Le Tong Beach Hotel Patong

... and sped off to resume our heathen existence.<br>Our biking tour took us on to Phromthep Cape (the furthest southerly point in Phucket) and back around the coast through Katu and Karon beaches to Patong. We ventured north from here and got as far as Bang Thao Bay when the weather turned. We drove for cover under a large market canopy and waited out the rain. When the lull came we headed for home and got as far as our main road to the hotel before the heavans ...

... today as I rode around town..going for breakfast, going to the 7-11, driving 8km to Kata beach for Indian food..it struck me how much I've settled in. It doesn't seem like too long ago (5 weeks now) that I arrived in Phuket...not knowing much about where anything was. When I first got my scooter..I was so careful..never going over 30km (for the first week anyways). Today..after snorkelling..we all went and did our own thing before we met up to go for dinner. Mischa lives off of ...

... apartment with the obligatory building sites over the road. No wifi was a shock but we hope to sort that out, because we can't spend a month with no internet! Had a Singha beer out the fridge to celebrate our arrival that will hopefully be the last of those. Went for an afternoon swim in the hotel pool. Got some supplies from the local supermarket which was ...

... with raisin at only 40THB at one of those push kart stall, it was like crispy prata filled with banana &amp; raisins topped with sugar &amp; condense milk and it was yummy! On the left side, after a short walk, we came to a 'bridge' to cross over to a road with more shops, cafes and a 7-11. For dinner, we tried the thai food at Smile Restaurant &amp; it was good! We ended the day with a wonderful sleep and looking forward to our friends' arrival the next day!

... jungle. On the way up we weren't convinced it was real jungle as some people had huts up there, however on the way down after first seeing a swarm of killer ants (don't think they could really kill you but were huge) then we came across a snake on the path, the man wasn't sure what it was but he didn't half jump when he saw it and then finally a humongous spider, literally the size of your hand, it was black red and white and was hanging ...

... pathetically - so not satisfying! However everything else seems to be in order. Our balcony looks onto the pool of the Burasari Hotel and also the Marriott Hotel which looks like it is being entirely rebuilt. Not very noice view. I crack the whip and get the kids to do some homework. Henry's teacher sent him away with HEAPS! We did a lot in Sydney over the weekend before we left and I left some behind but there's seems to be a mountain of work to ...

... whenever we want, a free kayak for our use, free Internet, great breakfast and romantic atmosphere, all included. We spent most of our time resting in our wooden unit, fooling around in the pool, walking on the beach looking for shells, reading a book on the sling, exploring the island by foot and, of course, enjoying a great but painful Thai massage by the sea. When we got too bored on our island, we sailed to the bigger island of Phuket. There we rented a motorbike and ...

... to take anything into serious consideration, I stated the only thing that had sounded interesting. "Beach." And with that prophet like statement, it was decided. My grand trip to San Francisco was over in less then twelve hours. At the time it didn't seem so important. The idea of sand underfoot with waves crashing on the beach and in my head was charming enough for me to forget about the city of my dreams, at least for the time being.

... underwater. One of the biggest concerns for divers is air space in your body. These are areas of your body that have air in and will need to equalize with the surrounding pressure the deeper you go. The main areas are your sinuses and ears but some people also have problems with air in their bowels. At this point I thought I would have to give the diving up with the amount of air in my bowels. Anyway the first day is completed and we look forward ...

The waves came through Patong with great fury, but the long term damage to property was minimal. The city looks unharmed to the unfamiliar eye, and you wouldn't know the tsunami had hit here without the street merchants selling pictures of the flooded city. What is noticeable is that at the moment, a tourist in Patong has the town to himself. It was a gorgeous sunny day on one of the largest tourist resorts in ...