Update (Very late!!) Today 11April 08

Update from Monday 17th March!

So after saying goodbye to Guy and Sarah the previous evening i was up relatively early for my Thai cooking course at the Samui Instiute of Culinary Arts - posh or what!!

Anyway i was a lazy cow and got a taxi bike there, i'm glad i did coz i ahve found out that the maps they hand out over here and not exactly to scale and it would have taken me a good half hour to walk and although that isn't far, i wanted to make sure i wasn't late for my first morning - yes i am still a sqaure geek who sits at the front of class! Anyway so i met my teacher who was incidentally crazy, and took my place at this rectangular table where she was at the head and had a microphone so that we could all hear her! Not that he4aring her was a problem it was more that you couldn't understand her!!

Anyway so we started with a load of ingredienst being given to us and our first task was to make a Red Curry paste, we got given everything and the recipie book and then we had to go through all the different ingredients we would be using, including tasting them! Let me warn you now, if you do a cooking course and they tell you to taste the chilli that they have given you and told you its not very hot under no circumstances believe them THEY LIE!!! Its bloody hot, well it was for me anyway! OH and so is fresh green pepercorns and fish paste tastes exactly as it sounds, like fish food and should not be consumed! It may make the curry paste taste better but do not eat it from a spoon! As you can tell at this point i was convinced that the teacher was trying to kill me! Luckily there were other the same as me who were suitably non-currified and not used to hot food, although i was the only one still coughing half an hour later but thats something we can leave there and never mention again! So we made a Rad Curry paste and then guess what??? We made a Red Chicken Curry! Well not yet, i'm jumping ahead a bit now to be honest because the way it works is you prepare everyhting and then you go into a separate bit of the schoool and then you get to cook everything all in one go so its nice and hot when you coem to eating it! We also prepared Pad Thai with prawns which worried me a bit as a fly kept landing on mine!! And then Tom Yum Soup. Once we had prepared all the dishes as i said we were allowed tocook them all in one go. First we watched her and a couple of the students do it then it was our turn. It was soo hot in ther with 12 of us cooking but we got through it and i was very proud of my results! Afterwards we went upstaiors to eat our delicious meals and even though i had only put in a few chillies (she had told me it wasn't enough!!) i still burnt my tongue - well thats what it felt like anyway! Far too hot! It was a bit embarrassing as you were supposed to bring along a guest to eat with and obviously i didn't have any at that point so i had to sit on my own trying to eat all the food! I ate so much that after my half hour walk home i had to have a nap! Must be old age!

That evening i decided it would be a great plan to try and get a scooter as they were cheap and would let me see soem of the island and everyone used one so i would be able to! Not so, oh no! They can be very deceptive. After paying the lady a deposit for the bik i was given it, without a helmet! So first things first i asked for a helmet and then i asked for a bit of instruction. All i got was turn this and this break ok?? ok?? Must be simple then! NOPE! I then managed to crash said moped inot a line of stationary bikes and almost wrip my leg from my body! Guess i need a bit more instruction then!! So after burning my leg on the exhaust and causing myself to limp about with a dead leg when they offered me a second go you would think i would walk away, oh no, stupid stubborn S-J kicked in and decided not to let it beat her and have another go! This time i narrowly avoided crashing into a very expensive looking mecedes 4x4! After that i quickly gave the bike back and walked away with a slight limp and blleding leg trying not to look at the people in the restaurant next door who were obnviously fidning the whole thing very amusing! Wont be doign that one for a while i can tell you!

So the next day when i woke up with a massive bruise on my leg i decided i wouldn't risk the bike taxi and i would walk, all be it a little slower than usual but i made it to school in time and didn't even buy any sweets on the way! So this second day we had Green Curry, Coconut Soup and Beef in Oyster Sauce, same set up as before except this time when she tried to make us eat the raw ingredients i had her number and foiled her plan and i watched as my fellow students were coughing and spluttering from the green peppercorns! Ha! Again was a great day and i can't wait to get back to the UK to try them out on everyone, ut don't worry i will be very conservative with the chillies!

That evening i met up with Danny and Carla for drinks (who i met in BK) we spent some time in an English bar and then went to play Jenga in one of the girly bars - well accroding to Danny and his two mates that was the only reason!! To be fair it was fun to play! We then moved onto a bar which had a couple of poles in for dancing around and seeing as it was very quiet and we were the only people in there the obvious happened and a pole dancing competition ensued! I must admit it looks a hell of a lot easier than it actually is! I was crap, definately need to work on that if i can't find a job when i come back! (Only joking Mum, think you actually have to do exercise to be one of them, or at least not have 6 or 7 meals a day!!)We moved on to the Green Mango club and had a bit of a boogie but after a while came back to the street partyy where everyone just buys drinks form the bars and takes them out into the street and dances. It was really cool and relaxed. After this it was time for bed and i crashed out, ready to get up at 6.30 for a pick up at 7.30 for my kayaking tour! When i finally got into bed at 2.30 i wasn't really thinking going out was the best plan!

Anyway managed to get up in time, just! And was picked up by the mini bus and was taken to our boat at Thong Sala Port. Blue Star Kayaking Tour. Met a guy called Stuart who was from Auz and was the only other person who spoke English in our mini bus, we didn't say much but said hello and stuck together when the German's were chatting amougst themselves. So we headed off to Ang Thong National Marine Park and anchored up for some snorkling, the visability was crap apparently due to the full moon but it was nice to be in the cool water after being hot on the boat. After snorkling we had to pair up and go kayaking which was a little bit of a nightmare seeing as i didn't have a pair but Stuart offered to go with me so it was ok, although by this point i had decided i didn't really like him as he wasn't very interesting and had begun to smell a bit - never a good combination! When in a hot country always remember to wear deodarant! Anyway the kayaking was very cool and we got ato see a load of caves and rocks and little bays. I loved it, although i must admit my arms did begin to ache halfways through so i was actually glad of Stuart! But he was still very boring, we didnb't chat at all, infact i spent most of the time chatting with a nice Austrailain couple i met called Natty and Paul.

Wehn we got back to the boat we changed loactions and had out lunch on the way. Our next stop was a view point over a freshwater lake which is a brilliant turquoise blue. The we were back into the kayak for our final trip through soem caves and secret beaches and back on the boat to head home. ONe the boat i continues chatting to Natty and Paul and they invioted me out for dinner with them that evening which was really nice of them. So after a quick turnaround i got a cab to Bo Phut, Fisher man's village and we went for the nicest Thai meal i had had since arriving in Thailand and it was very reasonably priced as well! We then went next door to an English PUb called the Frog and Gecko and joined in the pub quiz. Needless to say we could coem up with a million reasons why we were second from bottom but i think we just didn't have great general knowledge, especially about stuff before we were born! It was a good laugh though and nice to have dinner with people. After this it was tiem to head back to my hotel and get soem shut eye!

The next day Thursday 20th MArch i had nothing planned so returned soem books to the shop and went to top up the tan on the beach. I booked my plane ticket back to Bangkok as JAmes had confirmed his flight for Wed 26th and i had said i would go back and meet him. I also found a new place to stay as my place was fully booked with a wedding and so they kicked me out! Charming! I went to a few bars but didn't meet anyone nice so popped to a mexican i had heard was nice called Gringo's and had the nicest Fajitas i have had in a long while and then had an early night as i had my Visa run the next day.

Friday 21st MArch 4.30am!

Picked up by Mini bus - still half asleep, pick up other people and get dropped at Ferry, its still dark! Get onto Ferry - reminded me of the ones we used to go to the Isle of White on. I fell asleep on this one - must have been the rocking motion, or maybe the early morning! After that we were back in a mini bus again! Me being me had to go for a wee once we got off the ferry - stupid thinking that thye might be nicer in the port! Not so! But anyway this lead to my next traumatic event! The lack of a seat in the mini bus! It seems that on these Visa run's they cram as many people as possible into the van's. The onyl problem with this being that one lucky person who is late form having gone to the toilet has to sit on the make-shift child seat!! Now you wouldn't think it was that bad if the airconditioning in the bus wasn't working and that i was sat on the gear box which incase you hadn't guess gets hot!! So not only was half my butt siting on the handbreak and everytime we went around a corner i bumped into either the driver or the other guys sat the other side of. Well it went on like that for 4 hours! Impressed, me??? Not even one little bit!

Next we had to get our passport stamped to say we are leaving Thailand and back into the mini bus, i tried to sit in soemone else's seat but the girl threw a wobbly at me and i really couldnm't be arsed as i wanted to get on the road so i was back in for another hour or so! Then onto a bost into and off to check point one where they point a load of guns at you to see if your scared enough - i'm guessing we all were as we got through and landed at Myanamar in Burma to get checked there and then back on the boat, back to the mini bus (same bloody seat!!) and then back ti immigratiobn for a stamp back in! Such a farce but hey!! It was quite bad actually as there were a load of families and young children being deported and being quite roughly treated, one of the German girls asked if she could take some photos - some people are so humane!!

So back in the hot seat again and luckily a copuple had decided to stay on the mainland and so i got to sit in thier seats - bliss i tell you! So 4 hours back, onto Ferry finally got back to the hotel at 10.00pm too tired to even bother to get dinner. I had a shower and collapsed - next time there has got to be an easier way or i'm just not doing it!!

Next UPdate Sat 22nd MArch - sorry i'm behind - will catch up promise!

S-J xx