Another week has passed already!! Can't believe I've been away just over 3 weeks - time is going so quickly....So, on Monday I started my tour of Southern Thailand for 7 days. We had to leave Bangkok a bit earlier than epxected because of the protests that were going on - a car bomb went off 2 streets away from the hotel I was staying in so we went to another hotel and got a minibus to the train station from there. This meant we were waiting at the train station for about 3 and a half hours - which wouldnt have been too bad had the train toilets not been emptied when they pulled into the station!!!!!! It was honest to god THE WORST thing I have ever smelt in my life and you couldnt get away from it so I ended up breathing through a towel! Anyway the train arrived about half an hour late at 8pm but we didnt end up leaving until about 11pm as the electricity had broken on our carriage - so we all ended up stood on the platform for ages again whilst they fixed it. So we finally got on our way and I pretty much slept the whole journy until we arrived in South Thailand. Then we got a couple of mini buses to Krabi which is where we stayed for a couple of days. The hotel we stayed in was really nice - rooms were huge and air con was fab. Had a couple of nice meals out in the evening and the night markets were quite good so enjoyed the time there. also had a good facial - the amount of beauty salons out here is unbelievable! We did a day island hopping which was really good (apart from the amount of other people doing the same thing) and I went snorkling for the first time! It was really good I loved it and have video footage to prove i did it! Then we moved to the next island called Koh Yo Noi for a couple of days and the place we stayed was awful! Another wooden hut and another bad experience! The people that ran it were lovely but me and helena had something living in our roof which decided to lay its cocoons on our bed both days! I was not happy!! It was quite scary going to sleep each night so me and Helena shared a bed to help us sleep. We did another day island hopping there as well which was even better than the first time as hardly any other people were on the islands so its was really peaceful. on the second night some of us went to a local bar which we think they opened especially for us (its hard to understand how a lot of businesses stay open out here as alot of the smaller islands hardly get tourists). The guy that ran the bar was the same guy who had taken us out for the day on his fisherman boat so he played cards with us and the winner/loser had to do shots of Sang Som - I avoided it luckily! On Saturday we arrived in Phuket and I'm pleased to say had a really nice place to stay at again called Karon Living Room. Lots of relaxation and beach time here so finally starting to get a tan! On Saturday night a few of us (me terri helena ronnie lauren and sam) decided to go into Patong (its like the strip in Tenerife!) and have dinner and drinks - we also met up with Charlie from my Northern tour who has her mum visiting her out here so it was nice to catch up with her too. you wouldnt believe how many lady boys / prostitues there are in Patong its crazy and revolting!!!!!!!!! Last night (Sunday night) we went out for our final dinner for the tour with our leader Nai and the rest of the group (there is a bit of a divide in this group, everyones nice enough just some of us get on better than others) then we went for a drink and saw Charlie and her mum again which was nice. So now its Monday and the tour has ended - Me and Terri are staying together for the remainder of our travels - though shes gone to another island for 4 days to go to a friends wedding from back home so I'm staying in Phuket with Lauren Sam and Ronnie until the end of the week. Helena goes back to Bangkok to stay with her cousin today before flying home which is a shame as we have been roomies since I got here so will be sad to see her go. Lauren Sam and Ronnie are really nice though so will be nice to spend more time with them this week - we are going to a Thai Boxing match tomorrow night in Patong which I'm really looking forward to as they are supposed to be really good - then I'm going to try and stay up for the Liverpool Arsenal game which kicks off at 2am - Ronnie's a Scouser so its good to watch the football with him. Think thats enough for now! Off to have a bit of a read and a power nap I think - being on the beach is hard work!!! Miss you all - keep the messages coming - Lots of love Donna xxxxx