Day 3 in Pimalai. 0815 in the morning, very hot (32c), late for breakfast and a date with the swimming pool for diving training. Met up with the instructors and got kitted up for the dive. Lots of bits and pieces to put on and Oh! something to breathe with. I needed an extra large wet suit! Wet suits are fine for all of you with a rubber fetish, and probably a bit like trying to wriggle into a dry sausage skin if anybody has tried that!! But we got there at last. Then off to the pool, where we learnt such useful hand signs such as "Everything is ok...I think", "I have run out of air", "can I go home now?" and "There is a bloody big shark looking over your left shoulder, and I am not joking". Having learnt these useful skills, it was into the pool which being only 1.25 meters deep caused a slight problem for James and myself in that whilst we were doing our submerged swimming, our knees were bouncing off the bottom and our heads sticking out of the water. Oh well! We scared off an early morning swimmer as three strange frogmen continued to circle the pool. Lesson completed, we were told to be at the jetty by 0800 the next day for the great experience.

Lesson over, I had to leg it to my next one which was Thai Cookery Master Class. I was greeted by Apichai, my teacher, a Thai chef who does not like spicy food!! Bows and introductions over it was straight down to cooking. Apichai took me through all the strange and exotic ingredients, most of which, you will not be able to get in Towcester, and after a quick discussion on the pros and cons of Manchester United and David Beckham (Thai's seem to support either Man U or Arsenal) we got down to the detail of the four course meal I was supposed to whip up. Geang Khiew Waan Gai (Green Curry), Pad Pak Ruam Mit (Stir Fry Mixed Veg), Som Tam (Spicy Green Papaya Salad) and Tom Yam Goong (Spicy Prawn Soup). 60 minutes later the meal was ready. Apichai suggested we get some unsuspecting taster in to try the results. All the Charlton family volunteered, so we sat down to an authentic Thai meal cooked by an un-authentic Thai cook.

Tony