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

Today's weather;

The cloud layers over Samui seem to become less each day, today there are plenty of blue spots around. Current temp at 7am is 25.5C

Today is also Her Majesty's Queen Sirikit's Birthday a day which in Thailand is also celebrated as Mothers Day.

Yesterday's Chocolate Mousse dessert at Prego's

Yesterday saw cloud cover in the morning around Samui but during the early afternoon the sun started to break through, however, just to be replaced by rain around 5pm. Max temp reached 33C

My sister is on her way back home to the Netherlands again, as of today. A good time was had by all with plenty of good food, yesterday it was one of Samui's top Italian restaurants; Prego in Chaweng. It was so busy (definitely need reservations this time of the year, probably a good idea year round!) that service lacked a bit. The food was still good though.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 11th August, 2011

Today's weather;

There's light overcast over Samui this morning, very likely to be burned away by the sun in a few hours. Current temp at 7am is 26.2C

Chaweng Beach yesterday in front of Chaweng Cove Resotel around 6pm

Yesterday saw some serious overcast all day long around Samui which culminated in some rain around 9.30pm. A typical tropical shower could be enjoyed! Max temp reached 33.4C

Yesterday we ate delicious 'Moo Sateh' (pork sateh) and 'Raad Na' at Dcheed 2, around 150 sateh sticks and 4 or 5 bowls of Raad na plus drinks for 8 for just under a 1.000,-THB.

Camille

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

Today's weather;

The sky over Samui is clouded and it looks like the layer is thick enough to keep the sun out for a while. Current temp at 7am is 26.8C

Chaweng lake under construction, just as it is today, with the construction of a jogging road around the lake

Yesterday saw plenty of sun around Samui, there was some cloud cover but the sun prevailed with a few rain drops here and there during the evening. Max temp reached 33.9C

Camille

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

Today's weather;

Samui's sky is turning into a blue one, the clouds are currently being evaporated by the sun. Current temp at 7am is 27.1C

A crab during one of the dives at Chaweng Beach yesterday, get the Som Tam ready

Yesterday saw a nice and sunny morning around Samui with a cloudy afternoon, it remained dry though. Max temp reached 32.9C

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 10th July, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui is slightly cloudy today with strong winds. This weather pattern is supposed to last until Thursday. Current temp at 7am is 28.5C

View on Chaweng Beach, where I dived yesterday

Yesterday saw a very nice sunny and warm day around Samui island. Max temp reached 34C

The current PADI IDC on Koh Samui was also completed yesterday, the right time to start some diving again with some of my students!

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 28th June, 2011

Today's weather;

I'm back home again and as always it feels good! I had a great time in Indonesia but it's great to see my family again. Having changed the sunny skies of Gili Air for a cloudy sky on Samui this morning is a bit of a change though! The current temp on Samui is 27.8C. The strong winds of recent days have completely gone again!

Chaweng lake from the air

Yesterday saw a sunny and warm day on the island with a max temp of 33.2C

Camille

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; 30th May, 2011

Today's weather;

At last, there's some overcast on Samui and this morning seems to be promising a cooler day than the previous weeks. Current temp at 7am is nonetheless 28C already!

Chaweng Beach yesterday

Yesterday was very hot, especially during the morning it was almost unbearable when we were at Chaweng beach for the closing of a very successful PADI IE. During the late afternoon and early evening some big and dark clouds showed up and thunder was in the air. In some parts of the island it rained but I didn't see any. Max temp reached 35C

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 26th May, 2011

Today's weather;

The sky over Samui has a lot of overcast to show for this morning and it could well be that the sun will only pop up sporadically today. Current temp temp at 7am is 27.1C

The pagoda overlooking Chaweng

Yesterday was a sunny day on Samui although some dark clouds showed up around 6pm but I didn't witness any rain. Max temp reached 33.1C

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update;; 22nd May, 2011

Today's weather;

The sky over Samui is very blue this morning and it looks like it's going to be a very hot day! Current temp at 7am is 27C

A wooden sun chair, found during Friday's underwater beach clean up at Chaweng Beach

Yesterday morning saw blue skies over Samui but overcast moved in pretty much for the rest of the day but I didn't witness any rain! Max temp reached 31C

With the kids we visited the Major Cineplex movie theatre at Tesco Lotus, the third time for me I saw a movie on Samui here! Good fun was had though with the 4th sequence of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 21st May, 2011

Today's weather;

A near blue sky rules over Samui this morning and another hot day seems to be in the making. Current temp at 7am is 26.6C

Chaweng Beach yesterday, blue skies and warm, what's keeping you?

Yesterday saw once more a very warm day on Koh Samui with a tiny bit of rain in the evening. Max temp reached 33.3C

There was an underwater beach clean at Chaweng Beach yesterday in which I participated, look here for an update.

Camille

Financial help for flood victims in Nakhon Si Thammarat

Financial help for flood victims in Nakhon Si Thammarat

Just like last month, when I was able to financially help flood victims in Chaweng, from a donation made by Peter in London, this time around we were able to help people in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Our friend Tawan lives there, who we visited in June 2007.

The best picture I have of Tawan's house, which is located in the background

Their house got flooded very badly and the whole ground floor had to be taken out and rebuild, plus many utensils were lost. We were able to help out with 5.000,-THB and Tawan's family was very happy for the help. The second third of Peter's donation is now gone. Thanks to Peter for helping out!

Around Samui there are various construction works under way to restore flood damage or to improve the overall situation. One of the things currently being done, is putting a new drainage system in place on the road leading from Tesco Lotus down to Chaweng where the one way system starts, as can be seen in the picture above.

Friday 20th May there will be a big underwater clean up on Chaweng Beach.

It's hard to believe that the island underwent such an out of season flood just over a month ago! Things are on the up again and right now is a great time to visit, not too busy and great weather!

Hope to see you soon.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 6th May, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui woke up this morning with a light drizzle but right now, a good two hours later the sun is out again and the clouds have thinned down. Current temp at 7am is 26.8C

Sunset at Chaweng Lake yesterday during a wedding we visited

Yesterday saw another very hot day on Samui, it's actually so hot that it drains your energy levels! There was some very light rain at some parts of the island during the last afternoon however, max temp reached 32C.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 20th April, 2011

Today's weather;

Once more Samui has a nice blue sky to show for! Current temp at 7am is 26.4C

Much appreciated is Narelle's donation for some cold ones, thanks! She arrived on Samui 1st April in the midst of all the flooding. Thanks for visiting despite the floods and I hope you had a good time! People, don't be shy, donations are more than welcome, this blog is purely run on enthusiasm and dedication and any donation is a nice token of appreciation!

Yesterday we visited the last day of the temple fair at Chaweng where I had some BBQ-ed squid from this stall. The fair was a bit disappointing since it was very small and there was not much on display, in sharp contrast to other years when this used to be one of the bigger fairs on the island.

Yesterday saw some lots of sunshine all around Samui, although around noon there were some clouds over the North Western part of the island but without rain. Max temp reached 32C

Camille

Food on wheels; Salapao or Chinese steamed bun

Food on wheels; Sweet bread dumplings/Sala Pao

Today's addition to the growing Food on Wheels series is about Chinese steamed buns or in Thailand better known as Salapao or in the Netherlands where they are very popular as well, they are known as Ba Pao.

These buns are very popular around Thailand and are usually eaten for breakfast but can be obtained throughout the day. This specific cart was spotted on a regular base in front of my sons school in Chaweng.

The buns are steamed and the steamer is easily recognizable on this motorbike cart, with the top of the gas tank just peeking in as well.

Usually the dough is white but if you look carefully, the salapao's that this vendor is selling are all green! The fillings are usually sweet or savory. A minced pork mix 'sai muu daeng' is used or for the sweet mouthes amongst us usually a crushed mung bans 'sai tua dam' filling is used or just cream 'sai kriim'. 7-11 sells them throughout the day but I prefer the ones available on the road, like these.

Here the steamer can be clearly seen as well as the green salapao's waiting to be put in the steamer.

The steamer itself, the hole in the middle of the steamer has an additional delicacy known as 'khanom dcheeb' or minced, steamed pork. makes a great mix with a couple of salapao's!

The salapao costs around 10,-THB and the khanom dcheeb are around 2,-BHT per one. Enjoy!

Camille

Songkran 2011 on Koh Samui

Songkran 2011 on Koh Samui

After having played Songkran with my children for a while, I took off for Chaweng to have a look what was going on there. With Dave on the back of the bike and in charge of the water gun and myself in charge of the camera we were on our way! Songkran, here we come! Time to dodge the ice water and baby powder.

Chaweng Beach road

It started out rather slowly in Chaweng, but around 3pm the streets really got filled and by 4pm there was a steaming party going on!

Call out 'action' and a Thai person immediately will take a pose! Great fun and it takes practice to get a cool pose! The tongue was a re-occurring pose yesterday!

Songkran can also be seen as a big wet t-shirt party, an application I don't mind too much

Some of the stranger vehicles of choice

Me too

Great tongue work

At Xin city there was a big foam party going on, plenty of options available to have fun

Battle fatigue, on the way home?

Big guns all around

About to get baby powdered

The battle field, see you next year

Camille

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

Today's weather;

Samui woke up once more with a blue sky and an occasional cloud looking lost in that blue sky! With a light hangover from yesterday's Songkran festivities (more pictures to follow later), I can announce a current temp at 7am of 27.5C

Chaweng beach road

Yesterday saw Samui flooded once more, this time deliberate and self inflicted though! The island was flooded by cars making the rounds and by loads of water, happily thrown at each other! The weather was perfect; under a blue sky the party went on all day long. Max temp reached 29.4C

Road deaths are apparently 48% down compared to last year. Wonder what counting procedure is used to cook these figures. On Samui you're apparently not an accident victim if you make it alive to a hospital, one way of making the roads look statistically safer.

Camille

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

Today's weather;

Samui's sky is blue with a few scattered fluffy clouds in it, gearing up for another warm day and a sunny Songkran tomorrow. Current temp at 7am is 27.7C

Bang Rak Bay

Yesterday saw a sunny and hot day on Samui with a max temp of 29.7C

Around noon I went for a dive on Chaweng Beach to see if any big items, like beach chairs, umbrellas etc could be found, since many have been swept away by the ocean during the floods, but there was a little bit of surf and visibility was very low. We had to reschedule the dive for a later date with now aves but the short time under water showed a changed scenery, usually at 6 or 7 meters the ocean floor is flat like a mirror with a hard sandy bottom. Yesterday there were ripples everywhere and it seemed that the meter of sand that was washed away from the beach relocated itself off he beach! A clean up is surely in the making, I'll keep you updated.

Camille

Flood victim on Koh Samui gets help

Flood victim on Koh Samui gets help

Due to Peter Greene who donated 500,-USD for people who needed help, I was able to help the first person on Samui that we know of that had some serious problems.

Khun Heet shows how high the water reached in her house

Khun Heet, a family friend whom we were told had some serious problems, managed to just about cross the road in the middle of the night when the water flash flooded their neighborhood and their house. Without electricity, in pitch darkness they could just wade a few meters to another, empty house that had a second floor where they reached safety. In the meantime all their belongings pretty much got swept away or were made useless due to the water.

Outside the house old matrasses and other materials are lying in the sun to dry.

From Peter's generous donation, a gas burner to cook, washing powder, two matrasses and a mixer were bought and she received some cash to pay bills for her children who are ill right now.

She lives in a residential area in Chaweng that I've been to but never to the end of her Soi (small street) and I didn't even know that people lived there!

A third of the money is now gone and I'll soon report about other donations we made on behalf of Peter!

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 7th April, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui has a blue sky and sunshine this morning. Clean up and repair work is continuing. Current temp at 7am is 27.5C

As before, it's difficult to get my hands on repair pictures form a distance but in the course for this coming Saturday I should be back on Koh Samui again.

News from the Chaweng Cove Resotel in Chaweng is that the hotel is open, only the Beachfront Pool Villa and the restaurant are closed after flooding and will remain closed during renovation until 30th of June. They will serve the food in other areas of the hotel. Please get in touch with the resort for updates, this information according to Elina's blog.

Yesterday saw a nice and sunny day all day long. Max temp reached 29C

Yesterday I received donations from Dan, Connie, Gilly and Simon. Thanks guys, it's much appreciated! The amount of mails and comments that I responded to in my spare time is reaching over 400, a bit overwhelming to say the least so keep the donations/beer money coming!

De-foresting on a steep hill on Koh Lanta, a landslide disaster in the making!

Yesterday the current PADI IDC on Koh Lanta has been completed and today the two day PADI IE is about to start. Once this program is completed tomorrow, the next day, Saturday I'll be on my way to Samui!

Koh Lanta beach view

Koh Lanta is having a good morning with an almost clear blue sky and a current temp at 7am of 25.6C

Yesterday saw a dry day on Lanta but most of the day there was a light cloud cover but still allowing plenty sunshine to break through. Max temp reached 32.6C

First flights have started again to Nahkon Si Thammarat but Surat Thani is still dealing with flooded roads. Read The Nation.

Camille