I left London on 15th August from Heath Row. Why is it always so chaotic and in a state of refurbishment there? I was so thankful my son, Kevin, was there to guide me through it otherwise I might still be there going round in circles!

     On my arrival in Phuket, it was raining, but warm rain. It rains most days as it's the monsoon season and the umbrellas quickly go up on the motor bikes (well something has to keep the babies, the shopping, the dogs and the rest of the family dry).

     We are staying in a hotel apartment in the town of Phuket. The apartment is fairly new and has all mod-cons, which these days means wireless-connection. Jon took me for a walk into Phuket town but warned me not to be too excited about the place. He was right, it is rather run down and lacking in character. We're not sure how much it suffered after the tsumani but it does require a face-lift.

     It's about 15km to Patong Beach from here which is the main tourist area. You have to drive over a series of hills to get there, on an uneven road. It resembles a ride at the fun-fair with it's many twists and turns. Add to that the reckless Thai driving and it all adds to the fun! Patong has all the usual tourist attractions by day and non-stop entertainment at night. The beach is very crowded and I'm sure will get more so as the main tourist season hasn't really started yet.

     Further down the coast are 2 gorgeous beaches, Karon and Kata. The sea is a beautiful turquoise colour and the sand is clean and white. They are both much quieter than Padong and more relaxing. We've had a few dips already! The sea is quite rough with foamy waves to jump over which is how I like it.







     There are numerous islands within easy reach of Phuket so we're planning to do a speed-boat ride to visit 4 of them at the week end. Will report back soon!