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Well what an amazing few weeks, Christmas was great if a little subdued being that most of my family were saving cash to go to Thailand for the New Year. To be honest I hadn’t really given the fact that i was off to Thailand ina few days much thought. With mounting deadlines at work and the usual christmas crap to get done it seemed like an age away before we went. So after i’d ate far too much food and checked in at my folks place it was up to the midlands to pick up Ed my brother and check in with my Dad. He showed me round his new office building (huge) and seemed very proud and happy to have built his company from just 4 patners to an over 200 strong workforce! also saw my little bro who is now learning to play guitar has his own pool room and a mobile phone and is loving life at his new school hello Oliver if you read this!!.
So we set off in the morning for what turned out to be one of those holiday trips that you rememeber for a long time. Full of surprises, highs and lows
After 3 hours in a car 14hrs in a plane 5 hrs in airports a few cardboard meals and plenty of alchohol we (Ed my brother & Kate my girlfriend) landed in Phuket. As the tropical air hit me I was reminded of Bali a place I visted out here a few years back and I instantly felt at home, and as our plush air conditioned hi-hace sped to the marina hotel the familar clash of western neon and Asian culture drew racing shadows on the inside of the car.
Not having been to The Marina hotel before I really didn’t know what to expect, and when we saw it it was a bit good to say the least. Although not a moment to take in the sourroundings as we had the first task of the holiday to complete. Surprise my sister, who after traveling in New Zealand for a year and had met up with our parents out there but had no idea we were about to turn up at the bar!!
Shocked was not quite the word when she saw us lot appear around the corner flabergasted!! was probably more appropriate!!
So after she finally got to terms with the fact we were there we headed off to the resturuant called 
Looking back at this holiday there were so many great moments, from first seeing the hotel to catching one the biggest sail fish in a long time when we went deep sea fishing, to the a speed boat trip that will go down as one of the scariest in memory !! Seeing the the island were the beach was filmed, and doing all this with my family and girlfriend what an amazing holiday!!
As I write this its 5.30pm UK time but my head is still in Phuket were its warm, just gone past midnight and tomorrow is filled with promise of warm sea, surf and speedboats, bartering for fake oakleys or a 100 baht jount to patong!!
Thankgod my folks have bought an apartment out there!! (one of the other surprises they had waiting for us) cuase it will be a minute too long that i’m not back there!!
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