2 December 2025 Steps: 8,208 After our early morning wake up to go see the elephants yesterday, we had a lazy morning before heading to Khlong Khong beach in the afternoon, as it is the best beach for kids in Koh Lanta . We spent the afternoon at Koala Bar relaxing on the bean bags under the shade of a tree and it was wonderful! The sand is incredibly soft and the great thing about Khlong Khong Beach is the gentle slope into the sea, makes it perfect for kids. We took the

1 December 2025 Steps: 6,732 Following Giants, Koh Lanta Ethical Elephant Sanctuary We had spent some time looking for an ethical elephant experience and Following Giants Elephant Sanctuary in Koh Lanta kept coming up as the place that truly puts the elephants' wellbeing first. Ethics around animals is something we think about much more now than we did years ago. Back in 2006 when we were backpacking around the world, we rode elephants without really questioning it , and at

30 November 2025 Steps: 7,777 Koh Lanta Old Town Today we caught a taxi over to Koh Lanta Old Town to explore the famous town on the island that is known for its wooden houses , some of which are built on stilts over the water. We started by walking to the end of the pier and spent some time watching locals fishing both in the water and from the pier. From there, we wandered into the heart of the old town and found one of the wooden restaurants perched on stilts. Nothing be

29 November 2025 Steps: 11,205 Relax Bay, Koh Lanta We spent most of today at Relax Bay , which is just a short walk from our hotel. What we love about this beach compared to more famous beaches like Long Beach, is how close the water is to the bars and restaurants. It feels very intimate. It’s perfect for families because you can sit with a drink in the shade while the kids play nearby without feeling like they’ve wandered too far. It's funny to realize that after all this t

28 November 2025 Steps: 4,680 Today was my birthday, which was a bit of an odd experience as I don’t think I’ve ever had a birthday overseas before and I’m usually in work! It’s also been a while since I’ve had family with me, so it made the day feel even more special, especially as we celebrated with a cooking class at Lanta Thai Cookery School. Lanta Thai Cookery School I absolutely love cooking classes , and in fact me and Susie did a class here back in 2011 when we last

27 November 2025 Steps: 11,744 Today we enjoyed a slow, relaxed morning at the villa, and took the opportunity for Pops to spend some time working with Jess on her maths - it’s not every day you have a maths teacher on hand to help with these things! After a bit of homeschooling, we walked down to Lock Lack Coffee, where we got some fantastic smoothies and yogurt bowls . It was nice to have some fresh fruit in the morning! Lanta Animal Welfare Centre After an hour playing i

26 November 2025 Steps: 8,565 This morning we caught a flight from Bangkok down to Koh Lanta . It was nice having some help at the airport and my parents took the girls to McDonald’s for breakfast while Susie and I relaxed in the airline lounge. I could get used to this! We had pre booked our transport to the hotel with Mun Lanta . They met us at the airport and since our parents were joining us it made sense financially to get a private van. There was plenty of space for all

25 November 2025 Steps: 10.524 The Grand Palace, Bangkok The Grand Palace, Bangkok This morning we finally got to visit the Grand Palace in Bangkok , after turning up yesterday only to find it closed because of the commemorations for the Queen Mother who passed away recently. A bit of bad timing, but it worked out better as we got to walk around in the morning which was cooler , especially as we all had to wear trousers into the palace. And the palace is really strict about c

24 November 2025 Steps: 12,234 Wat Arun from the river After a quick breakfast, we made our way into the centre of Bangkok to visit the main temples, the Grand Palace, and to spend some time in the Khao San Rd area. Wat Arun The traffic was horrible and it ended up taking us around an hour to get to Wat Arun (200 baht entry fee), our first temple in Bangkok. Wat Arun sits on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River and is one of the most beautiful temples, as the central spir

23 November 2025 Steps: 7,858 Meeting up with Family in Bangkok! Today we flew to Bangkok to meet my parents , and even though their first flight was delayed they still managed to make their connection with minutes to spare. In the end they actually met us at the airport because our bags took so long to come out. We wanted to catch a six seater taxi but were told the large one could fit all of us. Technically they were right, although the girls ended up in the boot on a make