Thailand

Predictably, as the alarm went off at 7am this morning we struggled to scrape our arses out of bed. Late last night we decided that if we felt too tired this morning we would stay another day but in the end we go for it and get a taxi to the ferry port at 8am. The ferry costs us 14 pounds for the four of us and the journey takes an hour. We arrive at the Thai port of Satun and immigration takes around another hour. The immigration officials are friendly and chat away to the kids but they are knackered, irritable and spoiling for a fight with each other.

We get in a sawngthaew (pronounced songlaw) these are covered pick up trucks with two rows of benches and the main way of getting around the towns of Thailand. We ask the driver to take us to the bus station but end up getting dumped at a bus stop, still that’s ok as we want to take 5 and buy a drink.

Eventually the bus to Trang turns up. We had originally planned to go straight through to Krabi but as the kids are being evil and we are also tired we decide to go halfway there instead. We get settled at the back of the bus which is comfortable enough and empty. Just as we are congratulating ourselves on rejecting the aircon bus and going like the locals our relative peace is shattered as 5 or 6 young lads get on. They are all pissed and chatter away to us, offering us their beer and fags. We tell them we don’t drink and smoke so they get out a hanky and encourage us to sniff it instead! I’m not sure if it contained anything more than snot but we only put up with them singing and dancing around us for another half an hour before we move further up the bus and they take the hint and leave us alone from then on.

Two hours later and we arrive in Trang. It is a small town on the Andaman coast and apparently a really good place to get out to some of the islands. It doesn’t seem quite as hot as Langkawi but the landscape is similar. We have passed many coconut groves and there are limestone cliffs, waterfalls and caves in this area. As soon as we get off the bus we start walking, we are trying to put a bit of distance between us and the fellas on the bus. Although they were friendly I had a bad feeling about them and don’t want them to know where we are staying.

They don’t follow us though and soon we are some distance away and relax a bit. We find the guesthouse we want and it’s gorgeous, spotlessly clean with natural, rattan furniture, crisp white sheets and silk bed coverings. We have to share the toilet and cold showers but there doesn’t seem to be many other people staying here and we virtually have the place to ourselves. I bargain the room costs down to 200 and 250 baht. This is around 5 pounds sixty total. We are working on an exchange rate of 85 baht to the pound until we know better and have checked with the money changers.

By now we are starving and go in the cafe next door. We have sandwiches and corn. In Asia sweetcorn is often eaten in bowls with added butter, salt and sugar and is completely yummy! We check our emails and let the kids have an hour surfing the net. Their internet requirements have definitely reduced recently and neither of them has complained too much about the lack of webtime whilst we were in Langkawi.
It is very hot in our rooms and we are all feeling heat exhausted. We decide to get take out and Simon comes back with some Chinese food and a red silk rose for me, we sit on the bed, sharing dinner, drinking Chang beer and eating with a plastic spoon- Happy Valentine’s Day!

Trang

I awoke very early today and must be still be on Malaysia time. We have gained an hour and are now only 7 hours ahead of the UK. The rooms are very hot even at 6.30am and I get up and have a shower to cool down. The kids are fast asleep but at 9.00am I can’t contain myself and go and disturb them. Their room is small and the window opens internally and I am slightly worried that they may have boiled to death overnight but happily they’re alive and kicking and as ever want to know when we are getting breakfast.

We catch a tuk tuk to The Meeting Place Cafe; according to the book this is a good place to arrange transport out to the islands. The difficulty now arises in having to choose between paradise and paradise we eventually decide on Ko Hai. This island is only 5km across and described as having palm trees, white sands, clear blue sea and almost entirely ringed by coral. It will take an hour to get to the pier and a further hour by longtail boat to the island and we agree on a cost of 900baht. There is one slight flaw in our plan and that is that The Meeting Place Cafe usually only arrange transport and accommodation together as a package. The Ko Ngai Resort does look beautiful but we want to see other (Possibly cheaper) accommodation on the island also.

As there is no transport on Ko Hai we will find it very difficult to get around with all our gear but decide to cross that bridge tomorrow and see what happens. After breakfast we return to The Yamawa Guesthouse where we are staying. There is a small seating area in the reception and to the kids disgust we get the schoolbooks out. Continuing on from the literacy they did with Toby we discuss the differences between tabloid and broadsheet newspapers. Sticking with their themes from their presentations I tell them that “all cats and guitars are banned”. They write 2 newspaper articles each in the style of The Sport and The Times and although it’s difficult they do really well and write some great articles.

In the afternoon we get some food in a decent restaurant, there is very little to do here and we are waiting for evening when it will cool down enough for us to go out to the night market. In 3 days time it will be Chinese New Year and there are lots of red lanterns decorating the streets of Trang, it looks very pretty and we would have liked to see the celebrations but as we’re now hoping to visit Laos we must keep to a tight schedule and have agreed to move on quickly.

Back at The Yamawa Guesthouse, Maisie and I decide to have a foot massage. The Thai masseuses have the strongest fingers and before long I remember likening a Thai full body massage I had in Hua Hin to nothing short of torture. Still Maisie seems to enjoy it and once it’s over my feet feel silky and I finish it off with clipping my nails and repainting them in readiness for the beach

Ko Hai

Once again the heat woke me up early and although I hardly leap out of bed, due to my strained shoulder, I can’t get back to sleep and lie there thinking about our plans for the day. After showering and breakfast in the cafe next door, Simon packs up our gear and goes to the ATM to get more money. The exchange rate is more like 70 baht to the pound and we realise although things are more expensive than we thought, we have more left in the bank also.

I try and do some schoolwork with the kids but can’t get comfortable due to my shoulder and give up on the idea for today .At 11.30 the minibus comes to collect us, there isn’t anyone else on the bus and it’s a very comfortable, air conditioned ride along a decent road. It’s a fairly rural area and we only pass a few huts made of wood and corrugated tin on the way. We also pass thousands of rubber trees planted in straight lines, I had read that the whole area is a giant rubber plantation and there are small black cups attached to the trunks of the trees about a metre off the ground collecting the sap.

After an hour we reach the pier, the boat is being loaded up with supplies to Ko Hai and we share a beer whilst the fella’s finish packing up. The boat is a type of motorised wooden longtail boat and we are the only passengers. I’m really excited, this seems very adventurous and we sit on the benches together until the boat gets out to sea. Before long we are speeding along, the sea is calm and so blue and tall, sharp limestone cliffs rise up out of it. The film The Beach was filmed in this area and I sing the All Saints song Pure Shores as we race along. It’s so exhilarating, feeling the scorching sun and spray on my face and the wind blowing my hair everywhere; we move and sit on the front of the boat.

We pass several islands and soon one of the fella’s points out Ko Hai in the distance. As we near the island he cuts the engine and we drift in over rocks and coral. The beach is about 400 metres long with fine golden sand and at the back on a grassy flat area are about 20 small wooden huts on stilts. Thankfully I don’t have to carry my pack as 2 fella’s rush down to greet us and carry them for us. I’m apologetic when they nearly collapse under the weight of them though!

The huts cost 500 baht each and we decide to have 2 separate ones. We check them out and as expected they are really basic with simple wooden furniture, mosquito nets and cold water shower. Power is only available between the hours of 6pm and midnight and for the first time since we have been travelling we have western style toilets without a flush. Still pouring water down the toilet to flush it is an easy enough task and the peace and solitude definitely make up for it. It is so gorgeous here, with palm trees all around and a quiet restaurant with a good menu. There is a decent selection of books available for exchange and a few games for the kids.

I think maybe half of the huts are occupied and I’m looking forward to a few days of complete tranquillity and relaxation. With that in mind, after some fresh chicken, vegetable and noodle soup I crash out on the bed for a few hours and go to sleep. With the door and shutters of the hut open it is beautifully breezy and I have a complete doss afternoon.

Simon takes Ali out for a walk across the rocks, we are planning to do some fishing and want to hire a boat and do some snorkelling here also. An English fella and his Chinese wife who are very familiar with the island tell Simon there is an excellent seafood restaurant on the other side of the island and we decide we will pay them a visit there too.

In the evening we share a green curry, and hot and sour orange curry with shrimps. The foods really excellent and it would be good to think we can avoid fried stuff for a while. As Maisie is feeling poorly with a cold I put her bed early and Simon and I sit listening to Ali playing his guitar on our little wooden veranda. What a lovely end to the day.

Snorkelling and The Emerald Cave

I wake up to the dawn chorus; there are no sounds here except the waves, the birds and the wind blowing through the coconut trees. I wouldn’t say I have had the best night’s sleep, as the beds are so hard we may as well have slept on the floor but when I look out of the door I feel so invigorated and alive. It’s really fantastic to wake up on the beach in such a beautiful setting. Simon goes to get our usual coffee and we sit sunning ourselves in 2 battered old deck chairs on a completely deserted beach.

A young couple from the Netherlands called Eva and Jan have asked us if we would like to share a boat with them this morning to explore the islands around us. We are waiting to see if Maisie is feeling better before we make any firm plans but when the kids wake up around 8am she’s ok and says she does want to go out today.

We have some pineapple, papaya and banana for breakfast and then set off in the boat. I chat to Eva on the way, like most people we have met they are travelling the other way round to us and we talk about their experiences in Cambodia and Vietnam. Soon we arrive at The Emerald Cave on Koh Mok, for many years this cave was used by the local people who gathered bird’s nests from it and then used by pirates to store treasure. At low tide it is possible to take a boat through the caves but at high tide the only option is to swim through the 80metres in pitch black. We were expecting this so aren’t surprised but I think it came as a bit of a shock to Eva and Jan.

We all don our life jackets and jump off the edge of the boat and into the deep blue water. It is warm and clear, the fella’s are feeding small blue and yellow fish off the ends of the boat and they are all around us. The kids of course love it. We swim to the start of the tunnel, our guide has a torch but it is very dark and cool out of the sun. We start to swim along slowly, even though we’re all so close together I can touch Simon and the kids, I can’t see a thing. It is quite a strange experience swimming along in complete and total inky blackness.

Suddenly the tunnel opens out and we are in the sunlight and fresh air. It is I suppose, a bit like being inside a volcano with tall cliffs stretching upwards a hundred metres or so high. There is a small beach and the water is very warm. Although it is really amazing and beautiful it is slightly spoilt by the fact that there are loads of people in there. So much for getting an early start to avoid the crowds!

We swim back to the boat and set off for Ko Kradan, this is the most unspoilt of all the islands in the Trang province and has a lovely deserted beach. We try several beaches and use the snorkel equipment we have hired to look at the fish and underwater rocks. By now it is 2pm and we’re all hungry. We set off back to Ko Hai and enjoy the wonderful scenery along the way. We managed to get some photos but it was difficult due to the large amount of spray coming into the boat!

Back at our island I have a quick shower and realise that I have left both our shampoo and razor at the guesthouse in Trang. What a pain, now I have to contend with dirty hair and hairy legs and that is enough to make me decide we should move onto Ko Lanta (A bigger island) tomorrow. Still despite the misery of that, the fantastic food makes up for it and I have chicken, coconut and ginger soup for lunch. So good, I can’t tell you!

Simon spends the afternoon doing maths with the kids and I lie on the bed nursing my sunburn and reading my book. Later we have dinner of fried chicken and mixed vegetables and round it off with coffee and a packet of M&M’s each.

Koh Ngai Paradise Resort

It absolutely threw it down overnight and the noise of the heavy rain on the roof was awesome. We woke up early enough though and try and plan our trip over the next few weeks. Originally we wanted to visit many of the islands in Southern Thailand including the well known Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Phuket. But have decided that we will probably give these islands a miss and concentrate on the quieter islands instead.
If we are to visit Laos which we are both keen to do, we have to gain some time somewhere and don’t want to miss out on Kanchanaburi or Chang Mai. We also have to spend at least a few days in Bangkok getting our visa’s to Vietnam and China organised, which is cool as we both adored it there last time we went.

Simon has bought both shampoo and a razor from the shelf of supplies here and subsequently we are going to stay on Ko Hai for another day. Today is Chinese New Year and we have heard reports that we may find it difficult and/or expensive to get accommodation on the busier islands.

Simon spends an hour teaching Ali maths and then half an hour teaching me. Being so crap at maths makes me feel dumb and inadequate but he’s very patient and doesn’t take the piss which I really appreciate. I spend some time doing literacy with Maisie and we concentrate on passive and active verbs and spellings. We take it in turns to do some snorkelling off the beach and Simon is lucky enough to see Nemo! I only see dead coral, parrot fish and a cat fish but still its good and we all have fun.

By now I am getting a bit stir crazy, there is so little to do here and Simon suggests we walk to the other side of the island. We set off through a wide and well marked path into the jungle and within 10 minutes are scrabbling through dense overgrowth and over roots. Despite the intense heat I do enjoy it and eventually strip off to my bikini. I guess I don’t really look the part in my flip flops but we have brought water, repellent and a towel with us and make our way along quite well!

At last we arrive at the Koh Hai Fantasy Resort on the other side of the island, I quickly redress and we head straight to their bar. Complete bliss, we sit on comfy sofas over looking the lovely white sands and sea and drinking Gin. Love it!

The tide goes out and we make our way along the beach to The Seafood Restaurant, we have shrimp rice, a huge salad and a whole barbequed salted Red Snapper which is really good. We chat to an English couple and their 2 young sons; they are presently living in China and offer some interesting and insightful information to us. By now it is around 8.30pm and we ask the lady at the restaurant to arrange a longtail boat back to our side of the island. The weather is really stormy and although there are only a few spots of rain, the thunder is rumbling around and lightening constantly lights up the sky. Travelling back on the boat, in the darkness is surreal and scary. We crash through the waves and I’m glad when we reach our shoreline.

Ali has heard from his friend Kate that his best friend Woody has been hurt in a skiing accident and we decide to phone home to check on his progress. This is quite upsetting for us and we all hope he is home soon and back to his normal crazy self. Get well soon mate!!!

Maisie and I crash out, it is hot, humid and sultry and soon the rains will pour down. Tomorrow we are moving onto Ko Lanta, this is a larger and busier island and although I have had a great time here I am looking forward to returning to civilisation with easy access internet, a decent bed, running water and that modern miracle, all day electricity.

Koh Lanta

Today we are leaving for Koh Lanta. Simon has been talking to an Australian couple and they are going to share our boat which will reduce the cost to 300 baht each. We repack our gear and set off after breakfast. Maisie sits on the edge of the boat and although I tell her to hold on tight, she doesn’t bother and looks so relaxed, like a natural sailor!
We all chat on the way; Andy and Angela are travelling back to Australia from England for their wedding in April and have recently resigned from their jobs. For the past four years they worked on a super yacht in Costa Rica for a man worth 800 million and its fascinating hearing about their time spent with him.

Koh Lanta was known long ago as Pulau Satak. This is a name of Malayan origin and means Long Beach Island. 100 years ago the island was important to trade ships, but the construction of roads on the mainland between Krabi and Trang meant that goods transportation now takes place by road. In the late 1980′s the first tourist bungalows opened on Lanta and business was booming until the tsunami in 2004. Some areas of the island were badly damaged but according to our book the “Koh Lanta Ok” campaign has ensured it is now as “beautiful as ever”.

The scenery is wonderful; the tall rocky limestone cliffs that rise out of the sea are very pretty and covered with bushes and trees, they make the seascape interesting. We also pass tiny deserted coves with golden sands. Soon we see Koh Lanta in the distance; we arrive at the pier and are helped out of our boat by some fella’s. As we haven’t arranged any transport or accommodation I’m glad to see a pick up truck and we all pile in. We drop Andy and Angela off at the end of the pier and head off in search of the beach. An hour later and we have tried at least 7 resorts only to be told they are all full. I’m just starting to wonder if we might have to catch a boat to the mainland when success!

The Lanta Long Beach Resort has 2 bungalows available ad we check them out. They are made of wood and have comfortable beds, air con and hot water. Great! On the other hand they are relatively expensive and will cost us 47 quid for the 2 per night but we don’t have much choice if we want to stay on Koh Lanta and pay up slightly begrudgingly!

The resort is right on the beach and it is really beautiful with fine sands and coconut palms. Behind the resort are mountains covered with rainforest. There seems to be one main road and there are a number of bars and restaurants, although everywhere is full, it is busy in a low key way and I agreed with Alister when he said it reminded him of Goa when we first visited India 5 or 6 years ago.

We have a drink in the bar overlooking the sea, there is a decent sized swimming pool here and the kids enjoy having a splash around for a few hours. There are loads of tourists here rather than travellers and most people seem to be German or Scandinavian. In the evening we catch a motorcycle taxi to Ban Saladan to get some cash and then ask to go to Retro Restaurant. This serves good western food and we sit on floor cushions to eat. Ali has a New Zealand steak and the Thai waitresses are obviously impressed when he finishes it all! We make our way back and crash into bed completely knackered. I think we have 3 nights worth of sleep to catch up on and I go out like a light.

Lanta Longbeach Resort

Simon goes off on the coffee run and returns with 4 breakfast vouchers. Although I can’t face noodles, sausages and French toast they all tuck in and I stick to yogurt and fruit.
We have been considering exploring the island a bit but decide as the main reason to visit this area is for the beaches we will stay where we are. Besides the kids are having a lovely time in the pool and don’t even argue when I say we have to do some schoolwork. It is a beautiful place to have your lessons, over looking the sea and I think even they appreciate that.

We spend the day quietly, there is Wi-fi here so we answer a few emails and do a bit of research on the Krabi Province. I’m reading a book called American Gods which is very strange and keeps me entertained.

In the evening we catch a motorcycle taxi to a restaurant called Red Snapper, it is run by a Dutch couple and we have tapas which makes a change and the kids love it. We have had a lovely evening, chatting about their schoollife and playing memory games and catch a motorcycle taxi back around 10.30. These taxis are basically motorbikes with a wooden platform on wheels attached to them. You sit on a bench and pray, they don’t go very fast and there is no alternative transport but I’m glad when we get back safely.

We ask Maisie to get out and take a photograph of us on the thing and as she steps down she catches her foot and falls off face down with her leg trapped between the bars. Poor Maisie, she has really hurt her leg and will have a massive bruise on her thigh tomorrow. The taxi driver is so concerned and upset and Ali tells him we don’t need the hospital just a bit of TLC. Simon carries her back to our bungalow and we examine her leg, she is very brave, a real hero and even laughs when Simon says how gutted he is that the camera is still working which means we still can’t have a new one.

What a drama! I put them to bed, we are travelling to Krabi tomorrow and I think we have all had enough excitement for one evening. So lights out and off to sleep.

Krabi

Today we are travelling to Krabi, on the Southwest coast of Thailand; it is described as having some amazing scenic karst formations, which attract international rock climbers at all levels, tropical forests and over 150 islands that were once hideouts for Asian pirates.

We spend the morning having breakfast, waffles today and the kids have a last play in the pool. At 11.30 the minibus we have arranged turns up and we pile in. We stop off at a few more hotels and pick up more passengers. Eventually the bus is full, all but one remaining seat. To our dismay the bus stops again and it appears another 2 passengers are about to get on. Simon and I are having none of it and express our unhappiness at 12 passengers sharing 11 seats loudly. Unfortunately none of the other passengers seem to share our concerns regarding safety and eventually we get out.

We now have only 25 minutes to make it to the pier and luckily we get a lift in the back of a pick up for free. The ferry ride then takes 2 hours. As we approach Krabi, Simon gets the camera out. It is of course very hot and the rocks and cliffs of Krabi seem to shimmer in the haze of the boiling afternoon sun. The sunlight reflects off the water and the blue sky is dotted with puffy white clouds. It makes a “picture postcard pretty” sight and we sit on the front of the boat watching the sandy beaches go by and getting fried!

We arrive at Krabi Pier and commandeer a trolley to move all our gear. A pick up taxi costs us 150 baht and we head off to The KR Mansion in Krabi town. Hardly a mansion, it is an informative small hotel with an extensive menu and will certainly do for a night or so. We are amused to see that we are right opposite the courts, although our amusement is tempered slightly when the prison van leaves, packed with Thai men in pale orange t-shirts, hanging through the bars. A reminder of the need to, at all times stay on the right side of Thai law. As if we planned to do anything but. It is fairly sobering when passing through borders to see “Death penalty for drug smugglers” stamped across the bottom of your immigration card.

Krabi town seems to be a smallish and busy place, with wide roads, coconut palms and tiny food vendor stalls along the way. There are many guesthouses catering to British, German and Scandinavian tourists and travellers and we see shops selling everything from dried fish to toiletries to fake designer gear. We are becoming less and less organised with our itinerary and at the moment haven’t even decided whether we are leaving tomorrow let alone where we may go next. Instead we have a few beers and some food and decide whatever will be, will be!

At 8pm Simon and the kids go back down to the bar to watch Chevy a Chase film. I lie on the bed after my 4th shower of the day and read my book and by 10.30pm we’re ready for sleep.

Four Islands Trip

Due to the heat we are awake around 6.30am and wait until 8 to rouse the kids. There is a breakfast buffet at this hotel and its very good value at 99 baht. We choose fruit, muesli and hot breakfast for Simon and the kids also. Ali, Maisie and I spend an hour doing literacy. They write a letter to the King of Thailand asking him to set up a karting track in every town. Simon then goes off to the post office, we have more stuff to post home and it costs us 20 quid to send it to Dad and Pauline’s.

When he comes back he has booked us a trip on a boat and we make our way to the pier at 12pm. It costs us 1500 baht which is a good price for the four of us and we have the longtail to ourselves. We set off for Railay, this is where the most spectacular cliff faces are and we’re not disappointed with the stunning scenery. The rocks are jagged and massive and rise up out of the sea. We were considering staying in Railay and we both agree we are glad we didn’t. It is teeming with tourists and the restaurant we have lunch at reminds me of the cafes you get at theme parks like Alton Towers.

When we get back to our boat the fella has got 2 more passengers on it, a couple from Belgium .They’re ok, they’re on holiday here for 2 weeks and we have a bit of a chat. The cheeky boat fella has charged them 1000 baht and so Simon asks him to knock 300 off our price. He agrees readily enough and asks Simon to buy him a beer which placates him!

We stop off at a dive site, the snorkelling is good and we see live coral and lots of brightly coloured fish. The kids seem to love swimming in the open water and are very confident. I remember Maisie telling me only a few months ago that she couldn’t swim in the sea as she was too afraid. Now she leaps straight in off the side of the boat and swims like a dolphin!

Next we visit “Chicken Island” a large craggy rock formation, shaped like a chickens head and neck named this island and if you squint at just the right angle it is reasonably obvious! There is more snorkelling to do here but I stay on the boat and chat to the fella.

One of the first questions Thais ask is how old you are, this is to establish who is senior and who is junior and is necessary for status and obligation reasons. Factors such as wealth personal and political power are also very important. All relationships in traditional Thai society are governed by lines of social rank and there are mutual obligations for both parties. The junior are expected to show a degree of obedience and respect and the senior grant favours etc. This doesn’t apply to strangers but always comes into play with family and friends. For example the senior pays the dinner bill for everyone even if it empties his wallet.

We also talk about his family and he brings up the subject of the tsunami. He points out fallen rocks caused by the wave and tells me he lost his boat. Approximately 8000 Thais died as a result of the tsunami, many of them in this province. I try and tell him how distressing we found it also in the West and convey some empathy to him but I’m not sure he really understood what I was struggling to say.

In the evening we head to a restaurant with live music but unfortunately all the tables are full. Still we have a great Thai meal at the place next door. We are becoming much more adventurous with our food, although we will all try anything we have been choosy about salads but I guess the Thai salads are so hot and spicy no organisms could live for long on them and they are probably safe enough to eat if you can handle the chillies.

We head back next door for the live music, but Maisie and I are really tired and decide to walk back at around 10.30 before the music starts up. At 12.30am Simon and Ali appear back, Ali has been playing the guitar in the bar and they have had a great night.

KR Mansion

We have had such a quiet and peaceful day today. We very slowly made our way to breakfast, which seemed to take us ages to eat as we all had several courses! Simon then spent a few hours doing some science with the kids. I couldn’t face doing it today and they seem to have no clue that it is as difficult for us to get motivated sometimes as it is for them.

The weather is very hot and overcast today and I’m not surprised when it starts to rain. As we have previously experienced in Asia the rain is torrential but doesn’t last long and I guess the temperature hardly dips a degree.

We have a wander up the road in the afternoon and after stopping for coffee find a hairdresser. Ali has his hair cut for a bargain 50 baht (less than a quid). One of the things I am sure we will find really aggravating when we go home is the cost of simple things like a haircut. We then phone home on Skype. Mum ad Paul moved house from Plymouth to Burton on Trent yesterday and its great hearing all about their new place. I also have a quick word with my brother Will and catch up on the news of how our niece Hope is growing.

Then I speak to Dad and Pauline, its lovely to speak to them also and let them know how things are going. They said we all look a little bit wild these days on the photo’s which I was pleased to hear.

Several hours later and I have earache so say my goodbyes and head for the bar across the road where Simon and the kids are waiting. We have a quick drink and decide to look for a bookshop. We buy Maisie a new book but can’t find one for Ali and will try again in Surat Thani. The kids have enjoyed reading their books on bus and train trips but English children’s books have so far proved fairly difficult to find.

We walk further into Krabi town. It is a lively and busy place with loads of touristy shops selling souvenirs, fake designer gear and sun cream. It reminds me a little of Hua Hin where we holidayed last year. We settle on KFC for dinner and over order by a mile, still it is cheap enough and eventually we do manage to eat the lot back at our hotel. We also bought some magazines at the book shop and I lie on the bed looking at photographs taken of the tsunami damage.

Although we have been to Thailand since the tsunami and the images of 26.12.04 were probably clearer in my mind then, nothing can prepare you for visiting those areas and seeing the damage caused first hand. The magazine shows terrible pictures from Penang Langkawi, Ko Lanta and especially the beach we visited yesterday at Railay. It makes me think about stuff, count my blessings.

Simon and the kids are downstairs watching Mr and Mrs Smith. We are moving on tomorrow to Thailand’s East coast. Until this afternoon I had no clue where we were going, when and how we were getting there and am so pleased that finally I am becoming so less organised and anal about stuff.

Actually we are going to a place called Surat Thani by bus, it will take around 3 hours and from there we will head further north we think, I’m looking forward to seeing the other coast. Whether it will be completely over run with tourists though will be another matter.