Our 'holiday from our holiday' in Thailand began and ended on Ko Samui. We arrived (the first time) exhausted from our intense temple-visiting trip to Siem Reap, in need of a break, a chance to recharge our batteries. I wasn't sure quite what to expect from it, having heard everything from “it's not the same as it was, it's just so commercial” (world-weary travellers) to “it's amazing, a real-getaway” (holidaymakers) and everything inbetween.

I have to say, I side with the holidaymakers. As we arrived at Ko Samui airport, I instantly felt like I was on holiday. In a film. Golf buggies collected us from the plane and took us to the 'airport,' constructed from wooden huts. All it needed was some calypso music and some men in flowered shirts and the impression would have been complete.

We were staying on Mae Nam Beach, a world away from the 24 hour bars, McDonalds and Boots of Chaweng Beach, home of the afore-mentioned gap-year kid (or so we believe, we didn't actually venture to Chaweng ourselves to find out). It really was island paradise: clear turquoise sea, simmering heat, the peaks of Ko Phangan visible across the water. Walking on the beach on our first evening, as the sun was setting, it was hard to imagine a more picturesque scene.

Our stay was divided into 2 parts: the first 2 days marked the beginning of our pre-detox, and therefore avoidance of anything other than salads and juices – although that didn't stop me enjoying a banana pancake on our first morning. The second 2 days (when we returned) marked the beginning of normal eating, and therefore involved consuming everything we wanted to after almost 2 weeks of abstinence. Thailand has allegedly some of the best cuisine in this region and so I've done my best to sample as much as I can in 48 hours. Like a stereotypical Brit-abroad, James has been craving chips, burgers and fried breakfasts (as you'll have seen from our previous post) so has been trying (and, let's be honest, mostly failing) to find decent Thai versions of these western delights. Perhaps we should have made a trip to Chaweng after all.......

My favourite part of the second trip (and one of the highlights of the tour so far) actually happened before we even set foot on the island. We were able to get a small boat directly from The Sanctuary on Ko Phangan direct to Mae Nam Beach, rather than the usual catamaran, and the journey was incredible. Early morning, the sun was shining, barely a cloud in the sky, the wind whipping through your hair just the right amount. I could have stayed there for hours. We even caught sight of some flying fish, fins clipping the top of the water as they went skimming along the surface like stones. Was amazing to see: I wasn't wholly convinced they even existed.

On our last day, we had built up enough energy to do a little exploring. Whilst our corner of the island was pretty perfect, we didn't want to leave without having seen at least a little more of it. So we hired a motorbike (last time for a while, we promise) and went on a little adventure to Hin Lat Waterfall, one of 3 waterfalls on the island, which involved a beautiful coastal drive en route. We decided to climb to the top, allegedly a 2km jaunt up through the forest. In fact it was more like 4km, and involved some scrambling up rocks and the like. James was in his element; me, less so. And then when we were about two-thirds of the way up, the clouds that had been threatening gave way to proper torrential rain. Within 5 minutes we were absolutely soaked, but pressed on to the top of the waterfall regardless. And it was worth the effort: the waterfall itself was pretty impressive, although unfortunately a little too muddy for swimming. James unleashed his inner explorer and went for a clamber around the rocks, and then we made the decent back down, passing a very-unhappy looking German couple en route. About two-thirds of the way down, the rain abruptly stopped, replaced once more by blazing heat. Such is rainy season in Thailand.