Joey’s last week in Thailand was just beginning but for me I would have some extra time, passing back through Chiang Mai on my Stray tour I would be starting after Joey left. With just one week left together we wanted to make the most of it. Our days off from diving had mostly been spent relaxing so we were looking forward to doing some exploring and fun activities. We planned to go to Koh Lanta, maybe fit in another fun dive now we were both qualified and do some kayaking and paddle boarding too. Alas it was not meant to be though as they had sold out of ferry tickets on the day we wanted to go and we felt a ten hour night journey by boat and bus would not be fun. Instead we settled on going to the much closer Koh Samui, which still had interesting temples, grandfather and grandmother rocks to see and kayaking too. We booked our ticket and prepared to leave Koh Tao.

Day 86 – Today should have been our warning as to what was to come. Between eating breakfast and spending ten minutes packing up the last of our stuff, the heavens opened. We legged it to the taxi and tried desperately to keep our stuff dry. When we got to the ferry port we had to wade through the flooded street only to be packed in amongst tonnes of other tourists, our raincoats rustling as we jostled to get our tickets and then get on the ferry. This time we weren’t taking any chances, especially with the weather, and we took some travel sickness tablets and managed to squeeze into a space near the railings on a couple of plastic stools. This trip seemed so much easier than the last one, mostly due to the fact that the tablets seemed to totally knock me out. Even when we eventually arrived at our lovely hotel I still couldn’t keep my eyes open and both Joey and I drifted off to the pitter patter of rain on the roof.

Day 87 – We also woke up to the pitter patter of rain on the roof. The weather wasn’t looking much better but we were determined not to let it get to us. It wasn’t a good day for exploring but it was a good day for movies! Seeing as Joey and I are cinema fanatics and both miss the time we had unlimited cinema passes and used to go to see a new film about once a week (at least) we couldn’t resist spending a rainy day eating popcorn and watching movies. We went to the mall and first we saw Assissins Creed, which we both agreed was pretty good except for the last thirty minutes where there were a few flaws with the plot. It is always interesting to go to the cinema abroad too and see how different it is, like the much comfiest seats, the option to sit in double seats with cushions and blankets at the back and at the moment there is also a slideshow of photos of the King where you stand throughout to pay respect. 

After the movie we did a bit of shopping and I got a much needed haircut! Then we couldn’t resist fitting in a second movie and we went back to watch Passengers. For some reason this ticket was even cheaper than the first and we paid about £3-4 for lovely comfy seats and bought in some of our own snacks to make it even cheaper. Passengers was also a good film, if a little predictable, but we enjoyed it. Basically it was our perfect way to spend a rainy day.

Day 88 – Still, we wanted to do some exploring and see what Koh Samui had to offer so when we got back from the cinema we booked to do a tour off the island the next day. However, when we woke up the rain was even worse than the day before. We packed up our stuff in Joey’s dry bag and wrapped up in raincoats but we weren’t holding out a lot of hope of going on this tour and sure enough as soon as we went downstairs we were told the tour was cancelled. We rescheduled for the next day but as the hours stretched on and there was no break in the rain we started to doubt it would happen then either. With no chance of even getting out to the cinema it was a very lazy day of Netflix, napping and beating Joey at cards games (he’ll try to tell you it was the other way around but don’t believe him). 

Day 89 – Rain, rain and more rain. It became a bit of a joke to go to the window every hour and say “guess what? It’s still raining!” We looked up other people’s experiences on social media and saw that everyone was as trapped in crazy floods as we were. Luckily, being on a hill, we didn’t see the worst of it but it was still constant with rivers of water running down the incline behind our room and pouring from pipes. The driveway became a water slide and when we ventured to the end of it there was a huge puddle waiting there. 

Though we had made the best of it the day before, the rain was getting tedious now. Our plans to finally get out and see more of the islands had been ruined. We stayed upbeat though; I continued to beat Joey at our favourite card game, speed, and we watched more movies on Netflix but hiding out in your hotel room is not exactly what you have in mind when you book a trip to Thailand. I was just thankful it happened while Joey was with me as being together we could keep each other laughing and having a good time despite the weather being against us. 

Day 90 – It was a shame that by this time we were looking forward to leaving the drowned rock that was Koh Samui but even that was looking dodgey. When we arrived at the airport it was packed. We spoke to people who had been trying to get a flight out for the last 4 days! Both Joey and I had a limited amount of time left in Thailand as our visas would run out soon so I was starting to get worried. We both thought we would be there for the longhaul when suddenly the man we had been speaking to earlier about the delays scurried past, telling me on the way that our flight was being called. Typically Joey had gone to the bathroom and I tapped my foot, listening to the announcements for our flight and waiting for him to come back. When he did, we grabbed our bags and battled our way to the front desks. One minute we weren’t sure when we would be leaving and the next we were on the shuttle bus heading to the plane. We held our breath until the wheels left the runway though, convinced at any moment we would be turned back, but in the end we left only an hour behind schedule and arrived in Bangkok with no further hiccups. Tired but happy to be somewhere it wasn’t raining we grabbed a bite to eat, Khaosan road beginning to feel like home now it was so familiar to us.

Day 91 – Determined to finally get some exploring in we booked a tour to Ayutthaya, the old capital of Siam until it was burned to the ground by the Burmese. The ruins still remain though and a mini bus picked us up and took us 80km outside Bangkok to see what was left. We started at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, a temple that is still in use today and is home to a reclining Buddha on whose feet you can stick coins for good luck.

 Next was Wat Mahathat, which used to house Buddha relics but is now still full of strange beauty with its crumbling walls and half-destroyed sitting Buddha statues. It is also home to the famous Buddha head embraced by tree roots as they have grown around the serene face over the years. It is quite a sight to see, though ruined slightly by the unavoidable tourist queue to get a photo with it.

After visiting Wat Lokaya Sutha, a 42m long reclining Buddha, this one without coins on the bottom of his feet, we went on to see two others sites. One with a huge pyramid-like temple that almost reminded me of Mexican sites like Chichin Itza and another with three smaller, yet still huge and stunning, stupas in a row. Unfortunatly between the guides quiet voice and thick accent I couldn’t keep track of all the information and googling these places has only left me more confused as they seem to also go by the name Wat Lokaya Sutha (I do apologise for my awful research skills) but what I do know is they were beautiful. We perched on stone steps listening to birds whistling and trying to imagine what these structures might have looked like when they were first built. 

When the day was over we both agreed it wasn’t the best tour in the world, with a unintelligible guide and a rather cold and tasteless lunch it wasn’t what we had hoped for, but it was still one hundred times better than being stuck in a hotel room all day. 

It was Joey’s last night so after a nice meal we did some last minute souvineer shopping and tried to pretend that our adventure together wasn’t coming to an end. Our last souvineer was one for ourselves, and perhaps something that will become a tradition for us one day, we got a cute little caricature drawn together to commemorate such an amazing trip. A very enthusiastic tourist who was waiting to have his drawn next took this very awkward photo of us once it was finished!

Day 92 – The alarm went off at 5:30 am and there was no more avoiding the wake up call; Joey was going home today.Travelling with someone had been a very different experience for me and it was hard not only to say goodbye to my boyfriend but also my travelling companion and also a little piece of home. It seemed incredibly lonely to go back to think of going back to setting up my camera for selfies, for writing my thoughts in my journal instead of sharing them with someone and having to carry my own bag around. I have enjoyed solo travel immensely but at that moment I wasn’t ready to go back there. And I wasn’t ready to let go of someone who knew me before this trip, who could give me news on friends and family and share memories that happened longer than a few weeks ago. 

It was hard for Joey too, knowing that he would be going back to a daily routine without me, that there was still another seven weeks stretching out before we would see each other again. Yet he was excited too, and so was I really, because those seven weeks still held so much in store for me. That evening I headed over to the Stray Asia office and met a whole bunch of people who would be my new travel companions for the next few weeks. The next day I would be starting the Stray bus tour that will take me through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, the end of my trip. The pass allows me to hop on and off the bus when it suits me, staying somewhere longer and catching up later if I want to or following the group. Some activities are included and they will help to book accomodation, though the cost isn’t included in the pass, and this seemed like the perfect mix between independent travel and tour group travel for me. The people I met were lovely too and I tried to forget all about goodbyes and think of it instead as a see you later.