In order to continue island hopping, we crossed over the southern Thai peninsular to the Andaman Coast. To get there we booked a sleeper ferry to Surat Thani and a bus on to Krabi town. The sleeper boat was surprisingly comfortable but we arrived in Surat Thani two hours ahead of schedule (Trust the only early arrival to be the one when you're comfortable, and asleep) and had to wait for our bus transfer. So we arrived; sleep deprived in Krabi town, determined to make the most of the one day we had. We wandered in a state of confusion and found ourselves being taken on a mangrove tour in a long tail boat with a local guide. I was promised I'd see a monkey.. we didn't see a monkey… I didn't tip… (Bad Karma)

The next morning we hopped on a boat to Railay; a short ride away down the Krabi estuary and along the coast. We managed to bargain our captain to take us to Ton Sai beach slightly away from the exclusive Railay resorts, and more backpacker friendly. Although technically on the mainland, Railay and Ton Sai are effectively cut off by shear lime stone cliffs making any road connection impossible. This gives the place a real island feel despite not actually being one, this includes inflated prices and no ATM's on Ton Sai. Luckily we knew this before we left, unfortunately we didn't think to withdraw any cash so we arrived skint and at high tide with no way to get to one of the few cash points at Railay (you can walk over rocks at low tide to reach west Railay). Ton Sai, being backpacker aimed, is really laid back and relatively inexpensive and the food was amazing, best Penang I've had! As its so remote and undeveloped it is full of wildlife including mosquito's the size of bees, massive spiders and the odd monkey. The beaches at Ton Sai and Railay (east Railay has no beach, just mangrove) are beautiful to look at, but the waters are quite murky and offer little refreshment from the sun as they are bathwater-warm.

Next on our trip was Ko Lanta Yai; which is a large island further south on the Andaman cost, we set up here with the intention of visiting near by Ko Phi Phi. Lanta itself is nothing particularly special in terms of beauty, the beaches are nice enough and inland is densely forested and hilly. What it does offer though, is cheap places to stay, good food and the perfect position for visiting the smaller uninhabited island of the Trang and Saturn coasts. We took a day trip to Phi Phi only an hour away, and did some snorkeling in unbelievably clear water (you could clearly make out rocks and corral 4m below the surface) and visited Maya Bay; where the beach was filmed. Phi Phi was lovely and lively with amazing beaches and plenty to do, we probably should have stayed but thought better of it. Like most large islands Lanta also has a Thai Boxing stadium, we went one night to watch 8 Muay Thai bouts at varying levels, the highlight of which being the South Thai title fight (cant remember the weight) with a Scottish new comer (Alice constantly shouting "Nah Su Kau" *white warrier) challenging a Veteran Thai with apparently 400+ fights. Rather him than me. It went 5 rounds and was called on points in favour of the Scot. The whole event was really enjoyable and not half as bloody as expected.

From here we planned to go to Ko Lipe which Danni and Ben had recommended to us. It was quite a way from Lanta, close to the Malaysian boarder and there for expensive to travel by boat alone. We chose to head to Trang City and get a transfer from there. This worked out marginally cheaper but we got to see Trang (not a great deal there) and got a nights accommodation with the difference. We arrived at Ko Lipe and transferred to a long tail to take us to shore, frantically searching our guide book for what beach we should be on. Alice was poised at the bow ready to leap off and fight to the death for any available rooms (we hadn't booked again and it was getting late) which is standard practice when you arrive in a large group. After elbowing our way to the front we found a room with ease, well worth making a few enemies, we saw some still roaming the island with their backpacks when we were on our second G&T. Walking about that night we were thankful for the recommendation and glad we came. We had almost had enough of islands by now but this was entirely different. Such a small island but with plenty of shops and eateries to suit all tastes. It has just the right balance between development and natural charm to make it ideal. The island is actually in a national park so effectively development is prohibited altogether, however Lipe is owned by the local Chay Ley (sea gypsies) and they control the businesses and the development with a sustainable approach. The beaches on Lipe are the best we have come across by a mile, the water is Crystal clear and you only have to swim out a few meters to be amongst the coral and reef fish. The water is also cool which makes a massive difference. At night the beach bars set up and the fire poi comes out, it truely is wonderful and exactly what I imagined Thai islands to be like. Thankfully this is the memory I will take away as from Lipe we have booked our boat to Lankawi - Malaysia here we come!