Hi from Thailand!

We are back in crazy Bangkok, having done a bit of a loop around southern Thailand. We are walking a lot slower now and getting into afternoon naps! Melbourne seems like Maffra compared to Bangkok with nearly the population of australia piled up in one city.

We stayed in chinatown when we first got here. the view from our guesthouse was amazing! Our guest house had a rooftop restaraunt and our room a balcony over looking the river and we sat watching the busy river and memorising bad songs from the cruise boats - Abba was very popular! Great place to stay.

All around the guest house, the twisted laneways were full of mechanics and piles of cranks/axels and tool shops. Sam was in heaven -(i am sure he thought about filling his backpack with copper and steel rods , crankshafts .............. ) We saw our first pink forklift! only in Thailand!

We made our way promtly to Wat Po for a massage ...mmmmmmmmmm...... and floated back along the river.

We had day trip to Ayutaha (the former capitol) and checked out some old ruins and the summer palace of the one Thailands old Kings - the one from the movie 'The King and I'. Sam spent the boat back feeding the fish at the back of the boat (not sure if it was a hangover or thai food?)

On our last night - bangkok put on an awesome fire works display for us. And we then caught an overnight train to the coast. We went second class seater for 12 hours .. and both got a better sleep than on the plane. We were then hearded - despite our independant attempts onto a bus and connecting Ferry to Koh Samui

We stayed at Hat Lamai the first few nights , but didn't really settle and the rubbish on the beach and chain sawing next to our bungalow saw us move on to chaweng - the main drag. Here we slowed to a healither pace and once we found good Thai food here - harder than you'd think.. we have happy bellies too.

Jeremy joined us in Chaweng and caught up with doing nothing like us for a day before the ants in his pants sent him on all this great day trips so that afterwards we could live through his stories over a beer.

Mean while we continued to catch on to snails pace and I have bruises from Thai massages (hurts so good). We managed to kuyack to a near by island and worked up a much need sweat, that for once was not from humidity or chillies!

We left Koh samui for a single luxury bus ride to Krabi and five buses later (including the thai logic of taking your bags of the bus standing around in the sun for a while and then getting back on the same bus after a lot of confusion) We arrived at Rai Lei, by long boat from Krabi. It is truly beautiful. We love the scenary here and you can swin out past your waist!!! Very exciting!

We left quiet Rai Lei (there are no roads- and few loud speakers), we caught a ferry across to Phi Phi- for a bit of luxury! Had a snorkel. View from balcony was awesome and once again on our last night there was another light show with a beautiful electric storm.

From Phi Phi we caught a ferry and bus to Koh Sok national Park. Sami got his first ever leech attack (but Karen saved the day smoking a cigarette for the greater good of leech removal! Saw beautiful bright snakes (eeww!) and lizards and heard the calls of Gibbons in the forest soo close but didn't get to see them. Another light show that night with Fire Flies!! Beautiful - much better than blowies!

We caught public bus back to Surat Thani and then the stinkiest luxury bus overnight to Bangkok. Jeremy is meeting us tonight for drinks before he flys off tomorrow and we're off to chilly London (looking forward to wearing socks!) the next day.

We have found super tasty vegetarian Thai food Karen is a happy camper!!!!!

Love you all dearly

Hope you are all super and surviving the heat wave we heard you are having. Hopefuly it is raining now. Lots of love Sam and Karen