27 April - 1 May

The bus ride from Bangkok to the pier was about seven hours long and we arrived at 4am. We waited until 7am and then the boat set out for Koh Tao and then Koh Phangan.

At 11am we arrived on the island and we decided to go to the beach I had stayed on previously, Haad Yao.

The tuk tuk dropped us off at an affordable resort called Haad Yao Resort. As soon as we disembarked a friendly face appeared and offered us a gorgeous room for cheap as chips.

It was a short walk from our room to the beach and we spent the day going in and out of the sea. The sea there was gloriously warm, bath water temperature. You could only sit in it though because it was so shallow and we were surrounded by a coral reef.

On the first night we got drunk with the people that ran the reosrt , Adam got on really well with the manager Ham. At one point during the night we decided to go and check out one of my old haunts the UV bar. It was still there, but it had changed its name. The Queen of the South graffiti was still there from two years before!

I introduced Adam to Sangsom buckets, which are basically sand castle buskets filled with rum and coke that send you absolutely loopy. One sip of that stuff and you are in trouble town. It makes people act like buffoons and me dance like a muppet.

After the UV bar we went back to the resort and got another bucket and then I spent a couple of hours dancing by myself with the local dogs on the beach, who after that point followed me everywhere and growled at Adam if he came near me. They even slept outside our door at night, the staff at the resort had named them all Deng.

We wer very hungover the next day andf stayed in our room all day sleeping and watching rubbish films, I don't think I have ever seen Adam so hungover.

The next day we had a lazy day on the beach and then went to watch Muay Thai boxing. We went to an English pub and had a pie, a rarity in Asia! Then we stumbled on this odd place called the Masons Arms, which was an old country style pub built by an English man. It was very wierd.

The Muay Thai was amazing and Adam and I made fake bets with each other in all the excitment.

The next day we hired a jeep and did a tour of the whole island. We got a 4x4 because most of the roads were off road. Adam had great fun driving while I navigated. We almost stayed an extra three days on another beach because it was so beautiful but we knew we had to move on.

I love Koh Phangan, I have a lot of good memories here and not for its world famous full moon parties. I have always detested them and I am glad that we stayed here when it wasn't on. The island has much more to offer than a venue for thousands of drunk 18 -30s dancing to trance for 12 hours. I could go to Malaga for that.... not that I would want to.