And so the time comes to bore/thrill/force you to delete/endure another thrilling missive of my little jaunt around the globe. And for those hecklers who keep on telling me how jealous you are - im afraidI have to say 'hardcheese'! I asked just about everyone I knew to come with me and nobody wanted to. I have no sympathy!! I do hope everyone is well though. I heard the weather wasnt ideal back in the Uk at present.

Right then - I decided to group all this bit together as the Andaman Coast entry thinking 'how much can one get up to on a desert island'? Sadly for you - theanswer is not very much but I do havea terrifyingly good tan and not many white bits. I would say that to entertain Ali and probably Chantelle but more worryingly (following recent facebook entries), perhaps I should be more discreet in front of Greg and Wadey :)

Well the return from Kanchanburi and then the night in Bangkok were endured as I planned the next move - South. I know I wanted to get some diving in and the better option according to the 'good book' the Rough Guide/Lonely Planet (depending on your denomination) said that Nov was the worst month for diving on the Gulf coast and the best on the Andaman coast - so decision made!

We thought we were very organsied taking a taxi to the train station to get our overnight train tickets sorted only to find that somedevilshad booked them all so we were forced to get the 'Sprinter' (a term I later found out was being used in the very loosest sense of the word) which entailed sitting in an airline style seat for 7.5hrs whilst those who had booked the 'sleeper' train couldenjoy resplendant bendding and a mere 5 hour journey! You see my confusion about the word 'sprinter' Add to this the normal comedic types that one always encounters on public transport (yes you know the ones): The American frat boys (need i say more), the large breasted German woman (again - yes I know - perhapsshe might have been swedish this time) and the people who got on the train withall manner of livestock. Thankfully, chicken lady was asked to disembark and take the chicken train later on.

So we arrived in Chumpon, on the wrong side of the Thai peninsular and had to battle taxi touts (on no sleep) convincing them that we werent about to mortgages our families for the next 6 generations in order for them to convey us mere 5km from the train station to the conveniently placed bus station. Again, something struck me as odd here. Buses, are used predominantly by people who do not own a car or any other form of transport other than perhaps a bicycle. An a bicycle is not an appropriate means of transport to get to the bus station if you, darling little Chin-CHen and your husband, Sop-Ping want to visit Auntie Aggie in Northern Thailand. Especially when you have all your luggage! So why do they put bus stations miles away from the town? Hmmm.

Well we then got on the busfrom Chumpon to Ranong (assured in the notion that we would be on the beach before luch time). To assist us in this aspiration, the bus driver pulled off some manouvres Colin McRae (RIP) would have been impressed by. I am sure that he was attempting to break the Thai version of the land speed record in a 4 wheeled multi passenger vehicle because the journey was, quite frankly, terrifying. Or so it was reported to me by Andy my travel buddy as I found myself sprawled out on the back seat (you know - the one where the cool kids sit at school) unconscious. Thank god for all that army training, sleeping in the back of trucks on exercise whilst we awaited the next tasking from hell!

Wearrived in Ranong only to discover the cousin of the taxi man in Chumponalso wanted usto sell our kidneys for the use of his pickup truck. Once agina, the tourist: sit down/walk away tactic kicked in and eventally we were taken the small distance to the port (via cash machine) to get on a long boat. This is sort of like the maritime equivalent of a tuk tuk or a donkey and cart - tres amusent!

We were actually dropped on the beach of our first desert island; Ko Chang. It wasamazaing. Wehad to jump into the water (knee deep and warm) and porters came and carried our luggage then gave us water. I was stunned. We stayed at the Ao Yai Bungalow and I really couldnt fault them.For the first time in my brief stay in Thaliand, I didnt feel like they were just trying to rip me off, which has been the underlying theme thusfar. Andy and I got hold of a lovely bamboo beach hut for less than we were paying in Bangkok for a sweatbox. Incredible!

I fell completely in love with Ko Chang for a few reasons. Some of these were to change later on:

It was my first desert island that you could only get to by boat.

It was nearly deserted - only 50 people stayed there

It had fresh water, fruit trees, chickens and a lovely long beach that was awesome for swimming from.

The food was absolutely first rate so when we dragged ourselves in from the beach and sunbathing sessions, we could fill ourselves with yummy thai fare. I am so looking forward to my Thai cookery course up north

Sadly it also had tides so when Andy and I went to do a pub crawl along the length of the island, starting at the far end (3km away), by the time we got back near our accommodation, we discovered that the tiny river we had crossed on the way out, was now a seething torrent and because Andy had his ipod and camera in his pocket, there was no way he was getting into that. Burroughes meanwhile, fortified by Thai loopy juice and feeling that all those river crossings he had done whilst in the Army (3) must enable him to conquer this mere stream, had stripped and was wading into the river with shorts and all above his head. White bits on show! How brave/stupid/drunk can you get?!

Needless to say,I crossed the river, Andy didnt, so I crossed back and we went in search of either another bar or a bridge. It didnt really matter which.
Our time on KoChang was pretty lazy as we felt that we had been travelling prettyy well non stop for 2 weeks with no more than 2 nights in the same bed. This becomesa little wearing aftera while so we took advantage.
It was also when we decided to change islands that Idiscovered why I didnt like staying on islands. Firstly, you need to get a boat to them, and these boats are expensive(effectively doubling our dailt budget) and secondly, the boat to the mainland always leaves at some ridicuous hour - I mean, 0830. What is that all about for a traveller? I tell you, its not all holidays and fun in the sun!
Our next stop was Ko Phayam. T be honest, the beach wazsabout the same and the island was more of the same except that it had about 2000 people on it, a pier, was more expensive and wehired motorbikesto get around on the single track, concrete roads. I loved Ko Phayam because you could actually live there for some time whereas if you lived on Ko Chang, you wouldalways need to be heading back to the mainland. Indeed, the only thing Ko Phayam lacked was an ATM but that problem was solved for Andy by a very kind lady who only charged him 7% to changed his hard earned cash into Thai Baht.. Sheer generosity incarnate!

Moving swiftly on, I was determined to dive so we went to the jewel in the crown of the Thai west coast - Ko Phi Phi. Most people know Ko Phi Phi as the place where the Alex Garland book was filmed - The Beach. Actually this in on Phi Phi Lai about half a mile away but it is still paradise. Most of the town on the island was destroyed by the tsunami so I wasnt toosire what to expect but what we found was turquoise water, white sand, a plethora of scandinavians in small swimsuits (male and female) and ridiculous prices. If you imagine a cross between a greek island with the beaches and small streets, then add the Ibiza vibe, that is Ko Phi Phi - beautiful but ruined by tourists. Needless to say, we threw ourselvs into the hedonism head first! We booked oursevles into livliest hostel on the island (the Rock) ordered buckets of sangsom,coke and redbull and partied like it was going out of fashion.

On my second day there I managed to book some diving so therefore had to not drink the night before and I also went to bed early so as to be rested. Sadly, the rest of the hostel had other ideasand when Andy returned at 4am and I got up at 6am to get the boat, I was jaded to say the least! As it turned out, it was actually some of the best diving I have ever done. I did 3 dives; the Grand Cruiser, SharkPoint ands Anemone Reef. They were all in fairly close proximity (Anemone Reef caused the Grand Cruiser to sink) and it also encompassed all my favourite elements of diving; a wreck dive, a drift dive and a dive filled with wildlife. I ended the dayhaving seen one of the highlights of the Andaman diving days, a couple of leopard sharks, 2 turtles, 5 morays, an octopus, a million lion fish and so much other fauna. Incredible. And to add to that, the visibility was pretty good - 10-15m so that made peripheral vision all the better. I was also hugely impressed with Viking Divers, the company I went with, who gave me my own guide 1:1 and never have more than 1:4. Having dived in a group of 10, there is nothing more infuriating so this made it all the better.

After 3 days of hedonism, i decided to move on to Ko Lanta (slightly larger and quieter) but in order to burn off the hangover from the night before (another 4am finish) I took a trek up to the Phi Phi viewpoint. I am so glad I did because despite the hard work, the views were amazing. You could see nearly the whole island from the top and fully appreciate the geography of two mountains seperated by a small sandy bar where everyone has built around the 2 beaches.

It was also at this point I left Andy. He decided he had found himself on Phi Phi and was going to stay a few more nights before heading across to the islands on the east to indulge at the infamous Ko Phan Ngan Full Moon Party. I knew Ko Lanta was to be my final island before heading to Phuket and catching my flight up north to Chiang Mai so amid hangovers and hugs, we bade our farewells. It was sad to be seperated after our little adventures but I was kind of glad to be back on my own and only answering to myself. Also, I would be drinking less which was positive!

I had taken advice from a Danish couple we had met on Phui Phi and they recommended the Green Garden resort. I arrived only to be told by the taxi driver that it was either closed or full ( i could not grasp which) and that he wanted to take me to his friend's hostel and how much money did I have with me? I immediately alighted from said taxi and found another in the town (Ban Sala Dan) who was willing to take me where I wanted to go. I arrived and immediately knew I had made the right choice. Whilst the beach wasnt the best with a few rocks scattered here and there, the vibe was chilled and friendly and so relaxed. Everything was on a tab and one could just sit in the beach bar in a hammock and drinks came whenever you wanted. I needed the detox after Phi Phi and loved it.

The only remaining thing to do was to get to Phuket which I managed today. I fly to Chaing Mai tomorrow so havent gone in search of another beach resort, instead opting to stay in Phuket town in and lovely little place called the Old Town hostel - cheap and clean with bfast included. Im kinda glad I did as it has taken me 2 hours to type this I have also deleted Heroes from my video jukebox (grr) so thank god for cheap internet to keep me entertained. Not the rates one pays in tourist places like Ao Patong - the home of go go bars and lady boys on the island. Next stop, the airport and up into the hills and jungle. I will upload the accompanying pics when i can. Some places just dont do pic uploading!