From Ko Phi Phi it was another short ferry ride to Krabi on the mainland, a town we really loved! The ferry port has recently been relocated to outside town, so most tourists head directly for the beaches in nearby Ao Nang, without stopping at Krabi town at all. We figured we'd had enough of the beach for a little while and had heard that you get a much better deal with accommodation if you stay in town and do day trips. After checking out a few places, ...

We hadn't actually planned to go to the Phi Phi islands at all. Our flight from Siem Reap (with the surprise US$25 departure tax imposed by the private company to whom the government, in true Cambodian style, sold the airport!) landed in Phuket in south-west Thailand, an expensive, tourist island that we didn't want to stay on particularly. Walking out of the airport, we saw a desk that was selling ferry tickets to Ko Phi Phi, leaving in an hour. Why not? We ...

As it seemed easier and a similar price to trekking across Bangkok and getting a public bus, Nige, Annie and I caught a mini-bus which went directly from Khao San Road to Ko Chang, the island down near the Cambodian border where we had decided to spend the week. Big mistake!!! After the journey, which takes 2-hours longer than they advertise, stopped at every commission-paying establishment along the way, we were deposited for an hour at a dirty little restauran...

The next morning we set off for a short walk to the Imperial Palace and Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha). It was also the second Buddha Day and a public holiday - the streets around the temple were heaving. We squeezed through the crowds, of mostly Japanese tourists who wield their sun umbrellas at eye level with amazing accuracy. Inside the temple temple grounds the crush of the crowds and din of the traffic subsided and we felt relieved to have m...

Bangkok, by Nige. Landed in our little prop plane at Bangkok, there we met our friend Annie (who was joining us in Thailand for a week) after a little searching through the domestic terminal. Annie had just arrived from a late night flight from Australia and was very tired but eager to see bangkok and its markets. We caught the bus into town because we didn't want the hassle of trying to negotiate a fair tariff with a Taxi driver. As it turned out the bus...