Well, here we are, back in Koh Chang. We're now staying in the less salubrious surroundings of White Sand Beach, the biggest resort on the island, which has the longest sweep of golden shore; the most bars, restaurants, tour operators, internet cafes, ATMs, pharmacies; the most souvenir/tshirt/swimwear shops, Armani tailors; and by far the most concrete.
White Sand Beach seems like a slightly tacky, bustling metropolis after the pristine havens of Koh Mak and Koh Kood, but we have work to do which requires the trappings of civilisation, so instead of sampling a few more of the 49 small islands in the Gulf of Thailand we have moved into Paddy's Palms Irish Pub and Resort.
Don't laugh - Paddy's Palms, though not a retreat of luxury and style in unspoilt natural surroundings, is clean, comfortable, and very cheap, with a good pool. You wouldn't even know it was an Irish establishment, except that the shower curtain ends nine inches short of the ground, so that the bathroom floor is always awash; oh, and the seat on the lavatory is two sizes too small, so caution when sitting down is required.
Paddy's Palms has a menu that serves potatoes in many forms - mashed, fried, boiled, roast, jacket; even bubble and squeak - very important when potato craving strikes in a land where rice and noodles rule.
What work do we have to do you may wonder. Well, we have photos to edit and download for publishing on the blog; we have transport arrangements to make for our journey to Bangkok;and I need to get my hair done so Louise and Dave aren't shocked by my scarecrow appearance when they pick us up at Heathrow.
Yesterday I called in at a salon to see about having my hair coloured and trimmed. The glamorous stylist I consulted wore short shorts, high heeled shoes, and a low-cut top that revealed a comely bosom. Long, glossy black hair framed a face with a five o' clock shadow and a hint of stubble showing through the perfectly applied make-up. 'Confused of Kneesall' has now developed a rule of thumb; if a Thai girl is taller than me (that is, over 5ft 2in), she is probably a boy. Anyway, I didn't make an appointment, as the price was almost twice what I pay at Sue's Hair Fashions in Ollerton and I thought I could do better.
News has been filtering through of political unrest in mainland Thailand. On February 26th the Supreme Court in Bangkok will give a ruling on whether the assets of the deposed former Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, will be released to him or seized by the government. (Yes,if you're wondering, this is the same guy who tried to buy Manchester City Football Club). The question is whether he used undue influence in his position as PM to boost his family fortunes to the tune of 76 billion baht.
These assets are currently frozen, pending the Court's decision, so February 26th is regarded as a flashpoint. If the decision goes against Thaksin, his supporters, the Redshirts, are likely to take to the streets in protest and a coup has been predicted. If Thaksin gets to keep the money, then the opposition, the Yellowshirts, are expected to protest. Either way, the situation could be volatile. We've spent a good deal of time over the last few days trying to get an earlier flight out of Dodge to avoid being stranded in the capital if the airport is closed as in previous confrontations. Unfortunately there's nothing available, so we've decided to stick to our original plan and hope our flight at 0035 hours on February 28th isn't affected.
If trouble flares we shall follow the sensible advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and hide under our bed until it's all over.
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