Week eleven - Ko Phi Phi - Phuket - Singapore - Perth

Ko Phi Phi left me and the Great Scottish Girlies weak, tired, skint and looking forward to leaving. The island is essentially beautiful but the people are miserable, the infrastructure post Tsunami poor with smelly drains, the night life abismal and far too many noisy fellow travellers. Luckily on our last day, after we had recovered from the poisoning, we were able to go on our snorkelling trip. The sea was crystal clear, the sunset amazing and the fish weren't shy either. I was woken on the 4th night by what seemed like maurauding teenagers, drunk of course, after taking advantage of the free buckets at Tiger Bar. My stay ended with a CRUNCH: my foot up until my knee had gone through the floorboard. I had visions of my leg dangling in someone's room but luckily my toe had stubbed the hillside.I said goodbye to my fellow travellers, thanked them for a great time and felt guilty and resonsible for the poisoning. Yes is was me who chose the ill-fated restaurant because one of the hunky Australians from the ferry journey from hell was having his dinner in there. Phuket was a dump and the hotel which had featured in the Beach so noisy that not even my ear plugs kept out the din.Singapore as expected was high rise, hot, clean and sterile. It took me quite a while to find somewhere to stay and ended up in a Catholic run hostel so that night I said my hail Mary's and went to bed early. I was a complete girl on my first day and hit the Orchard Road for shops: Top Shop, Karen Millen, Gap, French Connection and M and S. It was heavenly seeing fashionable items again after the fakes of Asia and the naff Thai trousers and sarongs. It was mega expensive compared to home so I didn't actually buy anything. On the second day I was up early and out to see Chinatown and the quayside financial area on a small boat trip. I avoided Little India after sill being traumatised by starring Indian men and their equally scary moustaches.My welcome to Australia by the customs official was the best yet. "So you are on a two month holiday" he asked me to which I replied "yes" and to which he said "Good on ya" as he handed back my passport. What a lovely welcome. By the time I reached One World Backpackers it was 3am so it wasn't easy climbing into the upper bunk without waking up the 7 other people in the dorm. In the morning I was perturbed to discover that I was in the boys dorm and it smelt of boys but happy too that there were two other girls in there with me.Perth seems like home but that is probably beacause most people at the backpackers are English or Irish. We went out on Saturday night for a big one to celebrate Liam's 21st and then went to the beach at Scarborough on Sunday to laze in the Autumn sun which is just as hot as a summer day back home. Having said that it is cold here at night and it is strange being so cold again after the heat of Asia. On Sunday we joined in on the Australian culture of going out drinking on a Sunday and boy where they out in force. I was out with the boys for Liam's birthday weekender and had another good night out around Northbridge. Luckily everyone thinks that I am about 27 so they don't feel like granny had come out for the evening!