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It was another lonely day without Nick. Now I know what it feels like to be a 'Dive Widow'. Last night was really humid and even with the fan on full blast pointing towards the bed I was still sweating buckets. After my exercises I sat out on the balcony and ate half a watermelon whilst contemplating what I was going to do with my morning. There was probably a million and one things I could be doing but I was so tired from the sleepless night that all I wanted to do was sit down and do nothing!

I took my walk down to Sairee Village. They have started digging up another section of the road and removing all the concrete surface which has made it very dangerous for everyone on scooters. During the day there is usually a truck being filled by a big yellow digger blocking the road. We've timed it now. It takes around 12 minutes for the digger to fill the truck. Then you have to wait for it to trundle down the road. Meanwhile the digger scrapes the majority of the debris from the road and finally the traffic can go. Its a free for all and since everyone is so impatient its like a game of Mario Cart with everyone bashing each other out of the way to get to the front of the line!

After getting some coconut water and spending a minute or two talking to one of the monkeys chained up outside its little wooden house I walked down to Coconut Monkey where Leah was already sat on the cushions with her can of coke and glass of water, iPad in hand playing a game of solitaire. We spent a lazy afternoon together in comfortable silence before I had to make a move up to the Hacienda. By now I had started to feel a bit sick but I brushed it off as dehydration and took a few more sips of my water and drank another cup of green tea.

 I decided to stop off at La Carotte for some of their amazing sushi before I got to work and I picked up another massive watermelon on the way from one of the little stalls on the main road. Although the sushi was nice I still wasn't feeling that great and there was a sharp pain in the pit of my stomach that wasn't going away. I was starting to wonder what I had eaten to make me feel so ill. The coconut water I had this morning smelled a bit funny but then fresh coconut water does have a very distinctive smell. Perhaps it was that.

I had to carry the plastic bags in my arms rather than by the handle just in case the weight of the melon snapped the plastic straps! The main road is always so dusty with all the traffic coming past. Most people have scarves or their hands covering their faces as they ride behind 4x4s and trucks.

It was just before 5pm by the time I got to The Hacienda and there were already a few people sat down with their roast dinners. We had quite a few bookings tonight. It always seems like we have hardly any and then on the day the phone is ringing off the hook. It was busy from the word go and the kitchen were on full form like usual. I spent the evening running around serving plates of hot roast dinners with lashings of gravy. It was so busy that Nick, who was sat behind the bar working on the laptop, actually stepped in to help for the last two hours. He just jumped behind the bar and started serving drinks and taking orders. He'd already been diving all day and now he was working! He's a keeper!

By the time I finished my shift I was feeling really weak and sick. I couldn't wait to finally get in the shower and get into bed. Perhaps whatever was wrong with me would pass overnight and I would feel better in the morning.

I was up all night and spent most of it in the bathroom. I knew my temperature must have been pretty high because at first I couldn't work out whether or not I was dreaming or not. I was drenched in sweat and the pain all over my body was so intense I could hardly move. It was like there was pain in every muscle in my body, from the tips of my toes right to the back of my neck. I had an almighty headache and stabbing pains behind my eyes. It was awful. The people that have just checked in down the hall came home at some ungodly hour, shouting and stamping up the stairs and then proceeded to slam doors and make as much noise as possible. I wasn't sure if it was that loud or whether I was feeling so fragile that the noise was amplified. Either way it was really unpleasant and had I felt a bit better I would have been marching down the hall to tell them to shut up!

Luckily for me it was my day off today and I had no work this evening! Nick was diving today so he left me in bed. I briefly remember him saying goodbye as he walked out of the door and before I knew it I was coming out of a sweaty daze at 11am! I was still feeling very disorientated and sick but I managed to get some water mixed with electrolyte powder down me.

Just as I lay back on the bed with the fan on full blast the electric clicked off and very soon the temperature in the room started to rise. I decided to pull on some clothes and see what was going on. Elise and Robbie were awake and their door was open. They were both lying on the bed looking just as sweaty as I was. Apparently Elise had already gone downstairs to ask about the power...and the water, which had also gone off! She'd also mentioned that Robbie's flip flops and Nicks flop flops had been stolen and was faced with a very angry member of staff who obviously had a bit chip on his shoulder. He actually shouted in her face and told her to go away and the water an power would be back on at 4pm. Funnily enough I know which member of staff she was talking about and I'd seen him shouting at a group of girls that checked in the other day. All they had asked him was how far the walk was to the beach and he exploded in a fit of rage. Anger issues perhaps? Or just plain rude!

Either way, I couldn't stay in the room. It was so hot I felt sick and I needed to get some fresh air. Well, not that the dusty hot air was going to make me feel any better but I couldn't stay in a stuffy room all day. I don't really remember the walk down the track but I know I stopped off at 7 Eleven and got a bottle of water to try and keep my fluids up. How I walked to Mae Haad feeling like the walking dead was nothing short of a miracle.

Unbeknown to me, Nick had already gone downstairs early this morning and 'had a word' with the old guy about the money that we had paid to them for the next month. When we first got back we paid for two nights before we agreed on a price for the month. That would have meant we would have been checking out on the 6th January. However, she had it in her head that we were checking out on the 4th which meant she was ripping us off by two days full payment. I was too ill and tired to argue, but Nick, on the other hand, was not in the mood and explained to the old guy the situation which he quickly sorted out. He also mentioned that some of our laundry had gone missing which funnily enough, was right there at reception. When he mentioned the missing flip flops and the value of his brand new crocs they quickly changed their tune and said that they would try and find them for him. Whether they do or not is a different story.

I made it down to Coconut Monkey and flopped down on the cushions with the fan on. I couldn't stomach green tea today so I ordered a fresh coconut in the hope that it might calm down the storm brewing in my stomach and keep me hydrated. I didn't realise Nick was booked in for a night dive until I saw him come off the longtail and he hung his head through the window. He was in desperate need of a veggie wrap but unfortunately the kitchen was closed.

I decided to make the walk home from Mae Haad to Sairee along the walking street. I felt like everything was moving in slow motion. It seemed to take me forever to reach Sairee Village. The place was packed with partygoers and people were spilling out of restaurants onto the street. I made my way, in the pitch black, up the track towards the guest house. I was so glad to finally get into our room and sit in front of the fan. My body hurt so much and all I wanted to do was lie down. I just about managed a shower and collapsed in a heap on the bed, feeling very sorry for myself. I was hoping this would be a 24 hour thing and tomorrow would be a better day.

Nick arrived back just after 9pm with his battered black open faced helmet in one hand and a pad thai from Mammas in the other. He'd bought me a banana shake which he had spilled all over his shorts and t-shirt coming up the hill over all the lumps and bumps. I managed to drink the banana shake and took some painkillers before climbing into bed.

Last night I had another really high temperature. I woke up after a nightmare, drenched in cold sweat with my arms outstretched as if I was trying to grab onto something. Apparently I had said to Nick that I was scared. At the time I didn't know whether I was dreaming or I was awake but all I knew was that I was in so much pain, all over my body, like every single muscle was contracted and throbbing. My head was pounding and the pain behind my eyes was so intense I could barely open them. My skin felt like it was on fire and from what I can gather from the conversation in the morning with Nick, I was making no sense whatsoever! In fact, he was really worried about me. He gave me some more pain killers and let me fall back to sleep again.

I woke up in another cold sweat feeling so weak. The pain in my body was still there but not as bad as it was during the night. My head was still thick and heavy and the pain behind my eyes was still there, just a little duller. Nick was diving again today and I remember him leaving. The next time I looked at the clock it was 10am and I was pulling myself out of a sweaty, sleepy haze. However, after dosing myself up with even more paracetamol I felt a bit better. I know it was only masking the real symptoms and I NEVER take medication unless I really have to but in this instance I really had to take something to bring my temperature down and dull the pain.

I managed to go my resistance bands training, because I'm an idiot and only stupid people exercise when they are ill. In my defence I did take it slow and easy thing morning and even put on a film on the laptop whilst I was exercising. However, in the room next to us they decided to start drilling and banging so I couldn't listen to the film, luckily I've seen Die Hard about a hundred times so I basically know the script anyway!

I forced myself to drink a rehydration sachet with some mineral water. I must have lost so much fluid during the night just through sweating. Breakfast was not on my list of things to do this morning. The thought of food was turning my stomach. I was going to get the room cleaned since we didn't have any water or electric yesterday but I was told that they were too busy to do it today!

I took a walk down into Mae Haad along the walking street. Today I wasn't going to get any coconut water because the thought of it was making me feel sick. Leah and Elise were down at Coconut Monkey and I sat there sipping on some chamomile tea in the hope that it would settle my stomach a bit, which it did. After an afternoon spent in front of the fan, slumped on the cushions I walked up the hill towards The Hacienda to start my shift.

When I got there Bee didn't look very well and after an hour she went off home. Perhaps she had the same thing as me? By now I was feeling a lot better but I was still running a temperature and sweating profusely! Not attractive! Bo and Nick came up after the night dive and Bo gave me a big hug like he usually does. Luckily for me it wasn't too busy during the evening and I managed to finish early.

Although I felt ok during the evening I had another high temperature during the night, followed by a period where my body felt so cold yet I was still sweating. Maybe I should go to the Clinic in the morning and see what the doctor has to say about it. Maybe it's just a virus.

Today Nick finally had a day off which meant we could both stay in bed for a bit longer. After my exercises whilst watching Indiana Jones I started my walk to Mae Haad and met Nick at Coconut Monkey. Leah was already there, sat in the corner on her iPad. Our visa runs out on the 21st January and we need another extension so we decided to book and pay for it now. We had no issues with the Burma run we booked with Island Travel so we popped in to see Johnnie again to book another run on the 19th.

After booking our visa run we took a walk up the main street to see if we could find Nick some more shoes since his have been stolen. He hasn't actually been wearing any shoes since he took the skin off of his foot with the kick stand on the scooter! The road gets a bit too hot to walk bare foot all the time! There were a few stalls we looked at but nothing in his size. We were too hot to keep looking so we cut through one of the back streets and had lunch at La Carotte. My stomach was feeling very delicate so I ordered the vegetable soup which came in a clear broth. Nick had my favourite, sushi! I thought the wasabi dip would probably play havoc with my delicate belly! After lunch we took a ride down to Aukotan in search of shoes but still no luck. Nick didn't really seem that bothered anyway. We'd bought a bag of natural dried mango from La Carotte which we ate on the way home.

No sooner had we started riding up the track we were met by a digger filling up a truck with chunks of concrete and dirt, blocking the entire road. We were planning on getting some food from Mammas before I started my shift tonight but it looked like we weren't going to have any time now. As soon as the trucks moved it was like a drag race up the hill with all the other scooters and bikes. It was so rough I left the seat twice as the bike jolted in the ruts. I had exactly 10 minutes to have a shower and get changed before we needed to run out of the door again. I made it just in time.

Nick stopped off at mammas and I ordered a mango and lemon shake and some fresh spring rolls to take away which I drenched in soy sauce before we left. I drank my shake whilst hanging on to the back of the scooter as Nick weaved in and out of the traffic. There seems to have been an increase in idiots riding on the road. Tourists seem to arrive on the island and have no road sense whatsoever, putting their lives and others at risk with stupid manoeuvres and speeding on the rough roads.

Bee still wasn't feeling very well and she wasn't at work again. I still had a high temperature but I felt so much better than I did and apart from sweating...alot....I managed to get through the evening. Nick went off to have some dinner with Bo and came to pick me up once he was done.

The boys were diving again in the morning so while I had a shower, Nick was on the bed making egg sandwiches for lunch tomorrow. I had to give the shower a once over even though our cleaning lady had apparently done our room today! All she had done was change the bedding and that was it. The floor wasn't swept, the bathroom wasn't touched, she hadn't changed the towels, emptied the bins or even bothered to change the bathroom mat!

Nick was diving again today, what a surprise! He was on the early boat so he was up at 5:30am packing his bag and making sure he had everything ready for the day. Once he'd gone I lay in bed listening to some binaural beats on youtube. If you've never heard of binaural beats you should really do some research. I won't go into detail but if you are looking for something relaxing to listen to then this is ideal.

I felt so much better today and apart from the niggling pain in my joints I had no headache or pain behind the eyes today. I'm hoping that whatever it was is gone now! I got the laptop out so I could watch a film while I was doing my resistance bands training. I find having something to watch or listen to really helps me get through the reps and before I know it I've finished my 35 minute routine and I'm ready for the day.

The roadworks was still going on down the track and every time the steam roller went past in shook the whole building. There was a lot of traffic that had backed up whilst waiting for the trucks and the digger to move. While I was waiting with the other scooter riders and pedestrians I looked up and noticed they had screwed a metal plate into a palm tree which was now being used as a pylon carrying the black electricity cables up the hill. Since the steam roller has been shaking the ground like a mini earthquake, all the un ripe mangoes from one of the trees have fallen on the ground. The majority of them have been picked up by the workers who have filled plastic bags and buckets with fruit.

I took a walk down the walking street, trying to dodge all the pedestrians, most of them forcing me off the street, out of the way. I made it down to Coconut Monkey where I settled for the afternoon with Elise and Leah. I love having our impromptu catch ups. These girls always have the ability to lift my mood and no matter how bad I have felt during the morning they always put that spring back in my step when I need it.

After spending a couple of hours with Leah and Elise I walked through the back streets and took a lazy walk up to the main road, making my way to The Hacienda. It was a slow start to the evening but things soon picked up and before we knew it we had a restaurant full of people! My feet were killing me by the end of the shift!

Nick was going to be diving all day so he packed some lunch in his bag before he left. Outside I could hear the trucks moving up and down the road and I hoped that they weren't blocking the road so he wasn't late getting to Master Divers.

Disaster struck this morning and whilst I was in full swing, I snapped one of the handles off my resistance bands. I was not impressed, although that wasn't going to stop me from finishing my reps so I just held the snapped end in one hand and carried on. I had Die Hard playing on the computer but the noise of the trucks was drowning out the sound. After a shower I popped out onto the balcony to find Elise and Robbie out there sat on the big rock, smoking cigarettes and moaning about the noise coming from outside. The location of this place is perfect apart from the noise coming from the never ending road works outside. By the time they finish sorting out the road it will be low season again!

I took a walk to Mammas to get some lunch on my own. Some days I'm ok being on my own and it doesn't bother me and other days I actually feel quite lonely. Today was one of those lonely days. As I sat and sipped my mango and lemon shake and ate my fresh spring rolls with tofu I couldn't help but wonder how long I would be here on Koh Tao. Not that I minded being on a tropical island but when you're on your own all the time it's not the same. I really need to learn how to ride a scooter so I've got a bit more freedom, perhaps not here though! Plus I don't have a particularly good track record when it comes to stupid accidents so perhaps I should leave the scooter riding to the experts.

I spent the afternoon at Coconut Monkey finishing off an article before I sent it off to a magazine in Australia. Before I knew it I was having to make a move up the The Hacienda. I like to take the longer route up there so I can try and get in a few more steps before I start my shift. At the moment I seem to walk through the back streets just as one of the boats arrive full of tourists and the streets are crammed with people and taxi drivers waving wooden boards.

Nick and Bo were going to Yoga tonight with a few other people from Master Divers. Apparently it was a free lesson tonight that was being held outside on the decking of someones house. When Nick and Bo finally came up to see me it turns out that Bo had sat back to watch and not participated at all. Nick had impressed everyone with his head stands. Nobody at the bar believed he could do it so he got a cushion off of one of the bar stools and did the perfect head stand in the middle of the floor. That started everyone else having a go, including Bo who ended up in a heap on the floor. Robbie had only just arrived and was enjoying a cold bottle of beer before he was roped into trying a headstand which he actually pulled off!

Nick was supposed to be having the day off diving today but it turned out he was going on an eco dive with a group of people from Master Divers so off he went shortly after we got up.

I walked to Mae Haad and sat in Coconut Monkey for a while, waiting for him to finish. He was a lot later than he thought he was going to be and after a phone call from him to say he was coming in on the boat, I started walking back towards the walking street, to Mammas, where we had arranged to meet for dinner. So far I had nothing to eat today because I was hoping that he would have been finished by lunch time. Eventually he appeared in the traffic and pulled into the car park. I enjoyed a big bowl of noodle soup with tofu before we headed back to the guest house so I could have a shower and sit in front of the fan to cool down.

After dropping me off at The Hacienda he went off again to do another yoga class. Elise was joining him tonight and had to borrow something to suitable from leah after she'd finished cuddling the stray black cat that hangs around The Leisure Park. I asked Tan what the cats name was and she said 'Tonic', like the drink. I thought Shadow was a much cooler name but Tonic it is. Both Leah and I were getting a bit worried about Bo when he didn't turn up to the yoga class, in fact, he hadn't been home since he'd finished the eco dive and nobody had heard from him. Leah had tried calling him over and over again but no answer. I'd messaged him and called him but no response. Lot of horrible thoughts start to go through your mind, especially when you are away from home. I even looked on the Koh Tao community page to see if there had been an accident reported. Bo had no ID on him either and anything could have happened. I don't think the news of another tourist dying at the Sunset Bar was helping either. The details had not been released yet but they were investigating the death. All the news on Koh Tao at the moment must really put people off coming here!

Finally after trying over and over again, Leah managed to get a call through to him and after shouting at him, telling him how worried she was we eventually calmed down a bit. According to him, he'd gone off with a few people that he was diving with and went for a few drinks which is very out of character, hence why we were so worried about him!

Nick came back from his yoga class with Elise and told us all about it over a bottle of water at the bar. There was a lot of left over Christmas fudge being handed around and a few mince pies!

Finally, Nick had a whole day off! We spent the first part of the morning in bed with the fan on watching Die Hard ll on the laptop. It was so hot today and even with the fan on and the curtains open the air was still not circulating. He managed to temporarily fix my resistance bands for me.

We took a walk down to Mammas for lunch. Sairee Village was packed with people this morning and there were so many people on motorbikes and scooters we had to be careful where we were walking. Its not the locals you have to worry about, it's the idiots that have just arrived for a couple of days and think that treating the island like a race track is appropriate behaviour. It was a hot walk to Mammas but luckily we both had shoes on today. We'd picked up a couple of cheap pairs of shoes the other day after my shoes eventually broke. The road was far too hot to walk around bare foot today!

I had some fresh spring rolls with tofu and a mango and lemon shake and Nick ordered an egg salad for a change. After lunch we took a walk through the walking street and nick popped his head through the door of the hairdresser to ask when she could cut his hair. She was going to be busy for the next half an hour so we walked back up the track to pick up our scooter from outside the guest house and rode back down to the walking street. Our landlady was sat in the seat getting her hair blow dried, in this heat!? She spotted us and smiled. Like usual the hairdresser did a really good job of Nicks hair and used a razor blade to shave the back of his neck and tidy up his hair line. She dusted his head in talc where he as sweating to stop the hair from sticking to his head. Most of the curtains were closed and the fan was on full yet the room was still so hot. I looked down on the floor and noticed I must have been sat where she had given someone a pedicure as there were lots of nasty yellow bits of toenail all over the floor! Yuck! 200 baht later and Nick had himself a slick looking haircut.

We took a ride into Mae Haad and I got my first bottle of coconut water since I got sick last week. She was really pleased to see me and asked me where I had been. We spend a couple of hours down at Coconut Monkey where Nick worked on his Dive Masters paperwork and I started to cut down my article to 600 words as requested by the magazine editor. I'm so excited to get it printed!

I took a walk up to The Hacienda through the back streets and Nick went off to get me a yam green mango salad from Mammas for my dinner which came wrapped in a little plastic bag. I tipped the contents out of the bag onto a plate and started to eat it before I'd checked if they had sneaked any chilli in there, which they had. My mouth was on fire but it tasted good. Nick very kindly went to get me a fresh banana shake to cool my mouth down before he disappeared to get some dinner with Bo.

It was Sunday today which meant we were going to be busy with roast dinners. However, we had a ridiculous amount of walk in's all ordering from the menu which put pressure on the kitchen but like usual, they performed brilliantly! Tonic was getting cuddles and love from the various tables she was walking past. Everyone seems to love her!

After spending an evening running around with trays of drinks, taking payment and serving food I was ready for my bed. While I waited for Nick and Bo to finish their game of pool I sat and talked to my Mum on FaceTime for a bit. At least that way she got to see everyone!

The road works started at 8am this morning and the sound of the steam roller rumbling past was delightful! Nick sat on the bed and filled out his Dive log while I made him a bowl of porridge with soy milk. I had to resize some pictures for the article and send it off today.

Nick disappeared out of the door and after my exercises whilst watching a murder mystery, I headed out down to mammas to get myself some lunch. I asked if we could get our room cleaned today and the lady I spoke to was so rude! She said she had her own key and it would be done today. Its not like I am asking for much. Its done once a week and half the time they only change the bedding!

I ordered some fresh spring rolls with tofu and a banana shake and sat in the shade with my kindle book, watching the world go by as I looked up after finishing each chapter. Mamma wasn't here today but the girls in the kitchen seemed to be doing a really good job of getting all the food prepared and out to the customers.

I took a walk to the coconut processing plant to get a bottle of fresh coconut water which she scooped out of a big plastic bucket with a metal bowl and poured it into my bottle. It was so hot today I felt so sluggish. I found myself down at Coconut Monkey and crashed out in front of the fan. They were having issues with the internet again and there was a technician sat at one of the tables with his laptop trying to sort things out. It's amazing how much we rely on the internet, There was a point where we simply had to make do with conversation and books. Now we choose cafes, not because of the atmosphere but whether or not they have internet or not! We live in such a crazy world!

I waited all day for Nick to finish diving and even took a quick break to go for a walk around Mae Haad to kill some time. When he finally got back he decided to cancel his night dive and we took a walk to La Carotte for dinner where we feasted on vegan sushi, curry, soup and steamed red rice all washed down with mango and lemon shakes. There was an indoor market down in Chalok so we decided to head down there to have a look and see what it was all about. According to Dam there was a lot there and we might be able to pick up some cheap clothes. Nick managed to find a parking space amongst the bikes that were crammed outside. There were some big neon signs at the main entrance and everything was under a patchwork of tarpaulin. At the start of the market there were lots of stalls selling sausages on sticks, doughnuts and curries. Nick and I had a look through the shoes and the clothes and found a new Chang singlet for him and a pair of rather fetching Gucci sunglasses for the bargain price of 100 baht. The lenses on my sunglasses are so scratched I can't actually see out of them! We called Bo and Leah and they arrived 10 minutes later. Bo was fascinated by one of the stalls selling guns, ninja stars, hand cuffs and knives. As we walked through Bo was handed some darts and for 30 baht he had to pop balloons to win a prize. He popped 5 balloons and chose a massive stuffed penguin which he carried around the market! Leah bought herself some new hairbands and Bo and I spotted a stall selling crispy fried bugs. Bo suggested we try some so for 20 baht I got us a big bag of crispy mealworms which came sprayed with some weird tasting sauce, however, they were not that bad and I would actually consider eating them again! Nick and Leah were not keen but Bo did dive straight in for a taste and liked it!

After we'd walked around the market we took a ride to a restaurant in Mae Haad called Dolce Vita. Bo and Leah have eaten here quite a few times before. It was very expensive compared with the places I normally eat. Nick and I shared a plate of chips while Bo and Leah tucked into their pizzas. We were joined by a little black and white cat that insisted on sitting on our laps and trying to walk across the table. Bo was sat with his penguin on one side of the table with the cat sat next to him eyeing up his food.

After dinner we took a ride down the busy walking street to a place called Butter where they serve ice cream. Leah and Bo both got chocolate flavoured ice cream, Leah went for the Ferrero Rocher flavour and Bo went for the dark chocolate and Oreo and we sat out on the chairs with the soft astro turf under our feet watching crowds of tourists walking through the street. We were joined by the little cat Nick and I had met a while back with really unusual markings.

After saying our goodbyes we watched Bo, Leah and the giant penguin disappear off down the street into the crowds and we made our way back to the guest house. As soon we opened the door I realised that nobody had cleaned the room today. This was starting to get really frustrating!

Luckily for us, the steam roller came past the guest house early this morning! Nick had turned his alarm off and fallen back to sleep! He had 30 minutes to get up, get ready, sort out his bag and get down to Master Divers! He left in a hurry!

After my exercises I went downstairs to get our washing. Like usual the door was open, the TV was on, shoes were outside but nobody was there. I called a few times but nobody answered. So I took our washing that was on the side and bought it back upstairs.

Just before I took a walk down the track to Sairee Village I went to check if anyone was at reception again. nobody was there but there was a guy sat on the opposite side of the road who ushered me over. I handed him our room key and asked if we could get room 1 cleaned. The lady that I spoke to yesterday came storming out of the building and started shouting at me saying I couldn't have my room cleaned twice in one week. I explained that nobody had cleaned our room and she told me I was a liar and she'd seen the cleaner come down with our bedding! I couldn't believe it! I disputed the fact and told her that nobody had cleaned our room so she shouted to the lady across the road in Thai and was very quick to apologise to me when she realised I was telling the truth! Why would I lie about that? I handed her the key and 150 baht for our washing and started walking to Mammas for some lunch.

I ordered my usual fresh spring rolls with tofu and a banana shake with no sugar and sat down to read my kindle book. It was another really hot day today. Its the kind of heat that instantly drains you as soon as you walk out of the door!

I followed the walking street into Mae Haad and picked up my coconut water before heading down the hill to Coconut Monkey where I spent a lazy afternoon with Elise. We got to try some very nice biscuits that were hiding on the counter! I could have eaten the whole jar!

After some vegetable soup at La Carotte, I walked to The Hacienda to start my shift. My little black cat was sprawled out under the table out the back looking very hot! It was a slow start to the evening but it soon picked up once the film was rolling in the cinema room and people were ordering their food to eat while watching the movie. Nick turned up just before I was finishing and Dam bought out a big tray of potato gratin which had been burnt so Nick tucked into that! I couldn't wait to get home tonight. Although I had literally done nothing today I was so tired with the heat! When we got back the room had finally been cleaned! There is nothing better than clean sheets after a shower!

The roadworks started at 8am this morning. The whole building was shaking as the trucks, grader and steam roller came past. At 9am our fan clicked off and we spent an hour in our boiling hot room waiting for the electric to come back on. Nick was diving again today and just before he walked out of the door the electric came back on! I was so glad to have the cool breeze of the fan while I stood and did my resistance bands training with my broken bands. I have come up with a new way to do my reps! Meanwhile Elise and Robbie were sat outside on the balcony smoking and trying to sort out travel insurance. Its impossible to extend your insurance when you are not in the UK!

After my shower I walked to Sairee Village and through the busy walking street to Mae Haad. Today I needed to get a few things from the shop so I walked to Chalok, down to Aukotan. It was lovely to take my shoes off and cool my feet down on the tiled floor. When we get back to the UK its going to be strange shopping with my shoes on! It was another blazing hot day and the walk back to Mae Haad was a struggle! I stopped off at Coconut Monkey to hide from the heat!

I stopped off for something to eat at La Carotte before starting my shift at The Hacienda. I decided to have a bowl of their vegetable noodle soup in coconut broth which is amazing! Its so rich and creamy! Up at The Hacienda I had a quick cuddle with the cat before 5pm. Like usual I quickly get dressed in the toilets, spray on some repellent before I get eaten and wash my face. My skin is so bad at the moment, partly because I sweat so much and I'm not washing it with the right products. I have a few things put aside for me at home which are coming back with Bo and Leah. They are off to the UK on the 22nd to attend Leah's grans funeral and while they are there I have arranged for some packages to be send there. I was glad to see that my Melatonin that i had ordered from Europe had finally arrived and that would be sent too. I'm running a bit low and I tend to use it for long overland journeys in mini buses or on the night boat and if we are going through a different time zone and I want to go to sleep at a certain time to relieve jet lag!

It was a quiet evening to start with until a taxi pulled up outside and a big group of tourists stepped out. From then on the restaurant started filling up and I was rushing around serving food and drinks to everyone. Tonight we had a film showing in the cinema and it was packed in there. We serve food in the cinema so people can chill out on the big sofas and eat their meal or have a snack. I hate bringing food in there while the film is showing because all you can see is my shadow on the screen and its so dark in there I'm walking around with plates of food and I can't see the people!

It was another day of diving for Nick and he disappeared out of the door at early o'clock. I stayed in bed for a little while listening to the cockerel crowing in the garden. Disaster struck again today and I snapped my resistance bands...again! So now I have no handles and a much shorter band to work with, however this still does not deter me from exercising with them and yet again I have adapted my routine to suit the shorter bands. Last night I heard the fan click off and we must have been without electricity for most of the night. I heard the fan come on again at 6am. No wonder I was so hot last night!

After my exercises I swept out the room with a big brush. I am amazed that I am not bald with the amount of hair I seem to sweep out of the room on a daily basis. I took my usual walk down to Sairee Village. It seemed very quiet down there today. Even the walking street was quiet and there were very few people on the beach. I took the street that joins up to the main road and crossed over to 7 Eleven and sat down on one of the plastic chairs at Mammas. I ordered my usual fresh spring rolls with tofu and a mango and lemon shake with no sugar and read a book on my kindle. It was going to be a hot day today. I could see the heat haze coming off of the road. There were hardly again clouds in the sky either which meant no protection from the suns rays.

I spent another lazy afternoon in Coconut Monkey catching up on some writing and drinking green tea. I really feel like I am starting to get lazy since we came to Koh Tao. The island seems to have that effect on you. I watched as Songserm docked at the rickety old wooden pier and a swarm of tourists came funnelling out of the overcrowded boat and onto the island. If there are still lots of people arriving how come the island seemed so quiet at the moment? Has everyone gone into hiding?

It was movie night up at The Hacienda so it was going to be busy. I had a little cuddle with the cat before I started my shift. Trying to convince her not to follow me into the bar was difficult. She's such a sweetheart! If only I could take her with me! I ended up standing in the bar in the middle where all the fans seem to blow onto one spot in an effort to cool down. Eventually the bar started to get busy and the food orders were coming in thick and fast. Nick came up once he had finished diving and disappeared with Bo to play some pool in the other bar for the rest of the night. Bo came over to order his chocolate shake which he does every night. When we run out of chocolate ice cream he gets very upset! He usually addresses me as 'Bar Wench' before ordering me to get his chocolate shake. I know he's joking but he does get some funny looks from people who overhear our conversation sometimes! There are a few eyebrows raised!

I am finally finishing my open water course tomorrow. Nick sorted everything out and tomorrow morning at 6:30am we need to be down at the boat where Tony will be waiting. I am so nervous even thinking about it. I think I am going to be having a sleepless night tonight!

The alarm went off at 5:00am the alarm went off and I jumped out of bed with a start. I had a really disturbed night thinking about diving today. I know it will be ok

but I have been out of the water for so long that I'm worried that I've forgotten everything! I made some porridge for breakfast and we both sat on the bed in silence,

too tired to talk to each other! Once I'd got everything packed in my bag we walked out onto the balcony and down the stone steps to the scooter in the dark. It was

quite a cool morning but not cool enough to wear anything other than my dress. I haven't worn a jumper since September last year!

We took a ride through the deserted Sairee Village and into Mae Haad. The sun had already started to rise by now. Tony was already in the store room sorting out the

gear. Nick went in to give him a hand while I waited nervously in the corner. It wasn't long before we were getting on the longtail out to the dive boat. Today we had

a different captain who wasn't as familiar with all the dive sites but knew his way around the coastline. Just as we started to head out to sea the black clouds

started rolling in and the wind picked up. I was so glad I'd taken my sea sickness tablets this morning because the boat ride was starting to get really rough. Water

was spraying all over Tony as he was trying to explain what we were going to be doing today. By then I was starting to feel really ill and looking at the horizon

wasn't helping. We were going to the east side of the Island to Tanote Bay, a place where they don't often dive so the staff on board, including Nick, were very

excited. However as we followed the coastline it was apparent that Tanote Bay would not be a suitable dive site with the waves and the current so Tony made the

decision to turn the boat and head to another site on the other side of the island that would hopefully be sheltered from the weather.

I was surprised how much I remembered even though the last time I was in the water was 2 months ago! I had a few little prompts from Tony while I was setting up my

gear and trying not to throw up but apart from that I was quite impressed with myself. I was really nervous but Tony has a way of taking my mind off of everything and

making me feel like I am in control! I was shaking as I was putting my gear on and my head was racing. Deep down I knew I was going to be fine but my anxiety levels

were through the roof. I don't think anyone noticed though, except for Nick! Over the years I have mastered the art of the 'Poker Face' and no matter how chaotic my

mind feels, on the outside I look calm and collected.

The captain of the boat lowered the ladder and after a final briefing I put my mask on and we did our buddy checks. Tony jumped in the water first and I followed

shortly afterwards. My legs were shaking so much I felt like they were going to buckle. As soon as I jumped into the water and inflated my BCD I felt a bit calmer,

perhaps it's because I wasn't feeling so ill with the motion of the ocean! As we descended I was preparing myself for the skills Tony was going to ask me to do. Before

we had even got into the water he said we were going to do a full mask removal and oral inflation of my BCD in order to obtain neutral buoyancy.

There was no hanging around and before I knew it Tony was signalling to me to flood my mask, remove it, place it back over my face and clear it. I hadn't done this for

nearly two months and I wasn't keen the first time round either! However, I surprised myself and actually managed to do it. It's the strangest feeling taking off your

mask and having your face exposed to the water. After a couple of attempts I managed to clear the water in the mask and it was onto oral inflation of my BCD which I

think I did better than last time. Then it was off for a leisurely dive, following Tony around the coral and the rocks where there were a lot of crown of thorns

starfish. As we came around a cluster of rocks I saw a large fish swimming towards us out of the gloom. At first I thought it was a shark until it got a bit closer. By

now I had almost hidden myself behind Tony! As the fish came closer Tony was getting very excited, throwing all sorts of hand signals that made no sense to me

whatsoever! Whatever this fish was Tony was pleased to see one!

When we finally got to the surface Tony explained that it was a cobia and he didn't see them very often. Back on the boat I was starting to feel a bit sick again and

while Tony fed me fresh pineapple and electrolyte water, I sat back and waited for the boat to arrive at the next dive site, Pottery.

The second dive was at pottery. I'd dived here before with Leah and Bo. This dive was a bit easier and after some compass work I followed Tony around the rock clusters

and coral where marble sea cucumbers and big crown of thorns starfish clung to the rocks. Tony shone his torch under the rocks where there were a couple of Jensons

whip rays and a big blue spotted ray. Nick was with the other dive group and I spotted him a couple of times. The time in the water went really quickly and before I

knew it I was back on the boat and I was now qualified! I was feeling a bit too ill to start doing a little happy dance on the boat!

After filling out my log book and sipping on some green tea Tony headed off back to work and Nick disappeared to get ready for the next boat going out. I decided to

walk back to the guest house, stopping off at Mammas on the way for something to eat.

I managed to get my resistance bands training out of the way before heading into a nice warm shower to wash the salt off of my skin. I was so happy to have finally

completed my course. For me, it was such a big deal getting into the water, let alone actually diving. Had I not had such a good diving instructor there was no way I

would have got through this. I think back to Australia, where I had a melt down in the classroom and didn't even make it to the medical, and now, I've actually

finished an open water course, what a massive achievement! Go me!

After sitting on the bed for a while and contemplating whether I actually wanted to move, I started my walk down to Sairee Village and onwards to La Carotte where I

stopped off for some delicious vegan sushi before making my way to The Hacienda to start my shift. It had been a long day today.

It had started to rain during the night and it wasn't letting up. Poor Nick had to ride down to Mae Haad on the scooter. I felt so sorry for him. By the time I had

finished my exercises and had a shower Elise and Robbie were already sat out on the balcony watching the fat raindrops fall from the dreary looking sky. A thick mist

was clinging to the hill behind the guest house and I was certain, by looking at the sky, that it would be raining for a while yet. Instead of sitting inside waiting

for the rain to stop, I pulled on my rain jacket and headed out on the dirt track. My flip flops were kicking up mud all over the back of my legs and several times

along the way I had to walk calf deep in muddy water trying not to think about what was in the water!

I stopped off at Mammas for some lunch and a chance to dry off a bit. While I was eating my fresh spring rolls and reading a kindle book the rain started to ease and

eventually stopped giving way to glorious sunshine! I let the mud on my legs dry and then brushed it off before continuing my journey along the walking street into Mae

Haad. The only good thing about the rain is the walking street isn't packed with people so its a straight run all the way through.

I stopped off in Coconut Monkey and Elise and Robbie turned up shortly afterwards. We spent the afternoon chatting over pots of green tea and plates of delicious

cookies. Robbie and Elise disappeared to Enjoy to get something to eat and I made my way to La Carotte for a bowl of tofu and vegetable soup before starting my shift

at The Hacienda. By the time I got there I was filthy and I spent some time in the toilets trying to clean the mud and the grime off of my legs before I went behind

the bar!

Finally Nick had the day off, well sort of, he was going to be helping up at The Hacienda tonight because it was Sunday and that meant roast dinners and we had a BBQ

party too! It was going to be a very busy night! We both managed to stay in bed for a little while this morning which was nice. I think Nick was exhausted from all the

diving he's been doing. While I did my morning exercises Nick put on another one of the Die Hard films on the laptop. He bought a little speaker from 7 Eleven which

made it easier to hear the film over the noise of the fan and the roadworks outside. The only issue we had was the fact that he had unwittingly bought the 'Disco

Speaker' which meant when you turned it on it flashed rainbow colours and you couldn't turn that function off. However, it did mean we could actually hear the film

which was great!

We both took a walk to Mammas for lunch. Nick ordered a vegetable pad thai and I had my fresh spring rolls and a fresh banana shake. So far, the shakes at Mammas are

some of the best I have had on the island. They actually use more than one banana in their shakes instead of some stalls that use one banana and a whole lot of ice so

it ends up tasting of nothing! We took a walk around Sairee Village and went back to get the scooter.

After a pot of tea and some chocolate amazeballs at Coconut Monkey we took a walk into the main street and I bought some new flip flops from one of the little shops.

Mine were completely worn out already and I don't think I've even had them for a week yet! I do walk about 15km a day at the moment so I am not surprised that they

didn't last that long.

Because we had a bit of time we ended up heading back to the guest house for a shower and after some dinner at La Carotte we made our way to The Hacienda to start the

evening. Bee had been given some little turtles so they had put them in the pond in the middle of the restaurant. Hopefully they wouldn't escape! It turned out to be a

really busy evening and I was so glad Nick was there. At one point every single table was taken! We ended up working until nearly 11pm and both of us were so glad to

finally get home to bed after running around all night serving food and drinks. People tend to ask me what it is like working with Nick and do I find it hard? Well,

the simple answer is no, we've worked together before in New Zealand, when we volunteered and Australia when we worked at Reece. At home I often help Nick out so it's

not unusual to work alongside him.

Nick had another day off today and we were going to make the most of our time together since we don't see each other that often anymore. Nick put on the rest of Die

Hard 4 and after a chat with Elise and Robbie on the balcony we took a walk down to a place in Sairee Village called Vegetabowl, a vegetarian restaurant that served

big bowls of delicious salads with wonderful names such as 'The Dragon Bowl'. Nick went for the Mexican bowl which came with brown rice, salad, a warm cilantro

dressing and black beans. I opted for the thai bowl with crispy tofu pieces, brown rice and green onions. We both asked for extra avocado and fire roasted corn. I had

a coconut keffir dressing with my salad which was divine! I ordered a nutty banana smoothie made with homemade peanut butter which was rich, thick and creamy and Nick

went for a berry smoothie which tasted like ice cream! Although it was a little bit more expensive than most of the places we eat, I think, for the quality of food and

the portion sizes, it was worth every baht. Nick was so full I actually finished his salad for him!

After taking a walk back to get the bike we headed into Mae Haad and while Nick sat at Coconut Monkey I went for my usual walk around the main street to get my steps

in for the day. We ended up having dinner at La Carotte where we feasted on vegetable massaman curry with steamed red rice, tofu and vegetable soup and vegan sushi all

washed down with fresh mango and lemon shakes.

After a hot shower back at the guest house we cruised along the streets of Mae Haad and Chalok on the scooter to see what was going on and headed back for an early

night. It was the perfect end to a relaxing day with my husband.

Today Nick had a beach clean up that had been organised by Master Divers. I got a message a few hours later saying that Bo and Leah had been helping with the clean up

and in 30 minutes they had picked up 27 kilos of rubbish! Thats a horrendous amount of rubbish! Shortly after the text he came back to the guest house and we took a

walk down to Mammas for some lunch. Elise and Robbie were checking out today and we were all heading out on the night boat to Chumphon tonight. Elise and Robbie would

be staying in Chumphon to get the train up to Hua Hin and Nick and I were coming back on Lomprayah.

After lunch we grabbed the scooter and headed down to Island Travel to get our tickets. We'd organised with Johnnie to leave our scooter outside the shop where it

would be safe overnight. We stopped off for a pot of green tea in Coconut Monkey and while Nick relaxed in front of the fan I went off for a walk up to Pen Wholesale

to get some sea sickness tablets and unscented baby wipes for the trip. I got the drowsy sea sickness tablets which were bright yellow and cost 10 baht for a strip of

10! Bargain! Nick and I headed back to the guest house to pack our bag and get everything ready for the trip. We weren't taking hardly anything, just a lunchbox with

our passports, toothbrushes, baby wipes and rehydration packs and a couple of big bottles of water. I made sure we had some pens with us and our address written on a

piece of paper just in case anybody asked. Elise and Robbie were having something to eat at Enjoy with Bo and Leah. They had already packed their bags and left them at

Bo and Leahs guest house. The grumpy guy that shouted at Elise was cleaning out their room when I walked out onto the balcony. I said hello but he just sneered and

turned away. What a charming chap!

By the time we got up to The Hacienda we were both hungry so I had a plate of rice and vegetables and Nick had some hummus and flatbreads. I'd managed to finish a

poster that Dtum wanted for the restaurant and had emailed it to him before we arrived so we spent the first half an hour cutting the posters to size and feeding them

through a laminator. Leah and Bo arrived at the bar with Elise and Robbie and ordered some cocktails to drink while they played a game of bingo which Elise had bought

from the 29 baht shop. Dtum was pulling the numbers from a small plastic bucket for them. It wasn't long before we all had cards and in between serving customers I was

checking my card!

By 10pm I was waiting for Nick to come back. He had gone off for an oil massage and a shower and he was stopping off at Mammas to get me a mango and lemon shake. I'd

started handing round some sea sickness tablets to everyone to make sure they got some sleep tonight.

10:15pm came round and I was starting to get a bit worried. Elise, Robbie and Bo went off to the guest house to get the bags and Leah and I started walking down to the

pier. Nick soon appeared along the main road with my shake in one hand. I sent him off to help Bo and Leah with the bags and we agreed to meet at the pier where the

night boat was docked. Steve was trying to convince us that there were bed bugs in the bunks of this particular night boat and I was hoping that he was wrong!

It wasn't long before we reached the pier and the night boat was illuminated by big floodlights. There was a little puppy in a cage on the main deck, howling. Poor

thing! Elise, Robbie, Nick and Bo appeared from the main street and after brushing my teeth on the docks and wiping my face with some baby wipes we said our goodbyes

to everyone. For Elise and Robbie, this was goodbye for a while, for us it was goodbye until tomorrow afternoon when we arrived back in Koh Tao on the afternoon boat.

On the boat we were shown into our room. Our bunks were in one of the corners, mine was on the floor and Nick was above me. There was already a French woman sat in my

bunk who was very unhappy about being moved by one of the boat crew. Apparently she was in the wrong room. Nick came in my bunk for a little while until the boat

started moving. Elise and Robbie sat in Elises bunk eating cashew chicken and mashed potato from Enjoy from a cardboard takeaway box, ignoring the 'No food' signs on

the wall.

I was so pleased to see that there was an actual flushing toilet and toilet paper on board this boat! It wasn't long before the lights were turned off and we started

moving away from the dock. I could hear the little puppy howling on the deck. I had a pink fleece blanket with some asian cartoon characters printed in bright colours

and a little hard pillow covered in the same material as the bunk. It wasn't long before my drowsy sea sickness tablets started to kick in and I drifted off to sleep.

It wasn't long after I feel asleep that I was woken up by the sound of the boats horn as it glided through the darkness, past all the other boats in the docks. I got

up and stood on the rear deck watching the dark foamy waters bubbling up from the back of the boat. The air was warm and the smell of diesel was overpowering. By the

time I got back into my bunk one of the boat crew had turned on the lights and weary travellers climbed out of their bunks and started gathering their belongings.

Nick, Elise, Robbie and I found our shoes outside and followed the rest of the crowd onto the big open deck of the boat, up the metal ramp and onto the shore. The

little puppy that had been yelping all night was now running around its owners ankles. After asking someone where we were supposed to be going we were shown to a

couple of stone tables where a small group had gathered. There, amongst the people, was the miserable french woman that had been in my bunk by mistake. A short thai

guy wearing a white shirt, a cap and a money belt came and sat at the table with a big book of Lomprayah tickets and a pile of $10 notes. Each person had to show their

tickets from the travel agent and we were handed our return tickets for the boat. One of the travellers, a frenchman with a head full of dark brown dreads had

unfortunately been conned by his travel agent and unwittingly bought a one way ticket to Burma. After getting angry with the thai guy who was trying to explain the

situation, I ended up stepping in, asking him how much he paid for his ticket and explaining that it was a one way. He'd paid half the price of a normal visa run,

thinking he'd got a bargain and ending up paying the price, literally, as he had to pay for his return journey to Koh Tao there and then.

The mini bus was a lot more cramped than the last one and because we were sat near the back with all the bags behind our seat, we couldn't actually recline our seats

at all. It was going to be a very long and uncomfortable journey to Ranong. Elise managed to get herself and Robbie a seat in the middle after asking very nicely if

one of the other passengers could sit in the back on the single seat next to the luggage. Then we had the issue of where Robbie was. There was another guy standing

outside the mini bus waiting for a seat and as far as we could see there was only a seat next to Elise because there was some other guy sat in the front next to the

driver. After looking around for a few minutes we decided to phone him thinking he might have gone to the toilet or he had gone off to have a cigarette somewhere. I

hadn't heard the phone ringing in the van and when Robbie answered Nick asked where he was to which he replied 'On a visa run'. It turned out that Robbie was sat in

the front seat and he'd overheard our whole conversation and not said a single word! What an idiot! Everyone, except for the grumpy french woman were laughing as he

climbed into the back next to Elise.

We'd only just left the docks and we ended up arriving in a dead end amongst some large piles of earth. As the driver turned the minivan around and drove past the

docks again he lowered the window, shouting something to a couple of other guys who pointed him in the right direction. I was starting to have my doubts that we were

even going to make it to Ranong! The road was still in a terrible state and there were parts where the minivan was driving over rubble. It was a very rough and bumpy

journey and I was slipping in and out of an uncomfortable sleep, occasionally hitting my head on the window when I drifted off. We stopped at the usual check point

where a couple of men dressed up in their camouflage gear and big black boots peered inside the minivan and waved us on.

We arrived in Ranong just after 8:00am and all of the weary sleep deprived passengers climbed out of the minivan and walked over to a little stall to get copies of our

passports for 10 baht. There was a selection of deep fried snacks and rice wrapped in banana leaves on offer but I was too tired to eat. We walked down to the docks

where crowds of people were rushing around, climbing down into longtail boats with big baskets and boxes full of produce. Standing in the line for immigration we held

our hands over our noses as there was an overpowering smell of rotten fish wafting through the air. It was a very warm morning which was probably making the smell even

worse! We'd all been given a crisp $10 note which we had put in Nicks wallet so it didn't get creased. It was a well known fact that immigration have turned people

away with creased notes before and we were not running the risk. However, even after being told not to fold our notes the french woman decided to fold hers in half,

running her fingers along the note leaving a nice big crease down the middle.

Elise was first to have a her passport examined by a thai official wearing a grey uniform and cap. Robbie was next and I followed shortly afterwards, handing my

passport through the little window to the thai official and waiting patiently while they looked through the pages of my passport. After looking into a little camera I

was handed my passport and I went over to the big wooden tables and started filling out our departure cards before making our way down to the docks. Elise and Robbie

went off in search of some chicken sausages from the market before we got on the boat. They made it back just in time as we were being ushered to the docks. The guy

who was in charge of our little group made it clear that we didn't have time for any shopping while we were in Burma as we needed to be back to catch the Lomprayah.

Everyone nodded in agreement and we climbed down a metal ramp and clambered across several longtails until we found ours which was very wet and smelled of fish! I sat

down in the back on one of the wet bench seats and waited for everyone to pile on. As soon as everyone was sat down our boat was pushed away from the others and the

engine was started. We motored along past a lot of other long tails carrying passengers and cargo. We were all instructed to put on some tatty smelly life jackets

which were located above our heads, secured under some string mesh. Elise did not look impressed with her stinky jacket! After stopping off at the first check point we

were out on the open water and motoring towards Burma. Behind us were the rolling mist covered hills of the Thai border and in front of us was the jungle covered hills

of the Burmese border. As we got closer I could make out little clusters of buildings high up in the hills. There is a tiny island separated from the mainland as you

approach the harbour and on the beach were several tiny puppies playing in the sand. They all came running down to the waters edge to see what was going on. As we

approached the pier I noticed someone riding a huge elephant through the streets, quickly disappearing from view as they went down an alley. I would love to have the

opportunity to explore this place one day. I'm hoping we will have a little bit of time, even if its a week or two, just to get a feel for the culture.

As the captain tied up the boat we were helped across several longtails by a couple of locals and up onto the pier where we walked around to the immigration office.

Sat at the other end of the pier in the shade was samosa guy, an old guy with a grey beard and a big turban who sells potato samosas. I'd spotted him before we got off

the boat. Before we could buy samosas we had to get stamped in and out. Inside the office is an L shaped wooden desk with two guys wearing t shirts and trousers sat on

a couple of wooden chairs. One takes your passport, checks it, takes a photo of you with a webcam and hands your passport over to the next guy who takes your 10

dollars and stamps your passport. You are literally in there 5 minutes. Outside, while I was getting my passport stamped, Nick was buying samosas. Samosa guy has a big

metal platter full of these delicious fried treats which come with a small plastic bag of unusually coloured 'chilli' sauce tied up with an elastic band. I don't know

if it is actually chilli sauce but the samosas are the bomb! As soon as the other travellers had spotted Nick buying his breakfast everyone jumped on the band wagon!

As soon as the last person came out of immigration we were told to go straight down to the boat where we were followed by samosa guy who sat on the bench seat at the

front handing back bags of samosas and chilli sauce in exchange for wads of cash! He must have taken a fair few baht in the 10 minutes we were there. Unfortunately,

two of the travellers had obviously ignored what was said to them and they had gone off into the town to buy cheap cigarettes. We waited about 10 minutes for them and

the boat was about to leave but luckily for them they arrived just in time. It was the french guy with the dreads who had bought the fake ticket and one of his

friends. There was a bit of tension in the air as they got on the boat and poor samosa guy had to literally jump out of the boat onto another longtail as we pulled

away from the pier. I bet he's done that a few times in his life!

We all had to put our damp, stinky life jackets on again. Nicks had a big rip in the armpit and mine was missing the straps. Basically, if you fall into the water with

these life jackets on, don't expect to float, they are literally just for show! Elise was playing mine sweeper on her iPad as we crusied back to Thailand. I handed out

some baby wipes to everyone so we could freshen up.

After cruising past customs after they had given us the thumbs up (great checking of the boat guys!) we headed back to Ranong and climbed off of the longtail, over two

or three longtails and up onto the metal ramp. We all formed an orderly line again so we could have our passports stamped. All of us were granted another 30 days in

the country. It was a quick rush back to the minivan, through the market, dodging tuk tuks. I had to have a toilet break this time, I was not having a repeat of last

time! I had to pay 5 baht to use the toilet outside of 7 Eleven and it was actually a lot cleaner than I thought it would be! It was a flushing toilet too which was a

bonus!

It was going to be a long uncomfortable journey back to Chumphon. I took some more of my drowsy travel sickness tablets because the driver seemed to think that he was

in a rally! Elise and Robbie had organised with the travel agent and asked several times to be dropped off at Chumphon train station, however, after the driver stopped

to let someone else off they soon realised that he had driven past! So they were thrown out on the side of the road with all their bags and told to walk! It was a 30

minute walk or a 5 minute tuk tuk ride. I know which one I would have chosen! We didn't even get to say goodbye properly because as soon as they were out of the van we

were off again, racing to the docks!

We arrived with about 30 minutes to spare and that gave us enough time to get something to eat. I got the worst tasting fresh banana shake I've had since Koh Samui and

some dry piece of melon and Nick got himself a sandwich. It was a blazing hot day and I was glad when the line finally started moving down the pier towards the boat.

Its such a long trek down that long wooden pier, especially when you are loaded up with bags. Luckily for us, we only had one little bag with us! On the boat I was

already feeling sick at the thought of the journey ahead on the vomit comet!

I think that could quite possibly have been the worst Lomprayah trip I've ever been on. As soon as we left Chumphon the boat was moving around so violently that half

the passengers made a run for the rear deck. Most of the remaining passengers were throwing up, some were crying! It wasn't until we arrived in Koh Tao and we were

getting off the boat that I noticed a couple of people who were so ill they were laying out on the back deck and some staff had a couple of wheel chairs to take them

down the pier. There was a little Chinese girl and her parents sat out on the back deck, she had been so ill the whole journey and so had Mum and Dad. I felt so sorry

for them!

Nick went off to get the scooter and I walked to Coconut Monkey to get a couple of chocolate amazeballs to take with us. Nick stopped off at Mammas on the way back so

we could grab something to eat before heading back for a shower. Somehow I managed to do my resistance bands training before making our way to The Hacienda.

It was a really busy night tonight and the bar was packed with people. Not only did we have a big party we also had a BBQ night, the first of our new weekly BBQ's that

we will be hosting here at The Hacienda. Dtum let me go home a little bit earlier tonight, I was so exhausted and I couldn't wait to finally get some sleep!

Nick had to be up and down to Master Divers quite early and somehow I managed to sleep for 11 hours! I must have been so tired! I was so grateful to have been able to

go home early last night. Even after numerous coffees I was still feeling the strain!

It was so strange not hearing Elise and Robbie talking on the balcony this morning. Instead we now have a European guy staying in their room and he has no issues

walking around in his underpants! I dropped off some washing down to reception and started my walk to Sairee Village. It was a really hot day today and the road was

really dusty. I covered my nose and mouth every time a motorbike or truck went past. Sairee seemed really quiet again and there were hardly any people, even the

walking street was quiet! I grabbed myself a litre of coconut water from the coconut processing plant and took a walk down to Coconut Monkey. The lady at the

processing plant handed me a plastic bag full of homemade wraps/flatbreads. She's so sweet and I was very grateful for my gift from her.

Bo and Leah were up at Hacienda chilling out under the fans playing a bit of pool. They came down to join me after a few games and we all sat down on the cushions with

the fan on complaining about the heat!

I took a walk up to La Carotte to get something to eat before I started work. I couldn't choose between soup or a rice dish so I ended up getting soup and a plate of

steamed red rice to go with it. Up at Hacienda I went online and paid my deposit for my reiki course which starts on Monday 25th. Bee had a bowl of fried bananas and

coconut cream waiting for me when I got there. It was so delicious! I have been really lucky today, first with my bag of coconut wraps and now my bowl of bananas and

coconut cream. Life is good.

When we eventually got back to the guest house Nick and I looked online to see if we could find any accommodation for me while I was there since I couldn't actually

stay at the centre. Prices of accommodation on Koh Phangan seemed to have doubled if not tripled since the last time we were there!

It was another day of diving for Nick and I was left to my own devices. Apparently he's on the early boat tomorrow which means I'll be spending some time with him in

the afternoon. I got up a bit earlier this morning because I wanted to get my morning walk out of the way so I could spend some time with Bo and Leah. They were

leaving on the 3pm Lomprayah to Chumphon where they would start the long journey back home to the UK for Leahs grans funeral. After grabbing some coconut water on the

way I met them in Coconut Monkey. Nick and I would be checking their room while they were away and making sure it still looked like they were staying there. They

disappeared for a while to go and get some sea sickness tablets and a few other things before bringing their rucksacks down to Coconut Monkey and having a quick drink

before they were ready to go. There was already a massive line forming outside of Lomprayah and while they waited to get their tickets I grabbed myself a fresh banana

shake from one of the stalls and walked around the side of the building and out onto the decking where the pier begins. I literally had enough time to give them both a

sweaty arkward backpack hug before they started walking down the pier towards the boat.

Instead of going back to Coconut Monkey I took a walk around Mae Haad and looked in a few little shops I hadn't been in before. After grabbing some more insect

repellent from Pen Wholesale I walked down to La Carotte and tucked into a big bowl of seaweed soup with a side of steamed red rice. I feel like I've been here so many

times I don't need the staff to grab a menu and give me the notepad to write my order. I just grab everything before I sit down. Before I left I bought a bag of sun

dried mango strips for 100 baht and started walking to Hacienda.

Tonight Bee had left me a bowl of sweetcorn in coconut milk which was delicious. I left Nicks bowl in the fridge and waited for him to arrive. I feel so blessed to

work with such wonderful people. They are all so generous. Later on we ended up standing behind the bar trying to teach Som to speak English and in return, Nick and I

were teaching her a few English words. So far, Nick can count to ten, order vegetable fried rice, ask for a coconut and milk! After searching for a turtle that we

thought had escaped from the indoor pool in the restaurant we were ready to head home to bed. Both of us were exhausted!

Because Nick was on the early boat this morning that meant I got to spent the afternoon with him. I had already started walking and I had almost made it to Mae Haad

when I saw him coming from the other direction on the scooter. I decided to hop on the back and after we'd gone into Big Blue to hand in Nicks faulty dive light he'd

purchased, we made our way to Vegetabowl. Although it's expensive the quality of food is incredible. I had been watching a video online and the guy narrating the video

had mentioned about how we worry about how much we spend on healthy food. But then, in a way, are we saying that we are not worth it? That our heath isn't worth it?

We both ordered a Japanese bowl. I asked for mine on lettuce with extra fire roasted corn, a scoop of brown rice and avocado. They both came piled high with delicious

edamame beans, toasted nori strips and crispy tofu pieces. I also ordered a Say Chai smoothie which was blended with coconut milk and chai spices. Nick went for a

nutty banana smoothie blended with homemade peanut butter. I had to try a slice of the raw avocado chocolate cheesecake with a peanut and chocolate base. It came

drizzled with homemade peanut butter and tasted divine! We both left there feeling very full!

Nick dropped me off at the coconut processing plant and I bought a litre of coconut water and a kilo of fresh coconut milk for 80 baht. The coconut milk came in a

plastic bag tied up with an elastic band. I walked down to Coconut Monkey and had a pot of green tea while Nick went off to the guest house to have a shower and rinse

the salt water off of his skin. He met me down there shortly afterwards and we took a ride down to Chalok, hoping the market was still there. Unfortunately, all the

stalls were packing up and most of the trucks were already loaded up. So we took a ride back into Mae Haad and had a look around the Burmese market to see if Nick

could get another vest. Right at the back of one of the tents was a little kitchen area and a tiny makeshift bed covered in a mosquito net. It always saddens me to see

how some people live. It makes you realise how fortunate you really are.

Nick had to go back to the guest house to get the laptop and I took a walk to The Hacienda. Dtum and Bee were behind the bar when I got there and after cuddles with

the cat I went and stood under the fan and tried to cool myself down! Nick arrived and set up his laptop on the bar and I had Dtums laptop on the other side, making

some signs for the BBQ with all the prices of the food. Tun and Bee were sat at the back of the kitchen eating tamarind and some type of vegetable that looked a little

bit like a Jalepeno pepper. They made me try some and I actually really liked them, both of them were quite sour, a bit like pickles! Dtum had a bag of longans in the

bar which he was sharing with Nick and I. Nick was not keep on the tamarind but he liked the longans!

Nick has been diving with a lovely couple who are here on holiday at the moment and they came up tonight to get something to eat. After showing them what a touke/tuka

gecko looks like as there just happened to be one on one of the beams, we almost had a little gecko fall on someones head at the bar! It had obviously lost grip and

fallen on the wooden bar below, scuttling away behind the lamp. Poor thing.

It was a bit of a rough night last night. I felt very sick again and I had pain all over my body, behind my eyes, in my joints and all my muscles. It was awful. I just

about managed my exercises and a shower before getting ready to go out. There was no point in wasting the day feeling sorry for myself, sat in my room doing nothing!

Nick had found a little family of tuka geckos outside our room. There was a big mummy gecko and two little babies behind one of the free standing units on the balcony.

I had a look behind the unit before I headed out for the day and I could see the little geckos hiding behind Mum.

Tomorrow I am heading off to Koh Phangan on the 6am boat. Nick had very kindly booked my tickets with Seatran this morning so I have a return ticket on the 28th. I am

very nervous about travelling on my own but I'm sure I will be fine once I am there. I don't like the idea of being away from Nick for 3 nights. I suppose its only 3

nights!

I took my usual walk down into Sairee Village and walked up to Smile Mart so I could grab a mini bottle of conditioner, some shampoo, soap and sea sickness tablets.

After that I took a walk to Coconut Monkey where I sat for a while catching up on some writing and emails. I had everything I needed packed into my dry bag and I was

ready to go tomorrow!

After some steamed red rice and vegetable soup at La Carotte I was ready to start my shift up at The Hacienda. It was Sunday which meant we were serving out a lot of

roast dinners. There were a lot of bookings but they all seemed to be for earlier on in the evening which was better than having them spread out over the entire night.

Tonight actually went really smoothly and we managed to get all the roast dinners served by 8pm. There were a few walk in's after that and we just so happened to have

a few meals left that we could dish up. Nick came up after having a shower and we had an interesting mixed meal of leftover Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes. Nick

had ordered a veggie carbonara with garlic bread too! Way too many carbs but everything tasted so good. By the time 10pm came around I was so ready for my bed! I

managed to get everything ready and set out for the morning so we wouldn't have to rush too much. Both alarms were set for 5am. I knew I probably wouldn't be able to

sleep tonight because my mind was racing with thoughts about my pending mini trip to another island! Sometimes I wish my brain would just shut up sometimes and let me

get some sleep! Nick, on the other hand, was already snoring about 5 minutes after I turned off the light! Typical man!

D-day was here and the alarm was going off at 5am. A storm had started last night and knocked the power out in the early hours so we had to use torches to find our way around the room. I had to be careful with the amount of water I used to wash my face and brush my teeth because there would only be the amount in the pipes since the water here is pumped via electric pump from a well on the other side of the road! I as hoping to have a shower this morning but that went out of the window! It was hammering down with rain outside and whilst Nick tried to find one of my cheap 7 Eleven raincoats I was checking if I had everything with me. I decided to travel really light and all I had with me was my dry bag. That would make life so much easier getting on and off the boats and moving around. I made sure I took my sea sickness tablets now! Hopefully the boats would be sailing in this!

Outside was so windy, wet and dark. I was lucky to be sat behind Nick on the scooter and he took the brunt of the weather! We stopped off at the big 7 Eleven next to Mammas so I could get some cash out on my new card. Unfortunately it wouldn't let me take anything out so we spent a further 10 minutes stood in the rain trying to transfer money from our account onto the card in order to withdraw something from the cash point. I had to pay Orion and my accommodation when I arrived so I needed cash before I went!

Nick rode though the storm with the lightening illuminating the sky above us and the thunder rumbling deep in our chests. I got off as soon as we reached the pier in Mae Haad and gave him a kiss goodbye before walking along the jetty and standing amongst the tourists with their suitcases getting soaked with the rain coming from all directions. Even with a tin roof above us the water was coming from all directions as the storm raged. The water below us was black and boats on their moorings were being tossed around so violently I was amazed the ropes were not breaking. As much as I wanted to go to Koh Phangan there was another part of me that was wondering if this boat was actually going to sail in this weather? I could see some of the boat crew climbing out of make shift beds at the front of the boat, scratching their bare chests and yawning.

There must have only been about 15 people that boarded Seatran. There was something quite eerie about an empty boat with the storm going on outside. As soon as the engines started and we moved away from the pier the boat started to roll from side to side. I just curled up in my seat with my head placed uncomfortably on my bag trying not to think about the motion of the boat. As we got further out to sea it started to get really rough and now the sun had started to come up I could see how big the waves were as the front of the boat crashed through them throwing anything that wasn't tied down from one side of the boat to the other. I could feel myself lifting up and out of my seat as the boat climbed and lurched over another colossal wave. As the boat rolled from one side to the other all I could see was the inky blue sea. I could help but wonder if this boat was actually capable of getting us there in this weather. Would they turn the ship around if it was too rough? I honestly thought that this boat was going to sink. And then, once you are in that mindset, all sorts of thoughts start racing through your head! I could hear the thunder rumbling outside above the noise of the engines.

After burying my head in my bag and trying to focus my mind on something else I looked up and I saw land! Finally! We made it! There were paper cups for the coffee machine, bags of crisps, toilet rolls and boxes scattered all over the floor as the passengers for Koh Phangan started to climb off the boat. The rain was pelting down and as I stepped out of the boat into water that was shin deep I was starting to wonder what on earth I was doing here. The rain was coming down like a solid sheet, pounding on my back and my head as I held my hood over my face. My cheap 7 Eleven raincoat seemed to be holding up even in this weather. My proper rain jacket would not have kept me dry in this downpour!

There were so many open back taxis waiting in the taxi park but because there were no passengers coming off the boat nobody would take just a single person. All of them wanted a full taxi, which wasn't going to happen. I managed to find one guy who let me sit in the back of his taxi while he went to find more people. It was great having the roof over my head as I stepped up into the back of the pick up truck but since there were no sides or any protection I was getting soaking wet as the wind blew the water through the back. At least my rain jacket was keeping me dry! I haven't seen a storm like this since we were in Koh Samui and before that probably the monsoon rain in Sri Lanka. There were people going down to the ferry, climbing off the back of taxis squealing as they were pummelled with water! Locals were struggling with umbrellas and flapping raincoats as they sloshed around in the muddy water. Some of them even took their shoes off! I waited in the back of the taxi for about 30 minutes, hoping that this guy would come back soon because not only was this getting uncomfortable, I was getting so cold! He did come back and then proceeded to tell me he couldn't take me to where I wanted to go because he couldn't find any more people! I asked him how much to take me there now and we agreed on 400 baht! I couldn't believe I was going to pay 400 baht for a bloody taxi! But how else was I going to get there! I couldn't believe nobody would take me! While I sat in the back still getting hammered by the rain coming through the sides of the truck I started to feel thankful that I was in a 4x4 since the roads were completely flooded and water was actually coming up over the bonnet of his truck as he navigated his way through the muddy water. As we went down into dips I watched the water rise up, almost coming into the back of the cab where I was sat. Cafes, restaurants and peoples houses were completely flooded and water cascaded down the hills like a muddy waterfall. It was a 15 minute drive to Orion and I was so glad to get there! The driver cracked open his window slightly and reluctantly handed him 400 baht!

I took off my jacket and my wet flip flops and found somewhere to sit in the cafe with everyone else. Everyone was looking out at the sea which was pounding the shore and throwing rocks and coral into the pristine gardens surrounding the centre. I decided to get something from the cafe and ordered a Hanuman smoothie and some green balance tea. The first person I spoke to was a lovely petit american girl with a mop of dark curly hair pinned on top of her head. Her name was Naomi and she was not only one of the yoga teachers here but she was also doing the reiki course today. I pulled up a seat next to her at one of the tables and we talked while she ate a bowl of fruit and granola and I sipped on my smoothie. There were lots of staff members buzzing around clearing up water that had started coming into the cafe. It wasn't long before another person appeared, her name was Griet and she was also doing a detox here at the centre. Her blonde wavy hair was pulled up into a pony tail and she was wearing some comfy yoga gear.

Our Reiki Master and teacher, Katie soon appeared from upstairs. She was wearing some loose fitting clothing and her hair was tied back away from her face. The first thing I noticed was how incredibly beautiful her skin was, her eyes were bright and her voice was soft and comforting. I recognised the Australian accent straight away! We all eagerly followed her up some steep wooden steps to a little treatment room with a dark wooden floor. On one side of the room was a bed covered in a beautiful patterned sheet. In one corner was a table full of shells, incense and other interesting objects and on the wall in between the two wooden doors was a small, dark wooden cabinet with a glass front full of beautiful crystals. We all sat down on the floor on some cushions in a semi circle facing Katie. After handing us our manuals for Reiki 1 we got straight into it and started reading from the manual. It was amazing how much of what she was saying made a lot of sense. A lot of what was being discussed I already instinctively knew or I had read about before. It was like coming back to something familiar, that I already knew.

During a break I sat downstairs in the cafe and ordered myself an Indian salad and a mason jar full of pink punch juice made with pineapple and beetroot. The salad was an incredible mix of raw cauliflower and sultanas tossed in a curry tahini dressing!

After lunch we all met in the Jungle sala which was on the opposite side of the track surrounded by lush green plants and palms. Inside the empty space we sat ourselves down on some cushions on the wooden floor. The sides of the sala were open but covered in panels of mosquito net. Above us were beautiful coloured flags strung across the beams and meeting at a central point. After some more reading from the manual it was decided, after Griet asked why we were going to be initiated tomorrow, that we would indeed do it today.

After placing a chair in the centre of the room with a cushion in front of it, Griet and I put some mats on the floor. Griet was first to receive her initiation and while that was happening, Naomi and I were on the other mats meditating. Once Griet had received her initiation she came to lie down on my mat so she could start a self healing session. Meanwhile I had taken her place on the chair and once Katie had adjusted my feet and turned my hands so my palms were facing up we were ready to start. I closed my eyes and listened to the soft music being played in the background. I could feel Katie moving around me and felt a beautiful warm sensation running through my body like being submerged in warm healing waters. The smell of lavender oil on her hands was so soothing and relaxing. While her hands were above my head all I could see was an explosion of purple and lilac colours pulsating from the middle of my forehead, my third eye. As she took each one of my hands and placed them in hers I could feel a rush of energy pouring through the top of my head, down my arms and out of the palm of my hands which felt like they were glowing with light. For a moment I lost myself in the moment, forgetting where I was and allowing myself to surrender. Once the initiation was finished Katie thanked me and I went over to swap places with Naomi and I started my self healing starting with the crown of my head and working down through the chakras. My whole body was still humming with energy and every now and again I would dip down into the blissful feeling, cutting my connections with the world.

From the moment we said our goodbyes for the day I was in a daydream. It was almost as if something had happened to me in the yoga sala, something that I couldn't explain. Something inside had changed and I felt so connected.The palms of my hands were still tingling and warm as I walked in the direction of my guest house. The weather had started to calm down by now. At the end of the track where it meets the main road there was a boat that had sunk in an inlet. That was the second boat I had seen today that had sunk. The other one was in the bay outside Orion and two met were in it at the time!

I spotted a faded sign for New Beach Resort. It only took me about 5 minutes from Orion which was good. There was a bridge going over the inlet and the floodwater had almost covered it. From the road the resort looked more like someones property and outside the garages at the front there was a big caged area full of Alsatian dogs lying in the sand. By the looks of it the cafe on site was shin deep in water and there were a lot of staff bailing out the kitchen with plastic buckets and containers. Nobody was at reception, instead, I was handed the key for my room by a lady in the flooded cafe. I followed a slender burmese woman to a little wooden hut on the beach. My hut was number 6. There was a concrete bowl full of water to wash your feet before you went inside and a little gate on the porch. A couple of hammocks were tied up outside. Inside the room was nothing like the pictures on the internet. It was so dark in there I couldn't see the floor. All the walls and the floor was cladded with thin ply painted a deep brown colour, there were a couple of bare light sockets in the ceiling. On a raised platform was a double mattress, a gap and then a single mattress. Luckily there was a mosquito met above the double. Inside the bathroom was clean but it had a gap all around the roof so I could see outside and up into the roof of the hut. All around the room were vertical slots with no mesh so all the creepy crawlies could come in! I just kept thinking that this would be fine. At least I was safe, I had a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in and a a fan to keep me cool. Sometimes I forget how fortunate I am.

I didn't spent too long in my hut and decided to go out for a walk and have a look around some of the local shops. There were a lot of vegetarian/vegan cafes dotted around and a couple of fruit stalls and chemists. I walked all the way up a really steep hill until I could see the ocean below me and then decided I had probably walked far enough. On the way back I managed to flag down an open back taxi and got a lift down to Thong Sala for 150 baht. There were quite a few other people all crammed in the back on the bench seats on either side, hanging on for dear life when we were up the steep hills! The coast was lined with palm trees and now the weather had calmed down I could appreciate the view.

I climbed out just before we reached Thong Sala pier and went round to the drivers side to pay. The food market was literally on the other side of the road and already packed with people. I had no idea what I wanted to eat and it made it even more difficult because there was so much to choose from. There were stalls selling beautifully made sushi, rice dishes and noodles. I spotted some corn on the cob popping away on the BBQ and there were so many places to get curries and rice. I spotted a stall selling fruit shakes for 30 baht and got myself a banana, avocado and coconut shake with no sugar. I haven't had an avocado shake in so long and it was divine! I walked around the bustling market sipping on my shake and looking at what the stalls had to offer. There were a couple in the corner selling papaya salads and grilled squid. Inside the main building every single table was taken and there were people from all walks of life eating a variety of different dishes from each stall. I grabbed some fresh spring rolls with avocado for my starter and then found a little place in the corner of the building called Soul Organics where I managed to get some fried eggplant and brown rice. I sat on a tiny little wooden table outside to eat. It was so strange sat on my own in the market without Nick. If I remember rightly, the last time we were here, he was sick and he sat out at the front of the market on the roadside while I grabbed something to eat.

I took a walk through the streets and looked in a few little shops. Then I found myself in a lovely cafe next to a Japanese Restaurant called Soul Organics! I wonder if the place in the market is run by the same people? I had wanted to come here the last time we were in Koh Phangan but it was closed! So now was my opportunity. I ordered some green tea and I really wanted to try the sugar free vegan cake made with bananas and topped with a chocolate avocado mousse. They only had half a slice left but they were happy to let me have it. Inside the little cafe there were shelves full of supplements, powders, teas and jewellery. I had to resist the urge to buy everything!

I managed to get a taxi back, after arguing the price. The same guy had picked me up earlier and charged me 150 baht and now the price was 200? You've got to love Thailand. There was another couple who were in the same predicament and after arguing the point we handed over 150 baht each and climbed in the back of the taxi.

Back at my hut I did my resistance bands exercises whilst trying to watch a video on YouTube which wasn't happening! The internet was worse here than it was back in Koh Tao! I had the fan on full blast to keep me cool but I got the feeling that tonight the temperature was going to drop. After a shower where I was trying to avoid being bitten by a giant ant that was roaming around in the bathroom, I set up my mosquito net and lay down in my bed. Tonight I was going to self heal before I went to bed. I don't normally drop off to sleep very quickly but I went into a very deep mediative state and I must have dropped off before I'd even finished. I woke up two hours later, only because I was snoring and freezing cold! I'd left Koh Tao without a nightie or a jumper and all I had in my little hut was a thin sheet and a small towel to keep me warm. So there I was, naked, under a mosquito net, draped in a small towel and wrapped in a blue and white floral sheet shivering!

I was so cold during the night, even my joints were hurting! I couldn't believe how cold it was! This is Thailand!! I'd had a message from Elise to say it was cold

where she was and it got down to 10 degrees overnight. I decided to do a quick self healing session before walking to Orion and immediately I was in a better mood and

ready for the day.

I arrived at Orion with a bit of time to spare so I ordered some fruit salad with chia pudding and a mint, lemongrass and ginger tea. I sat on one of the benches and

watched as the thai staff were clearing up all the rocks and chunks of coral that had been thrown into the gardens by the sea yesterday.

Our morning started upstairs again in the little room with the wooden floor and crystal cabinet. Naomi wouldn't be with us all morning because she had a yoga class to

teach so we went through as much of the book as we could before we had our first break. Today we would be practicing healing sessions on volunteers. I was filled with

a mixture of nerves and excitement. I need to learn to relax a bit sometimes!

Before I got something to eat from the cafe I took a walk back to my hut and washed my face and grabbed another bottle of water. Today I decided to try Orions Som Tam

salad (Papaya salad) and I like mine with no chilli! I had a small glass of raw almond milk on the side, a herbal tea and a mason jar full of green juice. As I sat

down and watched people milling around, some eating lunch and others drinking detox drinks I felt a bit more at home. Yesterday it was all a bit new and I think I

needed some time to settle in. Behind me there was a talk about detoxing and the raw food diet being held by the most beautiful slender lady with big rim glasses and a

beautiful smile. Her skin was radiant and glowing.

There was a camera crew walking around in the cafe, apparently they are making a documentary. I was trying my best not to get in any of the shots. Since there are so

many people here and not enough tables most of the time you end up sitting on a table with complete strangers which I think is such a good idea. This almost forces us

to be more social. I hate looking around a room and everyone is glued to their phones, laptops or iPads. We seem to have become a generation that has forgotten what it

is to be social, what it is to talk with one another. We have almost forgotten how to hold conversations with fellow human beings. Instead we immerse ourselves in the

world of social media where we have hundreds of fake friends, where we can fabricate the perfect life for ourselves that can be crudely manipulated through pictures

and statuses. We have forgotten what it is like to be 'us'.

The afternoon was spent in the Yoga sala again with Griet and Katie. Naomi was teaching a yoga class. Before we started healing the volunteers we had a bit of practice

with each other. Griet was first to lay down on the floor and allow Katie and I to give her a reiki healing. Normally I would have been really nervous around

unfamiliar people but I felt completely natural and at ease with these two beautiful women. We were all here for a reason and our desire to give unconditional love to

other human beings through channeling healing energy. As soon as I started at Griets crown chakra I felt completely at ease, like my instincts had taken over. It felt

so familiar and I let my intuition guide me over her body, feeling how the energy changes in certain areas. Some emotions to come up during sessions and after asking

whether it was my feelings or Griets feelings I thanked the divine energy for showing me this and said no thank you. The emotions or feelings soon disappear after

that. Its like you are saying thank you for showing me this but I don't want to feel this so no thank you.

Griets feedback was amazing and even after the session she looked so much brighter, like something had changed in her eyes. She was so relaxed and happy and said it

had been a very powerful experience for her and there were a lot of sensations going on in her body during the session. It was my turn to lay down on the mat and while

Griet led the session, Katie followed and worked on other areas of the body. This session bought up a well of emotions as soon as Griet passed over my heart. All of a

sudden I had the urge to burst out in tears. I have no idea where that came from as I was feeling absolutely fine before that. Its amazing how feelings and emotions

can come to the surface. Once they had finished I sat up and we all sat in a circle to discuss what we felt during the session. This feedback is a great way of

confirming what we are feeling is real. I can understand why someone who is a logical thinker would try and come up with an explanation as to what they were

experiencing. We all feel emotions such as anger, sadness, happiness, love and fear. Just because we can't see them, that doesn't mean that they don't exist. I suppose

you could use this as an example when someone receives a reiki healing. We know what we feel and just because we can't see reiki or the divine energy that doesn't mean

it doesn't exist. If anything we should all be taking time to reconnect with the divine, to reconnect with our roots. After all, we all come from the same source and

whether you call it reiki, chi, prana, the holy spirit, god, the source or the divine, is it not the same thing? Just referred to by a different name? And lets say,

even for arguments sake, that reiki doesn't exist, that its a figment of our imagination. What is the harm in letting another human being feeling that unconditional

love? What is the harm in giving to another soul, giving your time to connect with them on a deeper level?

It was soon time to meet our volunteers which Katie went off to find. She soon returned with two ladies. While she was gone Griet and I had set up two bamboo tables

with mats and cushions so it would be easier to work around the body. Sometimes its harder when you are sat on the floor trying to move around to different areas. I

actually felt ready to do this and we were given a time to finish our sessions. The energy from my lovely volunteer was so different from Griets energy and now I

wasn't sat on the floor I could allow my intuition to guide me down the body to where I needed to be. There were subtle differences in temperature and quite often I

felt like there was a repulsion, like two magnets repelling against each other, pushing my hands away from the body. At times I felt like I dropped down into such a

deep mediative state that I completely forgot where I was and I just tapped into the soothing humming energy flowing through my body, out of my palms and into the

volunteer. It was like for a moment our souls were connected on such a deep level and for that moment we were one.

I was feeling so relaxed after that and I still had another volunteer waiting for me. This time Naomi was were to join us and all three of us stood side by side with

our volunteers on the tables. I had a lovely thai lady called Peach, 'Peach like the fruit' she said in a sweet voice. Her energy was so different from the others too

and there were several emotions that came up while I worked on her that I felt right in my core. It was such an uplifting emotional experience for me and the feedback

we got from both volunteers was great.

After breaking for the day I took a walk back to my hut to wash my face and drop off my manual so it didn't get damaged. I decided to pay a visit to Lek, the organic

shop, so I could get some lavender oil to put on my hands during healing sessions. There was something so soothing about the scent. As I was walking to Lek a woman

stopped next to me on her push bike and asked if she could walk with me. She wanted to know what it was like at Orion and what course I was doing as she wanted to

start a yoga course there. She even came into Lek with me while I bought my oil and had a look around.

I took a taxi down to Thong Sala and managed to pick up some potatoes and spinach from one of the little stalls run by a tiny thai guy. He seemed very grateful for the

business. I grabbed another one of those delicious avocado, banana and coconut shakes and took another walk around town, into some other shops that I hadn't been in

before. It seemed so hard to get a taxi back. I have found that if you are on your own then there is no chance a taxi driver will take you anywhere. They prefer to

have a full taxi before they go anywhere which is a real pain if you need to get somewhere and there is nobody else going in the same direction. After flagging down at

least 6 taxis and being told no, I finally found a guy that would take me, only because he had two other passengers sat in the back.

I wasn't really ready to retire to my hut when I got back so I walked over the road to the Karma Cafe where I sampled some delicious coconut milk ice cream. I probably

could have eaten a whole tub but two big scoops were perfect! I decided to pay a visit to one of the little fruit stalls that I had seen last night. I noticed that one

of them had durian pods at the back but nothing had been cut up. Today was my lucky day and there was a big piece of durian with some of the pod still attached waiting

for me when I got there and it was only 160 baht! Thats the cheapest piece of durian I've had so far! I knew I wasn't really allowed to take it into my hut so I snuck

it past reception and for some reason the dogs took a real interest in my bag. I have no idea why they were attracted to the smell of durian perhaps it smelled like

meat?! Back in my hut I sat down for a sneaky stinky feast on my own and enjoyed every mouthful of the creamy vanilla flavoured flesh. I recon if you gave me a day I

could eat a whole durian to myself. I wonder how big a tree is? Maybe, wherever we settle, we could grow one?

Once I'd had a little rest it was time to do my resistance bands training with the fan on full blast again. The rain started hammering the tin roof of my hut so I was

glad that I'd made it back before that started! The internet was dropping out all the time so a call to Nick was impossible. I did manage to get a few messages to him.

I feel so lonely without him there, especially at night time. We've shared the same bed for 12 years so its hard being on my own. I could even cope with his snoring

right now!

I gave myself some time for a self heal and before I had even finished I was fast asleep. However, I woke up from my deep slumber 2 hours later with the sound of

another storm brewing outside. It was going to be a long night....

Its my Dad's birthday today so Happy Birthday Dad! It was another really cold night last night and I ended up wrapping myself up in a little towel and my sheet to try

and keep warm! After my resistance bands exercise and my self healing session I had a refreshing shower and started my walk down to Orion. It was a glorious day today

and the sun was out.

There was still a lot of coral and debris on the side of the road from the storm on Monday. I walked through into the cafe and ordered myself a chocolate chia bomb and

lemongrass, mint and ginger tea. The chocolate chia bomb came in a big glass jar with layers of papaya, dragon fruit and banana sandwiched between chia pudding mixed

with raw cacao. It was incredible and gave me the boost I needed for the day. Today I was going to be on my own with Katie. Griet wasn't continuing on to Level 2 and I

assume Naomi was too busy teaching. I'd spotted her in one of the yoga salas this morning teaching a class.

Soon I was upstairs again in the little room, sat on the floor looking through the manual with Katie. Today I would be learning the sacred symbols. There was a lot to

learn! After a few attempts drawing the symbols in the air and on paper I think I had the hang of it! We took a break just before 12 and I took a quick walk back to my

little hut to wash my face and get some more water. I seem to be drinking so much water at the moment! Thats not a bad thing!

Once I got back to Orion I ordered myself a mango and bean salad for lunch with a pineapple and carrot juice and herbal tea. I sat on the floor on some cushions

watching the world go by. Griet came and sat with me for a while. She said she was finding the detox really hard and had been experiencing some pain in her stomach. I

felt so sorry for her. Its hard when someone is going through the process of a detox and they are feeling uncomfortable and emotional. Its hard to explain that it will

get better and one day she will wake up and she'll feel so much better.

Both yoga salas were in use and so was the room upstairs so we sat on a table in the corner of the cafe to do some channeling work using a flower and a leaf. After

explaining what I had to do I placed the leaf on the table and cupped my hands around it trying to feel the energy of the leaf. Once I felt connected I got a piece of

paper and on the top I wrote 'I am the leaf, how do I feel? what do I feel? Then I just let the words flow onto the paper. I kept writing and writing even when I felt

like it didn't make sense anymore. It felt very natural to channel words through me and be almost unaware of what I was writing at the time. We both read our pieces

back to each other and they both had some real deep meaning to them. After that we were going to try and channel each other and see if we could feel each others

chakras. This meant we had to write our names on pieces of paper which we screwed up inside tissues so we didn't know whic name we had. It was the same process of

asking for the thought form to come into your hands and wait until you felt a connection. Then start working on the body as if it was in front of you in spirit form. I

was amazed at the different sensations flowing through my body. I was sure this person wasn't me because it didn't feel like I expected it to, unfamiliar in the sense

that it felt more open in areas I would have thought would have felt different on myself. There were some emotions that came in up various areas that I wrote down even

if they didn't really make any sense to me. After we had both finished we read out our pieces before revealing which person we had. As soon as Katie started reading

hers I knew she was talking about me! She did indeed have my name written on the paper and I had her name written on mine!

After we had finished channeling we made our way over to the yoga sala that overlooks the beach. The floor is made of polished concrete with a beautiful painted white

mandala right in the centre. It was time for my initiation into reiki level 2. It was the same set up as last time with the chair in the centre of the room and a

cushion in front. I had set up a mat to lay down on to start my self healing using the symbols I had been taught.

Before I sat down in the chair I looked out onto the beach and onto the horizon. I was standing in this room, overlooking the beach on an island in Thailand doing

something that I have yearned to do for so many years. And now, here I am, about to be initiated again, to the next level. It felt so right, like this is what I have

been waiting for, for a long time.

I sat down on the chair and took one last look out onto the beach before closing my eyes. I could feel Katie as she moved over my body and I felt a warm glow coming

down through the crown of my head and radiating through my arms, out through my palms, down my legs, into my feet and into the floor. As she placed her hands over my

head I felt an enormous pressure building up at my crown and over my third eye. It was like so much energy was being forced into my crown at one time. Even with my

eyes closed an explosion of white light came into my vision followed by purple and lilac. My body was humming with energy like a series of singing bowls were humming

throughout my entire being. For a moment I forgot where I was, I forgot I was even sitting down in a chair as I felt I was being drawn deeper and deeper into this

blissful energy. Soon I heard Katie say 'Thank you' and the initiation was complete and I was ready to start my self healing using the symbols I had been taught. As I

stood up from the chair it was if I was in a dream. I lay down on the mat which ran parallel to the beach so I could hear the sounds of the waves lapping at the

shingle shore.

Katie was right, the symbols I was using had a much greater effect and each time I drew a symbol over my body I could feel an increase in energy. We had set a time of

20 minutes and that time was up so quickly. As soon as I had finished my self heal I went straight into a session with a volunteer who lay down on the mat for me. She

had never had a reiki healing before which was always good because that means that person has no expectations of what it is going to be like. I felt like I went into a

much deeper mediative state with this volunteer and as I worked over her entire body I felt as if she was taking me on a journey.

It was time to break for the day and I was feeling on cloud nine, like I had just woken up from a much needed rest. My body was energised and my mind was so calm.

There were no racing thoughts, worries, anxieties, just peace. I took a walk back to my hut to drop off my manuals and then I headed over the road to the Karma Cafe

and ordered myself a raw Bounty bar and a cup of spiced hot chocolate made with raw cacao and coconut milk. It was divine! The same woman that stopped to talk to me

yesterday walked in and we had a chat while she was waiting for her order. She had been to a yoga lesson at Orion today and loved it.

After walking around the shops and taking in the sights I walked back to Orion to get something to eat. Tonight I wanted to try the Shakti bowl which came with

shredded vegetables, pan fried tempeh and a peanut dressing. Along with that delicious bowl I had a turmeric shot which came with a slice of lime on the side and a

herbal tea. It wasn't long before Griet walked into the cafe and I told her to come and sit with me. It was really the first time we had talked to each other properly

and I listened to her talk about her job back at home, her journey and how she ended up here, at Orion. She seemed so much better today. Her eyes were brighter and her

face had completely changed. It was wonderful to see her so happy and radiant. I ordered a raw chocolate brownie which was packed with fruit and nuts and a large pink

punch juice while Griet stuck to her watermelon juice.

Before I went back to my hut I decided to take a walk to the fruit stall and get myself something to snack on. I was hoping there was going to be some durian waiting

for me but I was out of luck. However, I did manage to pick up some longans and papaya before walking back to the Nice Sea Resort. Tonight was going to be my last

night here. Although I have loved being here I've missed Nick so much so I am looking forward to going back to Koh Tao. I would love to stay at Orion longer and learn

more, perhaps one day I'll come back.

It had been a really long night last night and I found it impossible to sleep with the rain hammering on the tin roof. I even succumbed to tiredness and took 2

melatonin tablets. One usually helps me drift off to sleep but even two were not doing anything. However, regardless of how tired I was feeling when I first got up,

once I had finished my resistance bands training and a self heal I stood in the shower under the warm water and listened to the rain. I watched as the water came

tumbling off the roof. There was something soothing and quite therapeutic about listening to the rain. Something that resounded with my soul.

It didn't stop raining so I pulled on my cheap 7 Eleven peach coloured rain jacket which had a rip in the back and stepped outside into the rain. The big heavy

droplets pummelled me on the back and the head. The water level under the bridge was really high again and the entire road was ankle deep in water as I sloshed my way

down the road towards Orion.

I hung my jacket up outside and stepped into the safety of the cafe. Today I wanted to try the fruit salad topped with granola and chia pudding with coconut and date

shreds. It was amazing! I had my lemongrass, mint and ginger tea to wash it down.

Today we started upstairs in the little room. After reading a little bit from the manual Katie suggested we do a little bit of automatic writing to open the channel.

So we started to write with the title on the top of the page 'How do I feel and what do I feel?'. Then it was time to let the words flow. They came freely and soon I

had covered 2 pages with scrawl. Before we could go any further someone poked their head through the window and said that they needed the room for a treatment in 10

minutes so we quickly had to put the table back and find somewhere to go. There was a little hut right on the beach side with lots of cushions and a low table that was

free so we made ourselves comfortable in there while I practiced distance healing which was a bit harder than I first thought.

Lunch was spent downstairs in the cafe and I ordered myself a pumpkin and bean salad, fresh watermelon juice and another herbal tea. Naomi and Katie came to sit down

with me. Naomi ordered the raw BLT on homemade raw sprouted bread and a little side salad. Katie got her smoothie and fresh juice and we started talking about her

journey and how she came to be at Orion.

The afternoon was going to be spent in a little hut right by the beach which contained a table covered with some beautiful purple pattered sheets and a pillow, a small

chair and a table. I had several volunteers come into the hut and each session was 30 minutes. I practiced chakra balancing which was a lot easier than I thought it

was going to be! Im sure one of the volunteers was sleeping which was great!

Once I had finished for the day it was time to say my goodbyes and have my photo taken with Katie, holding my certificate. I literally walked out of the healing centre

and out onto the main road and flagged down a taxi. It was my lucky day today and I managed to get a ride down to Thong Sala for 100 baht. There was a young couple sat

in the front. The guy was shirtless with a towel on his head and the girl had a baby on her lap.

I got out at the market and grabbed an avocado, banana and coconut shake and some vegetable sushi from one of the stalls before I walked down to the pier to sort out

my ticket. I walked over to the Seatran desk and I was met by Josephina from the healing centre. She was trying to get to Koh Samui to pick up her mother. I was told

that Seatran wasn't sailing because of 'very big wave' and the only company sailing tonight was Lomprayah......what a surprise! So after giving me a refund I booked my

tickets with Lomprayah. The boat was leaving 45 minutes later than my cancelled boat which was fine. I completely forgot my change and had to go back to the counter

again. I managed to find a cafe with wifi so I could message Nick and let him know that I was going to be on Lomprayah and not Seatran. Then I spent some time

wandering around, stopping off in Soul Organics for a banana smoothie and a slice of sugar free pumpkin cake with an chocolate avocado mousse topping.

Soon I was down on the docks and I pulled a plastic chair out of the pile and ended up sitting with a young dark haired girl who had just graduated from uni, buried

her brother two weeks earlier and then decided to come travelling.

On the boat I was getting ready for the rough trip and boy was it rough! The boat was thrashing around throwing bags and people everywhere. It was so rough people

couldn't stand up, not even to go outside if they were feeling ill. I sat back in my seat and tried to put myself into a meditation which seemed to work. I was still

aware of what was going on but my mind was calm. Because I put myself in this state, the journey took no time at all and soon I could see the lights of Koh Tao. I

could not wait to get off the boat and as soon as I started walking down the dark wooden pier I could see Nick standing there in his raincoat and helmet. He pulled me

through the crowds and I jumped on the back of the scooter.

I was supposed to do a shift tonight but I felt so sick Dtum said I didn't have to work which was so nice of him. Instead, we stopped off at Mammas and I got some

noodle soup and we headed home for a hot shower. I could not wait to get into bed! What a journey!

I felt so much better after finally getting some sleep. Nick was diving today so I was going to be on my own but that was ok. I made us both some porridge before he

left and after my resistance bands training and a hot shower I started a self heal before taking a walk down into Sairee Village. I decided to pay a visit to Living

Juices today which is on the way to Smile Mart, off the main road. For some reason a dog started to follow me and ended up walking into Living Juices with me! I

ordered a pineapple, watermelon and apple juice to take away. What I didn't realise was that they would put my takeaway juice in a use plastic bottle....nice! I took a

walk up to Smile Mart to get some water and a few other things before following the walking street to Mammas where I got myself a banana shake and a green mango salad.

I asked for no chilli but there was a healthy kick in there!

I spent the rest of the afternoon down at Coconut Monkey catching up on writing and looking at the Chakra system in more detail. I was still feeling on cloud nine

after my 4 day experience at Orion Healing Centre. After a couple of pots of green tea and some chocolate amazeballs I took a walk to La Carotte to get some dinner. I

had missed the vegetable soup and steamed red rice.

Up at The Hacienda I was ready to start my shift and feeling energised. I spent most of the night working on a new brunch menu for the restaurant on Dtums computer. I

even got a fresh coconut for my troubles! I leave the coconut opening to Bee and Dtum! I'd end up taking an arm or a leg off with that huge cleaver!

I can't believe we are coming to the end of January already! Time seems to be going so fast! It feels like only yesterday that I was chilling out in my little cottage

in Cotton enjoying my early morning runs and big bowls of fruit for breakfast. It seems like we have been living in Koh Tao for such a long time. Not that I am

complaining, but I feel like it's time to move on. I have felt like this for a while but there isn't a lot we can do about it until Nick finishes his dive masters

training.

It was a usual day for me which now starts with a self healing session. I find it is incredibly beneficial for me to start the day like this and I feel much more

grounded with a greater sense of inner peace before I start the day. After some resistance bands training and a cold shower because I was sweating so much, I started

my walk down to Sairee Village. The track was so dusty today and every time a truck or a scooter came past I had to cover my mouth! I really need to invest in one of

those face masks I see everyone wearing. I used to wonder why people wore them and now I know!

Sairee Village was surprisingly busy today and there were a lot of people milling around. I took the walking street down to Mammas and sat out in the sunshine to eat

some fresh spring rolls with tofu and a fresh banana shake. I had a book in my kindle I was reading but I find myself getting distracted and people watching instead!

I grabbed some coconut water from 'Coconut Lady' and stood for a while watching the monkeys scratching themselves. I feel so sad when I see the chains around their

necks. I'd love to be able to set them free but they have probably been born in captivity and they don't know any different. Its the same as the birds in the cages

that can' even spread their wings and fly like birds should be able to do. I watch them communicate with the wild birds of the same species that sit up in the palm

trees. I long for the day that one of them escapes or someone leaves a cage door open so they can fly free.

After looking around a few shops I stopped off for some green tea and a slice of raw vegan carrot cake from Coconut Monkey. I had an email from Vegan lifestyle

magazine to say my article is in there but when I clicked on the link it sends me to the site to buy the magazine!

I couldn't help myself, I had to go to La Carotte for dinner! I'd seen a couple of girls getting the sushi the other day and I was craving it! I ordered the pumpkin

hummus too which came with a side of brown rice. It was delicious and creamy! I had a bowl of sweet soy dipping sauce and I rolled little balls of rice and hummus and

dipped it in the sauce. I was loving my life! The thai owner very kindly gave me a free cup of herbal tea to go with my meal. Her husband is a very slender, bald

Frenchman who has the most gentle personality. He is always smiling. They both are wonderful hosts and make me feel so welcome. There is also a little girl with a bob

of dark shiny hair and big brown eyes that keeps me entertained by running up and down the restaurant, babbling nonsense and smiling at me as she comes past. She's

such a beautiful child.

Up at the Hacienda I started my evening with cuddles with Tonic the cat and then started my shift. It wasn't long before I was cleaning gecko poop off one of the order

pads and the bar. When I looked up the culprit, a large tuka gecko was staring down at me with his beady eyes locked on mine. Nick finished diving and came up to see

me. He was so tired. At least he had the day off tomorrow. We were showing a film in the cinema room and it was absolutely packed in there. After everyone had ordered

their food one of the guys asked if he could borrow a stool from the restaurant to sit in the cinema!

By the time we got home we were so exhausted. Before we walked into our room we had a look behind the unit on the balcony where the big mummy and baby tuka geckos

live. Only the baby one was there tonight. In the hallway there was a massive stick insect and a praying mantis having a stand off. I tried to take a picture of the

praying mantis which turned its attention to me. From what I can remember I think they can jump/fly short distances! I wasn't taking any chances and went into the

safety of my room.

The last day of January! Nick had the day off today which was great! We both got up and while he ate his porridge I cut a papaya in half and sat on the end of the bed

to eat it. Shortly after finishing his breakfast he fell fell asleep again so I left him snooze while I did my exercises and got ready. While I was having a shower I

could hear Nick watching a documentary about fish. Documentaries will not be the same when David Attenborough leaves this earth.

It was a hot day today and I took a bottle of water with me as we walked down to Mammas to get some lunch. The walking street was very busy and there were a lot of

scooters coming through. Nobody ever seems to take a blind bit of notice as to what is going on and hardly anyone ever lets scooters pass. Mammas was really busy today

and full of people all enjoying plates of delicious food. We both ordered fresh spring rolls with tofu and while Nick ate his with sweet chilli sauce I had mine with

soy sauce. I think I have a secret addiction to soy sauce!

After walking back to get the scooter we headed into Mae Haad and stopped off at Coconut Monkey. I ordered my usual green tea and Nick went for Jasmine tea and while

he sat and read his course material I caught up on some writing and some emails. I feel like I spent a huge chunk of my life writing! Its something that I have always

enjoyed and I would never stop doing. One day, when I am no longer here I would love to be able to pass down my journals documenting my life to my family so they can

see the world through my eyes at this moment in time. I would love to have had something like that in my lifetime from a family member.

I took a walk around Mae Haad while Nick went off to the guest house to get his Hacienda shirt. Dtum had emailed him and asked if he could work tonight. It was Sunday

so that meant lots of roast dinners! While I was waiting for him outside Coconut Monkey I managed to get a call through to my Mum on Facetime. She was still in her

dressing gown and probably hates when I introduce her to people I know while I am talking to her. Linzi from Master Divers was sat on the bench outside and she got to

meet my Mum! Soon after that Nick turned up on our scooter wearing his black helmet and his bright yellow Hacienda shirt.

Tonight we had a date night at La Carotte. I walked in and they already had the menus on the table I usually sit at. We didn't even have to order our fresh mango and

lemon shakes because she was already making them and she always remembers that we have no sugar in our shakes. Tonight we decided to order a few smaller dishes from

the menu so we could both try a few things. Along with the vegan sushi rolls with sweet potato we ordered the pumpkin hummus, Isaan vegetables in a mushroom sauce and

some vegan sausage spread that came with steamed broccoli, cauliflower and some salad. The sausage spread wasn't really a spread, it was more like a mince and tasted

exactly like pork sausage! An older thai lady wearing a white chefs hat came out to speak to us. She knows I come in here almost everyday at the moment and she wanted

to know what we thought of the food. She was so sweet. She asked if we were from Australia because of our accent and our tans! We get asked that question a lot! We

must still have a bit of an Australian accent! By the time we left La Carotte we were so full! I couldn't leave without buying some dried strawberries and I wasn't

charged the full price for the meal! I thanked them several times. I want them to know how grateful I am for their generosity.

After I had changed into my shirt and had a quick cuddle with Tonic who was sleeping behind some cushions I was ready for my shift. Nick and I stood behind the bar

while Dtum went home for his shower. It was the start of a very busy night and all the spare roast dinners were quickly snapped up! Lynn was in tonight with a group of

friends and they all sat out in the gardens. Apparently, according to Dtum, one of the turtles had got out of the pond and they found it down by table 17. It actually

bit one of the girls on the finger! Bee wasn't here tonight because she had to go back to Songkhla. It was something to do with her family but I didn't want to ask too

much. We always seem to get fed so much food by the kitchen staff! Not that I am complaining! Tonight we had some bananas with custard going spare and Tun came out

with a big plate of veggie roast dinner for me. I was so grateful! I love working with the Thai staff here and they have made us feel so welcome. I told Bee that I now

have a thai family! I'm going to miss all of them when we finally move on. Whether or not we ever come back to Koh Tao, who knows but what I do know is that we will

always be friends, no matter how big the distance is between us.