How are you all doing?

We often wonder how everyone is, in fact everyday we think of you all.

We understand that it must be very difficult for you all, but it’s great to see how these difficult times are bringing everyone together.

For me and Gabs, this isolation thing isn’t really a big problem, as for almost 2 years we’ve only had each other’s company, and are confined to a tent, which is fine, but sometimes it gets difficult for us too.. we haven’t spoken to anyone in English for a long time, and it’s almost impossible to FaceTime family and friends back home, as internet is very poor quality, we try and read the news when we can. Gabs worries about her mum back in the UK, shes 80 years old, and Gabs hasn’t seen her for a very long time, but they do send messages to each other as often as they can.

We can find food and drinking water, but it takes time and isn’t always easy in heat of the day.
The Coronavirus situation is rapidly increasing by the day here in Thailand, there’s lockdowns everywhere, and soon to be a curfew in place with military patrolling the streets, we are very close to the most effected areas, the only concern here is that the hospitals won’t be able to cope, as good as hospitals can be here, it’s not the NHS. We are on a small island in southern Thailand known as the Phi Phi Islands, we have been living in a very remote part of the island away from people, but today we have moved location because tourists have been coming across on boats from the mainland to spend the day on some of the beaches !!! and they are coming across from the most infectious areas 😳 we are now back in a safe area for now, hopefully soon the Thai government will ban all boats from the mainland.

I’m just so glad we managed to get a years supply of Gabs medication when we cycled through Bangkok, as Bangkok is now very bad with the virus, the hospital we visited the other week there said that’s it’s now in a crisis, we offered to volunteer there but they wouldn’t let us due to safety, so we’ll just have to see how things go, but we will be volunteering somewhere. We’ve managed to get a letter from the British Embassy in Bangkok which should hopefully enable us to extend our visas, if you overstay your visa here, it’s a 500 thb (£15) fine each day, if you don’t pay it’s the monkey house AKA prison!
Here in Thailand many people that work from the surrounding countries have lost their jobs, so are returning back to their homeland, like Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines, but with all borders being closed this has caused riots.
Anyway, there’s along way to go, and it’s not even begun to get started here.

We’ll finish by saying we would like to send each and everyone of you our best wishes, and keep up the great work which you are all doing, you are all in our thought.

Look after yourselves

Chris & Gabs