On the road again!

We said farewell to the lovely Liad, tremendous Tanya (Lily's second Mum already!) and Dangerous Dave for three days of travel. The first leg (today) allowed us to see much of the rugged (and very lush) limestone landscape of southern Thailand.  It began with me physically running around (in 35 degree heat) trying to get a local person to explain directions to the inept taxi driver on the end of the phone who could not find the house we were staying in despite this being a small town. As usual, it took several tuk tuks, minivans and a coach to get to Surat Thani, a nondescript river city that you wouldn't usually visit apart from the fact that it is situated at the southernmost end of the line back to the bombastic Bangkok. 

I managed to find a choice hotel with large swimming pool and playground (a rarity in these parts) by the river. We freshened up from our day's travels in the pool then stumbled down the road and into a lovely little eatery that helped us set the record for the cheapest (and equally delicious) meal we have had this holiday. We shared 6 dishes and a couple of drinks on the side of the road with locals who started and smiled at Lily and get lovely hair (as always!). The meal cost less than 250baht, which is under £5, Thailand in peak season has been  more expensive than we expected so this was a relief. The hotel had encouraged us to take another tuk tuk to one of many Westerner friendly eateries, but we were chuffed to find this terrific little shack just down the road:

We have most of the day tomorrow to hang out by the pool and play area (plus we might get to sneak a gym session in here) before heading to the station for part two of the over night train story... We've followed the advice of a bunch of other tourists who promise a more pleasant experience when traveling in a private room for a few extra dollars... I still have flash backs about the sledge hammer sounds and the hole in the floor... Please wish us luck! We then have just over 24 hours in Bangkok before flying to Da Nang, Vietnam for the final 8 weeks of our south east Asian adventure.