Hello Everyone,

As I promised I am here to tell the tale of the past two weeks. Koa Tao was great even though I was pent up around the guesthouse for the most part the staff was wonderful. We came to understand eachother pretty well with the aid of one of them speaking perfect english. I did manage to get into the water 6 times or so spending 5 hours snorkeling and going on two dives before my unfortunate embrace with the earth.
I hobeled on to the boat to the main land that would be the first of the three tier trip back to Bangkok which would take 18 hours over all. I managed to make it to the front of the boat in time to secure the most precious piece of landscape there.. The bow unlike vessels in the states you are allowed to hang your feet right over the front even though you are obscuring the view of the captian. I took advantage of this and stayed there the whole time ending up asleep with my head hanging over the side of the `100 foot vessel. The seal was calm with little more than a few ripples here and there. The sky was clear and it provide an amazing view of the islands we passed. They were all littered with coconut trees and huge cliff faces among the sandy white beaches. The bus ride was a typical one. However, the busses here for long distance travel are double deckers that have seats like airplanes with all the room that the plains lack. They are pretty comfortable but I still could not sleep due to throbbing in my foot. I waited around Bangkok for a few hours until 7:30 am when I caught a bus to Auttuya. I managed to find a great spot and splurged for all the luxuries. A/C huge bed nice view and a bathroom with heated shower. I figured i would want somthing nice seeing as my stitches were taken out to earily (apperently i did not lay around enough). The wound though small managed to split open and cause me a fair amount of pain. I lazed about for a few days not makin it far. But I did manage to find a great eye glasses place where i bought a pair of really nice glasses for the grand total of 80 U.S. The same pair would have cost 400 in the states. The last day at Auttuya I managed to make it to a long boat where the lovely lady zoomed us around the water ways dropping us of at all the major temples. I had a great time and my foot was feeling much better. I also managed to snap some great shots. (sorry bobbie yer gunna have to wait on the pics i didnt manage to pick up a digital).

Then I was off to Pai via Chaing Mai. Another long bus ride. With an un- scheduled stop in the middle of a hill on the highway where we proceded to roll backward. It was in teh middle of the night and we were all awoken to loud horns of on coming vehicles. The driver eventually managed to get the vehicle started and into first gear after some serious slipping of the clutch. The trip into Pia was a great one. The roads were windy and full of beautiful mountian scenery. I picked up a moter bike on arrival and have since put some serious roads behind me. It is just so beutiful here. The shades of green are something I would have expected in Ireland and this is the dry season. Though I did arrive in time for a few good thunder storms. This going from 6 months of nothing but sun. The sky is clearing out a bit but you still see a great deal of smoke lingering. In some places it looks like Juneau does after the smoke from the Yukon forest fires passes over the icefields. I met a man a little older than I whom has been travling for the past 5 years strait. He has spent it all in Asia and is now just revisiting the highlights before he is due home in two weeks.

Well there is more to tell but I am in need of a fruit smoothie.

Until later

It was