So you join us once again on this beautiful island still recovering from a jam packed week and god what a week it has been!! It started with the camping trip around some of Thailand's most spectacular islands & with a visit to the beach made famous by Leonardo De Caprio. If you remember in our last journal we'd told you about a Thai reggae band (Job 2 Do) that we'd been to see who are huge over here, well these guys were on our boat trip with us! So, I, being such a sad groupie, spent most of the trip in shock and awe especially when we were treated to a private jamming session around the camp fire! There was a shortage of tents so James and I slept under the stars - sounds very romantic? Well add a drunken Irish guy playing a didgeridoo into your ear all night and the romance soon fades! But it was a wicked start to an amazing week and an added bonus for our birthdays... And we started James' birthday in suitable style with a party the night before at which the band made a guest appearance. At 12o'clock we toasted with our, ever ready, buckets and continued in this way till the early hours. Therefore the following day resulted in ridiculously long lie in before James dragged himself to the hammock to open his presents on the gorgeous balcony. For the rest of the big day we hired a kayak and explored the island, stopping to take in some great snorkeling, cute sea monkeys and a huge beach front lunch before making our way back in time for another stunning sunset & romantic dinner complete with cocktails. Again the evening resulted in even more drunken debauchery at a party thrown in honour of James and Carly's birthdays. In the week leading up to my birthday James had been acting suspiciously; going off on little jaunts and whispering with groups of (rather attractive) women - So he was either planning a surprise for my birthday or he was cheating - thankfully it wasn't the latter and what a day of surprises it was! It started with an early rising and the opening of my presents, settling down for brekkie at the beachfront I was shocked to see our neighbour, Don, from our last bungalow (the poor guy who lost so much in the tsunami) pulling his longtail boat in the bay complete with flower garlands in my honour - James had arranged for us to be picked up in style!! We then went swimming with sharks and sea snakes (not everyone's idea of a great birthday present I'm sure!). Then we went for a champagne lunch on a private beach bay before being dropped off for a perfect pampering massage. So dazed and mildly tranquilized James then led me to an internet café where he'd arranged for a webcam to be set up & had got my family waiting at the other end to wish me Happy Birthday face to face! Although most of the conversation was filled with cackling at how amazing technology is it was the perfect touch to an already perfect day. And to top this all off James had arranged a surprise birthday party for me on our magical little cove beach. I thought we were going out for dinner so imagine my shock as I walk towards the beach and see my name written in candles in the sand! The scene was complete with a roaring fire, ornamental totem poles, flowers and millions upon millions of candles. (Check out the snaps). People had come from all around to share this fantastic night with us (hence James chatting up all the attractive women). The boatman from earlier and his wife even arrived on the boat with a huge chocolate birthday cake and a bunch of roses for lucky ole me! And if this wasn't enough (and believe me it was!), James had organized a bbq buffet, live music and a fire show in my honour! I was completely overwhelmed by everything, and the only thing James didn't do was fly you all out to share the most magical day of my life with us! It would seem you can't have everything in life, but we're coming very close... xxx