Excuse my laziness blog fans, but we are currently in the most chilled place I could ever imagine, Koh Lanta. This island on the south west coast of Thailand really is something, and the people are something else. For an island with such a large Muslim population, there is an awful lot of smoking and drinking going on.
We spent the last couple of weeks knocking about with a Swedish couple of legendary status. Leina and Marie. The gent being a 70 year old tequila drinking, weed smoking, real life Viking, funny as f***, and always with a tale to tell. "I'll tell you a story" he would say at least ten times a day, and boy did he have some stories. Being held hostage by corrupt Mexican police, living with native American Indians, or travelling the world with his two Swedish chums. Top bloke. His wife was also lovely, and kept up with the all day tequila drinking with the rest of us. I have never drank so much tequila than in these last couple of weeks, and doubt i ever will, unless we take them up on their invite to go and stay with them in Sweden, which we certainly intend to do.
We got invited to the birthday party of the wife of a local Mui Thai legend turned businessman, where we met more of the locals, most of them Thai Rastas, two of them gay Dutchmen. The smell in the bar was a beautiful aroma of a thousand spliffs. Got introduced to the most horrible drink known to man, snake blood. The bottle contained both a whole snake, and a big fat scorpion. And it f***ing tasted like it too!
We are staying in a little wooden hut a few yards from the sea. The people that own it are proper characters. Lec the manager is a f***ing nutter, and his right hand man Rambo, is ever more mental. ADHD written all over him. Rambo handles the fire dancing (along with Lec's three little kids), the Mui Thai training, and cocktail making, along with anything else that needs sorting. Also throws a mean frisbee. The bar here is run by a father and son team from Essex. Both of them are absolutely sound as a pound. We have shared many a beer, tequila, whiskey with them, and they have taken the liberty of showing us the less touristy side of Koh Lanta. Also introducing us to the tastiest food I have ever sampled, Mu Crob (crispy pork belly curry, and Crying Tiger (a crispy beef salad that blows your mind with flavour) . Teresa returned the favour by getting the bar rocking to John's (the father) all time favourite band Chas and Dave. Thais, Swedes, and us Brits all having a right old school knees up. True diamonds these fellas, their neighbour Patrick (the mad American as he is known locally) has very kindly invited us all for a free speed boat trip round the island later on today. If you had told me 2 months ago that I would meet a former Marine/Mercenary, McDonalds loving yank, I would not have thought we would get on too well. Turns out the man is a saint. He buys the poorer kids on the island food and clothes, and has even adopted a little girl that was kicked out of home by her mothers new a******* husband. Shows you can't judge someone by their nationality, career choice, or love of satanic food. There are a couple of other Americans staying here that are also top blokes. Always up for frisbee, a beer and a smoke. I never thought I would say it but... I quite like Americans. Not all of them of course. I've not forgotten Bush and his Right wing pack of devils.
We are really starting to feel at home here, helped a local dude launch his boat yesterday, and sailed back with him to it's new home, bailing gallons of water out on route (he did say that if it sinks we just swim back). Teresa with her phobia of the open sea really met her fears head on, and came out smiling.
Off to Malaysia in a few days for a visa top up, before heading to northern Thailand for the Loy Krathong festival. Hopefully the floods have subsided...

Much love
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