Hi y'all,

Well, rather than go onto Koh Lipe as planned, I headed back up to Krabi to meet a girl that I used to work with at CAPS (It was Lou, not Norman Wisdom or Chris Evans, as guessed!). I took a bus up to Krabi town then a longtail boat across to Railay Beach, which has fantastic scenery as you come into the bay, as it is surrounded by high rocks with trees all over them. We stayed in the Diamond Cave resort for two nights, which had a lovely pool, enabling me to do a little bit of exercise, rather than sitting on my arse on a beach, as per usual!

In the evenings, I whopped Lou's arse at Connect 4 (oh how thrilling!), and had a drink along the front in our hotel. Very pleasant.

Along the mountains in the late afternoon and evenings you could see wild monkeys climbing and sitting at the mouth of the caves that were up high along the rocks. As I was taking a picture of the monkeys (though there was no point as the zoom's not long enough) I jumped out of my skin when I was confronted with a big monkey that had climbed down over the roof of a nearby chalet and was sitting on their varanda watching me. I tried to take a picture, but he was coming towards me, and quite frankly wasn't exactly smiling, so unfortunatley the photo was rather blurred, taken at the same moment as my quick exit!

We visited Aonang, which had loads of shops, but reminded me a little of a Tenerife-type place....not where I would choose to stay, but ok for a visit, then in the evening caught a songthaew to Krabi Town.

We had an absolutely awful meal in Krabi town, though I think of our own making, being that we went for a western choice....the garlic bread I choose was slices of vaguely toasted bread, smothered in dried (and chewy) pieces of garlic...not how I was dreaming it to be! However thankfully, we got some really nice home-made cake from nearby, opposite the pier, which certainly made up for our earlier mistakes.

I had to get up very early the next day (10th) - 6.15am, to get the bus to Langkawi, Malaysia, as my visa ran out that day. Having paid for the whole trip to Langkawi I got well and truely ripped off, though managed to wing it somehow: The first bus dropped me off at another bus terminal, about 1.5 hours from Satun, (where I would be catching the boat to Langkawi) and whilst I was getting my bags out of the bus, the driver was talking to a man at the counter. As I went to walk up to the driver, he gave me an envelope and told me - in broken English - to put it in my bag; it was for the boat. He drove off as I was opening it - 200B inside.

Bear in mind that I had spent all my Thai Bhat yesterday, as I knew I was leaving Thailand. I had paid to get to Langkawi and had bought snacks and drinks for the journey, so I figured I didn't need anymore.

Anyway I went up to the man at the counter, he confirmed that the money in the envelope was to pay for the boat and gave me a ticket for the bus to get me to Satun. ''If you want to buy the ticket here you can,'' he tells me. I hand over the 200B, assuming this was how much I would have to pay. ''You give me 300B." I look confused. '' But this is what the driver gave me for the boat.'' I reply. Man waves me away with a swish of his hand and talks to the next customer, who is able to pay.

So I get on the bus to Satun, in the hope that a) the ticket from the ferry Port is cheaper and b) that they have an ATM there if not.

At Satun...no ATM, ferry ticket 250B. So in the end I have to look really worried (which I was), and emphasise the fact that I am travelling alone (hopefully they'll take pity on me) and that I have been ripped off. Thankfully it worked and they let me on for 200B, stamping my ticket with the full price....sometimes it pays to be a lonely girl! All this bother over less than a pound!

Anyway on the boat I met a couple who I had originally seen in Koh Phi Phi and gone out with in Koh Lanta, who were heading the same way, so after the boat, passport stamping and a taxi to Cenang we got a room at the Japanese Language School, which is basic, but nice.

Lynds x x