Sydney continued 31st- 2nd Feb

Bit of a delay in the blogging largely due to lack of free (or even cheap) internet places in Sydney. The weather changed on the 31st and became a little cool and rained lightly. Visiting Toronga zoo was still very enjoyable. After just a very short ferry trip across Sydney harbour, the views from the zoo were great. I'd particuarly wanted to see a Platypus and the Koalas, Kangeroos and Echidna (bit like hedgehogs). Visible but fast asleep were the Tasmanian devils and Wombats . Apparently when Captain Cook and the Endeavour first discovered Australia the samples of Kangeroo and Platypus they sent back were thought to be fake! And you can see why, theyre crazy creatures!
Elephant bathing and keeper interactive and flying bird show were other highlights.
Feb 1st was cold and raining- not what I expected from Australia! I have yet to register my formal complaint! To stay indoors and use my gift voucher (thanks again Auntie Jackie!) I took a tour of Sydney Opera house. An impressive building- roof especially- but not my favourite due to the exposed concrete. The history was interesting- Jorn Utzon who was the architect who won the competition to design it coming up with something not even known to be possible and work starting on the foundations before they'd figured out how to do the roof. Eventually as it went increasingly over time and budget he'd had to resign and never saw the Opera House completed.
I spent the afternoon and part of the next day walking around the city a bit, inevitably getting rather wet.

30th Jan- Museum

A very hot day, even by Sydney standards, reaching 30 degrees. I'd spent a bit of time in the morning sorting myself out with an Australian sim card and bank account. At the Opera House I'd asked about tours but the major rooms were closed for rehersals so I decided to delay. By this time it was intensely hot and I'd done too much walking so in a stoke of inspiration I decided the Australia museum with it's aircon was the place to go!
This had some good natural history- skeletons, dinosaurs, insects and displays about the strange Australian beasties- deadly cone shells, the 4 dangerous shark species, the snakes and spiders, jelly fish and their crazy marsupials- most fascinating were models of the extinct giant marsupials Diprotodons and marsupial lions. (Presumably around at a similar time to the Wooly Mammoth and Sabre toothed tiger) There was also an Aboriginal display but I didn't have much time to look at this before closing.
In the evening the hostel had organised a night out. I went for the free wine- it would have been rude not to!

29th Jan Australia!!

It was a bit of a bumpy flight and sleep wasn't forthcoming however I was sat next to an Australian though who I chatted with which passed some time and from who I got some good information. I checked in at the hostel- bit of a shock after nearly a month of hotel rooms and bungalows, had a couple of hours sleep- then up to explore a bit. It was a little overcast but very warm.

From Darling harbour I walked round to Sydney harbour to see the famous bridge and Opera House. Now the Opera House did look a bit smaller in real life than I'd imagined and I also hadn't realised that it was in 3 bits, rather than one. But that's often the way with icons- they've been hyped up so much that the real thing loses its impact. I was unfortunately reminded rather of the conference centre in Harrogate- I think because they both have quite a lot of exposed concrete and that's not a style I especially appreciate! However the roof is better!!
Still the harbour was beautiful and from the Opera house I walked round to a viewing point then back into the Botanical gardens. Here I saw huge fruit bats in big groups hanging from trees and rainbow lorikeets- surprising and lovely given the backdrop of skyscrapers in the CBD! Also the Wollemi pine cultivated here- thought to have been extinct until found a few years ago in the Blue mountains (although I think this a reoccuring theme with Australia's fauna and flora- no one actually knows if somethings are extinct or not but it's a jolly big place!).

26th- 28th Khao Lak and Phuket

We had a good diving day on the 26th in the Similans, there were masses of fish but at Similan 8 it wasn't a coral reef, was big granite boulders so not as pretty as previous diving had been. There was a lot of napping on the 4hr round trip, getting back we caught the pretty sunset on the rather average beach, then a rainstorm caught us!

Crisis for me next day, as camera memory card seemed to have been wiped (have since realised that still on there somewhere just in a different folder) and USB had got a virus. I had a swim then we caught the bus to Phuket with incredible ease- yup, we were surprised, just 100baht and 2 hours later we arrived in a very hot city. Not really what I'd expected, staying in the old town it wasn't very touristy or attractive but it was interesting.
We had a bit of a walk, resolved the camera crisis by backing up onto CD and shopped for souvenirs.

Up early 28th to fly from Phuket to Bangkok, then around 8 hours to kill in the airport before Sydney flight. I now know Bangkok airport very well!

So the highlights of Thailand and Cambodia: the temples in Bangkok and Ankor, night markets and all the fruit and food (well, except when I was ill and I won't be voluntarily eating rice for a bit yet!!)  the sun, the heat, the massage (sort of), the raw contrast of Cambodia with the Killing fields and the temples from the height of the empire, Thai beaches, fish and monkeys in their habitats, friendly, open people, the cheap beer, karsts and caves, diving, kayaking (when Gemma wasn't hitting me with a paddle!) scootering around Khao Yao Noi.. Not to miss: being too hot, being attacked by bitey things oh and missing buses - still don't know why!

Oz here I come!!

24th-25th Cheow Lan Lake

We'd wanted to visit the lake Cheow Lan also known as the Ratchabrapa dam- party as the Rough guide recommended it and partly as I'd met 2 Thai people who'd raved about it. This was a huge lake within the national park created by building a dam and flooding the area around 30 years ago. Emerging from the lake were the limestone karsts we'd already become familar with creating a sort of mountainous backdrop that was vaguely alpine although the thick vegetation was  more rainforest.
After a short car journey we took a longtail boat, swam on the way and arrived for lunch on one of the floating rafthouses- accomodation entirely floating next to the steep bank. This was where Gemma and I were to stay the night. But first another hike spotting monkeys high up in the trees, another short boat (well bamboo raft with engine really) trip to a cave. Then we were left by our guide and after a swim took a kayak out. With dusk falling we watched Macaque monkeys building a nest for the night.
The night wasn't as peaceful as we'd anticipated due to a generator keeping lights on until 1 am. Trying to disregard the rock hard mattresses and animal droppings over them (we'd thought mice but it occurred to us, thankfully the next day, coakroaches were also possible) we slept fitfully until dawn then into the kayak again. More Macaques and lengurs, we were able to approach stethily and get close. Now, the lake was peaceful and the cliffs partly shrowed in cloud, worth an early start and sitting in a soggy kayak for!
We left the lake and had our first major hiccup regarding transport. Dropped in the nearest town we struggled to flag down any buses for an hour and a half, eventually got a lift in hte minibus of a guide and 2 people we'd actually met at the lake then seemed to take a rather convoluted route to Khao Lak but, we got there!

22nd-23rd Khao Sok National Park...and leeches!

We left Ko Yao Noi reluctantly, took a speed boat; songthaew; then luxury, air conditioned van, and reached Khao Sok early afternoon. We realised I'd booked a rather posh place but still, much less than you'd pay in England. Our first hike into the national park rainforest involved me picking up 1 leech, much to my horror, but, little did I know...

Next day we were up early to have a guided hike- with the help of our guide's eagle eyes we saw Macaque monkeys really close up, a tortoise, chameleons, uncomfortably large spiders, kingfishers and hornbills, Lengar monkeys too up in the trees. Unfortunately the leeches were after me big time and as soon as I had one lot detached more seemed to have appeared, unbelievable! And repulsive, one sock was soaked through with blood by the time we'd finished as they inject anticoagulant. We were hot and sweaty too and had a much needed swim in the river.  After lunch and a new can of DEET we re-entered the jungle to ride an elephant-well, it had to be done. It was a small enterprise, they seemed well looked after and after the ride we fed her bananas.

21st Koh Hong and around

After being floored rather by the heat yesterday we thought we'd get up early to beat it and make the most of the day. I wanted to try and find a beach that the guidebook had said was really good. It became a bit of a wild goose chase really involving a 40minute walk through some rather bitey forest, we did find a beach in the end, not sure it was the right one though! I did also see a huge monitor lizard on the way which I startled and it ran into the sea which was cool.

We'd only had watermelon for breakfast so lunch of sticky rice and chicken on beach back at base was particularly welcome.
In  the afternoon we hired a longtail boat and a driver and went to explore Koh Hong, one of the karst- islands off the coast, they'd been rather reluctant to take us as it was low tide, Ko Hong has a huge lagoon in it carved by the sea and I think usually boats go inside it, our boat couldn't because it was low tide but we were able to swim then walk in, carefully avoiding sea urchins. It was an incredible place, little brightly coloured crabs raced around on the sand, huge limestone walls echoed and provided a eery sense of isolation, we were the only people there and able to see Kingfishers feeding and eagles overhead.

For dinner we went to a great international restaurant, I escaped from Thai food and ironically Gemma had the hottest dish she'd had so far rather by accident!