Well hello again, this time from Phuket.

We had decided that we had enough of Ko Phi Phi, well, really we had enough of our room and me getting bitten by bed bugs. again. So on Sunday we got the boat to Phuket (and i managed not to throw up over the side of the boat this time). Rather than heading to the beach areas, we decided to stay in Phuket town. there arent many other tourists here, there are only a few hostels, so it is not a tourist town, which i like. there is enough english writing to get by, but it is not touristy so there is a much nicer feel about it and you get to see people just living their normal lives. it reminds me a bit of Singburi town, near where i did the teaching, as there were no other tourists there either. I love just wondering the streets and seeing how people live, the businesses and shops and eatingin more local places. The town is an old trading town for the chinese and malays, and so there is a lot of sino-portuguese architecture which is really beautiful, and reminds me a lot of cuba. as we were walking around, lee said he felt the town looked really 'third wordy' whilst in the same breath i said i thought it looked really modern. i suppose that is because this is the first country outside europe and america lee has seen, where as i have juist been though vietnam and cambodia, so to me it seems really modern place. i really like the tｏｗn here, so we have decided to stay here for a bit, rather than going to stay at the beaches. the hostel we are in is one of the nicest i have stayed in, and a vast improvemnt on the last place. we have electricity, proper beds (with a matress and everything), a toilet (one of the flushing variety, woo hoo!), hot water and windows!! the hostel also has a common room with a hiuge flat screen tv which has satelite (currenly playing aljezera so am getting to hear the news as i type) and hundreds of dvds that can be played. The night we got here we were informed there was a sunday market, so we walked for ages and eventually found this sunday market, whcih was a really good market. we wondered round eating freshly fryed doughnuts and meat skewers, before we got a ride on the back of a motorbike home. the next day we hired a motorbike ourselves, and rode to Patong, the main tourist beach on the island. When we arrived we were so glad we had decided to stay in Phuket town! the only way i can describe the place is a suped-up spanish beach resort for australians. needless to say we didnt rate it much. it is sooooo touristy i havent seen anything like it since koah san road in bangkok.buit at least that is kind of funny and still has some thai elements to it. it really was a spanish resort except the fat bald english chavs have been replaced by fat bald austalsian tourists. pizza huts and macdonalds covering everysquare inch. weird. the beach wasnt very nice either (maybe we have just been spoiled by the beauty of the other islands we have seen?) so we didnt spend anytime on the beach. we walked around the town, did a bit of shopping and then decided to buy some DVD's, as our room also has a DVD player!!! (but no enlgish speaking channels, and the hostel rents out DVD's, sneaky way for them to make money me thinks) so we followed a man who was saying 'DVDs,DVD's' into his tailoring shop, only to be led into this back room. when i say back room, it was a double bolted door, which had a speaker buzzer system, whcih opened onto another door whcih also had a series of locks before we entered this room with no windows and hundreds of copied DVD's. i've heard the police are cracking down but it was funny being taking into a secret room with its own two way speaker system to tlet the staff in and out.
We then decided to drive to another beach further north. this beach was much nicer and pretty much deserted so we stayed there for a bit and did some body surfing. ｗｈｉｃｈ　ｉ　ａｍ　ｒｕｂｂｉｓｈ　ａｔ　ｂｙ　ｔｈｅ　ｗａｙ．
Yesterday we spent the day just wondering around Phuket town, with Lee generally getting annoyed with my 'nonchalance' as he puts it at the way i cross the road (basically if there is nothing withing 5 feet it is generally a good time to cross, and walking very slowly) this is because this is how you HAVE to cross the road in vetnam, otherwise you die. seems to work ok here too, but as lee is used to crossing the road in the UK, he does what we all do in the UK, wait for there to be no traffic on teh road （ｗｈｉｃｈｄｏｅｓｎｔ　ｈａｐｐｅｎ）then run across looking around like your about to die. he has also commented on how i 'eat slower than time itself' as any of you will know is true. i ａtｅ pizza again last night, i actually ordered my own pizza!!　ｇｅｔ　ｍｅ．　ｂｕｔ　ｉ　ｄｏｎｔ　ｔｈｉｎｋ　ｉ＇ｌｌｂｅ　ｅａｔｉｎｇ　ｆｏｎｄｕｅ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｙｅｔ　ｌｕｃｙ，　ａｌｔｈｏｕｇｈ　ｔｈａｎｋｓ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｏｆｆｅｒ．　
Ｔｏｄａｙ　ｗｅ　ａｌｓｏ　ｓｐｅｎｔ　ｏｕｒ　ｔｉｍｅ　ｗｏｎｄｅｒｉｎｇ　ａｒｏｕｎｄ，　ｌｏｏｋｉｎｇ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｓｈｏｐｓ　ａｎｄｗｅｎｔ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｂｅａｕｔｆｕｌ　ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ　ｔｅｍｐｌｅ　＇ｔｈｅｔｅｍｐｌｅ　ｏｆ　ｓｈｉｎｉｎｇ　ｌｉｇｈｔ＇ｗｈｉｃｈ　ｉ　ｔｈｉｎｋ　ｉｓ　ｎｉｃｅ　ｔｉｔｌｅ．　ｗｅ　ｗｅｒｅ　ｔｈｅｎ　ｗｏｎｄｅｒｉｎｇ　ａｒｏｕｎｄ　ｌｏｏｋｉｎｇ　ａｔ　ｔｈｅ　ａｒｃｈｔｅｃｔｕｒｅ，　ｗｈｅｎ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｒａｎｄｏｍ　ｍａｎ　ａｓｋｅｄ　ｕｓ　ｗｈａｔ　ｗｅ　ｗｅｒｅ　ｌｏｏｋｉｎｇ　ｆｏｒ　（ｗｈｉｃｈ　ｙｏｕ　ｇｅｔ　ａｌｏｔ　ｈｅｒｅ　ｆｒｏｍ　ｐｅｏｐｌｅ　ｔｒｙｏｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｓｅｌｌ　ｓｔｕｆｆ）ｓｏ　ｗｅ　ｒｅｐｌｉｅｄ　＇ｎｏｔｈｉｎｇ＇ｂｕｔ　ｈｅ　ｔｈｅｎ　ｌｅｄ　ｕｓ　ｉｎｔｏ　ａ　ｒｅａｌｌｙｂｅａｕｔｉｆｕｌ　ｍｕｓｅｕｍ　ｗｈｉｃｈ　ｗｅ　ｈａｄ　ｃｏｍｐｌｅｔｅｌｙ　ｏｖｅｒｌｏｏｋｅｄ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ　ｃｕｌｔｕｒｅ　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｈｉｓｔｏｒｙ　ｏｆ　ｐｈｕｋｅｔ．　ｈｅ　ｗａｓ　ａ　ｒｅａｌｌｙ　ｎｉｃｅ　ｍａｎ，　ｅｘｐｌａｉｏｎｅｄ　ａｌｌ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｕｓｅｕｍ　ａｎｄ　ｗｅ　ｗｅｒｅ　ｇｌａｄ　ｈｅ　ｈａｄ　ｒａｎｄｏｍｌｙ　ａｃｃｏｓｔｅｄ　ｕｓ．　Ｉ　ａｌｓｏ　ｍｅｔ　ａ　ｍａｎ　ｉｎ　ａｎ　ｉｎｔｅｒｎｅｔ　ｃａｆｅ　ｙｅｓｔｅｒｄａｙ，　ｗｈｏ，　ｗｈｅｎ　ａｓｋｉｎｇ　ｍｅ　ｗｈｅｒｅ　ｉ　ｗａｓ　ｆｒｏｍ as he was trying to fix my memory stick (yet again more virus related problems)，　ｓａｉｄ　ａｈ　ｙｅｓ，　Ｂｒｉｓｔｏｌ　Ｃｉｔｙ，　ｔｈｅｙ　ｄｏｉｎｇ　ｗｅｌｌ　ｉｎ　ｆｉｒｓｔ　ｄｉｖｉｓｉｏｎ．　Ｒａｎｄｏｍ．
Ａｎｄ　ｙｅｓ　Ｊｏｅ，　ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ｂｅｅｎ　ｔｈｉｎｋｉｎｇ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｄｏｉｎｇ　ａ　ｓｋｙｄｉｖｅ　ｉｎ　Ｏｚ，　ｆｏｒ　ｓｏｍｅ　ｒａｓｏｎ　ｉ　ｔｈｉｎｋ　ｄｏｉｎｇ　ｔｈａｔ　ｗｉｌｌ　ｂｅ　ｅａｓｉｅｒ　ｔｈａｎ　ｊｕｍｐｉｎｇ　ｉｎｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　ｗａｔｅｒ　ｆｒｏｍ　３０ｍｅｔｒｅｓ，　ｍａｙｂｅ　ｂｅｃａｕｓｅ　ｉ＇ｍｐｒｅｔｔｙ　ｓｕｒｅ　ｉ　ｗｏｎｔ　ｂｅ　ｓｌａｍｍｉｎｇ　ｉｎｔｏ　ｓｏｍｅｔｈｉｎｇ　ａｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｂｏｔｔｏｍ，　ｐｒｏｖｉｄｉｎｇ　ａｌｌ　ｇｏｅｓ　ｗｅｌｌ　ｏｆ　ｃｏｕｒｓｅ．　
Ｔｈｉｎｋ　ｔｈａｔ＇ｓｉｔ　ｆｏｒ　ｎｏｗ！
Speak soon