We island hopped back to Koh Samui for a few days and went to Lamai Beach which is Seedy Central! Compared to Koh Phangan this is a shock to the system, but our flight was from here so we thought it worth a few more nights stay, especially as I needed to buy a suitcase with wheels. I am now the proud owner of a Monster Rolling Case. I dumped the old backpack in a bin, no tears were shed! We flew to Phuket and stayed in Kamala, a lovely small resort which bore the full front of the Tsunami. It was low season and very quiet, we really noticed a difference in all the Thai people we met here, very friendly and honest. The weather was not so good (ie. persisting it down) so we hired a DVD player and watched dodgy copies of the latest blockbusters! We went to "Fantasea", a Thai cultural show with animal participation and acrobatics, quite a spectacle. The next night we went to "Simons Caberet", basically a ladyboy show, amazing costumes and breast augmentation but terrible lip-synching! (Not a patch on Betty Legs Diamond). Checked our spending for August-we have gone over budget oooops too many Bacardi Breezers, so we booked a hostel....yes, think YMCA, in Kuala Lumpur. I have read terrible reports on bed bugs so we will see how long the economy drive lasts (please send money) Thanks to everyone who has messaged, I love hearing from you!