Koh lanta bound

I get up early this morning as all the good intentions of packing last night went out the window. To be honest it generally only takes 10 minutes now I've got a procedure in place. Packing cubes are essential if you are travelling with a rucksack for any amount of time. A little bit of organising makes the world of difference. The girls are great at getting up so together with Joe we board the bus to koh lanta. We arrive to Hua In pier where vehicles are loaded onto a floating pontoon ferry. The ferry will only go when it's full but luckily there is a queue and within 5 minutes of being loaded on we set sail for Koh lanta. Joe tells us about how these things can tip over because they don't load them evenly but we make it ashore safe and sound. It's a further 30 min bus ride and when we arrive at reception I think it's going to be quite rustic but I'm pleasantly surprised when I get shown my£12 a night room. The room is massive and beautiful with a huge waterfall shower room and the swimming pool at the end of my balcony. It's just what we all need after Krabi town. We literally drop our bags and make our way down to the beach through psalm trees. I'm so glad I've come here because it is definitely heaven on earth and within an hour I've decided to extend my stay. The beauty of having no plans is that you arrive and if you like it you can stay longer. Even though we've got a pool I spend the afternoon with Lou enjoying the beach to ourselves sat under a psalm tree dipping in an out of the beautiful warm sea when I get a bit hot. We even try a sneaky coconut dream cocktail. When the other guys arrive we have a wander down to a bar further down the beach and stay to watch the sunset, lying on mattresses with pyramid pillows. It's the first time travelling for the girls and I'm so proud of them but also pleased at the fact that we are all getting to see Thailand as it used to be . People are so happy to see you after 2 years of having they're business's shut with covid, and everywhere is still very quiet as the testing has put a lot of people off making the journey. Even though this is my third time to Thailand I've never been to Ko lanta and I'm grateful that covid has slower me down to explore more of this beautiful country myself as in my head I really wanted to push on to Malaysia but with border crossings still closed why would I want to leave without exploring a lot more. Its a short walk back to the room along the beach and for the first time could do with my head torch I've carried it for weeks as the little beach track isn't lit but Safely home I touch base with Debbie and Graham and Marlene who are so jealous as they've both been here before and can't believe how quiet it is. A quick walk up the 7/11 so I can have fresh milk in my coffee in the morning and I'm tucked up in bed nice and early.Lue lisää