RETURNED TO BANGKOK FROM CAMBODIA,EXCELLENT ROADS WHICH WAS PLEASANTLY UNEXPECTED.FINAL DINNER AND DRINKS IN KHAOSAN RD WITH GROUP.MIMI AND I HAD A FANTASTIC MONTH LONG TOUR OF THAILAND,LAOS,VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA.WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK GERALDINE,MICHELLE,NICOLE,LEA,STEVE,SHANNON,KRISTINHA AND OOOHH HANNAH FOR MAKING OUR TRIP SO ENJOYABLE.WE WOULD ESPECIALLY LIKE TO THANK OUR GROUP LEADER,MEL,FOR PUTTING UP WITH US AND BEING SUCH A FUN LEADER.KEEP IN TOUCH EVERYONE-MAYBE A RE-UNION IN A COUPLE OF YEARS?

HAD THREE DAYS "CHILLAXING" IN THE VERY NICE ASIA HOTEL IN BANGKOK.THE SHOPPING CENTRES HERE ARE BETTER THAN LONDONS NEWEST-VERY LARGE AND MODERN.WE BOUGHT A DIVING CAMERA FOR WHEN WE GET TO OZ-MUCH CHEAPER THAN UK

THUR16 FRI 17 JULY

CHECKED INTO NEW WORLD ODGE HOTEL FOR THE START OF OUR TWO WEEK TRIP THROUGH SOUTHERN THAILAND,MALAYSIA AND ON TO SINGAPORE.WE GOT CAUGHT UP IN BANGKOK TRAFFIC AND HAD TO GET ON MOTORBIKE TAXIS AS WE WERE LATE FOR OUR WELCOME MEETING.I DONT THINK I WOULD DO THAT AGAIN-IT WAS A WHITE KNUCKLE RIDE DODGING IN AND OUT OF BANGKOKS CRAZY TRAFFIC.MIMI LOVED IT.WE MET OUR NEW INTREPID GROUP-TWO OTHER COUPLES,A SINGLE GIRL AND A SINGLE GUY.ALL ENGLISH APART FROM LINDSEY,AN AMERICAN,BUT WORKING AS A SPY-I MEAN WEATHER FORECASTER-IN JAPAN.OUR TOUR LEADER IS APPLE FROM THAILAND.WE WENT OUT TO KHAOSAN RD FOR DINNER AND A FEW DRINKS AND SAW THE MOST SKILLFUL FOOTBALL JUGGLER I HAVE EVER SEEN.FORGET SOCCER AMS SOCCER SKILLS,THIS MAN WAS UNBELIEVABLE.SITTING,STANDING ON A CHAIR,LYING DOWN ON HIS BACK,BALANCING THE BALL ON A BEER BOTTLE ON HIS HEAD-UNREAL!
MIGHT PASS HIS NUMBER ON TO ARSENE WENGER-THIS BLOKE HAS MORE CLOSE CONTROL THAN A LOT OF OUR PLAYERS!

SAT 18 SUN 19 JULY KHAO SOK NATIONAL PARK-THAILAND

TOOK THE OVERNIGHT TRAIN FROM BANGKOK TO SURAT THANI.HAD A VERY BOOZY NIGHT ON THE TRAIN GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER.NOT MUCH SLEEP DUE TO LIGHTS STAYING SWITCHED ON AND A FAN THAT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS ABOUT TO BLOW UP ANY SECOND.OF COURSE,MIMI SLEPT SOUNDLY.AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS ON THE RD WE ARRIVED AT KHAO SOK NATIONAL PARK.A VERY JUGLE LIKE SETTING WHERE WE STAYED.UNFORTUNATELY I WAS VERY ILL FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS-IT WAS PROBABLY SWINE FLU OR MORE LIKELY DENGUE FEVER-EITHER WAY IT WASNT NICE.I MISSED OUT ON SOME TREKING,ELEPHANT RIDING AND TUBING.THE WEATHER WAS VERY WET AND SHOWERY AND THERE WERE BUGS EVERYWHERE.SOME OF OUR GROUP GOY LEECHES ON THEIR LEGS WHEN THEY WENT TREKKING.

MON 20 TUE 21 JULY-KRABI-THAILAND

THE WEATHER IMPROVED IN KRABI AND OUR HOTEL ROOM WAS NICE.KRABI WAS VERY QUIET-PLENTY OF BARS,RESTAURANTS ETC (24HOUR MACDONALDS AND BURGER KING!) BUT NOT MANY PEOPLE.WE DID MANAGE TO FIND A COUPLE OF BARS WHERE I PLAYED POOL UNTIL 3AM-WINNER STAYS ON RULE HERE-GOOD FOR ME! NOT A LOT TO DO IN KRABI UNLESS THE SUN IS SHINING.I WENT SEA FISHING WITH LEWIS AND ANDY WHERE WE CAUGHT PLENTY OF SMALL FISH ALTHOUGH ANDY USED UNFAIR TACTICS OF GROUNDBAITING (HE WAS SICK!) WE ALSO WENT TO A FEW NEARBY ISLANDS FOR SOME SNORKELING.IT SEEMS KRABI WAS HIT VERY HARD BY THE TSUNAMI AS MOST OF THE CORAL NEAR THE LOCAL ISLANDS IS SMASHED TO BITS.MIMI AND THE REST OF OUR GROUP WENT ON A BIG SPEEDBOAT TOUR TO FURTHER AFIELD ISLANDS-THEY DID A BIT OF SUNBATHING AND SNORKELING.
LINDSEY AND I DECIDED WE WANTED TO GO DIVING IN THE WELL KNOWN PHI PHI ISLANDS.WE GOT UP TO LEAVE AT 0730AM AND HEADED OUT ON A SPEEDBOAT BOTH LOOKING FORWARDS TO OUR DIVES.UNFORTUNATELY AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR OF BUMPING UP AND DOWN ON THE WAVES-ONE OF OUR ENGINES DEVELOPED A FAULT AND THAT WAS THE END OF THAT.

THUR 23 FRI 24 JULY PENANG-MALAYSIA

CROSSED THE BORDER INTO MALAYSIA-VERY SCENIC JOURNEY,THAT WAS UNTIL WE ARRIVED AT OUR DESTINATION-PENANG.NOT MUCH TO SAY ABOUT PENANG-APART FROM DONT BOTHER GOING-ITS A DUMP! FOR AN ISLAND IT IS MASSIVELY BUILT UP AND WAS A BIG DISSAPOINTMENT.THE ONE GOOD THING WAS THE VIEW FROM THE TOP OF PENANG HILL AND THE CREAM TEA WE HAD AT THE TOP.

SAT 25 SUN 26 JULY KUALA LUMPA-MALAYSIA

A BIG IMPROVEMENT ON PENANG,APART FROM OUR WINDOWLESS BOX ROOM WHICH RESEMBLED A PRISON CELL.THE PETRONAS TOWERS WERE COOL AND LOOKED AMAZING AT NIGHT WHEN THEY WERE ALL LIT UP.FOOD AGAIN WAS A BIT DISSAPOINTING.WENT TO A KARAOKE BAR AND SANG (MURDERED!) FRANK SINATRAS MY WAY.

MON 27 TUE 28 JULY PORT d*** ON

SIMILAR TO A BUTLINS HOLIDAY CAMP.HOTEL IS VERY DATED AND IS A TEAM BUILDING/TRAINING RESORT FOR LOCALS.LOTS OF SILLY DANCING AND PEOPLE WALKING ABOUT WITH PATCHES OVER THEIR EYES ETC.LEARNT SOME GREAT NEW DRINKING GAMES-MOSTLY THANKS TO OUR LEADER-APPLE.GAMES LIKE FUZZY DUCK AND THIS IS A b****! A VERY GOOD NIGHT-SOME OF US ENDED UP IN THE SWIMMING POOL AND THEN THE SEA UNTIL 2AM.MIMI SPENT THE ENTIRE NEXT DAY IN BED WITH A HANGOVER.HAD SOME DISSAPOINTING MEALS SO FAR IN MALAYSIA,SO MUCH SO THAT WE ALL ENDED UP IN PIZZA HUT ON OUR SECOND NIGHT.

WED 29 MELLAKA

TAXI COULDNT FIND THE HOTEL FOR AGES-DIDNT NEED AN ORIENTATION WALK.STRANGE PLACE-CRAP ACCOMODATION.

THUR 30 JULY SINGAPORE

HAVE BEEN IN SINGAPORE A COUPLE OF DAYS ENJOYING THE LUXURY OF THE HOTEL WE BOOKED BEFORE WE LEFT THE UK.THE FURAMA HOTEL IS TERRIFIC! THEY UPGRADED US TO AN EXECUTIVE SUITE (PROBABLY FELT SORRY FOR US!) HAVE ENJOYED THE 5 STAR BREAKFASTS THEY THREW IN FOR FREE AND TOPPING UP OUR TANS BY THE POOL.SAID GOODBYE TO ANOTHER GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE AND ANOTHER GREAT GROUP LEADER.WE WILL MISS YOU ALL!MAYBE NOT FORGETFULL BEN! LOL! OH AND BY THE WAY BEN(NOW KNOWN AS FORGETFULL BEN!),YOU LEFT YOUR SWIMMING SHORTS AT OUR HOTEL! THIS WAS AFTER LEAVING HIS SUNGLASSES ON AN ELEPHANT IN THAILAND,HIS CAMERA ON A BUS IN MALAYSIA AND HIS PASSPORT AND WALLET IN A HOTEL DRAW IN PORT d*** ON! LUCKILY HE GOT EVERYTHING BACK APART FROM HIS SUNGLASSES.KEEP IN TOUCH ALL.

WE HAVE BOOKED ANOTHER NIGHT IN SINGAPORE AS WE ARE CATCHING A COACH AND FERRY TOMORROW TO PULAU TIOMAN,AN ISLAND IN MALAYSIA.
WE LOVE SINGAPORE,IT IS SO CLEAN AND THE PEOPLE SO FRIENDLY.THE ONLY DOWNER IS THAT IT ISNT CHEAP! WE ALL WENT TO RAFFLES HOTEL AND HAD SINGAPORE SLINGS-NOT CHEAP!
WILL TRY AND PUT SOME PHOTOS ON NOW-TA TA FOR NOW