We flew from Sydney to Singapore, but only stayed there a single night before catching a cheap Tiger Airways flight up to Phuket in southern Thailand to visit our friends Ian and Katherine.

Having become accustomed to blank-faced stares or outright hostility at customs and immigration around the world, we were amazed when the Thai official dealing with us not only smiled but cracked a couple of jokes. This attitude was one we found common to every Thai we met - they seem to be a naturally happy and smiley people. Given that we had met Ian and Katherine in Bulgaria, it was an interesting contrast with the people there whose natural outlook is generally taciturn.

Driving from the airport to our apartment, we were immediately struck by the scenery which consisted of green hills, sandy beaches, blue sky and turquoise sea, and reminded us of Greece. However, the chaotic nature of the traffic, the higgledy-piggledy way that towns and villages are built and the casual way in which electric cables are strung in tangles across the streets was more reminiscent of Bulgaria.

I was glad that Ian drove on that first journey because I had become used to the quite ordered, well-mannered driving prevalent in Australia and New Zealand. In Thailand, you have to contend with hordes of scooters weaving in and out of the traffic - it's especially disconcerting when they drive on the wrong side up the main road. Everyone seems to know what they're doing, however, and riders give way sensibly so we never had any serious near-misses.

Scooter and motorbike-riders are meant to wear helmets, by the way, but the great majority of Thais don't bother. The local police ignore this, but clamp down much harder on foreigners who break the law. Close to our apartment was a roundabout called the Chalong circle which usually had a couple of policemen in attendance. Every time we went past, we saw them pulling over a foreigner who was riding without a helmet. The on-the-spot fines reportedly go straight into their back pockets.

Our apartment was found for us by Ian and Katherine. They run a Phuket accommodation website (www.phuket-accommodation.org) and came up with a fantastic two-bedroom apartment with a view of Chalong bay and its islands from the front balcony and the giant Buddha statue to the rear. Having become used to smaller and rather less well-equipped living quarters over the previous 15 months, it was like living in a palace.

One of the other major pluses of being in Phuket was the weather. Every day was sunny with a temperature in the mid 30s and a bearable humidity. Katy loved the fact that she could go out in the evening without a jumper to keep her warm once the sun went down. This is something she has only ever done before in Greece and then only at the absolute peak of the summer.

The day after we arrived we went out on a boat trip organised by Ian and Katherine - another little business they are getting started. We were among a party of about 50 aboard a stylish catamaran manned by an ever-smiling Thai crew. We sailed out among the islands, stopping at one of them for people to walk on the powder-sand beach or have a swim. Katy and I were content just to sit on the boat, happy to be doing something different.

We had both taken motion sickness tablets before we cast off. Given that neither of us is a good sailor, we thought this was a good idea. Unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on how you look at it - the bar opened at around 10am and we must confess to indulging ourselves. After a very pleasant lunch, the blood ran to my stomach and this - combined with the tablet and the alcohol - meant I laid my head on Katy's lap and had a 10-minute nap. We swapped over and she then fell so fast asleep it was two hours later before she managed to regain consciousness.

Half way through our stay in Phuket it was Katy's birthday. We went to a bar near our apartment with Ian and Katherine and played pool. We trounced them 3-1 (and beat them by a similar score another time) largely due to our safety play. Ian said it was like playing against two meerkats because we were constantly on the alert for danger rather than just trying to pot everything. The name has now stuck and we call any attempt to snooker the opponent a 'meerkat'.

Back to Katy's birthday - Ian had suggested we go to a ladyboy bar later, but she was tired so we had to forego that possibly dubious pleasure. (Well, she's getting old now!)

The other sporting activity I indulged in while in Phuket was nine holes of golf with Ian and two Norwegians he knew. Unfortunately, it was their first time on a golf course and their understandable ineptitude made for a very slow game. On the other hand, we all had our own female Thai caddies who pointed out the right line on putts, suggested clubs and went off in search of lost balls as well as pulling the golf carts. Far more civilised than having to do all that ourselves. Ian and I had a personal matchplay contest, which I'm disappointed to say that he won on the last hole.

We drove around a bit because we had a rented car (arranged through Ian of course). One of our trips was up to Patong on the west coast, but it was a pretty horrible place. It stank of sewage everywhere and was generally a right mess. It was probably ok in the evening if all you want is some bars and clubs to get drunk in, but otherwise it's a place to avoid.

Just a little down the coast are Karon and Karta and we liked both those much better. Karon in particular was a class above Patong with a lovely beach and some nice streets to wander around. For a small venue, we also liked Nai Harm with its beach fringed with tavernas. We sat and had lunch there one day, just passing the time looking at the waves.

We really enjoyed the food in Phuket. We had a couple of Thai green curries which were better than those we've had anywhere else - yes, I know they should be better, but it doesn't always work out like that in practice. Pad Thai was another dish which was universally good and we also had a very nice Indian one evening. One thing to remember if you visit Thailand, however, is that unlike India the dishes here are hotter than those you get in the UK. The Thais really, really, really like their chilli peppers!

As well as the locals, there is a large contingent of resident or semi-resident foreigners in Phuket. Most of those we saw seemed to be men, in late middle age or older, greying and generally overweight. Many of them, however, were accompanied by very much younger, very much more attractive Thai girls - sometimes their wives, sometimes their girlfriends - and not infrequently young children.

For some reason, we felt quite at home!

Richard