For our last night in Ao Nang we took a boat over to Railay beach and watched the sun set as we ate dinner. It was the perfect end of the trip. They played some nice chill music and the colours of the sky blew me away. I never wanted to leave. It was perfect.

The last day in Ao Nang was surreal. We went elephant riding and then got to hand-feed baby elephants. It was so cool.

After that it was back to town to buy some books and head back to the bus station one more time to catch the over night to Bangkok. The bus was the same going back as it was heading back. But this time they stopped off for dinner at a restaurant. It was supposed to be a free dinner but Adrian and I didn't know we were supposed to show our tickets. And when we went to get them off of the bus, it was locked. So we went to the convenince store for chips and snacks.

Sleeping this time was a little more comfortable and I dozed off around midnight. I woke up around 3 while we were stuck in a traffic jam. 3 in the morning and there is a traffic jam, how wild is that? Then I fell back into a nice deep sleep. Then at 4:30 I was shaken awake by the stewardess on the buss and had a cold moist towlette shoved in my face. What service!

We arrived in Bangkok at 5am and headed to the train station so that we could move on to Ayuthaya. It is the old capital of Siam and we were told the ruins were amazing to see.

Back from paradise.

For the rest of the time in Ao Nang, Adrian and I did alot of the tourist stuff.

We went on a tour that took us to four islands. It was pretty fun. We got to see the infamous Chicken Island. Named after a rock formation that sticks out which looks like the neck and head of a chicken. Then it was off to some nice coral to go snorkeling. It was fun, but at the same time it was painful to watch dozens of people clamber all over the coral. And since their wasn't really any tour guides it was kind of dangerous since there was a whole load of urchins all over the place. So it wasn't a surprise to find out 4 or 5 poeple were stung as they swam around.

After snorkling it was off to Poda Island for lunch and more snorkling. It was a nice beach but there was no real shade and so it was boiling hot. After Poda it was off to Princess beach. Which has to be one of the most beautiful beaches around. We just sat back and people watched for our time there.

Nights in Ao Nang were spent eating and walking around. The food was so good there. The town was a total resot town so we just walked around looked at shops and talked to people. It was so nice and relaxing.

We also went to Phanh Nga, and took a tour to go see James Bond Island. Which is the island that was made famous in The Man With The Golden Gun. The beach itself was great but the trip wasn't so great. We had to wake up at around 6 and catch a bus to the main bus station in Krabi Province. Once we got to the bus stop we figured it would be a quick trip to Phang Nga and we would be well on our way to see the bech. Well we were wrong.

Turns out that the bus we took was probably the slowest one in the world. It took over two hours to reach the bus station in Phang Nga and by then we had missed the morning tour so we had to wait until 2pm to go on the tour. It wouldn't have been totally bad but Adrian had a bit of a stomach problem so we just relaxed and took it easy until it was time to go.

The trip itself was actually really good. It was four of us in a long tail boat and took four hours. The scenery was fantastic and it was such a relaxing day. We also went to a Muslim village that is near an island. The only part of the whole village that is on land is the mosque. Everything else is built like one huge pier. We walked around and I was blown away by all of the Osama Bin Laden pictures hanging on people's walls.

The strangest part was the expression on his face. In the West we see a scowling cruel eyed man. In Thailand he is smiling and has very kind eyes. So this was just another example of the media's portrayal. In the West we hate him so why show him smiling? Right?

After the tour we went back to town had dinner, looked around, and went to bed. Because we wanted to get up nice and early so we could get out of Phang Nga and go back to Ao Nang.

World weary and sore in the ass!

So after a couple of glorious days in Bangkok Adrian and I are now in Ao Nang. It is gorgeous here. But before I tell you all about it, I guess I should tell what happened in Bangkok for the rest of our time there . . .

I went a had a Thai massage. and man I don't think I will ever leave this country again. It was fantastic! It was only half an hour long and I could have stayed there all day. It was actually kind of nice how it worked out. I am not terrified of having a male masseur, if I had my druthers it would always be a woman. And as I sat waiting for my turn a girl walked by the window and peaked in. I thought she was a potential trying to see if they were open, but it turns out (I think) that she actally worked there. She came in, after very confusing hand talk, and took me to my massage mat. And for 30 minutes I was in heaven and two steps away from proposing. It felt so good and she stretched my back out to a point that it hasn't felt that good in years. Then after my massage she disappeared. So who knows if she actually worked at the place and who cares. It was great.

Then for our last day in Bankok we travelled to the more popular Wats (temples). You have to wear long pants in the Wats so it was a hot day, but the art and decor of the wats is amazing. I have only been in bangkok 3 days and I have burnt through 4 rolls of 36 exp. film. So when I get home there will be plenty of pictures for me to bore you with.

Then at 4:30 it was off to the bus station to catch the 12 hour over night bus from Bankok to Krabi. From Krabi it was a short Tuk Tuk ride to Ao Nang where we found a nice hotel and set off for "The most beautiful beach in Asia." And believe me it is. We were ther nice and early so the beach was fairly empty and quiet. And it is also the first topless beach I have been to :). Fun fun fun. And no that is not where all of my film went.

So it has so far been an amazing day. I have had crab and rice in a pineapple; shrimp and noodles and other amazing food. I have no idea how I will ever make it back to Taiwan. The thought of having to go back makes me almost feel sick.

"One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble"

And . . . 10 kilos lighter.

So I am now in Bangkok. And what an experience it has been so far. We landed at around 10 pm and headed to Khoa san or whatever it is called. Basically the mecca for anyone who saw the beach and wants to try to relive the dream. It's pretty much a party street that tourists head to. So after walking around to find a hotel with Adrian and a guy named Jeff we met on the plane we finally settled in a nice guest house for a grand total of about 5 dollars CDN each. But we got what we paid for. We walked around and had a drink and headed to bed at about 2 am. It was fr eakishly hot and we had no AC. The bed was basically a cement block and the pillow was no softer. So for the next 4.5 hours I tossed and turned and finally got up at 6:45 for breakfast.

Today was a good day. Adrian and I bought our bus tickets to Krabi and we leave Bangkok tomorrow at 6pm and arrive in Krabi at 6am. Then for the rest of the day we went to a huge market at the north end of the city. It was huge an packed and had some nice stuff in it. I bought a soccer jersey because it had Carlsberg on the front. Turns out I am now a Liverpool supporter. Who'd've known it?

After the market we went to the bus stop and got on a bus because we were told it was heading back to the area of our hotel. Well it got there eventually, but it was only after about two hours in traffic with polluted air so think you could use a fork to eat it. I could taste the exhaust of every different vehicle and by the time we got off my lungs and eyes were burning.

We then went to visit some temples and took some pictures. Today we also changed hotels. The new one is a little pricier. 25 CDN between Adrian and I. But the beds are soft, there's ac and the shower has hot water. So tonight should be a nice sleep. Ohhh how I yearn for a nice sleep. It's now 10:20 as I write this and I am pretty much a zombie.

The food here has to be the best food in the world. I had a nice Chicken curry on rice tonight that was to die for.

Speaking of food, there must be something about the Chinese diet. Adrian has gained a few pounds and according to the scale I got on today I have lost 10 kilos since November. It sure doesn't feel like it. Everyone says how slim I look in the pictures that I send home, but believe me I don't think anything has changed. I think the scale is just screwy.

Oh well, I guess I will have to wait and see what happens. For now it is time to cruise the internet for a bit amd then go have a good night's sleep. ahhhhh . . .