I'm writing this while swinging gently in a hammock overlooking the Andaman Sea! Yes, that's right, we're still on Ko Lanta. This reluctance to leave island paradises is becoming something of a trend in our trip. We had a good reason this time though, honest!

We stayed for the first few nights in Mango House in Old Town, which the missus aptly described in her previous post, as being very Somerset Maugham, but with mod cons. Well, one thing it lacked was service.... of any kind. We didn't see another soul from the moment we checked in. The cafe and restaurant were closed and the reception was all shuttered up. It was a bit of a nuisance, as an onsite restaurant can be very handy for the parents of a two year old.... we can put him to bed at his usual time, use the baby monitor on my iPhone and pop next door for a bite and a beer in peace and quiet. No offence, Luca!

We left Old Town and headed to the west coast and to the really beautiful, chilled out beaches there, where we spent about a week doing very little, apart from lazing on the beach and reading.

 
While there, we met a few other cycle tourers. They were heading south into Malaysia and, as we're heading north along the route they've just taken, we were able to swap tales, advice and routes. Very handy. We were all set to head off on our way up north, but Mango House, having received our complaint, offered us a week's stay, free of charge. Hard to turn down, when the place was so beautiful. So, here we are, back in the hammock on our balcony overlooking the sea in Mango House. We're going to stay for 3 or 4 nights here and then head on again. Having planned our route from Ko Lanta to Bangkok in a bit more detail now, we're keen to get going again. Then again, this hammock is rather comfortable....