It was quite stuffy in the room when we woke and as there is no outside window you have no idea what time of the morning it is. We both got up and I headed downstairs to make tea and grab some bread for breakfast. Today was going to be slightly annoying because they had the quarterly power cut on the entire island so they could assess all the lines. The power went off at about 8:30am. We both decided to have a good look around Saladan today and soon found ourselves in one of the bars overlooking the harbour. We are had soft drinks and I treated myself to a noodle soup. I spotted a familiar looking couple and it was the Swiss couple that we met on the overnight Maya camping tour. Laura got chatting to them and discussed our plans and it makes you realise what a small world this backpacking thing is as you keep bumping into the same people. We said our goodbyes and paid the damage before heading off around the coast.

We walked around the northern tip of the island and headed south which brought us to Klong Dao beach on the north west side of the island. There were a few resorts scattered down here and we made our base half way down the beach. The sand was ok but not great and the sea was not particularly clear. I went for a walk up the length of the beach and back and noted that there was a very strong German contingent here. I returned to Laura who was taking a dip and I went to ask what the going rate was for these hotels beside the beach. After hunting for the not so obvious reception it was very expensive and we would have to take the hunt elsewhere. After sunbathing we both headed back to town through the local villages who were all very friendly and going about their business. We walked through a village that had been built through donations post tsunami. We arrived back to hostel at around 16:00 and the electric was still off. We had to wait around until 6pm until the lights and fans kicked back into life greeted by cheers all round. By now we were feeling peckish and were recommended a little restaurant down the road for dinner called the 'sandbar ' so off we went. On entering we noted one of the women from our hostel who was quick to explain she had two jobs... mmmm suspicious, however although the curries we ordered were a little more expensive than we would normally pay... the chicken was succulent and the sauce delicious so we could not complain.

The rest of the evening consisted of trying to find a hotel for tomorrow down the south end of island. We could not decide and were becoming quite frustrating with the peak season prices being offered. This dilemma would continue well into tomorrow morning........