shark Bay on the other side of the island. We did consider walking as it didn't look too far on the map, about 4km, but the trouble with maps is that they're not 3D. And after our cab ride there we were glad we didn't walk. It was up and down some pr...

SAME, SAME BUT DIFFERENT DAY DAY 69: Koh Tao Didn't get to sleep until about 3.30am this morning for the noises being made by whatever was running around on the roof and the slightly loud and heavy rain throughout the night. Our room is really nice but you can hear a pin drop about three doors down, the walls are so thin. After breakfast I felt like wandering into the main village of Sairee, about 30 minutes away, and as the weather was cloudy I thought I'd ...

TOTALLY CHILLED NOW DAY 68: Koh Tao Today was, as I'm sure the rest of our days here in Koh Tao will be, very similar to what we've done already; sit on the beach reading, soaking up the sun and doing a bit of snorkelling. And maybe a snooze. I made a good dent in the last part of my second book today, which is gracefully titled 'No sh!tting in the toilet' - a humorous alternative travel guide based on the author, Peter Moore's being-stuck-in-absurd-situations...