Friday, February 29, 2008

Welcome to March

Let's welcome March 2008.

In general March is a nice month with lot of sunshine and not a lot of rain. The indications are there that this March is making a slightly different start, with possibly some rain towards the end of the week.

Samui will most likely be very busy during March, since the Easter holidays are during late March, traditionally a very busy period on the island.

I'm looking forward to a nice and warm month, once the first few days are out of the way.

Camille

1st March, 2008

Today's weather;

Good news, it's sunny with scattered clouds around. A nice start for March! The current temp at 7 am is 24C,

Yesterday was a fairly nice day, no rain and no massive amounts of sun with a max temp of 29.3C.

Camille

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Tangkak, Muar - Johor.

Tangkak located about 30km away at the North of Muar Town. This town is famous with fabric shop, you will notice many fabric shops along the main road of Tangkak. And also famous of the Tangkak Beef Noodle (Kwang Fei Restaurant) N2°15.935' E102°32.402'
I just like to eat the Roti Canai in one of the Nasi Kandar Restaurant located along the Main Road of Tangkak.
Some photos of the main road of Tangkak.


Tang-lungs (Lanterns) hanging through the streets

I visited one of the "2 dollars" shop and accidentally saw this !! They took Jacky Chan photo for the shocks advertisement! Oh! My goodness!

The situation that day (6th day of CNY 2008) at the Tangkak Toll Plaza was bad!






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Goodbye to February 2008

Another month passed by!

Once more it's time to wave goodbye to another month; February 2008.

February was a nice month with fairly good weather conditions up until the end of the month, when we experienced a lot of rain and cloud cover, this in stark contrast to the early part of the month when the sun shone a lot and it was very warm.

The rain seems to be the last leg the rainy season is standing on, the first week of March looks a lot better again but here's it proven once more, the rainy season isn't over till it' over. Mmm, wisdom of the day? Seriously though, we had a very wet rainy season this time around, starting with the almost catastrophic amounts of rain in October and to a lesser extend in November, with a closing bit right now.

For the locals the rain comes a s a relief, as it is, with the enormous amounts of people living on Samui, the ground levels for water can't cope with the demand anymore, so all the rain that we're experiencing right now,is filling up the wells for weeks or months to come. My father in law already had to order water since his wells were drying up.

Obviously, the tourists visiting Samui, have a different perspective, as the emails addressed to me show. Keep them mails coming or even better, post on comments on my blog!

On a personal note, I had a very busy month with a big IDC, nine candidates. Hard work but also a lot of fun. Furthermore I had an excellent trip to Pattaya for some wreck diving. All of this can be seen at my dive blog, including various pictures.

Looking forward to March and hope that if you visit Samui during March, you'll have a god time and lots of fun!

Camille

29th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's fairly cloudy today but there are plenty of blue spots around and the sun is trying hard to fight it's way through the cloud cover. Current temp at 7 am is 23C.

Yesterday saw a very wet morning with lots of rain and a much drier afternoon. Max temp reached 27.7C.

Camille

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

28th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's cloudy again this morning with a temp at 7 am of 25.7C.

Yesterday was cloudy almost all day long with rain showers scattered throughout the day. Max temp reached 28.6C.

Camille

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

27th February, 2008

Today's weather;

There's a very cloudy sky this morning. Temp at 7 am is 27.2C.

Yesterday turned out to be a very nice day! After the rain very early in the morning, it stayed dry all day and was warm and sunny with a max temp of 28.8C.

Camille

Monday, February 25, 2008

26th February, 2008

Today's weather;

There's a fairly cloudy sky out there with some sunshine however. It rained with sunshine this morning! Current temp at 7 am is 24.5C.

Yesterday was a grey day with lots of rain spread out all over the day. Max temp reached 26.3C.

Camille

Sunday, February 24, 2008

25th February, 2008

Today's weather;

Dark, grey overcast with very few blue spots reign the skies this morning. Temp at 7 am is a lowly 24.5C.

Yesterday it was grey overcast all day long with a lot of rain in the morning. It cooled down a bit, max temp reached only 26.8C.

Camille

Buddha Mountain and Restaurant "Nakkerd Seaview"

Buddha mountain (aka Khao Nakkerd) where the 45m high Big Buddha is being built has been mentioned on this blog a number of times and will probably crop up again. The work on the biggest Buddha image in Thailand is slowly continuing. As it stands, the basic construction is complete, but the whole image needs to be covered in white marble. The face is just about done, which leaves the enormous body. Since we first went up this hill some years ago, word has been spreading about the Big Buddha and the views from the top, and it's becoming more popular now. By the time it's complete, I imagine a climb up Buddha mountain will be on the itinerary of most tours. Even covered in scaffolding, it's an impressive sight!

Buddha image built into the rear of the Big Buddha Buddhas hand

For 100 Baht you can write your name on a piece of marble that will be used to cover the Buddha image. We did the same with a brick a couple of years ago. It's for good luck.

The Monks will be part of the Big Buddha

Nakkerd Seaview Restaurant

Almost at the top of the mountain, with a fabulous seaview over Karon Beach, is a tiny restaurant with friendly owners who (for the moment) are selling cheap tasty Thai food to anyone who cares to stop. We must go back for sunset one day... Yesterday we only stopped for a coke. There was a lovely cooling breeze blowing as we sat looking over the ocean... not sure, but surely this is the "highest restaurant in Phuket" ...? Long may it remain "our kind of place" - that means inexpensive, friendly and selling cold drinks with simple tasty food.

Nakkerd Seaview next to the road up to the Big Buddha

Nakkerd Seaview restaurant

View of the Big Buddha from the restaurant

Read more about the Phuket Big Buddha:

Hills and Viewpoints in Phuket
Big Buddha Location on Google Earth

More quiet and friendly restaurants...

The Beach Bar
Bang Pae Seafood

Saturday, February 23, 2008

24th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's clouded and very dark and furthermore it's been raining since the last hour with more rain predicted today and the rest of the week. Current temp at 7 am was 26C.

Yesterday was a warm and dry but cloudy. Max temp reached 30.9C

Camille

Babylon Bar, Bang Po

At last, there's a place to go to with your children.

It's the Babylon Bar on the ring road, just before the mountain into Nathon, if you're coming from direction Maenam.

So many times we wondered where we could go with the children during weekends and we always ended up driving around the island and go to the beach. Babylon Bar is offering a new option.

They have three big bouncy castles and set up with some glides. A children's swimming pool is in the making with more toys near the pool.

It's also a great place to have a children birthday party. You can order sets of meat for the BBQ and off you go, the kids have fun and you can BBQ some meat! Excellent.

They also have a restaurant and bar and we ordered some Thai food which was excellent, my wife really enjoyed her Yam Bunsen and Patsa Iu and I had a lovely Matsaman curry.


For the kids it's only 50 baht to play in the fenced off play ground. All in all a very good deal and highly recommendable for a day out with a nice stop at the beach!

For reservations or birthday party info call 08 5792 8806 or 08 7876 6068. I'm sure we'll be back more often!

Camille

Friday, February 22, 2008

23rd February, 2008

Today's weather;

The sun is trying to fight it's way through a thin cloud layer with a current temp of 22.5C at 7 am. It's good to be back home again and see the family!

Yesterday was a warm and sunny day in Pattaya. Samui had loads of sunshine too with a max temp of 30.8C.

Camille

Thursday, February 21, 2008

22nd February, 2008

Today's weather in Pattaya;

It's looking like a clear blue sky is shaping up. Current temp at 7 am is 23C at 7 am in Pattaya.

Yesterday was a warm, sunny and dry day with a max temp of 29.4C. Overall it seems to be slightly warmer in Pattaya than it is on Samui.

Today I'll be back on Samui again, from tomorrow onwards, there will be Samui weather updates again. Did some real enjoyable wreck diving here in Pattaya, which I commented about in my dive blog, in case you're interested.

Camille

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Pattaya temples

An unusual view of Pattaya, one of it's Temples;

On the corner of PattayaThai and 2nd Road is a very big Temple which I visited this morning. Due to fact that it's Macha Bucha day, the temple was crowded with locals paying respect to Buddha.



Inside the Temple grounds I found this explanation which is always useful when you're visiting a Temple or attraction.




As already mentioned, the Temple was packed with locals paying respect to Buddha, the priests are doing overtime blessing all the people visiting today.

This beautiful stupa is also located within the Temple grounds and it's surrounded by brass bells, which. One is supposed to walk around with a big wooden stick and hit each individual bell. Since it was so busy, there was a bit of a noise going on here!


Last but not least, I also went up the hill overlooking Pattaya, where there's another Temple and a Navy statue of Admiral Krong Luang Jumborn Khet Udonsak.

The views over Pattaya bay and the surroundings are stunning here and are an absolute recommendation, especially in the evenings after sunset!

Camille

21st February, 2008

Today's weather in Pattaya;

A few clouds are in the sky and a warm and sunny day seems to be building up with a current temp at of 7 am of 22C.

Yesterday was a dry and warm day in Pattaya with a max temp of 31C.
We had an excellent dinner last night at the Swiss House in Soi Diamond, well worth a visit. Goulash, mixed kebab a set pork menu and a very good Cordon Blue stuffed with Swiss cheese were on the menu.

Camille

20th February, 2008

Today's weather;

Very late today but nonetheless, it was fair weather today in Pattaya. At 16.00 it's 28.5C.

Yesterday was a sunny day in Pattaya with a max temp of 28.7C.

Camille

Monday, February 18, 2008

19th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It looks like a nice blue sky is shaping up. Current temp at 7 am is around 24C.

Yesterday was a cloudy sky all day long but no rain. Max temp reached 30C. We had some great wreck diving yesterday, see my dive blog.

Camille

Nang Nual Restaurant, Walking Street, Pattaya

Nang Nual Restaurant, Walking Street, Pattaya

Was our choice of the evening and it proofed to be a good one!


They're around since 1965, the very early days of R&R for American soldiers, when Pattaya must've been a sleepy sea side town.

They make sure that you know that they're unique! One interesting feature is that they're located in Walking Street, a happening on it's own.

The restaurant is at both sides of the road and massive on either side. Nonetheless, the food is good.

One of us had this delicious sea food platter for just 450,-Baht!


The Seafood Hawaii pictured here, was delicious and settled nicely in my stomach!

Good place to eat on Walking Street when in Pattaya.

Camille

Restaurant Double Lim (Assam Fish), Muar. (CNY 2008 Trips)

Assam fish is the famous food from Batu Pahat and Muar. Between this 2 towns, I mostly visit Muar. So during CNY 2008, I found another restaurant selling this famous food located along the road from Muar to B. Pahat. This shop was recommended by my friend (John Lim) who is familiar with foods around Muar area.

We took about 30 minutes to find this shop and luckily not so many customer during that moment (2:30pm).

Restaurant Double Lim just sit opposite of one Chinese temple.....
N2°02.194' E102°33.746'

My brother in-law order all the dishes and they serve it in 15 minutes! That's really fast!

The order :
* The Assam Fish Head
* Sambal prawn
* Sambal Sotong (Squid)
* Baked fish
* Vegetables





The taste of the assam was Good and so the others......
The damage was : MYR97.00 with drinks for 4 adults & 2 children.

We are satisfied with the foods and their services.


View Larger Map - Map of Double Lim Restaurant, Muar.

Related post :-
* Foods of Bukit Gambir, Muar Johor.
*
Leng Kee Bak Kut Teh, Muar, Johor
* Salty Shrimp at Panchor, Muar - Johor.
* Merlin Restaurant (Assam Fish) at Muar, Johor.





MY TRIPS - Home

Sunday, February 17, 2008

18th February, 2008

Today's weather in Pattaya,

It's fairly clouded but dry with a temp of 24.2C at 7 am.

Yesterday was a day with overcast in Pattaya and there were a few occasions with a few drops, nothing too serious though. Max temp reached 30.5C.

Camille

Samui airport departure lounge

Arrived safe and well in Pattaya,

This afternoon, where I will be wreck diving for the next three days, follow my dive blog for updates on this.

At Samui airport I found this sign for the VIP & Premier Gold card members of Bangkok Airways, to use their lounge and thought I share this picture with you;


Enjoy!
Camille

Bang Rong Floating Restaurant

The east coast of Phuket is very, very different to the west coast. All the main tourist areas are found on the west coast, while large parts of the east coast are almost untouched by tourism. Much of the coastline is mangrove forest, with large areas of rubber plantations in the hills, along with shrimp farms, small fishing villages, quiet bays and some great views if you drive round the hilly back roads.

Bang Rong, a small Muslim community, is close to Bang Pae (where you can find a waterfall and the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project). From Bang Rong Pier you can take a ferry to Koh Yao Noi. We've been here several times in the past and we have always liked the small family run floating restaurant (it's called Chum Chon restaurant, though we always just call it Bang Rong, after its location) reached by a wooden walkway through the mangroves.

View Location on Google Earth

Walkway to the floating restaurant

You might see monkeys in the trees nearby...

Monkeys at Bang Rong

I think we'll be back again soon, and here's why... It's quiet, it's relaxing and it's friendly. We probably had not been for a year, but they remembered us and commented on how big the kids looked. We felt a bit guilty that we only went for drinks, so bought a couple of plates of fried rice for the kids too. Next time we'll go for a proper lunch!

Bang Rong restaurant

View out of the restaurant to the east

You realise its floating when other people step "on board" and your table starts to bounce. We were a little paranoid about the kids running around, but we decided I could not try to run after them or my 100+ kilo frame might sink the place, or at least spill a few drinks.

Out back they keep the fish, either for sale in the restaurant or at market. The whole area is full of fishing folk who are only just starting to make any money from tourism. The restaurant is very cheap - we paid 150 Baht for 2 plates of shrimp fried rice, 4 cokes and an orange juice. They don't make much from that! By the way, the owners are a muslim family and they don't sell beer here, so don't come looking for a quiet place for a cold Singha!

Bang Rong floating restaurant

View to the west up the mangrove creek

Er... I'll have a coke then, please

There are some kayaks for rent, and we intend to do that one day soon. A couple of small groups of tourists came through the restaurant to use kayaks as part of a safari tour with Bang Pae Safari. The family from the restaurant were the paddlers on the kayaks, which disappeared round the corner up the mangrove creek and were back in 15 minutes - a very quick taste of nature! I think the guy said you can rent one for 150 Baht/hour (if you paddle yourself).

UPDATE: Kayaking in the Mangroves (August 2009)

Kayaks at Bang Rong

I think we have found our new favourite quiet place to sit and relax for an hour. It's very peaceful here, just the odd longtail engine to disturb the silence.

Fisherman and boats at Bang Rong

Fisherman at Bang Rong


Looks nice, right? Here's some of our other favourite spots...

Layan Beach
The Beach Bar
Paradise Beach

Saturday, February 16, 2008

17th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's partly cloudy but the sun's out. It also seems that the wind receded a little bit. Current temp at 7 am is 26.9C.

Yesterday was another warm and dry day. Max temp reached 28.8C.

Today I'm leaving for Pattaya until Friday. In Pattaya we are going to dive some wrecks, so keep eyes tuned in to my weather blog, I may find time to shows some Pattaya stuff on here and have a peek into my dive blog.

Camille

Jonker Walk Night Market, Malacca (Melaka)-(CNY 2008 Trips)

Came to Jonker Walk (one of the Malacca Tourism area) often but in day time, this time we decide to visit the night market along the street.
After our dinner at Ole Sayang Restaurant, we drive toward Jonker street......get our parking easily beside the Malacca River. This parking area is huge! (N2°11.634' E102°14.832') MYR2.00 per entry.
The area was crowded and packs! Believe it's because of festive season too.

The night market is full of foods, fashion, toys and many others stall.......
It's really happening over here, you can see tourist, locals, visitors and also photographers everywhere!

Strange but common here! It's karaoke session on the stage, senior audiences and fans surround the stage.......most of the oldies was perform that night.



All the Red Lanterns are symbolic the Lunar Chinese New Year!! And......OOOPPppppssss!!

Some stalls...........


The cafe that attracted me along the street.......
Banyan Garden Cafe

This cafe sells a lot of souvenirs and you can spend more than an hour there.

And I forgot the name of this small cafe. It is a No-Smoking Cafe! That's the reason attract me! It's difficult to find a drinking place without smoker over here.....yes, I mean Malaysia.


When you step in, this cabinet on your right is display all the antique vase. The owner of the shop must be fall in love with all this.

The bar counter is on your left....nice environment.

And this is my favorite cafe : Geographer Cafe. This is the first time I visit this cafe during night time and it's full until I can't even squeeze in!


If you want to see more photos of this cafe, please visit : Malacca (Melaka)

He was playing "I Don't Want To Talk About It" from Rod Stewart when I passed by......

We spend our night there until midnight, my daughter was so happy with her new toys but totally exhausted!
We love the atmosphere around this street and will visit again in the future.


View Larger Map

Related Melaka post :-
*
Stalls at Jonker Street Night Market, Malacca (Melaka)

*
Panaroma Malacca (Melaka) Tour Bus
* An Evening at Malacca (Melaka)
* Stadhuys, Malacca (Melaka)
* St. Paul's Church, Malacca
* Aldy Hotel, Malacca (Melaka)
* Ole Sayang Nyonya Food Restaurant, Malacca (Melaka)
* Malacca (Melaka) River Cruise
* Dim Sum Restaurant at Malacca
* Special Homemade Herbal Tea at Malacca
* Portuguese Village, Malacca (Melaka)
* Famous Malacca's Popiah
* Hotel Equatorial, Malacca
* Taiwan Beef Noodle Malacca
* Nyonya Suan Restaurant, Malacca
* Mahkota Parade, Malacca
* Malacca (Melaka)

* Dinner at Jonker Street, Malacca 2009


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