This was my last day on Koh Toa.

Today's dive at Chumpon Rock was the best yet! 20m visibility at least. Not like yesterday. Didn't know things could change so fast. Buddied up with Bjorn again. Met a very pretty blonde from Oxford who is one of only four people in England who does her job. Something to do with Radio Therapy. Her parents come from Worksworth! Small world. She was telling bad diving jokes in sign language and was engaged to be married. Petty, still with her looks what do you expect.

Next dive wasn't as good but we did go through some caves. Great fun. They are getting a bit routine now and it is only if I see something extraordinary that I bother to write them down.

The Butterfly

Went to the lunch restaurant with Bjorn who was staying on to do the advanced course. A bloke from England asks if he can share our table with us. He lives on 60B per day. He had been ripped off with the old jewellery scam and lost a lot of money even before getting out of Bangkok. He also told us about writing off two motorbikes! Boy was he unlucky or just plain stupid? Said good buy to Bjorn and go to the pier.

Got on the 14:00 Express Ferry to Koh Phangan. The Express boat is awful, smells of diesel and when it hits any big wave it comes down with a "Cracking" sound and shudders. Not very reassuring! I decide to take the big car ferry to the mainland from Koh Phangan! Don't want to do anymore of these little ferries anymore; it's just a matter of time before one sinks on me. I have been told that about one a year goes down. Well at least this one has lots of life jackets, but no life rafts and it's a long way to swim… watch a trail of ants carrying a big bit of food up the window and into the shelving above my seat. Well, it passes the time.

When I got to Koh Phangan, I allowed my self to be picked up be a tout for "Phangan Canabe Resort". It was on the far side of the island and had to endure a mad taxi ride of about 8km. The bloke was all over the road and as the road surface turned to sand, he didn't slowdown or makes any kind of allowances. Nerves were slightly shot after the boat ride and the taxi doesn't help.

The huts I am shown are expensive at 500B for a room with a fan or 1000B with A/C a night. I decide that I`m not going back in that taxi again and it does look like a nice place to spend some time. It clean and right by the sea, with a pool and it even is serving "English Roast Lunch"! Not too sure if that's a good thing or not. I take a room with a fan for 2 nights.

I walk down the beach until my way is block by big rocks and I go up a path to some houses. This comes out on the road that goes to the hotel and I walk back along it looking for a place to eat but beside a small shop that sells general provisions and fills air tanks for divers.

I go to the hotel bar that is down on the edge of the beach and has a great view of the sunset! I sip a long drink and listen to the Thai MTV satellite station that they have on the Audio/Video system that consists of a mega set of surround sound speakers and sub-woofer with a 14inch portable TV. I think hay need to spend some more on the Video side of their system!

This place is a Thai version of the Costa del Sol.

There doesn't seem to be anything near the hotel I eat diner, I have the Thai food not Roast Beef and Spuds, I watch MTV and then the film "Moulin Rouge" on VCD. You have to be drunk to understand that film. Food and beer aren't bad. As the night goes on the Mozzies come out and as many as on Koh Tao but bigger. Put on mozzy repeller on all exposed bits that keep them away but one manages to bight me through my shorts on the scrotum! Is no place sacred? After the movie I think about stargazing but it was too overcast, so went to bed. And tried not to scratch my mozzy bites.