Phuket and Ko Samui. Christmas and New Year.

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Wednesday 17th December
Very long day today - 14 hour journey! Caught a minibus up to Phuket. Did immigration without fuss except for one teeny weeny problem - the bloody Thai government changed their visa rules a couple of days ago! Whereas before a British Passport holder could have 30 days free entry on arrival in Thailand they now say that if you fly into Thailand you can have 30 days but if you come overland you can only stay for 15 days. We, obvioulsy are travelling overland and so only get 15 days. When we looked into visa requirements we were told we could have 30 days - as I say, this new regulation is literally only days old so basically we're screwed! Some bright spark German bird (probably with hairy armpits) told us that you could buy a 60 day visa in Georgetown - where we caught the minibus from. WELL IT'S A BIT BLOODY LATE FOR THAT, LOVE! We have to be out of Thailand on 31st December - trouble is, we have accommodation booked till 03rd January and we were hoping to stay here till mid-January at the earliest. Anyway, we're gonna have to think this through. There's nothing we can do about it now. In Hat Yai we are moved from minibus to a tuk tuk which takes us to another minibus which takes us to Phuket. We arrive two hours early (hardly suprising with Louis bloody Hamilton at the wheel). We got slightly lost, then found our Hostel. It's 1000B (Thai Baht) which is 20 quid per night. Expensive but it's a double with en-suite, TV and DVD. Ate at the market where we bought some sort of meat in a Chinese style pancake thing, some part (fat/skin) of a chicken on a stick, two portions of rice and some sweet, deep-fried balls (not testicles, doughnut type) for 40B (77p). Bought beer for about 1.14 quid a litre and a random "spirit" in Thai squiggle (สเดกั๗) for 2.70 quid. Watched a couple of DVD's and slept.

Thursday 18th December
Went to Thai embassy for Visa info. Even they didn't know about the change in law, but still wouldn't give us a free extension! We can pay 1900B (36 quid) each for a seven day extension. I don't think so! Lots of thinking and planning gave us this idea: on 30th December we can go to Ranong then cross the border into Myanmar (Burma), then immediately re-enter Thailand and have another 15 days. We can then see a bit of Thailand, bail out into Cambodia and do there, Vietnam and Laos and pick up a 60 day Thai visa in Laos and finish our travels here - we fly from Bangkok to Heathrow anyway. So, that's the latest. Lets see what happens.

Friday 19th December
A day out at the beach. Caught a "sawngthaew" (which is like a big tuk tuk with two benches in the back) to Hat Karon where there is a lovely beach with warm, clear water. Spent the day chilling and swimming.

Saturday 20th December
Travel day - and what a pain in the ass it turned out to be! Got the bus to Surat Thani for 300B (just less than 6 quid) each. It was an old school bus with solid, false leather covered steel seats - not comfy and took five hours. We then had to wait around for 40 mins till our next bus which would take us to the harbour. The bus-boat combi ticket cost 230B (4.50 quid) each. This bus was slightly more comfortable, but still not great, and lasted one hour. More sitting around, about ½ hour this time, then the ferry set sail. The most uncomfortable plastic sofa style seats and air conditioned down to sub-zero temperatures for two hours. Then a tuk tuk for 40 mins 75B each (1.50quid) and finally, ten hours later, we're here! It's dark so we can't really see what it's like. Our bungalow is set back from the sea slightly ('cos it was cheaper) but is in a very nice little garden setting. Got a few beers and chilled by candlelight on our wooden terrace.

Sunday 21st December
Had a look round town in the morning. There's quite a lot going on. We're in Hat Lamai which is on the East coast, just south of Chaweng. Went to the beach in the afternoon - unfortunately NOT what we expected! Ko Samui is famous for it's powder white sand and perfectly clear waters. For some reason the sand is quite grainy and the sea is really cloudy, probably due to the time of year that keeps following us around - something to do with coral spawning maybe? Still, better than a kick in the nuts I suppose. Went up to the local market for tea. Had a freshly prepared (in front of our very eyes) Thai red curry (though they don't describe it as "Thai" here, just red curry) with chicken and veg plus rice for 80B (1.60) for the two of us. As you can probably guess, it was mighty fine!!!

Monday 22nd December
Beach today. Yellow curry with prawns for tea for me, green curry with chicken for Aimee.

Tuesday 23rd December
Went to get a motorbike. Mum and Dad will probably kill me but hey, I'm 31! It could be worse - I could be a criminal/drug user/dealer etc. I don't even smoke so hopefully (please) they'll forgive me! Haggled down to 100B per day (2 quid). Went to the south of the island for the rocky coastline to snorkel. Found a lovely little spot but the water is still cloudy. Had a dip (and a wee) while we were there. Then went on the East coast for a look at Chaweng. It's a bit touristy! Irish bars, Karaoke, British TV, egga and chips etc. Nice beach though but still cloudy sea!

Wednesday 24th December CHRISTMAS EVE
Lay on the beach. Felt a few rain drops and took a walk to the South end of the beach where there are a few rocks. Did Aimee's Christmas shopping and wrapped it in (free) tourist maps of the island. Went up to the outdoor bars near the market place to see in Christmas day. Young, local girls are employed to gyrate/dance/look like they're having a good time so as to attract the tourists to join them. Any "extras" I guess they can keep the money! There are plenty of tourists on the lookout as well! One of them (I don't kow how old he was but he has grey hair - sorry dad - about 65ish) succesfully pulls/negotiates a young girl (hopefully 16 year old) and she quite literally jumps for joy! Not sure what happened later so must have been be a good night!

Thursday 25th December CHRISTMAS DAY (Happy Birthday Jesus).
Obviously the maths works like this: Christmas day + Ko Samui = Beach. However, it's raining! We opened our pressies (Santa found us) in bed. We both like what we got - and no socks or Lynx deo/shower gel combo's! Went out for a nice (indoor) breakfast and it clears up. So much so that we take our food outdoors. Had a bit of a lie on the beach and a bit of a swim in the sea and it rains, on and off. Eventually we give in and go to the shops for naughty Christmas food like nuts, crisps, sweets and biscuits - and several beers. Christmas dinner was Penang curry for me, red curry and pork for Aimee. More beers by candlelight on the terrace followed by a VERY naughty midnight visit to McDonalds for a double Big Mac - 4 burgers!!!

Friday 26th December St. Stephens Day. (Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the feast of Stephen - apparently)
Went to find the waterfalls. Trouble is, the roads are so steep the motorbike can't get up them! They're very quiet roads though so I zig-zag up them (same principle as skiing downhill - but backwards). This works fine till a cheeky guy on another bike pips at us and Aimee panics. She doesn't like the zig-zagging in case anything comes. I explain the theory but she doesn't like it so, the next hill, I go straight up to demonstrate - a silly idea I know! We eventually get to the point where the bike is fulll throttle but stationary. I intend to continue zig-zagging but I can't move! I put the brakes on and release the throttle. The wheels are still but the bike slides backwards downhill. There's no way I can control a backwards, skidding motorbike and in the small split-second I have, I decide the only course of action is to re-apply the throttle. So what happens? The front wheel comes up and we topple off sideways! THANKFULLY we were hardly moving, but we still landed heavily, albeit on some soft grass and twigs, not the concrete road. It could have been a lot worse. Aimee is worst hit with a scratch on her back, a cut foot, and zero confidence in my bike riding capabilities. I have a snapped flip-flop and a small cut on my shoulder. The bike escaped unharmed - also good news for us! Aimee is shaken up. Decide to head back to base and so spend the next 15 minutes or so trying to pick the bike up and get it in a suitable place to try and re-mount. Not easy on a hill like this, in temperatures like this, with a snapped flip-flop! Just as we manage to get it in the correct place a friendly local turns up to help. Thanks, but too late! Back at the hostel we clean our wounds and spend the rest of the afternoon chilling! We feel VERY lucky!

Saturday 27th December
Aimee's scratch on her back is surrounded by a monster of a bruise! It's huge!! Couldn't resist the temptation any longer and went for an English breakfast. Then we investigated times and prices of a visa-run to Myanmar (Burma). Everywhere is the same at 1900B (36 quid) each on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but we want to go on a Tuesday! Went away to think about it some more! Went out tonight to watch Lady Thai Boxing. It's in the square next to the bar we spent Christams Eve at. It's free to watch, but the bars have all doubled their prices. I can't blame them I suppose - they were all packed!

Sunday 28th and Monday 29th December
Beach and beer!

Tuesday 30th December
Mini-visa run. We have decided that we may as well pay for seven days extra at the Samui Immigration Office then head to Myanmar (Burma) "on the way" to Bangkok. This way we wont have to waste a day travelling to and from Ko Samui on a visa-run. This also costs 1900B at the Immigration Office - the robbing gits! We planned on going to watch the sunset at Bo Phut Beach in the north but Aimee can't poo so I went to get her some rapid-action laxatives. Apparently after 10 minutes you'll be emptied out! Two hours later still nothing so she takes some more. Two hours later and still nothing - I swear she's a scientific wonder! She polishes off the bottle and finally one hour later it's rumble in the jungle! With the rear-end noises she was making I thought she was watching the opening sequence of "Saving Privater Ryan" in there!!!

Wednesday 31st December NEW YEAR'S EVE
A bit rainy again. Chilled out ready for the big night! A few cheap beers on the terrace before we went out and hit the beach at 2200ish.
It's quite busy but we manage to get our own table. At about 2330 we left our table to get deck-chairs on the sand at the waters edge. Just before midnight we set off our New Year Lantern which is like an upturned sack with a coil at the bottom that you light. This heats up the air in the sack, which works likes a hot air balloon and carries it off. We make a wish each and let it fly! As we did this, midnight arrived and the whole beach erupted with millions of fireworks. This was made doubly effective because the (still) sea water reflected everything. It was AMAZING! By this point we've figured out that as we're sat at the waters edge we can go and buy our beer from the shop rather than pay bar prices. Aimee has a little plastic bottle of spirits anyway so we just buy the occasional soft drink to keep the staff off our backs. On one of these shop visits I somehow manage to walk into my deck chair, topple over and do a full on face plant in the sand. Nothing to do with the alcohol of course but I didn't have time to put my hands out so it was literally face first! The couple behind us howl with laughter and Aimee pretends she doesn't know me! Ah well - Merry New Year everyone!!!

Thursday 01st January 2009
Very late lie-in and chill out. The perfect antidote for a night full of merry-making!

Friday 02nd January
Went to see the Muslim Village. It's a small, traditional fishing village which, unsuprisingly stinks of fish!

Saturday 03rd JanuaryBig Brother Rob's Birthday - Happy Birthday Our Kid!
Oh My God - it's sunny!!! Went to the beach - and so it clouds over after an hour or so. Moved hostel to a cheaper one. This one is 400B Per night for pretty much the same thing but a bit further from the beach (a two minute walk instead of a one minute one).

Sunday 04th January
Sunny again so beach again. Our bloody camera has broken! This is the SONY one we bought in New Zealand only eight weeks ago to replace our first faulty SONY one! You couldn't make it up! Here we are, budgetting our asses off and our second camera is Donald Ducked!! There's nothing we can do about it now until we get to Bangkok in a few days time! GOD we're angry!!! Packed al our stuff ready for a day of travelling tomorrow.

And I'll leave it there for now! So that was Christmas and New Year out of the way. Hope you all had a good one? The next section of our travels will take us over to Burma so we can re-enter Thailand and get another 15 day stamp in our passports so that we can then go to Bangkok to see Aimee's friend, Karen. We will hopefully have enough time left to head North through Chang Mai and Chang Rai before heading into Laos. Let's wait and see what happens!! Don't forget, if you want to hear Aimee's side of the story she is also writing a blog at www.mytb.org/amazing-aimee or click on the link on her facebook profile. Have fun everyone. I'll blog again soon!!

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Photos

Thai fizzy drinks
in case you can't figure them out I cleverly positioned their English cousins beneath them!!!

Leaving Thailand
before we were told about the 15 day entry stamp!

The Beach
and a rock!

The classy "squatters"
I had to pay to use this!

Christmas Eve
I cleaned my teeth and everything!

Christmas Morning
Check out that wrapping paper.

Lady Thai Boxing
and not a hint of meat and two veg.

Chinese Lantern
on New Year's Eve

It's not a bald patch!
It's the reflection of the fireworks

Like butter wouldn't melt......
Have you seen our eyes?