If our time in Bangkok was all about flashy bars, huge shopping malls, traffic jams and a bit of seediness – then we were determined to go back to basics in Ko Samui.
This beautiful island is becoming increasingly commercialised, but really it's all about the simple pleasures in life – white sands, blue seas, lush green vegetation, and a typical Thai welcome. Not wanting to battle with any of the truculent taxi drivers, we kept our sights pretty low today. We just wanted to stay in town and find some decent food. A mission which turned out to be pretty easy.
Actually, in the past I think that I've under-estimated Na Thon (our port, and the island's main town) just a little. Admittedly it's a little touristy, but the people in the shops are friendly without being pushy, and there seems to be quite a few decent places to eat.
We went to the extremely unpretentious Lucky Restaurant, where we were fortunate enough to enjoy some lovely sea views as we chowed down on a delicious Thai Green Curry and Pad Thai that we hoped weren't going to have quite the gurgling effect as our Bangkok meal a couple of days earlier.
Who needs expensive roof top bars, when you can have views like this for a fraction of the price?