Phunga Hotel Phangnga

... is how many soldiers are there. This is the part of Thailand where some local Muslims want to secede and go about achieving this by use of bombs, etc. So lots of soldiers to try to stop such nonsense. I didn't take any photos of them as I wasn't sure how they would react to that. I went straight to the train station to buy a ticket to Surat Thani from where I can get to ...

... on the road but in the darkness we had missed them. The reception was on top of a hill and going through the narrow streets we fell in a big hole in the road, luckily getting away without a scratch on the rented car. In the end we got to the reception and checked in. Our rooms were in another builing, on another hill, but the staff was helpful and took us there promptly. The room was nice and we were happy to relax in the end of the long and exciting day.

Short update, as I am sipping a Mai Tai and soon want to focus 100% on that :) One fun thing about Thailand is that their internet cafes are also bars, which are also restaurants and coffee shops and guest houses sometimes... so Liz and I have drinks right now while we're checking email/updating blogs. That conglomeration also happens sometimes in restaurants. I'd say about half the time here, I eat really good Thai food, but the vegetarian ...

... is very nice, rooms are new, bright and airy and very clean. It's on a slight hill up from the beach but it's a pleasant 5min walk to the esplanade with lots of shops and restaurants along the way, even Macca's. Ao Nang is a much nicer place to stay in than the small town of Krabi ( 20min by car ). I myself have been to Ao Nang twice now and I'm sure my fellow travel companions are going to love it just as much. 6/06/08... Was spent ...

... course we gave him a tip at the end - only THB40 which was ridiculous considering we spent THB100 on ice creams for the kids after the elephant ride. We then bought bananas to feed our elephants (THB50 per bunch which again made me feel so stingy regarding the THB40 tip) before being seated to eat deliciously fresh pineapple. Rob ate 2 plates! Then the Monkey Show where we met monkeys Mr John, Michael and Tom. It was an infinitely better and more ...

... suitable for all levels, even those who have never dived before. Usually, you can visit the spot from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the center of Phi Phi Village (on the beach), situated in Phuket 81000 Thailand. For more information, you can contact at Tel: +66 75 61 1313 or email at ...

... had an hour to ourselves before we left. I jumped in the lake to "shower" (no soap, just water!) and spent time teaching to longtail boat driver how to say the days of the week in english. I was sad to leave my new thai friend behind when we departed on a different longtail boat. As I was leaving he said every day of the week in english and I had the biggest smile on my face the whole ride back. I like knowing that I taught him something just like he taught me something.

... been taking anti-malarial drugs for about 6 weeks. One side-effect of these is sun sensitivity. We didn't think that we suffered from this side effect as we'd been in hot countries for weeks now and had't had any suburn at all. However, we had always naturally avoided the sun, sticking to the shade and covering up as much as possible. On the beach however things are slightly different and after an hour in the sun despite our factor 30 sunblock we were both ...

... a cui si alterna, quasi tutti i giorni, uno scroscio di pioggia fitta piu' o meno a meta' giornata. I Turisti per lo piu' passano a frotte diretti verso la piu' affollata Puket. Solo una parte si ferma a visitare Khao Lak, interessante soprattutto per chi cerca piu' tranquillita' ed e' attratto da belle immersioni alle isole Similian. Dire paese riferendosi a Khao Lak non e' il termine giusto ...

... to have. Then meeting up with an old friend, Maria, to travel and meet even more new people with on our TEFL course was the original reason I came here in the first place, and exceeded all expectations I had of it. Meeting new people on the TEFL program was such a wonderful bonus to a great month in Phuket. It's where I met the lovely Gemma...who was actually crazy enough to agree to travel with me for 5 whole weeks. I'm especially surprised as she ...