Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 15th June, 2011

Today's weather;

It's early in Phuket, 5am and in a moment I'll be on my again for the airport to catch a Bali bound plane! When I landed yesterday evening it was nice and sunny but soon there was a shower and it rained all night long pretty much. Current temp at 5am is 25.2C

Chaweng beach from the air

Samui had a lovely day yesterday, nice and sunny. Current temp at 5am is 27.2C

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 14th June, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui has a cloudy sky this morning although there is a blue spot in there! Current temp at 7am is 26.3C

Yesterday it was cloudy when we arrived at the Nathon pier and the moment we were within a kilometer of out house a serious rain storm hit Samui. Last night there was some more rain. Max temp reached 33.7C

A stall on the the road between Phuket and Samui, selling durian fruit

The drive was a good one, sunny and just one shower on the way

Phuket started out cloudy yesterday morning but ended up being drier than Samui. Max temp reached 32.2C

Camille

Laguna Phuket International Marathon; Race day

The run for Ocean Protection during the Laguna Phuket marathon

It's done and over with. Pffffffffffff. After having competed in so many races over the years, cycling during my younger days and running fairly recently, it always amazes me how nervous one can get before the start of a race! But it's all good now and the race is in the bag with a good time for me, 2 hours and 4 minutes over 20.09km. I was aiming for a time between 2 hours and 2:15, so not bad at all.

From left to right, Rob Scammell (PADI Examiner) who was the inspiration for getting Project Aware involved, Lizzy, Mia, Cait and myself, last night at the registration.

Last night I met up with Mia and her two friends Lizzy and Cait from Singapore. They ran together with me under the Project Aware banner and Mia raised around 1.000,-USD for Ocean protection. Thanks a lot Mia, hat's off and I hope you enjoyed your race!

I raised 500,-AUD and 7.000,-THB so far, if anyone feels compelled to donate, please feel free and get in touch with me. 5.-000,-THB was donated by The Dive Academy and 2.000,-THB by Infinity Divers, both on Koh Samui and Stuart Hurley who completed his IDC with me in October 2007.

5:30am, half an hour to go before the start, still looking fresh

The race was well organised and I'm looking forward to a next challenge, providing my busy IDC schedule this year will let me. The next running event scheduled for me is on 8th October 2011 in Bangkok, a midnight 12km run on Sukhumvit Road! That sounds like a lot of fun.

Moments after I passed the finish line, relieved, satisfied and knackered!

The participants medal of this years edition of the Laguna Phuket International Marathon with around 5.000 participants coming from 45 countries

Signs along the marathon course in Phuket

I hope I can make it to next years edition, I'm looking forward it!

First stop now however is Gili Air in Indonesia for an IDC, starting 16th June!

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 13th June, 2011

Today's weather;

It's cloudy here in Phuket and it looks like there may be some rain during the day. Current temp at 7am is 28.2C

Yesterday saw mainly clouds covering the Phuket sky. There were occasional, scattered rain showers but in general it was nice for my half marathon yesterday! Max temp reached 32.1C

The Kasalong Resort where we stayed at during our stay in Phuket

Today it's back to Koh Samui, just to fly tomorrow afternoon back to Phuket and catch a very early flight out of Phuket to Bali in Indonesia to start an IDC on the 16th on Gili Air.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 12th June, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui is cloudy this morning with a current temp at 7am of 26.5C

Yesterday saw plenty of rain around Samui. Max temp reached 33C

At 5.30am this morning, sleepy head is about to run a half marathon

Meanwhile back at the race track on Phuket, it's cloudy today, which suited me just fine for my first official half marathon that I participated in! Current temp at 10 am is 30.2C

I completed my first half marathon in 2hours and 4 minutes, not bad for a first attempt and very close to my expected time.

Yesterday saw a mixed bag of little bursts of sunshine, plenty of cloud cover and an occasional shower with a max temp of 32.3C.

Camille

Laguna Phuket International Marathon registration

Laguna Phuket International Marathon registration

Yesterday the whole family arrived nice and early in Phuket and after we checked in to our hotel and had a swim in the pool, it was time to head down and try to find the Laguna hotel and complete the registration process by picking up my BIB (race number) and timing chip.

The start and finish area

After trying pretty hard to get lost we did manage to find the Laguna resort after all and the registration process could be completed. It looked all very professional I must say.

My race number, probably not the number to look out for and expect in front but any cheering will be appreciated along the route

The expo marquee where the registration took place

Signing the waiver (it could be diving!) with the whole hungry and tired family looking over my shoulder

The shirt provided by the race organisers

My own shirt, apparently it's 'not done' to use the events shirt during a race

It's still not late to sponsor my cause, I use this marathon as a fund raiser for Project Aware, a non profit dive environmental organization; I run for Ocean protection. Please get in touch if you would like to donate or use the donation button on this page, top left side of the page. Thanks!

Now it's off to Central Festival for some serious shopping time with the family.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update;

Today's weather;

Samui is dry this morning but had some rain last night. Current temp at 7am is 26.8C and max temp yesterday on Samui reached 33.2C

One of the ferries sailing between Samui and the mainland (Donsak)

The whole family is in Phuket today, after we traveled here by car yesterday, to run the half marathon of the Laguna Phuket International Marathon. The weather here is a mixed bag, plenty of clouds with sunshine at some moments and rain at other times. Current temp at 7am is 29.1C and yesterday max temp reached 32.2C

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 24th April, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui is about to enjoy another sunny and hot day. Current temp at 5am is 28.3C

Near Phuket airport it's slightly cloudy but the moon can be easily seen at 5am and the current temp is 25.5C

Soon I'll be making way to the airport for my flight to Bali in Indonesia where there will be a connecting flight to Lombok, where I'll jump in a taxi for an hours ride to the pier in North Lombok in order to take a 10 minute ride over to the final destination of the day; Gili Air! By that time we're about 12 hours further into the day!

En route over the Gulf of Thailand between Samui and Phuket yesterday afternoon

Yesterday saw another nice, sunny and hot day around Samui with a max temp of around 31C

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 31st March, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui at last woke up with electricity still running (at least near my house where electricity was cut off over for almost 56 hrs), no rain pouring down, the airport open and the ferries running again. It's still cloudy and roads are flooded and some bits and pieces of rain may come down but it looks like the worst is over. Current temp at 7am is 24C and 'only' 95mm of rain came down over the last 24 hrs.

I'm starting to relax!

On Koh Tao the evacuation of stranded tourists that started yesterday will continue today with thanks to the Royal Thai Navy. 3 seriously ill people from Koh Phangan hospital were evacuated by helicopter.

Yesterday saw still lots of rain but the airport opened up and the ferries started running again and electricity came back on again. Max temp reached only 23.9C

I'm receiving many emails and messages on my blog and I will try to answer them all but it will be later today. Everybody planning a holiday around 8th April or later, you should be fine although the cleaning up activities may still be in process.

Don't forget to hit the donations buttons, with over 5000 visits per day currently, somebody out there must think that this blog is useful, show your appreciation by hitting my beer money or donation buttons here! Thanks!

Koh Lanta is having a light cloud cover, it looks like the dark clouds have moved on. Hopefully there will be some sunshine today! Current temp at 7am is 24C

Yesterday saw an almost complete dry day with mini bursts of sunshine occasionally. Max temp reached 30C

The landslide in Krabi was not as devastating as initially mentioned, only one instead of 7 villages were affected and despite 10 bodies being recovered, only around a 100 people are missing and not 1000. However, landslides are now reported in 4 provinces, including Phuket.

Camille

PADI Platinum Course Director, Camille Lemmens Runs for Ocean Protection

PADI Platinum Course Director, Camille Lemmens
Runs for Ocean Protection

On 12th June 2011, PADI Platinum Course Director, Camille Lemmens will swap his scuba diving fins for running shoes as he participates in the Laguna Phuket International Marathon to raise funds for marine conservation.

Taking part in the half marathon Camille will join over 5,000 walkers and runners of all ages. But rather than just being a regular participant, Camille wants to do something positive for our oceans.


“As a PADI Platinum Course Director I’m privileged to spend many of my working hours underwater seeing the amazing diversity that Mother Nature offers. I also have a responsibility to ensure the continual and prolonged healthy underwater world,” said Lemmens.

“I’ve taken part in many marathons but this year I wanted to do something a little different. So I’m raising funds for Project AWARE, whose goal is to encourage and inspire divers to be part of the solution for ocean protection.”

Thailand’s PADI Regional Manager Tony Andrews, immediately joined efforts with Camille and together they’re planning to each run a half marathon.

Commenting on the marathon, PADI Regional Manager, Tony Andrews said, “I’m so excited that Camille has chosen to support PADI’s environmental partner, Project AWARE Foundation. I encourage other PADI Members in the area to get involved and join Camille. And to show my support I will also take part and help raise funds for the charity.”

Anyone can support Camille and Tony’s efforts by:

• Joining the team and running or walking in either one of the distances available, the full marathon at 42,195 km, the half marathon at 21 km, a 10.5 km run, a 2km kids run or a 5 km walk.

• Sponsoring Camille and Tony with a minimum donation of AU$60 – 2.100THB ($3 for each kilometre they plan to run). Go to www.projectaware.org/phuketmarathon to make your donation online.

Donations over AU$100 will be listed on the Project AWARE website.

If you’re interested in taking part in the Sponsored Run for AWARE then get in touch with Camille camille@idcthailand.net or PADI Regional Manager, Tony Andrews at tony.andrews@padi.com.au to find out more. Until 31st March Camille and Tony can offer reduced registration rates to all that want to participate in any of the mentioned distances. The participant rates are listed here.

Food on Wheels; Pad Thai on the go!

Food on Wheels; Pad Thai on the go!

Another Food on Wheels post is due and here we are, Pad Thai on the go indeed!

This is probably one of the best known Thai dishes and it always works for me!

Pad Thai or Phat Thai (Thai: ผัดไทย [pʰàt tʰāj], "fried Thai style") is a dish of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, fish sauce (Thai: น้ำปลา), tamarind juice, red chilli pepper, plus any combination of bean sprouts, shrimp, chicken, or tofu, garnished with crushed peanuts, coriander and lime, the juice of which can be added along with Thai condiments. Pad Thai is one of Thailand's national dishes.

During my last and most recent visit to Phuket, I encountered this vendor just after I left visiting my fellow blogger Jamie in Phuket!

This guy must be doing well because it will be difficult to fond a Western tourist who doesn't like Pad Thai, besides the Thais themselves who will enjoy a quick snack. Sometimes it's probably just a matter of getting the tourist so far to actually order food from a street vendor.

My golden rule, where ever I eat in Thailand is this; if it's busy and locals eat there, it must be good, since first of all, a lot of people means a lot of turnover which means a lot of fresh ingredients and secondly, a lot of locals always indicates that the food must be good, otherwise the locals wouldn't eat there!

A side view of the Pad Thai motorized kitchen, with a good view on the actual cooking plate.

Though Pad Thai had been known in various forms for centuries – it is thought to have been brought to the ancient Thai capital of Ayuthaya by Vietnamese traders – it was first made popular as a national dish by Luang Phibunsongkhram when he was prime minister during the 1930s and 1940s, partly as an element of his campaign for Thai nationalism and centralization, and partly for a campaign to reduce rice consumption in Thailand. The Thai economy at this time was heavily dependent on rice exports; Phibunsongkhram hoped to increase the amount available for export by launching a campaign to educate the poor in the production of rice noodles, as well as in the preparation of these noodles with other ingredients to sell in small cafes and from street carts.

During the recession following World War II, the post-war government of Phibunsongkhram, desperate in its efforts to revive the Thai economy, looked for ways to stem the massive tide of unemployment. Among the occupations the government aggressively promoted to give the populace a way to earn a living was the production of rice noodles and the operation of noodle shops. Detailed instructions on how to make the noodles and recipes were printed and distributed around the country. From these efforts, rice noodles became firmly rooted in the country and have since become a widespread staple food.

This looks like everything you always wanted to know about Pad Thai but never dared to ask ;-)

Hope you enjoyed this entry and stay tuned for a next episode of Food on Wheels!

Camille

Goodbye to December 2010

Goodbye to December 2010

December 2010 was the second month in a row during which most time of the time month was spend outside of Koh Samui, just like November 2010. Still I managed to update this blog daily with Samui weather impressions, thanks to a hotline with my wife!

I must admit that I'm contemplating changing the frequency of the blog posts, to once or twice updating per week but I can't seem to solve that puzzle yet. Possibly later this year..........

Motorbike samlor, a typical sight on Koh Lanta

The first part of December I spent on the lovely island of Koh Lanta, where in short succession I conducted a second PADI IDC.

After Lanta it was off to Phuket for a couple of days to assist my IDC candidates during their PADI IE in Phuket.

Than at last I got a couple of days to spend on Samui before I took off for a short holiday trip to the United Arab Emirates.

A traditional breakfast in a very traditional Bedouin tent, the coffee drinking part with one of my hosts and friends Bader

This holiday was definitely the highlight of the month and the first couple of days were spent in Umm al-Quwain, a a quiet and more residential Emirate where both my friends Imad and Bader live.

All 4 of my hosts together, Sunil, Bader, Imad and Anup.

Thanks guys for taking care of me and showing me around in grand style, it was amazing!

Dubai skyline

The second part of my stay was spent in Dubai, probably the most well known Emirate. It was a great time and I'm looking forward to a next visit.

It's now almost a week since I'm back on Samui and it's great to spend time with the family together and wait for the New Year to start, recharging the batteries!

The weather on Samui during December wasn't that great, early on in the month there was plenty of rain and flooding occurred again all over the island, the 6th being a very wet day.

Later during the the month, rather typical is around the middle of the month the rain subsided and sunshine became part of the scenery again.

Happy New Year to all of you out there, reading my blog!

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 13th December, 2010

Today's weather;

Better late than not at all! It was nice today, sunny on Koh Samui although there are some repairs on the road going due to the recent water problems and some dangerous looking side roads are missing that turned into holes, directly next to the road. Certain parts of the ring road are having some water run off from the mountains but nothing really serious.

It took me however all day to get back online again and that didn't happen until just an hour or so ago. Current temp at 7pm for a change is 26.8C

Yesterday was a fast drive from Phuket to Donsak, in order to catch the 7pm ferry, the last one of the day. I couldn't leave Phuket until just before 3pm and just about made it for the last ferry, happy happy to be with the family again! The PADI IE in Phuket is also completed so now it's soon off to Dubai for a short holiday! Max temp yesterday reached 31.4C although there was some rain twice around Surat Thani and in Nathon when I drove off the ferry.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 12th December, 2010

Today's weather;

Samui is nice and sunny! The good weather times seem to be back. Current temp at 7am is 24.3C

Phuket is partly cloudy with some sunshine but a fairly strong wind and a bunch of rain is fore casted! Current temp at 7am is 25.5C

Yesterday saw a sunny in Samui although there was rain during the night time. Max temp reached 29.3C. Today I start making my way back to Samui and I hope to be able to catch the last ferry tonight.

Phuket had not much of a nice morning with plenty of rain and the Kings Regatta last day had to be cancelled because some boats had run in some problems and at least one was beached. During the afternoon the weather turned for the better however. Max temp reached 30.7C

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 11th December, 2010u

Today's weather;

Samui is ready for some serious sunshine. This morning and also all of next week looks great in the forecasts. Hardly any clouds, no rain but plenty of sunshine. Current temp at 7am is 24.5C

Phuket looks grey and windy and it wouldn't surprise if it will rain later today. Current temp at 7am is 24.7C

Yesterday saw a lovely day on Samui, no rain and sunshine. Max temp reached 28.4C

Phuket was nice all day, some clouds and enough sun to make it an agreeable day. There was some rain during the night though. Max temp reached 30.7C

Yesterday evening I finished uploading a third trip report on my dive blog about a dive I did on the 8th December at a location called Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, near Koh lanta, it contains videos about our Manta Ray encounters, here's a preview of one of them, if you like this, have a look at my dive blog;

Camille

Your man in Phuket

Your man in Phuket

May I present you; Jamie Monk, fellow weather blogger (of those there are only two as far as I know in Thailand, Jamie and me), fellow diver (he owns and runs Sunrise divers in Karon) and he's been the same amount of years in Thailand as me, he may have arrived a few days before me, we are both married to a Thai woman (a different one!) and we both have two kids in the same age bracket.

Right now I am in Phuket for a PADI IE and it turns out that the location is more or less directly next to Jamie's dive center. Having missed each other during a few earlier visits to Phuket, this was the right time to visit him and have a nice cold one.

It was good meeting him at last, eye to eye and the picture above sees us happily shaking hands on the unexpected occasion.

If you're interested in finding out about the Real Phuket and not just about Patong and it's nightlife, Jamie's Phuket blog is the right place to find this sort of information. For all news about Phuket's weather all year round, Jamie's Phuket weather blog is the 'sister' blog to my Samui info and weather blog.

Looking forward to a few more cold ones together, Jamie!

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 10th December, 2010

Today's weather;

Samui looks nice, sunshine should be in the making despite some clouds right now. The forecast for the rest of the weekend and next week is splendid! Current temp at 7am is 24.7C

Phuket is partly cloudy but over the ocean blue skies are shaping up. Current temp at 7am is 24.5C

Yesterday saw a nice day with sunshine in Samui. It was about time! Max temp reached 28.5C

My drive from Koh Lanta to Phuket was nice with plenty of sunshine, there was some hard rain around 10pm though. Max temp in Phuket reached around 30C

Camille

Mala Dim Sum Restaurant in Kata Beach on Phuket

Mala Dim Sum Restaurant in Kata Beach on Phuket

Upon meeting with a friend of mine in Phuket, he suggested a Dim Sum place in Kata to get breakfast. As it turned out, it was just around the corner of the small hotel that I stayed at.

It's located at an intersection of a road that runs parallel to the Kata Beach road, on the crossing of the road that houses the Centara Kata hotel. Outside you may be able to spot this yellow sign.

The ordering is interesting, since all the dim sums are deep frozen and you walk up to a couple of freezers at the entrance and start ordering. A lot of the dim sum's are really small and cost just 10 or 15 THB per order. Dim sum is a Cantonese term for a type of Chinese dish that involves small individual portions of food, usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate as the picture above shows. That the breakfast for the two of us.

This picture shows the freezers with the various dim sum's on offer and the steamers in the background.

It's a rather big place and well maintained and clean and it opens around 6am but closes in the early afternoon. Plenty of local people were around when I visited today and my friend who lives in Phuket since a few years said that this was typical, so it seems that the place has a good reputation. I can only vouch for that since our breakfast was excellent.

A view from the outside. It's very likely that I will be back to this place, especially considering that I'll be back on Phuket on the 10th and 11th December for a PADI IE, most likely staying just around the corner!

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 23rd November, 2010

Today's weather;

Samui has a bit of a mixed bag, sunny patches of sky and dark cloudy ones as well. Current temp at 8am 25.6C

Today I find myself in Phuket, yesterday evening I left Kao Lak and drove through a lot of rain to Phuket, today some electronic shopping needs to be done. The sky is also mixed here, blue parts with fluffy clouds. Current temp at 8am is 25.3C

Yesterday saw nice days in Samui and Kao Lak, the latter being very sunny and warm in the morning but during the evening and night plenty of rain between Kao Lak and Phuket. Max temp reached 28.4C on Samui, 31.5C in Kao Lak and 32.6C on Phuket.

Yesterday the IDC was half way, hence today a day off for shopping.

Camille

14th December, 2009

Today's weather;

A late update from Samui about Phuket, where I spend all day today in a PADI Course Director update. The weather was nice and sunny just like Samui right now. The temperature was around 30C all day long although i didn't see a lot of that since I was in a conference room almost all day long!

A view of the sunset out of the plane on the way over to Phuket flying over the Thai mainland, dividing the Gulf and the Andaman side.

A view over a rather busy Kata beach during the late afternoon.

Tomorrow another update from Samui again but I will be straight over to Koh Tao tomorrow morning for two nights for another PADI IE.

Yesterday was a lovely and sunny day during which we completed the current IDC with a max temp of 29C.

Camille