Diving Lanta

Hi all

We spent yesterday and the day before diving. Unfortunately no whale sharks or mantas for us. But there was plenty of schools of larger fish and lots to look at. It was also good experience for Chris as it was a deeper dive with some current. We saw octopus and morray eels and plenty more. The speed boat was great and our tans are now coming along nicely.

Today we are having a rest day on the beach - although it gets way too hot and unbearable at midday.

Yesterday we had a massage on the beach for an hour after diving. Lovely but it does hurt every now and then. Thai massage involves being pushed and pulled into many positions and being walked on!!

Today is bright and sunny. I will send some more photos soon - but it takes a long time to load each photograph. The sunsets heer are lovely although sometimes they can happen really quickly. Not much night life here on Koh Lanta - its the end of the season and is a quiet island anyway.

Laura - sorry i had your birth date wrong xx

Lots of love for now

Anna Chris

28/03/06 Lanta

Hi All

Thanks for your messeges.

To answer Chloe's question we are 7 hours ahead of the time in Britain.

Sounds like the weather back home isnt great, we met some swedish people and they say they left Sweden with a temp of minus 15!

Yesterday was a lazy day. Playing in the huge waves on our beach - fun until they smash you down onto the sand! Read books, played with frisbie, popped to the shops by the port.

We also moved to the next beach up - long beach. To a place called 'Sayang Beach'
http://www.sawasdee.com/hotel/krabi/sayang/pictures.html

We have booked to go diving tomorrow and the next day - reports of a whale shark and calf so we are really excited! Going with Lanta Fun Divers - a small company with a speed boat and max of 12 passengers so it should be great. we will be diving Koh Ha and HIN DAENG, HIN MUANG - known for sharks and mantas.

http://www.lagunafundivers.com/html/divesites.html


Today we are off on a kayaking trip around 4 Islands - the lift should collect us any minute. A good chance to top up our tans and try to work off all the fried food over here!


Hi Michelle - lovely to hear from you - have a nice trip back home.

Happy Birthday to Laura today, Congratulations , have a great day.

Branwen - any news on your baby yet?

Hope everyone is well and happy

Love anna and chris

ps last night we found frogs and were teasing them with bits of long grass - they thought it was flies!

Koh Lanta 26\03\06

HI We arrived in Koh Lanta yesterday it took 17hours and actually wasnt that bad!

The ferry boat had mattresses on it and we took sleeping tablets to ensure we would have c\some sleep. Arrived at 4am in Surtiani where we had to wait til 6.30 for our coach. we dropped our bags at the travel shop and went for a walk around the night food market. It was bizare, there was an indoor market with all types of brightly coloured sweet loooking food, and big mountains of pasted spices, and we avoided the meat section! outside there were 'stools' set up on the floor and people were selling fruit and chillis literally on the pavements and about 1 meter into the road!

Slept through most of the coach journey. Lots of huge high rochs and palm trees etc. Arrived at Ao Nang in Krabi. Very pretty area - sandy beaches and small islands that are 100 meters high coming straight out of the water, with lots of trees and vegetation on the top.

Caught ferry, boiling hot and sunny.

Arrived in Koh Lanta which is known for being a quiet island. Lots of lovely beaches and not many parties here. Mainly for sun worshipers.

Took a taxi off to the bottom of the island after a reccommendation from a swedish tourist. We ended up on a small almost private beach, with little beach huts. Chis and I were wanting somewhere nicer to stay. So we left Gwilym there and caught the taxi back up the island to Lanta Nice Resort on Klong Nin Beach- to see it click on link;
http://krabidir.com/lantanicebeach/index.htm

Today Is Mothers day so a Big HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to my and Chris's Mum and also to Debbie who is busy becoming a Mum! Lots of love to you all.

Today is going to be restful!
Ive been up ealy taking photos of the sea and the resort. We have been off for a walk on the beach and had a lovely breakfast of fruit, museli, iced coffee, freshly squeezed juice made from any fruit you want and a ham,tomato and onion sandwich!

gonna chill out and read and plan future diving.

Lots of small crabs here to chase along the beach and ever more geckos around our room.
xxx
anna chris

Koh Lanta 26\03\06

HI We arrived in Koh Lanta yesterday it took 17hours and actually wasnt that bad!

The ferry boat had mattresses on it and we took sleeping tablets to ensure we would have c\some sleep. Arrived at 4am in Surtiani where we had to wait til 6.30 for our coach. we dropped our bags at the travel shop and went for a walk around the night food market. It was bizare, there was an indoor market with all types of brightly coloured sweet loooking food, and big mountains of pasted spices, and we avoided the meat section! outside there were 'stools' set up on the floor and people were selling fruit and chillis literally on the pavements and about 1 meter into the road!

Slept through most of the coach journey. Lots of huge high rochs and palm trees etc. Arrived at Ao Nang in Krabi. Very pretty area - sandy beaches and small islands that are 100 meters high coming straight out of the water, with lots of trees and vegetation on the top.

Caught ferry, boiling hot and sunny.

Arrived in Koh Lanta which is known for being a quiet island. Lots of lovely beaches and not many parties here. Mainly for sun worshipers.

Took a taxi off to the bottom of the island after a reccommendation from a swedish tourist. We ended up on a small almost private beach, with little beach huts. Chis and I were wanting somewhere nicer to stay. So we left Gwilym there and caught the taxi back up the island to Lanta Nice Resort on Klong Nin Beach- to see it click on link;
http://krabidir.com/lantanicebeach/index.htm

Today Is Mothers day so a Big HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to my and Chris's Mum and also to Debbie who is busy becoming a Mum! Lots of love to you all.

Today is going to be restful!
Ive been up ealy taking photos of the sea and the resort. We have been off for a walk on the beach and had a lovely breakfast of fruit, museli, iced coffee, freshly squeezed juice made from any fruit you want and a ham,tomato and onion sandwich!

gonna chill out and read and plan future diving.

Lots of small crabs here to chase along the beach and ever more geckos around our room.
xxx
anna chris

Last day in Koh Tao

The boys passed their Padi Advanced yesterday! Took the whole day as was 3 dives including a night dive.

Today we are going to hire kayaks and go to Mango Bay which is north of Koh Tao. And is a nice snorkeling bay.

Tonight at 9pm we are leaving Koh Tao on an overnight ferry ( 9-5am)and a bus (6.30am - 9am) to travel overland to Krabi and then a ferry to Koh Lanta arriving at 12 pm next day!

So tomorrow we will all be very grumpy!!!


Hope you all are well.
lots of love
Anna Chris Gwilyam

Moved on to Koh Tao

Hi
We left Koh Samui yesterday after having a big night out partying. Caught a catamaran boat to Koh Tao which is 1hr 30 mins north of Koh Samui. Koh Tao is basically a diving island with good snorkelling too.
Spent the whole of yesterday trying to find somewhere nice to stay. Lesson learnt - I wanted somewhere with a view of the sunset and last night it just went cloudy no sun set at all!!!!

Went out and watched a movie in a bar and then went on to a bar called Pure that was having an all night party. Good fun. Chris and our friend Gwil have both signed up to do their Padi Advanced so they are doing the theory now and we go out diving this afternoon for 2 dives and then 3 dives tomorrow including a night dive.

Weather is humid and cloudy with breaking sun and odd showers.

When we leave here we will be heading for Krabi of Phuket and plan to take a live aboard to the Similan Islands for a few days.

We are staying at View Cliff apartments. Last night there was a loud noise which then turned into an 'eeeehooo' which was s big Gecko saying gecko! very funny. This noise the insects make here is incredible. it starts quiet and the just gets louder and louder - sounds more like millions of birds squawking.

Lots of love
Hope you are all well.
Anna Chris

Koh Samui

Hi
We arrived safe in Koh Samui. Boiling hot and confused. Trying to change our body clocks has been strange. Went for a swim in the sea, checked into Lamai Wanta hotel on Lamai beach.
We eventually found our friend Gwilam after forgetting to take his phone number.

We went to Chawang beach in Gwilam's hired jeep, and had food and a few drinks. A Thai main meal costs about 1 pound 30!n yippee Food is lovely.

Day 2
Up at dawn to go diving. Dived Sail rock twice. Down to 26meters. Vis was ok but not fantastic. Lovely swim through hole in the rock and lots of life in the sea. 2 very nice dives. Camera survived its first trip underwater! It began to rain on the way back from diving. So today is wet but nice and cool. We are busy trying to sort out a way of heading to the Andaman side of Thailand.

Tonight we will be out for drinks and dancing.

Bye x

Arrived in Bangkok

We have arrived in Bangkok at 6.30am this morning. Landing to a beautiful sunrise. 29 oC.
Passing time at the airport before flying to Koh Samui at 9.50 am. Plane food and films were rubbish but flight was fine.
x

Our Travel Itinery

Hi Everyone

Chris and I are soon to be travelling to South East Asia for 10 weeks.

Our Travel route is

• London
• Thailand
• Vietnam
• Cambodia
• Bali and the Gili Isles
• London

Flight details

• 18th March Fly Thai Airways from Heathrow to Bangkok and then straight onto another flight to Koh Samui.
• Find a flight to Bangkok
• 7th April Fly Bangkok to Hanoi, Vietnam with Air Asia
• Find a flight to southern Vietnam and or to Cambodia
• Find a flight to bangkok
• 1st May Fly from Bangkok to Bali
• 20th May Fly from Bali to Bangkok
• 21st May Fly Bangkok to London Heathrow, Thai Airways flight 910Q Arriving London 7.15am Sun 21st May