http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Karen-and-Matt/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Karen and Matt en-us Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:54:14 +0000 Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:54:14 +0000 We had to drag ourselves out of bed for breakfast. When we arrived instead of being given a menu we were told we could have anything we wanted so Matt decided to have an omelette and I asked for a pancake. There was a small table set out with coffee toaster fruit and cereal and the terrace was empty apart from us. We were starting to wonder if we were the only guests there.After eating we dec http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Lipe/blog-381687.html After an extensive breakfast we finished our packing and took some final walks along the beach to say farewell to the squeaky sand. It was a real shame to be leaving as we could easily have spent a couple of weeks at this resort if our finances could have coped with that. Unfortunately for us they couldnrsquot. When it came to checking out we were pleased to see no mention of the Emerald Cave http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Lipe/blog-381677.html I was excited to be spending a whole day of doing nothing today. Matt had agreed to go on a trip with a few other people as he was keen to see some caves on the island but to be honest I was just so pleased to be in such a pretty spot that I didnrsquot want to leave. I was also secretly looking forward to a bit of time on my own to give me a chance to think about my plan for when I get home.Br http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Muk/blog-381674.html I was more than ready to move on so was happy to see the speedboat pulling up to the beach for us at 8.30am. We thought we were joining a tour group for the lift but it turned out that it was purely a transfer boat to different islands and resorts. I was pleased we got on when we did as we had our pick of seats a few minutes later the boat was packed out and a few people had to sit at the back http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Muk/blog-381659.html Suki the lady who ran the resort spent the morning helping us decide which boat transfer to take to Ko Mook the following day. Yoursquod think it would be easy but far from it. There were lots of different speedboats all stopping at different parts of the island. Some involved getting a long tail to the resort whereas others cost more but went right to the resort. Eventually we decided to b http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Lanta/blog-381632.html After trying out breakfast at the resort we decided to get a taxi into town. This time it only cost 100 baht wersquod been well and truly stitched up the previous day but at least we were pleased we hadnrsquot paid the 500b that the tuk tuk driver had asked for originally.The main town was manic there were people scooters and tuk tuks everywhere lots of shops and stalls and everywhere http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Lanta/blog-381629.html Luckily we both woke up feeling fine maybe the 12 hours in a coma helped us sleep off the hangoversIt was sad to be moving on but it was exciting knowing we still had many islands left to explore. We grabbed ourselves a long tail to take us to the pier to catch our next ferry.The boat was a much smaller speedboat than last time. There was only one floor of seating and there were probably about http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Phi-Phi/blog-381624.html Getting up early wasnrsquot a struggle despite all the beer we drank last night as we knew it was going to be an awesome day.We descended the steps while the sun was still low in the sky. As our prebooked long tail boat wasnrsquot quite ready for us we had a walk on the beach which was amazingly empty. We knew that in an hour it would be packed again but it was nice enjoying it quiet while http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Phi-Phi/blog-381621.html We got up late and went down for breakfast. We both decided on the banana pancakes maybe it was because we'd recently read The Beach with fresh fruit coffee and fruit juice. It was all included in the price of our room so felt like another bargain.We got our things together and made our way down the steep dengerous looking steps to Long Beach. It was hectic around the main beachfront resorts http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Phi-Phi/blog-381617.html After doing our final bits of packing we had a greedy breakfast to fill ourselves up for the long day ahead. Our minibus transfer to take us to the ferry came on time and for once the driver was sensible It was almost a shock to see that there are some safe drivers in Thailand.There were a few pick ups along the way and it took an hour or so to get to the pier where our boat was due to leave. T http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Ko-Phi-Phi/blog-381613.html I was still angry when I finally got up at the real 5.30am alarm. It didnrsquot help that our pick up due at 6.10am didnrsquot show until 6.45. That did us out of an extra half hour in bedWe got into the minibus a bit annoyed at the lack of apology from the driver. After driving all the way to Patong and hour round trip we discovered the people he should have picked up there werenrsquot http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Phuket/blog-381595.html We both slept like logs even in the most uncomfortable bed in the world up until someone beeped their horn right outside our room at about 5.30am. I wasnrsquot impressed and couldnrsquot get back to sleep for ages afterwards as once I was awake I realised how noisy it was. We were used to being kept awake by cockerels and pigs but not motorbikes and trafficEventually I did drop off and we http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Phuket/blog-381593.html Everyone came to the airport to say goodbye even though we told them to stay in bed as it was so early It was really sad leaving as wersquod had such a great time in Perth. We could happily have spent a few more weeks thereOur flight to Singapore got off on time and we had a horrible airline breakfast on board.We had a few hours layover in Singapore which turned out to be the best airport we http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/Phuket/blog-381591.html We spent the morning doing loads of washing and packing our rucksacks. It wasnrsquot fun but we felt better knowing it had been done so that we could relax and enjoy our last full day in Perth.Around lunchtime we all went to Quinns Beach. It was really hot so Matt and Nitin jumped straight into the ocean while I hesitantly paddled around a bit. I made one attempt to go out further to join them http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Perth/blog-381585.html Today was our second to last day in Perth and we knew that on New Years Day everything would be closed so it was our last chance to go into the city.We borrowed Jo and Nitinrsquos car and drove ourselves to the train station at Clarkson a few minutes away and did the easy thirty minute train journey into the city centre. Even with the post Christmas sales and during peak summer holidays the cit http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Perth/blog-367940.html We got up late maybe because of all the red wine we put away last night or maybe it was just because we couldNit had offered to take us on a drive around some of the suburbs and the Swan Valley and we were really looking forward to getting out and about and seeing more of the area. It was already very hot when we left the house mid morning and the sun just seemed to get stronger as the day wor http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Perth/blog-367932.html It was a lovely feeling not having to be anywhere today. Matt wasnrsquot impressed that I wanted to drag him to the beach for the afternoon but I felt we needed to make the most of being in Perth while we could. I finally got him up and about around noon and we took a walk to Quinnrsquos Beach which was a fifteen minute walk away. It was much quieter than on Christmas Day but there were a fe http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Perth/blog-367928.html After breakfast we headed to Mandurah a town south of Perth where Jo and Nitin had just finished building a new rental property. It was at the final stages so they just had a couple of bits to do before people started to view it. Jo described it as a small place but it was a lot bigger than our three bed semi It had a large kitchendinerlounge another separate lounge three bedrooms gar http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/blog-367925.html After a leisurely breakfast Nitin took Matt me and Jess to Freemantle lovingly known as Freo to the locals. It was the trendy part of town that had a bustling indoor market on weekends a white sandy beach and oodles of cafes and fish and chip bars. We browsed the markets and managed to buy lots of gifts for people back home. Afterwards we had a walk up to the prison and time ball the ball us http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Perth/blog-367919.html After breakfast Nitin and Jo took us to the train station nearby so that we could get the train to a place called Guildford to meet up with Mattrsquos granddadrsquos cousin Dave and his wife Barbara. The train journey was easy everywhere was well sign posted and everything was so clean and new.An hour later we arrived wondering whether wersquod be able to spot Dave at the station as wer http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Western-Australia/Perth/blog-367916.html