We flew into Phuket via AirAsia, just a few days after the news about the crash. I must admit although we were flying over land, I was a tad bit nervous but think I did a good job hiding my feelings. The flight itself was smooth and the staff were professional. I wouldn't hesitate to fly with AirAsia in the future.

Ro thought it would be a good idea to ease me into the backpacking experience so I was given complete control of booking a hotel, within a budget decided by Ro of course! So after spending almost a day researching hotels I finally booked The Cocoon Patong Hotel, a clean and simple 3* hotel approximately 15 minutes walk from Patong beach. I need to improve my research technique or else I will be wasting a lot of good quality travelling time on the internet finding a place to stay.

Before leaving the UK I did a bit of research and spoke to fellow travellers, one of whom advised me to avoid the Patong area but in all honesty I'm glad I tried and tested it for myself. In fact, I would definately recommend this destination for New Year's Eve.

Yes it is extremely polluted with vehicles namely motorbikes and mopeds and bustling with tourists but what do you expect for a popular party destination. We spent New Year's Eve-day making friends with the locals, finding our bearings, the beach, a nice place to dine and a location to partaaaay on New Year's Eve.

We met my cousin Vin and his friend Mellisa for a delicious Thai meal at LaiMai, a beach front restaurant. Great weather, even better company, a live band performing on stage, a beautiful beach just a few feet away.. What a fantastic way to bring in the new year!

After our meal we walked down the strip and came across a make shift cocktail take-away stall. It was great! They had a menu which listed all the liquors, beers and mixers. We bought our drinks and took a stroll down the beach to find it crowded with tourists buying display fireworks and Chinese lanterns from Thai traders.

Just to clarify display fireworks are the type you see at the London Eye which have a required spectator distance of at least 25 metres (I googled this). However on Patong beach none of that mattered, people would light one right beside you without any warning. As soon as we felt the first thud the four of us ran as far as we thought was a safe distance (no where near 25 metres).

Whilst some were lighting fireworks others were lighting Chinese lanterns. The four of us lit one as it approached midnight. Vin lit his first and let go of his prematurely so it floated for about 10 seconds before crashing down onto a group of people and almost burning them alive. We could hear the screams about 10 metres away. It happened all so fast we didn't know what to do - run to their rescue or watch from a distance and pray he hasn't killed anyone.

It's no surprise why Chinese lanterns are banned in the UK.

FYI - there were no injuries and everyone laughed it off. Phew!

It was the most magical moment ever when Ro and I lit our lantern and guided it into the air and over the ocean where it joined the many thousands of lanterns. The sky was beautifully lit with Chinese lanterns and display fireworks, by far the best New Year's Eve.

We were meant to make a wish but got too caught up in the moment and were concentrating to ensure we get it right to avoid injuring others around us.

We rubbed shoulders and bumped into hundreds of other tourists and locals as we walked down Bangla Rd, the party strip in Patong. Nothing tickled our fancy so we ended up spending the rest of our night partying in the gay district in Patong. Wow! What an experience - lady boys, super divas and outrageous dance offs! Definitely a night not to be forgotten.

New Year's Day, as always, was a lazy one. The highlight was eating at
Eurasian, a reasonably priced restaurant which served a variety of really tasty food.

Next destination.. Ao Nang in Krabi