Final Day In Bangkok

So, I found myself having to find a hotel for two more nights in Bangkok and was amazed to get the Novotel in Central Bangkok for £35 per night. It blows away anything you get back in the UK for that amount of money. The Service was impeccable, it even had a swimming pool on the 9th Floor. The pool was a rather nice place to spend an hour or so after I had spent the day Sightseeing at the Grand Palace. All the photographs here are of various Shrines, temples, building, statues etc all in the Grand Palace. If I explained everyone in return I'm sure you would get bored. All there is to say, if you ever visit Bangkok, The Grand Palace is an absolute must. You have to make sure you cover your knees and ankles. If you turn up dressed inappropriately, you could find yourself wearing a sarong provided by the staff!!

An Extra Day on Phuket

So, whoever says complaining doesn't get you anywhere? Because I was delayed on my outward journey and didn't spend as much time in Bangkok as I would have liked, Emirates have kindly rescheduled my return flights so I get an extra 2.5 nights on holiday and they've also upgraded me to business class. More about the business class later.

I had already bought a club class return ticket from Bangkok to Phuket, so I had no trouble extending that ticket for an extra day on Phuket. It was nice to have an extra day on Phuket as the Phi Phi islands tour does take it out of you a bit. I met up with Dave Hone after the Phi Phi Islands and all we managed was one drink each and decided to call it a night :- Subsequently I spent the following Day, after a mammoth buffet lunch, by the pool trying to get a tan. I have tanned, but in my case I just look a darker shade of white than normal!

One of those rooms is mine!

Sunset Over the Pool

My Bedroom

Thailand (14th December) - PHI PHI Islands and Swimming With Sharks

These photos here are all from Phi Phi Ley Island - scene of the film The Beach. Although whilst I was there it was a bit more crowded than you see in the film. Also, in the film, there are Palm Trees on the beach but in reality Palm Trees are nowhere to be seen.

Later on this day, we went Snorkeling in a bay close by followed by lunch. The snorkeling was excellent but better was to come. After a lunch , we went by Speedboat to a tiny Island called Khai. Our guide for the day was himself an avid snorkeler, so he took us away from the crowds, where he said we would have a much better time snorkeling. It was when we where about 100 feet from the shore that he said "Those that want to come and see the sharks, follow me, the other just stay here" :- I opted to go and see the sharks. I couldn't believe I was snorkeling in 30 feet of water actually looking for sharks that I knew were there. After 20 minutes of looking and wondering I was going to react when I saw one, in the distance one came out of the blue literally!!! It didn't look at all threatening. It just circled us, below us for about 5 minutes. It was a 4 foot Black Tip Reef Shark. I hoped it was fully grown and mother wasn't all close by. After that we saw a few others. The closest I got to one was about 6 feet. Believe me, that was close enough.

Typical Night Out

The Madness that is Bangla Road











Dave plays the part of a local gypsy

Thailand Day 8 - James Bond Island

Here are some photographs of the day trip I have been on today. James Bond Island is known as such because it was where the filmed the Base of Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun. even though it was filmed in Thailand, the base was supposedly set in China.

Some Pictures of the journey to James Bond Island (Ko Khao Ping Kan)

The three photos below are from a Cave that we stopped at on the way to catch our boat. Its a pity the photographs that I took in the cave proper haven't come out as there was hundreds of Fruit Bats hanging from ceiling and flying around the stalactites.

Reclining Buddahs seem very popular inThailand. Ive always

assumed Buddah's to be fat. Apparently The size and shape

of a Buddah denotes the period it is from.

This monkey needs to be careful it doesn't get sunburnt in a tender area!

The next set of photo's is of the longboat journey around the

Mangrove Forests to James Bond Island.

This is where Scaramange supposedly hid his secret weaopn

A Grotto - formed upto 8,000 years ago when the sea level was much higher than now.

I am assuming and hoping this is metres and not miles!!!

The View from my lunch table. Had the hottest fish soup ever here.

I wasn't very dignified eating it!

Muslim village, built entirely over the water on Stilts.

The stack behind it protects it from the monsoons.