In a months time we’ll be in Bangkok…  What a crazy thought and something that has begun giving me butterflies, not because I don’t want to go or anything stoopid like that – but because I really have no idea what to expect.  Loads of people have given me different ideas of Thailand, from some seedy backstreets filled with ping-pong firing women to a paradise where the sea is totally transparent and the beaches are out of this world – what do I expect, absoloutely no idea…  I’m just hoping that the first place we find has a hearty supply of loo roll and a toilet where you sit instead of squat.

Scatt is on her PADI course tomorrow so she will be well prepared to go diving for the ‘big fish’ when we get there, I’m hoping we’ll see some Whale Sharks while we are in Thailand as my Cuz-in-Law (can you get sucha thing) used to be a Dive Master and saw quite a few there.  Hopefully he’ll manage to get us some cheap dives as well not that they would be that expensive with the exchange rate at the moment!

I got the rucksack off Russ (the one he used to travel around with) and stuck in it what I thought I would take with me initially, turned it round and slung it on my back – it felt sooo empty.  So I tried to fill it and see how much crap I could take with me should I decide to ‘go prepared‘, the outcome, too much to actually lift the rucksack and walk around with.  I’d end up like Quasimodo if I slung that bag on my back full to the brim, I’m gonna stick to my original plan and take only a bare minimum…  Big thanks to Russell for the lend though, hugely appreciated!

Enough of me, I’m off to spend some time soaking in a hot bath filled with English Bubble Bath – gotta make the most of it while I’m here…  Laters!

We’re nearly at a month to go and everything seems to be approaching so quick, we’re still trying to get all the little things done such as cancelling various direct debits, the car insurance, mobile phones and all the other day to day expenses you don’t notice coming out of your bank – but we’re nearly there.

Emma and I are still awaiting the return of our passports which we sent off just over a week ago now, would of been sooner but our banks couldn’t get our statements to us for some reason (out of 4 posted, I received 1!).  We said we needed them by the beginning of November though, so a little while left.

Work is driving me a bit crazy at the moment, thought things would ease up the closer to my leaving date, but with new projects coming in quicker than we can handle them I feel sorry for the people I will leave behind – ‘specially James, he’s in for a rough ride if they don’t get someone in and quick.  I’ll try and get all my crap finished up though, I’m not one to leave stuff unfinished. 

Went and got Russells backpack from Emmas house the other day, so it is now officially ‘My Backpack and I’!  Going to try and work out where everything is going to go now – Pants at the bottom as they’ll be the slowest thing to come out the bag, I got a tip the other day that to save on washing you follow a four prong approach: Wear them once, turn them inside out and wear them again, turn them around (bums at the front!) wear them again and then once more with the inside out!  Sounds a good tactic apart from the fact we are going to Thailand first and I imagine that my belly won’t hold up too well there!

Right, gonna stop writing now, else I’ll waffle on forever – I only logged on so that I could set Lucy an account up!  Hope this doesn’t happen every time!

Had a look at Fiji and found this rather amusing ’10 things to know’ on traveljournals.net

10 facts about Fiji

1. Fijians are cheerful. Apart from the occasional political coup or race riot, life is relaxed and laid-back.

2. They say “Bula!” a lot. Means hello/welcome/cheers/good health/good morning/etc. The all-purpose Fijian greeting.

3. They dring kava. A mild intoxicant, looks and tastes like ditch-water, makes your mouth go numb in kind of a nice way. Makes Fijians even more cheerful.

4. Palm trees are dangerous. Watch where you sling your hammock – a coconut might fall on your head. Fijians say coconuts have eyes and choose who to fall on, and if a coconut falls on you then you are going to have really bad luck. Starting right then, presumably.

5. The climate is idyllic. There are no seasons as such – it is warm all the time, except when it is hot. Sometimes it rains.

6. Fijians like to sing. Whenever you step on or off a plane or boat, chances are some guys with guitars and loud floral shirts will sing you a cheerful song.

7. Fiji has its own time zone. Most things operate on flexible “Fiji Time”, like manana but with less sense of urgency.

8. The sea is warm. Clear, blue and calm in the lagoons with lots of colourful fish. You can hear the splashes as they chase each other about after dark. Big surf on the outer reefs to satisfy the kamikaze Aussies.

9. The mynah birds are gallus. Like noisy starlings with attitude. Applies to mynah birds everywhere, but the Fijian ones seem particularly pushy, maybe in contrast to the general laid-back atmosphere.

10. It is paradise – almost. Yer actual tropical island fantasy, apart from the mosquitos which come and whine in your ear as you doze off in your hammock. Bula, ye wee b@#$%@!