A big hello from koh tao,

We hope you enjoyed your new year and going back to work wasn't too bad! We can't believe we are in January already!

Well it is fair to say our days of luxury and feeling like we are on a long holiday have come to a quick end! We now feel like true backpackers!

So we left koh phangan to koh tao with two of our friends who we spent lots of time with at blue lotus, Sarah and Curtis. We took the slow boat and lee was fine! We were all really looking forward to koh tao, it is one of the best places to dive/snorkel in Thailand and is really chilled, just what we needed after a mad week partying!So we thought it was a good idea to stop there for a few nights the only problem was everyone on koh phangan had the SAME idea!!!

You can't pre-book any accommodation in koh tao as a lot is reserved for diving so we were advised to just turn up and find some. With all the boats full we knew it was going to be difficult but all four of us didn't imagine it would be as bad as it was.

So we arrived and got on a back of pick up to the main area sairee beach, the boys sat down in a cafe with the bags (typical hey) and me and Sarah went to look for accommodation. We searched and searched every single place was full. We heard that people had been sleeping on the beach the night before as couldn't find anywhere! We all started to worry so we got a pick up to another area on the bottom of the island.

After hours of looking and getting nowhere we found one place called the big fish. They only had one double room left (which was massive two double beds) they said all four of us could share the room for double the price (which makes no sense) costing seventy pound. The room wasnt even amazing no swimming pool and a COLD shower for that price! We all didn't know what to do as it is so over budget and while we were deciding the room went!!!

So off we walked, and we found a hostel with six people per room we just booked it straight away as more backpackers were turning up. After staying there the night we now know why they had spare rooms! Haha!

The room was roughly three metres by four and had three bunk beds in and a fan that didn't move. The room was so small you had no where to put your big rucksack and literally sleeping next to someones feet! There was only room for three of us in one room and one in Another. Poor lee went on his own although he volunteered as he said our room smelt and would rather be in the other one!

It took us about five hours to find somewhere but we were so happy it wasn't the beach, so we just headed for some food. None of us slept much that night, the rooms were so so hot and it is the first time we have not had air conditioning!! Lee got up at five after not sleeping much as someone drunk in his room was snoring so so loud, he went for a walk. There wasn't even a communal area or anywhere to sit in this hostel. He then came back and top and tailed in my top bunk with me for a couple of hours until the morning! It was so tight for space on the top bunk and our water fell down and smashed a light...we thought we were going to get a massive fine and that would have been the icing on the cake! Luckily they didn't notice!

As you can imagine we were up at the crack if dawn and fortunately found rooms up the road for only two pound more a night. The room was massive with a really good fan, and lovely balcony. It was like the ritz compared to the night before! All four of us are now laughing about the dorm and it was an experience and I am sure we will have to stay in many more so we will have to get use to it, just don't think that was a good one for our first ever one!!

The weather here is perfect absolutely boiling and not a cloud in the sky! Out first day we just chilled on the beach which was lovely and went out in the evening to this lovely Thai restaurant! We loved it so much we went back again the next day!

So our last full day in koh tao we decided to do a snorkelling trip as it is a good place to do it! We did a full day trip and visited five places, we can both honestly say it was one of the best days we have had. The weather was lovely so we enjoyed tanning on the top of the boat and we went around the whole island so we really felt like we saw koh tao, which is absolutely beautiful!

The snorkelling was unreal, our friends even saw two sharks!!!! Black reef ones about 1.5 metres long, me and lee were gutted we missed it! Lee enjoyed diving off the boat and we saw some amazing things under water. I did attempt to use the camera with the case but you couldn't see anything so the snaps don't do it justice!

Our last stop was an island called koh nang yuan and we both agree that it was the most beautiful place we have seen so far! We climbed up to the view point and all four of us were lost for words! When you see the pictures we will know what we mean!

My hair was really tangled as you can imagine and washing it under a cold shower for about twenty minutes was awful, but again something we will have to get use to! That night we went out with Sarah and Curtis! In Thailand you have to leave your shoes outside almost everywhere and go in bare foot. We have been doing it lots, however this time when we came back to get our shoes and lees had gone!!!!!! There were two blue pairs of Haviannas, and someone had taken lees real pair and left him with a fake pair, all dirty and a bit small for him! We all had a giggle and said it would only happen to lee, even now we keep looking at everyone's feet and all the shoes outside!

So after a mad three days, we planned it get an early night. I was sitting on the balcony for a while just relaxing before bed when lee come to join me. All of a sudden lee said babe just come inside quick! So I did and he said there is something massive on the wall above your head but I can't see it properly, he originally thought It was a snake! We both peeped our heads our and flashed a light it was a massive lizard really big. It doesnt look as big in the picture. We were both terrified to go back out there.Only to find when we come back inside a gecko in our room.We spent the next twenty minutes trying to usher it out!!

So today we leave koh tao and head back to bangkok. We were hoping to get the sleeper train but as it is so busy it is full so we have to get the bus instead! We leave at 2.30 and get a boat to chumpon, which takes a couple of hours. We then have to get a bus overnight and we arrive in bangkok to crazy koh San road at half past five in the morning!!!!! We are both dreading the journey but we have all the essentials in our day rucksacks, baby wipeouts hand sanitizer and lots of tissue. We are praying we sleep most of it!

We plan to stay in bangkok one day and have booked a nice place, although we can't check in until two! We also plan to get our vietnam visas sorted while we are there then head to chiang mai overnight on the 8th. We are hoping to get a train but we think they are also full so it may be another 13 hour bus!

We are really looking forward to chaing mai, and have booked somewhere to stay with good reviews and so cheap. We have already reserved our place on an elephant day which we are so so excited for. After chiang mai our next stop is vietnam and we have heard great things about the country!

Will update soon after our dreaded journey!

Lots of love

Xxx