So from living the past week as royalty, it was a massive comedown to, not only enter backpacker world again, but entering 'proper' Asia - let the slumming it commence!

We left Singapore, handing over 200 pounds for our malaria tablets, after paying that price you little mosquito b*****s best stay away!! And it was Kuala Lumpar where we were heading. With a slight language barrier, (something we are definately getting used to and learning how to handle), providing a few akward moments, and a good six hours later on our 'first class massage bus', we arrived in KL. Yes, this first encounter of an asian bus did exactly what it says on the tin. First class reclining massage chairs, so you are practically lying horizontal, with ample of foot room, even you men in the Sykes family would fit and have room to spare!!! And buttons to press for all sorts of massage (not a real person sat their attending to our massage needs LOL Tom Payne!!).

We arrived around 5pm, and our quickest tour of KL began. We had 12 hours to see the city in which most of that time consisted of sleeping! If time was on our hands an extra day would have been perfect, however, this thing they call the full moon party was quickly approaching and it was Koh Phangan that was where we needed to be! But at least we have got a feel, however small, for Malaysia.

Arriving in the rain, following some paper directions off google maps and probably getting mayjorly ripped off in the taxi, exploring the city was not top of our agenda for sure! Tom i have come on leaps and bounds city wise, we will have to start planning more little city trips as I know how much you love them, Prague next?! Our whistle stop tour consisted of exploring chinatown, , central market, and hopping on the train to see the Petronas Towers. We found it very difficult finding them asking for help to be told that all we needed to do was turn around and we would see them!! akwarddd!! We had planned to opt for the traditional malaysian cuisine of KFC but felt we should probably enter the malaysian culture and try some of their grub. Just to enlighten you, less of my chat will be about food I promise, it is not so much of a novelty out here seeing as you can go out for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the vast amount of a fiver!! We are trying lots of asian cuisine, Faye more than me of course due to her love of sea food, I just tend to stick with the chicken dishes, branching out to pork now and again!

So, our tour was over and we were up at 6am for our flight, no crazy partying for us due to how boring we are/how much we have aged on this trip, so I am sorry KL a night of journal writing it was!

Next stop, KL to Surat Thani, and we had a harmless experience with Air Asia, opted for a cheap flight due to time constraints! We got a bus from the airport to the ferry port, where we were soon amongst a million other travellers heading to Koh Phangan. We arrived after a fun few hours attempting to plan our Asia leg of our adventure, failing of course!! We took a horrifically dangerous taxi, with about 15 other people crammed in to the back of a pick up truck, obviously normal in Thailand! We had better get used to this thing they call transport out here.

During this journey and within less than two hours since arriving in Thailand, we found ourselves staring at a man lying dead on the floor with a knife through his heart. We were certainly in shock but were soon to be told he had commited suicide which put our anxieties at ease....a little. As if this image wasn't enough and the taxi ride itself, we then arrived at our resort, about forty minutes away from where the full moon party was, to discover that my shampoo had spilt all over my bag (sorry Jamie I will be returning your bag to you smelling of Dove shampoo I am afraid!!). And then of course I blocked the Thai sim card that i had bought and it was the day of Dads 60th Birthday so contact was pretty essential. To say things weren't going my way was an understatment!! Welcome to Thailand. Please treat us better!!

Eagerly hoping for fellow travellers in our resort, we were welcomed with a bunch of unfriendly dutch people, so we walked to the town, if you could call it that, hoping not to get stabbed (i have to laugh and make a joke out of it as would probably cry otherwise!!). We met two english girls and forced a dinner date upon them, they had no choice in the matter! We met, had a delightful meal and a cocktail which was very much needed! We were pretty glad when that day was over. Would have given anything to swap that day for spending it with Dad on his special day but hey thats life isn't it!

After our first nights sleep in a horrendously sweaty wooden hut, with a poor excuse for a fan and cold showers - we had better get used to this feeling if we continue to be the cheap travellers that we are and opting for rooms without air con or hot showers! We really are living the backpacker dream. Not forgetting the toilets, where we have to flush them by filling up buckets of water and pouring it down!! All new fun to us!!

We woke up feeling much better about life, with a full beach day ahead of us! These are pretty rare out here you see! We were staying in Hat Yao luckily, avoiding the massively chavy area of Had Rin, resembling our Kavos holiday in 2008 guys!! We took the plunge and headed to Had Rin that evening. We weren't sure what to expect, we were amazed by the set up, stalls after stalls competing to sell buckets everywhere! We were loving life this evening, friendless but who needs anyone else hey! We didn't quite make it to daylight - that was tomorrow nights aim, which was certainly successfully achieved I'll have you know!

The next day was a hangover free, beach day, and who would have thought that out of all the places in the entire world, I bumped into a girl that was in my health and social class at college, on a tiny beach in a tiny town in Thailand - small small world! Anyways, tonight was the full moon party, and we acquired friends for this. Apart from covering ourselfs in body paint, wearing ridiculously bright clothes, drinking out of buckets and being on the beach of course, we could have practically been in Plymouth SU! It was pretty tame compared to the stories that we have heard but all in all a cracking night! Definately a good expeience - that's that ticked off!

Hangover next day was worse than the day before, yet still manageable! Spent on the beach of course, it is weird doing nothing but making the most of it on these islands while we can.

It was then to our next island - Koh Tao. Another busy ferry ride was rewarded with a beautiful beach and we were set for the next couple of days. Next stop Bangkok and lets see if after a ferry ride and a night bus, if we make it there in one piece!!

Sorry is this entry has lots of spelling mistakes, the thai key board is confusing to say the least and its also getting late so I am pretttty sleeepy, also Thai internet would appear to be very slow so do appreciate this blog as my patience is really being tested!!

Speak soooooooon!

xxxxx