Bonus blog The more geographically aware among you will have realised that we have passed through Chang Mai in Thailand twice and haven't written a word about it. The main reason for this is that our computer broke down the first time we passed through and I was being lazy the second time. It might help with the narrative if you were to revisit the Chang Mai pictures. I'm writing this on our 6 hour bus ride between Phmon Pen and Siam Reip so it's a good chance t...

Bangkok Birthay Blitz After a 7 hour drive from Siam Reip we arrived in Bangkok for the final time in the late afternoon. Most of us took the opportunity to relax before our big final night out together. Back into Tuk tuks and off to Khoa San Road for our final dinner as a group. I ordered soft bone chicken but Mel, who is deaf in one ear, thought I had ordered soft porn chicken. We then decided to write a script for a soft porn movie involving chickens (rooste...

Bangkok Birthay Blitz After a 7 hour drive from Siam Reip we arrived in Bangkok for the final time in the late afternoon. Most of us took the opportunity to relax before our big final night out together. Back into Tuk tuks and off to Khoa San Road for our final dinner as a group. I ordered soft bone chicken but Mel, who is deaf in one ear, thought I had ordered soft porn chicken. We then decided to write a script for a soft porn movie involving chickens (rooste...

The view is to die for. James and Laura's villa overlooks a shallow bay where fishermen and fisher birds take their fill as the tide goes out. Inland there are large ponds which are probably fish farms. Directly opposite there are a few more modern villas and some local houses set in palm trees and natural woodland.Out to sea the karats of Phi Phi National Park rise steeply out of the turquoise Andaman Sea. The villa is set on a hillside giving a fabulous view...

It was the worst of times - it was the best of times. Our hill tribes experience was to challenge and reward us to a much greater extent than we had expected. We bounced along in the back of a truck with stops to visit a waterfall and for lunch with two other couples, a lovely young couple called Asheley and Lucy from Norwich and a middle aged French couple. The French couple were obviously in a new relationship because they couldn't keep their hands off each ot...