Day 9

Disaster. Well, not really – just a small disappointment. We rented the moped, but I just didn't feel comfortable on it – whether riding it myself, or as pillion. A bit of background story as to why; I had quite a serious road accident whilst on bicycle when I was young, and it took me quite a while to feel comfortable on a bike afterwards, but even then I was never fully assured. Growing up, most kids ride bikes daily, and it becomes like a second nature to them – and whilst I still had bikes, I was no Lance Armstrong. So my relationship with two wheeled transport has never been a strong one, ironic considering part of my parents inspiration for my naming came from highly successful 1980's Irish road cyclist Sean Kelly.

Anyway, Josephine on the other hand was far more comfortable riding around so we kept the rental (only 250 baht anyway, so really cheap) and after a light lunch we parted ways so she could explore a different part of the island. I ventured back towards our bungalow, and sat on the beach catching up on some news and reading whilst taking in the paradise feel of the place. Everything here is very slow paced, and relaxing. Something we've definitely enjoyed. I'll pass on to the first mate now to describe her day, and our evening.

Sob story alert (haha). So it was a shame that we couldn't explore together, but after a few hours of exploring I realised that one moped between two probably wouldn't have worked out very safely considering some of the terrain round here. It's quite a hilly little island, and getting to the stunning beaches that the island is famous for, involves journeying up and down narrow single lane tracks (some dirt tracks, some tarmacked). I stumbled across Sai Daeng Beach which was hands down the most amazing beach I've ever been to – that's me being used to condom laden Magaluf beach and pebbly Worthing as a child, but seriously, this place features crystal clear waters, white sands and washed up coral decorating the shore. I sat and took it all in for an hour, before heading back to the moped, wondering whether or not it would make it up the hill I had to brake constantly down on the way to the bay.

I intended to visit another beach, Sai Nuan, however my journey didn't quite go to plan. After taking what I can only imagine was a wrong turn, or a turn which took me along a track which eventually became too much for my little moped to handle, I ended up on a stony, sandy track which took my wheels from under me. Don't worry - I'm still in one piece (the bike was pretty much at a stand still), and I came out without a scratch. The bike however, had a small scratch on the front mud-flap which the guy we hired it from had kindly informed us was brand new at the beginning of the day – shit. So I made my way back to the bungalow with my tail between my legs (again, no need to worry, I've not become a ladyboy) to tell Shaun that I'd ****ed it. We plucked up the courage to return the bike with the plan to play dumb – our plan failed, and we had to pay a whopping £40 fine. Not ideal, but the most money we've spent on any one thing since we arrived in Thailand. Not sure if we'll be hiring any more mopeds.

We'd read some amazing reviews of a Thai food restaurant called Lanta on Trip Advisor, so decided to venture there for tea. It turned out to be one of the nicest meals we've had since we've been away, and we were once again astounded by the efficiency of the whole operation. Our delicious food (one starter and three mains) was delivered to us in minutes, and only cost us the equivalent of £9. The portions were also large in comparison to many of the Thai meals we've had so far, so with our British sized stomachs gradually shrinking, we were stuffed and had to take a long walk home. We stopped off for a drink in our favourite fire breathing bar, before getting another early night. Beach life really takes it out of you.