Showing posts with label Trang. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trang. Show all posts

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Songkran

13th was the last day of Songkran in southern Thailand and people were out in force enjoying water games. In this spirit we also put 4 barrels of water in the back of the pickup and went driving to Pakmeng. The beach was packed with people and cars with people in the back throwing water at each other.

Water terrorists on wheels

At some places we had to stop and were smeared with scented powder by the people, at other places we stopped and filled up our barrels for a small sum of money or sometimes for free. This carried on along the road, soon enough we turned around and headed for Huai Yod, same thing was going on there too.

"Watering" stop 

After been throwing water for 3-4hrs everyone was feeling the sun and strain so we headed back home, I discovered I had 2nd degree burns on my nose and forehead. Some New Year...

Festivals In Thailand, including: Songkran, Public Holidays In Thailand, Loi Krathong, Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival, Asalha Puja, Wan Awk Pansa, ... Pee Ta Khon, Khon Kaen Silk Festival, Vassa

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Vacation

After arrival Mumbai it was time for me to take some time off and on 17th I flew to Thailand and arrived just before midnight, it was half past three in the morning before I was home.

N. Zsa Zsa - cat in the pot

18th Went to Krabi for some shopping.

19th went to Trang city.

The 3 famous monkeys

20th went to Pakmeng beach for seaside seafood dinner.

Pakmeng beach

Pakmeng beach

Pakmeng beach

21st & 23rd went to Krabi again

24th went to Trang to pick up Jira's new car, Ford Fiesta. Nice drive. It was my second time in my life that I witnessed a brand new car, it is an exhilarating feeling driving the car off shop premises with a brand new smell. Later in the afternoon the car was blessed in the southern Thai style by a local "holy man".

Car being blessed

Ford Fiesta

25th drove to Phuket and went to see Marina Managers Nick and Zara at Yacht Haven. It was quiet but it was low season too. Latest news now was that the Island resort development just north of Ao Po Marina had gone belly up. It was a pity as the marina they were building there was really spectacular.

Later on I met with K. Chatchai, my stainless steel guy who had done numerous jobs on Kalizma. He was now working on refitting local diving boats and was a happy father as he had recently gotten more family addition.

K. Chatchai & me

26th I had dinner at a new Korean restaurant in Central Festival, Sukishi, it was very delicious and spiced up for the Thai taste buds.

27th had early Thai pork lunch in Sam Kong, best shop in the area is run by a couple and it can be spotted by the large vats of pork being boiled up in front, they serve it all ways you can imagine. Three floor pork, boiled pork soup, pork in red sauce etc. etc. Then stocked up on some reading in Patong and headed back home to Trang.

Flooding in southern Thailand

28th onwards southern Thailand is hit by heavy rains and floods at many locations. Our house is spared as it is on high ground. I vegetate at home until 6th April because it is mostly raining.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Visiting waterfalls in Trang

I had been sitting at home or been doing errands when we then decided to go and see some waterfalls in Trang province for a change.

N. Toen  N. Min

Said and done we packed kids and family members in the pickup and off we went towards Nam Tok Ton Tae and Ton Tok (Nam Tok = waterfall). The drive was not too long and roads were in good condition despite the rainy season, we also had good luck and avoided all showers too.

Fallen forest giant

At Nam Tok Ton Tae was a big parking lot and the entrance to the nature reserve. Surprisingly they did not charge anything for entry, even for a foreigner like me. The waterfall was quite slow and low as well. Excellent place for kids to play around. I saw a sign pointing for a nature trail and I started following it in tow with N.Fon, N. Toen and N. Min. After awhile I realized the trail was not there and we were walking in a rubber plantation or the locals had encroached on the nature reserve.

N. Fon, Toen & Min

Eventually we came to forested area that was not rubber trees and saw some really big ones still standing a also fallen down. The terrain got really steep so we then headed back as I did not want the kids get hurt, never mind myself. I always manage to get myself in odd places. After some time we were near the waterfall and emerged from the jungle a bit above it.

Hypno toad

After the hot & humid trek it was nice to take a dip in the cool water and just relax. I even spotted a huge toad that according to N. Thuen was edible. We left him there to enjoy his existence.

Local Dugong, N. Thuen

Once people had had enough of water games we packed ourselves in the truck and went for Nam Tok Ton Tok. It was barely half an hour away and during the drive we could see Ton Tae upper region that was falling straight down the mountain cliff.

Entrance to Ton Tok

The Ton Tok waterfall really looked like a waterfall but even here the water was low. Still there was an ample amount coming down the mountain side in a 5m fall. It was so strong that even I was not that stupid to go and try it out. We did not linger long as the kids could not play in this waterfall so we left for home.

Ton Tok waterfall


Ton Tae from a distance

On the way we stopped in Palian to get some beers and then in Trang and bought me a dry shirt and then we had dinner at Huai Yod. Wonderful seafood accompanied with Karaoke singing from other customers...


Getting beer


Cheers!

Monday, March 29, 2010

Visiting Phraya Rasda's house

As some friends were going to do a photo shoot in Kantang I was asked to tag along to see the local spot. Little did I know that I was going to see a piece of history. After some driving we came to a seemingly dilapidated house in a huge estate.

Phraya Rasda's house

I stepped out of the car and outside on the road were many parked tour buses and people were milling about. I walked up the drive way to the old house and saw an old man sitting in a chair inside and people were kow-towing to him. After a few minutes I realized it was a wax figure.

Phraya Rasda in his bedroom

The house and garden itself was quite unkempt and I asked what house is this and reply was Phraya Rasda's house. I learned that he was the Governor of Trang in 1893 and the man who imported the first rubber tree to Thailand.

Phraya Rasda in his prime


Phray Rasda's is also known as Khaw Sim Bee na RanongOriginally Phraya Rasda hailed from Penang, Malaysia where his family had emigrated from Zhangzhou, China. Eventually, upon his death, Phraya Rasda was buried back in Penang.

Unkempt Bonsai tree

The house walls were littered with pictures from his time and little else was to be seen except a few old pieces of furniture and knick-knacks. The upper floors had spacious terraces with beautiful view over the garden.

Water filtration plant English colonial era
 

View from terrace to garden

The house was still owned by the kin of Phraya Rasda and I understood there has been talks to preserve the house to it's former glory and establish a museum. Currently there was no entry fee and no guides, only a maid instructing all visitors to leave their shoes outside.

Click here for more info about Trang and Phraya Rasda.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Huai Yod talent contest

While in Trang I was given opportunity to come and watch a talent contest at Huai Yod school. These kind of events are very common in Thailand and are often arranged by schools, monasteries & other entities in order to raise funds for various causes. The contestants are sponsored by various means as well and the event usually has also a wide variety of stalls selling food and other knick knacks. It always gives a feeling of being in a sort of mini Carnival and people are lining up from everywhere.

Ningnong Show

This time the team sponsored by the Ton Rak wedding studio won 2nd place, mostly, as deemed by the judges, due to the singers weak voice that faded away at times and could not keep the high notes.Anyway, as it was the troupes 1st performance ever it gave them the confidence for further endeavours in this field, only they need to find a better singer for next time...

Slow dance & song

Fast dance & song



Monday, February 01, 2010

Captain's Blog January 2010

After settling down after the cruise we started on our pending works: awnings, teak dk, interior, engine, MCA, stability, interior carpentry, bridge equipment service (again, sic!), the list just went on and on.

The good news for the month was that crew got a salary raise from the Owner and Richard and Jyothi has been shortlisted to be transferred to France to take care of Owner's properties there.

I was also visited by Mr. Chan my electronics specialist from Lumut on the 7th. He asked me to arrange lodging in Patong, which I did. Eventually while picking him up from the airport he wanted me to show him around and I did that too. Anyway, when 2 hooligans get together there is no printable material to be published from that.

8th Jan NIck Coombes invited our crew to Queen of Andaman for a dockside party as the yacht is changing command. Nick had been acting Captain for QoA after she had ran aground in front of Ranong and the Captain then was flewn home.

On the 11th I left for Langkawi as our visas expired. Same day also Rajaram signed off to go home for a death in the family. I visited Penang in order to try and get all crew Thai visas but it failed miserably as Indians need permanent residence status in order to get a Thai visa in Malaysia. The visit was short and I was back in Phuket by the 15th Jan. Same day sent our tender for repairs to Cholamark as the fwd tube is leaking.

16th running to Phuket town immigration to bond out crew for sign off.

The weekend 17th I visited the Khuan Kaeng Hot Springs in Trang province that was a near "boiling" experience.

On 18th Sunil signed off to go to UK for his Y4 and Y3 Engineering competency licenses. He was sendng me emails about the agony of winter weather. Made us feel very comfy here in Thailand. Same evening s/y Yanneke Too is throwing a dockside party.

19th I got new echosounders for our tenders, this time watertight Garmins as the old Lowrances gave up the contract totally during our cruise. I also got a Garmin Etrex GPS plotter, 100% watertight, battery driven. No more equipment blackouts on tender.

On 20th K. Noi starts interior carpentry works in Owner's ensuite and corridor.

21st running errands on town. Phuket Electronics guys visited and checked our bridge equipment. Nobeltec is such garbage, it is on a par with Jim Mc Cormick's bomb detector.

22nd we got our tender back, good as new again.

On 25th there is a drama in Yacht Haven. Martula reports in the morning that a crazy woman has been throwing beer cans at her from m/y Sea Cellar. Vivek and Richard had seen the whole incident and they reported that she also threw full whisky and rum bottles too. Apparently the lady don;t have all the bulbs on at times and such things happens. The drama ended that the police removed her from the yacht and presumably took her to a hospital to get sober and on her pills again.

Same day Jyothi signs off to get married in India, all the best from the crew.

Rajaram returns from India to warm out the chill from his bones gathered in Uttar Pradesh, he told us he had not even seen the sun in 2 weeks.

I also got news that Owner might want to transfer Kalizma to Dubai so now we are researching this move. As I had many jobs opened it was somehow throwing my plans all upside down. Anyway, orders are orders so I informed my contractors and started winding down business as quickly as I could. Not looking forward to sweat and sandstorms.

27th Martula is signed off as she resigned from service. All the best for her future plans, whatever they may be.

28th Mr. Ekachai works on Owners ensuite glass shower cabinet, all fixed up nicely with new fittings and rubber seals.

On 31st I visit Holy Man Arian Phongphan in Trang province (near Khuan Kaeng Hot water springs) with Jira, Saini and Kalpu. Delightful old man that offered us a delicious lunch.


Jira & Kalpu being purified by the Holy Man

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Khuan Kaeng Hot springs in Trang

On this sunday I decided to explore the hot water spring of Trang in Khuan Keang. To get there you drive to the Pak Meng beach and continue along the beach southwards towards Kantang. The road is narrow but beautifully lined by tropical pines. A few resorts line the road and after 10k's or so you will reach the Chao Mai beach nature reserve. After another 24km you will reach the hot water spring. The area is like any other Thai tourist attraction and first you come to a large parking lot.

The entry is free and voluntary guides will show you around. The developed premise is quite small, 3 big open air ponds with different degrees of hot water and the surrounding forests are also designated as nature reserve. The hottest is 70deg and I suppose it is hot enough to boil eggs although the guide told me it is not allowed to try out (I did not have any eggs with me either). The bottom of the 70deg pond looked like a moon scape with sharp and soft lime pillars formed in it with color ranging from white to dark green. The water was so hot that one could only dip the fingers and hand in there. I suppose if you'd be crazy enough one could manage a quick dip.

The 70deg C pond

Further on the water ran the cooler it got and after the 70 deg pond there was a 40 deg pond and there one could sit and dip arthritic legs in te hot water. It took some getting used tot the temperature before I got myself into the water up to my knees. The cooler end of the pond had kids aged 6-7 yrs bathing fully while the edges were lined by people dipping their feet and calves.


Nong Fon dipping her feet

Further there was an elevated walkway that went into the jungle, mostly one could see the volcanic soil with hot water and gnarled trees and plants. At some places the walkway rails had deteriorated badly and it was not such a big rush walking through it.

The elevated jungle walkway

As the last attraction was that there were bathhouses which could be rented by a voluntary sum of money, I rented one for 100THB. Some of the houses had the roof caved in and daylight came so there was no need for extra lighting. The bath was a small round concrete thing lined with mosaic tiles where one could sit on a ledge on the side and put the legs in the middle, it could be filled by 30 or 40 deg water. On the side there was a shower. It was nice to sit and enjoy the water and just sweat out the impurities, just like in a sauna.

After softening up in the hot water I went and took a foot massage and the old ladies there really knew how to knead ones feet.

Foot massage

All in all a nice visit but the place is in dire need of a facelift before somebody has an injury with a falling roof tile or collapsing railing.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Diwali celebration

As per Saini's explanation Diwali is in celebration of homecoming of Ram after his exile. Those who want to know more may click this link

Anyway, I decided we'll celebrate the Diwali at Chao Mai beach doing some BBQ and relaxing in Trang province. We set off with me, Jira, Saini and Kalpu with Vivek and Rajaram to join us later.

17th we are busy chasing BBQ items for the Diwali celebration, we already got rockets in advance. Jira's brother N. Thuen ascertains we can fire rockets and do BBQ at Chao Wai Beach so we decide that there is where our celebration will take place. Rest of afternoon is spent guiding Vivek to Trang and he finally arrives shortly after dusk.
The beach itself is huge and very shallow. I waded out several hundred meters and was only ankle deep in the sea. It was low tide at the time so it was not surprising.

After dark we built up a fire from the drift wood on the beach so one could see what one was eating. The menu was squid, shrimp, fish and chicken with spicy Thai dipping sauce and beer of course. This time we had no Kingfisher as we had depleted our stock in the Lumut drydock.

Saini was busy guiding Vivek as he tended to get lost on the Thai highway, eventually he found the way and arrived after dark with Rajaram. They also brought the ghetto blaster so after that it was Indie pop time.

Everybody was enjoying until Saini fired off a volley of rockets. It did not take many minutes for the park wardens to come around and tell us to put out the fire and stop shooting rockets off. Oh well, we put on the car lights and slowly winded down the BBQ and headed for home.
Sunset at Chao Mai Beach On our way back to Khuan Kun we get permission from Jira's father to shoot off all rockets in front of his house the spirit returns to Saini, Raja Ram and Vivek. We arrive there shortly and park & start to offload rockets. Saini & Co start to shoot off a most incredible amount of incendiaries. At times it seems Vivek got an infinite supply in his car trunk but it also showed signs of coming to an end when he whipped out the "badawala" rocket battery. Finally after abt 30min of incessant firing of rockets and the neighborhood awakened we had finished all our stuff. I said I'm going to sleep but Raja Ram said he had not had enough to eat so he needed something to eat, same as Saini and Vivek. I sent N. Thuen to get the guys fed and headed myself for some shuteye...

Monday, July 13, 2009

Getting sick from local mosquitoes

Thai mosquitoes in the act

10th July I get sick. I wake up in the middle of the night to that my every joint is aching and I run a high fever, so I quaff some paracetamol and go back to bed.

Next morning I still feel bad and I can see that I am starting a rash like measles (which I suffered when I was a kid). Jira concludes it is a local sickness that is obtained from mosquito bites. I endure the whole day thinking I will get better but the fever seems to gain momentum in the evening so we head for a local doctor and her private practice.

At the Clinic the Doc seems to draw same conclusions and I get a shot and many different colored pills to take. Doc advises me that I should not drink excessively and live a regular life the following 6 months as the fever may and rash may come back. The fever lets go but the rash remains. It is bloody itchy too.

After some days the rash also fades away. Only thing remaining is a constant neck pain, like after sleeping on a bad pillow. I hope it will also disappear soon.

After doing some reserach I found out that I might have gotten "Chikungunya", roughly translated "grandmothers illness" by the Thais although the original name stems from Mozambique as it is associated with aching joints.

Below is a description from the US CDC website:

Chikungunya fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Chikungunya virus is a member of the genus Alphavirus, in the family Togaviridae. Chikungunya fever is diagnosed based on symptoms, physical findings (e.g., joint swelling), laboratory testing, and the possibility of exposure to infected mosquitoes. There is no specific treatment for chikungunya fever; care is based on symptoms. Chikungunya infection is not usually fatal. Steps to prevent infection with chikungunya virus include use of insect repellent, protective clothing, and staying in areas with screens. Chikungunya virus was first isolated from the blood of a febrile patient in Tanzania in 1953, and has since been cited as the cause of numerous human epidemics in many areas of Africa and Asia and most recently in limited areas of Europe.

See original post and more info here

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Bull fighting in Kantang

9th July I went with Jira’s father and Luang to watch bullfighting in Kantang. In southern Thailand one can frequently see huge bull’s grazing at he roadside and I found out the local pastime is to pitch them against each other. I suppose some of them ends up in the cooking pot as well but bull’s are definitely more popular than cows.

Bull's at it

Anyway, said and done I asked my Thai friends to make some inquiries and Jira’s father came up with the date, so off we are in the morning towards Kantang, the seaport serving Trang. We arrive to what seemed to be a market, cars are lined up along the street and parking attendants whistling and hollering. 

We are dropped off by Jira’s father and me and Luang make our way towards the entrance that is lined by snack sellers and other peddlers of bull paraphernalia. We pay 500THB/ person to gain entry for all 5 rounds. The day is divided into 4 fights per round. 

The first fight is already on and I see two huge bulls locking horns on the arena. The cacophony of people shouting bets is deafening, every time there seems to be a break imminent the noise goes into fever pitch. The fight lasts for abt 10minutes and then one of the bull’s gives up and runs away from his aggressor. The crowd goes quiet and retreats to the shadow of the lectern and waits for the next pair. 

Next pair also fight for 12 minutes and at times the bull’s just stand horns locked and pants, no-one is willing ti give up eventually one does. After that the 1st round is clear and we wait for the 2nd to start. It is opened by a bull from Jira’s district, it is a coward, he runs away as soon as he sees his opponent coming. 

Next fight goes almost same way, hardly 30 seconds of locking horns one bull retreats. 3rd fight is more interesting as one bull is clearly winning and he seems to realize that and he chases the other bull away. The winner stands seemingly unperturbed and then the loser bull suddenly attacks him from behind and almost plunges him into the dirt. The bull turns swiftly and shows who is the boss, the loser bull runs away again. 

The 4th match which sadly is the last as the organisers can’t find enough pulls to pair for a fight turns out to be the best match of all I saw. The bulls lock horns and the outcome seems to be determined as one bull bends the others head in the dirt forcing him on his knees but time and time again up he comes and gives resistance. Finally the other bull is fed up or exhausted or afraid so he gives up. 

The bullfighting day is over. I’ve lost 200 THB betting but it is no big deal. We head out among the throng of people, find Jira’s father in his pickup and head for home.

Update 2020: All the bullfighting videos are taken down from Youtube due to them violating the community standards. Oh well, huMAN natURE...

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Processing rubber

I was given the opportunity to watch Jira’s sister’s husband processing rubber sap. In one night about 45 liters of sap is gathered by bleeding the rubber trees. This must take place daily otherwise the trees dry up like cow teats.

N. Rid cleaning up after rubber making

During rain no sap can be gathered so the Rubber farmer sleeps instead. Annually the rubber collecting stops for 3 months (approx. Jan-Apr) in order for the trees to recuperate, this is done when the tree drops all their leaves and grow new ones.

Once the sap is gathered the processing starts, 4 liters of sap is poured into a pail and mixed with 1 ltr water and 1-2dl of hardener, the mixture is stirred and then poured into a form.

This time there was a total of 12 forms filled, once the last was filled the 1st form had hardened. The Farmer then tipped the forms upside down starting from beginning and flattened the “cakes” out with a wooden bat and his feet, once this was done every flattened “cake” was fed into a roller that was operated by electric power.

The final stage was to feed them through another roller where a pattern was also made ontot the rubber “mat”. After this the mats were hanged to dry and after two days they could be sold to any rubber factory to be processed further to any plastic or rubber products that we need in our daily lives.

The whole operation took about 2hrs and will bring abt 1000 THB into the Farmer’s pocket. Some Farmer’s prefer to skip this whole process and sell the sap but there is a lot of cheating going on with middlemen, added water, measuring amounts and so-on…

To see the video I made abt it, click below:

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Hot springs and Sa Morakot pools

This weekend I took Saini and Kalpana to Trang province and we visited the Klong Thom Hot Springs where one could sit in naturally formed cauldrons of ca 40°C hot water running down from a stream out of the jungle. According to a posted water analysis it did not contain much of any minerals at all and in fact the sulphurous smell that one usually gets was virtually not existing.

While sitting in the water I actually overheard a Bangkokian tourist asking another guy “Where do they boil all this hot water?”…

Enjoying all the boiled water...

A sign proclaimed “30minutes for good health”, there was also traditional massage stalls where one could further enhance the relaxation of a hot bath but we would have none of it as we continued onward to the ”Emerald pool” or Sa Morakot in Thai.

Up the stream

The “Emerald pool” or at some places it was written “Crystal Pool” brought up a vision of a pool full of crystals or something like that but when we arrived I saw I had my visions all wrong. It was a round pool filled with clear water that by the reflection of the greenery close by turned the water emerald color to the eye. A very picturesque scenery and there was quite a few tourists splashing around in the water.

On the way to the blue pool

The water ran from the jungle into the pool continuously, hence the water was not murky. Soon enough we wanted to go and find out where the water was coming from and we started walking along the stream that was filling the pool. We arrived to an arid area that was just like a wasteland bordering the jungle and water was running in small streams all over. The bare grey matter was just lime. Above the lime hill there was a small pool that was named “Ascetics pool” and a small “sala” had been erected beside the pool with 2 ascetic statues inside, if one wanted to do some meditation.

We continued forward on a wooden board walk deeper into the jungle and soon we were passing huge rainforest trees with enormous trunks. We took some nice snapshots of each other between the large roots and after awhile we came onto a trodden path and some signs pointing to the “Blue pool”. We ventured further until we arrived to the “Blue pool”.

The "Blue pool"

It was in the middle of the jungle, no sound around except of us and the birds. The pool was absolutely blue. Me and Saini plunged in and swam around the pool and found out it was almost 5 meters deep in the centre although it did not look like that. The water was so clear that the sense of depth could not be ascertained. The bottom was of powdery white sand so fine that if one took a handful it was washed out when you reached the surface. Small bubbles was constantly rising up to the surface and I suspect it was either methane from rotting jungle or sulphuric gases from volcanic activity. The smell was there alright. The blue color to the pool came from the depth of the water. I only missed any Elves that would come dancing out from the jungle riding unicorns, otherwise the whole scenery was very much from the imagination fo Tolkien. We were lucky we got the whole pool for ourselves the time we stayed there as on the way back we met scores of teenagers heading the way we were coming from.

Once back at the Emerald Pool it was time to walk back the 2 km to the car and head back to our lodgings. Not a bad way to spend a day, entrance cost for foreigners 200 THB/ head. The park had imposed a ban on bringing in foods too, hence all surroundings were quite clear of rubbish (same as at the Klong Thom Hot Springs).

Sunday morning Saini wanted to see the La Khaokob cave as Richard and Jyothi had bragged about it so said and done I took him and Kalpu there and they emerged exhilirated abt 40minutes later from the bowels of the Dragon. Then it was tme to head back for Phuket and to visit Kargo to see the F1 rally at Silverstone. Unfortunately Force India did not score any points on this rally either but it was the best performance from Fisichella during this season.

Sunday, June 07, 2009

Trang aquarium and Le Khaokob cave

I took Richard and Jyothi out for an outing to Trang where we visited the local aquarium and sea-lion show. The aquarium exhibited some remarkable samples of filled up sharks and various big fishes as well as had a also aquariums with live fish as well. Not as flashy as aquariums in Shanghai or San Francisco but an aquarium nonetheless, well cared for and clean surroundings. The lion fish that was exhibited live were really big specimens. The sea-lion show was nice but the staff could have been as enthusiastic as the sea-lions themselves. Cheap entrance fees with 30 THB to aquarium and 20 THB for the show, not the usual double tier system.

Jira & stalactites

Le Khaokob entrance

After this we went for a seafood dinner at Pak Meng beach where we sat in the shadow of pine trees and watched the sun go down while whetting our palates on grilled white fish, garlic prawn, fresh oysters and other shell fish.

On Sunday we drove out to Trang city that was the old Capital of Siam in the olden days (5th King) to see what vestiges was left from that era. I could not discern anything except some old temples that I was not even sure if they were from that time. Only sign left from the old times I would say is that Trang has very strong Chinese ancestry present as you could see a lot of shop names in Chinese characters, that must be from the old times when the Chinese traders came and settled down here. The reason Trang was Capital was due to the commerce generated by harbor town of Kantang which is still active and in operation.

After leaving Trang we visited the Le Khaokob cave that could only be entered by boat. We paid 200 THB for one boat and was paddled off in a shallow stream. After some 50metres we approached the entrance of the cave and was paddled to the 1st cave. Differently colored light tubes had been placed along the way to create an eerie lighting that suited the atmosphere very well. Our guides pointed out various formations that resembled elephants teeth, teats, Buddha’s etc. We were shown 3 caves and then it was on to the highlight of Le Khaokob and we had to lie down on the boat because the roof was about to get low, in fact very low.

We were paddled towards the “spine of the Dragon”, a 350m long spine like formation that snaked through the mountain and was almost water filled. At times the roof was so low that my belly was scratching it. Our guides used their hands to propel the canoe further on by pushing at the roof, we were told the water was 2-6 meters deep and that practically every fresh water fish could be found there, they especially liked to hide in the coold waters of the cave. We were also lucky that the water was so low the day we visited as on full oon and after heavy rains the tunnel becomes inaccessible as the water level rises. Somewhere in the middle the roof came up a bit and we saw a round shape in the middle of the stream that was called the “Heart of the Dragon”, then the roof came down again and we had to lie down, further on we went until we approach the “Mouth of the Dragon” and we could see daylight. It looked exactly as the mouth as one could see the meaty thing that dangles in everybodys throat when you look in the mirror. Further on were stalactites hanging down like teeth, so the mouth impression was very palpable.

After exiting the mouth, without the Dragon biting down on us, we were dropped off to the landing pier near the parking, we tipped our guides and left back for home.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Captain's Blog - Nov end

Well, November brought big changes to our lives again. We had settled in comfortably in Phuket and then we suddenly had a guests arrival looming above our heads on 22nd Nov, which eventually was canceled due to the guests changed plans.

We sighed a relief and I contracted more work to be done in the interior. Carpentry at Owner's ensuite and corridor as well as piping works in Engine room. Then we got the news that the Indian Empress is not coming to India due to the Somalian piracy threat. So, for our Owner to have a yacht in India during the high season we would be sent there.

Alright, contractors were hurried, stores were taken onboard and preparations made. Saini had done his courses in India and was due to arrive a day before departure.

Taj Hotel under attack

Unfortunately world events would affect us too, the terrorist attack in Mumbai prevented Saini from collecting his passport form the English high commission as it was next to the Taj Hotel. Eventually he missed his flight and as all Bangkok airports were barricaded, he was also unable to secure another flight to Phuket as all was fully booked. Nevermind that he did not manage to get hold of Singapore Airlines that was his ticket issuer - their office had been blown to smithereens by the terrorists in Mumbai. We realize now how fragile our world actually is.

Anyway, to talk about November we made a few tours outside Phuket with the crew as well as we exorcised ghosts that were drinking our Ginger Ale onboard.

One Sunday we again packed ourselves in the pickup truck and motored way towards Khao Lak, a stretch of coast on the west side filled with resorts that was worst hit during the tsunami in 2004. After an hours leisurely drive we arrive to Khao Lak and find a narrow trunk road leading to the beach. All offload and start enjoying beach life. Swimming, ball throwing etc. After having exhausted all our energies we had a nice lunch at the restaurant found at the beach front. Khao Lak beach is rather boring as it is lined with resort after resort next to each other and is not too much catering for the occasional visitor.

During the week Jyothi discovered that we had 2 cases of Ginger Ale in our store mysteriously disappeared without opening the can. Even the pressure was still left when the can was opened. As my Darling, Jiras, stepfather is a local shaman I explained her the situation and invited him to come onboard to exorcise the ghost. He arrived one early morning at 6am and I walked him around the ship and showed our waterhold from where the Ale had disappeared and Jiras Father was getting the vibes. Finally we all gathered at the forward deck and Jiras father explained it is a very young ghost that is not mean spirited but very young. He will exorcise it and take it with him to his house. So, he takes out some yellow paper which is scribbled with Chinese characters (the initial work has been done while he was possessed by his Chinese spirit), burns the stuff and dips it out in a Thai tin drinking vessel. Finally the vessel is thrown overboard and the ghost goes with the vessel. When this accomplished Jyothi and Richard who has followed the ceremony asks for their fortune. Both got their charts drawn up and was quite surprised.

Well, the next weekend we did not do anything except suffer from flu and we also go the news that we're going back to India asap.

Last weekend we motored towards Trang and after 3hrs we arrived there in time for dinner. We drove to the beach and had a most delicious sea food dinner under pine trees. We overnighted at a local resort and woke up the next day to drizzling rain. Never minding the rain we went to Jira's parents house to get another reading for Jyothi and to taste a local delicacy made by Jiras mom - "Khanom Jin", it is soft noodles with a fairly runny fish curry made in coconut and chillies. On top of it is piled a different assortment of raw vegetables, yummy. After this we drove back to Yacht haven again and next days were spent saying goodbye to all people we knew.

Departure for Mumbai was on 2nd Dec at 1500hrs in strong NE wind at Yacht Haven Marina, it looked to become a voyage with fair stern winds...