Lanta Garden Hill Resort Ko Lanta

... i landed in another scooter. i must have been dead red in my face and the guy from the shop just laughed doubtfully. after assuring him i was sure on the matter, i started through. i never thought i will survive that day on the bike but i did and it was just great. after a couple of hours i managed to drive quick around the 30km long island and had just great fun. lovely, now i know what my new vehicle is going to be like :)
i drove to a view point where i again had one of the ...

... of the time in Thailand as well. The sky started turning black and we could see a big storm heading our way we didn't want to be in the middle of the ocean stuck in a little wooden boat in a thunder storm.. push harder!!
Eventually, pro bally more to do with the tides changing rather than 3 girls push-power, we were free and made it back to land before the storm hit.
As our time in Thailand was restricted, we tried changing our flights ...

... some pretty cool decorator crabs. We also turned
off our torches and stirred up the plankton, which was twice as
bright as on Tioman. Very cool. We took some photos will Holly to
prove to the team that she actually did do her night dive and didnt
loose any of us. Once back on shore we had some dinner and joined the
Rock gang in celebrating Alyssia's birthday. We ended up getting back
around 4 am.

... so we were able to see why most people come here during the dryer months. You really can't do much when the weather is like that, except for drinking indoors or relaxing inside (we chose the latter).

The next day we woke up early for the Trek, feeling much fresher, but the weather was still rotten, so we postponed the Trek to the following day again. We spent the morning indoors again, then caught up with the other kiwi's where we played some pool in ...

The place I wanted to stay at in Ko Lanta had closed down so I ended up staying at a resort but I managed to get my room discounted from 500B to 350B. Lanta seemed and a package tourist place but the beach was nice, if a bit too much like Spain! At night I went to find a good watering hole in which to meet fellow travellers but most bars were dead apart from one that was full of ...

... otuksia. Lahipaivien suunnitelmiin kuuluu lisaa sukellusta, ja lauantaina jatkamme matkaa Bangkokiin. Sielta palaammekin sitten Englantiin perjantaina 20. helmikuuta - vaikka mielellamme jaisimme tanne viela vahan pidemmaksikin aikaa... Viikko pari sitten ikavoimme jo hieman omaa kotia (jota talla hetkella ei tosin ole) mutta sukelluskurssin myota olisimme enemman kuin valmiita jaamaan tanne viela muutamaksi viikoksi...

... volunteered. Eventually the lizard moved and the ball was released. The lizard then wandered a few feet along the poolside, turned around and headed back to his home but not before he shat a liquid/solid combo everywhere. Everyone simultaneously went "eeeewww". I text Al and told him to bring his camera if he was coming to the pool and asked if he was feeling any better. I still didn't know exactly what was wrong with him. I had to take shelter from the heat of the midday sun ...

... scary. As we head out to the dive site it seems pretty choppy, which results in us both feeling seasick. I usually have a fairly strong stomach for these things but i steadily feel worse and kim is already green. We are both physiclly sick before we get to the first dive site making us feel slightly better. The first dive site being up against a 150ft linestone cliff which is pounded by waves, intimidating enough without the seasickness. Into the water and a quick ...

... everyone is encouraged to go there to support the economy. Now we're on Koh Lanta, much more mellow and welcoming, in a huge bungalow mere steps from the beach and a vast choice of restaurants for such a small place! Last night we were in a comfy bar (Andy recommends Chang beer over Singha) watching fire poi and dabbling our toes in the sand - and there are no mosquitoes here! Only slight downer is despite extensive research to choose the right place for the ...

A pleasant day's motor-sail took us from Koh Phi Phi Don to Koh Lanta. There are a number of anchorages along the coast and we chose Hat Kan Tiang, towards the southern end of the island. It is a beautiful area, with rugged coastline interspersed with modern tourist resorts. The wind was swinging from east to south as it flowed over the hills, which caused some problems as we tried to anchor among the other yachts. Third time lucky, we settled in then enjoyed a swim in ...