Banburee Resort and Spa Surat Thani

... of the journey to Surat Thani. We stopped around once an hour at petrol stations; the driver bore an uncanny resemblance to Kim Jong Il and was equally tyrannical, with grumpy pigeon English imperatives thrown at me a-plenty, as if I was a small child who didn't understand basic concepts. "You! Go shop!" and "Come now! In bus!" were his favourites.

Finally we arrived in Surat Thani around 5pm, and stopped at some kind of transport agency. No one spoke any ...

... how cool!!!

Then into some caves by bamboo boat - big and cavey and far too warm....but also home to a huge spider - see photo.

We ate dinner later that evening as the Sun set over the jungle and the whole place turned very dark instantly. A few more brave trips to the toilet in the dark (Dean accompanying Michelle!) and off to bed under a mosquito net - hot and uncomfortable, but cool at the same time!

The next morning, we went on an early morning boat trip to ...

... Gérard) et à profiter du soleil. Il y avait plein d'activités possibles (canoe-kayak, leçons de cuisines, excursions) mais on a décidé de se la couler douce pour quelques jours, après tout les vacances c'est fait pour ça aussi! Un matin alors qu'on se brossait les dents sur la terrace, on a vu une bonne dizaines de singes se courir après sur notre terrace. Ce n'est pas quelque chose que l'on voit tous les jours... Apparement dans les ...

... was ticking. 2 and a bit hours later, the bus rolls up, which was good 'coz tempers are starting to flame up. No one wastes time to get on the bus but the bus driver has other ideas, he pulls into a petrol station, drops staff off, picks up food. I'm guessing there is no need to rush?? Just after 2.50pm (it took about 40mins to get there) we are at the ferry terminal and the ferry is about to pull out. The bus stops ...

... Phuket, and "007 Island," and the Gulf of Thailand coast to the east, home of our next destination. It's about a two hour drive to cross the countryside and travel between the two. With no buses left (the guidebook didn't mention a 4pm cutoff time, but it was something we should've thought to check regardless) and the only available share taxis filled, we were forced to hire a private ride at excessive cost to our wallets, $30 per head. Still, the driver was a ...

... still lying on the table.Despite the room having been cleaned, by the staff the money was there, untouched!! I went down the market place and after a while returned with a few purchases to find my wife and daugher waiting at the door of the hotel as I had taken the keys with me... Later in the evening we visited the Siam Centre which is a shopper's paradise. 19 May 08-Chinatown! Chinatown is a wonderful place but the only problem is that you have to ...

Well its 5pm on Tuesday the 22nd January and we are still on Koh Samui. The heat here is ferocious and must easily hit 35 degrees during the day! You really dont want to mess about getting burnt in the sun here - but depite wearing Factor 50 on my face and Factor 30 on my bod, Ive still ended up with a blister the size of a 10p piece on the end of my nose - much to my horror and Andys amusement! Probably due to the intense heat and the ...

... politically immersed that comparisons would not bode well for us! We heard gibbons calls, but saw no gibbons. We saw monkeys but we're not excited by them anymore (especially since the poop incident.) We did have confirmed for us a theory we had been brewing that compared Khao Sok to Hawaii. Thailand is, so far, the most "western" of the countries we've seen. This means we have observed less pleasantry and ...

Some would say to lose one camera is unlucky, to lose two is stupid... and they may be right. My new camera has indeed bitten the dust already, being the grand age of one week old. Now I'd like to point out that I was being really careful with this one, although I guess not careful enough. We were walking in the rainforest (haha, notice a pattern here...) so knowing full well the dangers of rain, when it started I immediately asked the guide to put the camera in his ...