Thailand Raya Islands with Komodo Dragon

My son updated me today from very nice place in South of Thailand, near Phuket.

The Racha (or Raya) islands, some 12 km south of Phuket, are best known as excellent diving and snorkelling daytrip destinations. Racha Yai, however, is quickly developing into a place to stay on for a while with a number of bungalow and resort operations springing up in recent years.

Racha Yai reveals itself in splendid fashion, with most arrivals landing onto a strip of fine white sand tucked deep into the long, U-shaped main bay, called Ao Tawan Tok or Ao Bungalow. The water here is clear and perfect for snorkelling, though the bay gets quite busy with visiting boats in the afternoons. The other large bay, Ao Siam, is a pretty place where lonely strolls in solitude are possible.

Racha Noi is uninhabited and has no services or accommodation, but there's some great diving in the area.
Good place for accommodation you can find in Ban Raya .

On Raya Islands you can see Komodo Dragon.

Crete: Hidden paradise in Paleochora

We, my wife and me, just returned from our short holiday vacation in Crete and I want to share with you some tips before they are forgotten.

First of all you need a car in Crete, better to rent it in your country before arrival.

IMHO, small car is better because the roads in mountains are narrow,

also pay attention to the road signs they are not so friendly ( I don't use any GPS).

This time we stayed in a hotel near Chania in all included deal, but we used our rent car for travelling around.

The reason I am writing this post is my promise to small restaurant owner on Paleochora Beach,

we enjoyed very good and simple fresh fish meal with good local wine, when we finished the meal  I said to the restaurant owner that we loved the lunch very much and I want to write about it in my blog.

He answered with a smile: “So you don't want to pay for the lunch?”

Disclosure: I paid for the lunch

Georgia Ieronimaki- Patsouraki,

Paleochora

Tel 2823041550

e-mail: patsouris@ live.com