13 March, 2008
8:21 AM
Kamala Beach

We came, we saw, we dove.

Over two months have flown by since we left the cold and rainy Bay area. We have been enjoying our time here so much, the blog has not been updated as often as we would like. C’est la vie, as our friend Jean Yves would say. Jean Yves is the Frenchman who owns Nautica Divers. Diving has been the highlight of our trip and the folks at Nautica have been fantastic to dive with. As mentioned previously I did my open water certification and Jean, who holds an advanced open water rating, did a refresher course. Here’s a picture of our instructor Chris, who is from Switzerland.

Our first dive in Thailand took place near a small island known as Koh Weo. Our last scheduled dive will also be at Koh Weo. Jean and I are doing a class called Peak Performance Buoyancy Training. When we dive we have a few different ways of controlling our buoyancy. In general we are always doing one of three things. We are descending (negative buoyancy), staying level (neutral buoyancy), or ascending (positive buoyancy). Most of the time we are neutrally buoyant. While diving we wear a vest of sorts called a BCD (buoyancy control device). Our tank and other gear attaches to the BCD and inside is an inflatable bladder. Once we get down to our desired depth we actually use our lungs to make minor adjustments. To avoid bumping into something we can take a deep breath and we will actually ascend a bit. Conversely exhaling and not inhaling immediately allows us to sink slightly. The Peak Performance Buoyancy class will help us refine our technique. Here’s a picture of Koh Weo from the surface.

As you can see it’s a small uninhabited island. But underneath is a whole different story. The nearby reefs support a large and varying population of beautiful fish, eels, clams, shrimp, squid, rays, and coral, which is a living organism. The local diving offered through Nautica Divers includes Koh Weo, a wreck of an old tin dredger, and a place called Stone Coral Gardens. We dove all three. We don’t own an underwater camera however some of our divemasters did, so we have some pictures to share with you.

Here is a picture of one of our favorite animals, the moray eel. Normally they are seen tucked in their holes with just the mouth and neck protruding but we enjoyed seeing a few of them outside their dens. In one instance we watched a moray eel and some sort of black fish chase each other around a coral outcropping. I am not making this up. It was quite amusing. We did not even have to put our scuba gear on to see this little circus. We saw this occur while snorkeling near Nai Harn on the southern tip of the island.

Remember the movie “Finding Nemo?” We’re making our own called “Teasing Nemo.” We are ashamed to admit it but when we come across an anemone we get an uncontrollable urge to put our hands nearby and watch the clownfish come out and protect their turf. Here are a few clownfish pictures. The first was taken at Koh Weo and the second was taken during a dive at either Koh Racha Noi or Koh Racha Ya, 12 or so miles south of Phuket.

Here are a few more pictures from the waters near Koh Weo. The first one is a Butterfly Fish. The second is a variety and the third is a Pufferfish. Anyone care to guess why they call them Pufferfish?

We dove Koh Racha Ya and Koh Racha Noi on March 2nd. We did 3 dives that day so it was quite a full day. Here is a shot of one of the islands.

Our friend James from California joined us for this adventure and a few other dives. Here are pictures of the three of us on the boat and in the water.

The dive boat has a large platform on the stern (rear of boat) and to enter the water you pretty much just step out keeping one hand on the mask and the other on your weight belt buckle. Here is a picture of Jean demonstrating the proper technique.

As we made our descent we looked over towards the dive boat and saw hundreds of fish underneath the hull.

We soon saw a large school of barracuda.

Our last dive at Koh Racha Noi offered a bit more excitement than the first two. We spotted an octopus. Octopus are both elusive and often hard to spot. They blend in to their surroundings quite well. We saw our first octopus while snorkeling near Kata Beach. Ironically we had just watched a documentary about how well the octopus can disguise itself the night before. Jean spotted the creature only because she saw some movement. While laying still he (she?) was impossible to see if you didn’t know where to look. The next bit of excitement at Racha Noi took place when a triggerfish took offense to my presence. Triggerfish are rather aggressive especially when guarding their eggs. When I saw the fish he was headed straight for me and from the front I couldn’t identify him as a triggerfish. When I realized he wasn’t going to stop I made an evasive/defensive maneuver and the triggerfish decided to tussle with one of my fins. Our divemaster, a young Thai fellow, saw the commotion and distracted the triggerfish with his pointer/clicker. The pointer clicker is just a device that allows someone to point something out and when shaken makes a clicking noise.

Next time you see us we can show you a lot of other pictures we don’t have room for on this blog. One of our divemasters gave us some great pictures he took on other dives including an incredible sequence with a Manta Ray.

I am closing this blog entry with a picture of the most beautiful creature I saw underwater. Her eyes are particularly stunning and she looks even better above the surface.

We visited the Phuket Butterfly World and Insectarium on February 8th. It’s located near the Bangkok Phuket Hospital mentioned in the previous post.

It takes a while to wander through and both of us found the exhibit interesting.

Can you find the aptly named stickbug? Jean did!

Jean needed to see a doctor for a minor medical issue so we rode the motorbike to the Bangkok-Phuket Hospital. Upon arriving in the nicely decorated lobby we were greeted by a a friendly young bilingual Thai lad who led us to an accommodating woman who admitted Jean to the hospital. Within five minutes the paperwork was complete and the same woman escorted us to the proper office. Within another five minutes Jean met with the doctor. The doctor spoke English fluently. She performed the exam and issued a prescription. Then the same woman who brought us to the doctor escorted us to the pharmacy. The pharmacist issued the medication and presented Jean with a simple single page invoice for the visit totaling about $60USD. We were done in less than an hour.

Since the hospital has a dental clinic with an excellent reputation I scheduled an exam and cleaning for after our return from Malaysia. I’m pleased to say the care was excellent. One thing that really impressed me was that when I arrived they were ready to go to work. No waiting around like in the states. The dentist did the cleaning herself as opposed to hygienist. I am not making any judgement about hygienists, just pointing out a difference.

A few days ago we visited the waterfalls at Phra Thaeo Mountain. Phra Thaeo is in the north central section of the island. Some visiting schoolchildren befriended us as soon as we got to the park. They asked to have a group photo taken with us which we readily agreed to. Then we asked one of their chaperones to take this picture of us with some of the kids.

We spent a few hours hiking up the mountain exploring the various waterfalls and some of the local wildlife.

The local reptile population was fascinating. We spotted a number of skinks. One of the skinks managed to catch a large spider and we watched the skink devour the insect that was about a third his size. Jean thought the legs hanging out of the skinks mouth resembled a handlebar moustache. We also saw a very bright green lizard and frog.

The trees were amazing. One of the tallest types of trees we noted had a very unique trunk structure.

Another one of this type of tree had the roots exposed by erosion. Jean and I were startled by the length and structure of the root system. We also saw several examples of the beautiful Phuket Heritage Palm. This tree is only found locally.

For anyone planning a visit to Thailand let me share one of the plumbing features seen here that you won’t encounter much in the US. The picture below is of a pit toilet. You squat over it and do your business. You will usually find a bucket or other supply of water next to the toilet. Using the supplied scoop you flush. I learned from previous visits that it is always a good idea to carry your own tissue and some hand cleaner or soap.

The past two days we have been scuba diving. For me it is my initial open water certification. Learning to scuba dive has long been a goal of mine. Jean was certified in 1996 and has joined me for the class to serve as refresher training. It also gives us the opportunity to practice skills like buddy breathing together. The dive school is called Nautica Divers and we discovered them while staying in Nai Yang. The staff was so friendly and accommodating that we chose to make the 40 minute commute by motorbike to do our training there. Jean says our Swiss instructor Chris has beautiful eyes. I like him for his enthusiasm for diving and good communication skills. We finish our training tomorrow which coincidentally is Jean’s birthday.

A retired couple from Bakersfield, Lanny and Sybil, are on the staff at Nautica Divers. Sybil took some underwater pictures of us today that we hope to share with you on the next blog update. Lanny and Sybil split their time between Phuket and Bakersfield. We have invited them to join us for some sailing when we are all back in California.

3 February 2008
6:23 PM

Greetings from Kamala Beach!!

Today ends our first week in Kamala Beach and Jean and I have stayed busy. We are living in a small studio above the detached garage of a lovely home. The owner is an American expatriate who has been in Phuket for 20 years. He developed and sold two other homes on the property. The main house is wonderful, featuring 4 bedrooms and 5 baths. The home has a nice pool and is well set up for entertaining. The days of cheap real estate in Kamala are long gone. The asking price is about half a million US. Not bad considering a condo in Montclair would cost at least that much.

We spent the past week getting settled into our new digs. Kamala is a great little town but before I go into much detail I want to share a story. In 2006 I stopped along the road above Kamala Beach to admire the view. I took this picture and was entranced.

The town of Kamala stretches along the crescent shaped bay and into the hills to the east. We are a bit inland from the beach but in 5 minutes or so we can be enjoying the perfect water. Jean and I have made several visits to the beach. Although the waves are quite small we managed to catch a few bodysurfing rides. One night we enjoyed a moonlight swim. There are many beachfront dining options that allow us to savor great food with our toes in the sand. I will make it a point to take some more pictures of Kamala for a future blog update.

Phuket

After dropping Sterling off at the International terminal at the airport and Bangkok we grabbed an AirAsia flight down to the Thai island of Phuket (it’s pronounced poo-ket). Our plans were to find a home base in there where we could unpack and settle in and get back into our work routines a bit. The first order of operations, though, after the hustle and bustle of Sterling’s visit was to find a little down time… after 8 days in Thailand I had yet to step onto the beach!

We found the cozy beach town of Nai Yang on the northwest corner of Phuket quite by happenstance and liked it so much we decided to stay a week or so. After one night in a sweltering over-priced room at the Gold Digger Inn, Dave rode around on the scooter and found a charming bungalow for us, run by a very nice young Muslim couple with a most charming two year son. The tenants of the other bungalows were long-term renters and we were quickly welcomed into the Dee Bungalows “community.”

After settling into our Bungalow, we drove 10km north to Mai Kao Beach, where the sea turtles are coming ashore to lay their eggs. Since it was daytime, we didn’t see any sea turtles but we did see the nest craters scattered all along the beach looking much like it had been hit by mortars. Way cool.

While in Nai Yang I finally was able to find a beach day, and read nearly an entire book while chasing the shade under my rented umbrella. The sun here near the equator is merciless, and in only minutes will give you a nasty burn so sun screen is an absolute must.

We checked in with the local dive shop to inquire about open water certification for Dave and a refresher course for me. The shop is owned and run completely by ex-pats from France, Switzerland, the US, and Canada. They were very accommodating and we ended up spending quite some time talking with them about equipment and dive locations. We decided that we’d go through them within the next few weeks so Dave can be certified when we go down to Langkawi, Malaysia next month to renew our visas and visit his friend KP.

Nai Yang – The Tsumani

During dinner one night we had the opportunity to talk to the proprietor of the restaurant, a charming Thai lady. Like so many dining spots here, the restaurant is basically an open-air kitchen with some awnings alongside the road. She also owns some bungalows and has been in operation before Nai Yang even had telephone service.

We took advantage of our time with her to ask about the tsunami and how it had affected Nai Yang. We’d seen the dilapidated Crown Nai Yang Suites Hotel right on the beachfront, which we had assumed had been damaged and not rebuilt after the tsunami, but other than piles of debris scattered here and there it seemed the beach was unscathed.

She told us that the tsunami flooded everything 300 meters in from the beach, and that the entire first floor of the Crown Nai Yang was underwater when the wave receded. While unsaid, it seems a safe assumption that pretty much everything that we were seeing along the beach – which consists mostly of ramshackle huts – must have been rebuilt since then.

Her establishment was untouched as it farther off the beach. She didn’t even know something had even happened until dislodged people came to her looking for food and beds, which she provided free of charge.

As many people from the area where taken to the hospital in Phuket Town, some of whom were her guests, she shuttled friends and loved ones – and food – to the hospital in the days following. She told us about one of her guests, a woman who had been in her car at the beach when the wave stuck, and the water forcefully swept into the open windows. Somehow she ended up hanging onto a tree (how that happened was lost to us in translation) until it was over. Pretty amazing feat considering she had broken her arm during the process.

Before the tsunami struck, the ocean receded 3 kilometers at Nai Yang Beach and stayed that way for about 15 minutes. The water receded so rapidly it left fish flopping on the exposed bottom, which the industrious Thai locals saw as a prime opportunity to do some easy fishing. Incredibly, only one person from Nai Yang Beach was lost, mostly because the farangs (foreigners) recognized the signs of the impending tsunami and warned the locals, getting them to safety before the waves came in. At the National Park just to the north of Nai Yang Beach they weren’t so lucky. The National Park has a handful of huts just 100 meters off the beach and the sleeping residents never knew what hit them.

After our enjoyable stay at Nai Yang we caught a taxi to Kamala Beach, where we rented a small studio to serve as a base for the remainder of our stay.

The morning of the 18th we arose early to catch a tour bus to Erawan Park and Hellfire Pass. Riding scooters over 80 kilometers each way was a less than appealing option. Erawan is noted for a series of 7 beautiful waterfalls. We opted to hike the entire trail to the 7th waterfall. The beauty of Erawan is amazing. After hiking to the top we went back down to the third waterfall for a swim. The water is surprisingly cold but we found it refreshing in the heat of the afternoon after our hike. We swam to the waterfall and stood underneath it, enjoying an incredible natural massage delivered by the cascading water.

Behind the waterfall was a small cave with some interesting stalactites. The pictures we have of us were taken by our new friend Dave Douangchanh, who was traveling with his parents who immigrated from Thailand to Canada in the early 1980’s. We really enjoyed socializing with them and had dinner together later.

Sighting a few monkeys rounded out our morning at the beautiful Erawan Park. We ate some Thai food at one of the park restaurants before continuing our journey to Hellfire Pass, or Konyu Cutting as it was referred to by the Japanese. During the bus ride to Hellfire Pass I questioned Ricky about a tree I had photographed that was wrapped with colorful pieces of cloth and other offerings. Ricky explained that locals believe a spirit lives in the tree. This particular spirit is female and is known for helping with relationships. For example if your partner or spouse leaves you the spirit in the tree could help patch things up with the promise of an offering.

Hellfire Pass is a railway cutting that is part of the infamous Thai-Burma Railway built by POW’s and Asian conscripted labor. Hellfire Pass was named by one of the POW’ likened the scene of the emaciated soldiers working through the night illuminated by bamboo torches to the fires of hell. Seeing the pass firsthand from the top where you get an idea of how much rock had to be removed is the best way to get an idea of the scope of the work. We walked through the pass and along the railbed. Inside the pass are some artifacts. In one spot you can see a broken compressor drill bit wedged in the rock.

Above Hellfire Pass is a museum. There was a short video presentation and a 10 minute film clip with a combination of stills and movie clips illustrating the horrific treatment of POW’s and laborers. Medical care was practically non-existent. Allied doctors did the best they could under the circumstances and are credited with performing some impressive feats. Many prisoners considered the doctors as true heroes. In some cases the doctors tried to prevent a patient from being put back to work and were savagely beaten by the Japanese.

On the way back from Erawan we took a short train ride on a section of the Thai-Burma Railway and met an American woman from Boston that recently sold her Mediterranean restaurant in Chicago and is now doing some traveling. She will be competing in the “Top Chef” TV show on the Bravo network. We did not catch her name but we wish her the best of luck. Hopefully we can get someone to TIVO the first episode. Before boarding the train we walked on one of the original trestle bridges constructed by the POW’s. During the ride we had some nice views of the Kwae River.

Our guide for the day was a Thai gentleman named “Ricky.” Ricky was a great guide and taught me some useful Thai expressions. He also explained how the Thai draft lottery works. In Thailand a certain number of men have to go in the army at the age of 20. At the draft office they pull straws to see who goes and who doesn’t. Ricky managed to avoid the short straw and did not have to serve.

January 17th turned out to be a bit of a work day with most of the morning and part of the afternoon spent at an internet café getting caught up with our businesses. After our stint on the internet we decided to visit the somewhat controversial Tiger Temple. Tiger Temple is a tiger sanctuary run by Buddhist monks. The controversy stems from what the monks are doing with the “donation” money that is raised from visitors. I left donation in quotes since you don’t really have a choice but to donate if you wish to see the tigers. Some critics question how much of the money is really going to benefit the cats. I don’t have enough information to offer an opinion but I did enjoy getting a chance to see tigers up close. Not only did each of us get to see the tigers up close but we also had the opportunity to pet several of them.

We were in the last group of visitors at the sanctuary and were offered the chance to walk behind the tigers as they were led to their quarters. Along the way we got a chance to pet a tiger. You can see in the picture that Sterling and I are on one side of the tiger and Jean is on the other. Jean had to be on that side of the tiger because she was not allowed to be on the same side as the monk. Women are not allowed to touch a monk or his robes. In fact if a woman needs to give something to the monk it needs to be left on a plate so that she and the monk do not touch the object simultaneously. Jean had to buy some cheap pants to visit the sanctuary because her shorts did not cover her knees.

Before being led up the path toward the tiger’s quarters we were told what to expect by an Australian cat handler. Some common sense precautions can pretty much be summed up with don’t look like something the tiger might confuse with prey. He also mentioned that if a tiger urinated on you while you were behind it that it was powerful good luck. I managed to step in some tiger dung during the walk so I’m hoping that it was some powerful good luck there too. If you visit the Tiger Temple may I recommend not wearing Teva sandals or doing a better job than I did of watching where I was walking. Luckily I found a hose to wash off my feet before our ride back to the hotel.

19 January 2008
12:16PM Bangkok time
Tales of tiger dung, the Thai Burma-Railway and Kanchanaburi

We are enroute from lovely Kanchanaburi back to the pollution capital of Thailand, Bangkok. We are not only enjoying an air conditioned bus but one with a TV up front playing “I, Robot” in Thai. No English subtitles so I won’t be distracted working on our blog entry.

We enjoyed 3 full days in Kanchanaburi Province along the River Kwae. It is spelled locally with an “e” on the end as opposed to the “i” in the title of the acclaimed 1957 film, “Bridge over the River Kwai.” After arriving the first evening we decided to eat where we were staying at the Ploy Guesthouse. The dinner was a bit disappointing, below the standards I have enjoyed at similar properties. The room itself was quite pleasant. Jean and I enjoyed the outdoor shower and atrium garden. The only downside was the likelihood of a mosquito bite if you had to use the toilet in the evening. We discovered another guesthouse that we will try out if we visit again. That one is the Pong-Phen Guesthouse and Bungalows. The mosquitoes are more prevalent here than on the Andaman coast where I have spent most of my time during previous visits.

Our first morning was filled with getting caught up with our web based business at a local internet café. After studying our transportation options we elected to rent a pair of scooters. Jean and I rode on one scooter with Sterling riding the other. The scooter rental place claimed to have provided us with half a liter or so of gasoline, enough to make it to the local gas station and top off the tank. Getting to the gas station was a bit of an adventure. I spent some time telling Sterling about the idiosyncrasies of driving in Thailand and reminded him to stay on the left side of the road. Old habits die hard and upon departing the scooter shop Sterling ended up on right side of the road much to the amusement of a few locals. Meanwhile we had traveled down the street assuming Sterling was behind us. Luckily Jean noticed and we looped back to join Sterling. A wrong turn on the way to the way to the Shell station added some distance to our first stop. Unfortunately Sterling’s tank ran dry even though it supposedly had half a liter of fuel. So Jean and I filled our tank and talked the gas station attendant into filling a small container with some fuel for Sterling.

Our first stop was the Thai-Burma Railway Centre. Kanchanaburi is the site of the infamous Bridge over the River Kwae. This bridge was the inspiration for the movie but only a small section of the 400 plus kilometers of the “Death Railway.” I have always struggled to understand the capacity of mankind to commit atrocities like those endured by the Allied POW’s during the construction of the Thai-Burma Railway. It leaves me numb and dazed.

The Thai-Burma Railway Centre is an exceedingly well done museum and memorial to the thousands that died during the construction. Across the street is the Allied War Cemetery which contains a very small percentage of the POW’s. The cemetery is organized by country. Like all wars it is filled with the bodies of men who died very young, typically in their 20’s or 30’s. Many of the Australians were much older though, some in their mid 40’s. These were low ranking enlisted men who volunteered. Unlike the US there was no draft in Australia. Those who could serve did so. Due to the size of the small island nation men of all generations donned the uniform, many making the ultimate sacrifice.

After our sobering visit to the Railway Centre and Allied War cemetery we grabbed some lunch and set off for the Bridge over the River Kwai. The bridge itself is not overly imposing. Without knowing the full story behind the construction it would not be particularly noteworthy. So for those following in our tracks do yourself a favor and visit the Thai-Burma Railway Centre before visiting the bridge itself. Although we did not make it to the JEATH Museum it is recommended by Lonely Planet.

We spent the remainder of our afternoon touring the countryside on our scooters enroute to the Stone Garden Park. Along the way we stopped at what appeared to be a Hindu shrine and memorial. The Stone Garden Park was a small but pleasant and peaceful place with a large limestone formation in the center.

We enjoyed our ride back to town and enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Apple and Noi’s Guesthouse. This guest house is noted for their restaurant and cooking school. The menu was lengthy and it took quite some time to mull through all the choices. During our last day in town we befriended a Thai family who has lived in Canada for nearly 30 years. They joined us for dinner at Apple and Noi’s and were equally impressed so we are not alone in our fondness for the place. That dinner for six cost about $23 US. Anything remotely close in the Bay Area would have run about $130.

TO BE CONTINUED……

15 January, 2008
0637 Bangkok time

Today marks our third morning in Bangkok. Jean, Sterling, and I arrived at the Siam Piman hotel near the recently opened Suvarnabhumi International Airport a little after 3 in the morning on the 13th. We chose that hotel for the close proximity to the airport, which like so many airports is a distance from the city. We found the hotel to be pleasant and the staff there was quite helpful. I am not sure what their normal check out time is but when we checked in they told us 3PM which was perfect. Sterling is with us for a little over a week so we are going to make the most out of his short time window. He has to return to California for school.

Jean and I always make sure we have internet access wherever we stay but we found getting connected at the Siam Piman was a bit of a challenge. None of us could find the jack to plug in our ethernet cord. As it turned out neither could the hotel clerk! So he asked the maintenance man to come to the room. The mystery plug was finally located behind the refrigerator which was in a small alcove.

Around checkout time we stuffed ourselves in a taxi, which typically is a Toyota Corolla or similar vehicle. Our new hotel was the Windsor Suites right in the heart of downtown Bangkok.

The night of the 13th we took Sterling to the MBK mall, which Lonely Planet advised was quite popular with the younger Bangkok residents. The mall consists of countless small stalls hawking clothing, cell phones, consumer electronics, and pirated DVD’s and software. On some floors they had household furnishing, office furniture, and other related merchandise. We ate at a food court which had a variety of ethnic cuisine.

We returned to the mall on the 14th so Sterling could attempt to return an item he purchased. Sterling and Jean did a bit more shopping and then we left by tuk-tuk for what was supposed to be the Central Pier on the Chao Prya River. A tuk-tuk is a small door-less vehicle, powered by a noisy 2 stroke engine. As many tuk-tuk drivers are wont to do, he delivered us somewhere other than our desired destination, which was a pier where we planned to board a public ferry. Tuk-tuk drivers frequently have commission arrangements with merchants and transportation providers. They will tell you about a “great deal” which is almost always a rip-off. Another classic scam is you will be heading for some attraction and a local will tell you that the museum or whatever you are headed for is closed but there is something “much better” for you. That could be anything from overpriced suits to fake gemstones. In this case we got dropped off just north of the public ferry pier where a private boat operator was scamming some European tourists. We made our way to the public pier in a rather roundabout fashion.

We walked to the Central Pier and boarded a public ferry and headed for the Grand Palace. We actually ended up visiting Wat Pho instead which is the home of the famous reclining Buddha that was commissioned by King Rama 3. The pictures explain the beauty of Wat Pho better than words.

After our visit to Wat Pho we took another tuk-tuk to Siam Station where we took the Skytrain back to the hotel. The Skytrain is an elevated railway that recently opened and is a phenomenal way to avoid the legendary Bangkok traffic which makes Los Angeles easy to navigate in comparison.

Notes From Afar

• About This Site
• Book List
• Fun and Laughter
• Trekking List

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish