PHUKETT 22ND FEBRUARY - 1ST MARCH 2007Phukett is dubbed' the pearl of the south' by the tourist industry. A province onto itself, the 810-sq-km island is Thailand's largest, wealthiest, most populous and most visited. We had a pre-impression of Phukett as being trashy and sleazy and the area of Patong being at the centre of this trashiness. We decided if we were going here we may as well embrace this and not hide from it, so found a guest house in Patong. Patong ...

KO LANTA 15TH - 22ND FEBRUARY 2007We wanted some time on a less built-up island so we decided to try Ko Lanta. Ko Lanta is steadily changing, like all the Thai islands, with up-market resorts replacing the cheap bungalow operation, but the carefree backpacker vibe still prevails, for now! The fact that much of Lanta is still owned by the local population of Muslim Thais may save it from the mass development seen on Phuket or Ko Samui.Before arriving on Ko Lanta w...

KO SAMUI 4TH - 13TH FEBRUARYKo Samui is Thailand third largest island, its beautiful, with white sand beaches and clear green seas and a picture perfect background of lush green hills. Because of the island beauty it ha become a very popular holiday destination but popularity doesn't come without a price….. More people means more traffic, more noise, more rubbish and higher prices. The rough-hewn huts have expanded into classy resorts and spas and the backp...

KO PHA-NGAN 29TH JANUARY - 4TH FEBRUARY 2007On the 29th we took a catamaran ferry from Ban Mae Hat on Ko Tao to Thong Sala on Ko Pha-Ngan. This only took about an hour but it was horrendous! It was a really rough crossing and the first time I've ever felt sea-sick, I was grasping for dear life. And to make the queasiness even worse, we could hear other passengers throwing up around us. Most people looked worse for wear.We were very glad to get off the ferry at Th...

KO TAO 20TH - 29TH JANUARY 2007Ko Tao is a small island, only 21sqkm. It is quieter than many other islands and you get no hassle from people trying to sell you things which is nice. It is very peaceful and the ocean is crystal clear. Ko Tao is growing more popular and you can often hear the sound of a hammer pounding wood as more resorts are built. Diving is the islands major industry because of the particularly good visibility of the surrounding water and plent...