Thailand is hot. Very hot. In fact it has three seasons - hot, very hot and extremely hot. We got here in April - the hottest month when temperatures are 36-40 degrees every day. On the bright side, it also means this is the month of Songkran - the Thai New Year which they celebrate with…..a big water fight!

To be honest, some aspects of Thailand, and particularly Bangkok, have been disappointing. Whether it was the meal-less, 7 hour Air Asia flight from Japan, the constant barrage of salesman and tuk tuk's trying trying to rip us off on Khao San Road, the emotionally draining fights with taxi drivers refusing to use a meter or the terrible hostel on our second night (after which I vowed only to stay in air-con rooms from now on), Bangkok has not left me with a good impression.

That's not to say it's all been bad - it was awesome to spend a few days there seeing Adam and Rosie, to visit the Chinatown and try interesting street foods. We visited Wat Arun, the temple of the Dawn, which was interesting, and Wat Pho, which had a massive golden reclining Buddha statue around three buildings tall and long, as well as monks chanting a service which I was able to attend. Similarly, the Grand Palace was spectacular with it's Emerald Buddha statue, fantastically decorated buildings and a Thai take on Buckingham Palace. I had planned to visit Ayutthaya (the old historical capital) and Kanchanaburi (where the Bridge over the river Kwai is) but worries about the heat, getting ripped off and lack of time meant it wasn't possible in the end.

A few interesting things to note about Thai Religion. Firstly is that there are two forms of Buddhism - Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. Theravada is the more conservative traditional version and is the main form in Thailand and most of Southeast Asia. Mahayana Buddhism is a later development and is the version of Buddhism seen in China, Tibet, Korea and Japan. While Theravada is probably closer to what the Buddha taught, Mahayana (including Zen) has introduced the idea of Bodhisattva's (beings who put off enlightenment in order to save all others) and resembles polytheist religions more closely. It also has extra scriptures such as the lotus and heart sutra's and focuses on finding one's "Buddha nature." In Thailand, Theravada Buddhism is the main one followed by 95% of the population. Interestingly, Hinduism has also had a large influence here as can be seen in much of the religious architecture, and there is also a strain of Animism because the Thai people believe each place or property has it's own spirit guardian. Every property has a small beautifully decorated spirit house outside it where regular offerings are placed.

Thai food is delicious, although it depends where you go. The breakfast of Pad Thai we had on our first day was the most amazing version of the dish I've had since I arrived there. Similarly, I've discovered a love for Pineapple Fried Rice and for Massaman (Muslim) Curry. I've also had fresh coconut water direct from a coconut. However, places differ hugely on the quality of the food and in the tourist areas such as Khao San Road, most of the food was distinctly average compared to the much better food we had on Ko Samed Island.

After a week in Bangkok, we moved on to the Island of Ko Samed. A few hours and a short ferry ride outside of Bangkok, it's a weekend getaway for the Thai's. It's a beautiful place and we stayed at the only hostel on the island - Olly's. The hostel was close to a lovely quiet little beach and not too far from the big main beach on which was got to see a fire show on our first evening there. One evening we also visited another beach and were able to watch the sunset. During our time on the island we had a Thai massage with lavender oil and a water fight with the local kids for the Thai New Year Songkran festival (we lost). Olly also put on a barbeque for us on our last evening and I discovered a lovely new cocktail - Baileys, Malibu and Whiskey :). We were sad to leave and have to go back to Bangkok.

Returning to Bangkok, we went to stay at Nap-Park hostel again (a good one as its air-conditioned and not far from Khao San Road). But it was a nightmare to get to as it was Songkran and the centre of the cities festivities which meant the roads were closed and the taxi had to leave us 15 minutes struggle (walk) away from where we needed to be as there were literally thousands of people around carrying water pistols and white paint, and hundreds of stalls selling food. It was crazy but the heat and carrying really heavy bags through it all made it a nightmare and put me off so much I didn't want to go back out and enjoy the festivities that evening.

Luckily it had all cleared up the next day and we headed out that evening to get our night bus to Ko Phangan. The bus was VIP so we got a few snacks but it definitely wasn't very comfortable and we hardly slept all night. By the time we got the ferry in the morning I was so shattered I slept the full two hour journey. After arriving and arguing with taxi drivers before having to fork out 200 baht each for a 20 minute journey, we finally made it to our Salad Beach Villa - our home for the next four days. We are staying in a beach hut about 20 metres from the beach. It has air con and a fan. And a hammock outside. The only real downside is the fact the sea is only knee deep all the way out so you can't swim in it. But it's so beautiful here. Truly we have found Paradise.