22/3/18 - Day 54

We stayed last night in Trat, so good to be back in Thailand. Ate at a Thai restaurant (Sang Fah) very good food and so clean. After being on a bus for the entire day it was good to walk somewhere. Back to the hotel, also nice and clean! Showered and threw my clothes into the bin which felt good and then crawled into bed.

Up early after a reasonable night’s sleep and went out onto our balcony to practice, already v hot out there so got very sweaty. Showered, packed and caught a shuttle bus to the port, there’s the usual amount of fancying around at these places that I’ve serenely become accustomed to and then the mad scrabble with bags to get the next transport to the high speed ferry. We’re away on time! Koh Kut / Kood here we come...

Arrived at our hotel, if you can call it that, around lunchtime... dumped bags, rented scooter and headed to the nearest deserted beach, Pa Hin Sal. Spent the afternoon swimming and snorkelling, great to be back in the blue. Went out in the evening, first stop Tinkerbell Beach Resort for drinks (just scrapped in for Happy Hour!) and then we headed to Chaiyo, a highly recommended roadside cafe / shack which does great food, it did, but you could die waiting... nearly two hours until our food came, we tried to play Dominos and chatted to a couple from Helsinki to pass the time, food was worth it though.

23/3/18 - Day 55

Slept ok but awake early, got up and practised on our terrace overlooking the jungle, breakfast of pineapple pancake, yum! Then the heavens opened, it’s our first major rain on the trip so that’s not bad. No diving today, visibility will be hopeless. Reading and watching Netflix I think...the weather improved a bit so we explored some of the other beaches / resorts. Ate dinner at Bang Bao House which was good but we waited a while again, the trend on Koh Kut / Kood perhaps?

24/3/18 - Day 56

Slept really well, didn’t wake up until 8.30. Weather was great again so hopped on the moped and headed to Klong Hin beach which was beautiful and fairly deserted apart from the Russians who occupy the nearby resort that resembled a prison camp. Stayed here for a few hours and then drove over to the East side of the island in search of The Fisherman’s Floating Village, wandered around eyeing up all the seafood and settled on a simply cooked fish with lemongrass, garlic and chilli, beautifully cooked, best thing we’ve eaten in a long while...washed down with fresh, ice cold coconut juice. Headed off to another beach, this time at Rest Sea Resort which looked very swanky on Ao Pharo beach, stunning and again hardly anyone on it.

25/3/18 - Day 57

Going diving today with Ko Kood (Kut?) Divers. J doing his own thing whilst I go and see if the diving is as good as the beaches! Update; the dive sites were ok, but not at all challenging so two very relaxed 60+ minute dives. Dived with a German guy called Thomas. Our guide reminded me of Nick Naulty, very laid back guy. Saw most of the usual suspects, so lots of life down there, lots of small colourful stuff but no big things. Will look at diving around Ko Lanta (may be able to do Similan Islands from there?) and will also look at Sipidan in Malaysia, I have to do it as we’ll be in the area. Lovely to be properly back in the ocean, a great way of meditating underwater for me!

Got back late afternoon and found J, did a nice Yin yoga session to stretch out. Then we headed to Tinkerbell’s for Happy Hour and then onto Fisherman’s Hut where we ate bbq barracuda (delicious) and listened to a good live band whilst watching a spray painted dog wandering about! (Wtf?).

26/3/18 - Day 58

We were supposed to be flying to Krabi today via Bangkok, long story short, we’re not now, so need to find somewhere else to stay (I’m done with being eaten alive by mosquitoes and J’s fed up with the hard bed). We’ve booked to stay the night at Away Ko Kood should be right on the beach, so a bonus day to relax! Flights re-organised for tomorrow at great expense to J...he was v stressed earlier so best to leave things alone for now.

Chilled out and used free kayaks to paddle around the beaches and explored the other resorts along Ao Tum beach. Went to a massage place just down the road from our hotel and had the worst ever pedicure by a ladyboy who didn’t speak any English! Entertaining at least... Then went and ate dinner at the hotel, I’m sticking to stir fry veg as they set their bbq up around 5 and leave all the fish and meat out on display not on ice! (I wanted to walk back to Fisherman’s Hut but J not keen). I just hope he doesn’t end up with food poisoning.

27/3/18 - Day 59

Leaving Koh Kood, another place where I have mixed feelings, it has beautiful beaches, some nice resorts and restaurants but it’s just missing something which I can’t put my finger on, although I think it’s just that it’s a little too devoid of other tourists (I know anyone would think I’m mad saying that).

Packed and headed out to meet our taxi in the torrential rain. It rained really hard for about half an hour whilst we stood outside, undercover watching it. We were waiting for a group of Chinese who didn’t want to get wet...

Caught ferry at 9, although only just (thanks to the fussy Chinese) and now going back to Trat via taxi. Our driver was waiting on the quayside with a sign saying Mr James...Flight from Trat to Bangkok at 1 and then a layover for a bit before another flight from Bangkok to Krabi, it’s going to be a long day!!

Arrived at Trat airport which is something else, it’s like a throw back in time to what I image a colonial airport would have been like, complete with topiary elephants (check out the photo). What other airport in the world would escort you to their staff canteen when you ask if there’s any hot food available, it was brilliant. I love it, I could just stay here in the airport terminal for a few days (hope I’m not tempting fate!). After we’d eaten brunch in the canteen, we go through security, carrying my mango sticky rice through security (again where else in the world...) and when we get to the gate it’s just like being in the lounge with lots of complimentary food and drinks, ridiculous but again I love it!