So after a 2 hour flight we arrived in Bangkok, and wow what a contrast! We joined the taxi queue (happy that here people actually queue in an orderly fashion unlike the free for all's in India) and headed into town to find somewhere to stay. We were originally planning to head to northeast Thailand, but we missed the beach to much (and our tans had completely gone). We decided on Koh Chang. We found a Hotel and was eager to get out and try some of the yummy food that we heard so much about. The food was bloody amazing!!!!

The next day we needed to head to the other side of Bangkok. We were near the sky train so we decided to give it a go plus it had a station right by the bus stand we needed. The journey cost us 40 baht (just under a pound), and took about 30 minutes. It was brilliant as it zoomed over Bangkok, you could see the street below. It probably sounds strange but we found it nice being ignored as we stood on the train, unlike in India, no one was staring or trying to take photos. We got off at our stop and found the bus station pretty easily. Went up to the government counter and bought our bus tickets to the ferry port in Trat. Again a straight forward process. We couldn't believe just how easy it was to get around Bangkok as India could be a bit of a nightmare sometimes. But then again Thailand is really geared up for backpackers.
We had to wait about an hour for our bus so we grabbed some breakfast, Pete opting for a chicken curry (and yes it was about 8 in the morning). We jumped on our bus and we were on our way. The journey took about 5 and a half hours, this included stopping somewhere along the way for lunch. The journey cost us about £6 each, already Thailand is seeming expensive compared to India, we're struggling to part with our cash on simple things that seem to cost double the amount that we are use to.

Anyway we arrived at the port and boarded the ferry. The views were amazing, the islands were made up of lush green jungle mountains. They looked so pretty, by this point we were so excited and couldn't wait to get there. The ferry took about an hour, we thought when we got off that there would be tuk tuk's waiting, but no, only two van like vehicals where the back was made up of two benches facing each other. We were wanting to go to white sand beach the first van driver we asked just shook his head and didn't offer any advise, we looked at the other van that looked packed but the driver said he could take two more people, so we jumped on. Or we should say Kate squeezed in and Pete had to stand, whilst hanging onto the back of the van. Unfortunately at times the road would have very steep inclines, this meant Pete had to hold on even tighter. We arrived in one piece at white sand beach and jumped off, grabbed our backpacks that had been placed in the roof and went to find somewhere to stay. The resort looked very nice and we were worried that we wouldn't be able to find somewhere within budget, but luckily we managed to.

We dumped our bags and headed to to the beach, it was about 6pm by this time so the sun had set. The beach was lined with really nice restaurants which all had tables set up on the sand. We chose a restaurant and had an amazing meal. We are loving the Thai food, makes a nice change from the heavy curries we were having in India.
The next few day were spent on the beach, the beach was so nice, clean, white sand and crystal clear water. Absolute luxury!!!

We decided after a few nights to head to lonely beach which is pretty much a backpacker resort. We struggled to find accommodation at first, it was either too expensive or they were full. We strolled past a bar/guest house called Stone Free, they had free rooms and it was 250 baht (which it about £5), we had a look around, the rooms were on a mezzanine overlooking a bar/restaurant. The rooms were very basic, a bed and a fan is all that was in there and it had a shared toilet and shower. The rooms were really nice so we went for it. We were a bit worried about how the shared shower would work as there were only two and one was in the bar area, however we didn't have any issues, the shower has always been free when we have needed it (quite surprising as there are about 12 rooms, each having two people in). The restaurant down stairs also does amazing food, so this place was perfect.

Again, the next few days were spent on the beach. The beach isn't as nice as white sand beach, but we still enjoyed soaking up the rays. During the day people would come round giving out flyers offering free "buckets" (for those that don't know, they sell alcohol by the bucket here, and yes it is an actual bucket you would take down the beach to build sand castles) or happy hours. Not having drunk that much in India we decided to break ourselves in gently, but Pete still managed to get drunk off 3 beers!!!! Our stamina's are lost!

It was Pete's birthday on Sunday so Kate treated him to an elephant ride. It was so much fun! We got on our elephants that were huge and went for a trek through the jungle. On the way our guide would use his stick to get spiders out of the trees. These spiders were huge and the scariest things we have ever seen. Luckily the guide just dropped the spider on the floor, which is not apparently what other guides did. Two girls that we met said that there guide dangled the spider in there faces...not cool! Anyway, after about an hour we arrived at a river, we jumped off (not literally) and watched as the elephants got into the water. The guides then waved at us and said we could get in there with them. We were all a little scared but Kate jumped straight in and headed to our elephant. They are incredible animals. It was so much fun, they would gather water in their trunk and squirt it at you. After a while another elephant let out a massive turd that was heading for Kate, she managed to escape in time. The water was absolutely freezing so we were glad to get out after a bit. We got back on the elephants and trekked back through the jungle. It was such a fun afternoon and we met some nice people who we met up with in the evening for Pete's birthday drinks. We headed to the beach and indulged in some buckets. Lets just say we had a really good night, met some great people (and a few weird ones) who we'll keep in touch with.
We found that a lot of people traveling Thailand are a lot younger, and seem to be here only for the cheap alcohol, which seems a shame. From speaking to others it seems Thailand has a lot to offer and we're excited about leaving the island and exploring this country which is full of very happy people. The Thai's are great!