Paved Paradise

We arrived on Ko Phi Phi at nine in the morning eagerly expecting paradise on earth. Five minutes later we were sure that we had got off on the wrong island as we had entered travellers hell. Touts, tourists, towerblocks and tantrums followed. By midday we still hadn't found any decent (and reasonably priced) accommodation and we had stopped speaking to each other!

Thankfully, the ever resourceful Garry phoned a place he had heard of and they came in a boat to collect us. http://www.ballofdirt.com/media/10654/168723/780347.html This is a link to the beach we were taken to. Immediately we relaxed, had a beer and started talking again. It seems that we might, after all, have found paradise.

We took several trips out to Maya Beach (where they filmed "The Beach") and to Bamboo Island. The snorkelling was amazing and the sea so perfect.

Koh Lanta

Ko Lanta is an island just 2 hrs from Krabi on the Andaman coast. We have booked into a luxury bungalow for 10 days with a stunning view of Ko Phi Phi. A time to relax, unpack the rucksacks and kick back. Do some swimming, snorkelling and eating. We have already been invited to some beach parties and tomorrow will hire a motorbike and explore.

Ko Lanta is so quiet. Yesterday we had a whole beach to ourselves. The sea is perfect and Garry has already been snorkelling. There are a lot of tsunami evactuation points along the beach, but there is no evidence of damage any more.

Koh Mook is an island just off Koh Lanta and we went on a day trip to see the Emerald cave (we had to swim thro a cave thro' to an enclosed beach).

We are having a visa crisis again. The big decision of the week is whether to make a visa run to Malaysia or Burma or just risk it and pay the overstay charge. More to follow....