Ban Suriya Surat Thani

... it's not very much time at all.

A few hours later, half-way into the journey, we stopped somewhere random and I have no idea where it was, but I took my bags into the bus company's office to wait for the connecting bus to Ko Tao. I had about forty-five minutes and was starving, so wasted no time in going next door to a handily-placed cafe and had a lovely and cheap green curry with some rice. Then the next bus arrived, and we commenced the remaining five ...

... forever....looking forward to our full day hike in the jungle shortly!

We spotted a tarantula's nest, which our guide prodded with a stick to see if anyone was home...Dean hid behind Michelle at this point....so she could get a better look, of course :o)

But thankfully, Mr Tarantula wasn't home.....or unluckily as we searched around our feet! We spotted Chameleons...which Dean was quite impressed by as one started turning white as the flash from his camera was hitting it ...

... boy Don't don't don't don't let the sun catch you crying Last Ride I took ride with Ajon's Motorcycle. He drove dangerously but fun like Indiana Jones throughout our time in the island. That morning was particularly fun because the rough paths near the mountain and the timing made he rushed. When we arrived the pier, we bought 2 boiled eggs, some sticky rice, and 1 water bottle for our breakfast. Scenic View Disturbs our Meal ...

... stop, there are no taxis at ferry stop', 'we sell you taxi that will only have 4 of you in, so you travel in comfort'. He had a captive audience as we weren't going anywhere, not with the bus any minute... So we brought taxi tickets (200 baht each) so he would go away. A quick note about the ferries to Koh Samui- After 5pm, there's only one and it takes all night - NOW there was no way we wanted to be on that one. But ...

... gemstone of Ko Phi Phi. Our stay might've been short, but not so short as to miss this island's unique charm that will not easily be forgotten or matched. Ko Samui and Pha-Ngan would fail to dethrone Phi Phi as the best of the three islands we visited. The ferry ride was pleasant enough but arrived in Krabi too late to catch a cross-isthmus bus to the other coast. Geographical lesson: Thailand has two main island paradise coasts: the Andaman Sea, home to Phi ...

... clothes, curios, jewellery, pottery, decoration stuff etc ! I opened my purse and found to my horror that all the money was missing!! How can this happen? After some guesswork I realized that may be I had left the money at the hotel. I handed over the little money left with me to Jyoti so that she and my daughter could shop around, while I rushed back to the hotel. After reaching the hotel I looked around and was greatly relieved to see the money wrapped in ...

... our bags, then went out for some fresh air while waiting for the boat to depart. We grabbed a bit to eat then waited. This is when things started to go wrong! Debbie was suddenly wracked with some pretty violent and unexpected vomiting. Nice. After an hour of this, we decided it best to stay the night in Surat Thani rather then jump on a ferry that would take 7 hours (and most likely be full ...

... off the booze for a few days following lastnights excesses and so this has to be the first birthday since I was about 15 that I havent touched a drop of alcohol. To be fair Im just happy to be alive (ha ha!) and am still having a fab time regardless. Lastnight was just a blip and if nothing else, it served to prove that I am definately getting too old for all night beach parties and need to take up a more suitable hobby, like knitting or emboidery perhaps???!!!! Speak soon xxxx

... or bad behaviours. I think another motivation for maintaining verbal silence was to help break down the habitual process of thinking about the self. This is a major topic in Buddhism. That there really is no self as we see it now and no true identity. or how I'm feeling. I just mentioned the two major themes of this retreat from my perspective: learning about the Dhamma (the teachings of Buddha which lead to enlightenment) and mindfulness. This was successfully accomplished due ...

... a refrigerator because it's so fresh) or sold by local vendors. On the many train and bus rides I've endured, vendors will board at various stops to sell their goods to travelers. I seem to be the only sucker in my group who buys from them but I always seem to be the most content with my cheap selections. The best are the fruit vendors who come aboard with little bags of pineapple, mango, papaya, whatever, always accompanied by a tiny bag of chilli sugar in which to dip the fruit ...