Job 2 Do

It is New years eve and I am sitting here giving money to Charlies as much as it begrudges me however things are happening too fast on this island that I will forget by the time I get to the mainland.  We are still in Ko Muk and it has been eventful to say the least.  A quick summary of the uneventful tasks and then the stories.

I ran the previous two options past the other two and explained I had to escape the couple and if they were coming to Ko Tao then I would stay here.  Ben went crazy, he said we never change our plans and we will tell them to leave us alone.  When he says we, he means Olga to the rescue again.  So we sit them both down and explain that we do not want to travel with them.  He explains after the Job 2 do concert he will leave and she is going to Trang and her ma will transfer the money and we will leave her there.  PERFECT!! The three of us which we have renamed shampoo as there is 3 in 1 will go to Ko Tao.  Everyone is happy.

So Mr Scumbag checks out of the campsite
Mrs Scumbag checks out of the campsite and leaves clear instructions that she will go to trang.

Then we getting chatting to a great english couple who live in Bangkok, we talk about the Tsunami and the live in Thailand and mention...we are going to Ko Tao.

"Do not go, it will be horrible.  They are having the monsoon.  Do not go"

So after 30 seconds the shampoo discuss it and we agree to Dive from here...yeah!!
Stay until the 2nd...Yeah
Couple will go...yeah

Happy days. There is only 1 tiney tiney problem....we are fast running out of cash and this island only accepts cash.  We chat to the amazing bangkok english people and they say charlies resort will do a credit transfer.  For three days we have tried to get money out of charlies and still no joy.  The lie about everything, this is why I have banned from giving them any money but they are the ones with the internet....so I failed in my mission.

Anyway the three of us took to an adventure and got some cash.  We went on the village boat and headed to a town I cannot remember.  We got lifts from the locals for free in their tucktucks and enjoyed real pad thai at 110 baht for 3 people.  So our dinner was 2.50 for all.  BONUS.  Also we have cash so we can enjoy paradise until the 2nd.

Now lets go back in time to the events of Ko Tao.  After we decided to stay we headed out for food.  We had a few changs and all but Mr Scumbag were present.  I had previously told him that he had ruined 2 days of my holiday and I no longer would spend time with him.  She is a little to thick to get it so she came.  We wandered past a bar which had Australian banging tunes in it and on auto pilot we went in to dance.  Mrs was having a blast that she told me she would stay one more day for job 2 do and then leave......Give me hope Joanna!!

That night even thought they will divorce, he stayed in her tent.  I am still in luxuary hotel at this point.  He is apparently bevvied up and leaves her tent.  He falls asleep outside nice bangkok couples tent.  At 4am she goes to find him and slaps his face to wake him.  He wakes up and calls her rude names....yes those are the ones.  Mrs Bangkok told Ben the next day, we explained they are scumbags and we are trying to get rid of them.  That night however there should be peace because reggae band Job2do are in town and everyone is heading to the beach.  The couple checked out of the campsite [or so they told the guy who owns it, they actually changed their mind but forgot to tell him].  There tent has been rented to someone else.......yes we can all see what happens now.  Anyways we have told everyone that these people are not our friends and we are not responsible for them.

Cue the concert.  This story will have three themes.........
1. Our couple
2. Thai boys
3. The americians that our couple abused in Ko Kradan

oh and the shampoo of course.

So we turn up at a drunkard and slightly mind altering concert.  Now I find the best thing at these events is to get a chair and watch.

Our couple are back together, they have another hotel because we explained Alex rented their tent.  They are kissing and all over each other.  Now at this point we are still penniless.  I am convinced they made the whole thing up so we would give her cash.  They try to talk but we are short and unwelcoming.

After a few hours the drunk Thai biys start to fight.  It is west street massive and we watch short men running and dragging each other all over the place.  The we spot our american friends.  They are wasted.  I have no idea what on but smashed.

She is sitting on the rocks...............not such a good place to be.  We are talking about how unbalanced she looks, why would you sit on a high rock when you cannot stand......do do do do do [eastenders music].  She falls straigh off the rock onto another one and smashes her face in.  So her very mashed mates take her for a walk to..........the sea???? Are these people isiots.

She is watching the sea and hugging the imaginary big white telephone and then drunk american number two falls out of the concert.

So where do they take her................the rock!!!!!

Lucklily for her she trips before the rock and smahes her nose on the small rock.  Then she is clearly smarter so she takes herself to the sea.  Are these people stupid.

So we watch and laugh and wish we had popcorn. It turns out the american fell asleep on the beach and this morning her face looked smashed.

Then we go home to bed.  At 4am I wake up because I hear a liverpool accent.  They have apparently lied about said hotel and are walking around our campsite.  I shut up my tent and stay silent so they do not know where were are.  I find said idiots asleep on the bar floor this morning and took a photo to laugh at.  I will upload when home.

All in a nights work......I am now washed, dressed and readu to watch the events of NYE.  I am back in my posh mansion away from said scumbags.  When I say posh, I would like you to know that it is 10 pounds a night.

Happy New Year Peops...Love you and miss you xxxxxx

Kisses to my nephews and Etty

Ko Muk "the pearl"

The morning after the night before.  [I suggest you read solo traveller first]

The day starts with the farewell breakfast we are all splitting up for a few days and then all but the Liverpudlian man will meet for a new years party.  We go for breakfast, the boys are going to Ko Lanta.  Ben, Olga, Wife and myself are going to Ko Muk which means the pearl once translated.  We set of to find our long tail boat and who should be there but the man himself [cue eastenders music].  In my head I am rapidilly trying to think how do I dump this idiot.

On the way to Ko Muk, they drop us at the Emerald Cave.  This is a cave which is filled with water, you have to swim through in a big line for about 2 minutes.  The cave is just above our heads and in places we are in the pitch black.  After a few minutes you can see the light and we pop out the other end to an 'emerald lagoon'.  The lagoon was not that emerald due to the suns position but it was surrounded by jungle.  It felt like I was in a set of Jurasic park. It was incredible.  This was only incredible for 2 minutes due to the toursists so we soon jumped back in the water and swam back through the cave in the dark.

We then arrived in Ko Muk and my cunning plan to escape the couple is to get my own room.  So Olga 'wonderful' Olga let me have the nice expensive room and I am staying in a place away from the rest. Olga and Ben know I need time alone so they have left me and I am happy. 

This island then really is the pearl.  I love it there is more to see than Ko Kradan, more people and more life.  The island is bigger and you have to get there by motorbike taxis which are fun and due to the people not knowing I am with the idiot the Thai people could not do enough for you.

I have decided my 2 plans, which both revolve around soft lad.

a) if he clears off I will go with Ben and Olga to Ko Tao and go the the NYE festival and dive for cheap.

b) if he comes to I will stay here and dive better site but muchos Bahtos and I will spend NYE here in peace.  I will then head to Chumpin to meet the Ben and Olga and travel to Bangkok with them.

Lets keep our fingers crossed he goes because I really want to party with the other guys it should be fun.

Solo Traveller

Dear All

Do I travel on my own because I am too difficult to be around or I find other people difficult to be around......who knows.  My few days in Ko Kradan were fun and the group was hilarious but I was looking for a few days.  I am not refering to Olga or Ben as I have a lot in common with both of them and could easily travel with them, we all appreciate our own space but have fun together.  Actually I have enjoyed the compamy of the Italian and the Austrians so I will look forward to the end of the year party when we all meet.  So in other words........I am English GET ME OUT OF HERE.  This is not a statement it is a request.  The guy from Liverpool has driven me to once again hate the english abroad.  I have successfully managed to avoid them in all my previous travels but got stuck with him.  At first he was ok, I realised there are too many reasons he would not make the facebook friend list but the last two days I am trying to avoid him like crazy.  Unfortunalty paradise is small and it is hard to do, he keeps turning up like a series of Benidorm he is always staggering with 2 changs in hand and sitting down no matter how inappropraite the time and saying all right ar kid [in a scouse accent].  I explained to Ben and Olga that when you are not English he could be funny but as an English person he is an embarrasment and I need a day away from him.  So the three of us went out for a quiet breakfast, ar kid turned up 10min later after the breakfast of 3 changs and on a 3 day bender.  He sits down obviously at 9am the best thing to do is to start taking photos of the muts nuts, then he starts moaning about some americian people we met the night before in a rascist fashion.  I was not laughing at the jokes as they weren't funny.  Ben and Olga were half laughing until he gets up for some reason which has escaped me and put the wooden table number down his pants and walked around the resturant.  It might have been funny on the 18-30 holiday we went on to tenerife 12 years ago but if you knew me around that time no part of that holiday was fun either.  The Thai people rightfully so went mental and I was hoping they were going to take him away on a boat trip or do some mung thai there and then. 

This was breaking poing for me so I distance myself from everyone for a few hours.  Ask yourself a question when you see someone staggering around changs in hand at 8am is it the italian? NO
Do you see the Austraians putting things in their pants in a nice resturant. NO
Do you see the greek girl weeing infront of a bar: NO

Always always the english,  so if like me you want to avoid english arseholes do not go to the paradise islands of Thailand.

Anyway in my time alone I sat and thought once I dump these idiots I will be fine and I knew tomorrow they would leave.  The night only got worse because he was so bad, his wife is a nice girl so she was trying to get rid of him and talk with the other nations.  This was fine up to chang number ....?..... and then he accussed her of cheating on him with the italian well she didn't but come on lets look at the motive:

Handsome Italian vs Dirty unwashed English
Gentleman vs Beast
Speaks with all the locals and is adored throughout the country vs Offends every nation in 3 seconds
Wees in private vs wees in the resturant doorway

So then said scummer tries to beat up his wife.....mama mia [I hate being english abroad sometimes].  I have left the biggest tips in all my life to try and ease the situations but never mind tomorrow is a new day.

The couple broke up, she will travel with us whilst she sorts herself out and he will go to Trang and then Pattaya.  This is were all the idiots go so everyone is happy.  I have thought about dumping her but I know if I was in the same situation and in trouble abroad my parents would hope someone woulf look after me so I feel I must stay and not leave her.  This girl is not the sort of girl who is meant to travel south east asia on her own.  The other reason is once when I was in a nightclub in vancouver my bank froze all my accounts and I ran out of money.  I could not get home or meet my friend who was arriving the next day.  A nice australian who lived in mexico gave me $50 and never asked for it back. 

Sometimes we have to be nice.  This was one of these times.

Ko Ko Kradan

Merry Ho Ho Ho everyone

This is going to be a post from the last few days so I suggest you grab a cup of tea and some choc and enjoy the read......it's going to be a long one.

Some days ago, I have no idea when we left Ko Lanta.  We managed to bargin everyone down in Ko Lanta for hotels, diving trips, food and finally the transfer to Ko Kradan.  At first we werentold it would be 500bht each [10 pounds] but we managed to haggle to 350 inclusing a free trasfer from the hotel to the ferry terminal.  So of course what that really means is..... we have a story.

We got up with time to spare and headed for breakfast, Ben ordered a burger, Olga a club sandwich and me pancakes.  After x period of time there was no food so we asked for a take out instead as out transfer left in 5 minutes.  Once we arrived with breakfast at the pick up truck it was full.  The back of the van was full of 6 people, so we were invited into the inside of the airconditioned car.  Sadly there was no room for our bags so they got thrown on the lap of the people squashed in the back of the van.  We had plenty of room in our part.  Instead of getting to the ferry termina; we get dropped at a dodgy looking cafe, he takes our tickets and drives away.  We went through to the back of the cafe and there is a dodgy looking boay, well normal really just not posh.  We had just stayed in a 3000 bht a night hotel so we were used to posh.  Anyway who cares we are bartaring travellers so we were happy.

So then the adventure starts we start breakfast, my pancakes appear to be chips.....Ben's chips as we have left the bloody oancakes behind.  Then we are asked to board the boat...oh no not the dodgy boat, anyone can get on that.  Our boat is what can only be described as a sheet of tin with a engine.  I panic that we are sitting outside for hours on an open top boat.  Well have you seen the colour of me, I will fry.  I search the entire boat to find an indoor area which is next to the engine room.  This boat gave me a new appreciation for Australian asylum seakers.  If these dudes need to spend over a month on one of these they should be granted asylum.  Anywho......we arrive finally in Ko Kradan even after a random stop over to snorkel.

We find Olga friends so we are now 9 and xmas can begin.  We are made up of an Italian, 3 x Austrians, Greek, German, 2 Scousers and me.  Most of xmas involed jokes, chang, samson rum and many many laughs.  So many that I will tell you in person and not on the internet.  We are half camping/ bungalows and the beaches are amazing at night.

During the day it is a dy trippers paradise so we are filled with tour boats and dreadful tourists but by 3pm they leave and the island is ours.  The tourist have been renamed happy hour because we eat free from their buffet and the afternoon we wave them goodbye like Robinson Crusoe.

The island through very strange, there is a tie I have never seen before.  One moment you leave for dinner and the tide is out.  You arrive in a resturaunt and drink some chang, when you leave the tide is in and you are trapped by a sea of water.  You either swim, go through the jungle or stay for more chang changs.  I can assure you we have tried and succeded in all three.  This magical tide revolves around us so we must be the moon.  It is the only logicl conclusion I can make.

To conclude, our trip to Ko Kradan will end tomorrow and the group will split for a few days and come back together for a NYE to remember.  I have had a great xmas but if I am honest it is not the same.  L.I.V.I.N.G.T.H.E.D.R.E.A.M is being with my 3 husbands at xmas and I have missed them a lot.  I will make the most of it and am having a blast but I miss you xxxxxx

See you in a few days for updates.

Only 1 but Sooooooo worth it :-)

This morning I woke up very nervous, yesterdays diving was good but I was rubbish on air & I had a tank that affected my buoyancy so today I'll be honest. I didn't really want to dive.

I thought about joining the dive school, practicing buoyancy and breathing before I go again. However instead I went diving again with Palm Beach and vicky was our guide & it was by far the best dive I have ever done. We went to Ko Ha No 1 and had our briefing. Ben was getting water and Vicky asked would we rather dive through the chimney & go through the swim throughs....I knew the answer my buddy would want but I explained I am a bit rubbish with air and she said who cares let's go.

So we found the chimney and started to descend, the lightning was amazing and I loved going through the swim throughs. We started by trying to find a seahorse to which we had no joy. By this point I had completely forgotten about air & was looking around. Ben was on the hunt for slugs....I am more a fish person. We saw loads and the coral looked more colourful than I have seen but maybe when you stop thinking about dying there is more in the ocean.

To name but a few we saw:

Firefish
2 moray eels (one swam under bens leg) he has a little apprehensive as he has watched YouTube clips where one bites someones finger off.
Nemos (loads: little tiny ones & big ones) well hardly massive
Jan's firefish which is beautiful
Hermit crab
A yellow margin trigger fish which was picking up a rock bigger than itself and turning it over whilst smaller fish ate what was underneath
To summarise: amazing guide, amazing dive, amazing buddy and max depth 22.2m dive 57 mins Average dive 14.6m and 28 degree bottom water temp. Then spent ages (3 minutes) looking at fish at 5 meters and ascended slowly.

All in all brilliant, then I came out of the water and got back on the boat. No sooner I stepped on the boat I felt really sick & chucked up over the side. Fish food!!

Now I feel better it's mango shakes and Chang time

ps: found out yesterdays guide was the champion at Thai boxing, not only does he guide like a butterfly he also stings like a bee.

Couldn't recommend Ko Lanta and Palm Beach enough for driving. It's worth ever penny abd tge deckhands are so kind and attentive.

Great day Xx

pps: hope all is well in England and everyone is happy to be off work

I sat out the second dive to be sure but feel fine now.

Secrets & Lies

In my last post I talked about my expensive hotel room. This was a lie...Olga negotiated it at 500bht per night (for three people). This is about £10 so £3.33 each per night. This hotel is amazing, on the beach, hot & cold water, toliet paper (incredible here) and posh....without a doubt £3.33 is posh. Well on my boat today someone ask how much I paid and I had to lie to her......I had to, noone is paying £3.33 here for sure. We met a lady who had pearl earings, expensive perfume and looks like a gorgeous babe for an old girl. There is no way she is paying £10. There is no way. So I lied and doubled it, she then told me that she was upset that we got it so cheap.....I thought imagine how upset you will be if you knew the real cost.

The Beach & Below

Merry Christmas People

As I am sitting in my very expensive hotel bungalow I have been reading about you all in the UK. Rob is back for the wedding, Lizzy finally gets sometime off, Michelle wishes she could hit the pause button, Paula has run out of time & my sister is piddled. I guess the drinking gene missed my parents generation & we do enough for our Viking predecessors.

Today I got my Xmas pressy......I got to go diving!! We have stayed 4 nights in Ko Lanta so Olga can do her open water & Ben and myself can dive. This morning we headed off to Myra bay. I was a little apprehensive because I always use my air too quickly and Ben is like a whale and could only surface once in three days. Anyway, off we went and as time passed we met our A.M.A.Z.I.N.G guide & headed to the bay which is where the beach was filmed.

As you all know above the water is beautiful but below the water is unreal. We decented straight onto a stegostorna fasciaturn [leopard shark for everyone but Justin]. Then ben dragged us away to see a resting turtle, which he stroked & got told off. This dive was 47 minutes long & I obviously finished low on air but the highlights were seeing pipefish,
scorpion fish, many varieties of shrimp a painted lobster and then a reef octopus which
changed colour twice as we watched him.

Then we surfaced and waited for the pick up, I felt silly getting a pick up until I turned around as saw we all got picked up because you couldn't get to the beach as 1 million Leo Fans were having their photos taken on the beach.


After a Thai curry lunch we headed to Ko Bida Nok and I was given a much bigger tank to keep us under for longer, we managed 58 minutes and I got to 40bar.....I must practice this somehow to get better.

At first I found this dive a challange because my tank and weights made me unbalanced and I was diving at 90 degrees (not ideal)...anyway it still had a great variety of things....black diadems sea urchins, eels, puffer fish and more pipefish & shrimps. Anyways the real treat is we saw a seahorse.....when I say saw, what I mean is I saw the coral looked different and my guide and ben said it was a seahorse so it mist have been. I did however see the many hidden & overt kuhl's stingray. Also it was funny when we had to take a wide berth around a Titan triggerfish as it tried to swim at our divemaster IEB. Anyway I can fully recommend Ko Lanta to dive & palm beach divers aregood people to go with.

We have another day tomorrow and hopefully my air is better :-)

Miss you x

1st Adventure

Welcome to Paradise 

This is the story of Bangkok to Ko Lanta.  This is also the story for 4 hot Australian Babes as I have a must have for you trip to Thailand.  I left Bangkok and changed my flight to Krabi instead of Phuket.  There are two reasons this was good, the first iss I did not need to fly to Phuket and the second is I flew business class [can't remember if I mentioned it].

The first night was a disaster due to jet lag and sleeping on the plane all the way from England..  I had about 2 hours sleep and I was exhausted for the flight.  I managed to sleep on the plane and woke up in Krabi 1 hour later.  I followed my clear instructions from my German friend....I have met people, we are going to an Island and you are coming.  So I did.

I got the minivan to Ao Nang and from their waited to get a long boat to Hat TonSai.  This place is great.  It is full of three types of people.....

1. The Hippies, ageing hippies everywhere.  I though my hair would tun itself into dreadlocks the moment I got off the long boat.

2. Drinkers, the chang is cheap and the Pad Thai is amazing

and the third and the real reason to come is to climb.  There are rock climbers everywhere.....which mean Jess, Lorelle, Nat & Liana....there are hot men EVERYWHERE!!!

There are two options, 1. Climb or 2, sit with your chang and watch them.  I went for option 2.

Ben & Olga arrived and Olga has the plan.  I have been told it 1000 times but I cannot remember.  It involves camping for Xmas day and NYE in divers heaven.   So I am following.

Day 2 on TonSai was an adventure.  We started walking through the jungle [the first of 1000 bites] then arrive sat in a beach bar drinking shakes and eating Nutella pancakes.  We then walked home and this is where the adventure starts.

Olga started to practice fire dancing, without the fir or the dancing.  Afterwards our intention was to walk to TanSai via the beach as the tide was out.  However watching and doing fire dancing was hungry work so we headed for sticky rice with Mango.  In this time it became dark and the tide came in.  We were advised by the nice Thai man it was still safe to walk......so we did. The other option "safe" option was to get the river boat but that was 80Baht each......about $3.  so we walked.

After 15 minutes we were chest deep in water and we realized it was more a swim so we turned around.  We started heading back to the laughing boat men........they were laughing because why pay 80baht when you could swim.  HOWEVER, we would not be beaten, we then paid the guide 100 baht to take up.  So we headed back into the water.  After the second swim around the rock we gave up.  Night swimming is not so smart, especially when you are fully dressed and carrying 50'000baht between us.

So back to the boat, by now they were laughing and we couldn't get into the boat.  If we couldn't go round the cliff, we would go over it.  So we met an American who I renamed Bear Grills and then over the cliffs we went.  I have never been such a girl in my entire life, I was nervous to say the least....but we did it.

Now what is the best way to celebrate.....Pad Thai of course.

We are now in Ko Lanta and aim to dive, head to a remote island.

But for now it is swimming and Chang time.

Happy Decemberr.

Flights, Floods & Food

I am safe in Bangkok. It is 7pm & all is well.

The flight was a dream, an actualy dream. It appears getting smashed on free white wine the night before bodes well for travel. No sooner had we taken off on our 10 and a half hour flight, I fell asleep. I mearly shut my eyes for 2 mins and out. When I finally woke up I looked on the online map & we had nearly crossed India. Then an announcement breakfast is served we have 2 hours 20 minutes left. So I read a book, ate some food & landed in Bangkok.

My flashpacker hotel is lovely, thanks sue for arranging it. It bloody wants to be lovely because in my hungover state of booking a hotel I booked 2 rooms for 4 people. So I have the choice of 2 rooms. They both have views over the swimming pool but all grass land is a swimming pool because there us water everywhere. It looked more like flying to holland than Bangkok this afternoon.

I have made contact with Ben & co and will meet them tomorrow. I had to change my flight so no longer going to Phuket. The only flight I could swap it for was a business class flight.....it will be hard getting on that plane but someone has to.
Finally I don't want you all thinking I'm rich. My 2 rooms have cost £30 and my business flight £60.

Great thing about rip off British. Bloody cheap everywhere else. I think the Internet signal is pants at the next destination so maybe off for a while xxx

Christmas Cheer is finally here

I am finished and it's all working out for the best. I managed to get to the airport early and chatted to the very nice lady behind the desk and I have been given a birthday present from Quantas. An emergency exit seat, I am not sure if I really want one on black Friday but it's mine & I'm keeping it.

The latest is Ben is in Thailand and I have a list of instructions on where to meet them and I get to miss out Phuket so all in all....result!!

Then the airport is buzzing, loads of students heading home, families heading away and stress. I realise a bonus of singledom is no blazing rows at heathrow in full view of everyone. I can buy as many magazines as I like, eat wherever I want and not get involved in the crazy stress. I read half a book, sat down and I'm happy.

I am currently wasting time eating sushi (well not strictly true). The thought of that turns my very delicate white wine stomach but they sell carbs, hard a fast carbs. I am on my 3 bowl of chicken yakisoba already and just ordered more. The background music is the theme tune to love actually and short of dancing to the Hugh grant "jump" sing I couldn't be happier.

I am fed, watered, have a good book and can't wait to recline the seat, put my feet out and sleep the last 16 weeks away. Thank you to all my ABDO people for the last 16 weeks, thanks to Clive for being a legend, my family for understanding & all my friends in Brighton and worthing for everything else. I know Christmas will not be the same without my 3 husbands and I will miss them dearly but 3 weeks of sun & diving will make up for it.

Final thanks to Paula, Jus and sue because without you I would prob starve.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

116 hours work, 4 parties and A.W.O.L

Here we go again, I am going travelling!!

I have no idea when or where the Wanderlust came from but I think I got bitten at 14 when my folks packed me off to Florida and I have never looked back since.  I feel restless in the United Kingdom and I feel I need to explore.  Once I landed in the UK after trip around Australia I felt a little sad, I missed my Sydney Babes, My diving buddies, My Magnetic Island drinking pal and the Sun.

Now I will not bore you to death with the contents of the first week of term, but I noticed a fundamental flaw in the first semester.  My very kind boss had given me a Thailand week.......ok it did say marking week but it backed straight onto xmas.  A week to mark before Christmas surely meant a three week holiday.  With this in mind on the 5th September 2012 I renamed marking week (Thailand week) and booked a flight to Bangkok to go diving for xmas, Ko Samumi for NYE and relaxing for the first week of Jan.  After a few weeks I got chatting to my DDDD buddy from Maggie Island and he agreed (after weeks of planning, fretting, organising, reading, research and then starting again) to join me.

Well that all seems to easy and we know my travel plans are usually plagued with drama so here goes:

1. Severe weather warnings in Bangkok (declared a national disaster)
2. Rebook for Phuket
3. Started raining 3 weeks ago and has not stopped
4. Marking week involved working for 116 hours in one week to get it finished
5. I have celebrated my 31st and spent most of the week surviving on 5 hours sleep per night
6. No one has xmas pressies on time
7. Ben has gone A.W.O.L, I have spent ages doing facebook forensics on his wall and no comments, no photo's, no private message.........vanished.  I do not know if he is in KL, Thailand or Phuket.
8. I have no accommodation yet
9. I do not know if I am travelling alone or with my mate
10. I do not know if it is still raining
11. I DO NOT CARE:  I am going to embrace Thailand with the passion it deserves.

The adventure starts tomorrow & I can't wait.