Haven't updated the journal for a while, partly due to laziness and partly because the internet has been so slow here that I find it irritating! And they're charging 4 times the price that it was in Bangkok for a service that's a million times worse! Ko Tao is great - really gorgeous beaches - clear blue water, jungley bits in the centre of the island and coral too! and everything is so laid back here. Some travellers have been here for years and I can really see how that could happen. There's no concept of time here and can imagine a whole lifetime just slipping away whilst I'm blissfully unaware of it! The train journey from Nakhon Pathom was fine and then I got the midnight ferry across to the island which got me here at 6am. Felt a bit like a peice of cargo (or an illegal immigrant) on the ferry - but it was more comfortable than I had expected - we even had mattresses on the floor and pillows!! I was expecting just floor boards. Lots of Thai people. I met a girl at the train station before sorting out the ferry and we're sharing a bungalow at the moment which is cool. She's from Twickenham! She's doing diving. Everyone here is diving - it's definitely the place to be if you're a diver. Going on a boat in the week with the divers - I'll do snorkelling whilst they dive (can't dive becasue of the diabetes) - will be nice I hope! The whole island is just diving places, a few bars and restaurants and then a few beach huts dotted here and there. There are very few resorts and it's not at all like Ko Samui in the package holiday sense, which is exactly what I was trying to get away from. It's just a few travellers and a few locals, who are more interested in fishing than ripping off tourists. Everything out here is very easy. I'd like to come back. Spending most of my time reading and sunbathing and drinking and eating in the evenings. All the bars and restaurants are on the beach - it's great. Nearly hired a dirt bike to get around until i realised they had gears!! And you don't need a licence so there are quite a few maniacs out here! Lots of people walking around like Mr Bump with bandages all over them! The roads are pretty dangerous because they're just dirt tracks and there's no grip. Went on a walk yesterday which turned out ot be a trek/climb through the jungle. I was wearing flip flops and a stupid beach skirt - was quite a shock and by the time it got really bad it was too late to turn back. I emerged from the undergrowth 3 hours later, half eaten by mosquitos with mud all over me (had to scramble up dirt hills and everything!) really sweaty - absoloutely exhausted. All the locals laughed at me as I emerged. Flip flops are definitely a bad idea for trekking! My feet have so many cuts and at one point I lost a flip flop down a really steep hill and had to scramble all the way down to get it. Was most annoying! Too many gross blokes in speedos here. Speedos are just plain wrong. Planning to leave on Thursday and head south. I'll stop off at the Thai border for a couple of days and then spend a few days on the Perenthian Islands before heading to the Taman Negara National Park for some rainforest trekking! Just sorting out travel arrangements at the moment. Will update the journal with any exciting news - might not be for a while. Just relaxing at the moment!