Motorcycling, Phuket and Phi Phi

Last week made for one of the more interesting half term breaks I've experienced.
   The Moto GP was a good start. The circuit (Sepang F1 circuit) was pretty cool. In two of the races there were Malaysian riders and the crowd were going absolutely wild every time they went passed. In the first race (Moto 3), the Malaysian rider was only 21 (it was actually his birthday on the race day!) and he had never finished in a podium place before. He was leading through most of the race, and the sound from the crowd was awesome - you could hear where he was on the track even though you couldn't see him, just from the sound of the crowd cheering him around. He lead until the last corner of the last lap, where he was overtaken! It was his best ever finish but it was kind of bittersweet as it could have been a real fairytale race for him.
   The main event was called of after 13 laps because, in true monsoon fashion, the heavens opened and the track was flooded within minutes! It also made the journey home a nightmare as the place was heaving with people, all running for taxis and lifts. Everyone was soaked to the bone, including me, who also managed to get caked in mud walking across a grassy area!
   Phuket was really relaxing in comparison. We stayed in a small, family-run chalet resort. The people were lovely and drove us to the beach and picked us up whenever we wanted to go. The beach was beautiful and quiet - we had a perfect spot to watch the sunset but again, in true monsoon fashion, it was massively cloudy and we got a tiny slither of pinky-orange through the clouds for about 10 minutes. I'm sure it would have been amazing though!
   Koh Phi Phi had to be the highlight though. After a 2 hour ferry, the tiny island was the ultimate in chilled out holiday environments. We chartered a boat and went snorkeling every day, and there were just so many incredible multi-coloured fish! The driver of the long boat threw some bread into the water and swarms of these fish would come over. When you were in the water you could feel them brushing past you! We saw a sea snake as well, long, thin and black and white striped. I wasn't convinced it was entirely friendly so I stayed a comfortable distance away from it! We went to Maya Bay, which is where 'The Beach' was filmed. It was actually a little underwhelming and jam-packed with tourists. Around the island we went to other, simply beautiful secluded beaches which were much nicer to be on, and generally empty.
   It was hard to leave after only a couple of days - there was so much more we could have done. A perfect excuse to go back I'd say!
   I hope everyone back home is enjoying their half terms - What are you up to?
   As always, check out the Flickr page for updated pics!

Half Term!!!

It's here! I have finally completed my first half term in my new school, and what a term it was! The new class are certainly different to any I've experienced, although they are still year 6's and have a few classic year 6 traits! The lessons are different too - I teach English, Maths and IPC (an enquiry-based teaching that incorporates History, Geography etc. into a project answering a question). No PE, no Music, no Art. Specialist teachers cover everything else which means I have a bit more time, but I do miss them sometimes.
   Tomorrow Jo and I are going to watch the Moto GP which is in KL. One of the children in Jo's class has a parent who owns the company that sponsors the GP and they very kindly gave us free tickets! It should be cool, and it's the kind of thing I wouldn't have thought to do otherwise so it's a bit of a bonus and a nice start to the holidays.
   On Tuesday we head to Thailand for a few days of relaxing on a beach, snorkeling and exploring. We have a night in Phuket and two nights on Koh Phi Phi. I can't wait - I got my camera cleaned especially! Hopefully there will be some good pics - I'll put them on my Flickr page if there are.
   I hope everyone is well - not long until your half term too! I'll try not to leave it too long next time.