Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 4th August, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui is going to be hot today, a blue sky is shaping up right now. Current temp at 7am is 26C

Today I will make my way back to Bangkok and tomorrow I'll be back home!

Yesterday is was hot and sunny around Samui. Max temp reached 33.8C

Entrance to Olympic park in Seoul

Osan is cloudy this morning and it looks wet outside. Current temp at 9am is 26C

Yesterday's trip to Seoul was good, visited a friend and had some great lunch, the whole meal and all side orders were mushroom based! Did some shopping in a dive center and made it on my own back to Osan in the subway, which was a challenge in it self.

Later today I'm on the plane back to Bangkok!

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 3rd August, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui is gearing up for a nice day and the sun is getting ready to warm things up. Current temp at 7am is 27.3C

Yesterday saw a warm day on Samui with plenty of sunshine but also with a shower around 6pm. Max temp reached 32.2C

The greater Seoul subway system

Osan is back to clouds and drizzle, there were two drizzle showers since I woke up but in-between them I could enjoy a run with the sun even popping out for a moment. Current temp at 9am is 26C

Variation on a theme

Yesterday saw a trip to Seoul for some extreme shopping. We went by subway, the ride from Osan to Seoul took an hour and a half but costed less than 60,-THB or 1.5 Euro. Pretty amazing. Seoul was crowded, at least the shopping area where we went to.

Today I will go back to the big city to meet up with PADI's regional manager, MR Boo Kyung Kim and some more shopping is in place, this time for more PADI and dive related items.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 2nd August, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui has a blue sky to boast for this morning and it looks like it's going to be warm. Current temp at 7am is 27.5C

Yesterday saw a cloudy sky over Samui but it was warm and dry. Max temp reached 31.5C

Recognize this?

here I am looking for a Tae Kwon Do shop to buy some things for my son! All I can find is Muay Thai!

In Osan the weather is improving, this morning it's nice and warm and it looks like the cloud is breaking open. Current temp at 9am is 28C, last night the sky was clear!

Today I'll be on my way to Seoul for some serious or is it extreme shopping!

Camille

Welcome to August 2011

Welcome to August 2011

The stormy season over South East Asia but the Gulf of Thailand and especially around Samui it's usually very nice, with plenty of sunshine and occasional rain during the evenings. Previous have been known for storms as well but in general it's nice, especially after the first week of the month.

Deoksan beach near Samcheok in South Korea, during a sunny day

Currently I'm still in the Republic of Korea aka South Korea and will be getting back to Thailand this coming Thursday and back on Samui by Friday and guess what, a PADI IDC will kick off soon afterwards, this time on home turf again, on Samui!

Looking forward seeing you here on line, visiting my blog.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 1st August, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui is nice and the sun is getting ready to burst out. Current temp at 10am is 30C

Yesterday was a warm and sunny day around Samui with a temp of 32C.

Korean football supporters are all around the football

Back again in Osan, my home base in the ROK! It's still gray with occasional rain around town but it's warm. Current temp at noon is 27C

Just 3 more days to go and looking forward to visiting Seoul over the next couple of days. Thursday evening touch in Bangkok again!

Camille

Road trip from Osan to Samcheok, South Korea

Road trip from Osan to Samcheok, South Korea

During my stay in South Korea, we had to travel from my home base town of Osan to Samcheok on the East coast of Korea. For the open water dives of the first ever Western PADI IDC in Korea, we needed open water! The PADI IE was also to be conducted at the same location, so off we went.

Korean rice paddies with mountains in the background

I like to travel and thoroughly enjoyed the 4 hours drive, which allowed me to see some bits and pieces of the country side. One thing that struck me was the massive amounts of green from trees and rice paddies.

Fence at the beach to stop North Korean spies to enter at night coming from the sea

Upon arrival at the coast, it was pointed out to me that along long stretches of the coast there's barbed wire and ll over the coast there are watch posts, in order to prevent North Korean spies to get into South Korea coming from the ocean.

Deonsak beach, this is where the PADI IE took place

We had some extreme forms of weather, upon arrival it was nice and sunny, just like the first day! The second day turned out to be foggy and wet and today it was warm but cloudy.

Apparently we traveled parts of the Romantic Road of Korea

Memories of the World Championships football in 2002 in South Korea and Japan

We also passed the ski resorts in PyeongChang, where the Olympic winter games for 2018 will take place. From the road you could make out the ski jumping towers in the distance.

All in all a very interesting trip and fun was had by all, we enjoyed some good Korean food big portions and lots of meat!).

The coming days I will visit Seoul, so keep your eyes tuned to this channel!

Camille

Goodbye to July 2011

Goodbye to July 2011

Did this month ever fly by! It was a very busy month with two PADI IDC's pretty much back to back in Koh Samui and in Osan, South Korea. I'm becoming a travelling man! Within 7 months I was able to add three countries to my list that I visited for the first time, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines and now South Korea. Not to mention my trips to Indonesia and around Thailand.

First off lets concentrate on the weather during July, and I think it was a pretty average July, with plenty of sunny and hot days but also some rainy days, sometimes spiced up with strong wind. Pretty standard for July.

Road map of part the East Coast of South Korea, from Osan to Samcheok and Deoksan

A highlight for me this month is my first ever trip to South Korea, conducting an IDC there on Osan US Air Base. A very interesting experience.

Eating out is an experience in South Korea, very enjoyable

A month to remember for me but also time to look forward to August and some serious good weather in Samui, I hope!

Thanks for dropping by last month and I hope to keep seeing you all in the future.

Camille

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

Today's weather;

The strong wind on Samui has subsided but it's still cloudy. Current temp at 10am is 29.8C

Yesterday saw very strong winds over Samui and bits and pieces of rain. Max temp reached 32.6C

Deoksan beach where we were the last 3 days, near Samcheok

There's a big weather change at our Samcheok location and as the picture above shows, the damp clouds have vanished and although it's not sunny, it's warm again. Current temp at 8am was 24C. Today it's back to Osan. There I will have three days to relax and do some sightseeing, including a trip to Seoul.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 30th July, 2011

Today's weather

Samui is having to endure some strong wind, overcast and rain. Current temp at 10pm is 29.3C

Yesterday saw a dry but windy day on Samui with a max temp of 31.3C

Sunny Samcheok yesterday

Samcheok, same location, today at 7am

The PADI IE kicked off in a wet Samcheok that undergoes a constant drizzle. Current temp at 9am was 22C

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 29th July, 2011

Today's weather;

Koh Samui had a sunny day with some strong wind during the afternoon. Current temp at 7pm is 27C. It's a late update because I've been busy diving all day on the East Korean coast in the city of Samcheok and the PADI IE kicked off here today!

Yesterday was a nice day on Samui with a max temp of 30.3C

Samcheok beach

Samcheok on the East coast of Korea had some nice sunshine today and at 9pm the temp is 24C. It was sunny and despite some cloudy periods, my face got sunburned on the surface of the ocean in-between skills for Open Water training of this current IDC.

Earlier this evening the PADI IE kicked off and tomorrow and Sunday it's going to be once more a busy schedule.

Camille

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

Today's weather;

Samui is having a nice spell of sunny days. This morning has blue skies and sunshine! Current temp at 7am is 26.5C

Yesterday saw also plenty of sunshine around Samui with some clouds later in the evening. Max temp reached 30C

The road van for the next couple of days! Note the big trucker horns of top of the roof!

Osan is recovering a little bit of the torrential rains from yesterday and it's dry right now at 11am with a current temp of 26C

In a couple of hours we'll be leaving for a road trip to the East coast of South Korea, about 3 and a half to 4 hours drive from Osan. We'll be conducting open water ocean dives tomorrow as part of the current first ever Western PADI IDC in South Korea and over the weekend there will be a PADI IE. I'm not sure how much internet access I will have over the next coming days, so please bear with me.

South Korea has been hit by storms and torrential rains and Seoul, Chuncheon and parts of the Philippines have been hit very hard.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 27th July, 2011

Today's weather;

A late update today, it's been busy during the Osan IDC. Samui is slightly cloudy with strong winds but hot. Current temp at 4pm is 29.4C

Yesterday was also dry and hot in Samui with a max temp of 32.8C

View over Osan from the flat I'm staying at

Osan is dry right now at 9pm with a current temp of 26C but earlier today during the morning and all of last night there was plenty of rain and during the night plenty of thunder and lightning.

Camille

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

Today's weather;

Samui had cloudy skies and the current temp at 4pm is 29C

The playground in front of the flat that I'm staying at in Osan, South Korea

Osan started out nicely today, there was even a bit of sunshine this morning. However, late in the afternoon, around 5pm it started to rain and it really hasn't stopped until right now and the forecast is another two days of rain. Current temp at 7pm is 24C

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 25th July, 2011

Today's weather;

Samui is cloudy and almost without wind although it looks like the sun may stay away today. Current temp at 7am is 26C and it's dry.

Yesterday saw a mixed bag with sunshine and a little bit of rain combined over Samui. Max temp reached 34C

Market in Osan's 'Vill' near the air base, chicken anyone?

The IDC in Osan is half way and an interesting bit of trivia is that this is the first Western PADI IDC in South Korea ever! This fact didn't impress the weather here though, it's still cloudy but dry today with a current temp at 9am of 26C

Camille

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

Today's weather;

Samui is having a 'mixed bag' weather day, Little bits of sunshine and plenty of clouds but the wind is not that strong anymore. Current temp at 10am is already 31C

Yesterday saw a dry day on Samui with a max temp of 30.5C

The 'Village' at dawn, near Osan Air Base, a busy area with plenty of restaurants, shops, bars, clubs etc

Osan was very wet this morning with plenty of rain but right now the sun tries to break through. Current temp at 1pm is 26C

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 23rd July, 2011

Today's weather;

This morning Samui is 'enjoying' strong wind with plenty of clouds and no sun. Current temp at 10am is 27.5C. After the weekend the strong should wear off until the next weekend.

Yesterday was a cloudy day on Samui with some occasional spats of rain and strong wind. Max temp reached 32.2C

No electric cars beyond this point! As seen on a highway crossing entering the city

Osan has just like Samui, a clouded sky. Current temp at 2pm is around 30C

Camille

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

Today's weather;

Samui is warm! Current temp at 7am is 27.7C

Yesterday saw the last day of the school 'kila' on Samui, where our children attended over two days. It was hot and sunny and yesterday's max temp reached 33.5C

Entering Osan

Osan had a drastic change of weather and it's wet this morning. Current temp is 20C at 9am local time.

Yesterday was hot and sunny though.

Camille

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

Today's weather;

Samui has a cloudy sky but it's dry. Current temp at 7am is 25.3C

Yesterday saw a cloudy day over Koh Samui, max temp reached 33.4C

On the way work at Osan US Air Force base

Osan in South Korea is having a stretch of very enjoyable summer days with clear blue skies and warm temperatures during the day time. Current at 9am is 26C

Yesterday the PADI IDC started, have a look here for an impression.

Camille

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

Today's weather;

Due to the time difference and work, it looks like I won't be able to give updates until this time of the day, the early evening. Having said that, Samui had a cloudy but dry day with not much sunshine to speak of. Current temp at 7pm (!) is 30C

Max temp yesterday reached 34C on Samui, a nice and sunny day.

The main street at the Village or 'Ville' directly opposite the main gate of Osan US Air Force base, a street filled with various international cuisine restaurants, bars, custom made clothing shops etc.

Osan had a nice and sunny day with blue skies all around. Current temp at 10pm local time is 26C.

The PADI IDC kicked off today, more on that tomorrow on my dive blog.

Camille

Osan, South Korea

Osan, South Korea

Here I am, in Osan which is located about 45km South of Seoul in South Korea. My job for the last 12 years, since I arrived on Koh Samui, being a dive instructor and for the last 8 years a PADI Course Director is getting me around since I parted ways last year with my at the time employer and became a free lance Course Director.

Not having traveled much, besides a relative small amount of domestic Thai travel and a trip to the Netherlands about 8 years back and a day trip to Vientiane in Laos, my travelling life was rather subdued.

Until last year! Since last year I've had a first visit to the United Arab Emirates and the Philippines and return trips to Indonesia. Now I can add a first trip to South Korea to this list!

Working as a PADI Course Director has been good ever since that change. The beginning was tough but it seems to be bearing fruit since the start of this year.

Osan's skyline has a lot of high rise buildings, seemingly all over South Korea

Osan is a different cookie compared to my usual destination, this is a serious urban background to which I'm hardly used to, except for trips to Bangkok.

Some shops on a very busy street

The skyline here is in sharp contrast to Gili Air in Indonesia or Malapascua in the Philippines, let alone the destinations I work at in Thailand, like Koh Phangan, Koh Lanta and Khao Lak.

South Korea is also a very advanced country when it comes down to technology, apartments in lats don't have keys anymore but number lock combinations, a screen on the wall at various strategic positions around the house is a screen to see who rings the bell but also serves as a phone among others. The Jetsons could slice off a piece of this cake!

Looking down the street, the buildings in the background is where I stay at

It's also very convenient and clean! The high rise apartment buildings I stay at have a play ground in front of the building with various children play options, a jogging track with soft and hard covering and fitness machines are lined up.

At the local supermarket you don't get plastic bags but you can use the empty carton boxes from the supermarket to stow your shopping list goodies away in. The recycle containers seem to be unlimited in what they can or rather may take.

It's interesting to see and my first impressions are very positive, although I haven't seen that much yet, besides some walking within a 3 km radius and a trip to the nearby US Air Force base, which put Osan on the map! That's where tomorrow the PADI IDC will kick off and that is like walking into a small town in the USA.

Strange road crossings, on which you can cross diagonal, never seen that before in real life!

I hope that I will have enough time to see some more of the city and the country and I'll make sure to give some updates.

My travelling got nothing to do with Koh Samui and when I started this blog I had no idea that I would be travelling around so much, but here I am and I hope you like it. The daily weather updates will still be there as much as possible, thanks to Skype!

Camille