A little cheating as the last entry was made in Deal today but the system was keeping us in Thailand!! 

22nd Jan 2007 The start of our last week brought some grey skies after heavy overnight rain but this could not keep the heat away as by 10am it was sweltering once more and by 12noon the sun had broken through for another wonderful day on the beach. Dinner at a restaurant with almost all locals was a great feast for 300baht that must have been the cheapest and tastiest of the trip. Having a late night Latte sat out under a flimsy straw awning we were to experience what their rainy season is like. The heavens opened and the roads were awash and we are told during June & July it is like this 24hours a day, 7 days a week for sometimes a month non stop--you cannnot imagine what it must be like to live here. After over an hour it eased slightly so we headed back and got absolutely soaked - we don't want to know what it's like to be wet continously!!

23 Jan 2007 The rain overnight had cleared the skies for a beautiful day so as usual first a swim before breakfast and more relaxation. Late afternoon we took a taxi to Lonely Beach just down the coast that is the backpackers main destination on Koh Chang and simple straw huts everywhere. We chilled in the Paradise resort to see the sun go down from a different viewpoint before heading up to the main road for a beer at the BB Divers pool where we got some more fishermens trousers for gifts. Spent a hour with a Brit named Mark who was in his 2nd year on the island serving at the bar and occassional taking dive trips--you can see how easy it is for young people to never want to come home the way of life here is so relaxed and can cost almost nothing to survive. Grabbed dinner in a small cafe that was packed and after waiting an hour had another wonderful meal of stunning flavours. The taxi's were a bit scarce but eventually got back to Kai Bae slightly weary and decided to turn in.

24 Jan 2007 Wonderful day and a late dinner at Porn Resort, great cocktails, music and barbeque -- said our goodbyes to guys and also Nadia and her children who would soon be moving on to Cambodia. A beautiful way to spend our last evening in the little paradise that had been our home for nearly 3 weeks, as we strolled back along the beach our memories of the past two months came flooding back.

25 Jan 2007 The good weather was back to stay so we felt happy for all the newcomers as over the past 2 days so many people were heading home. A lovely family from Latvia were also leaving today but they had to face the prospect of -20C and short days when they got home, so we knew the UK could only be better. After a couple of swims we packed and checked out at noon to be picked up a 1:15pm to go to Trat to catch the plane to Bangkok. After an hours delay, but thankfully being allowed off the plane we eventually left at 5:30pm for the half hour flight. Out of the airport and on to a shuttle bus for a short journey to the Novotel hotel right next to the terminal, a great decision as we had no hassle a great meal + bottle of very drinkable wine and a good nights sleep.

26 Jan 2007 A leisurely start with a stroll around the hotel's pool and spa that sadly we didn't have the time to enjoy. The best breakfast for a long time and a painless checkout at 10:30 am, the shuttle to the terminal and checked in at EVA by 10:50am why can't we get our airports sorted? The new airport is stunning and has every brand name on sale though the days of duty free bargains seem long gone as prices were close to European ones. Our flight was a little late boarding but once away we settled in for the 12 hour flight that was quite painless and we were both looking forward to getting home to Deal. Alistair met us at Terminal 3 about 8pm and after a few holdups on the M25 we got back to the house about 10pm to be greeted with the welcoming site of the lights on as Gary had been in to drop off supplies and a beautiful bouquet from Jamie Aston (plug - a great florist in W1 do try him) it felt so good to be home! Picked up a bottle of wine to go to Alistairs for dinner and his tasty dish of Flemish Beef that really hit the spot, by midnight we were beginning to fade fast and decided to stroll through the town back home - that was rather chilly but back in doors the house was warm and we fell straight into our bed --good night and thanks for sharing our adventure with us. Love David & Ann xx