Well then, it's Sunday today. We arrived here in Khao Lak at around 10.30am on Friday morning (or was it Thursday?). Khao Lak is very small beach resort on the South West coast of Thailand.

The potentially dull 12-hour bus drive was made all the more interesting by a bald, small, drunken English yob laid behind us on the back seats, who not only stank but grumbled in his sleep. Rather like my childhood pet Cilla in fact, though he didn't wake himself up / make everyone else pass out by farting... to the best of my knowledge. Combined with the occasional outburst from a German backpacker lady with a laugh like an Asthma attackee on helium, I'm sure you can begin to appreciate the fun that was had.

The South of Thailand, anyway, is HOT!! Not humid like Taiwan really, but darn it... I spent just an hour or so with my top half exposed to all and sundry, and this evening I'm glowing plenty. The sea is pretty choppy so that will be good open-water swimming practice for next year's 'prat does a triathlon' attempt.

Thai food meanwhile is, it must be said, dirt cheap and amazingly tasty. Much nicer than Taiwanese fare in my opinion... sweet and sour, satay (Peanut sauce), spring rolls, spicy noodle dishes. Oh, and lots of fruit and muesli on offer around brekky time!

We've got a little one-room wooden bungalow about a minute's walk from a very nice beach (erm, yes, quite a bit nicer than Kenting in Taiwan I'm afraid! Shame... shame... shame...).

Oh, we found somewhere to watch the rugger on Saturday too. It being the second ever rugby I've watched (the first being the S.African game), I have to say it was pretty bloomin' exciting. And we won - bargain! That Frank Spencer-ish man with the golden boot, he's really rather good... though his name escapes me right now.

I believe the plan is to stay until next Friday then, followed by another overnight journey for a last day in Bangkok of breathing pollution and visiting a massive market for last-minute tat buying (that's tat as in rubbish, not tattoos. Ooh no, good grief).