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**********MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!***********
Hope everyone is enjoying the usual Christmas festivities! Sorry for not updating the journal for about 10 days- we have been on the move quite a bit and not many places have had internet access.
After leaving Malaysia we took a boat to Satun in Thailand, and then a bus to Krabi. When I say 'bus' I mean 'minibus'. This wouldn't have bothered me at all except when we booked the tickets in Langkawi we had been told that we would be travelling on an air-conditioned coach- they even pointed to a photograph! The minibus was air-conditioned (just!) and we had a fairly comfortable journey- I just don't like being lied to!!!
We spent the night in Krabi (not much to see/do) and then took the ferry to Koh Phi Phi the next day. We were really looking forward to Koh Phi Phi as we had heard so many people rave about how beautiful and exotic it was. On arrival it did seem to be a 'paradise island'- turquoise sea and white sand. However, the ferry port and main town/beach spoilt this image almost immediately. It was just a maze of shops and bars crowded with people, and it reminded us of typical European resorts like Magaluf, Laganas, Kos Town, etc. Fortunately, we had booked accommodation on the other side of the island. We had to take a taxi boat to get there but it was definitely worth the effort. We had a really nice bungalow right on the beach, and the bay itself was secluded and quiet. We went snorkelling a couple of times, although the sea was quite rough so we couldn't go out that far. Apart from walking up to the viewpoint there wasn't much else to do, so we were glad we had only booked two nights.
After Phi Phi we took the ferry over to Phuket. Wanting to avoid the most popluar/busy areas, we had already booked accommodation on one of the quieter beaches located in the North-West of the island. We stayed in a beach bungalow, although this one was set further back from the sea, in amongst some pine trees. The beach was really quiet and the sea was calm and clear- perfect for swimming. Or so we thought. We went in the water but had to come out straight away due to the familiar stinging sensation on our skin that we had experienced in Langkawi. We assumed it was caused by the same species of jellyfish, however on talking to some other travellers it turns out that it may have been 'sea lice', which apparently like to bite. Lovely. It was a shame really (Andrew was particularly disappointed- he loves the sea!) as the water was so inviting!
We stayed in Phuket for three days before taking a bus (this time it was a proper coach!) to Surat Thani in order to take the ferry across to Koh Phangan. The ferry journey was 2.5 hours, and for the last hour I was feeling pretty seasick so I was glad when we finally arrived on to solid land! We took a taxi to Haad Salad in the North-West of the island where we had already booked accommodation. We have been staying at 'Smile Beach Resort' since the 23rd Dec and have had a really nice, relaxing time. The beach is a two minute walk-away from our bungalow and you can swim in the sea without running the risk of being bitten/stung- hooray! Christmas Day was strange- kind of a 'non-event' I guess. You wouldn't have known it was Christmas, apart from a few token decorations and a local restaurant that was serving a 'tradtional English' Christmas dinner! It was a bit strange really, and I have to admit that I did miss not being in the UK over Christmas. I'm over it now, of course, and making the most of being in a warm country in December!
The last few days have been a mixture of sunbathing, swimming, eating, etc. and we intend to do the same until the arrival of 2010. Tomorrow we are going to Koh Samui (the island next door to Koh Phangan) where we will stay for five days and see in the New Year. After that it's the end of 'beach life' for a while, as we make our way to Bangkok, then Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, before crossing the boarder into Laos.
Jess xxx
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