Day 4 - Krabi Town

Arrival at Krabi Town. Luckily, I was able to get my bearings relatively quickly from the Lonely Planet guide book map. This would be my first adventure as a backpacker with no accommodation booked in advance. Monica was used to this. I was a little anxious to find a place quickly.

The game is a little like Allá Tú (Deal or No Deal in the UK). You check out the first place you find and demand to see a room. You haggle over the price and then decide whether to take the room or chance your luck finding a better deal elsewhere. The hotel receptionist plays the role of the banker with comments like "high season, room gone soon". I was ready to cave in at this but Monica is made of sterner stuff and we moved on.

The second place was the same price but was awful. No chance of me staying there. The next place was the one we had earmarked from the guide book. Before even asking to see a room the lady sang "sorry full". Alarm bells rang loud in my head or was it just the remnants of the headache. We quickly marched back to the first hotel, quickening our pace as we saw a group of backpackers up the street bearing down on the same target. We got to the entrance before the others and checked in. The German backpackers that arrived a split second later got the dreaded "Sorry full".

View of the limestone karsts.

Having dumped our stuff it was time for a stroll around town before the sun went down. Krabi Town is normally a passing through place for tourists. This is mainly due to the fact it is set on the river rather than by the sea. The views along the river are spectacular, two limestone karsts dominate the view to the North, the other side of the river are the expansive mangrove forests. We decided to take a stroll down the promenade past the outdoor market, heading south to see if we could see the beginning of the sea.

Monica on the Promenade.


Traditional fishing village on stilts on opposite bank.

We soon reached a pier where several Thai boatmen were sat enjoying a smoke break. One of them approached us, the friendly Mr Doy. He wanted to take us to Railey beach on his long-tail boat in the morning. We hadn’t finalised our plans yet but a trip to Railey would depend on good weather. Not a problem Mr Doy told us, "Tomorrow no rain". We promised to see Mr Doy at the pier the following day, weather permitting.

Parking the boat Thai style.

The promenade attracts all the keep fit fanatics of Krabi. Several joggers ran by taking advantage of the cooling conditions. A number of locals were busy constructing bamboo huts at the side of the road. Probably gearing up towards the national festival "Loy Krathong". The joggers increased in numbers as we approached a large sports complex at the end of the promenade. Here a pathway was turned into a jogging track with outside gym stations placed at regular intervals. We passed tennis courts, football pitches and badminton courts, all being fully utilised. The lighting became poor and with it all ready being dark we turned back to get ready for the evenings entertainment in Krabi Town.

Day 4 - Leaving Bangkok

Got up early for breakfast with another banging headache. What’s all that about! Today was check out day and a flight down to the South West coast to the Krabi province. We had seen a weather broadcast on local TV the previous day. Didn’t understand a word but the map showed a big black cloud, rain and lightning smack bang over where we were going. Time to check the weather on the Internet.

It was not good news. It showed the same nasty graphic for the next 5 days. Should we miss the flight and go elsewhere? Monica’s standby plan in case of rain on the South West coast was to make the short journey to the other side where it is affected by a different weather system. Not this bloody week though. An emergency plan was considered. Chaing Mai in the North was showing nothing but Sun for the next 5 days, but Monica hadn’t properly prepared for our travels in that area. Just like the current chancellor’s VAT hike bombshell, the plan was rejected at the last minute. Just like the chancellor we will do it in the next year or two.


I'm a true backpacker now!

So backpacks on and off we marched past Khaosan Road to the express bus station. No arrival at the airport in the relative luxury of a taxi. Its not the backpacker style. The bus cost 150 Baht (around 3 quid) and was comfy and more importantly air conditioned. We were soon loaded onboard on off we went. Our driver must have been a tuk tuk driver earlier in his career. He was a lunatic on the roads. We had stupidly taken the front row seats which were in an elevated position over the drivers seat. I had a Birdseye view of all the near misses, daring overtaking and undertaking manoeuvres, and the drivers obsession to be within an inch of the vehicle in front if he was boxed in and unable to overtake. The blood pressure could take no more so I reclined the seats, closed my eyes and preyed that we would soon see the glorious beaches of Krabi.

Miraculously, we arrived at the airport an hour later. Now we had to find our check in desk. Not as easy as it seems when the driver drops you off at the ground floor and there are no signs anywhere for the departure lounge. Worse still, the departures screen at the end of the lounge failed to display our flight to Krabi. Surely I hadn’t cocked up the times and dates? We marched over to the other side of the lounge to find another monitor. This time our flight was listed. Check in at desk E4. Great, but where is E4? Not a sign anywhere. Must be upstairs but how many levels. The building had at least 6. Up and down the lounge we marched. On attempting to go up a level on the moving walkway we were stopped by a helpful guard. He informed us that we needed level 4 by lift, on the other side of the lounge. Two more helpful staff told us the same thing on what was now our fourth trek across the lounge.

The Suvarnabhumi Airport is an impressive building. Everything looks fitting for the 21st century. That is except the luggage trolleys. A slight technical fault with the design. They don’t go backwards. This doesn’t appear to be a problem in the vast acres of open space in the lounges. But getting in and out of the lifts? Sheer comedy. One gentleman was stuck in the lift because he couldn’t reverse it. He tried lifting it up on to the front wheels to reverse it. Not a great idea with three heavy suitcases, hand luggage and duty free weighing the thing down. A 7-point turn the only way out. We were still laughing when we entered the lift only to see another passenger enter with a trolley. Cue same comedy exit routine except we were stuck at the back of the lift making the poor guy do a 9-point turn.

Having finally reached the check in desks, everything else was relatively hassle free. We had paid the extra couple of quid for express boarding on our Air Asia flight. For that we had the privilege of wearing a "Xpress Boarding" red sticker. Still it worked and even though we turned up at the gate late after a wrong turn or two, we were led to the front, past the check-in desk that was mobbed with passengers fighting to get an advantage in boarding the plane first.
The flight to Krabi was just over an hour and was pleasant enough. The signs were ominous on approach as we descended through a rain storm. Krabi looked grey, cold and miserable.


Spot the driver.

After getting our bags we needed to make our way to Krabi town. The plan was to then head for a long tail boat and get to Railey. However, we decided on changing plans and staying at least one night in Krabi town. We bought tickets for the express bus, a snip at 90 Baht. The bus was not as comfy as the Bangkok express but had the advantage of not being able to see out the front window. That’s because all the luggage was piled up at the front, virtually barricading the driver in his seat. More good news as we headed towards Krabi Town. It had stopped raining.

Day 3 - Evening sponsored by Lonely Planet

After our traditional Thai massage it was time for a more European traditional form of relaxation, a visit to a bar. But not just any bar, a bar hand picked from the Lonely Planet guide, over looking the Chao Phraya river with excellent views.


View of Wat Arun.

The Bar is called Amorosa and is located on a rooftop over-looking the river with spectacular views of the Wat Arun and its 82 metre high prang, Khmer-style tower. As the daylight faded the views got better and better. Wat Arun dominated the scene, with several brightly lit dinner river boats sailing up and down the Chao Phraya. The views were simply too good to just have the planned one beer. A second one was required. It would have been rude not to.

Wat Arun at night time.

For our evening meal we decided to try a place from the Lonely Planet after the earlier success of the river bar. We went for Jey Hoy. The guide describes it as "…this open-air restaurant has the best ad campaign around – an ice tray laden with seafood and the hypnotic manoeuvrings of the wok cook.". Plus the guide explains that there are plenty of other places nearby if this place is packed to the rafters. We thought we were on to a winner.

We arrived at the street where the restaurant was located, but no sign of the place. Monica poured over the book to make sure we were on the right street. A helpful Thai girl came to our aid. Apparently, the Jey Hoy had closed down ages ago. We will just have to try another place on the street.

Street eat style restaurant.

The street in question was a typical Thai street. We decided on a corner, street eat style place. Our choice was given the thumbs up by an Englishman already seated and tucking into his food. The chef was cooking everything on a street-side wok. The food was cheap. We ordered several dishes to try. The first round of dishes were excellent. Our attention was attracted to a young Thai girl sat in the corner. She shrieked and jumped out of her seat. Monica screamed a split second later "It’s a rat!". Apparently, the rat had took a fancy to the Thai girl and took her bite out of her ankle. My appetite for the food soon diminished and was completely finished off when I tried my Thai green curry. It must have been he single most spiciest dish I have ever tried in my life. The half bottle of beer was finished in a second as I tried to put out the raging fire in my mouth. 2 minutes later and we had paid the bill and heading back towards the relative rat-free suburbs of our hotel.

The evening was finished off in a lovely bar a couple of streets away from our hotel. The waitresses were wearing rather skimpy dresses advertising San Miguel light. We decided to stick with the local brew and had a couple of Chang beers before retiring for the night.

Day 3 - Wat Pho

The next stop of the day was the nearby Wat Pho, the home of the gigantic reclining Buddha. Another reason to visit this temple was that it has a renowned teaching centre for the traditional Thai massage. Might be just the ticket for my weary limbs after hours of walking the streets of Bangkok.

Sitting Buddha in one of the many temples inside Wat Pho.

Wat Pho boasts the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand within the various buildings in the complex. Again a small entry fee is required and a tour guide is available. We decided to do our own thing again. Immediately we lost our bearings and became lost in the maze of buildings. A number of temples are home to impressive Buddha images but undoubtedly the most famous is the 46 metre long, 15 metre high reclining Buddha, or the recycling Buddha as Monica constantly referred to it.

Standing Buddha.

The temple featuring the reclining Buddha is barely big enough to cover this monstrous sculpture. The many supporting columns makes it difficult to get a good shot of the entire Buddha. The image represents the Buddha’s death, the passing into nirvana, the ultimate goal of all Buddhists.

The head of the Reclining Buddha.

Having taken in all the sights the body could take no more. It was time for some relaxation Thai style. The national headquarters for the teaching and preservation of Thai Medicine and Massage was created here during the time of King Rama III, to ensure the survival of the traditional techniques that were in danger of being lost forever. For the bargain price of 360 Baht you can enjoy an hours massage in one of the two air conditioned chambers.

The Reclining Buddha.

The Reclining Buddha's feet.

A little nervous and not having a clue what to expect, I was led to one of the large rooms by my masseur and told to change into some baggy shorts. Once changed I was told to lie down on one of the 3 large beds in the last row. The massage started with the feet and legs. First the masseur would use her hands, then she would lie down and begin to stretch you with her feet. After the initial soreness it became really relaxing. So much so that the lady had to tap me a several times on the arm to ask me to turn over.

Several of the Prangs in the courtyard.

It seemed like the best part was over. The massage on the back was a little more uncomfortable, especially around the neck when the pint-sized lady seemed to have incredible strength and forced my head into the mattress. The last part was the worst. Sat on the edge of the bed, the lady seemed intent on torturing me. I was wondering if she was trying to tear my limbs out at one point. Still, my hour was soon up and I have to admit that I felt wonderfully re-invigorated afterwards. So much so that I didn’t mind when Monica suggested that we would walk back to the hotel rather than get a taxi, a thought unthinkable just over an hour ago.

Day 3 - The Grand Palace

So with proper attire it was a repeat walk towards the Grand Palace. We passed by the Museum and our friend gave us a wave. The crowd of tourists began to thicken as we approached the main gates to the palace. We were mightily relieved to have changed into our own trousers. The unfortunate souls who turned up with shorts had to borrow ghastly, pyjama type pants that even MC Hammer would be too embarrassed to wear.

Outside view of the Grand Palace.

Walking through the main gates and our first close up glimpses of the Grand Palace on the left. A number of different architectural spires calling for your attention. It is easier to see already why this place was included in the "Unforgettable places to see before you die" book.

After purchasing the entrance ticket we went through the turnstiles towards the main palaces. You are instantly confronted with an amazing array of colour and sights. Your senses are overwhelmed, not knowing where to look first. Its an incredible place. Each entrance is guarded by massive giant statues with multi-coloured ceramic tiles and glass. Without a guide we drifted around in a daze, not knowing where to go next, trying to take in all the sights.

Amazing sights within the Grand Palace.

The Grand Palace was built in 1792 to be the royal residence and government offices of King Rama I. Within the walls of the Grand Palace are many buildings, the most famous being Wat Phra Kaew, home of the fabled Emerald Buddha. The statue has a colourful history and has been the trophy of many wars. It stands only 75cm tall on an elevated altar, deep inside the chamber making it hard to see. It is made from Jade not emerald and was just another normal Buddha image until the 15th Century. Apparently it was covered in plaster to hide the Jade interior and was housed in Chaing Rai. The image fell to the ground and part of the plaster chipped away revealing its hidden beauty. After being displayed in various temples in Northern Thailand it was then taken by an army from Laos in the mid 16th century. King Taskin of Thailand fought against the Laotians some 200 years later and recaptured the Buddha. It remained in the then capital Thornburi before it was moved permanently to its present location, the fabulous Wat Phra Kaew.

The Emerald Buddha.

The inside walls of the palace are home to the numerous murals that depict the Ramakian. This is an epic story (the Thai version of the Indian epic Ramayana apparently) that details the many wars, starting with Rama of Ayodthaya waging war to rescue his wife who had been abducted by Thotsakan (Ravana), King of Longka. The detail is incredible and would probably take you a week to admire all the scenes of the entire story.

Giant Guards.


Murals that cover the walls.

The visit finished with a look at some of the outer buildings. Many tourists seemed fascinated with the armed guards standing stationary in there posts whilst visitors stood next to them for their souvenir photo. There seemed to be a lot of activity just a few 100 metres away. Hundreds of Thai people dressed in black were making there way to a series of buildings behind a metal barrier. On approaching it became clear that this was not open to tourists. A sign stating "Lying in State" was attached to the barrier. We had no idea who it was that many of the Thai people where coming to pay their last respects to.

Day 3 - The first temples

Our friendly guide had marked three "must see" Wats on our map. The first stop was Wat Mai Amataros. This was up a typical Thai street, non of the tourist places that litter the famous Khaosan road. The first thing that strikes you is the attention to detail on the outer buildings. There are several buildings within the complex, each ornately decorated and its difficult to tell which is the main temple at first glance. Then the tranquillity of the place amazes you. Not 2 minutes down the road you couldn’t hear yourself think for the endless traffic noise. Walking in through the gates and you are greeted with a waft of burning incense. The only people about are a lone Thai man knelt in prayer and a monk dressed in traditional orange garb arranging the flower offerings.


Monk statue at Wat Mai Amataros.

We walked around to the main temple room. Our first glimpse of the Buddha. It was in the sitting position, sat on top of a throne which was decorated with smaller Buddha figures, candles and flowers. An equally impressive statue of a monk sat at the entrance to the temple.

Our next Wat was the impressively named Makutkasatriyaram, some 30 minute walk away. More tuk tuk and taxi drivers and assorted street hawkers to get past. This complex had a number of temple buildings. It seems that each building was the main prayer chamber for different groups. The main chamber with the Buddha statue was unfortunately closed. So we quickly headed off for the next stop.


Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall.

Crossing one of the many canals that shoot off from the main Chao Phraya river we walked along a large carriage way that was strangely devoid of any traffic. It looked like they were preparing for some event, maybe a feria, or maybe it was closed due to the demonstrations that have been taking place against the government. We walked along to be greeted by a lady who appeared to be setting up a drinks stall. She called us over and gave us two bottles of drinking water. The Thai people are really great. The wide empty carriage way lead to an impressive palace at the end, the Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall. Before approaching this palace we turned right heading for our intended target the Wat Benchambophit, also known as the Marble Temple.


Outside the Wat Benchambophit, the Marble Temple.

Here you pay a small entrance fee and for another small fee of 100 Baht (£2) we hired the services of a guide to take us around. We soon found out that our guide’s English was very poor and we had great trouble understanding him. Basically, he was trying to explain the materials that made up the buildings, the various Buddha poses and their significance, and that his son was a Thai kick boxer. Still, he was a very amiable chap who kept wanting to take photos of us.


Sitting Buddha at Wat Benchambophit.

The outside of the building is being restored and scaffolding is in place. The main chamber hosts the most impressive Buddha statue seen so far, another sitting Buddha. We took our shoes off before entering the temple, a required custom for visiting all temples in Thailand. After a quick look around we then sat down in front of the Buddha in a mermaid pose, feet pointing behind us to ensure we didn’t break another golden rule. Never point your feet towards the Buddha.


Guide tries to explain the significance of each Buddha stance.

The outside quadrangle is filled with different Buddha statues from all over the world in various poses and styles. Sitting, standing, walking, fat, skinny but never running our guide informed us. We thanked our guide and went to explore the gardens on our own. The heat and humidity were beginning to take their toll. We would have a quick look at the palace and then get a lift back to the Hotel.


We must go on a diet!

Taxi or tuk tuk? Well we wanted to get in as many forms of public transport as possible on our trip so it was to be our first tuk tuk ride. We soon flagged one down and negotiated the fee of 100 Baht. I felt this was a bit steep before Monica pointed out it was only 2 quid and we couldn’t walk another step. The experience of weaving in and out of the traffic as our driver plotted his course through the city was unique. The smog fills your lungs, you grip on for your life and the only sights you see are the fellow cars, buses and tuk tuks that are way too close to you for your liking. We managed to get to our hotel in one piece. Time for a quick bite and a lie down for 10 minutes before putting on a pair of trousers and doing it all again.


First tuk tuk ride.

Day 3 - The Bangkok Pedestrian

Our first full day in Bangkok didn’t start well. I had a banging headache. It couldn’t have been the beers could it? I only had 3 bottles! Today’s plan was a walking tour from the lonely planet guide that would take in the Grand Palace, Wat Po and other attractions along the river.

After the most basic of breakfasts at the hotel it was off in search of the tourist information office. This was a short 5 minute walk from the hotel judging by the guide. However it took more like 20 minutes, not because of the distance but more due to the problems associated with being a pedestrian in Bangkok. Basically, you are not encouraged to walk anywhere. The first problem is you attract the attention of the taxi cabs and tuk tuk drivers. A couple of blasts of the horn followed by a "Halooo! Where you goinnnggg" as the driver pulls over, oblivious to any traffic behind him or our continued "No Thanks we are walking".

The next problem is trying to cross the road. Bangkok doesn’t do single lane roads. There at least 3 lanes if not more, filled with traffic weaving in and out of the lanes to get any 0.01 second advantage that a skilled formula one driver would be proud of. Crossing points? You can largely forget about these. It took us 10 minutes to cross one stretch. A mind boggling 8 lanes of traffic to cross with only a traffic island in the middle to shield us from the raging traffic, whose drivers don’t appear to know how to apply the brakes. Not one crossing point, subway or any other visible means of getting to the other side except for a high risk game of frogger.

Where's the crossing?

If you are lucky enough to find a zebra crossing, mostly it comes without the helpful traffic lights that stop the traffic. Patiently standing by waiting for them to stop for you does not work. A leap of faith is required as you jump on to the crossing whenever there is a millimetre of a break between the traffic. You then discover that the vehicles heading directly for you do indeed have brakes but the seasoned driver will simply switch lanes and cut across you without missing a rev. Each step forward requires real nerve and what starts with a first tentative step finishes with a sprint finish that would beat Linford Christie.

A crossing but will it stop the traffic?

With all nerves shot to pieces we headed for the shelter of the tourist information office. A huge impressive building filled with Thai employees eager to serve. It seems they relish the chance to practice their English. We were only to pleased to help although motivated more by being safely away from the Bangkok traffic than any sense of helping with the staffs learning. Armed with several guides and a map of Bangkok it was time to brave the streets once again.

Walking to our first attraction we passed by the National Museum of Bangkok. Here we met the first helpful soul. He informed us that the museum was closed today. No problem, we are heading for the Grand Palace. 30 Metres further down and we are stopped by the second helpful soul. He too informs us that the museum is shut and enquires where we are going. He then tells us that we wouldn’t be allowed into the Grand Palace as we were wearing shorts and anyway it is closed until this afternoon. We then chatted with him for the next 10 minutes as he took our map and marked several temples where we could visit and see the various Buddha’s, most of them for free.

Monument at North end of Sanam Luang.

I have to admit that at first I was wary. The Lonely Planet guide even warns you about the dangers of speaking to strangers and highlights the one classic sign of a con, being told that the place you are going to visit is closed. However, this guy was obviously employed by the museum (he was wearing his employee badge) and was being nothing but helpful and probably enjoying the chance to practice is English. No money was asked for. No sales pitch about visiting a tailor or a guided city tour by tuk tuk. In fact he was the embodiment of the happy, smiling Thai who is visibly proud of his country’s heritage and landmarks and wanted to ensure that us tourists saw as many of them as was possible.

Having said goodbye to our helpful friend we changed our plans and headed for the Wats (Thai for Temple) that had been marked on our maps to see the different Buddha’s. We would return to see the Grand Palace properly dressed later this afternoon.

Day 2 - Arrival in Bangkok

We arrived at Abu Dhabi International Airport the following day on schedule. Now it was a near two hour wait for the connecting flight to Bangkok. Time to check out the duty free.


Abu Dhabi International Airport.

My expectations before reaching the airport were of finding a super hi-tech terminal with masses of glitzy duty free stores dripping with designer logos and filthy rich Arabs splashing the cash. What I was confronted with was a small, cramped terminal with a centre piece of a ceramic apple core. There were terminals available offering free Internet access but all were broken. All prices in the duty free were displayed in United Arab Emirates dollars or whatever currency they have. The stores were just as packed as all the other areas of the terminal. Our flight to Bangkok couldn’t come quick enough.

Bizarrely, we had to go through another security check before reaching our gate. The security guards were humourless and bordered on being aggressive towards the passengers as they jostled us through the metal detectors into a small waiting area at the gate.

The Etihad flight to Bangkok was nearly 6 hours. My body clock was shot to pieces so I ended up sleeping for most of the flight. I woke up with just under 2 hour flying time left. Time to watch Batman the dark knight on the excellent entertainment system. Excellent film but alas, not enough time to see it all as the system was switched off for our descent into Bangkok. It’s a long film.

We arrived around 6:30pm at the modern international airport with the funny name, Suvarnabhumi. Apparently named after a golden kingdom located in south east Asia according to ancient texts. The one thing that took me by surprise was that it was already dark. I was expecting the sun still to be up. Although it is the high season in Thailand, its still winter with the sun setting around 6pm.


Monica at Immigration.

On arrival you need to negotiate the immigration security check point. On the plane you are given a form to fill in basically relating to your flight in and more importantly when and how you are leaving. The Thai’s don’t want you to overstay your welcome it seems. The queues were long and everyone arriving has there photo taken. The "departing" section of the form is stapled to your passport and acts as your tourist visa.

Having collected our backpacks the next step was to find our way to the hotel. The plan as far as I was aware was to take a taxi. The lonely planet guide had informed us of the expected costs at around 350 to 450 Baht, between £7 and £9. An attempted last minute change of plan was sprung on me by Monica. "We can catch the bus". Oh no we can’t as after traipsing up and down the arrivals hall 3 times we couldn’t find out where the bus stop was. On enquiring at the information point the nice lady informed us it was better to get the taxi.

We quickly found the taxi rank which was well organised. You tell the lady behind the stand where your going who then completes a form in Thai that is handed to your driver. Apparently, Bangkok addresses are confusing and its easy for foreigners to say the wrong thing and end up at the opposite side of the city. After paying the tolls on the expressway (totalling around 95 Baht) the driver asked for 500 baht for the fare. A bit much as the meter was 350 and you are supposed to give them an extra 50 for being picked up at the airport. "My Tip" was the drivers explanation. Cheeky sod.


On Khaosan Road.

The hotel we had booked over the Internet was called Erawan House and was located near the backpackers haven, Khaosan Road. It looked really nice on the Internet. Its in a great location but what a shithole. And we were on the 4th floor with no lift.


Pad Thai from Street Vendor.

After dumping our bags it was time for our first walkabout in Bangkok. This had to be down the famous Khaosan Road. Very touristy place with plenty of street eat vendors and outside bars, complete with local girls sat down to entice the punters. Time for my introduction to Thai food with "Pad Thai", noodles Thai-style at a ridiculously low price of 25 Baht, about 50p. This was followed by Thai Green curry with prawn fried rice for 70 Baht.


Tiger or Chang?

The low food prices were soon outweighed by the relatively high beer prices. We decided to try the local brew but which one? I opted for the Chang beer whilst Monica went with Tiger, at around 130 Baht for a large bottle at the Wild Orchid travel bar opposite our hotel. Cheers!

Day 1 - Manchester to Abu Dhabi

At last, the day had finally arrived. Our two week holiday to Thailand starts today. Monica had spent hours meticulously planning the trip, pouring over the Lonely Planet guide. I was going to be converted from a typical suitcase carrying sun, sea and pool tourist to a backpacker.

First beer of the trip.

Our flight to Thailand was with Etihad from Manchester airport. We arrived at 6pm for our 8:20pm flight to Abu Dhabi. Manchester Airport terminal 1 was eerily quiet with only 4 flights remaining to depart. Check-in was quick and easy and we were soon through the security checks. After changing our money and looking around the shops it was time for our first beer.

First panic moment of the holiday quickly followed. The green "Go to Gate" sign on the monitor quickly changed to a red "Gate now closing". Whatever happened to the boarding call? No time to finish our beer and a quick dash down the corridors to the gate. Predictably, the moving walkways were broken and our gate was at the end of the corridor. Still, we managed to get there on time and were soon settled down in our seats.

Flying with Etihad.

Worries over lack of legroom in economy were groundless. A pleasant surprise along with the great entertainment system and the complimentary bar service. Meal was not bad either. The flight was quite uneventful except for a little run in Monica had with the Asian guy sat in front of her. He had the annoying habit of pushing his chair back forcefully prompting Monica to retaliate with a Thai boxing style knee jab in the back of the chair.

The near 8 hour flight was soon over thanks to the free beer, Hancock (average to OK film), half of the latest India Jones movie and sleep (induced by the crap film).

Beach and TOGS

A lazy afternoon on the beach with the Marsh's and a quiz night in Torrox with the golf society was the order of the day for the Friday.

Joe beating me up again.

It started off with a paella at Ayo's. It wasn't long before Joe had tracked us down and demaned his game of footy on the beach. Not the best idea after second helpings and a beer. Still, I managed a good 30 minutes and even survived with both legs in one piece.

Ben's face has shrunk!


Ben & Joe enjoying a ride and Ice Cream.

The TOGS golf quiz was held at the Rib house in Torrox. First challenge was to find the place. Not exactly located on the high street. Next job was to get into a decent team. Job done by getting on to Gordon's team. He does the quiz nights at Dancers bar and his own bar so should compensate for our lack of knowledge.

A great night was had by all and we came second. We contributed with a few gems and Monica was quite pleased that she got the Venice question right.

2nd place!