I've made it....just!

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  Bangkok, Thailand
Saturday, April 29, 2006

Well after losing my passport 24 hours before taking off it turned up back in London so a quick detour was needed. After a dodge start I eventually made it and arrived in Bangkok in the blistering heat. I stayed in Khoa San Road which is like a Mecca to travellers and don't the rip off merchants know it? I had a minor run in with a Tuk Tuk man and ended up jumping out of his cart at some traffic lights and walking an hour back to my hostel.....very annoyed. The place is complete madness to say the least. My bartering is getting better though. The bars and night life don't stop and you have a real mix of travellers just arriving and loads of them going home or moving onto their next destination. I was not feeling brave enough to do the red light district but will definitely on my departure from Thailand. After a couple of days though you just want to see a beach and chill out it gets very hectic.
So I managed to get in contact with a couple of friends I used to work with and flew down to Phuket to meet up with them and then we went straight onto Phi Phi. There I fell in love with the beach and found it quite a haven from the chaos of Bangkok. After a couple of days I decided to do my PADI which, to you none scuba divers is......... actually I don't know what it stands for either???? Anyway it is a 3 day course which certifys you as a novice diver. It was something else. Apparently Phi Phi is a good place to go diving but that hadn't prepared me for the beauty of the underwater world. The colors in the coral and the fish where amazing and it was just so peaceful down there. I am definitely going to be doing more when I get to Ko Tao which is 'The Place' to dive so I hear. Maybe carry on my training to become an instructor, who knows.....?
Phi Phi was lovely, a lot of people don't leave when they get there. Its where the film 'The Beach' was filmed and has some stunning beaches around the islands.
It was quite sad at first as half the accommodation no longer exists from the lonely planet that I am using. I stayed in a guest house called 'Sachas' which is named after the daughter of the owners who they lost in the Tsunami. Most people who live there lost family and friends but it is quite inspiring to see how positive these people are and how quickly they have rebuilt the island. To be honest it is only when you look really closely you can see hundreds of memorials tucked away everywhere for the people they lost.
Today I have left Phi Phi in search of Buddhist Meditation . Don't worry I haven't gone mad or am about to disappear and live with monks. I am just going on a retreat for 10 days there. I am not sure how I will cope with no electricity and a straw mat to sleep on. I am not allowed to talk, listen to music, read or even have sexual thoughts the whole time I am there(not sure how they would know)??? What we do is meditate and yoga all day. So I figured I am here to experience different things so its my next new challenge. Perhaps a bit too big a challenge, who knows??? I am going to try.
Due to my retreat I won't be writing for a while and probably won't have much to say even when I can e-mail again so try not to miss me to much....
Love to all xxx

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Kho San Rd

Standing Budha

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