Happy New Year everyone!!

Hope your all ok and not too depressed after the come down of Christmas and 2 weeks off work. Ill try not to rub it in too much that Im not back from a couple more months. There is a lot of nothing that I still need to get done...

So I haven't written in my blog for 3 weeks, mainly as I have been really busy doing sod all and the days seem to be melting away at the moment. Im currently having the true backpacker experience and have eventually found relaxation and chilled right out.

Im in Koh Tao at the moment and absolutely love it here, I think it by far the best place Ive been to in Thailand. I left Koh Phi Phi 2 weeks ago and was sad to leave the people Ive met there but Ive no doubt Ill be back at some point...

I arrived in Koh Tao on Christmas eve and waited for Richard (my mate from home) to arrive, a bit like waiting for Father Christmas but he is slightly more scruffy with a brown beard and for Christmas he brought me 2 packs a face wipes, mosquito spray and 2 boxes of Tampax...not the standard type of presents I normally get. I was totally over excited to see him and met him at the pier wrapped in tinsel and with a bottle of Singha :)

Christmas day was spent on the beach and we watch the most amazing sunset, this was followed with a chilled out dinner next to the sea and few glasses of vino. I did miss my traditional family Christmas but hey I was in paradise.

We decided to move down to Sairee beach the main part of Koh Tao and its here that we have really settled down. Now Rich and I had planned to be here for 4 days, go to Koh Phangan, head of to the Similian Islands tour round there and then head to Phuket....erm this never happened and we have now been here for 15 days :)

This has been largely due to Richard having a drunken accident on the 4th day of being here as after several buckets he ran in to the sea naked only to lodge his foot in the sand the rest of his body continuing the motion...we spent the next morning in hospital and although he hasn't broken anything he has ripped all the ligaments in his knee and he has been on crutches ever since.

This hasn't spoilt our time here in fact it was probably a good thing (well kind of) as we have really become part of a band of happy travellers and have joined the little community here. We met a great couple called Heather & Mark who have been our neighbours plus met a group of girls and another guy came over who I met in Phi Phi and we have basically spent our time here between the hut where we live, playing on the beach, diving, eating at the same restaurant, going to the same beach bar plus we have even befriended the local animals and named them in particular Manky and Forlorn dog. It may sound a little odd but this stability and community has made us all really happy and in fact has been one of the highlights of my travels.

However everyone left today :( and Rich and I bought our tickets off the island today, I need to get the infamous visa run done on the 9th and then eventually we will make it to Phuket.

I have eventually planned what Im going to do for the rest of my trip which includes doing my advanced in diving, going to a Turtle conservation project, travelling around Northern Thailand and Laos and then to Hong Kong. So its probably been best Ive been a lazy lay about for the last 2 weeks!!

So Id better go as Rich is getting bored and doing Bugsy Malone impressions and Im struggling to concentrate.

I miss you and love you all

See you on the 1st of March (final date has been decided!).

Julia xx