wadicuuuuuup ; )

hello all!

firstly a big hello and farewell to the wonderful people we've met over the last few weeks that have made our time an awesome and memorable one and safe journeys for those of you that sadly are returning home!thong nai pan (my favourite beach)was once again an amazing experience with another great crew of people gracing the white sands with their presence and sharing more of the endless wisdom(and sang som!)that they possess!thank you my friends and take care!
so,its on to another chapter of the long running asian adventure and not a big leap around the coast but a big change as we've now(ross n i )found ourselves a nice little house on the north side of the island situated in a nice tranquil coconut grove that leads down to the beach!its more like a massive wooden bungalow really with enough space inside to spin three cats let alone one and a dual balcony.a large front balcony which carries on around the length of one side and houses at tha end,a lovely little enclosed kitchen area with a fridge freezer,gas cooker,sink and all the essentials ie;woks,pans etc and its soooooo good to finally have my own kitchen again to get creative in and even nicer to cook out in the open and in the fresh air!man ive never enjoyed washing up the dishes so much in my life as the rain poured,the lightning struck and the thunder roared from up above!it was our first night last night and i made the most of our new home and appliances by getting on my trusty scooter and going food shopping for the first time in what seems an eternity!my premier meal in my new temple of joy that be the kitchen was a geng keow waan (thai green curry) and after buying the freshest curry pastes,vegetables and other of the most flavoursome ingredients(espescially the big bag of thai basil leaves!)i endeavored upon my first home cooked meal of the trip!i must say that it turned out to be the best attempt yet and if i may say so rivalled even the local curries!weeeeeelll,its a pretty easy dish really so its no mean feat but nevertheless i was proud and savoured every last drop and tonight im gunning for the massamn curry!im so glad id spent(a few days previous)a whole day in the scorching hot sun searching for a new home in which to dwell and about a 101 different viewings in far reaches and climbs around the island plucking up as much local language as i could find inside to finally find this place we now call home!in one place i was trying to converse with a very old local lady with no english in her vocabulary about a house for rent and had to take her down the road to find an english speaking relative.now this is common place but when she sat on the bike sideways(as a lady does!)and she's at least 80 years old so with all my concentration,balancing skills and a little anxiety as to not drop her from the bike we made it to our destination!phew!im sending a couple of pics of our new home but i must say its alot better in reality and the pics do not do it justice!threres also a fishing rod with tackle on the balcony and as ross already has equiptmant we'll be heading off around the coastal rocks to catch a few of the freshest seafood meals around!if we're lucky!and now we have a fridge freezer anythings possible!yoga is still planned for a few days time when we've both gotten over this terrible cold which among many others have been unlucky to have acquired along the way!
i'll also send a few pics of thong nai pan and our experience there hopefully after this if the computer wants to that is!although sadly the digital camera i just bought in bangkok that i love dearly has broken for good it seems already and that means i must go on a lone two day mission back up to bangkok on the hope of exchanging it for a new one!wish me luck!doh!
anyway my friends you take good care and i'll speak to you soon i hope!

much love
damo
xxxx