Stop 2: Surat Thani

The 11hr train journey was nowhere near as bad as expected. I slept the majority of the time, and managed the squat toilet with no issues. Such a pro. We were meant to be arriving at 4.24am.. one of the officials kept popping up and saying "2 minutes". By about 4.30 we finally stopped and were off the train and onto two mini buses.

We had all signed up to the extra activity Boom recommended, a visit to Khoa Sak National Park. This was about a 3hr journey, so we all napped on the way. We arrived about 7ish and gasped at the view, it was so amazing, it was quite cloudy and so atmospheric. Bikinis on and bags sorted, we all climbed into the boat ready to see "Hidden Thailand".

Dan kept joking that it was like Jurassic Park, as we pretty much had the lake to ourselves and it was so misty. Then Boom told us about the Gibbons hiding in the trees, they mate for life and then die of broken hearts. How adorable. We had the chance to jump off the boat and paddle in the lake. This was amazing! It was so peaceful and the water was so clear, I did get tired treading water though and had to hang on to the boat for a bit!

We splashed around and waved at the Asian tourists staying in the safety of their boat. Then it was back on to ours  and over to the restaurant. I cannot find the words to describe just how perfect this little spot of paradise was. We had free water, free tea and coffee and the best view ever. The lake, the limestone and the trees all perfect. We laid on the boardwalk and swam in the water. I surprised myself being graceful getting into my tube.

Lunch was interesting, fresh barbecued fish and rice, curry and stir fry. All followed by fresh pineapple and watermelon. So nice. I actually liked the fish! Not the curry though, it smelt funny and was really spicy. Back to the sun and relaxing, what a life. I could easily have stayed.

We were sad to leave, but posed for a group photo and clambered into the boat about 2ish. I waved goodbye to the lovely people and the beautiful scenery, but it wasn't too long until we were back. Eric had lost his phone. Damn Eric. No sooner had we turned round to go back.. and he had found it! Typical male not looking in his bag properly.

As we returned to the dock we could see more and more tourists arriving. It was worth being there super early to miss them all! Back on the buses we had another few hours driving and napping to reach our final destination for the next few days.. Ao Nang in Krabi.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stop 1: Bangkok

I have decided to group my blogs per place, so we'll start with my first port of call.. Bangkok . My flight from Heathrow to Suvarnabhumi wasn't too bad. I was sat in 27C next to a lovely young couple going on holiday. Apparently they were incredibly lovely as not long into the journey they were bumped up to First Class!! This meant a whole row to myself.. until one of the Cabin Crew moved another couple (with a broken seat) to join me. Ah well. It was good while it lasted. The plane touched down slightly later than expected, but we had been delayed departing, so the Captain made good time. Once I was through security and had fetched my bag it was about 10am local time. Now came the fun part of meeting my transfer "in front of Entrance 3". This was a longer walk than expected, I had arrived in front of Entrance 9. I found my name in the end and handed the lady my voucher. I was to wait for another two people. Derek appeared about 10mins later and we chatted in our
Read more

Loka: Stop 7: Magnetic Island

My alarm went off so early, I felt like I'd barely closed my eyes. We were to meet at 4.30am outside of the hostel. I lugged my belongings down the stairs and met my new Loka group at the bus stop. Niki was to be our guide until Cairns. Waiting with her was Mario, Aquiles and Gabriele. I was amazed to see the latter two accompanying us, they were at least in their sixties. Two English girls, Pippa and Rosie, were next to join us and we were all ready to go. The same shuttle bus from before arrived, with the same driver. He welcomed us on board and informed us that our train was running very late. Either way, we had to get to the station. Once there, we checked in our luggage so that we wouldn't have to carry it any longer. I felt cheated, I'd woken up before the sun to catch a train that was going to be two hours late. Oh well. The nice shuttle man took us around the corner to the bakery. There was so much choice I didn't know what to have, add the fact that it was b
Read more

GKR World Cup 8

Image
My First World Cup As I mentioned in my first blog post, this weekend was the 8th GKR World Cup held at the Echo Arena, Liverpool. Having qualified last year, I was to be competing on the Saturday afternoon, however we decided to make a weekend of it and support as many of R33 as possible. Friday... I travelled up on the Friday with my two marvellous supporters, my mum and friend Tracy. We had a good run, with a stop at my favourite services (Keele), arriving at the Hampton by Hilton John Lennon Airport Hotel at 13.30.  After settling into the room, which was very nice, we headed back out to catch a bus into the city. A very lovely man helped us find the best bus route and we were soon on board the 86A en route to the Echo Arena. Apparently it was a busy journey, abundant with school kids and loud gossiping. Being asleep, I missed all of this!! Peeling ourselves from the seats, we got off of the bus and made our way over to the famous Albert Dock. I was itching to watch my f
Read more

A Week in Exmouth

I arrived in Exmouth at lunchtime after a very long night with little sleep. The bus stopped at the visitors centre, and from there it was a short walk to the hostel. I checked in and discovered that I had a room to myself? What luxury! I was shocked, but made the most of it, choosing the best bed and spreading my things. I decided to walk back to the visitor centre to find something to do with the rest of the day. It was a sweaty walk and I was glad to find air con when I arrived. After looking through one hundred and one different leaflets and brochures, I gave up and sought help from the desk. A very lovely lady told me everything I needed to know, where to go and what to do. I booked on to a sunset whale tour for that very evening and had a browse through what she had recommended. I then realised the time, I'd have to rush back if I was to make my pick up! I hot footed it to the hostel and grabbed my camera. I just made it to reception in time, the bus was just parking u
Read more