Island Hopping

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Hello Everyone

Thought I would just do a quick blog to update you all on what I've been up to.

I am in Ko Payam at the moment, which is a very beautiful island, still on the Andaman Coast. On the last blog I sent to you all I was setting off to Ko Chang, I stayed there for six days, we didn't intend to stay there so long but Matty, one of the lads that I am travelling with got Dengue Fever, so we stayed until he was better. Ko Chang was lovley & quiet, the beach had volcanic sand so that was a change for us and there was only electricity for a couple of hours at night when they put the generator on. You couldn't charge anything though - the plug sockets just sparked and didn't do anything. We all had a lovley relaxing time, apart from on the last night when we had an early boat to catch & we needed to pack and have an early night and the bungalow owners buggered off to a beach party, tuned off the generator, shut the kitchen & locked the fridges, so it was pitch black and you couldn't get anything to eat or drink, we had to go on a massive hike through a patch of jungle, with our torches to go and find somewhere to get water and something to eat. It was scary, as we knew that there were snakes and alsorts of things around and we couldn't see what we were doing. I was glad when we were back at the bungalows to be honest. I think they did it to try and make everyone go to the party or something, whatever the reason it was a bit out of order and we wern't very happy about it - but the worse thing you could do here would to be to make a scene out of anything. The thais are so laid back and it wouldn't go down well. It was a bit of a crappy end to the stay on the island and we were all relieved to be moving on again.

We went back to Ranong and I went on the visa run over to Burma as my 30 day visa I got when I came into the country was running out and in order to get more time I had to leave and come back in. There are companies that have this running like clockwork and the whole process only took two hours, I only got another 15 days but it doesn't matter as I will be going out to Cambodia the day that Andy and Matty fly home on the 1st March.

Ko Payam is a fantastic island, the most beautiful yet, the sand is lovley and white and the sea is very rough, but it is great fun getting bashed around by the waves - a still sea is lovley but after a while a change is good and we have had loads of fun playing in the waves in a little boat and some big rubber rings. The only problem with the sea here, and it was the same at Railey is that there are sea lice. You can't see them and they don't leave a mark but sometimes when you are in the water you get little stinging sensations all over and they are biting you, another girl yesterday said that it is plankton? I'm not to sure but sometimes you go in and it's bad and sometimes it's not too bad at all. It is the only thing that spoils the sea a little bit here.

Tomorrow we are moving on again, first we will get the ferry back to Ranong, then a bus up to Chumpon then a ferry over to Ko Tao, which is a small island, great for diving and snorkling and is a bit more popular than the last couple of islands we have been to, there will be more people around and with a bit of luck, electricity and flushing loos! We are going to stay here for a while, but on Friday we are going over to Ko Phang Nan to a party in the mountains for the night and coming back in the morning. We are looking forward to that. The boys will only have another week left then before they fly home :-( That will be a sad day for me. Andy is hoping to come back out to meet me in Hawaii if he can save enough money up, otherwise I will see him when I get back, as things are booked at the moment I am due to fly home on 18th August and I think that I will keep it at that, that way I won't have to work, I can do loads of tours and live a good quality life in decent guesthouses. I've changed my itinery a bit aswell - it is now:

Thailand - Australia - New Zealand - Fiji - Hawaii - San Fransico.

I took Hong Kong out and swapped it for Fiji and also changed LA for San Fran (lots of people have recommended it whilst I have been out here)

Anyway I am going, back off to the beach for more reading and playing in the waves, I'm reading a brilliant book A Thousand Spendid Suns (thanks Mary - brilliant recommendation) I know I have been crap on the photo front but the computers are so slow it's a bit hard work - I've got lots of good ones and I will get them up on here and facebook when I can.

Love and miss you all

xxx

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