Our final destination in Thailand was Phuket. Our plan for the last week or so in Thailand wasn't to spend it on the touristy beaches of the province as they tend to be overpriced and a poor reflection of Phuket's character. Instead we stayed in Phuket town itself and made a few day trips elsewhere.

Unfortunately. our last week in Thailand has turned out to be the wettest despite September supposedly being the end of the monsoon season. We didn't mind it at first as we used a few of the days to sort out things like transport to Bangkok and then Vietnam and also sorting our visas out for Vietnam which take slightly longer than other Asian countries. In the end due to the weather we didn't visit the beaches because we haerd they were very westernised and also found enough to do in the far more interesting town of Phuket. We spent a couple of days just strolling the town which we both thought was very under-rated. Most of the package holiday holidaymakers stay near the beaches so the town (basically the capital of the province) retains a lot of its Thai character and it is clear to see a lot of the foreign influences on things like the architecture and food of the last few centuries. Walking down some of the backstreets could seem like you're not even in Thailand. There is a lot of Portuguese influence in the beautiful houses and shops as well as there being a vast number of Muslim people walking about (Phuket is around 40% Muslim). The food is also quite different but equally delicious. We found that Muslim food combines a lot more varying herbs and spices so a lot of dishes we've tried have tasted quite different to the more Buddhist areas of the country. This was quite unexpected but quite interesting to experience so near the end of our time in Thailand.

As well as having some very cultural areas to the town, the newer areas had shopping centres as well as a cinema which was strange to see after two months of far less modern provinces. It had a great night market showcasing all the different handmade crafts and foods so we spent a fair few evenings eating and milling about around that end of town. I found my favourite ever restaurant in downtown Phuket, called Banana Variety. It literally did any combination of banana dish you could think of. They made the best banana and honey shake you could imagine and we visited on numerous occasions! Dan even got to love the shakes and he is not a big banana fan.

Our accommodation has been decent, probably one of the cleanest, well placed backpacker hostels you could find so we were right by the cheap bus stops and close to a lot of places recommended to visit in the Rough Guide books. It also had a common room with a big TV for films so we got talking with a lot of fellow travellers during our stay.

So, we've had a less hectic last week in Thailand and we now have the enjoyment of a 13-hour bus journey to Bangkok and then a flight to Ho Chi Minh City where our month in Vietnam commences!