Leaving Kata behind I headed to the airport to meet with Liz from Planeterra and Mel - GAP's country manager for Thailand. We then began the 2 hour plus drive up north to Kuraburi and Koh Pra Thong.

Kuraburi is a small town that straddles the main highway running parallel to Thailand's West Coast.

Before we reached Kuraburi we headed to the local pier where the three of us jumped into a long-tail boat and headed to Koh Pra Thong. We were aiming for the south-westerly tip of the island where a number of community tourism leaders were getting together to discuss future actions and how their individual groups could work alongside one another in the tourism field. There were people from homestay groups, eco-educational groups, turtle conservation and many others. All were interested to hear about how Planeterra, GAP and STA Travel work - what kind of travellers we attract and what kind of experiences and activities they would find most valuable. It was a great session with loads of smiles and laughs - even through translators!

After the meeting we headed back to the mainland by a combination of tractor & trailer and long-tail boat and on to Kuraburi - our home for the next 2 nights.

We stayed at the Boon Piya Resort - a small place offering simple air-conditioned rooms. Having checked in and freshened up we went for dinner with Nat and Tui at a local restaurant with some great food.