Back on the mainland, and after a little bus confusion, Soozie and I rocked up at the Ao Nang Grand Inn (again) and were pleased they could fit us in for the night. A quick dress buying expedition later we were hugs and smiles all round as Michael and David turned up on their scooter!!!! So very exciting. We felt like we'd been waiting for this day forever and here it was, finally! It was so lovely to see faces from home, especially those of two of our best people. We started as we meant to go on, and it was soon Chang O'Clock - my first ever Chang beer! I've been avoiding them this whole time, but it seemed like time to give in. Drinkable. But not something I'll ever enjoy! We spent the rest of the day with the boys until they left us after dinner with promises that they'd be back in the morning.

The morning came and brought more excitement. Soozie and I checked out of the Grand Inn and trundled down the street with Wike and Wavid to the Let's Sea: Let's Relax spa place - mine and Soozie's first massage experience! It all began with drinking Nice biscuits and putting our feet in wash baskets. They then ushered us into a room with four beds and told us to put on funny oversized shirts with fisherman's trousers (which we don't know how to wear). Lots of laughter ensued. Especially when they started rocking us from side to side and messing up our hair. Ridiculousness all round, yet strangely enjoyable!

Soozie and I needed to check into our hotel in Klong Muang (down the road from Ao Nang) which was just a few minutes away from Michael and David's hotel. What a difference! The hotel was far nicer for a start, and the whole area was like another world. Quiet and peaceful, very few tourists, very few shops - very few anythings! It was lovely, although Sooz and I decided that had it just been the two of us we may have felt a little isolated.

The next few days passed in a blur of eating, drinking and walking up and down the road between our hotel and the boys' obscenely huge one - they had the biggest pool in Thailand, no joke! Humungous! The best day by far involved hiring our very own long tail boat complete with driver to take us to Hong Island. We had the most amazing day zipping around on the water. Hong Island itself is just stunning. The sand is beautifully white and the water so many shades of blue. It was a little like Maya Bay, but I preferred it. When we first arrived there weren't too many people which was lovely. Michael insisted that we draw in the sand, so a 'Wikus, Wavid, Boozie, Wopus' was left behind to commemorate our visit. Well, until the tide changed at least. We saw a couple of water monitor lizards which were a little scary, and clearly didn't want to be hassled by people. It amazes me how some people are so stupid as to try to get right up close to these creatures! The island was struck by the tsunami in 2004, and as a reminder of the power of nature they haven't moved the long tails which were damaged by the waves. To see them was a strange experience and they serve their purpose well.

After Hong Island we moved to another not far away, whose name I can't remember right now. This was beautiful in a different way. The sand wasn't so bright white, but the tiny strip attempting to connect two islands made it all the more interesting. They even had a cute little log swing! We made a little elephant house (for a teeny bit of coral shaped like an elephant) out of stones, leaves, twigs and shells. I loved it. It's a shame that the stupid 5yr old kid had to out do us with his huge branch creation...I prefer ours though, far more decorative!

That signalled the end of the day and we set off back to the mainland, meeting later for drinks in this cute little outdoor bar overlooking the ocean. Perfect for sunset. We had a kind of gazebo to ourselves, with axe cushions and decorations made from CDs. We loved it! Although it was very skongey, as David explained. I can't elaborate on the term...it is what it is, just...skongey!

Klong Muang was a fabulous little holiday within a holiday - lovely (most of the time) food, lots of drinks, a couple of massages, and (most importantly) fabulous company. Great times.