I was so sad to be leaving Koh Tao as it really had become a bit like home, I’d grown to feel so comfortable there. It was small, sunny, loads of great people and just a really nice vibe. But, as times always do come, it was time to head off, and after a very rocky boat ride, I made it to Koh Samui. It was rough- it started heavily raining just as the boat left Koh Tao and I knew I was in for two and a half hours of hell. I was correct. I never normally suffer with sea sickness but on this occasion, I was not feeling okay and was so happy when I finally stepped foot on land again. I was planning on spending a bit of time island hopping between Koh Samui & Koh Pha Ngan, however, I’d missed the Full Moon Party on Pha Ngan because I stayed on Koh Tao for a week instead of just a few days, and that was the only real reason for me wanting to go there, so I just headed straight to Koh Samui.

I didn’t have a lot of time here so wanted to get out and start exploring straight away. However, first day here, the rain continued and it carried on for the whole day. What a way to begin the adventure. Instead, I chilled at the hostel, went out and grabbed a coffee and just did some bits on my laptop, ventured to 7/11 to stock up on water and other essentials, and the hostel was doing a games night because the weather was so bad and no one wanted to go out, so did that too.

Next morning we were hoping for better weather and it didn’t happen. Lol. I was getting annoyed now because I still hadn’t seen or done anything on Koh Samui for the whole time I’d been here and I was planning on leaving tomorrow. I debated extending another night to try and cram loads in on my last day but the weather was predicted the exact same as the days before so I just decided to stick with my original plan. The only reason I really went out was to get some dinner and have a walk around to try get some steps in.

I really wanted to see Wat Phra Yai (also known as the Big Buddha) and Wat Plai Yaem, which is another big statue, but a bit different to the others in the area. J hasn’t seen any temples since I was in Bangkok and really do enjoying seeing the different ones, especially ones which aren’t like the ones I’d previously seen, so was gutted I couldn’t get there. I also really wanted to visit the Capybara Café and to check out the Overlap Stone viewpoint. Not possible. The final thing I wanted to do was a boat trip and visit to Pig Island. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to rejig my plan a bit to make time to come back here again so that I can do all the things I wanted to do. It has really made me dip a bit as I’ve had a few days of not a lot.

It’s really hard to do anything when it’s raining here, as when it rains, it pours. You only need to be outside for around 30 seconds before you can wring your clothes out and look like you’ve just had a shower, so it’s impossible to comfortably explore when the weathers rubbish. I booked a boat and bus ticket and left Koh Samui on Saturday to head back to the mainland. I was beginning my journey to Phuket (like nine hours lol) so figured by leaving today instead of tomorrow I could break the journey up. I did the four and a half hour trip to Surat Thani where I spent the night.

It was a very small town but I managed to find some things to do once I got there, I grabbed some dinner and found a cinema just outside of the city that was showing the Wicked Movie in English so just had to go. I really wanted to see it and was worried I might not have got the chance not being in the UK but I managed to and it was insane. I genuinely cannot put into words how incredible the movie was, I had experienced every emotion I’m sure, I laughed, cried and smiled the whole way through and just couldn’t believe how amazing the ending was. Now it’s just a verrry long wait for the next part!

The only showing in English was at 8:45pm and that meant that I was going to be trying to battle to get back to the city centre quite late at night, but after a bit of running around to try and find my Grab driver, I managed it and the night finished on a high! I got back to my hostel around midnight and jumped into maybe one of the comfiest beds I’ve had on my whole travels so far. It was insane.

Sunday quickly came and I was heading to Phuket! It felt like this was a long time coming. I’d been waiting to get here since my mum booked her flight to come visit me in Thailand and finally felt my mood lifting a bit! I had another five hour journey or so to get me there (everything is so far apart in Thailand) and after quite the journey on the local bus, which stopped every half an hour without fail, I had finally arrived.

I headed out to grab some dinner and check out the area and found a really nice smash burger restaurant which I know isn’t local at all but it tasted banging. I just wanted somewhere quick and close by as I was super tired from the journey. And, tomorrow is an exciting one as Phuket adventures begin properly! See ya there, Mads x