I have time to grab a quick breakfast before my bus arrives. Unusually it arrives fairly promptly and it is the minivan. Not to many people on it but I can here some Irish, Sara-Jane, and a Polish, Thomas. We chat all the way to the pier, not that it was really a pier in any sense that you could think of. I mean the road just ends at the side of a river. There is a boat that is getting loaded up with all manner of things to be transported to the island. We have to wait until the deliveries have all been made to the boat, which turns out to be an hour or so, Thomas has taken the opportunity to sink a few Changs, a dangerous decision, when getting on a boat, so I opt for some sprite.
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As we sail out along the river the scene is beautiful. Nice blue water with the sun shining, unobscured down on me. The boat is so loud because we are all sitting so close to the engine, but this doesn't take away for the setting. As we pull out in to the sea it is calm, with long tail boats ferrying people and food back and forth to the islands. The limestone cliffs and island come in to view through the heat haze and I am really starting to think that this may indeed by the island paradise that people dream of. As the boat pulls closer to the island I can see lovely golden beaches and palm trees. I have picked a hostel on the other side of the island as that is where the sun sets, snap snap.
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Get picked up with a motorbike with a sidecar type thing on it where I sit with my bags. Sara Jane hasn't booked anything so she comes with me to check out my place. I get checked in, I am in a tent because that was the cheapest option. I'm really not to sure what to expect, but when I get there it is a good sized dome tent, with an inflatable double bed and power supply and fan, pitched on concrete in the shade, looking good. They have no lockers, so I'll just be carrying my valuables with me today. Sara Jane can't get anywhere to stay and so I offer her to crash in my tent if she wants, you know help out the fellow Irish. She is very grateful and gets me a couple of Chang by way of thanks. It would be rude not to drink, so we sit down and have a few beers along with an Italian, David, who is also staying in a tent. We chat the afternoon away until it is time to meet Thomas for dinner.
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It's a short stroll down to the beach where there are plenty of places to choose from for eats. We get a table right on the sand and get to watch the fantastic sunset over the sea, with some boats in the foreground. Tough life. Sara Jane picks my food and I get some spicy pork soup thing with rice, hot, hot. Sara Jane heads home early as she is not feeling the best and so the three of us order some more beers, before Thomas disappears off somewhere to get some weed, then proceeds to describe, in detail, all his sexual exploits in Asia?!?! An eye opening experience, and I was just listening! I head back relatively early because I want to be up early for kayaking to the emerald cave. Tent time!