Koh Samui

Our hostel was situated right on the main strip of restaurants and bars opposite the most popular beach on the island. When we arrived we found Lexi getting off the back of a guy's moped. Unsurprisingly she had made a friend already. Chaweng beach is beautiful - white sand, clear blue sea with rainforests lining the hills that circle the bay. However it is close to being spoilt by the number of tourists on it. The tourists and the over commercialised strip tainted our stay in koh Samui. But we were were still able to appreciate what the island had to offer.

The next day we got up late as we left Lexi to sleep off her jet lag. We asked the receptionist the best way to see the island and he organised a taxi to take us to the main sites. We quite enjoyed the concept of our own chauffeur and he waited for us at each location. We got to see the giant Buddha which had great views of the coastline, then another temple but this time a Chinese one based on a man made lake. Following that we were taken to a view point where we could walk down to the rocks by the sea. We got a view of the sea stretched out in every direction. The weather was perfect and the water was deep blue and calm. We then went to another viewpoint which was based on a series of large rocks. Here we found the 'rock bar' where we stopped for a drink. The bar was constructed of wood and different scraps of material. It was a great atmosphere sitting on cushions looking out to sea under the shade of the trees. Our final stop was at the waterfalls. They were beautiful and ran in a series of small streams down the rocks. However it was slightly less authentic due to the number of tourists climbing up with us.

That evening we dressed up and headed to the main bar on the beach called 'Ark Bar'. An Italian woman from our hostel room joined us as she was travelling on her own. It was a chilled start to the evening as we watched a fire show while we had some drinks. Later on the music by the pool bar picked up and everyone was up dancing.

Lexi and I tried to get up early for a run but we weren't up until 8.30. Despite the already hot temperatures outside decided to continue with our planned run. We had spotted a lake nearby as we were taxied around the island the day before. So we headed there and managed to run the whole way around the lake despite the lack of shade. For our last day in Koh Samui we decided to get our energy back by relaxing on the beach. We ate at our favourite place on the beach that offered cheap Thai food and good fruit shakes. It also had a reggae bar next to it which was constantly playing great music. I