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Our alarm went off at 4am this morning and as soon as I climbed out of bed I started my resistance bands training. Some people would call me crazy or a little bit obsessed. I would call it dedication and I would rather get it out of the way first thing in the morning that wait until later on that day when I was exhausted from a long journey on a coach and a boat. Meanwhile Nick made some bowls of porridge and hot drinks for us. We had just enough time for a quick shower before washing up the bowls and packing everything away into our bags. I usually do the final check of the room before we leave just in case there is anything under the bed or in drawers. The same ladyboy that checked us in on the first night was sat at the desk wearing some denim dungarees, a pink vest top and underneath was a white bra that had obviously been stuffed with something bulky, like socks or toilet tissue. Just like last time he was very uninterested in having any sort of conversation with us since he was far too engrossed with messages and pictures on his phone. We managed to get our 600 baht deposit back before walking outside into the darkness. The bar at the end of the alley was still packed with people drinking, the pool tables were surrounded by people and it looked exactly the same as last night. We walked around intoxicated tourists sitting and laying in the road. Groups of men were being hassled by ladyboys dressed in tight shorts and sparkly tops tottering around in glittery high heeled platform shoes and caked in make up. Most of the stalls were all packed away but there were a few still open. Nick and I walked through the streets to the Lomprayah office where there were already quite a few people sat outside with their bags waiting to check in. On the opposite side of the road the cafe was open and there were a few people sat underneath some glowing lanterns drinking coffee.

At 5:30am the office opened and there was a stampede of tourists all trying to get through a single door! I stood outside in the alley and watched our bags. I was pretty sure that the corner I was standing in was probably used as a public toilet! There were a lot of party goers still out, staggering around the streets laughing and shouting. A short thai guy wearing the blue Lomprayah uniform came to collect everyone once we had got our tickets and we walked a short distance out of the alley to where the double decker coach was parked. We all had two stickers on our chests, a yellow sticker with a hand written number and a round sticker with Koh Tao written on it. Nick and I were seat number 11 and 12 which was near the front of the coach on the upper deck. Downstairs a tiny little room housed a toilet.

The seats reclined all the way back so I lay on my side looking out of the window at the streets below. I spotted a woman with her two little boys cuddled up to her sleeping on a pile of cardboard boxes in an alley. It broke my heart. Seeing things like this makes me realise how incredibly fortunate I am. Soon after we left the city I drifted in and out of sleep. I had to nudge Nick a couple of times because he was snoring so loud! Around 9am the coach came to a stop and a lady climbed on board and handed out plastic packs which contained either biscuits or a taro filled bun with a cup of water. I was too tired to eat my taro bun. Mid-morning I decided to brave the toilet and I wish I hadn't as every single man, and perhaps woman, on the coach had obviously missed the pan and there was pee everywhere sloshing around on the floor and at the back of the seat. It was gross! I decided that for the rest of the journey I was going to drink anything and hopefully I could hold on until we reached our destination!

As our arrival time approached I was getting worried that the coach was actually nowhere near Chumphon. Soon it was 12:30 and we were supposed to be checking in now but we were nowhere near where we should be. 12:45 came and went and time was ticking. It was 1pm by the time we were driving down towards the dock and the boat was supposed to be departing. I was pretty sure that they would hold the boat for us. After all there was a full coach of people who had all paid full price to get on the boat. There was no other boat leaving for Koh Tao today unless we went with a different company. I was poised on the edge of my seat watching the clock and hoping we would make it in time. We finally reached the dock at 13:10pm and it was a mad rush to grab our bags and get our tickets before the long walk down the wooden pier to where the boat was docked. It had been pouring with rain on and off all morning so the pier was very slippery. On the boat, after leaving our big bags at the front, we found some seats and I braced myself for a rough ride on 'The Vomit Comet'. Staff were handing out red sick bags to everyone on board in preparation for the journey ahead. Sure enough, as predicted, it was awful. I had already taken a double dose of travel sickness tablets and I was still feeling ill. There were passengers running outside to the deck and the sound of people throwing up throughout the boat. It was horrendous. The boat lurched forwards, slamming into the waves, rolling around from side to side and throwing passengers off balance. I closed my eyes and tried to think of something else!

I was so glad when the island of Koh Tao appeared on the horizon and even more glad to finally get off! I was still swaying as I walked down the wooden pier and out onto the street where we were collared by several taxi drivers holding clip boards asking where we were going and what we were doing. Nick and I walked straight down to Master Divers so we had a safe place to leave our belongings before walking to Island Travel in the main street to meet a guy called Johnnie who we had emailed before we left Chumphon about renting a scooter for a month. Bo and Leah were renting their scooter from him at a bargain price of 2000 baht a month. It didn't take long to sort out the paperwork and after handing over payment and Nicks passport as a deposit we headed off in search of a guest house. After looking at a couple of rooms which were a bit over our budget we had a look at a room in the same complex that Robbie and Elise were staying. It was on the ground floor and it was a big room wit a big double and a single bed, a fridge, flat screen TV, bathroom, cooking area and a small balcony. It was dated and although the room was big, it was full of ants and smelled damp. Nick and I made the decision to go back to Kookkai Guest House where we had been staying before we left. The owners recognised us straight away and when we asked how much the room was the younger lady said she would do it at the same price. The older Thai lady was sat across the room and shouted over that we might want the room for a month which was still 9000 baht, a bit too steep for us. I said we were looking for somewhere a bit cheaper and thanked her anyway. We were given the keys to room 1 and told we could pay later. Nick dropped off one of his bags and we headed off back to Mae Haad to coconut monkey so we could have a rest and work out what we were doing next.

Nick moved our bags during a break in a thunderstorm with the help of Bo who tagged along on his scooter. Bo had just got back from one of his dives. He was trying to do as many as possible so he had 40 dives under his belt by the time Nick got back so they could start their dive masters together. I decided to take the walking street which joins Mae Haad to Sairee and walk to Mammas where I was going to meet Nick for something to eat. On the way I was cornered by an overweight guy from Iraq wearing a sweaty vest and tight board shorts. He initially stopped me and asked which boat service I would suggest to get to Koh Samui. He was stood right outside a travel agents so I suggested that maybe he asked which services they would offer. After a while of pointless conversation I decided to end the conversation there and said I had to meet my husband and started walking off. He then started following me and proceeded to tell me he was a doctor and he had a lot of money. I tried my best to keep up a good pace in the hope that he would get the hint that I didn't want to engage in conversation anymore. Then he asked if I wanted to have dinner with him. I politely declined his offer and continued walking. He kept asking if I wanted to stop at various restaurants and cafes along the way and I kept refusing. Was this guy for real? I was making it obvious I wasn't interested and my HUSBAND was waiting for me. Eventually I lost him just before I turned up the road that leads to Mammas. I was so glad to have finally shaken him off. What a creep! 5 minutes later Nick appeared on his scooter and Bo continued along the main road on his scooter towards Mae Haad, waving frantically as he passed! Mamma came out of the kitchen and was really pleased to see us. She asked where we had been and what we had been up to. I was glad to be back to a place that I class as home at the moment. Plus Mamma cooks awesome cheap food and it wasn't long before I was tucking into a bowl of vegetable noodle soup with a side order of fresh vegetable spring rolls wrapped in rice paper. Nick ordered his favourite dish, pad thai and some fried spring rolls. It was good to be home.

We found ourselves at Haciendas that evening. Leah was working behind the bar and Bo wanted to play a couple of games of pool. While we had been away things had changed a little here and Dam was now running the kitchen and Steve was concentrating more on the sports bar, mini golf and cinema. Apparently Dam will be putting thai food on the menu as well as all the favourite British dishes and best of all he will be doing a Christmas Dinner!!

By the time we got back to the guest house I couldn't wait to have a shower and wash off the dirt from the day. I was starting to feel like I'd got up at 4am. Our bed was as comfortable as I remembered it and we both fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day looking for somewhere to stay for the next month or two while Nick did his Dive Masters.

Our alarm went off at 8am and we had all intention of getting up but we were both still tired from the past couple of days. Eventually we surfaced an hour later and while I was multi tasking doing my exercises in front of the fan and watching one of my real crime documentaries Nick was making some hot drinks and porridge. We decided that we would look around Sairee first because this was our preferred location and then we would start looking in Chalok. Nick had already e-mail Bua Management in Mae Haad. They deal with rentals here in Koh Tao and Elise and Robbie had gone through them to find their guest house. Before we started riding around Sairee we took a ride into Mae Haad and spoke to a guy called Tone in the office at Bua Management. He showed us a few properties that were avalible at the moment and one of them we recognised as the property we went to see yesterday on the ground floor which was full of ants. Most of the properties he was showing us were a bit out of our price range. There were a couple that we were interested in so we decided to go away and have a think.

By now it had started to rain so after grabbing a hot drink from Coconut Monkey we stopped off at the supermarket and bought some clingfilm to wrap my knee. Whilst we were walking around the shop we were being followed by a little black cat with a deformed foot. All it wanted was attention and would flop at our feet as soon as we stopped. while we were in there we checked out some prices of gas cookers and a few other things. Outside Nick wrapped by knee in clingfilm which worked a treat. There were a couple of people sat outside sheltering from the rain wondering what on earth we were doing. The cling film worked perfectly and my knee was dry. Now we had the task of riding around looking at guest houses and seeing if there was somewhere suitable. First of all we tried in Sairee and rode up and down tracks, through big muddy puddles and sometimes, by accident, onto private property! Every single placed we stopped at either had no rooms, didn't offer a months rental, it was out of our price range or we couldn't find anyone to speak to. After a few hours I started to feel like Mary and Joseph on a donkey of a scooter searching for an inn for the night!

Giving up on Sairee we rode back to the guest house for some lunch. I boiled the kettle and we had some noodles and a hot drink. I hung our rain jackets in the bathroom and left our helmets in there because they were so wet! Just as we were leaving to head down to Chalok and start our search again the little old thai lady jumped off her wooden platform and ran over to us waving her arms. She had a mouthful of food too. In broken English she said that for us, she was willing to drop the price of our room to 7500 baht a month if we stayed. This was an offer we couldn't refuse, however, we said we would go away and have a think about it. She gave us a big smile and a wave as we rode off down the track.

We decided to have one last search in Chalok just in case the perfect place came up but unfortunately it was the same story. No room, over priced, nobody there or they didn't offer monthly rentals. We were getting very fed up and decided that although the room at our guest house didn't have a food preparation area, if we could cook on the balcony then we would take it. I like the location of the guest house, the room is clean, it's quiet, the bed is comfy and we've got storage, a fridge and hot water. Nick rode back up to our guest house and after confirming that we could cook on the balcony we accepted her offer. She gave us a wink and smiled.

Nick was going on a night dive tonight with Bo, Leah and Elise and we head enough time to get some supplies from the supermarket down in Chalok before he needed to meet everyone. They had already been out for a dive during the day because Elise needed to do her refresher course since she hasn't dived in a long time. Nick and I took my big material bag that I bought in Krabi and bought a big pack of toilet rolls, some canned goods, basic store cupboard ingredients and toiletries. After dropping everything off we headed down to Mammas for something to eat.

Nick went off on his night dive and I sat at Coconut Monkey for a while catching up on my writing before taking a walk to get a few things from the shop. I ended up at the bar at Haciendas and managed to call my Mum. It had been ages since I had heard her voice and I really missed talking to her. Although we message each other nearly everyday its still nice to be able to speak to her. Eventually the divers appeared and everyone said they had a great time. It was Elises first night dive and she said she was half expecting to turn around and see a shark in the torch light. This was Leahs second night dive. I really wish I could go with them but my knee is still not ready and if I went in the water now I'd be risking infection. I've come to far to let that happen now! After something to eat and a few games of pool I was ready to head back to the guest house. We were so relieved to have somewhere to stay now, even if it was only for the month until we find somewhere else.

Today I was determined to have a lay in but my body decided to have other ideas. Nick arranged the room and put the TV on top of the fridge so he could use the TV unit as a workspace while he took both laptops apart and swapped over the hard drives. It was a tense moment watching the new computer boot up with the old hard drive in it. Soon our familiar screen appeared with the login details and finally our laptop was back!! I didn't want to get too excited just in case something went wrong. We had arranged to meet Elise and Robbie at Mammas at 12 and while Nick carried on working on the laptops I took a walk down to meet them. It was such a hot day and as soon as I stepped outside I started sweating! I took the walking street and cut in halfway up to the main road. I sat on the step outside 7 Eleven and after a few minutes Robbie and Elise pulled up on their scooter followed by Nick on his. There was one table left at Mammas and we all sat down on plastic chairs while Nick poured some glass mugs full of water for us to drink from the self service water dispenser. Our little chocolate burmese cat was sat at my feet waiting for me to give him some attention. I'd missed that cat! Elise and Robbie hadn't been up to much other than working. Robbie was enjoying his job in the hostel and Elise was enjoying her job in the bar. It was busy but a great atmosphere and it was good to see them both smiling.

After lunch Nick and I went down to Coconut Monkey to chill out for a bit while Elise and Robbie went back to their guest house. Robbie had work at 3pm and Elise wanted to relax for a bit. Nick wasn't feeling very well today and had been complaining of a sore throat and a blocked nose. He was looking a little paler than normal. We managed to get him some cough sweets from the supermarket where a little tabby kitten was washing a black kitten on a shelf, amongst some canned goods. After a nap back at our guest house Nick seemed to perk up a bit. While he was sleeping I was testing out our new kettle to see if you can boil eggs in there which you most certainly can! I just left it on re-boil for 15 minutes to make sure that they were cooked all the way through and voila, hard boiled eggs!

I peeled them carefully and made Nick the biggest egg mayo and cheese wholemeal rolls he's ever seen! The most expensive ingredient was the cheese. Over here you are paying UK prices, sometimes more for a small block. However, making sandwiches was a lot cheaper than buying them and it was a nice surprise for him to wake up to. They didn't last long either! After washing everything up in the sink in the bathroom with our little sponge and miniature bottle of washing up liquid we headed to Haciendas to meet everyone. Bo had already had his roast and Leah had the night off. We found a table to sit at and spent the evening together laughing and joking and taking some photos. These would be the first snaps of everyone together! Nick was still hungry, which wasn't a surprise, so he ordered a pad thai from the new thai menu. Bo decided to break his pad thai virginity with a chicken pad thai. I can't believe he's been in Thailand this long and he still hasn't tried it!

Robbie called Nick early this morning so they could go up and have a look at a private job sorting out some plumbing and tiling. Meanwhile I did my exercises and cleaned up the room a bit, not that it needed cleaning but I like to keep things tidy. I also cleaned all of the furniture! He returned and aid there was a job there helping out if he wanted it and after a cup of coffee he went off again on the scooter. As soon as he left it started to pour with rain and I was half expecting him to come back but he didn't return. I knew he could be soaking wet because I had his rain coat in the bag which I suggested he took with him before he left. No matter that the weather looks like outside, even if the sun is shining, take a rain coat. The weather changes with no warning here and before you know it the blue skies turn black and a thunder storm appears out of nowhere!

After dressing my knee which is looking a lot better than it did in Bangkok, I headed outside and started my walk to Mae Haad along the walking street. Most of the street was underwater after the torrential rain we had this morning. I wondered is Nick was ok. He was probably enjoying having something to do. I went to the coconut processing plant to get my litre of fresh coconut water. The lady that I usually see had remembered I'd asked for a room and she said she had one available in the same complex as Bo and Leah, all bills included, for 8500 baht a month. It was sods law that something came up when we had already sorted something out. I thanked her and explained the best I could that we already had somewhere to stay.

I spent most of the afternoon in Coconut Monkey with Elise catching up on writing and trying to sort out the insurance claim on the old laptop. All I can say is, they are quick to take your money but when it comes to making a claim they make it as difficult as possible. I've been trying to trace the original receipt as proof of purchase. My poor mother has been going through the filing cabinet at home trying to find it. I know it's in there, its just a question of where? we managed to email someone locally who would look at the laptop and hopefully provide us with a damage report so we can prove that the motherboard has stopped working. Then I need to trace the Asus Service Centre in Hat Yai and the computer technician in Krabi and see if I can obtain reports from them too. I'm expecting for the insurance company to ask me for a blood and urine sample next!

I took a walk to get a loaf of bread from a little bakery just before Nick came to pick me up on the scooter. The kittens were asleep on the shelf in the shop looking so peaceful, completely unaware of the people shopping. I started to walk back on the main road towards Sairee and Nick turned up on the scooter. He had to go down to Master Divers so he could pick up his course material for the next day and have a read through. Bo was having a break from diving today. He must be so exhausted but it will pay off in the end. I think both boys are getting excited about studying together and doing something that they enjoy.

Back at the guest house, while Nick got out of his soaking wet clothes, I whipped up a salad with a honey soy dressing for dinner and topped it with some raw peanuts and sunflower seeds. I used my new peeler that we picked up in Bangkok that shreds vegetables. I'd seen them using these peelers to make papaya salad and various other dishes and I really wanted one!

After picking up some water from the supermarket and trying to persuade the cat that had climbed between Nicks legs to get off the scooter we rode back to the guest house so Nick could read through his course materials while I supplied him with hot drinks. We now have a resident gecko in our room which likes to make squeaking noises during the night and communicate with its gecko friends outside. I said that he can stay as long as he eats all the mosquitos and flying insects that come into our room. I am half expecting to wake up in the middle of the night and find the gecko in our bed. Nick spent all evening reading his course materials. Tomorrow he would be doing his Emergency First Response course with Bo. It was nearly 11pm before we turned out the lights. Outside I could hear the toads making a racket. They come out in force after the rain!

Nick climbed out of bed at 7:30am and started making up some tuna mayo in a little tub so he could make sandwiches for his lunch. We bought a cheap lunch box with 2 tubs inside for 32 baht last night at the supermarket. Along with his sandwiches he had some raw peanuts and sunflower seeds he took some fresh fruit which I bought yesterday at one of the stalls on the side of the road in Mae Haad. I made some bowls of hot porridge with soy milk and he disappeared out of the door with his course materials. Meanwhile I did my exercises and took a walk down the hill and through the walking street to Mae Haad. Nick had taken the laptop with him and left it behind the desk at Master Divers so I could drop it off to Ozone for Pete to have a look at it and hopefully write us a damage report.

The sun was really strong today and I was glad there was a long line in the post office so I could make the most of the air-conditioning! There were piles of parcels, packages and letters everywhere! I'm assuming there was a backlog of mail with the long holiday they've just had. I posted a letter to my Grandma and Nicks letter he had written to his Dad before making my way to Master Divers to collect the laptop.

Next stop was the coconut processing plant so I could get some fresh coconut water out of the fridge. There are two ladies that work there and for some reason one charges me 5 baht less than the other. The monkeys that are chained to little wooden shelters on stilts were looking very hot today. One of them was sat on the edge of a little platform with his leg outstretched picking fleas from his fur and eating them. I got down to Coconut Monkey and sat in my favourite spot by the window on the cushions. It also happens to be one of the warmest spots in the whole place! Nick met me in there and not only did he eat his lunch he'd bought with him but he ate a veggie wrap and drank half my green tea before heading back to the classroom for the rest of the afternoon.

Leah came to join me after lunch and we sat for most of the afternoon at one of the tables and while I sat catching up on emails she read her book. A few times the sky started to show signs of rain but the black clouds soon disappeared. At 4pm I decided I really needed to make a move before I became part of the furniture! This place is so comfy and relaxing I could quite happily sit here for an entire day, which I do sometimes! I took a walk to get some tomatoes from one of the stalls on the main road. There was a woman sitting on the floor with her little boy playing with toy cars. Quite often he is climbing on the cushions behind the counter while she's watching a soap on the TV. I grabbed a loaf of fresh wholemeal bread from the bakery and started walking back to Sairee beach along the main road. Walking this route always makes me feel nervous, especially when I reach the area where I fell over on the gravel! It is still very slippery and quite often I will actually take me shoes off to stop me from falling over.

Mamma stopped on her scooter and asked me where I was going and offered me a lift. I politely declined as Nick would hopefully be finishing his course soon and I had told him to find me along the main road. I could only imagine how he would feel if he couldn't find me! It wasn't far to our guest house anyway. The muddy puddles on the track had dried up now and there was a big ginger cat stalking something in the long grass at the bottom of the hill. I eventually arrived back at the guest house where I was greeted by one of the members of staff with a big smile and a wave. Nick was nowhere to be seen so I assumed that he was still in the classroom.

Tonight I managed to pull off coconut milk soup with lentils, vegetables and mild indian spices using our new kettle! I am now making it a personal challenge to see how many different dishes I can create using our noodle boiling kettle. Nick finally finished at 5:30pm and sat on the edge of the bed to eat his dinner. By the sounds of it he'd had a really intense day of training with some fun elements.

We spent the rest of the evening up at Haciendas in the bar, sat at one of the heavy wood tables. Bo and Nick went through their paperwork. I managed to get myself a job behind the bar. I start tomorrow!! I'm actually feeling a bit nervous as I've never worked behind a bar before but I'm sure it will be fine.

Nick's alarm went off and I felt like I had only just gone to sleep. It didn't look like he was going to move so I decided to get up and make him some porridge and a hot drink while he sorted out his lunch to take with him. That 32 baht lunch box was a god send! Outside a thunderstorm was raging and rain was thrashing against the roof. Our wooden door was rattling with the loud claps of thunder. Poor Nick would have to ride down to Mae Haad in this! He reluctantly pulled on his rain jacket over his bag which made him look like he had a hunch back and headed out of the door.

I must have drifted off to sleep again and woke up an hour later with back ache from the ridiculous position I had been sleeping in! After a hot drink and my resistance band training I had a shower and made some lunch. We had some cucumber, tomatoes and onions in the fridge so I chopped those up with our super shark knife we bought in Chalok and mixed everything with chickpeas, white pepper and fried shallots. Sometimes the most simple dishes are the best ones. I put some in Nicks steel bowl for him to have later when he finishes diving today.

While I was stood out on the balcony outside brushing my hair I watched the beautiful butterflies dancing in the air. My favourite species has got to be the big black Ulysses butterflies. The balcony at the back of the guest house overlooks an overgrown area and several big wooden bungalows on concrete pillars painted a bright peach colour. If you look up the hills rise up above the trees covered in lush green vegetation and palms. Most mornings a heavy mist clings to the hills. It looked like the black clouds were moving away from the island so it was my chance to quickly walk down to Mae Haad before the rain started again.

It was a hot morning and even with my wet hair hanging loose I was still overheating. My theory of wet hair cooling me down wasn't working. I could feel the beads of sweat running down my temples. There were a lot of people on the walking streets today. Every now and again I was asked if I wanted to take a taxi boat. I met Leah and Elise in Coconut Monkey where I stopped for a pot of green tea and a chance to escape the heat for a little while. I think most people sat in here had the same idea as me!

I started to walk up to Haciendas just before 5pm so I would be in plenty of time to start my first shift! Even though I wasn't getting paid for helping out it meant that I would have some bar/waitressing experience that would hopefully come in handy while we were travelling this time round. We found in some countries we have visited, bar work and waitressing jobs are easy to pick up only if you have got experience in that area.

It felt strange knowing that I would be working tonight! My last official working day was on the 30th August! Has it really been that long since I left Hansa? I was met at the bar by Dam who spent 5 minutes showing me around the bar. Then he disappeared for a shower and left me stood behind the bar wondering what I had let myself in for! Leah had now moved over to the sports bar and I could see her wondering around in her black Haciendas T-shirt. Luckily for me there were no customers, except for my brother, until Dam returned. My worst fear was someone coming in and asking for a cocktail and not having a clue what I was doing! The only cocktails I've ever made were back when you mixed all your Mum's booze from the cupboard and snuck up Delancey Park to drink with your mates when I was a teenager! After taking the first few orders I was a bit more confident in what I was doing. Nick soon appeared after heading back to our guest house for a shower. He'd spent the afternoon diving with Bo and they both had their manuals with them at the bar ready for another evening of studying. In between talking to them I was taking food orders and taking them through to the kitchen. The thai staff were really sweet and very friendly. I only had one disaster tonight and dropped a bottle of beer! Luckily for me it didn't smash! I'm glad I got that out of the way and I made a mental note to myself to be careful when picking up bottles that were wet on the outside. It slipped straight out of my hand! As people ordered cocktails Dam showed me how to make them. I'm sure I'll pick it up with time. I finished my first shift at 10pm and Nick bought me back to the guest house on the scooter. Before heading to bed he boiled some eggs in the kettle and let them cool down overnight. I've noticed that his cough has started to get worse and I am convinced that it's because he isn't getting enough sleep at the moment and he's getting run down. Tomorrow was another early start for him as the boys had to be in the classroom at 8am!

The gecko in our room seemed to want to communicate with its mates outside in the early hours. I told him if he carried on then he would have to find somewhere else to live! It was very humid during the night and our fan simply wasn't cutting it and to top that off Nicks cough wasn't showing any signs of letting up. By the time he finally surfaced in the morning he was still coughing. Part of him was considering not going diving today and having a rest.

After peeling his eggs and making a couple of egg mayo sandwiches he headed off for the day. Luckily for him it wasn't pouring down with rain. Meanwhile I ate my breakfast and did my resistance bands training. I decided to make another salad from all of the random ingredients we had in the fridge. It actually turned out ok. I used half a can of green lentils, some tomatoes, cucumber and a mixture of sauces to create a slightly asian inspired lentil salad. I wrote out a shopping list to take with me so I wouldn't forget anything.

It was a hot sweaty walk into Mae Haad and the walking street was packed with people today. Some of the girls were wearing nothing but a piece of cheese string for bikinis which is great if you have the body for it although I still think it's a little bit offensive having so much flesh on show in the streets. However, this a beachy, backpacker area where beachwear in certain public places is acceptable. I don't think you would get away with it in some of the more southern areas of Thailand. A few areas spring to mind! I think I have walked the same route so often that the guys offering taxi boat services have stopped asking me if I need one. Now they just smile and nod their heads in my direction. Just before I reached the really steep section of the unevenly cobbled street I noticed a group of children taunting a little black kitten that was obviously stuck on a roof. I felt like I should intervene but it looked like the father was in on the action too which made it a little bit difficult. I hoped for the kittens sake that it managed to find a way down.

Both of the monkeys were sat out on their platforms today when I walked down the track to get my coconut water. For some reason there was a lot of water running down the hill which was tainted scarlet red. It seemed to be coming from one of the sheds nearby. I hoped that it wasn't blood since I'd got some on my feet! I've come to several conclusions since I arrived in this country, one of them being you will always have dirty feet, no matter what you do. You will also sweat from the moment you get out of bed and there is nothing you can do about it. Also, never think you can predict what the weather will be like and ALWAYS carry a rain jacket. Even the bluest skies will turn nasty in a matter of minutes and storms appear from nowhere.

Like usual I found myself in Coconut Monkey hiding from the heat whilst sat on the comfy cushions with one of the free standing fans pointing towards me. I've changed my usual tea order to a pot of loose leaf green tea which tastes amazing. The last time I had a decent loose leaf green tea was when we were in Australia and I used to buy half kilo bags from a local Lebanese shop.

I was due to work behind the bar again tonight. I actually quite enjoyed it last night and I'm just thinking of it as voluntary work experience. Its quite quiet at the moment which is good for me since I've never done anything like this before in my life! To be honest, I've never really known what career path I wanted to follow. I think 13/14 is far too young to make your GCSE choices which in turn play a big part in mapping your future. I think 16 is still too young to know what you really want to do with your life. However, there are a few lucky individuals that even from a very young age, know which pathway they want to follow and thats fantastic. For the rest of us struggling to find where we fit in, it's much harder and we often find ourselves drifting from job to job wondering if we will ever find that 'career path' that society seems to think we should follow. It took me a long time to realise that I am just 'one of those' people who don't have a specific path. My personality wouldn't allow me to commit to a specific job role for the rest of my working life. I like a challenge, I like to learn new things and I've often 'fallen' into certain lines of work that I never thought I would enjoy and that in turn has helped me learn and develop a lot of skills and expand my knowledge. For example, I never thought I would be studying Clinical Nutrition at 30 years old and just over a year after I first started studying I hold several diplomas, all passed with distinction and I'm now more qualified than when I left school back in the year 2000. So, even though bar work and waitressing wouldn't be my career choice I can say I've done it and I've got some experience. I don't like the feeling of wondering what something is like. I am the type of person who wants to experience it. Although this method of gaining experience has often led me down the wrong pathway. I've learnt that if an opportunity is thrown my way then I need to take it. Sometimes I am apprehensive at the time and perhaps I worry that I won't enjoy it or I won't be any good but nine times out of ten I've enjoyed what the experience has to offer. Life is about trying new things, pushing your boundaries and exploring and thats exactly what I am trying to do. I know people have their own opinions and I know that a lot of people would probably look at my situation and think I am wasting my life. Here I am, no house, no children, no job, no real responsibilities......am I not one of the lucky ones? I disagree with the unwritten rules of society which seems to state you have to follow a particular timeline in order to conform. It seems like you are expected to go to university, get a good job, work hard, get married, buy a house, have a family. This is not what life is all about. I know that life will not always be like this and I know eventually I will have to 'settle down', of a fashion, but until then I want to enjoy my freedom and enjoy many more happy years exploring and experiencing what the world has to offer. Another valuable lesson I have learnt is that life is unpredictable and instead of swimming against the tide go with it. Whatever happens will happen for a reason and certain things never turn out the way we expect them. Sometimes we have to surrender ourselves to the unknown.

Nick was diving today with Bo and they had an early start. I stayed in bed for a little while but the noises from outside would prevent me from sleeping any longer. There are some days when I lie awake in bed wondering whether I would like to have a full time job to go to. I am the kind of person that needs structure in my day. As much as I hate to admit it! I love having the freedom to do what I want to do but there is another part of me that likes having something to focus on. I usually find myself thinking about the concept of work when I have nothing else to keep my mind busy. I had even considered doing my Advanced course with Master Divers while Nick and Bo are doing their Dive Masters. At least I would be able to dive to deeper depths, although, at the moment, this is only a thought.

I find myself making little morning routines which I am sure everyone that reads my blog has noticed. Every morning I will do my resistance bands training. Once my knee has healed enough I'll be able to start yoga again. At the moment my knee is still too tender to carry weight or lean on. I like watching youtube while I'm exercising, partly because it gives me something to focus on! Once I've had a shower I usually stand outside on the balcony right next to our room and comb my wet hair while looking up into the hills. The guest house is located in a very quiet spot which is great for us.

I took the walking street from Sairee Village to Mae Haad. Like usual there were a lot of bikini clad girls walking around. Occasionally a van will drive down the narrow street usually the driver has to stop, get out and move scooters and motorbikes that are in the way. Elise and Leah were already at Coconut Monkey when I arrived and we spent the afternoon having a girly gossip over a couple of pots of tea. I am very fortunate to have two of my closest friends here with me that I can share moments like this with.

I had to do a bit of shopping before my shift up at Haciendas. There is a particular stall I like to go to for my fruit and vegetables. There are a lot of stalls but this one seems to have the freshest produce! I miss having the variety of fruit and vegetables and those who know us well will know what our weekly shop consists of back at home! I'd say our diet is predominantly made up of fruit and vegetables with the addition of nuts, beans, seeds, pulses and grains. One of Nicks favourites being pearl barley or millet!

I bought my giant rainbow coloured bag full of shopping up at Haciendas for Nick to pick up once he had finished diving. By the sounds of it he had a good time today and so did Bo. I never thought they would be diving together and I'm glad they have found something else that they share an interest in. I love to watch them together and it makes me realise what a strong bond they both have. The bond they have runs deeper that just 'brother-in-law' or 'friends', they are brothers. Both of them, in a sense, have grown up together. Nick came into Bo's life when they were both teenagers and they immediately became the best of friends. Ever since then, even though there have been times when they might not have spoken or seen each other as often as they should have, they have always been there for each other. I think Nick is trying to make the most of the time he is spending with Bo at the moment because , like me, he knows that it won't be like this forever.

Today Nick was going to help with some tiling again so while he was out I spent the morning cleaning our room again and sorting out some e-mails. Now that I don't have a full time job I am left wondering how I managed to not only hold down a job, but study and keep up with everything else going on in my life. I think I have finally got to a point where I have started to relax a little bit. Yes, you heard it right, I said I have started to relax a little bit!

After taking a walk into Mae Haad to get my coconut water, Nick picked me up from Coconut Monkey where I was enjoying a pot of green tea and we headed down to Mammas for lunch for the first time in ages! She's always happy to see us and will go out of her way to come and take our order so she can ask where we've been and what we've been up to. There are a couple of new staff members in the kitchen that I don't recognise. Judging by the lack of spare tables here I would say business is booming for them and they needed to employ the extra staff!

Nick dropped me back to the guest house so I could have a quick shower. Not that it really makes any difference because as soon as I've had a shower I'm sweaty again. I said I would help Elise hand out some flyers today and as I was making my way down the hill towards Sairee Village to meet her I was offered a lift by a little thai lady on a motorbike who was concerned that I had a bandage around my leg and I was hurt. I explained that I was ok and it was an old injury, the bandage was really to keep the dirt and dust out of the wound. In hindsight I should have accepted a lift instead of politely declining and thanking her. I hope she didn't think I was being ungrateful.

I met Elise outside of 7 Eleven and we went to pick up the leaflets from one of the local bars. It was a stinking hot afternoon and I could feel the sun burning my shoulders already! Our plan of action was to follow the street and then hit the beach. It was actually really quiet along the street today. It might be because it was just too damn hot for people to be out and about. We soon worked out that handing out leaflets was a bit harder than we first thought. Because there were a lot of people sunbathing you don't want to disturb them. You also can't hand out leaflets to people in the water or people who have just got out of the water. I was surprised at some of the reactions from people who we're actually very rude! It bought me back to when I used to walk around the North Show and The Harbour Carnival handing out leaflets and some of reactions I got from people there.

After two hours of walking around and sweating profusely we both headed back to our guest houses. I made a salad from some of the bits I had in the fridge and Nick came to pick me up again. Nick and Bo had a busy evening ahead of them and there was a lot of paperwork spread out over one of the tables at Haciendas. I had no idea how much paperwork and course material they would have when the signed up to their courses. Tonight, table 17 would closely resemble a classroom!

Nick was diving this morning and he was on the early boat. I woke up with a really sore throat and the start of a cough. Nick hasn't been feeling 100% for the past couple of days so maybe I have caught whatever he's been spreading around! It was a struggle to complete my resistance bands training. I felt so exhausted!

After standing outside on the stone balcony brushing my wet hair and looking up into the misty hills I took a walk down to Sairee Village. There were a group of guys moving a big wooden boat across the road using a digger to pull a rope attached to the front of the boat. Several men were throwing old tyres under the boat to protect the hull from scraping the ground. Every time the boat lurched forwards they would throw another tyre under the front. Sometimes, if they were not quick enough, the bottom of the boat would scrape along the dusty floor. This was followed by lots of shouting from the driver of the digger and one of the men standing in the road guiding the boat. There was a big line of traffic being held up by the big boat that was now right across the middle of the road. I managed to squeeze past and continue walking to Mammas where I had organised to meet Nick for lunch.

It took him a while to get to Mammas with the boat in the way. I thought that he would probably get caught up in all the traffic which by the time I had squeezed past, was backed up the hill on both sides. I had been hanging out for a tofu salad which I haven't had in ages! I ordered NIck a vegetable pad thai so he had something to eat when he finally arrived. We both sat in the shade to eat, wondering where the cats were. Neither of them were around which was unusual. Normally one of them is sat on the bottom shelf where the cups are kept and the other is lying around somewhere. Usually under a table in the shade. There were a couple of little girls playing under the tree outside, climbing all over the motorbikes parked in the shade. Both of them were barefoot and wearing brightly coloured cotton dresses.

I climbed on the back of the scooter and we took a ride down to Freedom beach. We haven't been there in ages. Nick decided to park at the top of the hill as he was unsure if our dog of a scooter would actually make it back up the steep hill coming from the bay. We decided to take the concrete walk that takes you around the coast on a raised pathway that rises up out of the sea. The water today was a bright turquoise and looking down into the water from the pathway I could see the sandy bottom, it was so clear. The last time we did this walk it was a miserable rainy day and the sky was grey. Today we were walking in the glorious sunshine and the skies were blue with wisps of white cloud. There were a couple of people swimming in the bay. Above us there were lots of private wooden huts with their own steps joining onto the concrete pathway. There were a lot of people on Freedom beach today. Amongst the trees there was a big painted longtail boat anchored in the sand. Nick and I walked under the trees in the shade to the other side of the beach where we found a big lions mane jellyfish on the sand. It was probably a bit bigger than a dinner plate.

After walking up the really steep hill back to where the scooter was parked we headed to the supermarket in Chalok to get some shopping. They have the cheapest canned goods here. Since I haven't got any way of cooking dried beans and pulses I have to buy canned lentils, beans and chickpeas. I'm not a big fan of the canned goods but I haven't got a lot of choice at the moment. While Nick waited with the scooter I went to one of the fruit and vegetable stalls to get some more cucumbers and tomatoes before crossing the road and having a look at the pile of durians on a wooden table. This was the first time I've seen my favourite stinky fruit in Koh Tao and I couldn't resist buying one. I chose one of the smaller ones. As soon as the stall holder cracked open the fruit to show me the creamy yellow flesh inside the smell of old socks filled the air and Nick rolled his eyes in disgust! They very kindly cut the durian up for me and put the pieces in a plastic box into a carrier bag. Nick refused to have the bag hanging from the hook on the front of the scooter. I didn't mind because that meant I could eat some of it on the way back!

Once we got back to our guest house he made me stand outside on the balcony like a naughty child and eat my durian so he couldn't smell it. I wish he'd just give it a try and see how tasty it actually is. Meanwhile Nick had opened a packet of crackers he'd bought at the supermarket and he was sat on the edge of the bed with a packet of salted Australian butter munching his way through the packet of crackers.

I met Elise down in Sairee Village and we took the walking street to Mae Haad. It always seems to take a lot less time when you've got company. Elise needed to pick up her scooter from the garage. They had issues starting it so hopefully it would be fixed today. Its amazing how much you rely on transport here. I would definitely not want to pay for a taxi all the time. Taxis here are actually quite expensive. I met Nick and Bo at Coconut Monkey for a pot of green tea and a catch up. Bo had just finished another day of diving and he was getting closer to his target of 40 dives which would mean that he could start his Dive Masters course. I'm so excited for him! I love to see both the boys so involved in something they really enjoy and I love watching them talk about their experiences.

It was Sunday today which meant one thing.....roast dinners up at Haciendas. Today was a really busy day because a lot of people book in. Bo had pre-ordered his pork roast with all the trimmings. I could see Leah sat on the bench outside tucking into her chicken roast and Nick followed suit with his veggie roast complete with veggie patty, cauliflower cheese and bread sauce. After watching an epic fight between a big gecko and a rat (the gecko won!) the boys headed over to the pool tables for a few games. Life here on the tropical island of Koh Tao is very relaxed and out of all the places I thought I could possibly spend an extended amount of time while we were travelling I would have never thought of the tiny island of Koh Tao.

Nick was helping up at the villa again so I was on my own. I still wasn't feeling 100% and I'd had a really disturbed night. I couldn't work out whether or not it was just really hot or I had a temperature. My sore throat was getting worse and the glands in my neck were really swollen. I've also started to get a dull pain in my joints, especially in my knees and my hips. I hope I'm not coming down with something like the flu! Nick however, is starting to feel a lot better.

I was going to spend the morning working on the website but I discovered that we have no Microsoft word on the new machine. Nick came home for lunch to some tuna mayo sandwiches I had made for him and had a look at the computer for me once I'd finished shouting at it! He thinks that even though we had Microsoft word on the old laptop, regardless of the fact that the old hard drive is in the new computer we would need to install the program again and the disc is at home in Guernsey!

I was hoping to get our room cleaned but instead I was handed some new bedding and asked if I could make he bed. I'm starting to feel like a member of the family rather than a guest! We now have an interesting combination of cream and pink floral bed covers and pillows with a pink and yellow pokemon print quilt.

I took my usual route into Mae Haad through the walking street. There were some angry looking black clouds above me which seemed to be moving away from the island and over the sea. There were lots of little children in the playground at Koh Tao school. The playground backs onto the walking street. Some of them spotted me walking and waved and smiled as I walked past. On the opposite side of the road is Koh Tao Police Station which is a small building with a few motorbikes parked outside. Sometimes they have a burgundy pick up truck parked outside with 'POLICE' written in big white letters on the back.

I stopped off to get some coconut water at the coconut processing plant. Today the monkeys were sat on the ground amongst the leaf litter, their chains pulled taught. I feel so desperately sorry for them. I wonder if they were born in captivity or taken from the wild? I was greeted by the same cheerful lady who fills my bottle up with cold fresh coconut water. I have no idea what her name is. I should really ask. I always ask her how she is and we sometimes have a little chat although not much is really said as she speaks very little English and I speak hardly any Thai! Under the trees there were lots of slender roosters having a dust bath and a few scruffy chicks walking through the vegetation with their mother.

I spent the afternoon on my own at Coconut Monkey writing emails and trying to sort out the insurance claim we have on the old laptop. As predicted, it's not going to be as straight forward as I thought it was going to be. Thats insurance companies for you!

Tonight, Elise had arranged a pre-Christmas gathering and bought lots of nibbles for everyone. Since Elise and Robbie and Bo and Leah don't actually have anywhere to sit at their guest house I suggested they come to ours. At the moment we are the only people there and we have a big balcony complete with a big table and lots of chairs. I took the walking street back to Sairee. Nick was in the shower when I got back and soon after I arrived there was a knock at the door. Elise wasn't joking when she said she had bought a lot of food! My fridge was stuffed full of goodies after she'd emptied the bags and while we waited for Robbie Bo attempted to make some balloon animals out of the balloons he'd bought at the shop!

It was getting late and Robbie wasn't going to finish his shift until about 8pm. We couldn't wait any longer so we started to put the food out on the table on the balcony. Elise had bought some rounds of brie and Bo and Leah had bought some blocks of cheddar and edam. There were so many different types of crackers and a big block of salted butter which started to melt very quickly! Bo tipped out bags of crisps and popcorn onto paper plates. Elise had bought some sweet pickles and olives too! Everyone had bought plenty of drinks too! I felt like we were hosting a kids party with all the paper plates full of food! It was hilarious. Soon after we had started eating we saw Robbie coming up the track on his scooter. Nick thought it would be a brilliant idea to try and take the cap off of one of the bottles with our really sharp kitchen knife. Instead of taking just the cap off he ended up cutting the top off the bottle off. The chunk of glass complete with cap shot past me, bursting the balloon rabbit I had just made and disappeared over the balcony somewhere!

I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed so much and it was great to have everyone together. Eventually the evening came to an end and after Leah and Bo disappeared Elise and Robbie stayed for a coffee (or two!). I was already starting to feel a bit sick from all the food I'd just eaten! It reminded me of when I was a child and I would eat too much at a friends birthday party!

I had a rough night last night. I should not have eaten so much food! After tossing and turning all night I eventually got out of bed and took some charcoal tablets to try and relieve some of the pain in my stomach. I took some melatonin to in an effort to try and get at least a few hours sleep before the sunrise.

When Nick alarm went off I rolled over and climbed out of bed. I couldn't work out whether I had a temperature or if it was just hot in the room! My head was pounding and I had pain behind both eyes, I felt so ill and I'd come up in a rash over my stomach. My glands were so swollen it was hard to swallow and I had developed a bit of a cough. Something tells me it might not have been the food last night that made me feel sick. This was all I needed right now!

Nick was at the villa today helping out so he left me in bed. I didn't want to waste the whole day in bed so eventually I surfaced and I managed to drink a cup of warm water and do my exercises! While Nick was out I made him some tuna mayo sandwiches to come back to which he really appreciated. As soon as he got in he took his shirt off, sat on the cool tile floor and cracked open a cider to have with his sandwiches.

It took me a bit longer to do my usual walking route today and I felt so weak. I never take tablets for anything, let alone painkillers but I did give in and take a couple of paracetamol to try and dull the pain a little bit. By now all of my joints were really hurting, especially my knees and ankles. Hopefully whatever this is will pass soon!

I got my litre of fresh coconut water and met Leah and Elise down at Coconut Monkey. Leah said she'd felt really sick last night and put it down to the amount of cheese she ate. She actually threw up when she got home! While I was out Nick asked me to pick up his Dive Masters course material from Master Divers which came in a huge box which I then had to walk up the steep hill towards Haciendas where I was meeting him. Inside the box was a couple of big text books. He's got his work cut out for him! Both Bo and Nick have been searching for a few pieces of equipment that they will need while they are doing their dive masters. Luckily they have found some of the equipment second hand which will save some of the expense. I am left wondering how on earth Nick is going to carry his big rucksack, his smaller day sack, two laptops and a bag full of dive gear while we are travelling. I'm sure we'll work something out!

Bo and Leah were already up at Haciendas when we arrived and after disappearing for a while, Bo returned with his new BCD which he had to wear while sat on his stool at the bar!

Nick was up at the villa again today which meant I had a quiet morning by myself. Bo was out doing his last two dives! After today he's reached his 40 dives so he can officially start his training. While Nick was out I made some salad for lunch. I don't actually have a proper surface to prepare food on so I usually use the old TV stand and put my chopping board on there. I wasn't sure if it was hotter in our room or outside! I could hear the rumble of a bulldozer outside which meant they were working on the road again. I've noticed the giant hole in the road on the way up from Sairee Village seems to have got even bigger. Its that big I recon both Nick and I could climb down into it now. It seems to go underneath the road too, like the earth has been washed out from under the concrete road. Some of the bigger potholes now have coconuts in them thanks to some clever locals.

I felt a little bit better today but the walk to Mae Haad was still a bit of a struggle. I saw Dr Mae down the walking street. She'd some off her scooter recently and her arms and legs were still covered in cuts which were slowly turning into silvery scars. She'd also had dengue fever and today was her first day back at work!

Like usual, I stopped off at the coconut processing plant to get my coconut water. There were a few ladies in their brightly coloured sarongs, sat outside on the doorstep chatting. My next stop was the supermarket in Chalok to get some more medical supplies. I found some cheap tape in there so I could keep dressing my knee. I won't have to dress it for much longer because it has almost closed! I can't wait until I can finally have a shower without having to make sure my knee doesn't get wet! There are lots of Christmas decorations for sale and lots of artificial trees outside the main entrance to the supermarket. I considered buying some tinsel to make our room at the guest house feel a little more festive.

Eventually, after my long walk I found myself down at Coconut Monkey where I had a bit of time to chill out with a pot of green tea and sort out some e-mails. The claim for the laptop on our insurance is taking so long. Something tells me this is going to take a long time to sort out! They're always quick to take your money but when there's a problem they don't want to know. I just hope we can sort this out soon so I don't have it at the back of my mind.

After an hour or so I took a walk up to Haciendas to start my evening shift. I felt so much better compared with last night. Last night I felt like the walking dead!

I spent the morning on my own again which was nice because I finally managed to get some work done on the website! As far as I am aware, we are the only people staying at the guest house. I haven't seen anyone else or heard anyone in the other rooms. In fact, come to think of it, I haven't seen any staff members either which makes it really difficult when you need to pick up your washing! Just as I was thinking how great the fan was on this hot day the electric went off! It was probably something to do with all the work going on outside. Since the temperature was starting to rise in the room I thought it would be a good time to start walking to Mae Haad.

It was a really windy day and the sky was overcast. I think this weather had something to do with the back end of the typhoon thats just ripped through the Philippines. Apparently it had slowed down as it came through so we're not going to be hit! The walking street seemed to be even busier today which would be great for all the restaurants and cafes that rely on tourism. I took a walk to get my coconut water and I was really tempted to take a picture of the monkey which was sat on the floor with its legs spread looking at me with its beady little eyes. Leah and Elise were down at Coconut Monkey sat on the comfy cushions when I arrived and we spent the afternoon gossiping like old women!

Tonight there was a Christmas party booked in at Haciendas. There were 40 people coming up for Christmas dinner and I was getting myself ready for carnage. At 5:15pm Lynn phoned in and said she couldn't make it. Like usual the start of the night was really quiet. The little black cat was asleep in her usual spot outside the toilets on one of the sofas. The little tabby kitten thats been lurking around was chasing geckos around the restaurant. I know I should really should keep the cats out of the restaurant but they're so damn cute!

Soon the guests started to arrive and it was a military operation trying to get everyone seated and serve dinners. Each table was seated at different intervals and while I was sorting out cutlery and taking wine orders the staff in the kitchen were plating up the meals. Once the food was almost ready to be served the next table was seated and we repeated the whole process again. There were a few people who decided to change their minds on which wine they would like even though they had already placed their order. The bar was pretty busy too! I ended up staying on a little later than usual just to help out with cleaning up tables and serving the last few tables that were still seated. I think it was a success and everyone seemed to be working really well together, its all about team work after all. The kitchen staff always do an amazing job.

Nick and I headed off back to the guest house just before 11pm. Sairee Village seemed to be really busy tonight and there were a lot of people wandering around in the road with drinks and food. By the time we got back I was exhausted and I couldn't wait to get into bed. Before I could succumb to tiredness I still had to have a shower and re-dress my knee. By the looks of it I won't be doing that for much longer since it's almost closed!!

Nick had another early start this morning and headed off to the villa shortly after 8am to help with some more tiling. He seems really happy being able to offer his services. I know he'll always put 100% into whatever he is doing. It was a relaxing morning for me and after my exercises I did some work on the website. Now I finally feel like I am getting somewhere! The program only crashed once which is quite unusual. I think I was just having a lucky day. Nick keeps mentioning that he's going to transfer all the information from our old hard drive to the new one so the laptop runs a bit faster but I don't think that going to be any time soon since he's got so much to do!

For a change, I decided to meet Nick down at Mammas for lunch. We hadn't been there for a while and I was craving a papaya shake and some fresh spring rolls with tofu! They were pretty busy by the time I got down there and the two guys that take the orders were running around from table to table serving plates of hot food and taking orders. While I was waiting for Nick to arrive I got some glass mugs full of ice cold drinking water and found a table in the shade where I could sit and read my kindle book. I decided against buying an actual kindle and using the app on my phone which has been amazing. Last time we went away I was carrying so many heavy books it was ridiculous. There is nothing better than an actual paper book in your hand but for now the kindle will do! Nick arrived on his scooter. He had been out in the sun for most of the morning and already gone through two litres of water! I had my papaya shake and fresh spring rolls for lunch. I'd forgotten how good they actually we're.

I walked back to the guest house and by the time I started making my way up the hill they had already started road works. By the looks of it they were going to be digging up a big section of road where some of the larger holes have appeared. They had already started drilling the concrete. Hopefully the road wouldn't be too much of a mess later. When I arrived back at the guest house I sat on the bed with the fan on and did another hours work on the website before walking to Mae Haad.

I stopped of to get my coconut water and then sat down at Coconut Monkey for an hour or so to finish off some blog on my phone using the blue tooth key board Tony lent me. This thing has been a life saver! It was still very overcast and windy today but there was still no rain even though the temperature had dropped and the sky was black.

I made my way up to Haciendas just after 4:30pm. It was a quiet evening with a few customers. The wind was blowing everything everywhere, including napkins and order pads! Nick came up to have something to eat and then played a few games of pool with Steve and Bo.

This morning we had a message from Leah to say Bo wasn't feeling very well. He had really bad stomach pains and he was throwing up. Lets just say that he was feeling 'a little blocked up'. I suggested that he got some coconut water from the coconut processing plant. Their guest house literally overlooks the plant and I think it is the woman that I see everyday that owns the block they live in. Bo was too sick to move so Nick went off on the scooter to get him some coconut water. Bo managed a few sips and while Nick went to the clinic to ask Dr Mae a few questions Bo was having an eventful time in the bathroom! Poor guy! If its not food poisoning its something else! Just as Nick was leaving the clinic he went to pull the bike off the stand not realising that the stand was still down and ended up taking he skin off the top of his foot, right where his flip flop sits! At least he hurt himself right outside the clinic!

Once Nick had convinced Bo to come with him he took him down to the clinic where Dr Mae could examine him. He left with some antibiotics and was told to steer clear of dairy for a while. Eventually Nick came back to the guest house and dressed the wound on his foot. Just as mine is starting to look better now he's damaged himself! At least its only the skin he's taken off. We're both lucky that nothing has been really serious! Today would be the first day in ages that I didn't need to go and get some coconut water because Nick got it for me while he was there.

We took a trip down to Mammas for lunch and I had a papaya shake and some fresh spring rolls again. I love fresh produce and I've come to realise that what I eat has a massive impact on how I feel physically and mentally. If I eat fresh vibrant plant based foods I feel full of energy, happy and content. If I find myself slipping into my old ways again and eating processed food I find I feel sluggish and my skin pays the price of a bad diet! I am lucky to be living in a place where there is an abundance of fresh produce.

I spent my afternoon in Coconut Monkey, like usual, catching up on emails and writing. I've started a new project which is taking a bit of time but it will be worth it in the end. I've seen a lot of new faces in the cafe. Thats probably because there are a lot more people turning up on Koh Tao at the moment, most of them are going to be spending Christmas and New Year here. It will be another year that we have spent Christmas away from home. There is a huge part of me that craves to be with my family on Christmas Day. For both Nick and I, Christmas is a time for being with your loved ones. Its not about how much money you've spent on presents, how many presents you get, if you got what you wanted, the decorations, the food....it's not about that. Its about being with the people you care about the most and enjoying the precious time you spend with them. There is another part of me that likes being away from home and not having to worry about doing the Christmas shopping and have I spent the same amount of money on this person as that person. I hate how commercial Christmas has become. I am looking forward to spending the day with Bo, Leah, Elise and Robbie and some of the friends we have made here on the island of Koh Tao.

I walked up to Haciendas from Coconut Monkey, up that big steep concrete hill. Bo, Leah and Elise were all sat at the bar. Steve had found an interesting looking hairy caterpillar with some unusual markings that was now climbing around the top of the pepper pot. Bo was feeling a lot better than he did this morning. He had managed to eat a small bowl of soup for his dinner. When I got there he had one of his diving manuals on the bar which he was working through. When Nick arrived they both sat at the bar and helped each other answer the questions. every now and again I would catch them out of the corner of my eye watching videos on each others phones! Boys will be boys!

It was Robbies birthday today! Happy birthday Robbie! Elise had organised for us to all meet at a cafe down in Chalok. Before we went out in search of the cafe Nick went out and did some shopping while I did the dishes in our bathroom sink and tidied up the room. Our little foam circle we use for a plug has come in handy during all of our travels. We bought it before we headed out to Sri Lanka in 2011 and its proved to be a valuable piece of kit as well as my old tobacco tin which is full of lots of useful bits like a lighter, mini sewing kit, mirror, swiss army card, mini candles, tweezers and a pocket knife. You never know when you'll need those things.

By the time Nick eventually returned home it was getting late and he still had to dress his foot. I hadn't realised how bad it looked until he took the old dressing off. He hasn't been able to wear any flip flops since he did it. Not many people wear shoes here anyway! Soon after he'd finished putting a clean dressing on we headed down to Chalok in search of Koppee which was much harder to find than we first thought. In fact, we ended up riding all the way to Freedom beach and thats when Nick called Bo to get directions. Nick pulled up outside just as Elise and Robbie arrived! All of us having lunch together was supposed to be a surprise for Robbies birthday!

There were some spare bean bag seats around a low wooden table on a deck that overlooked the beach. It was the perfect setting for lunch. We all ordered some smoothies and something to eat while admiring the view. A couple of dogs came over to sit with us, one under the table and one next to Robbie. Nick was fascinated with the Indian myna birds that were hopping right up to him. As soon as his sandwich arrived he had some crumbs in his open hand and the little birds came right up to him and ate out of the palm of his hand. No birthday would be complete without birthday cake and Robbies chocolate brownie was covered in 24 candles which melted all over the top of his brownie! Oh to be 24 again! If only I knew then what I know now! Below us was the beautiful turquoise ocean, the waves were gently lapping at the shore. There were three painted longtail boats bobbing around in the water and a couple of dogs stretched out on the sand under the shade of the palm trees. After Leah and Bo had a quick dip in the pool and decided it was too cold they headed out into the sea with Elise and Robbie leaving Nick and I sitting on the bean bag chairs taking in the wonderful, tropical view. I let Nick have a little nap on his beanbag for 15 minutes until he started snoring! I could see the others had made their way out to a wooden platform where they were jumping off into the water.

I took a walk back into Mae Haad to get some fresh air. It was a scorching hot day and I could feel the strength of the sun on my skin. By the time I got back everyone was out of the water and sat around the table with a second round of shakes. Elise and Robbie had other things planned for the day so we all went our separate ways. Nick and I found ourselves down at Coconut Monkey for a little bit and enjoyed a pot of green tea. I took a walk up to the 29 Baht shop. I'd never been in there before and I was intrigued to see what they sold in there. It was a little bit like Poundworld at home, about 80% of the stuff in there is crap but there were a few bargains, especially the glass mason jars and some of the homeware.

Nick took me home for a shower before I headed up to Hacienda to start my shift. While I was in the shower he quickly whipped up a salad with some of the fresh ingredients that he bought this morning from the fruit and veggie stall. I had just enough time to finish my salad and a mug of green tea before jumping on the back of the scooter. Elise had been asking if there was a spare room at our guest house and so far we haven't had much luck finding anyone to ask. We've even had a few issues trying to get our washing back because the reception is always closed! I think it might be because we are the only people there at the moment. Luck was on our side tonight and the little old lady who owns the guest house was sat outside on her platform. I managed to do a bit of bartering for a room for Elise and Robbie for the next three weeks and got her down to 6000 Baht.

There were so many people up at Haciendas tonight. A lot of people were there for roast dinners and others were just walk in's. There were so many extra roast dinners booked in we sold out! Dam disappeared into the kitchen at one point to help them cook the food. Although it was incredibly busy we all managed! There were lots of happy customers too which is always nice. At the end of the night Bee handed me a paper bag with 3 left over Yorkshire puddings inside for Nick and a big bunch of bananas to take home.

By the time we got back to the guest house we were both exhausted. Nick had been working on the new laptop for the entire evening whilst sat in the corner of the bar. The only time he had a break was when I handed him some napkins to fold because we were so busy I didn't have time to do it! He's been transferring all the data from the old hard drive to the new one and having a lot of issues. I was glad he was in a corner on his own as I can only imagine how angry he was getting! I made us both a hot drink after we'd had a much needed shower. My knee has now fully healed which meant tonight was the first night I would be going to bed with no dressing on there! It felt so strange having a naked knee for the first time in over 5 weeks!

It was another early start this morning and after a bowl full of porridge oats with soy milk and bananas Nick was off for the day up at the villa to do some more tiling. It was another scorching hot day today and very humid. As soon as I stepped outside I was sweating. It looked like they were going to start roadworks again since there was a huge digger and a couple of big trucks parked just down the road from the guest house. Maybe today they would be moving the pylons which carry the tangled black electricity cables up the hill from Sairee.

I walked to Mammas for lunch and sat on my own at one of the tables to read my kindle book. I ordered some fresh spring rolls with tofu and a papaya shake. I love the vibrant colours of the food! Mamma was in the kitchen cooking dish after dish for the hungry customers waiting at the tables. Thai cooking is so fast. The preparation is what takes the most time. On one of the counters there are lots of plastic bowls full of pre-chopped ingredients waiting to be thrown in the wok. There are a couple of new members of staff too, two beautiful burmese girls with clay circles painted on their cheeks.

Once I walked into Mae Haad I met Elise and Leah in Coconut monkey and we all took a trip up to the 29 Baht shop after I'd stopped into the post office to send a postcard to someone. We ended up waiting outside for a little while until it opened! I bought Nick some tinsel and a santa hat to wear at the Master Divers Christmas party tonight which was being held down at Coconut Monkey. We'd already bought our secret Santa presents.

Nick came to pick me up once he'd finished at the villa and we stopped off at Mammas to grab something to eat. I haven't had noodle soup in so long and it tasted just as good as I remembered. Nick went for his usual pad thai.

Coming back up the track towards the guest house we ended up getting stuck behind lots of other people on scooters waiting for a huge digger and a couple of trucks to move. They were blocking the entire road and nobody, not even pedestrians could get through! In the darkness you would see the trucks illuminated with flood lights. It was pretty noisy too. Nick and I were sat there for at least 20 minutes before there was enough room for traffic to come though. One of the trucks came down the hill loaded up with dirt and the digger rumbled further up the hill and parked just off the track. Before we could go a line of traffic coming from the other way came through. Nick hit the dirt on the scooter and we were sliding everywhere. I just hid behind him and tried not to look at the dimly lit dirt road ahead hoping that we wouldn't come off the scooter!

We made it back to the guest house in one piece! It was a manic rush to get showered and ready for the Christmas party tonight. After spending a lot longer than I planned trying to pull my hair up into a bun on the top of my head I got Nick to do it instead. I hate to admit it but he always does a better job! I wrapped some tinsel around the bun and secured it with a few pins. Nick put his flashing santa hat on and we grabbed our secret Santa presents. There was no way we could have rushed down the track, even if we were running late, unless we wanted to end up with the scooter in the mud! Although we were sliding everywhere, Nick seemed to have complete control!

Down at Coconut Monkey there was already a bit of a gathering. We arrived in style, Nick barefoot with his flashing Santa hat and tinsel thong over his shorts and me with my reindeer antlers! Bo and Leah were sat outside on a bench on the decking overlooking the beach. I could just make out the edge of the water. In the distance were tiny little twinkling lights on the boats. There was a big bowl of Laab, some garlic bread and salad sat on a table in the middle of the room. I would have loved to try some but Laab is made with mince. Tony had a huge tupperware tub full of breaded chicken schnitzel and potato salad with boiled eggs which he'd ordered from a place called Enjoy which is a 5 minute walk up the steep concrete hill heading towards Hacienda. I'd walked past there so many times but never thought of going in there for something to eat. Apparently they do really good vegetarian food there.

After a few drinks it was time for everyone to exchange their secret Santa gifts. I was pleased to see the boat crew had joined us tonight, even the Captain, P Dong was sat on one of the tables with a big smile on his face. Some of the presents were hilarious and a lot of people had put a lot of thought into their gifts. I was very impressed with mine, which I knew was from Tony because he'd said he'd spent most of the day hand sewing a pouch to make a mini first aid kit to keep in a scooter. I love the idea! Nick's gift was from P Dong, an image of Phra Phikanet (Ganesh) in an ornate glass box decorated with gold. P Dong had spent quite a bit more than the 100 Baht we were told! Nick loved his present and P Dong explained the meaning behind this gift and suggested that Nick put it somewhere high up, above his head. P Dong noticed the scripture and pictures on Nicks singlet he was wearing and lifted his own shirt to reveal faded tattoos with exactly the same script and images of two tigers tattooed all over his body.

When it came to the presents for the boat crew from Master Divers I started to well up a little bit. Each of them had new bedding and pillows and a few other gifts. They were so grateful and so excited, it was heartwarming to watch. There was something quite moving about watching two cultures come together to celebrate what is essentially a Western tradition. Both Nick and I were so pleased we could be part of the moment and be with the people we love and our friends that we have made in Koh Tao.

Nick and Bo had planned to go up to the villa this morning so they could help with plumbing in the pool. To my surprise Bo actually got up early and was ready before Nick! Both the boys disappeared up the track on their scooters. I used our kettle to boil up 10 eggs. I worked out that you can put 5 eggs in at a time, wait for the kettle to boil and as it reboils, wait 12 minutes for the eggs to cook! Peeling them was a complete nightmare but, once again, I was very impressed with our little kettle! The boys were very impressed with their egg mayo sandwiches for lunch and both of them sat on the bed in our little room with the TV stand pulled up to them like a table.

After I'd washed all the dishes and coffee cups the boys headed back up to the villa and I took my usual walk down the track into Sairee Village and through the walking street. The closer to Christmas we are getting the more people there are walking around. I've got a feeling Koh Tao is going to be really busy on Christmas Day. After getting my coconut water I took a walk down into Chalok to Aukotan to do a bit of shopping. Just at the bottom of the hill, right on the junction there was a huge amount of water that had collected there. There was no way round it so I just walked straight through it trying to get out of the way of oncoming scooters and motorbikes.

I spent the afternoon with Elise and Leah at Coconut Monkey. I made is just in time before a huge storm reared its ugly head. Rain poured like a sheet of water, instantly flooding the street outside. The staff in Coconut Monkey made a quick dash to close all the windows and move tables into the centre of the cafe to stop the customers getting wet. Leah and I both had work tonight and by the looks of it we would be walking in the rain. Luckily for me I had a waterproof and my bag was a dry bag so I was ok. Poor Leah had nothing but her rucksack with her. Elise very kindly took her on her scooter up to her guest house so she could get changed for work.

I walked up the hill in the rain. It wasn't actually as bad as I thought it would be and the rain actually started to slow down a little as soon as I left Coconut Monkey. A few of the tables and chairs in Hacienda were very wet. Part of the restaurant is open to the elements which is fantastic on a hot day when the sun is shining but not when it rains. There was supposed to be a big party tonight but because of the rain most of the guests didn't show up. Lynn had come in to help out. Luckily for her it wasn't too busy because she wasn't feeling very well tonight and after something to eat she went and hid herself in one of the corners on a sofa.

On the way back we were met by more roadworks again. Another part of the road had been completely dug up and with all the rain it had become a muddy mess. I trust Nicks driving to the point where I sometimes even close my eyes! This was one of those eye closing times and I held on tight as he manoeuvred the scooter through the mud, slipping and sliding over the bumps, up the track. Outside the guest house, what appeared to be solid mud was actually really soft and silty so as Nick pulled in to park we ended up sliding sideways! Just trying to get home is starting to become a bit of an adventure!

There as a huge thunderstorm last night. I counted the seconds between the lightening and the thunder and it went from 12 miles away to right over the island. Each flash of lightening lit up our whole room and every clap of thunder rattled our wooden door and the shutters on our windows! This went on for hours and to make it worse we could hear a cat crying outside. Listening to the poor thing was breaking my heart. Eventually Nick couldn't listen to it anymore and as the storm eased a little he got up, pulled on a pair of shorts and went outside to find it! He came back a few minutes later and said he'd found a little ginger cat sat on the veranda of the guest house. Apparently it just looked at him and ran away!

We managed to get a few hours sleep as the storm eased a little bit but it was still an incredibly wet day. We both sat in bed listening to the rain eating our steel bowls of porridge.

There was another thunderstorm last night which went on for hours. Nick and I just lay in bed, awake, listening to the rain hammering on the roof. Outside we could hear the cat again and I felt so sorry for it. Hopefully someone downstairs would let it in!

Nick, Leah and Bo were all diving today, mainly because Bo and Leah wanted to bring a slate down with them so they could write a Christmas message for the family and take a photo. Meanwhile, after my resistance bands training and a shower, I went out to start the shopping. There was a huge puddle, ankle deep at the bottom of the track, which I had to walk through since it was covering both grass verges. Sairee Village was a hive of activity with lots of tourists walking around in their santa hats, shorts and bikinis. If this was my first Christmas away from home I would think people walking around in santa hats in this weather would be quite strange but this will be our 4th Christmas away from home, on the other side of the world so for us this is starting to feel normal!

Today I got 2 litres of coconut water instead of 1 so I had some for tomorrow morning. It may be Christmas Day but I don't want to miss out on my coconut water. She very kindly gave me a litre free of charge because it was Christmas! I walked down to Chalok in the pouring rain to Aukotan and by the time I reached my destination I was that wet I would literally wring water out of my dress! My waterproof wasn't coping very well with the amount of water! On the junction just before Aukotan, the road had flooded again and several 4x4 taxis ploughed through the water, soaking me all the way through!

Just as I came back up to the main road a very wet Nick on a scooter appeared and I hopped on the back. He'd finished his diving and come looking for me in the rain! Down at Coconut Monkey there was a bit of a gathering and most of the Master Divers staff were there. Since Nick and Bo were technically staff now Leah and I got to join them as well. There was a big pot of mulled wine on the counter which everyone could help themselves too. Nick poured a big ladle full into a paper cup and sat down with Bo, Leah and I at one of the heavy wooden tables. Since there wasn't enough mince pies to feed everyone we all shared mince pies cut into quarters and listened to some Christmas tunes. Now it was starting to feel a bit festive! tony was dancing around the cafe with his cup of mulled wine and a package under one arm from his friend in Germany.

We couldn't stay too long because we had a few more things to do before tomorrow so Nick and I went off to buy our secret Santa gifts after a quick trip to Mammas for some lunch. As soon as we sat down on the plastic chairs the heavens opened again! Gift shopping was done in the pouring rain and after getting completely soaked we headed back to the guest house to have a hot shower because we were both shivering!

After waiting for a break in the rain we headed out again for the last few bits and some razor blades which we needed badly! We stopped off in Pen Wholesale to see if they sold them there and I found Bo, Leah and Elise shopping for their secret santa presents! oops! I hope none of them had me!

Nick dropped me off at Haciendas to start my shift. Literally, as soon as I walked through the door there was a big flash of lightening, a clap of thunder and it started to pour with rain again. It was starting to look like a really miserable Christmas Eve! Eventually Bo and Leah turned up and sat at the bar to eat their dinner which consisted of tomato soup, flatbreads and cheesy garlic bread. On the top of each bowl of soup was a little swirl of cream made to look like a Christmas tree thanks to Tan in the kitchen! It looked amazing! The first part of the evening was pretty slow because of the weather but that gave me some time with everyone sat at the bar. All I could think about was how lucky I was to have everyone here with me on Christmas Eve and how fortunate we all are to be in the same place at the same time at this moment. Being surrounded by the people I love, especially at Christmas time is the best gift I could ever receive.

About an hour before I finished my shift a big German family walked through the door and sat themselves down on one of the big tables opposite the bar. It was all systems go after that! Especially in the kitchen where there were lots of fresh pizzas being put together.

By the time Nick and I finally got back to the guest house it was getting really late. I decided to play one of my favourite childhood programs on YouTube, Brambly Hedge! It was the episode about the ice palace which really got me in the Christmas spirit. While Nick was having a shower he was playing some Christmas songs. I filled our steel cups with hot chocolate and we cuddled up on the bed waiting for Christmas morning to arrive.

Merry Christmas everyone! I woke up to find several little gifts all neatly wrapped in red tissue paper with green bows. They were on the TV stand by the kettle. I said to Nick that I hadn't got him anything and I wasn't expecting anything from him. He said 'They're not from me, they're from Santa!'

So, santa got me some soap, a bottle of my favourite soy sauce, some fried shallots and a big bag of raw cashew nuts. He obviously knows me really well! I had just enough time to have a quick shower, put my hair up with some tinsel in it and slap on some makeup before heading out of the door. I was going to walk to Bo and Leahs place where we had arranged to meet at 11am. Nick went off ahead of me on his scooter and very quickly returned to give me a lift since the road was really flooded and the puddle at the bottom of the track was now more of a lake and very deep. I was glad he turned around to get me because it was that deep it came over where Nick usually puts his feet! Nick dropped me off in Sairee Village and I took the walking street to Mae Haad. There were so many people out today and the cafes and restaurants were bursting at the seams. A lot of the thai ladies sat outside their businesses were all pointing at my shiny tinsel covered bun and smiling, wishing me a Merry Christmas!

Leah, Bo and Nick were all on the bed with the fan on and the door to the balcony wide open, watching episodes of Friends on their TV. Bo had already opened a tub of Christmas sweets that he'd bought from Aukotan for 80 baht. Eventually Elise and Robbie turned up with a bag full of cider and beers and their wash bags since they had no water this morning! This isn't the first time this has happened either and I'm sure it won't be the last! Apparently they are having a lot of issues which seem to be dismissed by the owner. I'm so glad we decided to stay where we are! They both had showers and sat out on the balcony in their towels, smoking cigarettes.

At 12:30 we all made our way down to Hacienda. Nick rode off, barefoot, wearing his Santa hat and Elise and Robbie followed. Bo and Leah stayed back a while so they could sort out their secret santa presents. Steve was there to greet us when we arrived and we all went in the office, one by one, to put our gifts in a black sack and we all gathered around one of the big tables. It seemed really strange letting Dam put out all the cutlery and bring the drinks. Elise and Robbie had bought some party poppers and Leah had bought some card games with her, Uno being one of her favourites! Steve had a tub of Malteasers, a big bar of dairy milk and a big bottle of Baileys! He was ready for Christmas!

After a couple of games of Uno the food was served. Nick, Elise and I had the vegetarian option which came with a veggie patty and all the trimmings. Everyone else had roasted chicken breast with Yorkshire puddings, pigs in blankets, stuffing, vegetables, roasted shallots and garlic, Brussel sprouts, bread sauce and cranberry sauce with lashings of gravy! If that wasn't enough we had a platter of mini mince pies dusted with icing sugar, chocolate fudge and mini clementines. Nick and I had just enough time to eat our lunch before we started our shift. Dam was short of staff today and although it was Christmas day and everyone else would be relaxing we both agreed that Christmas is about giving. What better gift could we give than our time for someone who needed some help.

It was an incredibly busy day but everyone was in good spirits and there were so many compliments on the food. There were a lot of people who called up last minute to see if there were any spaces and with a bit of juggling, Dam managed to fit some more people in. Apparently one of the restaurants in Mae Haad were having issues with the kitchen and they couldn't serve any food. There must have been a lot of disappointed people today. Although Nick had never done this sort of work before, after I showed him a few things he was off serving tables, getting drinks and taking orders. It was like he'd always been working here. There was so much going on in the kitchen and although it was very busy it was all under control like usual. The staff here are excellent at communicating with each other and they work together as a team. Thats the way it should be. In between running around and serving people we opened our secret santa presents at the bar. Nick had bought Elise her present, her favourite Birdy 3 in 1 coffee and I had Bo as my secret santa. I'd been into the dive shop and got him a whistle and some clips that he needed. I bought him a little bar of Dairy Milk too because I know he loves his chocolate! Steve had got Nick a waterproof bag to take diving with him. It was the perfect size for Nicks dive log.

We worked right through until 10pm when the final few guests started tailing off. One of them had even passed out on the sofa and it took three of his friends to wake him up and move him! Lynn finally turned up just as we were leaving and Nick gave her a lift home. I waited in the car park for him to come back.

Somehow, all of us ended up down at Mammas. Bo and Leah were already there and tucking into some food. Bo quite likes the fried morning glory with pork and no name which is basically left over vegetables and meat, battered and deep fried. Elise and Robbie were both sat with their Santa hats on and Nick and I were still in our work t-shirts looking forward to getting into bed. Although we were tired it had been a great day and we both felt more festive serving people their Christmas dinners.

Back at the guest house Nick Skyped his family on his phone because for some reason Skype wouldn't work on the laptop. Looking at everyone sat around the dinner table with all the decorations in the background made me miss home a little bit. Maybe not being at home, just being around my family at this time of year. Whilst we were talking Nick and I were tucking into a steel bowl full of cold roast potatoes with soy sauce....honestly, don't know it until you've tried it. I have soy sauce with almost everything! I managed to speak to my Mum and by the sounds of it she had a great day with the family. It must be really hard for her to have both of her babies away at Christmas. However, regardless of the miles between us, thanks to technology, we still managed to see each other on Christmas Day. When Nick and I finally climbed into bed at almost 1am I lay back and thought about all the things that have happened since last year and now, Christmas was over for another 12 months. Where would we be next year? Who knows.

Today I actually managed to stay in bed for a little while. I was still exhausted from yesterdays antics and I needed a little bit more rest than usual. Nick and Bo were diving today so he was up and out of the door in time for the boat that was leaving just before lunchtime.

It was a beautiful day today and as I stood out on the balcony brushing my hair I looked up at the lush green hills and took a deep breath. How lucky am I to be able to stand here everyday and have a view like this. In those moments I forget everything that is going on in my life. All the stresses and worries disappear and I am at one with the world. In those quite moments I can appreciate what it is to be alive. I am truly blessed.

I took a walk down to Sairee Village which was a hive of activity again. Some people looked like they hadn't actually been to bed yet! There was still a lot of water from the downpour we had on Christmas Eve. Some of the drains were overflowing and there was still water running down the hills. I turned into the walking street and dodged the oncoming scooters and pedestrians. There were a lot of people sunning themselves on the beach today and I don't blame them. The sea was a beautiful turquoise blue and I could see the darker patches where the reef lay below the surface. Palms gently swayed in the breeze and the smell of delicious thai food wafted through the air. I walked past the guy that sells fresh homemade doughnuts from his little stall and another older lady who sells papaya salad that she serves in little paper bowls. One day I'll stop and buy some. Today I decided to stop off at a stall I walk past every single day. I noticed they had a juicer sat on the counter. I ordered a carrot and apple juice and made sure I asked for no sugar as I saw the person before me had quite a lot of sugar syrup poured into their fresh juice. Didn't really make sense to pour something unhealthy in one of the healthiest things you can drink, but hey, this is Thailand!

I grabbed my bottle of fresh coconut water and sipped on that as I walked down to coconut Monkey where I spent some time catching up on some writing and some emails. I spotted Nick and Bo outside, sat on the floor, sorting out their diving gear. They had just got back from their first dive and they were about to go out on the boat again. Nick was so excited to tell me that they had both seen a whale shark while they were out diving. It came out of the gloom and glided silently above their heads. What I would have given to have been there at that moment with them. What an incredible experience. I ordered Nick a veggie wrap so he could have something to eat before they headed out for the rest of the afternoon.

I took a walk through the town centre, making my way towards the Hacienda. I'd popped into a couple of the little shops and bought some bread, eggs and some honey. Nick met me up at Hacienda later on, once he'd been home and had a shower. It was a quiet night tonight which wasn't a surprise. Everyone was probably still recovering from the Christmas celebrations! When Nick did arrive he ordered his usual soda water and then fell asleep on one of the sofas in the corner of the restaurant where people couldn't see him. Bo was feeling pretty tired too and from what I can gather, they have a lot of paperwork to do before the end of the month. I know its hard work to begin with but it will be worth it in the end.

I can't believe its Sunday again already? Since we've been lazing around in Koh Tao time seems to slip away and before we know it another week has gone by and I feel like I have literally done nothing. I suppose in a way thats a good thing because I know deep down that I need to learn to relax a bit more. I know when I'm at home I put so much pressure on myself and then wonder why I am so exhausted? The more time I spend away from home the more I am discovering myself, my identity as a person and everyday I am learning something new, quite often confirming things that deep down I always knew but didn't want to admit or deal with at the time. This process of self discovery is ongoing and will never end.

After I'd swept out our room I stood out on the balcony for a few minutes and watched as the clouds slowly moved across the sky. There was a very slight breeze today which was great because the sun was so strong. I was going to drop off some washing this morning but there was nobody down at reception. There were a lot of shoes outside and the door was open but nobody was answering. I took a walk down to Sairee Village, through the massive puddle at the bottom of the track and around a group of dogs that had gathered under the shade of a tree on the side of the road.

Today I stopped off for another fresh juice at the little stall at the end of the walking street. I'd forgotten how good fresh juice tastes! Once I'd grabbed my litre of fresh coconut water I spent most of the afternoon down at Coconut Monkey chatting with Elise while she ate some potato salad which came in a beautiful big ceramic cup. I really wanted to try the food from the vegetarian/vegan restaurant in town and with Elise in tow, on her scooter, I walked there and found myself a table inside. We were the only people there. I supposed it was only 4:15pm but I wanted to get something to eat now before I started my shift at 5pm. The menu was extensive and there was so much to choose from. Why haven't I been here before? I ordered an eggplant salad which came with a warm sweet and tangy dressing and some rice paper rolls made with taro, sweet potato and mint with a sweet peanut dressing drizzled all over the top. It was delicious! It was a little bit more than what I would usually spend but nice to have a change. Elise and I parted ways and while she went off to go and see Robbie at the Hostel he was helping out at, I walked up to The Hacienda to start my shift.

It was quiet at first and then things started picking up, especially when the German family from last week walked in and took up one of the biggest tables we have in the restaurant. Bo and Nick turned up and sat in a quiet corner of the restaurant to do some of their knowledge reviews and paperwork. Nick got some bread and butter pudding with custard to keep him going and Bo ordered a big bowl of custard which he couldn't finish!

Nick and Bo were diving all day today so Nick prepared his lunch for the day and took some fruit with him. It was another glorious day outside and after standing out on the balcony for a few minutes contemplating what I was going to do today I headed downstairs, handed my washing into reception and gave them my key so they could clean the room. I'm not too fussed about the main living area as I keep that pretty clean anyway, it's just the bathroom I like cleaned and depending on who is cleaning depends on how good the job is! Elise and Robbie were moving back into the guest house today and by the sounds of it they can't wait. I think they have had enough of waking up with no water which means no washing or flushing the toilet since they use an urn full of water and a pan. It will be a little bit of luxury for them to have hot water, a flushing toilet and wifi that actually works!

I found myself in Sairee Village after walking through the massive puddle at the junction. Hopefully if the weather stays nice then the sun will dry it out! I decided to have a look in a couple of shops along the walking street since I wasn't in a hurry. I stopped off to get a juice. I ordered a cucumber and apple juice and ended up with a cucumber and tomato juice which was so watery and tasteless I had a job to get it down! I didn't have the heart to tell the lady she had given me the wrong juice. Thats my fault for not learning to speak more Thai and expecting people to understand me. I picked up my litre bottle of coconut water and carried on walking down the hill towards Chalok. Down at the junction the road was flooded again and some of the drains had burst. I dread to think what was in the water that I was walking through! I did a little bit of shopping at Aukotan, only for a few essentials that we needed. I spent the rest of the afternoon in the corner of Coconut Monkey writing an article and sipping on some green tea. The boys were a bit later today and even though Rob had technically closed the cafe he said I could stay a bit longer until the boat came in.

At 5:30pm the longtail came to shore and I watched the boys climb out and walk up the beach. I was actually on the phone to my Mum at the time talking to her on Facetime which means we can actually see each other. Skype has been a nightmare to set up so I've given up with it. Its so nice to see her face. It makes me feel that little bit closer to her. I hung out of one of the windows so she could speak to Bo while he was cleaning out his scuba gear with Nick. Since they are training they have certain jobs they have to do. Nick was sweeping out all the water in the room they keep all the gear and Bo went off to write the rota for tomorrow for all the staff.

Once Nick and Bo had finally finished for the day it was about 6:20pm and we were all really hungry. Bo was going off to meet Leah for dinner and I had suggested going to the vegetarian restaurant in the main street called La Carotte. I loved the food I had there the day before and I really wanted Nick to come and sample some of the food. He was too hungry to back to the guest house and have a shower so we headed straight there. He sat down on one of the wooden seats with his wet shorts on and someone came over with the menu and a notepad for us to write our order down. There was so much to choose from it was really hard! I went for the vegetable noodle soup in a coconut broth and Nick ordered the plain vegetable soup. I ordered a side of vegetarian sausages and some sushi made with red rice and sweet potato. The sauce that came with it tasted amazing and was a mixture of wasabi and soy sauce.

When we finally got back to the guest house our early night went out of the window when we put Avatar on. I said we would only watch half but we blatantly knew that wasn't going to happen! So after watching the entire film we finally climbed into bed just before midnight! Nick had a really early start in the morning so he really needed some sleep! He'd already made some egg mayo sandwiches for him and Bo to share tomorrow while they were out on the boat. Bo had messaged me earlier asking if I had any sea sickness tablets he could use tomorrow. I made sure I put them in the pocket of Nicks shorts that he would be wearing so he wouldn't forget them!

Nick and Bo were off diving all day so I had the day to myself again. I was going to spend the morning listening to some relaxing music, chilling out with the fan on and the doors open but unfortunately for the rest of the residents here at Kookkai a group of VERY noisy guests arrived! After lots of door slamming and stomping around they finally left, stomping down the stairs and shouting at each other.

I decided to head out, just in case they came back again. As I was walking down the track towards Sairee Village I started to feel a bit sick. Maybe it was because I was a bit dehydrated? By the time I reached the coconut processing plant I was feeling even worse. I couldn't wait to get to Coconut Monkey so I could sit down and rest for a while. I just about managed to drink a pot of green tea. Leah came down for a while and played a game on her iPad while I read a book on my kindle. I love the way we can sit in silence and neither of us feel awkward.

I was still feeling really ill so I decided to go out for a walk. I met up with Gary and Lynn, the couple who Nick had been helping. They had just got back from Koh Samui. Thinking that a simple dish of plain rice might help the acid feeling in my stomach I headed to La Carotte and ordered a portion of steamed red rice. No sooner had I walked out of the door I realised I didn't have a spoon!! Luckily for me Robbie was stood outside the hostel and he had a spoon!! After eating the rice I started to feel a lot better! Before I walked up to The Hacienda I bought a big watermelon from one of the stalls on the main road. This was going to be my breakfast tomorrow morning!

Dinner tonight was a big bowl of vegetables and a salad. I've been craving greens all day! Bo and Nick spent the evening sat in the corner of the bar working on some more knowledge reviews. This course is pretty full on!

Nick was not diving until lunchtime so we had a bit of a lay in this morning which was nice. We're both feeling so tired at the moment. We had a morning visitor in our room! Elise decided to join us with her iPad, wrapped up in her blanket. Meanwhile I was doing my exercises in my nightie and Nick was still in bed wrapped up in the quilt. It was an unusual sight for anyone who didn't know we were close friends. Robbie briefly walked into the room wearing his towel. After a round of coffees Nick headed out on the scooter and I started my walk in Mae Haad, stopped off to get my coconut water and got some fresh fruit from the stall on the main road between Mae Haad and Chalok.

After sitting down with a pot of green tea in Coconut Monkey I took a walk up to La Carotte to get some more of their amazing sushi! I can't get enough of the stuff, especially that wasabi soy dressing it comes with! Up at the Hacienda I managed to get a call through to my Mum on Facetime and while I was chatting to her whilst sat at the bar Dam got to meet her too. It was a quiet evening so I ended up leaving early and heading back to the guest house. Elise and Robbie were sat out on the balcony and while they were smoking I was eating the other half of my melon.

Its New Years Eve already? I can't believe it was a year ago that we were celebrating at home! Where does that time go?! A lot has happened in the past year and I couldn't have imagined that New Year 2016 would be spent in Thailand with my family and friends! Nick was diving again today so I had the day to myself again. I sat out on the balcony in the sun with my half a watermelon enjoy the sunshine. Robbie and Elise came out to join me before I took a walk into Mae Haad. Nick had already been to the coconut processing plant and got a couple of litres of coconut water which were now sat in the fridge at Master Divers.

I picked up a fresh banana shake on the way, picked up my coconut water and had a chat with Jacqui and Heather at Master Divers before doing a bit of shopping. I bought a massive melon which was so heavy I felt like I was waddling around with my big rainbow cloth bag! I bought some postcards from a little stall just off the main street and grabbed myself some sushi from La Carotte. They're probably thinking they've got another regular here!

I spent the rest of the afternoon sat at the bar of the Leisure Park with Leah, writing my postcards. I timed it just right because shortly after I arrived the heavens opened! It was going to be a busy night tonight and Dam had already put out an advert for New years BBQ here at The Hacienda. We already had a few bookings but we knew that people always walk in last minute. All the food was already prepared and waiting to go on the Barbecue. It was quite for the first hour until the first sitting arrived. Everything would have gone to plan except that the large booking we had for table 6 decided that some of them didn't want BBQ and wanted to order from the normal menu. This really put a spanner in the works and really put pressure on the kitchen. Like usual, the kitchen staff did an amazing job even though they were absolutely flat out. Quite a lot of people just walked in wanting to order from the normal menu which put even more pressure on the kitchen but they took it in their stride. We were that busy that Nick, who was sat behind the bar on the computer, decided to jump in and help and ended up working for the rest of the night!

It was a mad rush to get everything packed and locked away so the staff could leave with enough time before midnight. Elise and Robbie were already waiting for us and we all decided to ride down to Mammas so we could park there and walk down the walking street. Bo's number plate was missing so he didn't want to go through the police block on the main road. He rode straight through the other day even though they were whistling at him! Nick and I led the way, through the backstreets and up a really steep hill onto the walking street where we cut into the main road, away from the police block. After parking up at Mammas we all walked down to the beach outside Bar Next 2. There were so many people there all walking around with buckets. On the shore line was a big frame with 'Happy New Year 2016 Bar Next 2' made out of wire wrapped in material which I assume they would be lighting at midnight. There was a big fire rope that people were jumping over and fire limbo. Elise and Leah had a go while the rest of us sat in the sand and watched the big lanterns being let off on the beach, drift up into the night sky. All the lanterns looked like hundreds of stars. We spent the actual countdown with Tony who disappeared into the crows shortly after that! There were a lot of fireworks being let off along the beach. Some which were obviously part of the celebrations and others being let off by party goers!

Everyone was so tired that we all went our separate ways. Nick and I ended up walking along the beach right into The Sunset where a massive party was going on along the beach. There were so many lights, strobes and people. Eventually we made it back to the scooter and rode home. I couldn't wait to have a shower and climb into bed. Eventually we got to sleep just after 2am!