We left Cambodia on a very bumpy, dusty dirt road and arrived in Bangkok a darker shade of brown. The great tan we thought we had, washed away in the shower along with all the dust and grime we swallowed along the way. The journey was very eventful as our bus nearly capsized whilst crossing a swollen river. After Bangkok we headed to the islands for some R&R (rest and relaxation). Our first port of call was Koh Tao (Turtle Island) where we chose the quieter south eastern side. We stayed at the Coral View guesthouse and had our own Private stretch of beach. The snorkeling was fantastic and we even managed to encounter some sharks. This experience freaked us right out as we are more accustomed to seeing these creatures behind a pane of glass in an aquarium. We naively thought "Shark Island" which lies about 100 meters offshore was named so because of the shape....but no, it's because of the sharks.... We were relieved to find that our little slice of paradise "Tong Nai Pan Noi", on the north eastern side of Koh Pha Ngan hadn't changed too much since our visit three years ago. Our time was spent chilling out, swimming, tanning, eating lots of seafood and drinking lots of pineapple shakes. Add to that some boozy nights out, a couple of "Handsome Sandwiches" and some very funny Irish Lads. A surreal night was spent on Claudia's birthday in Krabi. We had a lovely meal at an Italian Restaurant, which also happened to be the liveliest place in town (ie. there were about five people there) and a live band kept us entertained playing classic 80's rock music. After a very rough boat ride we arrived in Koh Phi Phi to grey skies and rain. Not quite the azure blue picture perfect postcard. Well it is monsoon season after all. Phi Phi is not the jewel it once was, as it is still recovering from the destruction of the Tsunami. We met a lovely kiwi couple who were back for their second sixth month stint, bringing volunteers and funds raised to help clean the island. Speaking to them and the locals put a lot of things into perspective. It was very humbling and we were ashamed of our initial negative first impressions. It will obviously take time to restore the island to it's former glory. On our last day, the weather was glorious and we took advantage of this by going on a boat trip around Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Ley. We stopped off for snorkeling at several locations along the way, including Maya Bay where the film "The Beach" was filmed. This was great fun and we even spotted a school of calamari, which we have never seen before. Taking a boat trip is a must do as you get to experience how beautiful the island really is.