Good evening, or afternoon as it is in the UK. I headed for the beach, Koh Phi Phi at first, where the Film the Beach and James Bond Man with the Golden Gun was set. The bit where the films were set are alledgedly nice, but I didn't hang around long enough to find out, the rest of the Island is a tourist trap full of air conditioned bungalows with on-suite toilets. Not my idea of thailand, so I headed off in search of seclusion. I found some on Ko Lanta, the nest island along, but the only reason it was secluded was because it was rainy season and no-one was there, (luckily the weather was really good though) it was nice and cheap (90p a night on a beach bungalow with on-suite toilete) and quite, but after a book and a half I got bored of my own company and remembered why I hadn't chilled ona beach for over two years - because it's boring. Coupled with the fact that the only Thai culture you see is that which tourism has created over the last 15 years.

I was going to stop of somewhere else in search of the real thailand, but without a proper map and only the Lonely Planet to guide me, I decided that I wasn't going to find it now, and would wait until I visit Tom and Dave at Chang Mai University later in the year, who should know some real Thailand by then and can take me there... So I caught the 6 pound bus all the way to Penang in Malaysia, and arrived at 8.30 tonight, staying in a grewat little chinese hotel, (the woman even lent me a quid to get some food because I've got no Ringit (malay money) yet, what a star! It's about a pound anight to stay here too, in a dormatory of 6 or so other travellers.

I ate some great noodle soup and a black bean sweet deep fried seseme seed sausage for pudding. Good to be back in the real Asia, cheap food that you're not quite sure what it is...

I've applied to study at Penang University after Sinagpore, so tomorrow I'll rent a bike and go and pay it a visit. already I think I'm going to like it, this place won't be as sanitised as singapore will be. Exam results on the 1st, then I'm due in Singapore on the 8th.

Bye for now.
john