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Hello! Wa-Ngai!!!!
We're now in Malaysia, but we have a bit to write about from thailand first!
 We got back into Bangkok on Thursday last week, and one of our original group members (Nicole) left us to fly to Kuala Lumpur. Met the new members of the group: 8 of us went north, and 6 new girls joined us - Chaz left the next day for OZ which meant to composition of the groups is now 13 girls and Tom!!!!! We got a new group leader also (Dan from Oz) so not the only guy travelling!
Also went to the MBK Shopping centre on thursday, but only for window shopping :( - this is travelling on a budget!
On friday we had a leisurely breakfast and then had a hour long Thai massage for 4pounds! - very good after all that trrekking, lots of muscle stretching and bone cracking :) That afternoon we got the overnight train to Khao Sok National Park. After breakfast we got another Songthaew for about 2 hours to out hotel - the Morning Mist Resort - this was a lovely little resort with bungalows down by the river. All the staff were really friendly and a good laugh. That afternoon we went tubing down the river ( basically floating with the current on an tyre :) The problem was as we turned up at the river, a thunder storm started. After 5 minutes waiting to see if it would clear up we got bored, so ran into the river anyway, as the water was much warmer there! In total we were in the water about an hour and a half, and the rain let up just before we finished! not that that mattered as it was still really good fun.
 On Sunday we went out on a boat trip on a lake formed by the hydropower dam. the lake is aparenly 80m deep in plaes. the landscape is surrounded by very impressive massive limestone karsts - very prehistoric looking - we kept an eye out for king kong!!! :) the boat took us to a floating bamboo village where we ordered lunch. we then headed over and landed on a n island were we trekked thru the rainforst -= much more like we were expecting - very lush and dense vegetations - not without the odd creepy crawly - one of our group got sucked on by a leech - luckily we avoided them. from there we took a bomboo raft - a bit more study then the ones in Chaing MAi - and this time with a motor also - over to cave in the limestone - walked in for about half an hours- lots of stalactights and -mights! very dark also!!! then it was back on the raft - treked back through the jungle and the boaty took us to the bamboo village for a veritabl;e feast of thai curry, rice, noodles, veg, fruit, beer, juice - very filling. then we took an hour kayaking around the lake. next is was back on the boat to go back to the resort - unfortunatley the rain starte4d again whilst kayaking and got heavier and heavier on the way back - we all huddled in plastic ponchos, which managed to keep us almost dry!
Mopnday morning we were picked up in air conditioned! minivans and taken down to Krabi. The hotel was very near the bewach - although the beach in the town we were in (Ao Nang) was a little dirty. That night we wondered along the seafront before another rainstorm caught us up!
Tuesday we wondered around again in the town, tried to find a nicer beach, again got cuahgt in the rain, we had to shelter in a little covered bench on a bridge - at that point we gave up and went back to the hotel (found out the next day the beach was about 5 mins more walk!!!!!). that afternoon once the rain hadgonewe went out tot hte Tiger Temple - on top of a big hill - we climbed 1237 steps, however most we so steep it felt more like a ladder than steps -0 very tiring but rewarding once we reached the top - a big buddha meets you up there, but the views across Krabi and the surrounds hills were spectaular (once the mist cleared). Dan (our guide) gave up after about 200 steps, much to our disapointment. coming back down was almost as hard as going up!
Wednesday we took a speedboat around some of the nearby islands - we went swimming off Bamboo island, snorkelled off monkey bay island, ate lunch on Koh Phi Phi, then went and saw Phi Phi Lay - where they filmed the beach - and the swam off Maya bay on that island - beautiful waters. We then stopped and did some more snorkelling onthe way back - saw some lovely coral reef, the sun even came out so the colours all lit up! The speedboat was a bit crazy, very bumby, sometimes on landing after a bigh wave it was a very big jolt - but fun once u get used to it. that night we went and ate in a small night market.
thursday we took a minibus down to the malay border, stampered out of thailand - drove across no mans land then through customs in malaysia and then drove to penang. about 8 hours in the vans in total. that night we ate in a bigger night market with lots ogf seafood and a little bit of chicken, also looked arouynf a big shopping centre called Gurney Plaza.
Friday we had chinese breakfast. we took a trip around penang in the morning - saw Fort Cornwallis - set up by francis light who founded penang ( and was the dad of william light who founded adelaide), wooden houses on stilts on the sea, snake temple where we hald a python and 2 vipers!, a big tmeple that is half built on top aof a hill - has a huge bronze buddhavita (120ft??) and beautifuyl architecture - its still under contstruction tho - has cost 1bn ringits aparently already!!!!! went shoppping and cimama that aftenoon/evening - saw spiderman 3 - very cheesy!!!
Saturday we left in the morning to get a public aircon bus to Cameron Highlands - not done much this avo, just had an indian - off to tea plantation tomorrow - then to Kuala Lumpur - just about to bee kicked out the internet cafe as its closing for the night
hope everyone is well
love to all.
Yvette and TomÂ
xxÂ
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