January 31st

I can be quite lazy when it comes to learning useful bits of information that can make life easier. Case in point - I've had a sports watch whose alarm has been going off at 5 pm every day for the last 3 years - I'm rarely home to hear it, so no biggie. It came with an instruction manual so tiny it could have been inscribed on the heard of a pin with room to spare, so I've cut myself some slack. My friend Kathy gave me a lesson in how to set the alarm though before she left Thailand, and I must say, it's a whole new world.

Anyway, you know that rhyme most people learn by the age of 7 - the tricky one about the number of days in a month? Yeah, that one. I've never committed it to memory - sheer laziness, really. Why put stuff in my cranium that doesn't absolutely need to be there? But because it turns out January has 31 days in it and not the 30 I'd assumed, I find myself with an unexpected extra day in Krabi, Thailand. I have a bungalow booked on a hilltop on Phi Phi Island starting tomorrow, not today, as I had thought. It turns out though that I'm very happy about the largesse that is January. I went on a fantastic day trip yesterday - snorkelling, sunshine, stunning scenery. I spent a couple hours chatting to a German girl about the beauty of chucking the contents of your apartment for extended world travel. Then we were fed lunch. It was really good, but when the guide warned us that the curry was spicy, I really should have recognized his comment for what it was - flashing lights, alarm-sounding really stinking obvious warning to back away from the curry. On an island, no idea when I'll see the next toilet, and yes, that's right, I go for spoonful #2. Let's just say that by the time I did find some facilities, 2 hours and a couple islands later, I almost kissed the toilet seat in happiness.

So, 24 hours later, Heather's still feeling a touch delicate and therefore quite happy to be doing nothing in Krabi. Krabi Town itself doesn't have a lot to boast about other than being a handy starting point for other, more picturesque destinations on the Andaman coast. Every second store is a travel agent of some description thats selling a plethora of day trips or tickets to get yourself somewhere else. During the day a lot of tourists clear out of town for cliff climbing or a nearby beach, so it's actually relatively quiet. I discovered this morning that you can't walk too close to the riverfront without being stopped frequently by salesmen trying to take you on a 'beautiful boat tour'. I walked past a small department store and was lured inside by the Boots Pharmacy. Pathetic though it is, I spent a lovely 5 minutes wandering the aisles even though I wasn't shopping for anything - simply enjoying the unexpected bliss of looking at facial cleansers and shampoos in magical air conditioning. I splashed out big time on some basic art supplies - chosen for their compact nature and cheap prices. I spent an hour lying on my bed after my big shopping excursion, feeling delicate. I wandered across the street from my guest house to the post office to drop off some postcards and ran into my German friend Gina from yesterday, so spent an hour chatting with her friend while Gina posted stuff home. I've managed to consume some soda crackers and a diet coke, and my stomach is at peace for the moment, thank God.

Feeling crappy in Krabi - I think I could be a lot worse off. And I've already been tipped off that it's a leap year, so I've got February sorted!