Ta daaa..!

So I finally made it to my Thai island , to my travel buddy extraordinnaire and in time for Christmas and the new year - hurrah!

All airports the world over look the same as do distinctly average hotels near airports; although I'm not complaining too much really cos I'm here and cos in comparison to the backpacker life it was a touch of quality if not class that broke up my journey nicely. Having also spoken to those hardy souls that tried to travel overland from southern Thailand into northern Malaysia it truely sounded like the journey from hell and involved a boat (which my rather large backpack would no doubt sink in a flash!) and so my decision to fly here in time for festive drinkies and the like is justified - another hurrah!

Koh Phi Phi was badly affected by the tsunami last Boxing Day as I'm sure the world knows. There are still areas of debris and construction going on all over the island but the main little streets have been re-built and sorted out nicely. What I hadn't realised is that the island is shaped such that the main stretch is on a horizontal narrow stretch of land and last year they had a rolling high tide that just kept on coming on the one side and an enormous wave hitting them on the other; the result? Bloody mess and chaos. Having spoken with people that were there, most ended up in the only bar on the island with three floors (obviously out of reach of waves and flood water) and drank in disbelief having previously woken up in water - the lucky ones that is. So the anniversary should prove to be a moving day for everyone - including a minutes silence, Muslim, Buddist and Christian ceremonies and an evening candle walk.

The weather here has also been causing problems over the last few days - the full moon party at Koh Pang-nan (spelling??!) had to be moved from the beach due to vicious storm weather and very high tides resulting in the death of four people - it was ultimately cancelled.

So not all cheery, but the atmosphere of this place is vibrant yet relaxed and although very touristy (which is nice to see after the exodus of tourists following the tsunami) I feel quite comfortable here... bring on the sunshine!