Well the time finally came to leave Bangkok, and not a moment too soon if we are honest. We headed to the train station having checked out of the hotel, anticipating a long wait before our 7.30 train. Fortunately there was entertainment at hand in the form of the 'AYC English Camp' who were also waiting for a train. They were completely unaware of this, but the name tags they were wearing were frequently amusing and often verging on ridiculous. Some our favourites included.... Book, Bank, Guitar, Boss, Box, Play, Firm, Pea, Plan and the mighty duo of Troy and God!!

Anyway, eventually we boarded the train and discovered our sleeping arrangements. Not as bad as we had anticipated I must say! We met two other similar people, Jordan and Chris, who we chatted to before being ordered to sleep. We both managed to sleep a fair amount, but found out in the morning that the train had been broken for 4 hours overnight. Not a great surprise to be honest considering the train. For those who have seen 'The Darjeeling Ltd' it was not too far from that!

Late arrival meant we missed our boat, which meant a long wait for the next one plus an extra fare. Fortunately it was sunny so we didn't mind too much. Boat journey was fine, albeit surrounded by Germans, and met a nice couple from Holland. Eventually got to Koh Phangan about 5 hours behind schedule and headed for our hotel.....

This was a real experience. Climbed onto the back of a 4x4 truck with our bags and off we set, having been told to "Hold on tight". If ever there was an understatement... Through the jungle on a worn sand track we went at great speed! Up some of the steepest hills imaginable, not great, especially considering there are no driving laws here. Having got to the other end we realised why two taxis had refused to take us on the trip. For mum and dad, this was very much like going over the Seychelles.... Only on the other side what greeted us was not quite as expected.

The hotel we booked into was set on a beautiful little beach and we were taken to our 'Rocks Cabin'. This entailed a small hike, bags in tow, over and under rocks and around cliff faces. Having got there we found we had no electricity..... Until the generator became active. No phone signal either, so apologies for any lack of response! There were about a dozen other people at the beach, mostly families children. We knew we had 'gotten a bit off track' but decided (we had no choice) to stick it out for a night. It was an amazingly beautiful place, but the surreal nature of it was a little scary. We spent the night looking out at the stars and listening to the waves below us (again, little choice).

Morning came and we promptly checked out and prepared ourselves for the return journey. Made it back to reality and set about booking another hotel, which is where we are now. It is really nice, so feel we made a good decision! Have chilled out and sat in the sun since then, and not much else planned before we move again for the full moon party. All in all an interesting few days....

Love Ben and Sam. x