From Bangkok there are numerous options when heading South. If you Google 'trains from Bangkok' to your chosen destination, you will easily find the latest train timetables and rates; some of which are combined with ferries and buses, depending on where you are headed. 
 
Most destinations to the South mean a stop in Surat Thani, which if you time badly, and arrive at night or miss a connecting bus, will mean a night there, which doesn't have much to offer, but more importantly doesn't actually have a train station! 

Most people don't realise that the train actually disembarks in Phun Phin which is 14 km West of Surat Thani. This is generally not a problem as the onward buses connect here as well. However if you end up having to stay in Surat Thani until the next day this is useful to note as it's a 25 minute journey by bus (orange one) to Surat Thani where all the accommodation is.

Neither of us have been to Koh Samui, so we wanted to head there to check out the main island and it's archipelago, or at least the main bits. With an overnight 2nd class (with air con) train and bus/ferry connection the journey took about 15 hours and cost 1048 baht (£23/US$36) each. Upper bunks are slightly cheaper than lower bunks but the latter were sold out when we booked, although we did wangle one lower bunk once on the train without paying the extra.

Disappointed that my friend who lives here is currently back in the UK and not here to show us around or even available to give some tips from afar, after arriving to the touts at the ferry terminal on Koh Samui, we headed to a hotel in Hat Bang Rak, better known as Big Buddha Beach. It turns out we have a pool which is a complete luxury for 490 baht (£11/US$17) a night! The only downside is the morning wake up, as a 737 abruptly knocks you from your slumber. The airport is less than a kilometre away and a large plane passing over causes you to jump five foot into the air!

After scouting out the guidebook and picking through some info on the internet using the rather poor WiFi here, we both concluded that the cheapest and most convenient way to explore the island would have to be by hiring a motorbike. Not my preference, for obvious reasons, but once we were out and about on one and taking it easy/being careful, it was definitely the way to go at just 200 baht a day plus the cost of petrol; just 90 baht for a full tank which we returned after 2 days only half used.

If you don't have a guidebook, look through the postcards available in 7/11 or your nearest souvenir shop to work out what to see, it's all there...

The island of Koh Samui is almost the same shape as Spain, so initially we headed clockwise from Hat Bang Rak ('Bilbao') towards Chaweng ('Barcelona') taking in the Big Buddha, Wat Laem Plain (Buddha with 18 arms) and the touristy looking market along the beach road in Chaweng, before stopping for lunch.

It seems much harder here to find a street food stall amidst the Western food places offering an abundance of pizza and less authentic Thai dishes. There are even tapas bars, reminding me once more of Spain! The prices are significantly higher than in Bangkok and more so compared to Chiang Mai. However it's still cheap, but do watch out for the alternative menu that some restaurants will give you as opposed to the one shown outside. I had a lengthy discussion with a waiter in one of the restaurants at the back of the market in Chaweng about the differences in the dishes advertised compared to the menu, which were evidently double in price, it turns out the cheaper option is a meal (comes with rice) and therefore smaller portions than the full size dish you find on the menu. The cheaper option would be adequate for those on a budget or with small appetites but can also be suitably subsidised with a papaya salad or portion of something else between two.

With a motorbike we had plenty of freedom to work our way around the rest if the island, ticking off each of the sights. Most things were free, but frustratingly we were hassled by locals at all of the locations and viewpoints that aren't on the postcards, to pay for parking or to walk through and access the area. It's so difficult to know if you are being ripped off and whether to actually cough up the money, particularly when we had no idea what we might see. We gave in a few times and skipped some as well, but were pleasantly surprised at not having to pay for parking or access to the bigger na muang waterfall (#2) and also the secret garden which is normally 80 baht per person - there was no one there to take our money at the garden.
 
My photo's show most of what you will see at the Grandma and grandpa rocks, Mumified monk with sunnies and Secret Garden, the guidebooks will provide the simple history/background.

Of course I have a few places to recommend that aren't in the postcards or guidebook:

• Wat samret - 80 Buddha's in the building behind the temple, and there were no tourists here during our visit.
• Mae Nam - chinese temple, don't think anyone even ventures here, unless they are staying in the nearby resorts.
• Laem Sor chedi - nice ocean view here, this chedi seems almost out of place and it very peaceful.
• Wat Laem Sor - odd wat which resides inside a boat surrounded by water. Think this area is almost deserted, or perhaps that was because a storm was brewing whilst we were here.

There was another opportunity to watch lady boy cabaret in Chaweng, and as Phill hadn't seen one before, and it was free (you have to buy a very overpriced drink instead of an entrance fee) this was a must do. Not as good as the ones in Chiang Mai (sorry - you may hear that a lot as it seems nothing ever is!), they were still good, but the set up was more show style and less bar with audience interaction, although any men in the aisles were getting involved whether they liked it or not, as I had anticipated would be the case. Of course the lady boys were willing to have photos for tips, although I think it's a bit unfair to appear to do this for free and then let unsuspecting tourists be forced to meet the demands for a tip afterwards.
 
It's extremely humid here as it's officially rainy season. We got stuck out on the bike in a storm on our last night, which was a bit scary as the roads were treacherous and we were on the opposite side of the island at the time. In fact the rain had us completely drowned within about 10 minutes so we pulled over at the first opportunity - a 7/11! We sat down and munched our way through a bag of peanuts and Thai bread sticks whilst mulling over whether to try and get past it or camp out for a while. Eventually deciding to brave it to the next 7/11, we purchased ourselves some funky pink and green poncho's and plodded on. 

The humidity soon dissipated after that and making it back to our hotel we dried off and ventured out in the rain on foot, and had the best green curry ever at Cafe Na (also in Bang Rak). In fact the food here was amazing, cheap and authentic... turns out Na isn't even Thai, unless they were joking?!