Phuket...

So we got our flight to Phuket and as soon as you walk out there is a taxi rank with a sign that tells you how much your taxi will be. It said 1000 baht to Rawai , Sally (a family friend in which we are staying with) told us it would only be 800 bht. We found out later we should have asked asked for one with a meter and it would have been only 800.

So we got the bus which at 1230 , were told it would set off at 1.30 and was 140 bht and took us to Patong beach, we thought a taxi would be cheap from here as its 40 minutes to Rawai. The bus didn't set off until 215 then after 5 mins we had to all squish onto a minivan and then it took 3.5 hrs to get to patong then a taxi ended up costing us 500 bht so no cheaper really and ate up half our day. We have learnt that the Thai are not rigid with their timings, at all!! Your food will come out when its ready and not all at the same time. They seem to apply this to life too !!

Sally met us near hers in Rawai and we both jumped in the side cart of her motorcycle. It was five minutes to hers and we loved the ride. We then got to meet her gorgeous babies (dogs) Sambo, Toffee and Goldie. They were all so lovely and friendly, Goldie a little shy at first but became our friend soon enough. We were shown around their lovely home then had a chang with sally on their patio and waited for Andy to come home from diving. He is the best scuba diving instructor and does photos and videos for you and is very good !! Andy's scuba website Check him out, hes rated highly on trip advisor !!

That night we had veggie burgers and homemade wedges and they were lovely , just like real burgers , soo scrummy , so i am considering changing to quorn when we get home.

The next morning was Andys day off so we all just relaxed by the pool and enjoyed each others company, it was nice. We had Thai curry for lunch from the shop nearby. It was sooo good and only cost 220 for us both. It was a corner shack and was called king burger or something but was delicious !!! Then Luke and Andy were off to play football so Sally and I tagged along. On the way we met one of Andys scuba friends named Brem and his girlfriend and the O2 bar on the beach , which is a hotel bar , lovely setting with a great view and not too expensive for drinks. It's right by the pier to get any diving boats. However whilst we were there , a monsoon came but it was great to see as we were under shelter. www.o2beachclub.com click to see their website.

Then we may our way to football , where Andy arranges a game every week and quite a few people show. Luke had a great time and said the pitch was lovely. It was 150 baht per person and worth every penny. Sally and I drank cava and gossiped and got merry. A great night all round.

The next morning , Sally took us to the Big Bhudda . It was free but we were given sarongs to cover out shoulders and knees. It was great to go to and offered some great viewpoints. You could buy pieces of marble to write on and stick on the Bhudda which supposedly brings you good luck. We stopped for a fresh young coconut water on the way down and we had a great view behind us. The drinks came to 170 bht which was good , then we made our way to a viewpoint which overlooked monk island. It was beautiful , here i bought a lovely day dress too for around 4 pounds which we bartered for - well sally did !!

We then met up with Sallys friends for lunch at Naat bar on the seafront. Here we had pad Thai and spring rolls for 85 bht , Clive let me try some of his papaya salad which was gorgeous. All the food was great and Clive and his husband Bruce were lovely. Bruce has experience in the design of prisons mainly in Canada but has researched around the world first hand and was really interesting to listen to. I just wish we had met whilst i was writing my dissertation. We all chatted and had drinks on the seafront before we all made our way home. www.kitesfromphuket.blogspot.com