Not much to report...

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Hello everyone!

Hope you are all well.

As the title subject suggests, not much to report from sunny Thailand. This is for two reasons, first I haven’t done very much these last few weeks, and secondly my third camera expired shortly after arriving in Thailand so there are very few pictures

To say I haven’t done anything is not entirely true. The weather in Koh Chang was getting progressively worse, the last couple of days of my stay were very wet, so I upped sticks made my way back to Bangkok and then headed back down (on the other of the Gulf of Thailand) to another island called Koh Samui.

Good move it was too, the weather here has been stunning and the island has much better atmosphere then Koh Chang. This is not a negative review of Koh Chang, its just the rainy season arrives much earlier on the west of the Gulf so Koh Chang was very much in the off season mode. Great for cheap digs, not so great for atmosphere..

But you see Thailand was never about doing very much, my ambition was limited to living fairly comfortably while saving money and planning for Sri Lanka.

The first two objectives have been met but the planning for Sri Lanka is proving more difficult. Remember back to your school days, when you had a piece of homework to do but could never really get it off the ground, planning for Sri Lanka has been like that.

So far my only plan is to head up north to Jaffna and then on to an island called Delft. It’s pretty remote by all accounts, in fact the north of Sri Lanka is pretty remote full stop. By remote I mean its remote to tourists.

The north was the area that was most affected by the long civil war that plagued the Country for the last 30 odd years, until a few months ago you needed a permit from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defense to travel to Jaffna. Since the recent defeat of the Tamil Tigers things have opened up and visitors like me are slowly returning.

Why am I going there I hear you all yelp in unison. Well it’s precisely because there isn’t a tourist in sight holds all the appeal. It’s about getting off the tourist trail entirely, Thailand has been lovely and I certainly needed the rest, but it has not exactly been adventurous (out of choice) and right now adventure is what I need.

I am not expecting this first leg my Sri Lankan trip to be easy, no air conditioned rooms WiFi and 7/ll’s on every corner, but do expect to encounter some very warm people and some great scenery.

If you want a bit more detail about the north of Sri Lanka and my reasons for going there read the following:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/mar/12/sri-lanka-mannar-island-pesalai

It’s a few months old and the UK Foreign Office advice now says there are no restrictions and likewise a permit is no longer required.

After Delft I will try and skirt the East Coast down to Potuvill and then head back to Colombo via the Central Highlands. The Highlands are much more tourist friendly so it will give me a chance to relax and take stock before heading on to Tanzania.

So in summary, my next post should be far more exciting!

All my love

John

Ooooh I almost forgot. A special mention has to go the Thai people who, even in a Tourist weary place like Koh Samui, continue to be friendly and hospitable.

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Photos

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Tis lovely here, it really is. This is Koh Samui.

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Still very lovely.

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A very common view.

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I have been uncharacteristically cautious of dogs since I have left the UK, but have grown close to this one. She lives in the Guesthouse I am staying and comes swimming with me.

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I have seen many Geckos, and that is not a Gecko. Comes back every night though.

Photo 7
It was very cloudy in Koh Chang.

Photo 8
A hermit crab.

Photo 9
A Jewish Sandman.

Photo 10
A good sunset, but not a touch on Mongolia.