Well it's been a while since i last updated this and that's been due to having the wrist strapped up but i'll cover that alongwith some other dilemmas along the way.

On the 17th i caught a bus to Koh Samui, obviously with the aid of a boat also. An easy journey in comparison to many that have been made this last year, aided by my excitement and anticipation of meeting the guys and girls from Kiwi Experience. Just realised that i wrote 'this last year' without giving it a second thought, I can't believe i;ve been away that long and that in 6 weeks time i'll be home. So i got to Koh Samui and was meeting luke and Lucy later that evening. The hair was beginning to get annoying, making me sweat, getting in my mouth, so i decided to get it put into dreds.......what a pain in the ass! It took three people over three hours to do and was a very uncomfortable (and slightly painful) process. Continuous tugging and pinching, giggles from the ladyboy helping but it was eventually finished and i'm happy with it......despite some of the stick from people back home! Looking like the backpacking stereotype, get 'Bob mArley' shouted at me a lot and a large increase in the number of people wanting to sell me weed but i'm less humid and it's no longe rin the way. But for the next few days, when i took the head-band off i looked like 'Sonic The Hedgehog'.

Luke and Lucy arrived that evening (about 2 hrs late) and it was fantastic to see them both. It'd been so long since we'd been in New Zealand, we'd only really know one another for 6 weeks but it's different meeting people out here. You presume you'll never see them again, so you say things you wouldn't to people back until you've know them for a few months. Thus, you become a lot closer a lot quicker and that's been one of my favourite things about travelling. So after the first couple of hours of swapping some travelling stories, Luke and Lucy's combined laughter at my certain mis-fortunes, talking about Jaimie and knocking back a few rum, coke and redbulls (soon to become our staple diet) we agreed, it felt like we'd never been apart. And when the others arrived it was only going to get better. Eventually they did arrive, after their plane having to turn back twice due to the torrential downpour that was hitting Koh Samui. Unfortunately the Sun never really decided to join the party, apparently he was too busy giving England one of their best Indian summers in years! For God's sake (or maybe in my current climate 'for Buddha's sake') here we were in supposed island paradise in the lashing rain, mean while people back home (where at the very least it should be dull and grey) are basking in the Sun and walking around in t-shirts at the end of October. The sods!

So for the next couple of days we did very little apart from looking around the town and drinking. Not really 'backpacking' in its truest form (or most idyllic) but the weather prevented much else, although Luke and I did get in the sea a couple of times. Koh Samui itself doesn't have the best feel; packed with Mc Donalds', Burger King's, Starbucks and the like. But it does have a fantastic seafood restaurant, with unbelievably cheap, quality food. I chose a 500g shark steak, cooked with garlic and onions, a jacket spud and as much sald as one can muster. A little expensive at 200 Baht (around 3 pound)!

So then we headed to Koh Phagnan, home to the Full Moon Party, it's warm-up parties and where that evening i'd be jumped. We all went out for dinner, again the rain was attacking the island and then the party began. Three buckets and plenty of dancing later, a past-time i only seem to frequent when drunk, i needed to use the toilet. Strolled along the beach to the toilet and when walking back, my two year rule would come into play. For those who don't know, the two year is rule is one where i end up having a stupid accident/incident every other year. Obviously i was a 'little' drunk so i don't remember it all but before i knew what was happening, i'd been tripped up and feet were raining down on my upper body. I tried to cover my head and keep hold of my wallet. Fortunately 2 Israeli fellas saw what was happening, ran down to the beach and dragged me away from the kicking. My right arm was hanging loosely from my shoulder, my wrist throbbing and my head punding. They wanted to get to me to the islands hospital ASAP, as did the locals and God knows how much i wanted to also. But i needed to find everyone to let them what had happened and what was happening now. Not easy in the lashing rain, drunken and dis-orientated state i found myself in. But i found them and bluttered out (in what i can only imagine a very hap-hazard, nonsense manner) what had happened. I was thrown onto the back of a local lad's moped and rushed to the tiny hospital, followed by Luke and i think Mark......no Lucy. Mark stayed and hunted down the three Thai guys but to no avail.

A few days later i found out what had happened, i remembered very little and was unsure if i'd initiated an arguement with them by letting my mouth run away with me. As used to happen only too often in the early years at Uni. I hadn't, i was simply walking down the beach, tripped up by the three fellas and jumped. It looked (to the Israeli boys) like they were trying to mug me but with very excessive force being used. Kick after kick raining down upon me. I never find the two Israeli guys again to thank them, i owe them a big thankyou and few drinks!

So later that evening the nurse popped my dislocated right shoulder back into place. I must've been passed out by this point because i remember nothing and can only imagine the process being excruciating. I woke up the next morning to find Luke and Mark looking down on me. I asked what had happened, joked a little and questioned my backpack being there. Mark (a physio back home) felt i'd be sent back to England. This couldn't be happeng, i couldn't miss the only reason we were on the isalnd beacuse of what some idiots had done to me! My meeting up with mates couldn't be cut short due to some injuries?! Fortunately it wasn't.

I looked terrible, battered and bruised from the waist up. Deep grazes running up my spine, nasty deep coloured bruising around my shoulder, strapped up wrist, heavy bruising above my right eye and a graze flowing down my jawline from my right ear to chin. I was told we needed to go to a larger hospital on Koh Samui and so via mini-bus and ferry, that's where we went and for the following two days and two nights, where i stayed. I was sent for a brain scan and three x-rays of my shoulder, wrist and skull. The brain scan and head x-ray seemed a little excessive but i'm by no means a doctor. I was told i'd dislocated my my right shoulder and wrist, marvellous, no swimming for a while then?! I had to stay at the hospital for two night. Fortunately an English woman, Jane, worked at the hospital to deal with these exact situations.......Firang's in distress. She helped me track down my insurance details, along with the aid of Mum and Dad back home. Little did we know that in a weeks time i'd be summoning their aid again. STA were terrible as usual and tried to tell me i had no insurance with them! I managed to tarck down my details in an emal i'd received from them before i left and a sigh of relief left my lungs. They'll definately be recieving and a complaints letter and visit from me when i return, a useless and incompitant company!

Whilst i was at the hospital i was given a shot of valium for the pain. This stuff is fantastic, sent me into a semi-conscious, very light-hearted state. I barely remember speaking to Dad, apart from the laughter at yet another situation i found myself in! The plus sides of staying in the hospitals were being waited on and given bed scrubs by two beautiful young nurses and getting to watch a liverpool match whilst in bed. But i very remember very little of it and due to the valium in my veins, drifted in and out of consciousness for the games entirety. Unfortunately, i think we got beat!

After the two days past, i was ready to head back to Koh Samui. Arm strapped up and in a sling, brusing sub-sided and feeling good.......generally speaking. But the doctor came to me and said i had to stay under observation for four more days. I'm afraid there was not a chance that was happening. I wasn't missing the Full Moon Party! They'd strapped me up, given me pain killers and anti-inflamatries, why did i have to stay? I phoned Jane, she assured me i could leave that afternoon and didn't need to stay any longer. Since they knew i had insurance they wanted as much money as possible from me. I can't blame them for trying, it wouldn't come out of my wallet so why should i mind? Fair play for trying, but i wasn't missing Full Moon. I was given an appointment card and told i could leave but to return on the 1st of November for a check-up. Before i left they tried once more to get some money, insisting i needed to buy three wrist supports for when i unstrapped my wrist in four weeks time. 'Sorry but i'll be fine without.'

And so i left, paid my hundred pound excess fee and caught the ferry back to Koh Phagnan. Another story to tell when i get home. I never did return for the check-up.