On the morning of December 26, 2004, Junie Kovacs took some friends 20 kilometres out to sea on a snorkelling trip. When they arrived on the reef the normally pristine waters were "murky". One of the snorkelers climbed down the boat's ladder and was about to jump in when he was almost torn from the ladder by a strong current. They aborted the plan and started heading back to shore. On the way in Junie took a cellphone call from a friend in London who was in...

Phukaew - pronounced Fuh-ka-yu Koh Lanta, Thailand - The cabinas/restaurant place we're staying is called Phukaew, and I swear that's what the maid said to me yesterday under her breath, when I asked for an extra towel.Next door to Phukaew, there's a little place called Bliss Bar. We watched thesunset from Bliss last night while listening to "chill out" music. We firstheard this type of music last year in Guatemala and hadn't experienced it again...