Hay Jack, I've been surfing!

After a few days in Melborne mainly sorting out bank stuff, phones and looking at cars we finally hit the beach - the waves hit back harder though. Full on smiles all round - surfing - welcome to Australia!

Melborne and the Yarra

Dan, Mark and Pat - The surfers??

Dan hanging 9 1/2 (but on my feet!)

One night in Bangkok

Golden Palace, Koh San Road, Thai boxing and more.
Photos to follow.

Dive, dive, dive.

Back from the Similans diving trip and now in Bangkok. Still bobbing up and down as if on a boat and feel like i have a mask still on. Luckily i realise i can't just pee myself when out of the water.

The trip was FANTASTIC. Most dives were to 30m below, which was the deepest either of us have been and we saw loads. Sharks, octopus, cuttlefish mating, Barracuda, stingrays, etc etc.
I did all 14 dives, (4 a day and 2 on the last day), the night dives were scary!

Kee our Divemaster for the trip

Ahhh, my head if fizzing with Nitrogen and we fly tomorrow...

No photos of underwater stuff though.

2 days on Koh Lanta

Took a boat accross from Phi Phi to Lanta and arrived at a very wet and deserted set of beach bungalows - not too impressed. Made the bar next door open for the first time this season and things seemed better at the end of the night...

Walked along a very long Long Beach the next morning, bright sunny and more what was expected. Spent the rest of the day chilling out and watching a sunset.
Boat back to Phi Phi this morning to find that in the last 2 days accomodation prices have shot up. Perhaps its a good thing we are leaving thailand as we could not afford these prices - makes our live aboard Similan dive trip (that starts tomorrow) even better value (250 GBP for 4 days, 4 nights and 14 dives).

Phi Phi

A change of scenery on the busy Koh Phi Phi. It might seem like a nightmare after the peace and quite of Tonsai but it seems like a welcome relief. We are staying in a hut right on the beach with only mosquitoes and monkeys to annoy us. The climbing is right above us and it is easier. And we have a choice of restaurants and shops.

Ko Phi Phi from the climbing wall ( our hut is in the left bottom corner)

Went Scuba Diving. Amazing fish and coral. Dan saw a shark and an octopus. I struggled with my ears but managed the second dive fine and saw cuttlefish and Morey eels.

Looking attractive after a dive in Maya Bay (where the beach was shot)

On the rocks at Ton Sai beach

Two weeks have been spent staying at Ton Sai and climbing around the beaches there. We may have been here before but it was that good...





Photos say more than words (and internet is not free here)...

Dan on Burnt Offerings 7a+ (photo taken by Jo while belaying - not bad huh!)

Ton Sai beach in the background.

One of the local climbers hanging out. Dam those guys are good!

A blurred shot of the second i was on the slack line between the Freedon bar and the Ton Sai overhang.

Angkor What?

We arrived in Siem Riep by bus to see the highly renowned tourist attraction of Angkor Wat and it's surrounding temples.

We booked the tuc tuc for a sunrise start but this was quickly changed when it thunder stormed all night. However the weather improved throughout the day. We followed the one day tour from the lonely planet, which is apparently sacrilege due to the vast number of temples, only seeing four.

Ankgor Wat is the grandess temple with impressive carvings along the walls and high towers, however the number of tourists kind of spoilled the effect.

Ta Phrom was the best being in a state of disrepair. The massive wall were supporting, or being supported by huge trees. It was the setting for tomb raider and has a very Indiana Jones feel about it.

Phreah Khan was pretty much a ruin.

Inside Ankgor Thom, the largest complex of temples, was the Bayon. This was amazing with faces on every tower.

All Ankgored out we didn't wait for sunset and ware in the bar by 4 30pm.