Ban Rai

The sharp-eyed amongst you will notice I didn't post anything for 20th January. The main reason was that I was mainly travelling and it's a bit tedious sharing my progress from one bus station to another, getting dropped off at some random place in the middle of nowhere and having to find my way. to where I need to be. The other reason is that Chinese New Year is looming and I want to get away from the madness if I can.
Bangkok is ablaze with street lighting, and the souvenir shops are keeping the Chinese economy afloat. Thailand is calling me.
I got the early bus out of Siem Reap, deciding to go the overland route back via Bangkok and down to Chumphon. What's Chumphon, you ask? Well, it's the recommended jumping off point for people going on the ferries out to Koh Tao for the diving, Koh Pha Ngan for the 'full moon parties', and Koh Samui for everything else.
It was another horrendous journey, which I won't go into. It's behind me (again).
I opted for Ko Tao even though I've now made an executive decision that I'm unlikely to keep my diving qualifications current (too expensive for a pensioner). The world -class snorkelling around picture-perfect islands will suffice.
Here then are a few shots up to my first day on Koh Tao.Read more