Back to Bottle Beach - 5th February

... we haggle a taxi pick-up, although instead of leaving once we're in, the driver goes off touting for more passengers to maximise his profit.We relax and enjoy the sunshine, while he rounds up a small group of backpackers and a Russian family with a six month old baby.Eventually we bounce off along the roads around the island, the Russians alternating breastfeeding the baby with arguing with the driver.

Dave and I get dropped off at the nearest place to Bottle Beach, and once again enlist our friendly octogenarian long boat captain back to the familiar white sands and stilted bungalows that we know will lead to a few more lazy days before we move onto the next chapter of our journey in Australia.

There's not a lot to tell about the next few days - minus Keren, we've got no one to chivvy us out of our routine of sunbathing, reading, playing chess, drinking banana shakes and playing cards.The only exception to our routine is the evening of the Black Moon party.Since everyone else deserts the beach for the party at 10pm, we are left with a candle lit table to ourselves, on the middle of a deserted beach.We get the iPod speakers on, and have a couple of hours chatting and drinking on our own under the stars - yep, pretty romantic!

We are sad to leave, but ready to move on, and journey back on the catamaran (smooth seas this time).An amazing moment was when a school of flying fish chose to swim under the boat and burst out of the water, flying out over the waves for forty or so metres before plunging back under the sea.

Next stop, a night in Bangkok before our flight to Sydney...