Our travels from Langkawi in Malaysia to Koh Samui in Thailand served as a reminder that long multi-change journeys in south east Asia are rarely straight forward. The 29 hour trip we booked included 10 separate modes of transport.
Leaving Langkawi was easy- a quick taxi and ferry to Thailand....but it was there that the fun began. Getting to the bus station involved a quick jeep ride followed by a local bus which travelled at around 15kph and stopped every 50 meters or so.
When we arrived at the station, the 'luxury coach' we were promised to take us up the country turned out to be a small minibus. The driver insisted the four of us squeeze onto the back row into these tiny seats and I'm amazed none of us had a panic attack during the 6 claustrophobic, air con deprived hours that followed. The driver didn't seem to like us too much either and decided he wouldn't make any pit stops along the way.
After being rudely kicked off the 'bus' at it's destination of Suratthani we were welcomed with the news that our night ferry was cancelled due to rough seas! Not much we could do about that- so we found a cheap hotel and grabbed some food from a decent night market.
We regrouped at 6.45am the next morning and were informed that for £10 each we could catch the 7am fast ferry if we hurried! So we jumped in a car to rush to the pier ....only to be dropped in the centre of town at another ticket office! Several hours (and different mini buses ) later we were finally dropped 400 metres from the pier and were told to get off and spend money in a cafe for 15 mins before getting back on to make the final journey to the boat.
We finally arrived in Koh Samui and had a much awaited Thai green curry whilst praying that the stormy weather would give way in time for Nick, Doug, Rox and Rich coming to meet us!
Our reunion with our friends was in full swing when, around 2am, a few of us decided to go for a paddle in the sea. Cue sea snake attack and a few hours spent in A&E for one friend.
Luckily, the next day we were able to make it by ferry to Koh Tao - which is a stunning island. Nick, Doug and Rox rented an amazing villa in the hills which we took full advantage of where possible. Our week together was largely spent sunbathing, drinking and eating excessive amounts and dodging storms. The weather finally picked up and a few of us did a snorkelling trip which included a visit to the stunning Nang Yuan island (see photos). The week flew by and we were sad to see them leave (probably not as sad as they were when they got home to a temperature of 1 degree)!!
We spent a few extra days on Koh Tao with Shona and Joe and hired quad bikes to explore the island which was brilliant and we got to see some beautiful and secluded beaches.
Today we have travelled up from Koh Tao to Bangkok to spend our last night in 5 and a half weeks with Shona and Joe before they head north to Chiang Mai and we head to Vietnam.
More soon!