We arrived in Phuket by ferry on Monday 21st June.It only cost £5 each to get to Phuket. The weather was awful during the boat ride; the rain was heavy and the wind made the ocean waves fierce causing the ferry to rock.Some of the passengers on board were being sick, not that Mark would know as he was sleeping with his mouth wide open catching flies!!

Unlike previously trips, we had a taxi driver waiting for us at the port as we were staying with Mark's old work colleague, Ali Flint. Ali uses Trin (the taxi driver) a lot to take her around Phuket.He is a good driver and speaks good English. Oh, and by the way, he really likes Ali who he constantly referred to as "beautiful lady" and "Barbie girl" a number of times!!

Anyway, we had a 30 min journey to Ali's; a rented 2-bedroom house in Fishermans Way, Chalong, on the South-East coast of Phuket (a really nice complex where a number of ex-pats live). As we pulled up outside Ali's, she greeted us with an umbrella, which came in handy for the three days we were in Phuket! It's the monsoon season so the skies looked nothing like the holiday brochures!

Ali showed us our room and we dumped off our stuff. She suggested we go for a short walk to a local outdoor restaurant for lunch, which served great food. Apart from the owner there was one guy sitting in there who happened to be from Dartford, England.......7 miles from our house!!! Small world.

It was wet under foot, which explains why Lisa slipped in her flip flops and injured her big toe.It was so painful that when we got back from the restaurant, Ali asked her next door neighbours Barry ("Baz") and Pat (a physiotherapist) to come round to ensure nothing was broken. The next few days consisted of antiseptic wipes, a red liquid (no idea what it was) and anti-bacterial cream.

After the great lunch we had, we ventured to the local Black Canyon coffee shop (Thailand's equivalent of Starbucks.....we were with Ali who is from the US.....say no more!!!).We loved this coffee shop and the cool artwork the staff make on the coffee.

During the evening, Ali arranged a night out with Baz (who kindly drove), Pat and another friend, Ben, at the Ska Bar on a beach the other side of Phuket. We had a few cocktails there (Lisa got hooked on the Malibu Beach cocktail) followed by dinner in a restaurant next door. After plenty of chat it was time to head home and go to sleep. Unfortunately, this wasn't as easy as expected given that Ali's house felt like it was in the middle of a zoo. We couldn't believe the noise from the toads and gecko lizards. It was somewhat amazing to listen to.

The next morning, guess what, it was raining again!We sat and chilled out most of the day and decided that during this evening we would go to watch the "FantaSea" elephant show near Patong beach, Phuket. Beforehand, we lined our stomachs with an excellent dinner on Patong beach. As it was happy hour all cocktails were 100 THB (about £2). Mark thought it would be a great idea to order 6 different cocktails and then rate them out of 10. So the 3 of us sat there sipping each cocktail numerous times to get the right order!The staff in the restaurant thought we were mad. Once dinner was finished, Trin took us up the road to the show. It was a good show to watch with the funniest bit being when loads of chickens ran across the stage followed by loads of goats. Afterwards, we ventured to the heady Bangalore Road in Patong......the place is mental.Street vendors were trying to sell everything from t-shirts to jewellery and food to electronics. At the same time, bar staff were trying to get us into their bars, while Mark had a number of offers to have a suit made and everyone else was screaming "ping pong show, good price, good price" while pushing "menus" under our noses. On one part of the street, Ladyboys were dancing around poles strutting their stuff. Although Ali claimed to have been to Patong just the once, she seemed to know the place very well. Anyway, the three of us ended up sitting outside a bar drinking Chang beer. Around us the Farangs (the Thai's name for foreigners) were getting familiar with the Thai ladies....and ladyboys. Some were so convincing it was difficult to tell the difference. One of them seemed intent in flashing her/ his/ its breasts and also lifting up a short dress to reveal no knickers and a well groomed beard!! We were glad to have experienced Patong although we weren't too upset to leave at 00:30am.

On Wednesday morning, we went to Pat's Home Thai Cooking School, which we had booked the day before. Pat took us to a local food market and showed us many different vegetables although everything (no matter what shape) seemed to be an eggplant. She certainly knew her stuff though and was very informative. That morning, there were only the three of us (Ali, Lisa and Mark), Pat and her two staff so we got lots of attention. It was a great experience and one of the highlights so far. We now know how to make Tom Yum soup, Thai green curry, papaya salad, spring rolls and a banana dessert. Despite the close guidance from the staff, Mark still somehow managed to put his vegetable peelings in the wrong bowl......the one with the food that was to be cooked!! After sorting out the mess, we cooked and then ate the food we had prepared for lunch and were given certificates. Watch out for new branches of Mark and Lisa's Thai restaurant chain in England when we get back from travelling!!

Later that day, Trin picked us up from Ali's house to take us to the airport to fly to Koh Samui. It was sad to say goodbye to Ali who had been an excellent host. The journey to the airport took about 45 mins, followed by a Bangkok Airways flight, which was just under 30 minutes. We were looking forward to relaxing in Koh Samui.....hopefully with a little more sun than Phuket!!!