Au Nang to Koh Lanta

We arrived in Au Nang around 8:30pm and darted into the nearest restaurant for food, then got a Tuk Tuk up to our hostel (Nice A Day). We dropped our bags off and walked back down towards the main strip as I needed some flip flops (freak Haviana breakage at the Samui ferry pier). The next day we hired a moped and headed out to the Emerald Pool then on to the hot steam waterfall - an incredible, 42 degree natural waterfall with hot tub-like pools to relax in. Both ‘attractions’ were about an hours moped drive away along the highway - well worth it! That night we drove into town and wandered around the shops (bought a 10L dry bag) then hit a great little street food spot for dinner.

(Mari, Jamie and Mol on Ao Phra Nang Beach)

We were up early the next morning with our dorm mates Jamie, Mari and Daisy and headed to the beach to get a long tail boat to Railay Beach (1,000 THB return). We spent most of the day at this stunning beach. We also rented kayaks and paddled around to Ao Phra Nang Beach through some incredible caves. The other beach was famous for a rather odd ‘penis cave’ in which hundreds of wooden carved penises were displayed in the Princess Cave - people go to the Cave to pray for the ability to have children, once they have a child they go back to the cave and leave a wooden carving shaped like a penis in gratitude for the blessing of a healthy child.

(Railay Beach, 8.30am)

(Princess Cave / Penis Cave)

The next day we got a 2 hour minibus to Koh Lanta (300 THB pp). We arrived at Metallic Hostel late afternoon, dumped our bags and took a stroll along Long Beach. That night we hired a moped to check out the night market and grab some cheap dinner from the Walking Street food vendors. Illness struck the next day as I was up with sickness and diarrhoea from 6am. The owner of the hostel (Son) took Molly to the pharmacy to get some antibiotics before she headed out for a day on the beach while I stayed in bed. She got sunburnt and I got better, managing to eat half a packet of crisps by 8pm. I woke up the next day feeling better to find that Molly had come down ill, suffering the same fate I thought I’d just gotten over. I spent the day at the beach with Patrick & Sofi (Swedish friends from the hostel) while she recuperated in the room. Both feeling better, the next day a convoy of us drove to Bamboo Beach (one of the more beautiful beaches on the south of the island) and spent the day there before heading back to catch the sunset at Long beach and hitting the night market for food again.