Today, Rosie and I ventured around the island.  What started out as an 1 1/2hr trek, turned into a 5hrs   ..we might have got lost a little but everyone, this is Koh Tao and markings are far and few between.  We did manage to get a ride to the top of one of the hills in a bike/side car thingy  ..a bit odd really, the guy stopped and said “get in” so we did, no questions asked   …you’d never do that anywhere else.    After walking though different resorts, taking a lucky guess at which trail, road or stairs to take, we managed to come across a snake, well I walked over one LOL, huge monitor lizards and chose a road which came to a dead end so had a steep climb all the way back  ..I must add that we chose the right hour to go out, midday, so sun blazing down and red faced we chuckled away …every corner, road, pathway was a new adventure.   

We eventually arrived at a beach which had life on it, so we decided to stop and have lunch which was very tasty indeed.  We had to laugh as we’d chosen easiest route in the book and yet we’d got lost   …I don’t know!!

Some of the roads were very steep but we took in the beauty of our surroundings, watching the squirrels run along the electric lines, admiring the modern day street lighting …

We came across the grounds of the trance festival which went on for 4 days over  NY  …hammocks, tents, wall hanging, electrical equipment, speakers were still piled up  …after  exploring a bit and finding a few coins  ..we got back on the road to nowhere where and then looking across the ravine, I could see my house in the distance  ..we where way off route but at least I knew exactly where we were  ….not that you could ever really get lost on the island.    

So after a steep trek downhill, we hit the main road and headed into Chalok  ..the quieter end of the island  …on route we came across this cheeky little monkey, who looked very bored and frustrated tied up.   

There used to be wild monkeys on the island but the only ones now are used to take down coconuts.  After a short walk, we popped into New Heaven dive resort to have a look at 9 month ole baby turtles they have for release.

After an exhausting day and getting a free lift back to Mae Haad, Rosie and I had a bit of a snorkel and then went back to the hotel for a nice cup of tea.

After a day of travels, starting early in the morning, and ending up on Koh Tao late in the evening, Rosie got checked into her hotel and went to bed.. A tiring and pretty uneventful day…

Today Jenny went down to meet Rosie at her hotel, and they went to Zest for breakfast before spending the WHOLE day beside the pool.

Since I have recently lost all of my keys, I was shooting around getting keys cut, sorting out laptop issues, and dealing with UK work… with the occasional dash to see the girls relaxing at the pool… and opening our xmas pressies.!

After a hard day at the Regal Resort, we had a couple of drinks at the Crystal Bar and then round the corner to Cafe Del Sol for dinner before retiring to bed.

So!!  Rosie has arrived…

Upon her arrival, she got her head down for a quick kip…

While Jen and Rosie napped, I went shopping for a new mobile phone and some trainers for when I am working up in the jungle..

The girls woke up while I was out and went to Bangkok’s biggest market called Chatuchak.  Lots of stalls selling anything you could imagine… They were shopping for hours and returned to find me snoozing on the bed.

Then we went out for a quick meal…. mexican!!!  It was very filling, and we all ended up in our beds around 11pm..

 The next day…. we all kinda woke up just before midday… and decided to have a boat through part of the city.  After failing with negotiations with a Tuk Tuk driver, who wanted to take us to his “friends” shop to look at suits….. we ended up taking the BTS skytrain. 

Showing up at the pier we sorted out a longtail to take us to a floating market… Along the way there were some very interesting looking buildings.

Getting off at the floating markets… we realised they were not so floating as we thought…unless you count the majority of the stalls being on a concrete road as floating…  Hey Ho…  Jen and Rosie looked around at the bits and bobs on sale… and bought a few nik naks.

Above the market there was a cool disused rail line with a fancy looking bridge…

 Then it was time to get back on the boat and return to our starting point. From there we headed to Siam, where there is a shopping mall….

Rosie was amazed by the size of it, and after a few hours of the girls mooching around… we went and had dinner… before going to the top floor and catching a movie at the superb cinema..

After a freebie foot massage, food and drinks for the film… Jen and Rosie settled down for the movie…. Don’t you wish that English cinemas had seats like these!

The next day, it was travelling again, down to the islands…