24 hours, three flights, two sick bags and one emergency oxygen canister later, and we have finally arrived in a little corner of paradise called Krabi.  Time for some much needed rest and recuperation.

Set beneath towering cliffs in the middle of a tropical jungle, our resort is possibly the most idyllic setting in which to escape from the real world.  So far, so perfect.

Being one who struggles to stay awake and overly active at the best of times, the multiple flights, change in time zones and a big old helping of jet lag isn’t much helping the cause.

Day one: crawl out from under the mosquito net for breakfast; scuttle back to bed for a quick nap; wake up at 6pm; swim, eat dinner and then go back to bed.  All-in-all a thoroughly exhausting and non-productive day.

Plan of attack going forward: stay awake long enough to actually leave the bungalow and experience Thailand.

Day two: wake up from a deep, coma-like sleep; leave Arctic temperature of an air conditioned room and get hit in the face with a wall of 96-degree heat; stagger to the restaurant for breakfast and eat my own body weight in eggs and papaya.  I figure one will counteract the other…

Next for the tricky bit: protecting my sun-sensitive, lupusy skin in an environment that’s not dissimilar to a tandoori oven. First up, a very liberal helping of Factor 50 P20, followed by Factor 50 on the face and a bit more Factor 50 for good measure.  Plus, of course, the obligatory hat and big glasses.

So here I now lay, oiled up like a seagull in a shipping disaster, sweating like a beast and hiding under the shade of umbrella by the pool.

So far, so sun safe.