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We flew to Surat Thani and caught the ferry to Koh Samui on July 17th for a few days of chilling. Visiting the islands of Thailand have been on my wishlist since ogling Leo DiCaprio in The Beach. Although parts of the island were stunning, it was very touristy & far less remote than I'd imagined. However, it was a wonderful few days! Treated ourselves to 4 nights in a 4star cliff-top villa complete with our own jacuzzi, infinity pool and fluffy bathrobe & slippers (aah,we had forgotten how comfy slippers were!)...for only £40 a night. Amazing!
Our 1st day was spent lazing around the pool and then out for our 1st of many Thai meals (delish!) and then out for cocktails while listening to a pretty terrible (and pretty stoned) Thai reggae band.
Our 2nd day we went on a bumpy speed boat trip to Ang Thong marine park. Very beautiful but a bit rainy. The sun came out after lunch & we kayaked around coves, snorkelled and played beach volleyball. As pricey as Samui is, compared to the rest of Thailand anyway, we found the night street market later & got amazing curries for £1. Most of the bars in town are aimed at drunk tourists, and thus are pretty sleazy with (fully clothed) pole dancers. We had a hilarious night involving the dancers (including a ladyboy one) playing jenga & connect 4 with us, and showing us a 'Love online' manual, which is basically instruction on 'how to become a Thai bride'!
We spent another lazy day around the pool and then a walk along the beach to finish off a blissful few days.
Next we headed up to Chiang Mai in north Thailand. It's Thailand's 2nd biggest city but you would never know - it's busy but not hectic, very laid-back and swarming with beautiful Buddhist temples. Visited a few of these and observed the young monks chanting - very hypnotic and peaceful.
We spent a day at a Thai cookery school,which was really fun and very tasty. We visited a market first to pick up our ingredients then spent the day cooking (and then devouring) 5 courses each. Not to brag, but our dishes were fab! So stuffed though we all lay about on the floor for a while before we could walk away.
Went on a 3-day jungle trek the next day. It was supposed to be 4 hours trekking a day plus a couple of extra activities. Unfortunately, we landed a guide who turned out to be an alcoholic so not only did we miss out on a lot of trekking while we waited for him to have a beer, but we also lost him one day. He actually disappeared for 1/2 hour while we waited, a little scared, in the middle of the Thai jungle. He eventually turned up staggering along the path. Needless to say it wasn't quite what we'd hoped for, but we did get a shot at elephant riding and a very serene trip down the river on a bamboo raft. We were with a great group too so it wasn't all bad! Returned to Chiang Mai and after a hot shower, a Thai massage, a glass of wine and some amazing pizza we felt good as new!
Caught a minibus up to the border to cross into Laos.
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