I finally arrived back in Thailand after a mammoth bus journey from Siem Reap. It took nearly six hours to travel the 100km to the Thailand border, part of which was due to the road, or lack of it, and part due to the fact that the minibus we were on was on it's last legs. In addition to stopping a dozen times to refill the radiator with river water the bus was missing a window which made for a very dusty ride. Once at the Thai border it was like rejoining civilization and we soon arrived back in Bangkok.

Bangkok seems to have recovered well from the four bombs that went off on New Year's Eve. Although the city was locked down for a couple of days things are returning to normal, although there is a significant increase in security accross the city from the last time I was here. It was nice to be back in Bangkok actually as it felt really familiar after six weeks on the road.

This morning I arrived in Ko Samui after yet another overnight bus ride. I should be getting used to them by now but it's so difficult to sleep. In addition I was sat next to a Swiss guy who'd lived in a remote part of the jungle on Ko Pan Ghan for 22 years and proceeded to tell me all about his 'Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll' lifestyle. Weirdo!

Ko Samui seems nice, although the weather is pretty overcast right now. I'll probably relax on the beach for a couple of days before moving on to Ko Tao for my dive course.

22/1/07

I don't think I saw the best of Ko Samui. What I did see was rain, English bars, rain, fat old European men with young thai women, and more rain.

Once I moved onto Ko Tao it was a different story. Although very touristy, the crowd is much younger and everyone is there to dive. The weather also improved and was beautiful the whole time I was there. Learning to dive was so cool and I really enjoyed the feeling of being able to stay under water - at least for as long as my air would last which, I'm told, wasn't too long! My group for the Open Water course was small - only four people and we all had such a laugh. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I signed up for the Advanced course staright after. this time it was just me and the instructor so it was personalised tuition for a bargain price. In addition to getting chased by a rather large Trigger Fish (long story!) I got to dive at night which was scary and exhilerating all at the same time.

Kristen, one of my fellow divers, was actually on the island to film a commercial for a Vietnamese brand of mineral water. When I found out that the advert required the use of female models dressed up as mermaids, frolicking on the rocks of a deserted beach I got myself an invite to the set and an introduction to the five stunning models who were in make-up at the time having latex scales applied to cover their breasts. I didn't know where to put my eyes!

Reluctantly, I left Ko Tao and travelled to Krabi on the West coast. I stayed in Ton Sai beach which is right next to the famous resort of Railay Beach. The scenery was stunning - crystal clear blue waters with pure white beaches surrounded on all sides by towering limestone peaks covered in forest. At least that's at high tide - at low tide the blue water recedes a long way to reveal a muddy mess of rocks and dead coral.

Ton Sai beach was small but chilled out and relaxed, probably because it's almost solely inhabited by rock climbers. Strong lean bodies with broad powerful shoulders and abs like a washboard - and that's just the women!

From Krabi I took the boat over to Ko Phi Phi which is where I am now. The island is beautiful and seems to be recovering well from the Tsunami that devastated much of it two years ago. The scenery is beautiful and particularly nice when you get out to some of the smaller beaches which I managed to do by kayak. I also got to go diving again and saw a turtle and a leopard shark amongst other things.

It's a real party island with loads of bars and restaurants which is fine for a while but I'm now ready to move on. Tomorrow I head off to Ko Lanta for my final bit of beach action before moving down into Malaysia.

It's such a tough life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

28/1/07

Ko Lanta is such a beautiful place. The coastal scenery isn't quite as spectacular as the mountainous coastline of Ko Phi Phi but the beaches and water are beautiful and the pace of life is really relaxed.

I'm here with a Swedish girl called Myrra whom I met in Ko Phi Phi. It's great to have a travelling companion again, particularly one who likes the kind of activities I really enjoy. We've been kayaking, diving and trekking through the jungle to various caves and waterfalls. Back home in Sweden she rides a motorbike so she even persueded me to hire one here - well, more of a moped really but still great fun.