The Second Chapter - The Ins and Outs

We're here. Safe and sound. The entire journey took us a full 24 hours and the last stretch was every bit a struggle, but we made it, and so did our bags thankfully as those 26.3 kilos are all we possess between us.

We're staying in a small resort called Cousins. We've got a nice size room with air-con, a king-sized bed, a fridge, cupboards too big to hold the contents of our backpacks, and an en suite bathroom.

The resort itself is lovely. Lush foliage line the little paths that divide the bungalows, of which there are 30. There's a pool, although we're a mere 100 metres from the beach, and a little rustic bar and dining area.

The staff are brilliant. Monte, who I guess can be called the manager, has quickly become our friend and 'go-to guy' for all things local. And Mieu, the resident ladyboy (who seems to have taken quite a liking to Marc) provides us with much daily entertainment. I swear he tries so hard to be a woman I almost think he deserves my boobs more than me.

The resort is brand new. In fact, most of the places here are, as the entire area was swallowed by the 2004 Tsunami. The swimming pool and three palm trees were what remained of the original Cousins. It's incredible to think that right where I'm sitting writing this post now, passed a wave 8 meters taller than the top of my head less than five years ago.

I can't say we did much when we first arrived. A well-timed tropical downpour confined us to our room for two days, where we got some much needed sleep. I think we've now officially made up for every hour we missed due to work, large nights out in London, and the general day to day stress that comes with trying to survive in the western world.

But on the third day the sun rose, and so did we.

Our first few days pretty much revolved around meal times, as we had little else to do but laze on the beach until our stomachs told us it was time to move.

The food here is amazing. Thai like we've never tasted it before. Every dish is fragrant and delicate and carries a kick that still allows each ingredient's flavour to live. A big bowl of Tom kha kai (a coconut and lemon grass chicken and noodle soup) will set you back about 80 Bhat (£ 0.80) in a restaurant, and 30 Bhat if you go local.

As we're on a backpacker's budget, we've allowed ourselves one restaurant meal a day, which is usually dinner. At our own peril, this has forced us to really explore the real local cuisine which has, at times, proved rather interesting due to a pretty extreme language barrier and the use of ingredients very foreign to us foreigners, or faranges as they call us here.

The only way to really deal with this tiny little glitch, is to eat what you get without thinking about it too much. It all tastes good, it's when your mind starts to wander that it becomes a problem.

It does make for a more interesting day though. It means flagging down mobile 'food bars,' motorbikes ingeniously fitted with a mini kitchen if you like, driven by local Thai people. Depending on who stops, you're able to get anything from ice-cooled fresh fruit on sticks, to filled Thai pancakes and the staple Phad Thai.

It means adventures to the local market, which is always an experience. We bought fresh prawns, calamari and monk fish from there on Wednesday, and Monte was good enough to cook it for us. Despite the fact that it tasted amazing, it was probably the closest thing we're going to get to a 'home-cooked' meal in a while, so we were incredibly grateful.

It means frequenting the street-side BBQs that do a mean grilled chicken on a stick (they put a lot of things on sticks here) and Green Papaya Salad.

It means being brave and bold and open minded. Until we get the dreaded 'Bang Niang Belly' or suffer from severe bum burn. Then we'll probably have to rethink.

But believe it or not we haven't just been eating and sleeping since we arrived, although by this blog it might seem so. We've met up with both Ken from Volunteer Teacher Thailand and Steven from Fun 4 Kids, and are hopefully starting to get involved with some of the projects they have running from Monday. More on that when we have more.

I've also done my Open Water Diving course and was fortunate enough to do my first 2 dives in the Similan Islands, one of the top 5 dives sites in the world. It was incredible. I'm hooked. And my father, I'm sure, will be delighted to know that I have finally, after all these years, found my version of his love for birding, although a tad more dangerous and only slightly more expensive.

Maria, my dive instructor, has introduced us to the expat community and their local watering holes, so our faces are starting to become familiar, and we're slowly seeping into the woodwork. There's a few Swiss, some German, a couple of Aussies, some Americans, a few poms and a token Saffa, who's house we're going to for a Braai this week.

Other than that, we're acclimatising. Our lobster red bodies (yes, we got burnt, badly) have cooled to a crisp golden brown. Our sweat pores that have lain dormant for the past 4 years are functioning once more. We're hot. We're happy. We're back in summer. And we're loving it!

Until next time.

K & M.

PS We've posted some photos on http://www.flickr.com/photos/43679192@N07/sets/72157622625214124/ for your viewing pleasure.