With JB much better & de-corked,we set off for Khao Lak, about 3 hours drive up the coast from Phuket. Khao Lak is THE place for people who are: a) German & on a package tour, or b) looking to go on live aboard dives to the Similan Islands. As we fell into neither category, we made a detour to Khao Sok national park, in search of the fabled Rafflesia, the biggest flower in the world. Its fragrance is said to resemble that of a rotting corpse. I couldn't smell anything, although I have been sleeping in the same room as JB's climbing shoes for 9 weeks now, so...............