08/04/09 Railay to Ko Lanta

We don't set an alarm and have a leisurely morning when we realise we've missed the only boat to Ko Lanta so we get a long tail boat to Ao Nang then a pickup-taxi to Krabi and a minivan to Ko Lanta. We arrive late afternoon and settle into our room. The water is cloudy and the beach is really rocky so not a good start when everyone we've met keeps raving about how beautiful it is here...we plan to move in the morning.

09/04/09 Ko Lanta

We get up early and walk back towards Ban Sala Dan to see if we can try and find somewhere else to stay, we look at a few places but are not so keen then we find the Lanta Sunny House and get this cute little bungalow on stilts, it's a little bit further form the beach than we would like (1mins walk) but we're running out of time before we need to check out of the other place so we take it and then go and hire a bike so we can go back and get our stuff about 2.5k away. We get 2mins down the road when we get a flat tyre so mattie take sit back while I walk the rest of the way, over an hour later he returns. He took the first bike back and swapped it for another but that went flat as well even though he went in the opposite direction this time, she wants him to pay for the second one but somehow he manages to get her to give him his money back (Thais do not like the word refund!) and hires a geared bike from our guesthouse a new bright green kawasaki 135!!!

In the afternoon we just chill out and get some lunch at the guesthouse (good food) and go to the beach for a swim before the rains sets in for the afternoon. We realise that we've lost Mattie's snorkel in Railay so in the evening we ride to town so he can get a new one and I get some new flip flops as mine have died. We ride back and stop at a stall for some pancakes on the way, mmmm!

10/04/09 Ko Lanta

We still have the bike in the morning so we go back into town for a look around in daylight, make some postcards and then take the bike back at midday. In the afternoon we go for a swim and Mattie realises that the snorkel he bought is rubbish and both bits are leaking, he's not happy and wants to go back for a refund (I don't think he'll be that lucky twice!) In the afternoon it just rains and rains so we sit outside on our little porch and read for the rest of the day, we mix it up by going to get something to eat every now and again.

11/04/09 Ko Lanta

Again we just chilled today, went tot he beach a few times, read and ate food, a very blissful day!

In the afternoon, the family who own the guesthouse invite us to a 'party' they have roasted up some of the cashew nuts from their many trees and invite us over to help bash them out of their shells before sending us on our way with a banana leaf basket of them to take back to our room, they are sooo delicious and free!

12/04/09 Ko Lanta

Today is the day of Mattie's dive, he's a bit nervous but also really excited. He meets the group before nine and they take a speed boat to the first dive site, everyone else in the group has been diving before so Mattie is the only newbie and they're all super excited for him. It works out well for him as he is the only person with his instructor. His first dive goes really well, they tell him he's a natural and it lasts for 55mins which is ages for a first timer. He sees Moray eels, lion fish, Dora's, Barracudas, jelly fish, slugs bottom feeders etc. They sit on the floor and ruffle the sand which brings out lots of fish and they're not afraid of them, Mattie is of course loving it. They have lunch and afterwards because his instructor is so impressed with him they join the advanced group's dive, he touches the soft coral and sees more fish. He has a brilliant time and when he gets back has verbal diahorrea but I'm so happy he enjoyed it, I knew he would!

In the afternoon we hire another bike, an older Honda dream (very popular here) and do some Sunday riding!!! I have a go today on the geared bike and it's a lot easier than I thought it would be of course there's no clutch so it's like semi automatic I guess?! In the evening we go back to town and Mattie takes his snorkel back, of course there are no refunds but he swap it for the more expensive one and parts with a little more cash before telling her that he'll be back if it doesn't work!!!

In the evening we go to a seafood restaurant in town which is sooo busy, we have to wait for ages, not uncommon in Thailand anyway but it's worth the wait for the fish because its so nice, on the way back we get ice-cream, of course!!

13/04/09 Ko Lanta - SONGKRAN!!

We go to 7/11 for our usual banana bread and chocolate milk but by the time we get to the shop we are both absolutely soaked and covered in talc?! Songkran is the biggest thai festival to celebrate their new year and something to do with water, not sure where the talc comes in though? We really need to ride into town to swap some books and sort out bus tickets for tomorrow but it's so crazy out there with all the water so we change into our swim stuff and brave it. we don't get very far before we're soaked again and they wave at us to slow down so they can put talc on us too, they Thai people love it!

Eventually we make it to the bookshop but are dripping all over the floor so we quickly pick 2 books and negotiate a swap. On the way back we get the usual soaking and I take refuge at the hut whilst Mattie braves it again to find us a bus for tomorrow, which he does! In the afternoon we read and go to the beach and watch the beautiful sunset for the last time. Then we get some food at the guesthouse, ice-cream from 7/11 and beer from the bar next door, sit on some cushions right on the shore, listen to the waves, watch the stars, a perfect last night on the islands and we feel sad to be leaving Thailand!

14/04/09 Ko Lanta to Hat Yai

We get up, pack up our stuff, 7/11 it for breakfast and snacks for the journey and wait for our bus which is due at 10, by 11:40 still no bus so Mattie goes ot the office where he booked it and they arrange another one to come and get us, by 12pm we're on our way but after Songkran the traffic off the island and the ferries are so jammed we're stuck for another 2 hours, we eventually make it to Trang and then a really nice young Thai couple help us to get to Hat Yai as they're going there too. Despite some annoyingly loud Americans and their screaming child we get there and the Thai couple arrange for us to be dropped off at the train station, we find a hostel for the night, eat, get a beer and listen to some live music then go to bed.