Flip Flop Fever

So next leg on our perpetual lazy drunken run, was down to the island of ko tao, which we booked before my tattoo, when we still could have dived, but the mills (should 'mills' be in quotation, or is that to much third person) wasn't allowed in the water. the journey down (bus), was in relative luxury, with a film, loads and loads of leg room, and roads that are flat! we were the only ones for ko tao, and were chucked out of the bus at relativly unearthly time of 3 am, before doing alot of waiting around, before finally catching the small boat across to the island. the boat, was one of the worst 3 hour trips rocky adventures you'll take, without doing anything in the Ellen MacArthur mould. me and kate managed to keep our tummies together, whilst laying down, but the rest of the boat were dropping like flies. once one voms, it tends to encorage the rest. once free from the sick bag arena, we arrived at our resort, see pics for the view from our varanda.

1.View from our room

Ko Tao is a very small island, i think 7km by 4km, and is very easy to get about, apart from the dirt tracks for an inexperienced rider, the road tends to have dips which have been flooded by recent rain, so you get a bit wet, and then theres the mahusive (intential spelling) pot holes, for added spice. Ko Tao (turtle island), is named this for either of these reasons, the island looks like a diving turtle, or there are lots of turtles around these shores, my guide book, and a local one seem to disagree about the reason, so take your pic. the island is sleepy, and only has 900 local residents, with proably the same number again in tourists.

2.No swimming for Danny

as adventures go, ko tao, is mainly a dive resort, so my options become relativly restricted. the main excitment was the ped, which we managed to give a flat tire pretty soon after we got on it, and i think kate is now too scared to drive again, but i feel more like a regular Sheen or Rossi now, and it's only matter of time before i become to confident, and really hurt myslef. the weather whilst we were here, was downpoor for 1, boiling hot for 2 (wish i could swim sooooooooooooo much), followed by another downpour on the fourth. we found it easy to make friends, done mostly with kate doing the talking, and me keeping mys antagonistic mouth shut (if you believe that, you'll believe anything). spent days with lucy from devon, lazing on the beaches, eating delcious thai food (Always extra spicy), or testing out how many cocktails, followed by lethal buckets we could manage to drink, without falling over, or out with each other. we met two english lads, who are cycling the whole world (3 years), which i'm sure when i was drunk i agreed to go with them by bike to austalia, so since then having been avoiding them like the plague. run away! nights on the beach, with amazing fire poi (spinning) people, maybe even quicker than you tom, and the last night spent at some phycaldelic trance party, with illumonus paint (Soon covered in) on a hill (i hate trance!!!!!!!!!), but was still fun, apart from the large painful hill. aparently our newly aqanited northern friend Ian, went up to lady with the paint and simply said 'make me french', and soon had some beutifully curly whiskers.

3.Friends we met along the way

the story of the missing flip flop, 2nd night in, alcohol, reggae, dutch man with an irish girl, a club it took ages to find, leave your flip flops outside, come back hours later after dancing one footed (the ankle, through tattoo was the size of a small dog with swollen glands), to find someone had stollen my rubbish flip flops, which said 'cool' on the side of them, un preturbed i walked the long way home bare footed, hopping mad (get it), and slighlty bewildered. two days later, after purchasing a new pair of flip flops, and leaving a bar with football on in it, i look down for my new flip flops, they are there, but beside them is that 'cool' pair taughting me, my stolen flip flops, i hold them aloft, so all the people in the bar can see, and shout, 'i don't know which one of you bastards stole my flip flops, but you can walk home barefooted tonight', and stomped out of the bar with the 'eye of the tiger' pumping through my little skull, and victory in my heart. and just for the record, if kate says it happened any different to that, she was drunk, i never lie or exagerate!

4.View up from beach front Reggae bar

we, along with half of the traveler community move down to the full moon, ready to lay back for a couple or days, or get involved, we'll see!

big shout to the homebase crew, who must all be struggling in build up to christmas, no boxing day work this year for danny! and kates says to 'phgu', keep smiling, and don't hit those christmas parties too hard.

everyone else, get in touch, or else!

5.Reggae Bar

6. Good curry, and view and new friends

7. Simply Lush