The check-in from Dallas at Korean air started badly with the Korean lady not being too happy that my passport was my maiden name
" Ohhh...very bad. You will have much trouble...much trouble"
Then on hearing we were heading on the Cambodia..
"Nooooo...no that very very dangerous place. You not go there. Not a good place for vacation "
too late now lady....it got more positive from there on
Kinda interesting flying Korean air-Karl was in heaven at the movie choices (all of the crouching tiger theme!)
They are very accommodating with FREE (hear that AA...you tight bastards) free alcohol !!
The food was great if not a little bizarre with seaweed soup, noodles, pickles etc.
It was a bloody long flight but between the movies, food and my Ipod "in flight Thai lesson" it went quicker than we had feared.
The lovely Korean air hostesses were totally charming
"more wine ?"
"more food ?"
"snack ?"
"face wipes ?"
Certainly puts the miserable biatches at AA to shame....we even got peanuts taking me to a time long ago before allergy law suits were present !!
The few hours in Seoul Airport were well spent stuffing yet more weird and wonderful foods into our bellies:)
I think I might explode before the end of the trip.
Got in at midnight to Bangkok and in amazing race style we ran though the airport to the immigration desk to beat out all the other arrivals and hoping to save ourselves a good hour.
unfortunately (woulda made good viewing) we got the wronf line so had to wait after all behind everyone else.....boo hoo.
Made our hotel by 2am.
Its in awell dodgy area (few blocks from the backpacker ghetto that in Koh san road) and we have a view of corrugated iron homes from our window with chickens, cats and dogs roaming the alley.
Still the hotel (Swana) could be described as a "diamond in the rough"
Once indoors it looks like something more fitting to south beach with its Art deco style. I love it. ....and theres AC, very very important as its unbelievably hot here.
The humidity is unbearable even at 2am
fyi...ignore any typos as its really hard on this key board with thai and english letters
BANGKOK BABY 
So here we are after our first full day in Bangkok.
What a place !!
I love it- but its crazy, wild and dirty (maybe that's why!)
Despite being in the middle of monsoon season( awful flooding north of here) there has not yet been a lick of rain. It might actually be nice to get some as the humidity is stifling.
The news today was a lot about the earthquake in Indonessia and worries about a tsunami coming back this way; but I think it woulda happened by now if that was the case (and we are not on the coast yet anyways)
Our only danger to avoid so far has been to escape the relentless scam men that walk the streets.
Its very safe here day or night and I don't fear anyone robbing us in the true sense of the word but, man, they sure try and charm the $$$ out of you at every move.
Its quite funny and very clever in fact; I have the lonely planet guide book to thank for all the tips on avoiding them
Everyone is your friend and EVERYONE has some advice on where you should and shouldn't be sightseeing......mainly not wherever you were heading and instead to someplace else which just happens to be on route to his fathers/brothers/friends tailors/gem store
....it goes something like this
"Ãh friends...you from Us of A?
...I used to work/live/visit there often."
"I am a teacher/lawyer" (anything that sounds trustworthy)
"Where you got today? "
"Oh Grand palace.......its closed...kings birthday. Will be open all day tomorrow and free tomorroww. Best go then..not now."
"Maybe now you want to see big budda. I can get you a taxi to take you right there !!!!"
and so on and so on
It varies slightly each time but basically the theme remains the same and they are so well dressed and so charming it would be easy for a (non lonely planet book) person to fall for
Its all harmless enough. But all lies
The tuk tuks are the same...you ask to go one place and they take youwherever they want (again...a store of some relative) and tell you just to go in to look ..which of course is when the hard sell starts.
So...the Grand place WAS open and we did get there and sightsee all day around the Palace, the Wats (temples) and such.
I am kinda Budda'ed out by now after seeing the golden budda (who was very golden) the Emerald budda (little and green) and the reclining budda who was HUGE and, you guessed it.Reclining.
We saw plenty of others too but they blurred into one by the end of the day
It was actually very beautiful and the gold and the glitz was AMAZING
After a good nap we hit Koh San road which is where all the street nightlife is.
All the bars playing competing techno really really loud. Street vendors, animals, crazy folk
....my favourite was the local gas station became a bar after dark. The gas pumps were covered in blankets; tables with candles (??!!!) were set out for diners ..Seriouslyly I kid you not !!! can anyone say explosion risk !!????
It was quite an experience. I had a Green curry which blew my non existant socks off ....so friggin' spicy !!!
Then in true "Amazing race" fashion I ate some fried locusts. Ok I ate half of one and it actually wasn't too bad as they shake salt and crisco all over them. 
I didn't brink my camera cord so the pics will only be available on my return, and believe me I took MANY
Tomorrow its up north of bangkok to Kancaburi just for the day and a chance to see the traditional floating markets as well as the Tiger Temple where local monks have rescued tiger cubs and brough them up within the temple quarry
apparently you get to walk with them and pet them but the monks warn you not to wear bright clothing as this could alarm trelativelyvly tame tiger.
Tdisclaimermer said only one tourist in the last 5 years has been mauled but few have damaged their fingers !!! Ohhhkkkaaaaaayyyyyyy
EYE OF THE TIGER
So i forgot yesterday to mention the shopping which of course shouldn't ever be forgot...
We did the famous weekend market early in the morning which was packed and crazy; they sold everything under the sun from plants, furniture, plastic Budda's, food, knock off clothing and animals.
Of course the animals was my favourite part with puppies and kittens, squirrels, chip monks, rabbits, chickens and fighting cocks.
Probably not the best with bird fly around but that's what we saw.
Now on to today which was about the best day ever.
We gave in and did a tour as we wanted to see the Tiger temple and this was the only way to get there without renting a car which neither of us wanted to do as the drivers are CRAZY here !!!
It was just a small group of 6 of us in a small van and we had to get about 2 hours north of Bangkok.
The driver was a maniac and my nails got bitten to the quick. It was mental how he weaved in and out of traffic....really fast and really close to the car/bike/truck in front.
Most of you guys know how Karl drives so you will know Im not easily shaken but this was very scary.
No wonder the blokes have mini shrines and good luck charms hanging from their mirrors.
I was about to kiss the ground when I got out.
We had no seat belts and the motorbikes around us held a family of 3,4 or even 5 with the youngest baby jammed in the middle of the older kids...no helmets on anyone !!!!
...Im thinking britney Spears would have less trouble here :)
The drive through the countryside goes something like this.......Poverty, poverty,poverty....glitz gold temple, poverty, poverty,poverty...glitz gold temple...you get the idea.
The one constant is the hundreds upon hundreds of huge glamorous billboards of the king EVERYWHERE. That guy sure likes to have his photos on display.
First we stopped Dameon Sudak for the Floating market which was quite touristy but really cool to see.
It was hectic yet serene at the same time. Tons of long boats selling wares as you went by them in your long boat....gifts, souvenirs,fruit,spices, food even being cooked on them.
We spent a while at the market and them drove on to Kanchuburi to see the bridge over the river Kwai and a small museum there. 
Next was what today's trip was all about (for me anyways) and that was the Tiger temple.
It was another hour north in an old quarry with forestland that had been donated all around.
At three every day the tigers that have been rescued by the monks get to leave the forest environment and enter the quarry.........That's where we got to go in and visit them...And I mean visit !!
This was Karls anniversary gift to me (think he might be trying to get rid of me!!??) 
Its a long way off the beaten track and doesn't get too many visitors but is well worth making the effort to get to.
On arrival we were told not to wear bright clothing as this can irritate the cats and no one wants that. The bizarre thing is; the monks who raised them wear dayglo orange so thats really odd but I wasn't about the argue the rules in this case
We were told to be careful and not to make sudden movements. To move "as nature" as the monks do...very serene and calm
Im not so sure about calm but I tried.
It was unbelievable
The monks take you one at a time into the quarry.
Some Tigers are on long chains and some not at all. There were a couple of babies but the majority are big full grown Tigers....huge. It's truly awe inspiring to see the monks with them and the respect from one to another.
Anyways I digress. The monks took me up to each tiger and sat with me so I could hug,pet,stroke,tickle the big cat.
Their volunteer took the photos to ensure no flash or anything which may scare the cats.
I was in heaven and coulda stayed there all day. I even have one photo with me resting my head on the tigers neck.
It was wonderful.
There were a couple of scary moments witht he tiger getting freaked out by something and two male tigers got into a fight whilst we were in the quarry...it wasn't too bad but the roars echoed and sounded really frightening.
One monk in particular took a liking to me and got some great photos. He also let me do things we weren't really meant to do like touching their huge feet...ok that part was scary......long, sharp claws on my fingers. WILD !!!!!
I had read a few reports that tourists who had done this before and questioned whether the Tigers had been drugged but Im pretty sure that wasn't the case.
They did get a bit wound up every once in a while and the monks did do alot of distraction techniques.
If they growled or showed teeth at me the monk would pour water on their noses and then distract them with toys and food
All in all it was one of the best things I have ever done and the temple project there is great with donations they are building another 12 acres for the cats to live and play.
All the cats there have been brought up as cubs and can never be released to the wild as they have lost any hunting ability; but the next generation of cubs they are hoping to be able to release to live as true wild tigers. This will be easier once the next stage of their project is complete.
I loved it :)
Check out www.walkingwithtigers.org for more info
CAMBODIA
Here we are now in Cambodia.
We had to get up at 5am for the flight so our last night in Bangkok was a bit more mellow...we just hit the bars and got a semi early night (midnight is REALLY early for me)
I had one of my fave drinks in the Koa San road area which was the "buckets"; which are literally buckets with coke, thai whisky and thai max (really really stong red bull). They are crazy drinks and get you wasted soooo quick.
Even though there was no clubbing to be done it was a night in itself just to sit with a drink, a potent red curry and watch the crazies on Koa san road go by.
.....Lady boys, mashed up english blokes, thai club kids, baby elephants (really...I have the pic to prove it!!!)
You name it and you will see it down there.
The nice thing that IS missing from Koa san road is the fat, old western man who buy the young thai chick for the night. Its not really too prevalent in that area which was a nice change as its sickening to see really. Some gorgeous', really young ( and Im talking teenager) walking hand in hand with a pot bellied 40 yrs old sweaty westerner
UGH
So, now we are in Cambodia and its still hot hot hot (hence the time being spent in the internetcafe.) Theres only one in town though and so this will be my one and only blog from here Im guessing.
Tomorrow is karl';s idea of heaven.
A whole day to see the Ankor Wat temples. I hear they are quite amazing so I am excited too.
Siem Reap is an odd place and at the moment at least very few tourists.
Coming in from the airport were some really big glitzy hotels but once in town its just dusty roads and poverty like I have never experienced before.
Lots beggers all over; most kids and many with missing limbs from landmine accidents. Its really sad and hard to see them and have them approach you as aggressively as they do. They grab at you and follow you for ever but theres too many to start giving too so what the hell do you do!!???
Well karl wasn't too impressed when I suggested just running for it as they couldn't catch us with one leg.....
Ok ok I was just joking but what do you do or say in this situation......Its pretty awful.
On the whole though I am quite amazed by the happy smiling faces I am seeing despite the poverty and despite the awful history the cambodians have endured (pretty much everyone and their dog has had a go at them at some time or another !)
The town itself looks like a bombed out zone....all dusty and broken buildings though I hear this is from construction not any war.
Though the Khmer rule was so new history that its kinda scary in itself. The last Khmer shooting spree was only as far back as 1996
Little too close for comfort there Im thinking.....
The bad part is the road we will be taking back is in bad shape right now and the normal 7-8 hours is estimated to be more like 11.
You can imagine karl is not too happy with that situation but the flight is $120 each whereas the road trip will be less than $20 each.
We may get our first rain of the trip tonight which hopefully will cool the air down a little before tomorrows sightseeing bonanza.
P.S. Oh a little deet info for anyone that has followed previous (Guatemala and Belize) blogs.
The 100% deet that robbed me of lower leg hairs and an eyebrow last year has struck again and blistered up my ankles. Yet still the mozzies bite :(
P.P.S Bangkok airways rocks.....our flight was only 30 minutes and we got free snacks at the check in gate as well as a full breakfast on board, wet towels to clean up with and a newspaper to enjoy...all served with a smile.
ANGKOR WAT ??!!!
Last night we went to see the sunset at one of the temples.
It was beautiful and we rode up the trail by elephant !!!!! Was quite scary at first but soon got used to it. We were on a seat strapped to the back but fat bastard karl was heavier than me so I ended up being way higher that him. Too funny.
Loved the sunset and it was quite a cool atmosphere being up there with the monks and other travelers.
We went out that night to Pub Street which is an area of Siem reap popular with tourists. It was just so so. We met a bloke from Uk -Ty who had been on the road for 2 1/2 years....man was I jealous !!!!
Shared a few beers and a few stories but to be honest I didn't like the atmosphere. It was a really nice street with really nice bars but the locals were not allowed in !!! Seemed weird.
Once 11 o'clock came there were the locals...man with no legs, lady with dead-looking baby, kids, kids with no arms, all wandering close by staring in; looking sad.
Was not conducive to a fun night. Though the gigantic Ankor beers (a bottle of beer is about the size of a bottle of wine !!) were conducive to fun :)
Next day and we spent the whole day at Ankor seeing all the temples...Terrace of Elephants, Banyon, Angkor Wat(karls fave...stunning) and my favourite Ta Phrom (think Lara croft in tombraider)....all overgrown and huge tree roots. It felt like the most adventurous to me 
Outside each temple...there were the kids again...all sellling crap but so damn cute.
So aggressive with their sales pitch that I have a feeling they have a budding career in used car sales
"buy buy...one dollar"
"one dollar"
"where you from? Ah capitol london. Labour government"
After a while we broke and did buy a couple of trinkets which went steadily from one dollar each to 20 for one dollar
That didn't help ease the sales patter
""why so no buy from me. I sad. You buy from her but not me. I cry "
IMPOSSIBLE
And the don't take no for an answer but follow you for miles and miles.
My favourite part about Angkor Wat was the random monks scattered around who all seems to have a liking for me and would look serious and then just start giggling when I talked to them
...I got some great pics though...I think karl is concerned that I might run of with a monk as I have a bit of a photo fetish for them now.
It was an exhausting day and that night we went back out into the town for dinner but with pretty much the same results and it just felt bad to be sat eating with starving people all around :(
The food here is pretty cheap though not as cheap as Bangkok.
In Bangkok we were eating a full meal and drinks for $2 each and here a full meal and beer was closer to $4 (ok...not exactly expensive I know !!!!)
THE ROAD FROM HELL AND BACK
Today after breakfast the staff in Siem reap (the Two Dragons guesthouse) all came to see us off :) .....the girls that worked reception...the cook (even though we only had breakfast) and Mr Bunny the tuk tuk driver who drove us around Angkor.
It was really touching.
......and then ....da da da daaaaaa......there we were on the infamous "Siem reap to Bangkok" road
It is about 100 miles to the cambodia/thai border and took us 3 hours. The road is not pathed and has pot holes the size of craters all along it.
Its a good job I wasn't X-rayed at the end as Im sure my liver, stomach, intestine, and bladder would have been all in the wrong place by journeys end.
Me and Karl were like a pin-ball machine being bounced around like crazy in the back of the vehicle.
My back, butt, boobs were in agony by the end but it was ssssoooooo worth it
We drove through all the dusty local villages where markets were going on.
Bikes with chickens, piglets, dead pigs...Strung onto a bike with their feet bouncing along , ox and cart etc were all along the road as well as tons of carts, bikes and mopeds full of whole families heading to market buy their supplies
It was quite a hair raising ride as the cars had the correct side to drive on; but really because of the pot holes no one stuck to the correct side at all... It was like playing chicken with the buses and carts that were coming towards us and more than once a small squeal escaped me out of pure fear!!!!!! 
Once we arrived in the poo-hole border town that is Poipet (it really is awful...NEVER stay here).....we found our way through cambodian immigration...(a shed) walked to thai side (another shed) went through customs (a joke) got a tuk tuk....and then got the thai government (local) bus to Bangkok.
After boarding the first vehicle at 8am we finally reach our destination in bangkok at 7pm !!!!
A great road this time but still 5 hours of travel ...ugh.
We were lucky as the road could have been 11 hours and sometimes if the weather is bad up to 20 hours !!!
I heard that the thai government slip money to the Cambodians to not fix the road as only Bangkok airways fly from bangkok to Siem reap and they can charge whatever they want as no one wants to use the only other option...the road !!!! What a Con
That will come to an end soon when Siem reap open their new international Airport !!!
Also (you don't have to read this part) but my least fave thing about the trip that I have to mention so far has been the traditional style toilets !!!
They are just of the squat variety but worse than that; they have no paper and no sinks !! Just a trough by the "hole".
Somehow you are meant to squat and hold your balance then use the trough to scoop out water to wet your hands..........wipe with said hand !!!!!! then shake dry......get up (without dragging pants on the ground which is always wet and gross)
.....them remember not to use that said hand to eat, etc.
However thanks for forward thinking we brough lots of alcohol wipes, lotions, baby wipes etc ....so our typical thai/cambodian toilet experience has been a bit more pleasent than it could have been
ONE (MORE) NIGHT IN BANGKOK
Sawadee Ka !!!!!
So here we are back in bangkok only this time we are not in the backpacker ghetto but instead we stayed in a different area closer to the Patpong area, so that we could check out the infamous red light district.
Our first rain storm of the trip made walking around the streets quite crazy; as when it rains here it REALLY rains and my flip flops became water born vessels and there I was practically walking on water though it was more like slip-sliding on water along the streets of Patpong
They have a great night market where all the british tourists were getting their bargains but the red light district itself was very depressing.
At every stop some one would hand us a "menu"
"pussy pingpong show"
"pussy banana"
"pussy flags"
"pussy fire darts"
...and most scary of all
"pussy and razor blades" !!! OUCH
From a safe distance (outside the doors) we could see girls on stage. Some were really young and some were most certainly lady boys (they look very feminine and pretty here) dancing but not really dancing...hardly moving. Just swaying in a bored way in a bikini and a number attatched to their chest :(
Them the fat western blokes would come out the bars with girl in hand and vanish into the dark streets. I bet some of them got a shock when they awoke that morning hungover and realized their hot Thai chicka had boy parts. Ha ha ha
I wanted to just go and buy them all so they could sleep safely in my room for the night and not have to do whatever these blokes wanted them for :( :(
Well...on a lighter note....here we are at the airport again. free food....free internet and awaiting the flight to the islands :)
YAYYYYYYYY
Look out beach...here I come :)
ISLAND FEVER
Here we are on Koh samui
....so tropical and really stunning. Even the airport resembled a holiday resort with Palapa style roofs :)
Karl hated the flight as it was one of those propellor planes...poor boy.
At the moment we are in the north in a quiet fishing village called Bophut (fishermans village).
Theres not much action here at all...in fact the bars/restaurants are all shut by 10pm.
Right now thats ok with us as we need the rest and relaxation after the hectic pace we have been keeping.
Our guesthouse is gorgeous.
Its an old chinese Tea house and the rooms are big with 4 poster beds and decorated so over the top with Chinese artifacts. From our bed it looks out onto our own terrace which hangs out over the beach and ocean. Really a little slice of heaven.
A room like this would be hundreds of dollars in USA or Europe but we paid just $40 (still quite expensive for here !!!!!)
The beach here is not very popular as its a quieter town and also as its more course yellow sand rather than the powder white on Chewang or Koh Phangan. In fact we pretty much have had the town and beach to ourselves which is wild.
I think the beach is really pretty though with the jungle as a back drop and hardly any resorts of hotels to mar the view
The restaurants are really quaint and again a little more expensive than we have been used to (but at $5 a meal inc drinks...still not bad)
We ate out last night at a place called Starfish and Coffee and enjoyed the sunset.
The food so far on this trip has been wonderful.....so much great thai food (which I prefer from the Cambodian grub which isn't as spicy).
We have not had any "western" meals so far. The Thai food is delicious. Spicy and full of flavour...jungle curry, red curry, yellow, green, different seafoods and pastes that I forget the name of but all GREAT......and cheap as chips !!!!
Later today we move to Koh Phangan island and from there its back to Koh samui but this time to the party resort for a little club action which has been sadly lacking so far !!!! Well, ok not really "sadly lacking"...... all the backpacking places have a bar scene and beach party scene more than official clubbing which has been a fun experience too.
Island fever part 2 
Later.....
After a ferry ride we are now on Koh Phangan.
This island is the hippy isle I think and Im slowly leaving my Dallas ways behind me.
Gone are the shorts and Cargo's instead a tie died wrap and flip flops are about my only clothing for now.
Everyone here looks like they have been living here for years and its mainly Europeans with a real backpacker feel to it....dreadlocks, braids, head scarfs...cheap cheap food, clothes, drinks.
The bars all play pirate movies and during lunch today we saw half of "dick and Jane"!!!!
Karl was pissed as the bar further down had da Vinci code on :)
They are hard to follow though with subtitles and you can hear people laughing in the non existant audience form when it was secretly taped.
The beaches are GORGEOUS. Powdery sand. Clear waters but more of a silky green colour than blue; and the jungle hills behind. 
Breathtaking. I know I won't want to leave this island for sure...
There are tons of small bars and beachside "clubs" here with jugglers and fire eater type entertainment.
We are supposed to be going to a thai boxing match back in Chewang tonight if we can figure out how to get there. Certainly more Karls scene than mine !
FIGHT CLUB
I don't understand the need for two men in a civilized nation to want to beat the crap out of each other....not boxing...not wrestling and especially not Muay Thai Boxing where pretty much anything goes !
We went to the Stadium to see this bizarre event of testosterone last night.
I didn't want to go and Karl did so I said I would; just to experience it.
I was both appauled and excited at the same time.
Im sure they have rules in the match but as the commentary was in Thai I had no clue as to what they could and couldn't do.
It seemed to me that other than head butting or biting pretty much anything goes....kicking in the groin, kicks to the stomach, chin butts, punching, kicks to the face.....very gruesome.
We were really close so could hear the impact of each kick and see the sweat (and blood) fly.
5 rounds of three minutes each and high impact fighting. These guys are tough.
Before the beginning the fighters performed some graceful dance that wouldn't have been out of place in a female ballet !!!!
......then they proceded to kick the shit out of each other.
The crowd was rowdy and I have to say by fights end I was even getting into it a little.
Other than that; last night we enjoyed the beach bars and restaurants.
At night they pull out short tables to the beach and triangle cushions which you lounge on on the beach and enjoy your dinner by the lapping waves...its great.
Managed (yet another) curry and a few to many Chang beers for ridiculously cheap. The competing bars all play Techno and House music so you can pretty much pick your tunes as you wander between them.
Then at 1 am I had my first "western food" of the trip when I spotted a fish and chip shop owned by a Scottish bloke who gave up in England and moved here 8 years ago :)
The party beach calls when we move tonight to Chewang beach !!!.....think Faliraki (or jersey shores)...fast food, english breakfasts, clubs, markets full of souvenirs, neon and glitz.
It has to be done :)
Finally some clubs that don't include razor blades and naked birds
So.....now we are in the party town on Koh Samui called Chewang Beach and its a totally different pace from both Bo Phut and Koh Phangan.
Nothing sleepy or even hippy about this town. Lots of bars, clubs, restaurants serving full English breakfasts, US newspapers, LOTS of build up to the world cup with bars playing the warm up games...you get the idea.
Fun and tacky..yet with a gorgeous beach on one side of the party street and a tropical jungle the other. MAD.
Though the street is madness the beach is not too hectic at all. There are plenty of beach vendors though selling odd, random stuff like neon lighters, Nemo hats, flashing things....sometimes they even move their whacky wares to one side and show you what they really want you to buy.....Ghanja or black tar Heroin !!!
Yeh right like Im gonna risk going to the "Bangkok Hilton" for a few drugs of a beach bum.
They don't really bother you though and the beach is way more peaceful than the street side.
Last night we decided to hit the town so; despite not having any clean clothes we went out to find some partying.
After yet another great Thai dinner...Pad Kea mow; we ventured into the party zone which is a couple of blocks long and full of club kids, lady boys, bars and clubs.
Its low season but the streets were still busy (not too bad though.)
Lots and Lots of dodgy massage parlor's
"sirrrr......you want masssaaaaagggge.
massagggeeeee"
Just watch out if they offer you a happy ending with that !!!!???? (use your imagination !!!!!)
It doesn't have nearly the same amount of girlie bars as Patpong but did seem to have a lots of "hostess bars"
No one strips or even dances just lots of cute girls(and boys) that will happily come and sit with you hoping that you will pick them up for the rest of your vacation.
...and plenty do. we sat in a "regular" bar opposite the hostess bar for a while just watching the action.
Early in the night there will be as many as 20 girls or ladyboys working the tables and its just business as normal if you are a girl or a couple but once a single guy goes in its like flies round shit and they really pamper to him......lots of giggling, smiling, touching his shoulder, mopping his brow (no lie...we witnessed this) until he somehow negotiates a price and leaves with someone for who knows how long.
Anyway...the night was fun though I made the mistake of getting the dreaded Sangsom whisky bucket again and was well gone !!!!
Made it to one of the more popular clubs here called Green mango where we found ourselves bopping to Eminems "shake that ass" !!!!! What were we thinking ???
Well Im glad to say as the night wore on the tunes got better and some great house tunes later we stumbled home drunk and feeling regretful that an early start had been planned
Needless to say the 6 am start was not much fun for either of us
We had booked a tour on a ferry out to Ang Thong (marine park) for a Kayaking trek.
It was a great time though Im in agony from it now. Lots of Kayaking around the islands. There are 40 in all (we only did a few !!)
This was the inspiration for Alex Garland novel "the beach". Most of the filming was actually done on Koh Phi Phi but some here too . Limestone cliffs, clear waters, white sand.
On the way back we stopped off at an Elephant camp where the retired and rescued Elephants go.
We didn't have time to do the full trek but got to ride them up into the hills and back which was cool (second elephant ride of the trip now !!)
Nice too that its a protected place for them and I have to say they have great living areas amongst the jungle there.
Tomorrow is our last (full) day.
Very sad :( 
For the first time this vacation we will spend the day around the town/guesthouse and actually rest up and enjoy the beach :)
Our place here is really nice. We have a garden bungalow which should really be called the jungle bungalow as its surrounded by vegetation (and bugs...huge) but its lovely inside and just down a path from the beach too.
Ok them well...I doubt Ill log back on tomorrow. A day of rest probably on't make for interesting blogging . Tonight we are back out to the bars and with no early start the night is ours for the making....
Then its onto Bangkok for yet another visit (and shop :)) Finally the flight home which is doing my head in thinking about as somehow we land in Dallas before we even took off from Bangkok....I can't get my head around that !!
Im in full fledges backpacker mode..... Dirty hair, smelly clothes, I stopped shaving legs or wearing shoes. Nice eh
Not sure Im ready to get back to leave the islands and get back to real life just yet............... Though the rest will be much needed
I think we will both need a holiday !!!
Final days
Our last day on the island was indeed spent relaxing, enjoying the beach and taking tons of photos. We even waded out to a deserted island to explore some which was tough going through all the coral but worth the effort to ahve the place to ourselves. 
The final night was really really sad and we went into town and had our final beach meal at Ark bar with mattresses thrown on the sand, house music and spicy food.
Finally it was back to Bangkok for a whole day and most of the night. We flew in...left our bags at the airport and got a taxi to the Sukhumvit area (more american hotels and ex pat feeling)
We did our last minute shopping at the market stalls and MBK mall then went to dinner in that area to "Cabbages and Condoms" - a restaurant set up to promote knowledge and fund reaserch into Aids (kinda ironic that its in Sukumvit area which is the leading place for Sex tourists !!)
Had a wonderful meal, wine and even got a free condom with the check :)
A few (too many) drinkies around the bars there...saw Bed supperclub. Until it was time to return to the airport and the long flight home
This was without a doubt one if the roughest flights ever.
Im not a nervous flyer but when mid flight after awful turbulance the crew all run to space seat and buckle down its enough to make anyone sweat.
I had visions of my seaweed soup and pickels being my last ever meal :(
Turned out ok though and MANY hours later we land back in Dallas. exhasted and just a little sad.
It was good to see the kitties on our return and later I will show them the photos of their big cousin Tigers !!!!!!
S. E asai is a great place for holiday and travels. It has its fair share of issues and corruption for sure ( I spent the 24 hour flight reading some very interesting books about the prison system, sex trade, child prostitution etc) but as a place for adventure its top notch and I would highly reccomend it to anyone wanted something a little different
