Getting the bus to Khura Buri was not as easy as we had hoped, as the first one we got on would only take us half the way there. The bus conductor was about 15, blatantly made up the price of the fare and was really bossy to the point where he prodded you if he wanted you to move! Which would have been fine if there was actually anywhere to move to on the crammed bus. We then changed buses at Tukwopa but everyone seemed really confused at where we wanted to go. I'm surprised we made it!

As promised, Mr Chuoi met us in Khura Buri and he took us to a local market with him whilst he did his food shopping! We were left to our own devices to wander round, where we discovered some bizarre neon-coloured chicks, something was definitely not right there. It was clear this was definitely off the beaten tourist track as they all looked at us in amazement (sadly not because we are now A-list movie stars). In spite of this though, the locals were really friendly and the kids tried to impress us by counting to ten in English. So cute! They even seemed pleased at our attempts to speak Thai, even if Jonny has a tendency to say 'hello' instead of thank you!

We then had a 2 hour boat ride out to the island which, on top of all the other travelling we had done that day, made us wonder whether this was really going to be that worthwhile. We got off the boat into knee-deep seawater to wade up to the beach then piled with all our bags onto Mr Chuoi's motorbike and side car to get us to his place. Unfortunately the engine couldn't cope with the soft sand and all the weight so Jonny kept having to get out and push!

Our home for the next 3 nights was a little thatched banana tree hut which was set just back from the beach surrounded by loads of trees. It was basic in the sense that there was no electricity and you have to flush the toilet with a bucket, but way nicer than some of the hostels we have stayed in! It was very secluded and peaceful and just what we needed after how hectic the last few days had been. Particularly fetching was the bright pink Care Bear bedding and matching mosquito net!

After cracking open a well-deserved 'vitamin Chang', and a visit to the 'happy room' (you no go, you no happy) we started to relax and enjoy what was going to be a very chilled out few days!

That night I had probably THE spiciest curry ever, sweating profusely and feeling like my eyes were being pushed out from the inside and I learned a valuable lesson: when a Thai person tells you it's '50-50' hotness, that means it will blow your head off. Hate to think what 100 would be like! Once I had recovered, we played some cards by candlelight outside our little hut, and took more vitamins which included some very nice Thai spirit which cost us £2 for a bottle! We also tried to light a fire but it went out almost immediately! Obviously our experiences in the jungle and at Gunn's camp have taught us nothing!

Over the next couple of days we hit the beach and soaked up the sun. It was so quiet we could probably count on one hand the number of other people that we saw! We really enjoyed having the beach to ourselves for once - it was just us and the hundreds of little crabs everywhere!

One of the best things about the island is definitely the beautiful sunsets, and even though we have become sunset snobs, we could appreciate how nice they were. So, over the 3 night we duly obliged in taking millions of sunset photos to add to an already large collection. The best one was on the third night when we walked round to the second beach, and scrambled over the rocks to watch the sun go down.

The last night we ordered some cocktails. My 'OK Mr Chuoi' was very potent whilst Jonny - true to form- ordered a 'ladyboy' which was a lovely shade of purple! With the help of Mr Chuoi (who reminded us more and more of Mathaius every day) we lit a fire and chilled outside our little hut.

Next morning we were up early to start our voyage across the country to Koh Phangan, where we would hope to arrive before the end of the day. The journey started on Chuoi's motorbike, with Jonny having to ride pillion this time. Priceless!