Ko Tao, Ko Phangan and Arrival In Khao Sok

I had been surprised to get a place on the night train south, but only once I got on the train was I presented with a possible reason why. I didn't have a bed; I had just a seat. I didn't care too much because I was so pleased to be on the train. However, the night's sleep was made even harder by the crazy air conditioning. The carriage was unbelievably cold. I have no idea why they turn the carriage into a fridge. Surely the locals don't want it that cold - they were wrapping their entire bodies from head to toe in their blankets!

We arrived in Chumphon slightly late, and unfortunately I missed the first ferry to Ko Tao. After a short venture around Chumphon, all there was to do was wait. However, here I met Sasha from Germany, and Sasha would end up being my main buddy on Ko Tao. My time on the island was once again spent quite lazily. There was lots of relaxing and reading; this time it was a randomly chosen book - A Stain On The Silence by Andrew Taylor. It was okay. There was also a short adventure to the south of the island, but the island itself is only very small.

I had hoped to do diving on Ko Tao but my lack of swimming ability got in the way. I tried a bit of snorkelling which was fun, but I wasn't comfortable away from the shallow water, and I found it very tough trying to empty my mask when water seeped in. Ko Tao was therefore a disappointment, and in the end I felt like I stayed there far too long. Like Ko Chang, I also found it too touristy - the whole place was solely for tourists, and I began to forget what real travelling was about.

A friend from home, however, recommended to me a beach on nearby Ko Phangan island. I felt quite 'beached-out' by this time, but as I was passing by anyway, I eventually settled on going. As soon as I explored the area around the peer, I was reminded what I went travelling for in the first place. This was a real place with real and friendly locals - not just annoying touts and scam artists trying to con you out of your money. On the ride to the beach I could tell I was going away from the main tourist infrastructure, and I felt properly 'on the road' again.

The beach itself, 'Thong Nai Pan Yai', was much quieter that my previous two beaches and much more relaxing. I spent much of my time there reading another Dan Brown book; this time Angels and Demons. It is once again incredible - Dan Brown is a real genius. I also spent one afternoon trekking up through the hillside to reach the neighbouring beach. The view from the halfway point was great.

With time pressing on, I only stayed on Ko Phangan for two days, but if I hadn't wasted so much time at my previous beaches, I would have happily stayed there longer. My recent time in Thailand has taught me what I enjoy from beach life, and certainly what I don't, and hopefully this will serve me to choose better locations in the future. Travelling is a learning process, and you learn from your mistakes.

I now find myself in Khao Sok National Park. Even though it is no longer the high season for tourism in Thailand, Ko Tao had been very busy. Khao Sok, on the other hand, is not. It is therefore difficult to get a group together for guided tours. As a result of this I did a great little trek through the park by myself today. It was a great walk, although things got really confusing near the end. As the jungle got thicker, the beaten track became less clear. To add to the confusion, there often seemed multiple ways to go. I therefore tried various random routes, but every time I did, I ended up back somewhere I had been before! Memories of The Blair Witch Project began to echo in my head. Time was getting on, however, and eventually I headed back - easily finding a familiar part of the trail.

Tomorrow I may go to the lake, although that may depend on whether there is a group going.