Thought it was definitely about time to get the blogging underway, especially as I’ve been in Thailand for two weeks and done more stuff here in that time than I probably would have in 2 months at home.

The first thing that should probably be noted is that I’m still actally here…my 10 days here has turned into 23 as I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving after a week. It really is an incredble place. When I left my parents at the airport, pure panic set in. I was a blubbering emotional mess suddenly wondering what the hell I was doing and wanting nothing more than to crawl back into my own cosy bed and lie there for a week. However, flights booked, family goodbyes over with and backpack heavy on my shoulders, backing out was never really an option. The desire to go did also increase a tad when on the plane, I sat next to an Aussie girl who was leaving London a week early to go home because the English weather was so terrible. After a dodgy sleep on my 12 hour flight I landed in Bangkok, completely shell shocked as I walked through arrivals to find an onslaught of taxi drivers, hotel owners etc etc. screaming at every passer by. Eventually I managed to find my Thailand group leader who would guide me for the week and got a sudden second wind as I began to see the sights of Bangkok. My poor parents would be going absolutely insane if they saw the roads and the way the taxi drove – there is no sense of rules oo regulations here, it’s every man for himself. It should also be noted that the seatbelts in the cab were purely decorative, with only a strap to make it appear safe, but missing the crucial buckle to put it in. Went out for drinks on Koh San Road which was mental street but which had fantastic food and drink and nice low low prices. This road was where we spent the majority of our evenings in Bangkok, especially once the other 11 members of my group arrived and we all discovered a great love of ‘buckets’ – literally a bucket with a half litre bottle of rum/whiskey/vodka, super strength Red Bull (that actually comes in medicine bottles here) and a mixer of your choice. Lethal.

It’s been great fun too, mixing with people from all over the UK from all walks of life. Whilst I was the youngest at 18, the oldest was 31 so it varied quite nicely. All the Thai people we’ve met so far have been very friendly and willing to help but it’s has been hard to get to the point of being so trustworthy. For instance, after I’d changed my flight I had to get a taxi alone to the other side of the city, to go to the place to pay for airline tickets. After haggling with a driver and suffering another dangerous journey through the streets I found myself in a dark empty car park full of Thai men. Let the freak out begin.

Fortunately those dodgy Thai men were there to lead me in the right direction, have a joke with me about how lost I was and showed me me around the building. It’s a thin line though, between trusting just enough and trusting too much…but you can generally tell who is going to appear on the 6 0′clock news as a mass murderer and who is just there to give a helping hand because they need the money you are going to give them for taxi fare etc. On the other hand, I’ve already had two friends who have clearly been a bit to trusting with the Thai women – one ended up with a lady boy and the other in a brothel. Classy.

After 4 nights in Bangkok we got the overnight train to Surat Thani – a train that was so much fun in the most disgusting, cockroach infested way. It was more rough travelling than the nice Quantas flight was, but I think it was actually more fun. We were all together on these bunkbeds in a packed carriage with a couple of fans to keep the air moving at least a little. After arriving in Surat, we got a couple of ferries which (if they actually managed to stay afloat) led us to Koh Phangan where we have spent the past week. It’s a fairly small island that is host to the famous ‘Full Moon Parties’ and we had a great time there. The beach bungalows we stayed in were lovely and the beaches themselves were stunning. It’s the stuff you see in holiday brochures – coconut trees, white beaches and clear seas. Really beautiful. Had a really fun few nights out, particularly one on the main beach which stretches aross the whole bay. It’s lined with bars and bucket stands and Thai men jump though skipping ropes of fire and play fire limbo (we didn’t last long at this game). A few of us befriended a Canadian with a guitar and ended up having a long, loud and slurred drinking session with him. I hadn’t had so much fun in a long time.

The most incredible day by far was just a couple of days ago when we went elephant trekking though the jungle. There were two of us to each elephant and we sat on the neck as it marched it’s way up the hilly area. It felt so surrreal and so overwhelming that by far it will be one of the things that will always stick with me.

 All in all, despite a few minor blips of panic here and there, it’s been an an unbelievable experience. Talking to other travellers too has definitely opened my mind up to what else is out there and I’m keen to see as much as I can. I’m on this island (Koh Samui) for another 3/4days and then making a long journey to Koh Phi Phi (a supposedly stunning place) before heading back up to Bangkok where we hope to go to the Tiger Temple before heading on to OZ. After our initial week together ended, the Thai group I was part of has started to go it’s separate ways but there are still a few of us sticking together. We picked up a stranger on the ferry today and after a 10minute chat he is now staying with us and sharing a room with a friend. It would never happen like that at home and that’s why I think right now I’m so grateful to be here. Being a ‘traveller’, as it were, is like living in a whole other world and I wouldn’t change that for a second.

Right now, it’s time to go find some drinks and have a chill out (because, you know, it’s been such a hard life up till this point…)