Thailand 2

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Thailand 2

Day 90

Today was another long day on the buses as we were travelling back to Bangkok and unfortunately Joe was feeling very poorly. It seems the blue cheese on his burger last night was probably the main culprit of his food poisoning. Border crossing days aren't fun at the best of time s but this one involved a lot of queuing, about 4 different minibus changes and lots of hanging around – not really what we needed but thankfully we made it to Bangkok for around 5pm. We used the opportunity to have an early night and to try to mend Joe.


Day 91

Today we went to visit some of Bangkok's most famous sites, the grand palace and it's adjoining temmple, home of the emerald buddah. The palace was fascinating, there were murals all around the temples grounds and we could see sections of it being renovated in tiny detail to help keep it looking beautfiul. The shrine housing the emerald buddah was one of the most decorated and glittering we''ve seen, with the Jade Buddah statue perched high up on the altar. This was certainly a most impressive tribute but unfortunately photography is banned in here. The Wat is the most interesting building in the palace grounds but we strolled around the res of the place for a while, unfortunately none of the state or throne rooms were open for us to look inside. From the palace we then went on to Wat Pho, home of the reclining Buddah, again this was very impressive but with the amount of time we have spent in temples lately we only had a short look around before leaving.

In the evening we went to a restaurant down the road from the guesthouse to watch machester utd lose the charity shield on penalties and then had an early night because we thought we would be on a night bus the next day

Day 92

We strolled around Bangkok for a while and then got a taxi to MBK, one off the large Bangkok shopping centres, to stock up on some supplies before we hit the beaches. We decided to invest in an underwater digital camera as we have been under budget so far and we knew the opportunities for snorkelling pictures on the islands would be amazing. It took a while to negotiate the lowest price but we persisted and now have a great new camera to add to our electrical collection. We also bought travel pillows which were a great investment for the 15 hour night bus to Koh Phi Phi Island.


Day 92

We arrived on the ferry at Phi Phi by 11am and already seemed to be burned from the bright sunshine. We quickly located a simple guesthouse within our budget, dropped our bags and ran off to the beautiful beach. Words can not quite describe what a little slice of paradise it is here, the sand is soft & white, the sea shimmers like a jewel with a thousand different shades of emerald & turquoise and it is so clear that you can spot little fish swimming around you.

Incidently we bumped straight into Tara & Dom again at dinner so they showed us around the bars which are located in the little village and then there are a few clubs on the beachfront where people can go dancing till the sun rises.

Day 93

We spent another glorious day on the beach and it is only today that Joe feels fully recovered from his illness. As it is the queen of Thailands birthday today none of the bars were allowed to open for business so Phi Phi was eerily quiet by night. We took advantage by spending the evening sitting on the beach and listening to the waves break.

Day 94

Another beautiful day on Phi Phi, as this is supposed to be the rainy season we are keeping our fingers crossed that the good weather continues. Again we spent the day at the beach, playing in the warm sea and drinking iced strawberry fruit shakes.

In the evening we climbed up the steep hillside to a famous view point to watch the sun set over Phi Phi. It was amazing, you could see the bays on the west & east of the island twinkling with the first lights of evening. The sun blazed in the sky, turning it through a whole spectrum of colour from pink to purple to orange, then red. It was truly the most memorable moment. Also interesting at the viewpoint was a photograph taken from the same spot just after the tsunami had hit the island in 2004. The devastation was immense, there were only a few of the larger hotels left standing, it is overwhelming to think of the impact that it must have had on the families of this low-lying island.

Day 95

Again we spent the day on the beach and we'll understand if you want to stop reading the blog at this point.

In the evening we decided to have a quiet night, Joe & Dom found a playstation bar where they could play Pro Evo football all night long, while Tara & Tracy pottered around the shops. We called in for 15 minutes at the Lady Boy cabaret show, which was definitely eye opening, especially as one of the stars was performing in his/her bikini.

Day 96

We hired a long tail fishing boat with Tara & Dom to take us on a snorkelling tour and to Maya Bay on the smaller island of Phi Phi Lei. The snorkelling was amazing, our boat driver threw bread into the water so that we were surrounded by fish, which were coming at us from all directions. We were so impressed with our new camera as it meant we got loads of shots of them all. The beach on maya bay (famous from the film 'the beach') is simply beautiful. The sand is talcum powder under your feet and the water is 100 different shades of green and blue, all surrounded by imposing limestone cliffs.

On the way back to the harbour we stopped at a beach on the outer edge of Phi Phi called Monkey Beach. It is a small cove that is overrun with wild monkey, all vying for food from the passing tourists. It was really nice to see wild monkeys, but it was still sad to see them sitting on the ground fat from being over-fed.

We went out again in the evening and bumped into more of our friends that we had met in Laos. Tash & Rosie, who were there with a lot more of their friend so it was quite like a big girls night out + Joe & Dom.

Day 97

We spent our last day on Phi Phi enjoying the beach once more, we still can't believe our luck with the weather. We also treated ourselves to the giant strawberry sundae icecreams we have been eyeing up in our favourite restaurant since we got here.
In the evening we were back at Dom & Tara' favourite restaurant for dinner (think they ate their for 5 nights in a row) before taking some drinks down to the beach. After watching people jumping over the fire skipping ropes for a while Tracy decided that she wanted a go. It was all going well until when running out of the ropes and away she was looking backwards instead of where she was going and ended up running right into the fire block that the proffesionals use as lamps to re-light their flames. We had a quick trip to Phi phi hospital just to get the wound cleaned but apart from 5 days out of swimming action there is thankfully no other harm done.

Day 99

The next day we had to check out of our hotel at 11:00 and there was a ferry leaving for Koh Lanta at 11:30 by the pier. So we packed up our stuff and headed to get the boat.

Once at the pier the boat was a standard ferry and there were about 70 people on board. We dumped our backpacks on the top deck because it was sunny and there was no chance of rain and climbed into the upper cabin which had soft seating around the edges like long benches. As there was more seating that people Joe had a little sleep because he could lie down. There was a man on the boat who was giving out brochures for a hotel on Koh Lanta and offered a free no obligation lift from the ferry port which is very common in and around Thailand. We decided to give it a go once we reached Lanta which was going to be about an hour and a half away.

Once we reached Koh Lanta we were ferried onto a pickup truck full of people on the way to the hotel. Once we reached the hotel it was evident we were not going to spend much money so we decided to get the nicer air-con room which was much better value than the standard 'fan room'. The hotel was very nice and spacious and was cheap because its out of season. There was a swimming pool and it was right on the waters edge. Thankfully it was also really sunny and nice weather apart from the odd shower which we were used to at this time of year.

With still time to kill we decided to hit the pool and read for a while as there was not that much to do. Joe was sunbathing and Tracy was sat in the shade thanks to her new burn which was all bandaged up.

That night we decided to stay in the hotel and eat at the restaurant which was nice and we both had lovely curries before heading to the interesting bar they also have right next to the restaurant. The bar consists of lots of flashing lights and looks more like a Christmas tree at times than a bar. There were a couple of nice Thai guys who run the place and they put on a fire show for everyone (Tracy stayed out of the way). You could sit on some deck chairs and relax by the sea if you wanted to which we decided to do. We had a single beer each before heading back to the room and grab some sleep.

Day 100

Day 100!!! We decided to find out what Koh Lanta had to offer so we grabbed a taxi and with a map asked him to show us around. After going to the health center to get Tracy's leg re-bandaged we then went on a trip to the old town, which was the first port on the Island for Chinese and Indian traders before the main port moved to the north of the Island where the ferry drops you off. It looked a little like the wild west when we got there. We sat down and had some lovely food (Phad Thai and Noodles) in a place called the 'Fresh Restaurant' which again had a lovely view and nice service.

After the old town we decided to head up to a viewpoint which overlooked a bay which again was lovely although it had nothing on the viewpoint in Koh Phi Phi but we stayed there and grabbed a drink (pineapple shake and coffee shake) in another restaurant while we watched the view.

After this we decided to go down to find a bay further down the island that the lady at our reception had told us was nice. So as we were going down, one of the most spectacular storms opened up and there was the loudest thunder we've ever heard so we decided to head back to the hotel to relax there.

After watching a little TV we went back to the hotel restaurant and had some more food before heading to the bar. Now, previously we've noticed a few people who seemed English around the place and we decided to try and introduce ourselves which is very common while people are traveling otherwise you never get to meet anyone. So me and Tracy sat down for a game of chess and while we were playing the group of people went and sat at another table. When we finished we walked over and introduced ourselves and met some lovely people called Adam, Georgia, Richard and a Dutch couple. We spent the night chatting with them and relaxing. Then we decided to head off to bed for the night with no particular plans for tomorrow.

Day 101

We awoke with no plans for what to do so we just went to the swimming pool and read for a while and Tracy decided to walk up to the first aid center to get her bandage replaced. Joe read a Stephen King novel and chatted with Adam and Georgia for a while in the boiling hot sunshine.

That night we went to a restaurant just outside the hotel and were a little disappointed after a recommendation, but then we went back to the bar that night and had a couple more drinks with Adam and Georgia and also booked our bus off the Island the next day at 8:30 with Adam and Georgia to Rilay Beach which is a beautiful place we've been to before so we decided to go again. Ideally we wanted to go somewhere a little more off the beaten track but because it was low season many of the places we wanted to go were shut and also there was little transport to these more secluded islands so we decided to go the more popular resort.

Day 102

We woke early to go to the travel agent where the bus was picking us up and they gave us free coffee and toast which was lovely. We waited for Adam and Georgia to arrive and then the bus came and we were happy to find out we were the only people on the mini-bus so that meant we had loads of room which was totally different to our other experiences in Cambodia and China where they are full to bursting.

We arrived in Krabi which is the harbor town to get to Rilay beach and we got a long tail boat (the typical long boats you see in Thailand) to Rilay which takes about 40 min and covers some beautiful scenery. Rilay beach does not have a direct road so you have to go there by boat.

When we arrived we searched a few hotels but found the first hotel to be the best so we went back there and got a fan room which was fine as it was not that hot and also the room was quite cool. We then grabbed our stuff and headed off down to the famous beach there.

Now there is something that annoys us about this beach and it could have been avoided. The cheaper places to stay are on Rilay beach but the main beautiful beach is through a walkway by some cliffs and to get to this walkway you have to walk down Rilay beach. Now none of the hotels on this beach have created a walkway down so you have to walk on the sand and the problem is that the sea comes right up to the edge and can sometimes bee knee high so you end up walking through 100m of knee high water and all the hotels on the edge have 'private property' signs on. With a little design this could have been avoided but in Asia, sometimes these things just happen.

We got to the main beach anyway and Tracy found some shade to protect her leg and Joe decided to go swimming in the sea. As Joe was swimming in the sea he met some Canadians couples and an Israeli couple who were really nice and then when everyone was back on the beach Tracy came over to have a chat as well and we all had a couple of beers.

After walking back to the hotel we got changed to go out and went for some food in a cheap restaurant we found. Many of the hotels and restaurants are very expensive here (for a backpacker) but we managed to find a good one. After eating we then went back to the room and slept after a long day of traveling and beach time.

Day 103

We woke and decided to try another cheaper place to eat, which was in a restaurant that seemed to be run almost entirely by a family of lady boys, Then we decided to try the beach on the opposite side of the little peninsular, called Railay west beach. This was another beautiful beach but had a lot less shade to take breaks from the sun in.

For dinner we decided to try an Indian restaurant as it had a good list of curries and they were very well priced. We were a bit concerned when we were both given our food within 5 mins of ordering, but by that point we were a bit committed as we didn't know how to explain in asia that the service was so fast we couldn't possibly imagine that the food had been freshly prepared. It was quite a funny meal though as the TV in the corner was showing the re-run of Manchester Utd 's defeat by Burnley, the thai owner of the restaurant declared himself an avid chelsea fan and proceeded to take the mickey out of Joe for the whole meal. After dinner we met the Canadian couple Faral & Matt and spent the night drinking cheap but strong cocktails with them. Matt was actually quite drunk at the end and had fallen in love with Joe a bit as he couldn't stop hugging him or telling him how amazing he is, which was quite funny.

Day 104

We checked out of our room and headed down to the pier to try and catch a taxi boat back to Krabi town. Unfortunately at this point of the day the tide had come right into shore again and you couldn't walk between the restaurants without wading through the sea. Joe was very heroic as when he had found a taxi boat he then had to carry Tracy's backpack over and then return to give Tracy a piggyback to the boat so that she didn't have to get her leg wet.

When we were back in Krabi we went on a quick hunt for guesthouses, one very basic hostel got caught out, the lady was asking for 500 baht a night for a very basic room, which was almost double the price we had paid for an en-suite bungalow at the beach, thankfully another lad walked in and told his friends who were waiting there about a cheap hotel around the corner where you could get a room for 250 baht so we all went there instead. We went out for lunch to a Canadian bar, where we decided to treat ourselves to some big fat burgers and then went back to the room for a bit as it was raining. Thankfully we had wifi here so managed to catch up on skype with a lot of people which was lovely.

In the evening we went down to the night food market which springs up on the harbourside and is one of our fond memories of Thailand last year. There are about 20 little mobile stalls, all with plastic ables and chairs set up next to them and they will stir-fry any kind of thai food in front of you. Meals here are super cheap as Tracy's dinner only cost 30 baht (about 60p). Then we went to watch the Man Utd 5-0 in an Irish bar, in Thailand they show premiership matches live, before returning home via a second stop off at the night food market.

Day 105

We decided to stay in Krabi for another day (mainly for the night food market) and so we could pick up some provisions for the rest of traveling. The weather was not great today and was raining for most of the time. We spent some time on the internet and we also went shopping and picked up some sun cream and a waterproof bag because we were going to Koh Tao to do some diving and we'll be on a boat most of the time. We also looked at a few DVD places to find some good ideas for downloading movies.

We booked the trip out of Krabi to go to Koh Sok which is a national park between the islands as a stop over.

That night, you guessed it, we went back to the night food market and ate some more yummy food. Then we took and early night because we had to be up to go to the post office and then get a bus.

Day 106

We woke and packed our bags and checked out of the hotel we were staying at, which we're becoming quite specialized at. Then we caught the bus to Koh Sok which was not that far and we were taken to a central bus station to switch bus. There they were trying to sell us a hotel but we knew that if you turned up you could get a better result than buying on the way to your destination.

We arrived and had a look at the accommodation they were recommending and then we went to have a look at another place that a Canadian couple suggested and we decided to stay there instead.

After all the traveling we were quite tired but we decided to walk down to the national park and see how much walking we would be doing the following day. Unfortunately a large section of the park was out of bounds in the wet season unless you are accompanied by a guide (which is expensive) so we were only left with 3 waterfalls that we could walk to. We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting out a rainstorm back at the guesthouse, which thankfully had wifi. In the evening we ate some lovely thai curries in our restaurant and spent the evening chatting to some girls we had met on the bus and a bunch of boys from Loughborough uni.

Day 107

We woke up in our little wooden hut in the middle of nowhere and felt that this is the most camping-like experience we have had yet. We set off down to the national park and after a short stop at the western cafe for beans on toast for breakfast we were on our way. The trail was pretty dry but there were a few puddles left behind from the previous days rain and we had only been walking for 10 mins before some of the Thai people we met on the trail advised us to regularly check for leeches! Apparently wild bears, elephants and tigers can be seen in the park on occasion but the closest we came to wild life was hearing monkeys in the trees, though even they were difficult to spot. The waterfalls that we found were very nice, but not quite as big as those we have seen previously. We left the park leech-free (we got rid of the only that we saw which was trying to hitch a lift on Joe's shorts) and went to catch the 4pm bus on to Surattani, the port town where the ferries leave for the thai islands on the east coast.

We reached Surattani about 6.30pm and were just looking for a place to stay for the night when we bumped into another english couple. They were planning on catching the night ferry to koh tao and though we hadn't remembered that we had that option and so were still in our dirty trecking clothes we decided that we should also get the night ferry as it would save us time and money. The ferry left at 11pm and arrived at 7am and it was nicer than we were expecting. There were thin mattresses and pillows laid down on then floor, so everyone could stretch out and try and sleep but as somebody down the line was taking up too much space we had to try and cram 3 people into a 2 person space which was cosy to say the least. Thankfully the girls we were next to were very friendly and we all had a couple of beers before setting off in the hope that we would sleep through the journey better. It was pretty choppy in places and we certainly didn't have a great nights sleep but we faired better than Ben & Harriet, who we had met earlier, who each woke up to find a cockroach on their face!!

Day 108

We arrived early in the morning at 7am and went to the main Sairee beach to try and find some cheap accomodation and also to decide which school we should use to do our scuba diving course. We ideally wanted to learn with Phoenix divers, as thats where joe's friend had worked, however we got a better accomodation deal with Bans, the biggest school in the resort so we decided to go with them instead. We had one free day before starting the open water diving course so we had a quick nap and spent the day exploring the resort. We also met an Irish couple, Kieran & Tara, down by the pool who we became friends with and they also signed up to do the scuba course.

Day 109

We got up and moved into the nicer room that we were now getting for free as part of the diving course package. As we didn't need to start 'school' until 5.30pm we decided to hire a bike and explore the island. We rode down to the beautiful shark bay in the south but couldn't seem to find the right turn off from the road so we could only look at the beautiful beach from the outcrop of rocks that we had managed to reach. Joe decided to do a bit of snorkelling in his goggles as the water was so clear and Tracy sat on the rocks counting watching all the crabs that were gathered there. We did want to ride to some of the other bays around the island but the very steep hills and sandy roads seemed a little too tricky in places so we settled for spending the afternoon on the islands other main beach resort.

In the evening we started our scuba course and met our instructors Lucy & Jimmy. The first session of the open water course was theory based and we had to sit in a classroom and watch a video about diving for about 90 mins that we would be tested on in the morning. Our friends Kieran & Tara were in the same class as us so we all went out for dinner together afterwards and had a few drinks.

Day 110

Feeling a little bit worse for wear we had our next classroom session at 8am where we were tested on the videos we had already watched and then had to watch some more. Lucy was a very good instructor though and made things really clear by drawing diagrams and creating real life examples on the white board.

In the afternoon we all got dressed in our wetsuits and took all our equipment to the swimming pool so that we could learn all the practical skills we needed in a safe environment. Breathing when underwater was very weird and took a little adjusting to but soon we were feeling pretty comfortable. Lucy had us practice running out of air and having to use your buddy's air tank instead and taking off different pieces of our equipment etc. The only part that was quite unnerving was when we had to let water into our eye masks and then clear it out (by tilting the mask and blowing really hard through your nose) and when we had to take our masks completely off and put them back on again while underwater.

In the evening we went for dinner with Kieran & Tara and had an early night so that we would be fresh for diving first thing in the morning. We were all really excited after our session in the pool and probably didn't chat about anything else for the whole eveing.

Day 111

We got up early as we were leaving for our first real dive in the sea at 7.30am. We headed to the dive center where we were staying, had a little breakfast and then grabbed our diving equipment which we had to be sized for. Then we all jumped on the back of some pick-up trucks and were driven to the pier where the dive boat was waiting for us.

When we arrived at the pier we had to climb over some other boats to get to the dive boat with our bad of diving gear. The boat had coffee, tea and biscuits aboard and we set off to the first dive at Mango bay which was around the other side of Koh Tao. After arriving we had a quick briefing and then headed into the water.

The aim of the dive was first to follow some of the procedures we were practicing in the swimming pool and then we were going to continue the dive and finally get to see some marine life instead of the bottom of the pool.

The reason that Mango bay was picked was because the water is really shallow and the bottom of the bay is nice soft sand and is a great place to teach the basics. We started the procedures like taking off our masks under the water and putting then back on and also some buoyancy drills. These were mundane but everyone agreed that they made you feel a lot safer in the water because if something went wrong it taught you not to panic. Then we headed off along the bay to finally go 'diving'.

We were a little spoiled at Mango bay because there were some amazing fish there. We got to see shoals of barracuda, fusiliers, amazing coral and other really cool sights. Even the teacher said we were a little spoiled on our first dive. The fact our first dive was in the beautiful sea off the Thailand coast, I think any dive would have been spoiled.

An interesting point about diving (if you dont know) is that you need to regulate your breathing. Without maintaining a stable constant breathing pattern you start to use more air than you would, so it was also important during this dive to make sure we were relaxed and breathing normally because breathing inn deeply (like when you panic) will make you more buoyant and send you to the surface which will make you panic.........you get the picture.

After the dive we went back to the boat and everyone was reminiscing about the dive and having a good old chin wag and we headed off to the next dive site called japanese gardens. Here we followed the same pattern and did some of the more difficult procedures we'd been doing in the pool and then went off to 'dive'. This dive site was not as beautiful as the last and there were not as many fish, but at this point we dont care, its the excitement of the dive thats driving us forward. It gives us the chance to practice all the things we've been talking and thinking about during the past two days. We do see lots of coral and some more fish and we both followed the instructor on this one so we were right behind her which is better for seeing some of the fish that swim away from people (most of the fish are oblivious because we're not a natural predator).

After the dive we headed back to the boat and then back to the dive center to wash our equipment (salt water damages it over time so you have to wash it) and then to the classroom so we can take the theory test so we don't have to do it on the final day of diving.

Once in the classroom we all take the test and we both pass (I think everyone else does because its not that hard) and then we head back to our room to relax after our early morning. Then at the night time we stayed up and watched Manchester United play Arsenal on TV and then we went to bed late because we had another early start in the morning diving.

Day 112

We awoke and followed the same routine as the day before by grabbing some quick breakfast, heading out to grab our gear and then jump on the boat.

We went to a dive site called twins which was amazing and we got to see 'nemo' (a clown fish) for the first time and there were loads of other fish there and again we did some more practical stuff at the start of the dive.

After twins we went to white rock which was another dive site near twins and we had another amazing dive (they are all amazing at this point because its just amazing to be diving). This is our last dive on the PADI and we had a really good time. The ride back on the boat was fun and there was an instructor with us with a video camera filming the whole day which we were going to watch later when we were all meeting to have a dinner and some drinks.

After the dive we were also given the sales talk about the advanced diving course thats on offer. This allows you to go off in pairs on your own when diving and also allows you to go to down to 30m for some of the deeper dives. We think about this and decide to make a decision later.

We relax that afternoon and go around Koh Tao for a while before heading back to Bans to get ready and go out for the PADI meal. Its great to meet up with everyone later and catch up. We had a great time watching the video of the diving (we didnt buy it because it was expensive and we were planning on doing some more diving). Then we sat down and had a meal before heading off to grab some drinks with Tara and Keiran. It was a really grreat night and so much fun. We ended the night before it got out of hand and went back to the room. We were also quite tired as well after waking up really early and not getting a lot of sleep because of the football.

Day 113

We woke and had to check out of Bans because we got free accommodation while we were diving but because the course had ended we had to move rooms because it was really expensive. We also made a decision to do our advanced open water diving course because we knew we were going to some of the most amazing diving spots in the world, we didnt want to miss out on any because we could only dive to 18m. So we went to Phoenix divers where a friend of Joe's from home had worked and we spoke to a guy called Neil that we knew from Koh Tao previously when we were there before christmas. We booked on the diving course that meant we could move into their accommodation.

When we grabbed the bags they said that they were pretty full and we would have to stay in a fan room (no air con) so we grabbed our bags and headed over to a room that wasn't that nice. We dumped our stuff and then had to go to reception again for something. During that time Tracy asked “do you not have any air-con rooms available?” to which they replied, “yes we have one left” so immediately we upgraded to the nicer room for free (although I think we really had to pay for this) which was a really nice, big spacious (but circular) room with a large bathroom to do our advanced diving course.

We didn't start our diving course that day so we could just relax but we had to start the next day so we didn't go crazy. That night we booked our tickets to get our of Koh Tao for two days time after our final dives on the advanced course (which is why we got the accommodation one day early).

Day 114

We woke up and took the morning easy by reading a little and grabbing some breakfast. It was nice to have a lie-in again after the early starts with the diving and the late nights out with Keiran and Tara.

We met Neil at the Phoenix divers center in the afternoon and found out there was a small problem, the boat had broken down. This is the fist time the boat had broken down and we really didn't know what to do. Neil said that we would hire a long boat and that could take us out on the dive.

The next thing you know is the boat is back working again and we're on our way to the pier to grab a long-boat out to the dive boat that's moored at a dive site. When we arrive at the large pink dive boat it takes us around back to Mango bay, the site of our first dive and we go through some advanced buoyancy drills by swimming through a big plastic square which is difficult because you really have to watch how you breathe (which regulates if you go up or down) while you're swimming, watching where you're going and trying not to hit anything.

After this we go back to the boat and then go to the next dive site which was Japanese gardens again but this time we went to a wreck of a dive boat that had been damaged during a storm and had hit some rocks. We were meant to do some navigation on this dive and we had to complete a four point square using an underwater compass and find the wreck again. The visibility was not great but Joe started first and got completely lost somehow and we ended up having to surface (very slowly as we've been taught) and then find the wreck then we went back down and found Neil the instructor again. Next was Tracy's go and she also missed the wreck but not as much as Joe. After, we went back to the boat and had a little bit of time ashore before we were going on our night dive.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat we went out to go on the night dive which was you might have guessed is completely dark and you have to dive with a torch to find your way around. At first this took a little getting used to but after a while it became easier. The hard part is staying close together and if you're looking at something with the torch then you can't really swim forwards because you might bump into something. It was a great experience but I'm not sure its one that I would do again.

That night we met Tara and Kieran and had a quick drink with them because they were going back to another Thai island because there is not that much to do on Koh Tao so this was their send off. Then we had an early night because we were going diving in the morning.

Day 115

We woke and again (it felt like routine) we went to the dive school and off to the dive boat to do another two dives. These dives were to go down to 30m and navigation.

In diving the air that you breathe is made up of oxygen and nitrogen. Now when you go down to 30m the nitrogen starts to enter the blood stream (I think) and this then starts to impair your judgment much like having a couple of beers. This is called Nitrogen narcosis. This was the aim of the first dive so before we went down, we looked at a waterproof board that had the numbers 1 – 17 on in a random order. We were required to point to the numbers in order and we were timed. The aim of this was to repeat the same test when we were 30m below sea level and see if we were effected by the nitrogen narcosis.

We descended down through the water to 30m and it actually didn't feel any different from diving to 18m really apart from the visibility was really bad. We then repeated the same test and Tracy did well and Joe sucked because he took a lot longer so either he just got thicker or he was effected by the nitrogen narcosis.

We then swam around for a while looking at all the fish and finally back to the boat before heading off to the next dive.

At the next dive, we again did navigation and with getting lost fresh in our memory we had to repeat the four turn square back to the same spot. This time with some more concentration we both completed the task and made it back to the dive instructor. Then we went for a swim for about 15 minutes and at the end of the dive we were then left alone to find our way back to the boat again on our own. This we both completed and the dive instructor was very pleased we completed it and what was great was that this completed the training for our diving and now we were advanced divers and able to dive to 30m and navigate on our own (although I don't think we are that comfortable with that idea yet).

After diving we had to hurry back to the room to check out of the room before heading off to get a boat to Koh Phanang for the full moon party. The islands are pretty close together so it was only an hour or so before we were there.

Once there we had to find accommodation which was reportedly very hard only a couple of days before the party. However once we arrived at the pier there were a number of people waiting to offer us accommodation so we decided to have a look at one place, so we jumped on the back of some motorbike taxis and went to see a hostel. This place turned out to be very basic and the price was still quite high, so we thought we should move on to another place to compare and as the mototaxi guys would get a tip from the accommodation they were willing to take us anywhere.

We arrived at the next place called Mac's resort and when we entered we saw there was a swimming pool and the beach was lovely with people kite surfing there. So we had a look at the bungalow and it was basic but a reasonable price and the beach and pool made up for it. It was also very quite which was nice because we'd need somewhere to rest after the party. So we decided to stay here and send the mototaxi guys on their way.

We checked into the room and put our stuff away and then hit the beach for some sun bathing and reading before it got dark. Then we went to find something to eat and we walked up to the main road where there was a 7-11 and some restaurants. Now when we arrived we saw there was an all you can eat Thai BBQ!!! Well enough said, thats where we ate and the food was amazing and it only cost £2 a person. By the end we were well and truly stuffed and because that morning we'd been diving and now we were on another island we were pretty tired and we decided to hit the sack.

Day 116

We decided to go go around the island to see what it had to offer with beaches and jungle. We decided to head upto the north west of the island first to find a national park we had been to before but decided to go back to so we could take some pictures. When we got there it was a different one from the one we remembered last time We took some pictures but decided not to climb the really long walk and decided to hit the beach instead as it was soooooo hot.

When we made it to the north west of the island, the beaches there were lovely and really chilled. We tried to get a soft drink at Pirate bar, but all the people must have been raiding ships because there was no-one there. We stayed for a little while here just relaxing in the sun before deciding we needed to head off because there were other things we needed to do on this day so we went down the coast taking pictures and then headed into Haad Rin where the full moon party (FMP) was going to be.

When we got to Haad Rin we had to buy some clothes for the FMP because there is usually lots of body paint and you're going to get dirty on the beach. So we spent ages shopping and trying to find something before we finally had our tops and some head/wrist bands and body paint and it was time to head back to the hostel to relax for the night.

We then went to Tesco (yes they have it in Thailand) and brought some booze for the party as well so we could save some money and a few other little bits and bobs.

When we were back at the hostel we got a quick change of clothes and headed out for a pool party and the beach to see what was happening. We had a few drinks and had a good night before getting the most scary taxi ride home EVER!!!

Day 117

We awoke and had some breakfast and decided not to do that much because we knew we were going to be up for ages because the FMP goes on until the very early hours. So we went to the pool to read and relax and met a bunch of guys from Surrey University and an Irish couple. They were all going to the FMP as well and the guys all mostly lived in London now and worked in IT so there was some stuff in common with joe. We spent all day talking to them and decided later to have some food.

So later once we'd been throwing a ball around and talking we all decided to get ready for the full moon (without body paint though) and headed back to the all you can eat and we stocked up on food and made sure we had plenty of ruffage inside us before heading to hostel to put on the body paint before going to the full moon party.

When we got to the FMP it was crazy, there are people all over the beach everywhere and people selling alcohol in buckets with straws. Everyone has had a lot too drink but people are only there to have a good time so there is a really good vibe there. People are dancing, singing, shouting and running into the sea. We were there with a crowd of about 15 people and we were having a really good time.

It was early in the morning at about 4am and we were both feeling a little tired of all the diving, traveling, partying and drinking so we decided too call it a nigh and head back to the hostel. After heading back we went right to sleep.

Day 118

We woke up in the late morning and wandered into the restaurant of our resort to grab some food. Afterwards Tracy went home to shower off the remaining flourescent paint from the full moon party while Joe decided that he quite liked this look and was going to stay as he was in the bar. We had a de-brief with our friends on the antics of the night before but they had to leave pretty early to get the ferry to koh tao, we weren't envious at all as we didn't think the choppy sea would mix well with all he hangovers. We met 2 american cousins and a brazillian girl who had heard a rumour that there was a party going on at our beach. There was no party but we invited them to join us and ended up drinking & chatting with them all day, they were really funny & friendly people.

As we had over indulged somewhat over the last few days Joe decided to get an early night and headed off to bed at 8pm, and seeing as we knew we would be on a night ferry the following night Tracy wasn't too far behind.

Day 119

We woke up, packed up again and checked out of our bungalow, thankfully we were able to leave our bags at the guesthouse reception. As we didn't want to get too hot or dirty we spent most of the day hanging out in a nice cafe that did great fruitshakes and had free wifi. We also went on a hunt for more books seeing as we had another long journey ahead of us.

In the evening we started the long journey to Malaysia by catching the night ferry from Koh Phangnan to Surattani. Despite the choppy start the journey turned out to be pretty smooth and we got a few hours rest before the coach in the morning.

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