Luckanawadee Boutique Beach Resort Khao Lak

... shallow area and it's not usually the best diving spot. They recommended a few different companies and even called around for us. It turns out we arrived just in time and the season's last boats were all leaving in two days for their final dives of the season. We could either go on a much cheaper boat and be crammed in with 30 other divers/snorkelers and probably be stuck in not so good drive spots or we could leave a few days later on a "luxury ...

We arrived on shore on a high, arranged to meet everyone at a nightclub (yes those things we have not visited in a year) and ended up having to stand them up due to Ems' sudden post-diving onset of a horrid cold. Luckily our hotel was very comfy and did goo chicken soup and it was bed by 8 for us. Next day a quick walk on the beach with memorials to families that died in the tsunami before heading south.

... should some sort of special boot campesque school where you are sent if you are japanese and want to go scuba diving. at this school you will be taught such useful things such as "dont touch the ****ing corals, dont walk on the corals, dont try and catch octopus with reef hooks and just dont touch a *******n thing while you are underwater!!!!" at this academy for the inbred, these basic diving laws will be beaten into the ...

... which is really nice also. like i said, its a nice lifestyle and i havent even mentioned how nice the diving is! The diving is quite different from ko tao for two reasons. first, the amount of marine life and the variation present just blows ko tao out of the water. there are leopard sharks, octopus, cuddle fish, pipe fish, shrimp, crabs, manta rays etc etc etc, all of which ko tao does not have. the second thing that makes it ...

... You can even hear it if you're close enough! One grey eel writhing on the sea floor. No octopus, unfortunately, but hundreds of species of brightly colored fish, iradescent live coral, and patterns of stationary corals and colony-forming organisms. Soem were periwinkle, as if under blacklights. LIght so many aquarium parks, friends' tanks, high quailty books and National Geographic magazines, swimming all around you. Looknig down on ...

... the Minister; she looked at Jem; she looked at the congregation, but answer came there none. The minister started again "I love you Jem" he said. June repeated it. "Fo'sakin' ol odders" said the minister. Again June had no idea what he'd said. By this time June is doubled up with laughter and quite unable to speak. The minister had a third stab at it and June just muttered something in response just to jolly the service along. Jem thinks it was ...

... the ascent - apparently we needed to climb the hill, have lunch at the top and then go down the other side and walk along the river bed until we made it to the waterfall. This being the dry season, we weren't going to see any water actually falling, but that kind of wasn't the point! I was walking in the second group, the eager beaver group was quite some way ahead with Joe, and at times it was hard to see where the trail that had been cut out ...

... R35 School. Our second day here I spotted a white woman pouring coffee at breakfast and helping manage the staff. When she came to my table asking if I would like more coffee I said, "no thanks, but I would like to know your story". Turns out she already know our story! That we were the Americans who went to International School of Bangkok. We're actually the only ...

... pythons,cobras and a collection of other snakes. We couldn't accurately describe how close these guys were to the snakes and how dangerous it was for them. Afterwards we get an opportunity to touch some snakes. We both touched the python so it would 'bring us good luck'. Fergus is later approached by a guy with a huge python who promtly puts it around Fergus' neck and walks a way saying "Only 50 bhats, only 50 bhats". Fergus plays with the snake for a few minutes and we take ...

Oh my god. Another 0530 start. We manged to get a tuk-tuk driver to take us the 12km to the historical park, quite an extraordinary distance for him I think, we had to call in to the petrol station on the way! The park was alrady open when we arrived at0600 and we hired bikes, the old school sit up and beg sort with no gears and made tracks for the temple action. Unfortunately the sunrise was unsensational, but the chilled atmosphere was and we were able to beetle about ...