Bangkok

We had another insane day travelling yesterday ending in Bangkok at 5am this morning! Not great especially when i got to the hotel and it was full and couldnt promise me anything. I managed to get hold of Gaz who searched everywhere on the interenet for me this morning and we came up with nothing. Anyway not to worry...i cried and then went to the Weekend Market with the girls to try and distact myself. When me and Leilani got back to the base hotel we wondering into the shopping district and i remembered Tanya taking me somewhere on our first night that had accommodation. So im staying above a part right in the centre of everything. Its not bad...i went for their best which has its own bathroom and air con and it still only cost my less that 8 pounds. But its clean and its only for one night.

So this Weekend Market we went to it was totally insane.. you could buy anything it was like the Markets in Peru again but cleaner. Got some gorgeous stuff and such bargins...i know if i wasnt on holiday i wouldnt have bought the stuff but i am and i did! Even treated myself to a couple of things.

Hopefully...all going well, ive signed myself you to do a thai cooking course tomorrow. I booked it over the internet today and it never asked for payment or anything but its with the same guys who sorted out my first nights accommodation and my transfers to the airport so we'll see at 8am tomorrow whether or not i go on this course. Its more expense than most trips i could do but i thought i might as well learn something and well learning to do thai massages i decided wouldnt benefit me so declined! Its an english speaking course which should teach me 4 different dishes and how to adapt them to what we have available in the UK. Which sounds all good to me and i get a book and everything to keep! And if your really lucky and i get my welcome home drinks i might make something for you all to try if you dare!

And the best bit is tomorrow is my last full day in Thailand which means im heading down under! So cant wait, this is after all what my trip was always really about going to see people i love on the other side of the world.

Love you xxx

ps.
Dave, completed half your mission you set for me... the rolex... its a dream you can forget. I love you but not that much. The cheapest anyone would go was 1500 bats which is just over 20 quid and i dont love you that much. But i have managed to get you your liverpool shirt (sorry Dad) ... its not a bad fake actually and for 3 pounds im very very proud of it!

Al, after speaking to you in your drunken state this morning i also got you something as a promise to you...you'll be able to put it on the keys to our house next year... September. But you'll have to promise to always keep it save. Its not just a present its symbolic!

Jess, as im chatting to you and you have a hot date... good luck and behave yourself young lady otherwise you might end up in Bonnys family!

The cats out the bag...

Not that it was any real secret but Gaz is coming over to Oz to see me for a couple of weeks. Didnt meantion it really before i left as the last thing Mum said to me when i started seeing Gaz at the end of November was not to get smitten as im away for nearly 7 months. Him flying to the other side of the world to see me, doesnt really suggest we're not attached! We joked about him coming over before Christmas and the more we talked about it the more sense it seemed to make, so it all got booked the week before i left and he flys out on Friday 16th March for 2 weeks with the lonely planet. By the sounds of things the boys will be glad of the break from him moaning! Got bad news for you boys...they'll be another 12 weeks when he comes back before i do!

Anyway he's finally got his way and has make it on my itinerary! I just need him to work out where he wants go while hes here so i can let you guys know.

Love you xxx

Koh Tao

This is by far the most beautiful place i have ever been to! We all even snorkelling yesterday and had so much fun. I'd always thought i couldnt snorkel and was a bit nervous about doing it especially jumping off the boat but i love it. Ive since decided i must have been abused by my brothers growing up and they scared me everytime we went snorkelling!

The trip took a tour all the way round the island and its so beautiful and i would definately recommend this place to everyone and anyone, it is a must see. I dont know exactly where we stopped, ill ask Sam our tour guide, but swimming with the fishes was just amazing! I even saw a shark... wasn't too excited by that but it just swam under me so i just carried on like it was a tiny little fish. I was even feeling really brave and feed bananas to the fishes, that was really weird. We stopped on this gorgeous little island just off the beach where we are staying, we had a 2 hour stop and i dont think i left the sea the whole time. Id forgotten how much i loved the sea and im even loving beaches and sand at the moment! Me and Reuben just sat there throwing corel at each other... i to be fair was trying to find nice interesting pieces, Reuben just kept throwing things at me. And i learnt to just lie there and float...dont laugh its quite a skill!

Ive got a free day today to do whatever we like before going to the beach party at The Caves tonight. Its going to be our last night as a group as some people are staying on the Island until their flights home or in Andy and Sarah's case to Oz. Ive starting to get my tan and losing the redness still have white legs though!

Speak to you all again before i leave for Oz.

Love you xxx

Koh Samui

Ok so the 5am wake up wasnt great especially after being out at this fantastic reggae bar the night before. We had a gorgeous BBQ and sat upstairs in this really weird bar. We all sat on the floor and had little tables (Guess a bit like its going to be in Japan) and there was a barrel campfire in the middle, made me feel really at home! It was the owners birthdays so as you can imagine the drink was flowing and then we had guys playing with fire on the end of what looked like a ball and chain. It was amazing to watch especially when i little lad maybe 10 but definately cub age started doing it... he was really really good. It was a really good night.

So as i was saying, Tanya got me up at 4.40... it was nearly as bad as the parrots! and we met the team at 5am, well all climbing into the trunks andi had the pleasure of sharing the same truck as two of the guys who had only got home at 3am! They said they got lost in the bush and followed "big dog" and he went the wrong way! Boys will be boys though, but Sarah wasnt happy when Andy rolled in thats for sure. As we went just about to leave the park we were joking with Reuben about leaving something, he jumped up and yelled stop the car, my passport is under his pillow! So funny, so we had to go back for this sodding passport!

We got back to the train station at 7ish just perfect to have breakfast while waiting for our bus to the ferry port. We got on the ferry to Koh Samui and i think nearly all of us slept all the way. It was the most gorgeous sight to wake up to. Beautiful island, sand sea sun the works! As you can imagine we were very excited when we got to our hotel and Andy couldnt wait anymore so when running into the sea. We all joined him after lunch, so beautiful. But i did fall asleep in my book next to the pool and i became a typical brit and burnt my back! That evening we heading into town for a very cultural meal... pizza hut! haha no matter where in the world they still have the same design on the wall! (Al, im sorry you can yell at me later... i know how much you love that place). We ended the night on the beach in this bar. They turn the sun beds into sitting areas and put a little table on top them, so i was drinking Mojito...drinking cocktails on a beach is definately the way to relax.

Monday me and 4 other girls decided we wanted to do something other than sit on a beach all day so we signed up for a canopy trail. Basically its like "Go Ape" in the UK but to a totally different extreme when you saw how high up we were in the jungle and how far w had to fall! What an experience...running off a platform onto nothing, very scary but oh my god! We had sooooooooo much fun. Got chatting to a lovely couple for Chester area, which was nice to speak to some northeners. After lunch when we got back the sea was calling us so we ran into the gorgeous blue sea and just chilled out before going for a Thai Massage. They are truely amazing!!! And so cheap. Last night most of us walked down the beach and found a place which promised us happy hour all night and cocktails for 80 bats (just over a pound, and they dont use measures) Really lovely night just chilling out again on the beach.

This morning we caught the ferry ove to Koh Tao (Turtle island) and this is even most beautiful than the last place, never seen sand so white and the sea so blue. We all going snorkelling tomorrow which should be good. Apprently Turtle Island is the best place in Thailand to snorkel or dive. So we have time to do both if we want to, not leaving here until Friday afternoon.

Thank you so much for all my messages. Isobel, i do have a teddy, actually i have two...one i roll over and scare the life out of me when i hear Al's voice (his name is Mr Snack and he was made with love and care by Al at the teddy bear factory for me and shes lefted me a message on there) and the other..Jack!

Love you xxx