On New Years Eve we rented a moped and spent most of the day driving around until our bums went numb. First of all we went north from our hostel, driving through lots of tangled green wilderness up to Tha Pom Klong Som Nam, a park with a beautiful river running through it. The water was crystal clear and icy cold and looked perfect for swimming. Unfortunately there were signs everywhere warning that there was a hefty fine for doing so, so we just had to be content with dipping our toes in and pretending we couldn't hear the shrieks and screams of the local children splashing about. The enforcement officers seemed not to see them but I'm sure they would have been quick to act if two farangs had stripped off and jumped in. After leaving the park we got well and truly lost, which was fine by us as it was just interesting to drive through the local villages and wave at all the Thai kids, whilst trying to avoid the dogs, cows and potholes that were everywhere. At one point we passed a giant sleeping buddha carved out of stone at the foot of a mountain. At another we were passed by a pick up truck filled with about 20 Thais standing up in it. Everything seemed so foreign and a world apart from tourist-filled Patong Beach on Phuket.

We did have a hairy moment or two. When we found ourselves on the highway going south towards Krabi Town it got much busier and there was lots of beeping and crazy drivers pulling out on us or cutting us up. I think the general rule of thumb is that the bigger your vehicle the more rights you have on Thai roads. Mopeds are at the bottom of the food chain. The worst moment was when Jak had to complete a (perfectly legal) u-turn across six lanes of manic traffic. Because bikes have to drive in the left lane he literally had to cross the entire motorway in order to make the turn. He lost control of the bike as we reached the middle, where we needed to wait, and it was all he could do to stop it from shooting out from underneath us and into the oncoming traffic. It did a few hops and lurches but thankfully Jak managed to stop it getting away before it caused a pile up. Then he lost his flip flop as he pushed off and we had to stop immediately to retrieve it. Three Thais pulled up alongside us to ask if we were okay, which was sweet but only served to prove how out of place we must have looked. We went home after that, feeling chastened but exhilarated to be alive!

In the evening we caught a taxi to Ao Nang with a few people from our hostel. Most people seem to fall asleep by 10pm here so we fancied being somewhere a bit livelier to see in the new year. It was a good choice. The beach was packed with revellers lighting Thai lanterns, whirling sparklers and setting off fireworks. A few fireworks backfired and exploded right there on the sand causing everyone to scream and run away but I don't think anyone was injured, I hope not anyway! The overall effect was one of light and colour and mayhem. We bought our own lantern and, after some difficulty lighting the tape at the bottom without blowing up the whole thing, released it into the air where it bobbed gently with a thousand others, looking like a particularly yellow star. At midnight the fireworks went crazy, going off all around us. It was spectacular. Of course we wined and dined and gulped down cocktails that night but it will be the fireworks and the lanterns on the beach - and the total disregard for health and safety - that we will remember most in years to come.

New Years Day was a wet blanket of a day. It drizzled constantly. We were planning on going to the beach but instead we donned jeans and just ate and lounged about at the hostel. I cut Jak's hair again for something to do and eventually started reading the only English book on the hostel's bookshelf, on quantum physics. I realised as I was reading it that time really can stretch out.

A bat flew into our room as we were getting ready for bed, perhaps disorientated by - or seeking refuge from - the worsening downpour. Other animals (not sure what ones) must have sheltered on our porch whilst we were sleeping, as they left behind a number of sizeable mushy deposits for us to wake up to. And it was STILL raining when we found them at 8am. It was time to move on. We caught a local bus to Krabi Town, where the main bus station was on the verge of flooding. Surprisingly swift-moving brown rivers filled the roads around it and swashed against the curbs. We went for a paddle in search of food, with our trousers rolled up around our ankles, but gave up when we realised the restaurant owners were either occupied hoovering up the water covering the floor or stacking things on tables out of reach. Back at the bus station, we found somewhere that did overpriced plain toast and decided that was as good a breakfast/lunch as we were going to get. We were each given a spoon to eat our slices of toast with. After much waiting around we got on a minibus, then a coach that drove through at least two roads flooded by burst river banks, then a leaky boat across the sea from 'The Perfect Storm', and finally another local bus to arrive at our home for the next few nights: Chaweng Beach on the island of Koh Samui. Still raining.