Monty's Thailand Tour...

Greetings from Baan Krating Phuket Jungle Beach Resort! I'm here in paradise and I'm sooooo lacking in energy, it's hard to even type! This place is heaven! It's hot, hot, hot, and humid and magnificently gorgeous.

The sounds...the chorus of cicadas in the morning, the hot heavy hush at 3pm, the languid sea in its desultory lapping against the shore.
The smells...my new vibrantly green Paul Smith EDT, the rich leaf litter damp decay aroma, the tang of the salt water on the breeze.
The sights...the crystal clear aqua sea, the gorgous vivid orange of theflowers on the poinciana tree, the white butterflies fluttering amongst the elephant ear plants.
The tastes...the spicy, eyewateringly delicious chicken and green mango salad for lunch on Saturday, the cold refreshment of Singapore slings (our cocktail de jour for this holiday) every afternoon, the sweet, juicy tropical fruits at breakfast.

I'm loving it here...can you tell??? This resort is at the very bottom of Phuket Island and we are on a little cape, about 10 mins walk from a little village. It's set in the middle of this lovely jungle and it's so quiet here. We have Beach Front Pavillions which are fantastic, with airconditioning that's very cold. The staff are so friendly and welcoming. And the best thing...it's now Tuesday and I've barely done anything since getting here. We've ate, drank (oh boy have we consumed some serious alcohol), slept, swam, read and that's about it. It has been totally relaxing! And this is such a strange thing for me on holidays...normally, I'm rushing around seeing sights, but this holiday has just been about relaxation. LOVE IT! There's 10 of us in our group, 5 from Sydney, 4 from London and 1 from Bangkok and everyone seems to be having a great time. We're all doing our own thing somewhat...some will be at their Beach Front Pavillion reading on the balcony, some will be lolling by the pool, some sunbaking on the beach...so it's just perfect! Tomorrow is my brother Mark's 40th birthday (16 April) and he's organized a surprise for us...from hints dropped, it sounds like he's chartered some kind of boat and we'll be sailing (I'm hoping to Phi Phi Island which sounds gorgeous) around. Can't wait!

Otherwise, all is well. Had a lovely evening on Thursday - I was touched at how many friends came to the Dolphin for a drink or two. I had one or two more drinks than originally planned however still managed to get away by around 10pm - I spent the night at McBrad's and that was lovely. Getting up at 5.30am on Friday was not so lovely and it was sad to leave him, looking soooo gorgeous in his bed! I'm actually missing him quite a lot - I'd love to have him here with me! But, as they say, absense makes the heart grow fonder! Hoping that's the way he's feeling too! (He's sent me some very sweet texts while I've been away, so it seems likely that he is)

Now, I'm off for a massage, and then maybe a snooze by the pool...maybe a Singapore Sling too! :-)

PS Thank you too for all your lovely comments on my blog, emails, Facebook messages! It's so sweet to know that lots of people were thinking of me! Big tropical hug to you all! xxx