To leave Koh Samui we had to get up at around 5:30am to catch a bus and boat back to the main land. We did not allow for any time to have breakfast before catching the bus but apparently we would be able to get some on the ferry. Upon entering the ferry there was a small convenience store on board where pretty much the only thing they had available for breakfast was instant noodles and the availability of boiling water. The boat ride was good though, very smooth. This not only allowed us to eat our food without difficulty, it also meant that no one felt any sort of motion sickness from the journey. Once back on the main land and about an hour down the road we had to change from a coach to a minibus. It warns us in the guidebook that the minibus drivers around here like to have either have the accelerator on full or the brake slammed down hard…our driver was no different. We arrived quicker than expected but we were quite sore from being thrown around inside our small individual space on board. After being dropped off just outside Krabi Town, we caught a taxi into the centre to go in search of a guesthouse/hotel. We were dropped by the taxi driver right outside a hotel; it was cheap in comparison to Samui and looked clean so we took it.

After a quick wander around the area and down to the nearby river we went back to have a rest in our room. Zo still wasn't feeling great so was hoping the rest would help. In the evening we went to get some food from the street vendors down by the river. Food and drink was cheap here but it was fairly strange that we had to write down our own order on one of their pads and wait to have it collected. Zo did not eat and so we went to a pharmacy after dinner leaving Tom and Lisa for the evening. The pharmacist gave Zo a small concoction of pills and powders. Some had to be taken with food so we went to a pub so she could have some toast with them. Just as we were getting ready to leave we were surprised to see Andy and Kaylee, who we had travelled through Laos with, walk in. We stayed and caught up with them for a bit and also went to a roof top bar at the top of a hostel opposite our hotel. Was good to see them to see what they had been up to and also what Koh Phi Phi was like as they had just come from there and it was our next destination.

The following morning we woke up to beautiful sunshine so the plan was clear, hire a bike and ride to Ao Nang beach. Whether it was the drugs or the sunshine but Zo seemed to be a bit better. After a large full English breakfast that we had ear marked the day before me and Zo went and got a bike. Tom and Lisa stayed behind to try and change some flights home. It took about 20-30 minutes to get to Ao Nang from Krabi Town. Getting there was a far different ride from any of those in Koh Phangan as we would be travelling down main roads and dual carriageways. The trip was worth it though, a really nice seaside town and a good looking beach. We lay on the beach for the majority of the day, being fed free pineapple and having drinks delivered to us on the beach. Throughout the day people would come by trying to sell us things like caps, sunglasses and also offering to BBQ us corn on the cob and fish with homemade BBQ's they had made from a steel bucket and chicken wire. We had lunch at a beach side restaurant. It was not until towards to end of the day when we decided to have a walk down the beach that we came across the wild monkeys that lived on and near the beach. They were great to watch and we did have a good laugh when they started going through some peoples' bags who had decided to sit near them. Since we were now on the other coast we had our first sighting of a sign that would become familiar to us, Tsunami Evacuation Route! This was a bit unnerving at first but also a reminder of what hard times some of the locals in this part of Thailand had been through. Also a timely reminder of the hard times people were suffering in the northern parts of Thailand at this very moment.

In the evening we met back up with Tom and Lisa to grab some food from the food market again. However, just as we were about to order the heavens opened so we made a dash to some restaurants that we knew were near. After sitting down we couldn't believe the price of the food here and then once it was delivered the size of the portions, big portions for small prices. After dinner the girls both were feeling tired but as it was still fairly early Tom and I decided to have a couple more Changs in the hotel because they were cheap. When sitting outside the hotel we could hear some good music coming from down an ally way on the opposite side of the road, we finished off our drink and went to investigate. It turns out there was a bar down there and they had a duo playing some great acoustic music. Apparently the two guys were becoming quite big in Bangkok. We watched these for the rest of the evening while drinking a few more Changs. I can just about remember leaving the place but anything after that Zo will have to fill you in on.

The following day was spent much like the previous, went to Ao Nang beach with Tom and Lisa but this time it ended with Zo, Lisa and I having our first massages. I would like to say it was very relaxing but it wasn't. It was about 80% relaxing, 20% painful. They had the capacity to carry out about 20 massages at one time and I happened to get the only male masseuse in the whole place…bloody great, with the combination of his rough hands and the old patches of sand still on my back it might be obvious to say that the coconut oil wasn't always smooth against my skin! To be fair taking all that into account, 18 year old Ga did a very good job. He did apply pressure at times to certain parts of my legs and back that didn't seem healthy at all and the twisting of my back at the very end, whilst sat only in my boxer shorts and facing the whole room, was a test of my control not to shout a loud swear word! In the evening when we arrived back at the hotel we bumped into Tom from Swindon again, had a catch up with him and then went for some food where we ate the previous night. Tomorrow we are off to Koh Phi Phi.