Ban Thung Yi Pheng

Another day, more rain. I'm pretty sure this isn't what Phil Collins was thinking of when he penned the song "Another Day in Paradise", but there are surely worse places in the world to be.

I went for an early morning work out at the local gym which consisted of a very hard, slow run and some weights. Maybe I can sort out some of this banana shake flab before I come home by training in what equates to a sauna.

I came back and we headed to breakfast, where fresh pineapple was eaten in extradionary portions (maybe that is my problem....), before we headed to collect our washing and returned to our resort to make the difficult decision of what beach lounger should be selected today. On a normal beach day, the choice should be made on the following criteria
a). best views of the sea;
b). adequate sun exposure for a killer tan;
c). sufficient distance away from screaming children, screaming adults, the English and Australians (I kid the English and Australians); and
d). a table to hold my mojitos

On a day where it has the potential to rain, the criteria should include:
a). the biggest umbrella you can find;
b). a bigger table to hold my mojitos (more will be required to cope with the rain); and
c). sufficient distance away from screaming children, screaming adults, the English and Australians.

It turned out that we didn't have long to wait for the rain and again we reverted to our childhood selves by constructing a tent made of umbrellas. There was only so much rain on my legs I could take (which were sacrificed to ensure the rest of my body remained dry) before I made the decision to head back to our villa to enjoy our covered outdoor bed. I would stay here like a lizard avoiding the rain for the rest of the day.

We decided to venture a little further afield for dinner considering our day had been spent largely in one place, so we walked to the next bay around and found ourselves at a very popular restaurant called "Slow Down" where we enjoyed spring rolls and curries with delicious mojitos whilst seranaded with lazy sunday music belted out by a beautiful voice.

We walked back along the main street taking in the neon flashing lights and pumping music coming from what seemed like everywhere. My partying consisted of dancing along the roadside like a lunatic before I ran out of energy and wanted my bed. Just like travelling, this getting old business is hard.Read more