Ko Pha-Ngan and the Full Moon You might well ask, what is a Full Moon party?! Well its certainly not a Traditional Thai celebration - nor is it an astrological celebration of the phases of the moon. Instead it began around 1987, the year of our birth, when a group of travellers liked the way the moon illuminated the beach at Haad Rin on the island of Ko Pha-Ngan. So the small group of 30 or travellers throught hey, lets have a disco on the beach...... and the rest as they say is history... Each full moon attracts up to 30,000 revelers on the beach. The Full Moon party also gives us a chance to link up again with the group of 5 we met in Ko Lanta. But with this being Thailand, unlike it's ... read more

Ko Lanta, meeting up with some new friends After finishing in Ko Phi Phi, see part one, we took up the offer from Ash and Rachael, and joined them in Ko Lanta! We also met, for the first time, Jemma (Rachael's sister) and Nikki and Chris (a nice couple from Leeds). We had also been recommended this by many Thai's in Krabi town. This was great, as we the island is, without trying to sound repetitive, beautiful! We are so glad we did, the vibe here is so different to the busy rabbit warren in Tonsai, Ko Phi Phi. The island is totally chilled out. The bars are reminiscent of the bars in Jamaica, where people grab a beer - sit down, chat and play dominos or cards. The beach, where we are based, is ... read more

Perhentian Islands, Penang and Langkawi Our trip to the Perhentian islands started with typical confusion at Kuala Terraganu bus station where, we along with many other backpackers, had been told a bus to the jetty would definatly leave at 11.30am. After much searching and questioning, and with the time approaching 12, we were then told there was infact no bus! Oh well one hurdle to overcome before reaching what we hoped would be a place worth visiting! Even after paying the extra 20 quid to get a taxi we werent to be disappointed. The Perhentian islands are part of a Marine national park in Malaysia with pristine coral reefs and excellent sites for diving and snorkelling. This however was not our main reason for visiting, the islands famed quiet beaches and luke warm, clear waters ... read more

Bali Overview Bizare questions and comments are often put to the couple holding hands as we walk down the street. Usually starting with "are you on your honeymoon?" or "honeymoon couple?" To which the reply is obviously "no!" The questioning then takes a bizzare turn as the couple (still holding hands), get asked "are you brother and sister?!" The bizzare tactics of the street sellers doesn't end there, as Fay's favourite usually asks or proposes "some sandals to make your boyfriend stay with you!?" But when the funny exchanges die down and the ever persistant sellers realise that you mean it when you say "no thank you" the exchange can become quite rude and slightly disappointing. The joking, candor and banter with the more friendly vendors like those in Kenya, Sri Lanka and Jamaica are ... read more

G'day Perth! Our time in Australia has been well spent, since our last blog entry we have fitted a lot in. The city is a city where you truly feel the holiday spirit, even those working in the city have a Laissez-faire approach to life. Its the kind of city where you could come for a week and end up being here for months which seems to happen a lot. Our week in the city and the area of Perth included visiting a cricket match, sampling many of the beaches, a trip to the zoo and visiting Rotnest Island. Firstly on Chris' mums birthday we took a walk down to the WACA to watch a 4 day cricket match between Western Australia and South Australia. We picked a perfect day the weather was absolutely scorching ... read more