At 4pm we reached Phuket and decded to head for Patong. Not knowing what to expect or where to stay we ended up in a lovely little hotel just off Patong Beach. Making an effort for the Birthday Girl, we put on our glad rags and headed for the poshest looking restaurant we could find!! The food was delicious but feeling homesick and not in the birthday spirit, Sarah was ready for bed.

Next morning we awoke to rain. Nightmare. By 1pm the rain had cleared so it was too the beach. Despite being windy it was relaxing and nice to just...do nothing. The wind had however attracted boys and their toys to the beach...surfers, paragliders and surfers with parachutes adored the sea, quite entertaining to watch really!!

Whilst in Thailand Emma had arranged to meet up with an old friend so that evening and for the next 2 weeks we were to be joined by G.G, an extremey free spirited American!! We ate, by reccomendation, at the street stall outside the hotel that night then headed down in to the centre of Patong.

Busy, bustling, loud, bright, exciting and a little bit sleazey...Welcome to Patong! There was so much to do here, catering for your every possible need and it was here in Patong that I had an experience I will never ever forget. While casually walking past one of the many fake bag stall/shops we hear the words we've been waiting to hear, the rumours were true, it was all very SATC...we had been invited in to one of the secret back rooms to view the good stuff!! After a disappointing 10mins we leave empty handed...the bags were fake and didn't they look it!!

The rest of our stay in Patong was quite quiet, I had somehow developed a coldsore the size of a 50p on my face so was trying to keep a low profile, mainly at the beach. Please please heal in time for Koh Tao....