So long Sumalee

My week of Muay Thai has come to an end, it's gone quickly, but I feel like I have actually learnt quite a bit in such a short space of time. I'm in pain, but a good pain. The pain you get from not having done any exercise for ages. It was tough but I really enjoyed it.

My bruises will start to heal and I'm looking forward to not having to get up so early in the morning for a while, but hopefully I can keep some semblance of fitness for my remaining travels. I will miss the training I'm sure.

On Sunday the camp mercifully takes a break, so a few of us decided to take a day trip to Koh Phi Phi and see the location where they filmed The Beach and the surrounding island.

The day could have started better, we were left standing on the side of the road like lemons as the driver was 40 minutes late. We got to the ship port and attempted to get some food before setting off. It didn't arrive quickly enough though and the boat was waiting, so we had to pack it all in sterifoam boxes at the speed of light and sheepishly eat it on the speedboat (not the easiest task; especially when they neglected to give us cutlery!)

After I'd finished my eggs with a makeshift spoon I'd fashioned out of a tomato, things improved - the boat pulled up alongside Phi Phi Don and the waters changed from a deep blue to a stunning turquoise. Massive rocks tower over the ocean and look amazing against the blue sky. We jumped in for a bit of snorkeling before heading back on the boat to a small beach island for lunch.

We headed for Phi Phi Ley and Maya Bay, the films location, and it was very beautiful, (Leonardo Dicaprio was nowhere to be seen). These days there are loads of tourists here, all flocking for the same selfie (me included) so any tranquility is long gone, but the place is still stunning. I decided to swim out to the middle of the bay where it was quieter and admired the surroundings. After exploring the bay a little more and posing for the obligatory shots and selfies, we headed back to the boat.

We stopped on another island with a nice beach and clear waters for a swim before heading back to the camp. The driver this time decided to drop us on the wrong side of the main road so we played chicken with the traffic to get across.

We eventually made it back to the camp alive, chilled out for a while and mentally prepared ourselves for the intense training day to come ahead.

One day break and back on it at 7.00 AM, exhausted! We did some clinching work in the afternoon which is basically stand up grappling - two sweaty people trying to throw each other on the ground. It was so slippery I may as well have been covered in oil 😝. I was however pleased I managed to get my opponent down a few times whilst I stayed standing. I rushed to the shower as soon as we'd finished and passed the resident pig on the way - I thought 'right now, he's probably cleaner than me!'

I head to Krabi now for a couple of days, I'm about to take my first public bus, wish me luck!Read more