Koh Tao is famous for scuba diving so we were keen to give it a try. We explored some of the island first on a brand new pink scooter stopping at freedom beach for a while to relax; I also did some canoeing. We had visited a few scuba diving schools that morning and after dinner at the local Indian we popped into one to book it up for the next day. The weather in koh Tao had been pretty bad and wasn't looking to improve but as it was so cheap to dive we wanted to have a go anyway. After a lesson in the classroom a boat took us to the Japanese gardens where we would do our dive. We swam with our kit on to shore and as we got to shallow waters stopped and stood up. Amy didn't like the breathing kit and got very upset because she thought she was letting everyone down so we all thought it was best if she sat it out. After practicing in the shallow waters our group headed out to a depth of about 12 metres. Despite the visibility being poor I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and saw plenty of fish and beautiful coral. As we emerged from the ocean the rain was pouring down so as soon as soon I got on the boat i made everyone a cup of tea to warm up. It was new years eve and we were planning on having a quiet evening and we found a cheap restaurant on the beach at the far end of the town. The food was pretty average but we managed to watch the fireworks and enjoyed a nice relaxing evening. As soon as the clock struck twelve we wished each other a happy new year and went home to bed!

As we had damaged the scooter two evenings before by falling in a bush we decided to save our pennies the next day and walk into town. From there we caught a boat to a beautiful small beach which links two very small islands together. The beach is more like a stretch of sand with the sea either side. We both did some snorkelling and I also climbed the steps to the top of one island where I there was the most beautiful view! That evening we had an 8 hour overnight ferry which was to be a journey from hell!

We arrived at the ferry in koh tao by taxi and were overloaded onto this old small wooden boat as if it were a slave ship. The 'beds' were mattresses about 2' thick and so narrow that peoples shoulders would all be touching. If only we were that lucky. Like many of the passengers we did not even have a bed and I was told we could sit outside. We quickly hopped on the boat and between 4 of us (two people we had met in the queue) we managed to find 2 beds which we all shared! The journey was rocky and i felt sea sick so to get fresh air i went outside to join the less fortunate passengers at the front of the boat. There wasn't even enough room for me to sit down it was so crowded. To my relief I was offered a sickness tablet which sorted me out and we all managed some sleep. We arrived at Surat Thani in mainland thailand at 5am the next morning and had to wait a few hours in a cafe/travel agents who were bizarrely showing re runs of jack ass. It was very graphic and didn't go down well with my breakfast. We were both looking forward to getting on a nice comfy coach which was to take us to Malaysia when a minivan turned up! We had hoped that we would later change into a coach; we did change vehicle but unfortunately it was another minibus, but this time an older less comfortable one. Pick up truck, 8 hour ferry, 2 hour wait in Surat Thani, 2 minibuses, Thailand and Malaysia border control, another short ferry to Penang in Malaysia and a walk through the rain for 30 minutes in Penang we eventually arrived at our hotel in Malaysia. We were shattered!