Ao Chalok Ban Kao

Strap in for a dramatic update. We left Koh Phangan with high hopes for our three nights on the next island, Koh Tao, but got more, and less, than we bargained for.

It all started so well. Arriving in the afternoon, we checked into our hostel, the 'White Jail'. We're not sure if this is because of the building design, or because it's where white people get trapped on the island - based on our experience, both could be true. The dorm has helpful signs that say things like 'good prisoner', but don't clarify anything.

We enjoyed some cheap rum and coke at a rickety, reggae-themed bar made of driftwood, then found somewhere with a beach view to enjoy the sunset. After that, we got dinner at a Thai restaurant where the server decided to put on a wig and lipsync to YouTube videos of Whitney Houston after midnight. So far, so good.

The next day was fairly uneventful as we read our books and nursed mild hangovers. But luckily, we knew we had two more full days to enjoy the delights of Koh Tao - the viewpoints, the beaches, the scuba diving. What could go wrong?

Well, before dinner Chelsea slipped off a 1-inch ledge and damaged her ankle so badly that we had to take a taxi to the emergency clinic. The x-ray showed it was just a sprain, not fractured, but it was still swollen and bruised to the size of an impressive ALDI sweet potato. Dan gallantly provided a piggy back to return to the hostel, joking that he would spend the next day exploring the island without her.

In fact, the next morning Dan was assaulted with an awful case of gastro and was bed-bound all day. Meaning between us we were almost entirely incapacitated. A true White Jail experience.

While we were in lockup, we also had news of the huge earthquake in Myanmar, which affected Bangkok (our next destination). This led to some hasty planning, to decide whether we could/should still go, or whether to stay longer in our island prison. The latter didn't seem very appetising, since lots of other people in the hostel were also sick, and there was going to be an all-day power outage which would mean no aircon or flushing toilets (less than ideal during a gastro episode). We'd also lose a bunch of money on non-refundable transport and accommodation if we changed plans.

In the expectation that Dan would revive, we decided to plough on and leave Koh Tao for the mainland. We were correct that Dan would feel better after 24 hours. The only problem was that now, during the power outage and ahead of a long travel leg, Chelsea developed the gastro too.

We're writing this update in good spirits but very poor physical condition from the overnight train up the spine of Thailand. Annoyingly, Dan is now mostly fine while Chelsea has BOTH a strapped ankle and gastro. Overall, it's fair to say our trip to Koh Tao was a complete failure - but hey ho! See you in Bangkok.Read more