Recharging our batteries

Well here we are on the island of Phuket doing nothing except chilling out. We enjoyed cheapie 30 quid flights down on Air Asia, followed by a night in Phuket Town and a spot of dinner at On On Cafe which is featured in the film The Beach (what groupies we know!)

We were then in a bit of a quandry as to where we went next we really wanted to go somewhere very quiet to do nothing. Whilst that is relatively easy here as there are so many places to choose from we got chatting to an Irish Pub Manager and decided on the beach at Nai Harn - just a sangthaew's ride from Phuket Town but not very well known (yet) to be trashed!

We have done nothing except read, play cards, pool, sleep, drink beer and eat good food. It's been a real strain but just what the doctor ordered! There are really very few people here and many of the bars and restaurants are actually shut for the low season. We thought it might actually be a bit to quiet for us but we've ended up staying extra night after extra night after extra night!

Our next destination was going to be Kata (another beach on Phuket) but we have now run out of time as we need to head tomorrow to Karon for the Phuket Ten's in which Bryan has volunteered himself for the Hong Kong Pot Bellied Pigs and we are meeting up with Kath and John Roberts (v.good mates form Abu Dhabi).

Kata may have been an interesting destination as we wondered whether it may have any resemblance to that lovely country that is so dear to our hearts - Qatar! Friendly locals, endless bars, fry ups and familes of 7 on a moped instead of in a land cruiser! Check out the picture - what do you reckon?

Not ones normal birthday destination choice!!

In order for Mr B to meet up with his mate Steve and Jim, his 80 year old dad, we relented and headed to Pattaya on the bus to see them. Whilst we enjoyed the company of our friends and managed to meet stacks of Welshies watching the FA Cup final we can safely say that Pattaya was a little like hell on earth. It is the sex tourism capital of Thailand which was evident everywhere. The Omani family walking around looked a tad out of place to say the least.

One sight that we had been hoping to see but didn't manage were the Nigerian males who come to Pattaya to "service" the Japanese ladies!

It's been a long time coming!

Yippee. Here we finally are somewhere foreign. Although, I am not sure if you can call Kho San Road that. It's all so much posher and commercialsed than it used to be with a Starbucks and a McDonalds (what is the world coming to!). We've participated in the usual tourist offerings at the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. We also had a gander at Chinatown in preparation for our impending month long visit - it was bizarre in places as you can see. Are we prepared?

We have also spent a lot of time thinking seriously about where we want to go as previous ideas have ended in natural and political disasters - Tibet, Burma and Chengdu to name a few.

Bryan is getting on the backpacking wagon and has even worn the same t-shirt two days in a row!

The journey to Bangkok was surprisingly hassle free - you could even say that Terminal 4 was a breeze. Whilst we do appreciate that Newport, South Wales is a fairly forgettable place it did tickle us that our National Express driver forgot to to go there to pick his passengers up and had to do a U turn further down the M4 at the Magor Services.

Land of Daffodils

We spent the last week of our UK sojourn annoying Pat (Jenny's Mum) in Cardiff.

It was all a bit of a mad rush really getting final bits and bobs sorted, arguing with banks, catching up with Max and the lovely Sam, all day sessions in Bristol with Nor and Matt, boating on Roath Park lake, drinking Brains, dodging the rain and having yet another (but this was the last one) leaving do at the Pizzeria in Whitchurch. Nicky provided the usual entertainment and it was fab to see everyone.