First of all, thanks to everyone who e-mailed and texted to check that we were not in that terrible Phuket plane crash. It still sends shivers down my spine thinking that we landed on that same runway in equally bad weather 3 days before the crash.

We were so glad to leave Phuket due to the torrential rain and hoped that we would find some better weather in the south east. We got a bit confused about how to get to Ko Samui, firstly thinking that we had to get a cab to the pier, a boat to the mainland, a coach across the mainland and then another boat. Thankfully, it turned out to be a lot more simple We jumped in a minibus to take us to a coach pickup point and then the coach took us all the way to Don Sak ferry point on the mainland. Harnaik and I did not realise that there was a bridge linking the Phuket to the mainland. The journey to the point was about 6 hours and uneventful/boring.

We arrived at the port at 2.30pm and waited for the ferry. The ferry was far bigger than before and the sea was thankfully calm (like a mill pond really). There were no icky stomachs and I managed about 3 Singha beers during the journey (5% local Thai brew beer that I'm getting quite addicted to now). There were a few spots of rain but generally the weather seemed much improved. We arrived at Ko Samui within about an hour and a half and guess what? it was raining. We caught a cab to the beach resort that we'd booked in a place in the Chaweng beach area, arguably the best stretch of beach on the island.

We were allocated a bungalow, opposite the pool and a 10 sec stroll from the most gorgeous and peaceful golden beach. When lying on the lounger, it's hard to believe we are in a really busy and vibrant part of the island, minutes walk away from hundreds of bars, restaurants, clubs and shops. I have spent the past few days, lying on a beach lounger, swimming in the sea, jet skiing, reading books, listening to my IPOD, walking around the shops and stalls - basically totally chilling out which is what I needed after the mad few weeks I've had. We've also been going out most nights and drinking Singha beers, eating Swensens ice cream and pancakes from street vendors.

We went out to this bar near to our hotel the other night and watched the most fab drag act. It was a friendly little bar and they put a lot of effort into the show. We drank loads and really had fun. A couple of the drag queens came to sit with us afterwards (obviously wanting tips). We gave them 100 baht each (about 1.39 pounds) cus they didn't ask for it and they were good - we also bought them a drink. Within the next 30 minutes the other 7 had graced our table (word gets round fast) and we ended dishing out tips to all of them. It was an expensive night but very fun and we'll definitely go back before leaving Samui.

By the end of yesterday, we started to feel a bit bored with the beach so we decided to hire a motorcycle today. Yes, I know that we were probably taking our lives into our hands but we thought it worth the risk (according to the Lonely Planet guide, most tourists who die on Ko Samui do so on hired motorcycles). I'd never ridden a motocycle before so had a bit of a practice before we set off and it seemed pretty straightforward. We drove around the entire coast road of the island and ended where we started. It took about 6 hours and we stopped off often. One of the stops was to see the Big Buddha which believe me was very BIG. I've decided I like motorcycling!

The weather took a turn for the worse in the last hour of the journey and we got drenched. It's still raining now and I thought that it would be a good opportunity to update my blog.

We plan to leave for the island of Koh Phangan on Monday (23rd) so I'm hoping the rain stops and the sun starts to shine again soon. Can't wait for the Full Moon beach party on the 26th - we'll have a ball.

Finally, I've just received a text from my best mate to say that his nan passed away last night which saddens me greatly. She was such a spirited person, great fun to be with and I was looking forward to seeing her at Xmas. RIP Betty - my thoughts are with you all.