Beautiful Ko Chang!

It's christmas eve and I sit in an internet room watching the crystal blue sea through the gently swaying palm trees.... I have just had banana pancake for breakfast sitting on the beach after a morning swim in a temperature close to bath water. What more can I say? Sorry to those of you who are braving out the British weather!

Lonely Beach view at sunset...

We arrived two days ago (22nd) after what I can only descibe as a bus journey to test my nerves and make me feel quite jet lagged. Leaving at 6pm from Chang Mai, we arrived in Bangkok at 5am. The scam was to drop us off (after waking us with literally seconds to get stuff together and get off the bus - thus causing greater confusion and befuddledness) at an unknown destination a little way from where was origanally stated - strange how all the taxi's and tuk tuks knew we'd be there???! Thankfully, Jon and I had perused the area once before looking for an obscure vegetarian restaurant(honest) and so quickly got our bearings. I do believe many a bewildered soul must have been charged a pretty penny for a five minute journey however!

At 8am we were picked up again for another bus journey that supposidly took five hours. At 4pm(!) we finally arrived at the ferry port on the mainland ready to get the boat across to Ko chang. At 6.30pm - after the songtheweu (shared taxi affair)driver tried another scam by saying one of us hadn't paid (the cheek of it) - we finally arrived at our accomodation. We had a 'Hillside' bungalow reserved and were looking forward to setting up camp for a week without the constant moving. To cut a long story short, the bungalow wasn't exactly peaceful as advertised (right next to a road) or mosi proof (lots of holes/bad single mosi net/large gaps in bathroom)or equiped (no furniture whatsoever other than the beds). A few chats with reception, an extra mosi net, some heavey duty mosi spray and smoke coil, a nifty swipe of a chair from an empty bungalow, a few Singha beer boxes fashioned into tables and the use of earplugs later and it feels more like home! Today we will decorate it with christmas lights and possibly a tree type thing if we can pilfer one from somewhere.

Have met a few others on the taxi drive from the ferry port and will be partying it up with them tonight and tomorrow. Considering an elephant trek for Christmas day, but may opt out for nursing hangovers with the hammock by the sea, music, a massage (can't believe we haven't had one yet!) and a slap-up meal in the evening! Will update this blog with pics etc after xmas day...

For those of you I haven't had time to contact personally by email, make sure you have a fantastic christmas and New year and wrap up warm - I hear the fog is terrible over the there (sorry - tee hee!)..