The full moon party was a blast. We have now moved to the other side of Thailand, the west side, to the island of Koh Phi Phi. This was our first long haul journey since the first flight. The alarm went off at 5 o clock, which wasnt pretty since we had had very little sleep the night before. At 6 o clock we were at the reception waiting for the taxi. The grandma of the family run hostel was awake sorting out where everyone was going. To our suprise the taxi that came was quite big a spacious, 11 seats, with a roof. Pretty much the same as you get in England. Brilliant. No wait............. Its good until they try and fit about double the amount of people in them. This makes it very difficult for the vehicle to climb the hills, and we had had a previous bad experience of this. About 5 days previous, we were in one of the crappy open back taxis. It was rammed full of people, with all the ruck sacks on the roof. Going up a hill, one of the ruck sacks fell off. We managed to reclain it and get back in the taxi. To our horror instead of going forward, we started to backwards, despite the engine being on full power. Luckily before going at full pelt down the hill, the drivers passenger managed to put a rock behind the wheel. It took one hell of a push to get the thing going again and the engine was pretty much nakerd the rest of the way. Luckily this taxi made it without any trouble, but all the faffing around made us a bit late of for the boat, meaning we were on top deck. About half an hour into our jopurney it starts pelting it down. Glad I took a rain coat with me. The bin liner came in useful too. About an hour later the clouds opened again and its back to 33 degree heat. This continuous cycle has being going for the last few days. Theres not a cloud in sight, then before you know it, rain, rain, rain.

After the boat we had two small coach journeys to get to our main coach that would take us to the west side. Why they couldnt organise it to come to the port, I dont know. Heaving the rucksack in and out of places constantly can be a bit of a pain. Finally we reach the west side and to the boat of doom. Again rammed full, cracked windows and leaking roofs. About an hour into the journey, the boat stops. There is water on the floor and people are putting life jackets on. Ohhhhhhhhh great. People around us start muttering that the thing is sinking. We are stuck at the bottom with no escape. Bom Bom bom. Phew, the boat starts up again and before we know it, we are in Koh Phi Phi

We didnt have much idea about where to stay in Koh Phi Phi, so we pretty much went to the first place offered, Without doubt the furthest walk away, up a big hill. The room is ok but nohing compared to The Princess where we had come from. Self flushing toilet and a fan (No air con). Great view of the sea and mountains though. The guy who walked us there wanted us to get on the bike. Dont think he realises how much these sacks weigh. Oh and also the fact there is one bike and four of us. Oh well, he was a very cheerful Thai man who had a load of zest.

The first day in Koh Phi Phi was very relaxed. We went to the beach and had a swim. You could wade out about half a mile and still only be up to the neck in water. Great stuff. On the night we went to watch the footy. Liverpool won 4 nil again so Tom was loving it. Lee had to leave early with a dodgy stomach. I, meanwhile, had to go to the internet cafe to find out the blues score. Three one win. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees. Gary Mcsheffrey hatrick. I was buzzing after that.

Today we have had a busy day. Woke up at seven for a fishing trip at 9 o clock. We were going to try and ctach to Malin/sailfish/barracudas. We were also given an experienced fisherman, or so we were told my many people. He was quite old, very quiet and seemed to know what he was doing. He took us out and caught a load of live bait to use. Then we headed out. Unfortunately we didnt catch anything, which was a bit gutting. Maybe it was hust an unlucky day. After the fishing gad failed, the fisherman then took us to Maya Bay for a quick ride around. It was at this point i got my ipod out and put on "Pure shores" by the all saints, followed by a Moby song. Maya beach is the beach from the film "The Beach". As we rounded the corner, the tune kicked in, and a tingle ran up my spine. It looks fantastic. The water is as clear as in the film. The only thing that spoils it is the fact there are lots of people there. Anyway, was a moment i enjoyed and now i can say i have been there.

This is our last day in thailand. We are heading to Malaysia and to the Cameron Highlands for some Tea and Trekking. Maybe a bit of cooler weather too. lol. You probably hate me for saying this, but i really could do with a few colder days. We leave tommorow at eight and am of the understanding that the journey will take at least 24 hours. We are making our way to a main city then getting an overnight sleeper train. Should be fun. I have had a fantastic time in Thailand. Bangkok was crazy and fun, the islands probably the same. Lovely weather and some great beaches. What has really made it for me though is the people. Thai people are extremely friendly and will always come and have a chat with you. These three weeks in Thailand have been a great start to our trip and i am looking forward to the next leg of our journey; Malaysia and Singapore

Goodbye my friends (Full moon photos are now on the site)