All night happy hour

Ao Nang was pretty crazy. Its the first time we've seen the really full on mega-tourist-resort side of Thailand and I've got to say it was pretty scary. Wealthy European yuppies and retirees, and sunburnt bogan British families - hundreds of them. The reason, of course, that they're all here is that the scenery is jaw-dropping - turquoise water on white sand beaches surrounded by sheer limestone cliffs. We caught a longtail boat out to a beach called Rai Leh which was a bizarre experience - the most stunning beach I have ever been on but at the same time we're surrounded by hundreds, maybe thousands, of loud, tacky, brash European holiday makers. Its the most inspired and repulsed I've been in the whole trip all at once. That night we drank Beer Changs on the beach and later hit a couple of 'all night happy hour' bars and rekindled our love for Aerosmith and Bon Jovi. 80's metal seems weirdly appropriate here.

Next morning we're waiting for the bus out of town and a giant leather-brown german-looking guy waddles by wearing nothing but a nazi moustache, a huge beer gut and a fluoro-yellow pair of speedos. Sonya turns to me and in a moment of pure hungover grumpiness says 'Where's my glasses? I need to see these people so I can hate them better'.

We caught a ferry out of there to Ko Lanta which is much more relaxed. We're staying at a lovely place called Sanctuary (again, appropriate) and today we went for the most incredible snorkeling mission at an island called Ko Rohk. Tough life this.