On exiting the boat at the pier, our hotel is situated 700m to the left, on Sai Ree beach- the most developed on Koh Tao. Sadly thatР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s a trend that seems to have died since the arrival of mass tourism in the 80s and 90s, but there are efforts in place to encourage turtles back the island that they previously inhabited for thousands of years. Its nickname is Р В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р РЋРЎв„ўturtle islandР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р РЋРЎС™ Р В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†Р вЂљРЎС™ both because its shape resembles the sea creature, and also because of its past significance as a breeding ground. Koh Tao is a small island north of Koh Phangan, situated in the gulf of Thailand. We arrived in Koh Tao a few days ago, and I already aknow itР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s going to be really, really hard to leave. Oh, and seeing as weР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›d been so frugal all day, there was room in the budget for a little Monday tipple too! Luckily, the rain didnР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›t last long and we were able to get back to big Buddha beach to enjoy a beautiful moody sunset, as the planes from the nearby Koh Samui airport skimmed our heads. The end of our trip seems so close now, and inevitably our thoughts are turning to the real life we need to build when we get back home. We spent a good few hours soaking up the sun this morning, but inevitably, those monsoon rains came blowing in and we had to beat a hasty retreat to a local Internet cafe to work on our CVs. ItР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s called convenience food! Our lunch today was two 15 baht (30 pence) cup noodles from the minimart, eaten on the beach it still beats any of my expensive lunch breaks in London! WeР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›ve also discovered that thereР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s a type of food thatР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s even cheaper than street food. ThatР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s Р В РІР‚в„ўР В РІвЂљВ¬9.70! Yes the room has seen better days, but itР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s clean and does the job, and it has two pools, right in front of the quiet beach. So what does this consist of? Well, amazingly, we managed to find a resort called the Samui Mermaid which offers rooms with no air conditioning (only a fan) for 490 baht per night. In this late stage of our trip, every penny really counts, but we have already reserved accommodation on all three islands, so the costs will just have to be absorbed by our remaining budget.Р В РІР‚СњР В РІР‚С›s a result of this realization, we are now trying to live as cheaply as possible whilst still enjoying the last couple of weeks.

Our research had indicated that the ferries between Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan should cost around 300baht (Р В РІР‚в„ўР В РІвЂљВ¬6) each. We hit a bit of a hiccup when we arrived at Koh Samui. A number of friends and people weР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›ve met travelling have warned us not to spend too much time here, so we made a beeline for a cheap place to stay on the north of the island making it super easy for us to get an onward ferry to the small but allegedly beautiful island of Koh Tao. ItР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s become a bit of a resort island, for those who want to stay by the 5-star pool and maybe play a few rounds of golf. Koh Samui is the largest island on the gulf side, and the most developed. Yesterday afternoon after a particularly rubbish overnight train (we got the crappy top bunks which are right next to the strip lighting) a cold coach ride (overly enthusiastic aircon), and nausea inducing boat ride (choppy seas), we made it to Koh Samui.

Koh samui super strain fatass