Thailand = Island time

We were a little sad to leave Vietnam after a fun-filled and adventurous month, but we were also looking forward to getting back to the beaches in Thailand. Funnily enough, Josh and Louise were on the same flight as us to Bangkok, so we had a little more quality time together. But then they rudely cut that short by booking a last-minute flight from Bangkok up to Chiang Mai, so we had to say our goodbyes at the airport. We’d had a lot of fun with this crazy Scottish couple, but I have no doubt we’ll see them again somewhere.

Rather than spend a night in Bangkok we planned on getting straight on a night bus down to Ranong that night, meaning we had about 8 hours to kill. We’re pretty good at doing that, so we headed into town (still lugging our backpacks around) to get money out and get a feed. On a good tip from Josh and Louise we headed to the food court at the top of Terminal 21 which has some really cheap and tasty food. If you’re out shopping in Bangkok and are looking for somewhere new – give it a try. Several hours later it was time to head to the bus station and sort out our tickets to Ranong, the jumping off point for our first island getaway.

Ranong is basically a nothing border town (bordering Myanmar), about 8 hours southwest of Bangkok. We’d planned it so we got off the bus at about 5am and made our way straight to the boat harbour. Obviously we were there far too early so we had to wait about three hours for the first boat to Koh Chang, which is about 1.5 hours off the coast by slow boat. Now, some of you may have heard of or even visited the much larger and well developed island of Koh Chang off the east coast of Thailand, but this is not to be confused with the Koh Chang we decided to visit. We wanted somewhere nice and chilled where we could get away from the crowds and just relax. And quite frankly, we couldn’t have chosen a more perfect place.

Racing to Ranong boat harbour at 5:30am

Watching the sunrise while we wait for the boat

Koh Chang is one of those places you don’t think can still exist in the tourist mecca that is Thailand – a relatively undeveloped, untouched and peaceful island, reminiscent of what Thailand must have been like 30 years ago. You can’t rent motorbikes on Koh Chang, so the only way to get around once you’re on the island is to walk or get a boat. There are quite a few places to stay on the island, most of which are on the long curving stretch of beach called Ao Yai. We’d read about one particular place called Crocodile Rock that had great reviews, so we stayed on the boat until we reached it, hoping that they’d have a room for us. From the moment we stepped off the boat we knew we’d chosen the right place, as it was picturesquely nestled on the rocky outcrop and effortlessly camouflaged amongst huge trees. 

Alfresco dining

Crocodile Rock hidden amongst the trees

Luckily for us it was actually relatively quiet, so we were shown to a cute bamboo bungalow, privately perched just steps from the waterfront. It was very basic but so beautifully done and it had everything we needed – a nice comfy bed with mosquito net, private bathroom and most importantly, a private balcony and uninterrupted view of the sea from both bed and hammock. What more could you ask for? Sure, things on Koh Chang are pretty basic – there’s only electricity from 6pm-10pm, no wifi and no hot water – but when you’re looking for a private island hideaway, this is just what the doctor ordered. The ‘resorts’ are all pretty self-contained and there are no other restaurants or shops on the island, so luckily for us we’d chosen the place with a legendary cook. As a result, we were more than happy to eat every delicious meal in the beautiful surroundings of our resort. And so for the next 8 days we happily spent our days swimming, reading, walking, eating and lazing around in the sun. It was just perfect. Little did I know it was about to get even better.

Our private waterfront bungalow

Watching the monkeys from our balcony as they break open oysters

On our last night on the island we went and lay down on the dock after dinner to enjoy the cool breeze and look at the stars. We’d been lying there for about an hour talking and enjoying the peaceful night, all the while (unbeknownst to me) Kurt had been building up to the big moment. But then, as fate would have it, we both just happened to look in the same direction and saw a shooting star streak through the night sky. Kurt saw this as his opening (no-one could have planned it better) and popped the question. Of course I immediately said yes, but then just had to confirm he was serious as he asked in quite a casual way. Neither of us are soppy romantics, so I couldn’t have wished for a more perfect proposal. And just to seal the deal we both saw yet another shooting star. No shit, we really did. Like I said, the perfect end to an amazing 8 days on an idyllic tropical island.

But now it was time to head back to the mainland for a long overdue and much awaited reunion with my parents, who I hadn’t seen since we left New Zealand over 3 years ago. We’d decided to meet in Ao Nang, a very popular and busy beach tourist spot about 16km from Krabi. We arrived the evening before Mum and Dad, and after 8 days on a peaceful island we were a bit horrified at the number of people around. This must be how Leo's character in The Beach felt when he returned to civilisation. But I guess we’d been lucky so far to avoid the high season crowds anywhere. The next morning we walked over to Mum and Dad’s resort to see them, and they must have been watching out for us because they walked out of the lobby to meet us as we walked up. I knew Mum would be pretty emotional but she held it together very well. We’ve been speaking on Skype regularly over the years, but it was so good to finally see them again in person and give them a big hug. They were pretty exhausted after a long and mainly sleepless journey from NZ, so after a stroll along the beach we retired to the luxury and comfort of their air-conditioned room and the pool at their resort.

Afternoon cocktails at the swim-up bar

We had four days together in Ao Nang, spent mainly at their resort making full use of the pool and facilities, and enjoying cheap and tasty street food. Then it was time for the family reunion to be complete, when my brother and his girlfriend arrived. I hadn’t seen my big brother for even longer – almost 4 years at last count which is just ridiculous - so it was awesome to be back together again. We also finally got to meet his lovely English girlfriend in person, so now the family unit was complete. Mark and Rachel had also had a long flight from Australia, but we got them straight in a minivan and drove a couple of hours down to Koh Lanta, where we’d be spending the next five days in a 3 bedroom apartment that we’d found online. And thanks to my very kind and generous parents, we were living rent-free for the first time in a long time! The apartment was pretty sweet with 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, big kitchen with everything you’d need (not that we planned on cooking a thing), big lounge and a massive balcony with views of the spectacular sunsets over the ocean. Oh, and there was also a pool. We were living the high life and loving it, especially since we were surrounded by family again.

Within hours of arriving we’d hired three scooters so we had the freedom of exploring the island and the various bays and beaches, and that’s exactly what we did for five days. Koh Lanta actually consists of several islands, but the main tourist one is Koh Lanta Yai (Big Lanta Island). It’s a big island, over 30km long, with a national park at the bottom, but tourism is concentrated on the western side of the island. Some of the hilly coastal roads are a lot of fun to ride with stunning scenery, and we found a couple of good swimming beaches before the crowds showed up. We filled in the rest of our days with more swimming in the pool, eating, talking and drinking. It wouldn’t have really mattered where we were (but we chose a pretty good spot), it was just so good to all be together again, even more so since we could celebrate our engagement with them all. Now we’ll just have to make sure it’s not such a long time between drinks.

Sunset from our balcony

A rare photo of the Bell's together

The men making fire

After my family left we decided to stay on Koh Lanta for five more days, getting in some final chill out time at the beach before heading back up to the big smoke. Some people hate it, but we both really like Bangkok as a city, so we were happy to spend our final three days there doing some shopping to stock up on clothes for the year. I’m one of those rare females who hate shopping with a passion, so getting it all done in one fell swoop appealed greatly. 

Before we knew it the day we never thought would arrive, did in fact just that. When we started out on this trip over three years ago, the end seemed a very vague, far-off notion that didn't even need to be considered. But now that day is upon us and we have mixed emotions about it - sad that this particular trip has come to an end and our lifestyle won't be quite the same, but excited to be heading home to see family and friends again. And let's be honest - it's us we're talking about so the travelling will never be over. One adventure may be ending, but that just means another one is about to begin.