So, getting back to Thailand ...!

Anyhoo, the next day - whenever that was - we left the islands and made our way back to mainland Krabi, where we would spend our final few days in Thailand. While Krabi was not nearly as pretty as the islands, it was more of a resort town so I guess if you were looking for entertainment this was the place to be. Our tour company was offering a tour of the Phi Phi islands, but C and I decided we wouldn't bother as I think we were pretty tired by this time. Later that evening we went out to dinner with R, who had taken the tour but he said that while it was indeed very beautiful, it was sooooo crowded it just wasn't worth it. Too many boats and too many people in the water trying to snorkel. This was where they filmed The Beach and not long after the film was released they temporarily closed down trips to tourists in order to preserve the islands! From what R was saying, I can see why! So I would say that while some of them enjoyed the trip, a few thought it was not money well spent, given the overcrowding!

R's photos, not mine, obviously!

C and I had a wander round the town and were surprised to see how many places were advertising cannabis for sale. It's legal for the time being, but there is talk about making it illegal at some future date. I'm not sure what the sellers will do in the event it's outlawed, though in the meantime I'm not surprised the people are so "smiley"!

Our guide had told us we should check out the night market, but unfortunately the first night we turned the wrong way out onto the main road and found the market to be nothing special. Turns out we hadn't actually found the real market but when we did, man was that an assault on your senses. The heat, the smells, the noise were all so intense! A couple from our group spotted a whole crocodile roasting on a spit (wish they'd gotten a photo of it) - and the entire place was just heaving. Well worth the visit but I was glad to get out of there too!

A google picture - I couldn't get anything worth posting!

After that we had just two more days left, but I'll leave that for another time as it's already quite late here. Back home the weather has been picking up and I finally got around to doing my annual pressure wash of the back terrace. It's a bit of a faff but I quite enjoy it really as it's so satisfying to see the crud being washed away after the snow has melted. I was working on the moss in the front driveway when my neighbour wandered over for a chat and a coffee. Now while I know I must have looked pretty grim after almost two hours of power washing, when I caught sight of myself in the mirror I was mortified - Worzel Gummige had nothing on me!

Wurzel Gummige!

And finally, the kids arrived back from the States today after spending two weeks with my ex's family. They said it went well and I'm glad Ammy got to see both my kids and Charlie, of course. I suspect I will hear about a few tensions later but on the whole it went well, and I'm happy for that. I thought I'd surprise them by shooting out to the airport to meet them, even though they'd already got transport arranged. Well I stopped off at the baker's to buy bread and croissants for everyone and then sailed easily through the border to arrive at the airport about 15 minutes after they'd landed. So I sat there people watching, and I sat there, and I sat there - and after about an hour I sent Jordan a message to ask where they were. Turns out they were half way home as they must have whizzed through immigration, customs and baggage reclaim in less than 15 minutes. Damn, I reckon I missed them by a matter of minutes, if not seconds! Well you know what they say about best laid plans? Man makes plans and God laughs, apparently!