Hi all,

It was a short days stop in Bangkok but I managed to go and get measured at Manhattans Suit makers and pick materials to have two suits and two shirts made. Job interviews and weddings are waiting for me when I get home...! That evening we left at 17.30 and arrived in Surat Thani at 06.30. Then it was across the country to Krabi which took 2.5 hours and finally onto the boat for another two hours to Kho Phi Phi Don. The sea off Krabi is magnificent with all the humongous limestone rocks jutting out of the water.

We were first off the boat and off to get some accommodation. Since the Tsunami the prices on Phi Phi Don have rocketed but we managed to get the cheapest hut available which was nice. The weather was immense, I was melting so it was a quick shower and onto the beach to get some sun. The island has changed so much that it is unrecognisable from the Kho Phi Phi that I visited in 2003 with Jimbo. The beach for a start was lined with palm trees back in the day and now it is lined with multi coloured umbrella's and deck chairs......classy! However, the sand was still white and the sea calm and crystal clear with the most spectacular view. This place is really beautiful.

It was an early night as we wanted to be up early to commandeer our own boat (long tail floating tooth pick) to explore Kho Phi Phi Lay and see Maya Beach (The beach made famous by Leo DiCaprio getting jiggy with the French bird in the sea!! - Dirty Git!!) We succeeded at getting a long tail and we were off before all the day trips left in the cruise liners and plush speed boats. We arrived on Maya beach and WOW it was incredible. One of the most beautiful beaches I have ever had the pleasure of chilling out on. When we arrived there were only about eight other people on the beach so it was perfect. We had about an hour on the beach before the hoards arrived so we decided to wake up our captain and sail off and complete some snorkeling around Phi Phi Lay.

The water was amazing and the snorkeling excellent. From the boat you could see the bottom of the sea which was six meters deep. We jumped in and saw loads: Black banned sea snakes, puffers, crocodile needle fish, butterfly fish, banner fish, rabbit fish, a hermit crab, damsel fish and loads of others. I've never really enjoyed snorkeling before but this was superb.

We visited another site which had quality snorkeling as well but we spotted a really secluded beach in a little alcove so swam to that. There was only two other people on the beach, it was perfect. We sunbathed for an hour before swimming back to the boat to head back to Phi Phi Don. It had been a smashing half day trip and in the afternoon it was back to Phi Phi Don beach to relax and swim in the sea.

That evening I met up with an ex girlfriend of mine that I'd dated for three and a half years during my youth, well 18 to 21 anyway. It was going to be a bit strange to be fair as I hadn't spoken to her once in the year after breaking up and not much during following four years either. Oh well, it was going to be interesting. Becca has lived of Phi Phi Don since Oct '03 so has been through a lot with the Tsunami and what not. It was really good to see her and catch up and the next day I was going to be diving with her so lets hope she doesn't drown me....!

Well, I survived and the diving was fantastic: Swimming clouded moray eel, Black banded sea snake, lots of cuttle fish, two bearded common scorpion fish, barracuda, lots of lion fish, clown fish, clarks anemone, kuhl's stingrays, porcupine fish, white spotted hermit crab, black tipped reef shark, hawksbill turtle, four painted spiny lobsters, five juvenile yellow boxfish, shrimp, banner fish etc etc It's was quality and at 29 degrees I didn't get cool for once - yippee. The best bit was that Becca let us complete hour plus dives which was brilliant. The first dive was 70 minutes and the second 65 - good old girl.... We held up the boat both times but never mind, they should learn to breath less air...!

A funny event (well to me anyway) was that Becki got caught short on the boat and over the dive site. A golden rule in diving is that you can't go over a dive site as the boats have ocean toilets, so what goes in, come out if you know what I mean. But needs must by all accounts and she had to leave a floater in the bog....! It wasn't there after our second dive so someone must have found it - can't take her anywhere.

The afternoon was taken up by relaxing on the beach and wallowing in the sea and that night a couple of drinks for St Paddy's Day. We were meant to be meet Becca but she was pretty ill and didn't make it.

Our last day on Phi Phi Don was taken up by going to the view point that overlooks the beach. It was an awesome view and I could really see how much the island had changed. It was dense palms tree in 2003 and now it is sparse and with loads of four storey buildings being built in their place. After this we visited the Tsunami Memorial Garden to have a look and visited the tribute to James Hurren the lad I knew that died on Phi Phi on 26.12.04. It had been his 25th birthday the day before.

It was great to be back on Phi Phi Don, as it is such a beautiful place. However the atmosphere of the place has changed from a tropical island paradise that Jimbo and I visited to a five star resort on a tropical island. God knows what its going to be like in a years time.

Back to Bangkok to have my first suit fitting...

Bye for now

Miffy x x x