The Phuketian

Drinking with Thais

2009-10-11T13:44:00.001+07:00

In my younger days I was quite an accomplished boozer. It is part of our British ‘culture’. We often drink ourselves senseless. In fact, we take great pride in our ability to get absolutely hammered and then shake off the after effects and do exactly the same thing the next day. Well that was when I was younger.

As you get a little older, you have to accept that you can’t handle the same drinking pace. You need to slow down because you can’t shake off the after effects the way you once did. A major drinking session for me nowadays can mean the entire next day is a write off while I try to recover from the hangover. That is not to say I no longer do major boozing sessions but they are rarer events than they once were. I still enjoy a drinking session but these days they tend to be more moderated.

Mostly I drink with friends from England or other western countries but sometimes I find myself joining a drinking session with my wife and some of her Thai friends. This has been happening more often recently since she opened her little Thai restaurant (full credit to her – she is still going with this long after I thought she would have given up). Well it is quite easy to be drawn into a few drinks with the locals. They are often quick to push a glass into your hands.

Drinking with Thais is a little different. If they are drinking beer they do not each have their own bottle the way we would in a western drinking session. Instead, they buy big bottles of beer and share them around by constantly topping up each person’s glass. This is similar to the way they eat food – putting all the dishes in the middle and everyone tucks in. I guess in a way it is more sociable. It also means everyone can drink at their own pace instead of trying to keep up with the rounds.

Perhaps more often, they will be drinking Thai whisky or rum. They mix it with ice, soda and coke. They think this is cheaper than drinking beer. A Thai bottle of whisky/rum tends to be under 200-baht. Even with the mixers, this is a cheap way for a group of people to drink. I still prefer to drink beer and will often stick with the beer but one thing I will say in favour of the whisky option -- I never seem to get a major hangover when I drink this way. I think it is something to do with all the soda and coke keeping your hydration and sugar levels topped up.

I enjoy a little drink with the locals. They are friendly and keen to socialise. There are some entertaining characters and you always hear a few funny stories about what is going on in the neighbourhood. I think one of the good things Thailand has is there is still a sense of community. The neighbours all know each other, know what is going on and generally try to pitch in and help each other.

I always think drinking with people gives you a good insight as to what they are really like. They start telling you things that they wouldn’t normally talk about. It tests my Thai language ability but also helps me learn a little more. The thing I notice when I drink with Thai people is just how similar they are to western people. The things they talk about, laugh about, it is all very similar. It is sometimes from a different perspective because they are looking from a different perspective but the conclusions and sense of humour are really very similar.

I think it is still natural that I prefer boozing with friends from my own country. It is not a case of one being better than the other, but just that it is easier to communicate with people who speak your own language and come from a similar background. I think it is good for ex-pats in Thailand to join and enjoy Thai style culture but it is also important to still maintain some of your own identity and culture.

Raising Kids in Phuket

2009-08-18T12:48:00.001+07:00

Last week was the kids’ birthdays. Ben was 6 and Jenny was 4. Their birthdays are on the same day, two years apart. That is rather fortunate, only one party and no petty jealousies as they both get presents on the same day.

Raising kids in Phuket has its challenges and I often find myself wondering whether it will give them the best opportunities in life. Would they be better off if I took them home to England for their education?

It is an important question. I love my life in Thailand but I also want to give our kids the best chance in life. There are definite pros and cons to raising children in Phuket. It is a balancing act but one which for the moment I am happy to tilt in Phuket’s favour.

The thing is despite my concerns about the Thai education system and environment, I look at my two little kids and they are thriving. In fact, I try to remember myself when I was 6 years old and Ben is way more advanced than I was. He is already bi-lingual. He even knows two alphabets. He can swim (I was 9 or 10 when I learned to swim), he rides a bike and a skateboard. He has lots of local friends and loves going out to play. He is friendly, confident and outgoing. He even likes school.

If we moved them to England, they would miss out on their bi-lingual skills. They would learn more about English culture but lose their Thai culture. I think it is easier to pick up some English culture while in Phuket than vice-versa. They get so many great experiences in Thailand. It is not that there aren’t plenty of good things to do in England, but somehow the environment in Thailand is more conducive to fun.

There are some things I think the Thais do very well with children. There are others that we definitely do better in the west.

Thais are wonderful at showering children with affection. Any children, anywhere in Thailand will get attention. Complete strangers will stop to say hello to children. Thai people genuinely adore children. I think this is a major factor in why Thais grow up to be so open and friendly.

On the other hand, I don’t think Thai parents are so good at involving their children in organised activities. There are not so many Thai parents that will sit down with their children for a bit of colouring or reading. In our household, reading bedtime stories is a duty that always falls on my shoulders.

When it comes to the education system, there are also strong differences. Thais do more hours and get more homework. There is a strong emphasis on manners and discipline. The major complaint everybody makes about the Thai education system - they learn by rote. There is not much time spent on creativity or analysing problems.

I can’t afford to send my little ones to one of the international schools on the island. Even if I could afford it, I’m not sure I would want to. You see some of the kids from the international school out and about and I wouldn’t want my kids strutting around with such a cocky attitude. Perhaps that is not fair on the school and is more a trait of the privileged background of some of these children.

Anyway, my little ones go to Darasamut School in Phuket Town. It is a private Thai school and on the whole, I am happy with it. I think they get most things about right. I would prefer it if the hours were less, Ben does 8am until 4pm which seems a bit much for a six year old. I really don’t think they need homework at their age. I also think the morning parade where they sing the national anthem and raise the flag is hard work for such youngsters. Still it is an important part of Thai culture and the kids all line up and sing the song with great enthusiasm.

On the whole, I am happy with the school. They do plenty of playing, drawing, singing and the other things I think kids should be doing at that age. They have a swimming pool. The kids all seem remarkably happy and well-behaved. They are already learning their alphabets and numbers but I think they are teaching at the right sort of level. The kids are encouraged to eat good food and they get milk. They are taught about hygiene, mosquitoes, etc, they brush their teeth and all the 6 and unders take an afternoon nap

I am also impressed that they don’t charge any extras. The schools fees are a little more than a Thai public school but they cover everything. I have a friend who send his kids to a Thai public school and he is always being charged extras, which probably actually makes the school more expensive.

So for the moment I am more than happy with the upbringing our kids are getting in Phuket. In fact, I think at the early education stages, learning by rote is not such a bad thing. It lays the foundation skills such as alphabets, times tables, etc. My worry will be about when the kids get older and their education needs become more challenging. Will the Thai secondary education be good enough? We will see. We also have the option of moving the kids into the English Program at Darasamut, which is not too expensive.

I guess the challenge is to try to give them the best of both worlds. If they can take the best parts of a Thai upbringing and mix in the best parts of a western upbringing, then they have a good chance of growing up happy and successful.

Pon's New Shop

2009-07-11T14:36:00.001+07:00

Well I haven’t had the urge to write for a while. Somehow, without anything particularly exciting happening, I have felt quite busy. It has been nothing too demanding. I certainly couldn’t complain that my life in Phuket is stressful. It has all been easy stuff. A few odd jobs, a few chores, take care of the kids, play football, golf, swim, exercise, computer, etc.

Well come to think of it, I did have a computer hard disc crash. That was frustrating as my last full back up was 3-months ago and when I looked at it, it turned out it had not completed so I did not even have everything from 3-months ago. Lots of little things worked against me in my efforts to recover my data. The main thing was it looked like I had lost 4-months worth of family photos.

I had just about given up on the possibility of ever recovering the photos when I had the bright idea of scraping the memory card from my digital camera. The photos had all long been deleted from the memory card but with the right software, you can still recover deleted files from the card. So that is what I did and to my relief it scraped off the majority of my lost pictures.

So there is a lesson for everyone – make sure you keep regular back ups of the important stuff on your computer.

A month ago my wife Pon got the urge to open a small restaurant. It is just a Thai style food place in a shop front on the local estate. These sort of places will never make a lot of money but she is not really doing it for the money – she just likes food and chatting. Most Thai women like food and chatting.

These little Thai restaurants don’t make much money but they also don’t cost much to set up. She rents the shop for 2000 baht a month, she spent a fair few thousand baht fitting it out and that was it, she was open. She sells somtam for 30-baht and other Thai dishes for 50-baht. Everyday her friends and assorted local characters drift in and out. It is all very informal. Her friends might help with the cooking, bring food of their own or a few drinks. It seems like every few day, the evening develops into a general boozing session.

It is more of a social affair than a business enterprise. Still she is taking in more than 1000 baht a day which is good for a small Thai business. I’m not sure how much of that turnover actually turns into profit. Pon can’t be bothered to keep accurate accounts of her expenses and income.

I just pop in for my evening meal and occasionally join the locals for a few drinks. It is very handy having a restaurant in the family. I pre-order whatever dish I fancy – somtam, tom yam goong, grapow gai, gaeng keeow wahn, etc, etc, so many good options to choose from.

Well I better make full use of it while it is there. If I know my wife, it will be closed in a few months and she will be ready to move on to her next hobby.

Marriage Visa Extension

2009-05-16T14:00:00.001+07:00

We have been back from our travels for a couple of weeks now. It was a good little trip. Ben now fancies himself as quite the little 5-year old daredevil. His antics this trip included paddling a kayak down rapids, driving an ATV and he even did an army parachute cable jump. He has been watching the X-games and his new ambition is to be a speed rock climber. It is all a far cry from when I was that age and all we had was football in the street.

Anyway, I am feeling quite pleased with myself because I have finally sorted myself a proper 1-year extension to my visa. I have lived in Thailand for 8-years now but strangely, I have done the entire stay using what are basically short-term visas. Yes, these visas did include 1-year multi-entry marriage visas but even these still mean you have to leave the country every 3-months. Perhaps what is even more strange is that I was quite happy to accept this arrangement.

For anyone who is unaware of Thai visa regulations, if you want to stay in Thailand long-term without doing regular visa runs, then you have to apply for an extension of stay. Firstly, you get your marriage visa (or business visa, education visa, retirement visa, etc) from a Thai consulate outside of Thailand. However, these visas really only allow short-term stays of 90-days (I think it is 1 year for the retirement visa). To stay longer than this you have to go to an immigration office and apply for an extension of stay. You have to meet the various regulations and criteria, which vary depending on what type of visa you are extending.

I always knew I could apply for a 1-year extension to the marriage visa but I could never quite be bothered with all the paperwork. I was happy to take my family for a trip every 3-months and hop over the border. Then every 15-months I went to the Thai consulate in Penang to get a new 1-year multi-entry visa.

However, this all changed on my last trip to Penang when they said they would only give me a single-entry 3-months. Now my hand was forced. I either had to go to Penang every 3-months which really would turn into a major chore, or I had to do the 1-year extension. I started gathering the paperwork. I spent some time researching the required paperwork (http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/ is a great source for up to date visa info).

Currently, the main requirement for an extension to the marriage visa is to either show 400,000 baht in a Thai bank or an income greater than 40,000-baht a month. I was going to apply on the income basis. My income comes from renting out my flat in London. The evidence the Thai immigration office wants is a letter from your embassy confirming the income. So my first step was to send the rental receipts to the British Embassy in Bangkok and request the letter, duly returned for a fee of 1,868-baht.

I then gathered up the rest of the required documents. These include the obvious such as passport, marriage certificate, children’s birth certificates, wife’s id card and tabien baan (originals plus 2 copies of everything). Also required is your Thai bank book (plus 2 copies of every page), even if you are applying on the income option.

One other slightly odd requirement mentioned is family photos and a map to your house so the immigration officers can make random checks on the authenticity of the marriage. It turns out different immigration offices have their own interpretation of the rules and the Phuket office do not require this.

So with wife in tow, we went to the immigration office and made the application. They were too busy and told us to come back next week. We returned the following week and made the application. There was one problem with our paperwork. We had the original ‘kor ror 3’ marriage certificate when apparently what we needed was the ‘kor ror 2’ marriage certificate. Off we dashed to our local Amphur office for the correct certificate. An hour later and finally the application was completed. You get a 30-day ‘under consideration’ period and then you go back to find out if the extension has been granted. I had met all the requirements for the extension but you still worry whether the application will be accepted.

So 30-days later, we returned to the immigration office. This time it was very quiet. We went straight to the desk and the officer took my passport and disappeared with a mysterious expression on his face. He returned with some paperwork, perused it, looked concerned, sucked in some air and shook his head. Then suddenly stamp, stamp, stamp in my passport, a big smile and he returned the passport. They were actually very pleasant through the whole process.

So fantastic, no more visa runs for me. You do have to go to the immigration office every 90-days to confirm your address but that is a lot easier than leaving the country every 90-days.

School starts again next week.

Koh Chang

2009-04-21T11:29:00.002+07:00

After a week in Nakhon Nayok I had passed my 'out in the sticks' threshold and it was time to move on. It was a good stay. We did songkhran. I filled in a couple of days by checking out the local golf course. Royal Hills is a very nice course with a good range of facilities. The place is a very nice addition to my entertainment options while I am on 'sticks' duty. They even have UBC so I can get my Spurs action with English commentary instead of having to drive into town and watch it in the local music bar while the band insist on playing Hotel California because a farang is in the bar. This week, even Spurs didn't let me down. They got a 1-0 win over Newcastle that puts us firmly in the hunt for European places. It is strange that a football result actually affects my mood but it really does. I have had an extra spring in m,y step for the last couple of days.

So it was time to move on. We have driven to Koh Chang in Trat. I like Koh Chang. It has certainly developed a lot in the last few years but I think it still retains a bit of a laid back, beach-bum feel to it. It does have fantastic beaches. The prices are obviously a little touristy, but only a little. It is all still much cheaper than Phuket.

We have a nice big bungalow in the trees by the beach for 800 baht a night. The resort sells big bottles of beer for 80-baht, a good bowl of Tom Yam Goong is also 80-baht.

There are plenty of bars and restaurants around. Certainly no problem finding the football here. Basically, they now have everything you need but still at reasonable prices and with a nice laid back feel.

The island is developing rapidly, even from the last time I visited two years ago. There are lots of new resorts and quite a few of the old back-packer huts have disappeared. You can't stop development but hopefully they will contain it and maintain the nice relaxed atmosphere.

Back to Nakhon Nayok

2009-04-13T11:37:00.002+07:00

It is time for our annual trip to Nakhon Nayok. We normally take our time driving up but this year the timing was so close to Songkhran that we just got on with the drive. As it turned out, we timed it perfectly. As we drove north from Phuket towards Bangkok, we had nice clear roads while all the way there were traffic jams on the other side of the road heading south. The traffic was heavy as we bypassed Bangkok but we soon found open road again and reached Nakhon Nayok in record time.

The weather was fairly crap for the whole trip and there was a full on thunderstorm as we arrived. It seems like the rainy season has arrived early this year. This is a shame as half the point of Songkhran is that it is normally the hottest time of year and a perfect time for a good water fight. There is not much point in having a water fight during a rain storm. Well fortunately, today is Songkhran proper and the weather has cleared here just in time. It is a nice sunny day outside and the water fights are in full swing.

Nakhon Nayok is still the same. Everyone is very friendly. There is lots of good food and it is all very picturesque. Lots of people come from Bangkok every weekend to play in the rivers and waterfalls and there will be more than normal for Songkhran.

We normally make this a 2 or 3 week trip but we have got here so quickly that I don't know what I will do to fill the time. I enjoy taking it easy in Nakhon Nayok for about a week but then the novelty wears off and I want to move again. We will need a plan to fill our time.

Koh Racha Islands

2009-04-06T11:51:00.001+07:00

I do like a trip to a nice island. If it has a good beach and some decent snorkeling then that is ideal. Hopefully, it will not be too crowded but will have a few restaurants and bars. All the better if we can stay for a night or two to really chill out and appreciate the place. So when a few of our local Thai friends invited us to join them on a trip to Koh Racha, I was more than happy to accept. A couple of them work for one of the major hotels in Phuket and they had a very good deal on a speedboat tour and bungalow resort.

There are two islands, Koh Racha Yai & Noi. They are a fair distance out from Phuket and it takes dive boats well over an hour to get out there. Taking the speedboat really makes a difference. We zipped across from Chalong pier in half an hour and moored at the pier in Patok Bay at Koh Racha Yai. There is a great beach in this bay. There is also a posh 5-star resort and a handful of shops and restaurants.

I have visited Koh Racha a few times before on diving and fishing trips. Obviously, this involves spending most of your time on the water so I had never really had a look inside the island. Looking from the sea, I always assumed there was nothing much within the islands except for jungle. I was therefore quite surprised when our bungalow resort picked us up from the beach (with a tractor and trailer) and whisked us into the island. There are tracks and pathways around the island. Along the tracks are a few rustic little bungalow resorts, restaurants and coconut plantations.

Our bungalows were at the Raya Father Resort. It has pleasant little bungalows for 1000-baht a night (unless you are getting a special deal like us). There is a restaurant, internet shop and a little garden. We settled in and then went back to Patok Bay where our speedboat was waiting to take us for a cruise around Racha Yai. There is some great snorkeling around the Racha islands and we even saw a dolphin jump out the water.

After the cruise, our resort provided lunch (all included) and then we wandered across to the island’s other major beach in Siam Bay for the afternoon. It is a beautiful, quiet and laid back beach. We spent a lazy afternoon swimming and sleeping. We spent the evening at our bungalow resort eating and drinking.

It is all just the sort of stuff I like from an island trip. Good beaches, good snorkeling, friendly locals and relaxing evenings by the bungalow supping a few beers (well quite a lot of beers).

The food and drink prices at the outlying islands are generally a little higher than on Phuket, as they have to bring everything out by boat. We did a trip to Coral Island a few weeks ago where they were massively overcharging and we won’t be going back to that beach again. The prices at Racha Yai are what you would expect to pay at the islands and are reasonable. The Racha Islands are a good option for a few days island getaway.

School Holidays

2009-03-24T10:46:00.000+07:00

The main Thai school holidays have started. They last for two months from the middle of March until the middle of May. It is the hottest time of the year and it also covers Thai New Year. So every day Ben and Jenny are scrambling around the house from morning to night. I had forgotten how peaceful it is when they are both at school.

In one way, I look forward to the school holidays because school days are a bit of an effort. We need to do the bedtime routine and get the kids to bed early the night before. We need to get up early, cajole the kids through the morning routine and then get them to school. We need to pick the kids up in the afternoon. It is all a bit limiting on what we can do in the day. Now the school holidays have started, we can do whatever we want.

On the other hand, after a couple of weeks of school holidays, I start to miss the order and routine of school days. During school holidays, we often get lazy about putting the kids to bed. It is easier to let them play until they are exhausted and fall asleep. They are remorseless and play all day. We have to try to keep up, control their exuberance, referee their little quarrels and generally limit the damage. It is great to see them so active and happy but it also leaves us feeling quite exhausted by the end of the day.

We haven’t done anything special yet this holiday. At the moment, Pon is suffering from tendonitis in her shoulder so she is a bit limited in what she can do. We go for the odd trip to the beach, park or a restaurant.

This is also the time of year we usually do our annual trip to Pon’s home village. We drive around, find a few nice spots to stay between here and there, spend a week at the village and then come back. As pon is currently suffering a little, we will give it at least another couple of weeks to clear up before we think about going.

Phi Phi Islands

2009-02-21T15:47:00.003+07:00

Last weekend a gang of us spent the weekend at the Phi Phi islands. It is funny that somehow, with such a beautiful place only an easy boat ride away, that I have only been out there a handful of times and have not stayed overnight since my first visit to Thailand 9 years ago.

Well this weekend everything slipped into place for a trip away. We had a few friends around who were free for the trip so 11 of us set out for Phi Phi. You get the ferry at Rassada Port, which is the other side of Phuket Town. They leave about 8:30 in the morning and the return fair is about 600-baht.

Phi Phi has changed a lot since the first time I stayed and jeez, Phi Phi is busy. With the rest of Thailand suffering a tourism downturn, I assumed things would be relatively quiet at Phi Phi. How wrong I was. Phi Phi seems to be immune from the credit crunch. There are at least a dozen ferries doing the return trip daily from Phuket and also from Krabi and Ao Nang. There are dozens of speedboats buzzing day-trippers around the islands. Maya Bay (made famous in the movie ‘The Beach’) was crammed.

Still there is no denying the beauty of the place. The limestone cliffs are stunning and at this time of the year, the sea is flat, blue and inviting. There are some good diving sites and some of the snorkeling is quite sumptuous.

The ferry docks at Tonsai Bay. I saw this area not long after the tsunami and it was flattened. You would never know now. There are two bays here that almost meet. They are separated by a sandy plain only 200-meters wide. This entire strip of land has now been developed with hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and bars.

We wanted some cheap beach bungalows, which we thought would be easy enough to find. Well it wasn’t that easy. We found a few basic bamboo huts starting from 800-baht a night but we ended up settling on some slightly plusher bungalows for 1,500 baht. They were next to the beach (the one opposite where the ferries land). This area also seems to have become a bit of a party area for the young crowd. They have nightly beach parties with disco music and spinning flame sticks.

In the evening, we looked for a relaxing restaurant. Every restaurant was full, they are all doing great business. We finally found a place where they could squeeze in 11 people and had a decent meal. Then we drank beer on the beach while watching the party revelers and the spinning flame sticks.

The next day we hired a longtail boat to look around Phi Phi. It was a lovely trip. We visited Monkey Beach and despite the number of people, we still found a couple of isolated coves that were beautiful and quiet. We found some lovely snorkeling. Ben may only be 5 but he wasn’t going to be left out so he soon had his life-jacket and mask on and was swimming amongst the fish.

We all thoroughly enjoyed the trip although it wasn’t exactly what we had expected. Phi Phi is certainly changing. There are more 4-star hotels and less backpacking accommodation. It seems that Phi Phi is going a bit more up-market. There also seems to be a large young party crowd. In fact, there is quite a crowd, full stop.

Despite the crowds, Phi Phi still has a lot to offer and I hope it will not be another 9-years before we go and stay over again.

Visas and Stuff

2009-01-15T11:42:00.000+07:00

There are always things going on in Phuket. We have recently had children’s day, a fair at Saphan Hin, a party at the university and soon it will be Chinese New Year. It all helps to keep Phuket fun. As well as all the regular attractions such as trips to the beach, you also have these special events for a bit of variation. It is not as if you are ever really struggling to find things to do.

I have just got back from my annual (well 15-monthly) visit to Penang to renew my marriage visa. I normally get a 1-year multi-entry. This visa allows you to stay for 90-days each visit, as many visits as you want for the 1-year duration of the visa. That is, you have to do a visa run every 90-days by hopping over the border to another country and hopping back again. It was an arrangement I was happy enough to accept. A visa run every 3-months is not a great hardship and we usually turn it into a family trip.

It is the fourth time I have made the Penang trip and I was beginning to look on it as a formality. Well this time I got a bit of a surprise as the consul turned down my application for a multi-entry and only gave me a single-entry 90-day visa. It goes to show you can never take anything for granted. The problem is the various Thai consuls around the region can and do apply their own interpretations of the regulations. In this case, they said I should have 800,000 baht in the bank (actually twice as much as is required for the 1-year extension of stay).

It is no use jumping up and down about these things. You have to accept them and find the best way of working with them. So I have 3-months to work out another visa option such as applying for the 1-year extension of stay. If not, then I do know people who actually go to Penang every 3-months. I really do not fancy that option but it is there as a last resort.

For the moment, it is nice to be back home. Tomorrow is teacher’s day so it is a day off school. I think we will go out somewhere.

New Year in Phuket

2009-01-04T02:16:00.001+07:00

Last year we welcomed in the New Year at Patong. It was actually generally a very unpleasant evening and we swore we would not do New Year in Patong again. So, this year we went for a very different option – camping at Nai Yang Beach.

We have camped at Nai Yang before but we weren’t quite sure what to expect at New Year. We thought it might be busy, it is a Thai holiday and the Thais do enjoy camping. Well there were plenty of people there during the day – certainly compared to normal but still a lot less than an average day at Patong. Many of these people came like us, to set up camp for the night. It was enough people to make it feel like it was a special night out but not so many to feel crowded.

The camping area at Nai Yang Beach is in a national park. They have recently started charging the full 200-baht entrance fee for foreigners but we had no problem convincing the attendants we were local residents and therefore entitled to pay the local 40-baht entrance price.

Most people want to camp in the area under the trees by the beach. This means you have to bring your own tent – if you rent tents from the park they insist you camp in the designated camping area on the other side of the road. We bought our own tents and bbq and set up camp right next to the beach. We spent the day dipping in the sea between drinking a few beers and eating from the bbq. The sun set so we spent more time drinking and eating.

Our kids were having a great time on the beach. First, they dug quite an impressive hole. We left them to it so I was a little surprised when I was told I must go to the beach to see the work of art they had created. It was quite amazing. There was a wonderful mixed group of kids beavering away, creating a truly impressive masterpiece. They had formed a series of concentric circles around the hole framed with a couple of triangles. If the ancients had done it, it would have been declared one of the wonders of the world. Okay, that is a slight exaggeration but here was this mix of young children, naturally working in unison and with great enthusiasm to create a lovely little masterpiece on the beach. An hour later, the tide washed it away.

A few of the campers had bought their own fireworks. From Nai Yang, there is a fantastic view along Mai Khao Beach. As midnight approached, you could see the firework displays kicking off from the few resorts along that beach such as the Marriott. It made a lovely sight.

The next day we did more of the same. Fresh fish on the bbq, a few beers from the ice box and swimming in the sea. It was a vast improvement on the previous year and a much better way for the whole family to welcome the New Year.

Phuket Brewery

2008-12-11T16:43:00.003+07:00

Phuket has a new entertainment venue. I’m sure most locals have noticed the arrival of Phuket Brewery. It is located directly opposite Tesco Lotus and it is well worth taking a closer look. Inside is an impressive hall with a big stage. There is tabled seating, apparently for up to 1,800 people.

They have bookings for a few star acts over the next couple of months and you have to buy tickets to see these shows. When there is no star act, they have a nightly show and entrance to these is free. So this week we went to see the show.

I believe the show starts quite early, about 7pm and carries on to about 1am. We arrived about 9pm. It is kind of a variety show. We were treated to a magic show, juggling, acrobatics, singers, a balancing act, dancing girls and a band. It is an impressive range of acts to squeeze into an evening’s entertainment.

It is called Phuket Brewery because they brew their own beer in their micro-brewery. At first glance the food and drink prices seem a bit steep. It is 250 baht for a 1-litre jug of beer. That is well above the normal local price but when you think about it, it is about the same as drinking 3 bottles of beer in Patong at 80 baht a go. And you are getting a good free show.

More to the point, this beer is very different to the normal rubbish that is available in Thailand. They have three beers:

The first is like a pilsner style lager.
The second is a dark beer. This is my favourite as it is a little similar to British style bitter.
The third is a wheat beer.

They all have their own character and they taste like they are much less chemical than all the bottled Thai beers. Certainly I went through a lot of the stuff and I still woke up with a very minor hangover.

We were so impressed with the place that we decided to buy tickets for one of the star act shows. So last night we went to see INCA. They were very good and all top notch musicians. It is a shame that they succumbed to that strange tendency of Thai bands to play lots of Eagles covers, and yes of course they did Hotel California. They did play the covers much better than your average Thai bar band but they were still much better when they played their own stuff.

So all-in-all, we are impressed with Phuket Brewery. The show is definitely worth a look. Check their website - Phuket Brewery.

Camping at Sawasdee Lagoon

2008-11-20T14:22:00.003+07:00

Here is a suggestion for anyone who enjoys camping and getting away from it all - Sawasdee Lagoon.

Nick spotted signs for this place and suggested we give it a go. I am all for trying new places so we packed our bags for a night’s stay, pushed our families into the cars and off we went. It is on the Phang Nga mainland close to Thai Mueang, check out their website for the little map. It is only 10-15 minutes drive from Sarasin Bridge.

It is definitely worth giving them a phone before you go. The woman owner speaks good English and is very helpful. The night before we arrived, they had a group of 70 people who bought their own karaoke gear and were up singing until the early hours. The night we were there, we were the only people by the lake. So it is worth checking if they have any big parties coming.

We found the campsite off the main highway, about 4km down a narrow country road. It is by a lake and nestled amongst rubber plantations and jungle.

They have a line of tents by the lake. They are big tents that could sleep 4 adults. Each tent is under a shelter to provide extra protection from the elements. They have electricity, lights, fans, deckchairs and tables. Behind the tents is a block with clean toilets and showers. No hot water here but they do have very nice hot showers nearby, next to the restaurant. So you get the idea -- we can call it camping but we were not exactly roughing it.

They have a little restaurant with outdoor seating under a sala. There is a lovely little manicured garden with miniature waterfalls and fish in the ponds. They have a few kayaks so you can take a paddle around the lake. They have bikes so you can take a ride around the rubber plantations and they even have a good size football pitch so you can have a kick around.

Nick is a fishing enthusiast so he was keen to try his luck and see if he could catch anything from the lake (he didn’t actually catch anything but he assures me that is only because he set his bait for big fish). Our kids had a fine time running around and generally causing chaos. Benny wasn’t in top form as he had a little fever but that wasn’t going to stop him having a paddle on the lake.

The cost was 1000-baht a tent, which includes an evening meal and breakfast for everyone. The food was excellent, including a whopping fried fish. You can just pay for the tent and sort out your own food – I think that is about 350-baht a night. Come nightfall, the kids finally fell asleep in their tents. Nick and I drank beer by the lake until the icebox was empty.

All-in-all, it is a very nice set up. It is a different option to get away from the crowds – well as long as you are not there on a karaoke night.

If you wanted to explore the surrounding area, there are a few attractions nearby. There is Thai Meuang Beach and Golf Course. There are hot springs not far from Khok Kloy. On the other side of Thai Meuang is Lampi Waterfall.

Loy Kratong - A Washout

2008-11-13T13:45:00.002+07:00

Yesterday was Loy Kratong - the annual Thai festival where you float your bad luck away by pushing a kratong out to water. A kratong is a little float made from banana leaves, flowers and such, with a candle on top. It is a charming little festival. Thais gather after dark at rivers, lakes or the sea to join in. We usually make the effort to join in somewhere. Previously we have gone to restaurants by lakes, the lake in the park in Phuket Town or Saphan Hin.

This year, we decided to give it a go at the reservoir at Bang Wad Dam in Kathu. When we got there, I was surprised by how many people were there - it is the biggest Loy Kratong gathering I have seen in Phuket. Literally thousands of people must have come and gone during the evening. They had a little stage show, food stalls, beer tents and of course lots of stalls selling kratongs.

We did our little kratong thing, lighting the candles and pushing them out on to the reservoir. We did it just in time as 5 minutes later the heavens opened and it poured down. We took cover in a small beer tent. It was standing room only as everyone crammed in but the mood was good and everyone was laughing. We had a beer while we waited for the rain to pass. It carried on raining so we had another and another.

Ben is good at finding new friends. He quickly found a girl about the same age as him and they happily played in the rain all evening, soaked to the skin and loving it. Jenny fell asleep.

3 hours later and I was fairly hammered. The rain finally relented but Nick had arrived so it seemed only decent to stay for a few more beers before staggering home. I made the effort to wake up at 3am to watch Spurs play Liverpool. It was a real struggle but worth the effort as we continued our remarkable revival with a 4-2 win.

I failed to get the kids into school this morning. Good to know I have my priorities right. I can manage 3am in the morning to watch Spurs but 8am for school is beyond me.

Life is Good

2008-11-07T11:00:00.000+07:00

The good weather seems to have arrived bang on schedule at the start of November. I expect we still have a bit of rain to come but it has been beautiful for the last few days. As I was playing on the beach yesterday with my kids, I couldn’t help but think about how absurdly good a life I have here. My life mostly involves doing things I like.

I have to do a bit of work on the computer but it is not exactly taking up all my time. I get to spend a lot of time playing with my kids. It can actually be quite exhausting but I still love playing with them. I play football once or twice a week and usually go to the beach afterwards. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week. I used to play a little bit of golf in England but for the 7-years I have been in Thailand, I had not played a game. Recently, I started golf again. Nick is a member at Phuket Country Club and was kind enough to give me an old set of clubs so I can get back into the swing of the game. I always enjoyed my odd game of golf in England but playing in Phuket is a far better experience.

There are lots of good things around Phuket to do with the family. On Sunday we went to the zoo. The day before, we went to the beach. Over the next 6-months of the dry-season, we will do trips to many of the beaches and islands around Phuket. There are so many beautiful spots and many great restaurants.

Marco and the gang from Manchester have been in Phuket for the last two weeks.. That meant a few nights out in Patong. I am no longer the biggest fan of Patong but it is still good fun for the odd night out. Marco is one of those guys who feels his spiritual home is Thailand. He lived here for a couple of years but had to return home for health reasons. He is now working feverishly in Manchester to get enough money together to set up a new life in Phuket. Watching Marco work so hard to get back out here reminds me how lucky I am to be here all the time.

Marco and the gang returned home a couple of days ago but as one set of drinking buddies leave, others return. Gil and Nick are both due to return from working offshore in the next week or two.

Life is pretty good. It makes me worry that something must go wrong. The one big cloud I see on the horizon is the world economic crisis. If it hits as hard as it might, then those of us in Thailand will certainly not be sheltered. Already, the British pound has taken a battering. That makes for a painful hit on my spending power and the same for many other Brits in Thailand. Still, we cannot predict the future so there is no point worrying about it too much. There is a lot to be said for the Thai attitude of living for today. We can try to prepare for the future but we shouldn’t forget to enjoy today.

Another Visa Run

2008-10-17T13:14:00.002+07:00

I have just finished another 3-monthly visa run. It is a strange requirement that even when you are married to a Thai and have Thai children, you still have to jump through a few hoops to maintain your legal visa status here. I often think about applying for the 1-year visa extension and putting an end to this visa run necessity. However, when I look at the amount of paperwork I have to get together for this application, I just can’t quite be bothered to do it. Besides that, I actually quite enjoy having to do a trip every 3-months.

I have mentioned many times before, I like to take the family along and turn this chore into a trip. This time, I decided to go the Hat Yai direction and jump over the Malaysian border at Dannok. The last time we went this way we stayed over two nights and it all seemed a little too rushed. There was too much time driving and not enough time looking around. This time we took four nights.

Our first stopover was Krabi Fishing Park. I was looking for an alternative to staying at a beach and a friend suggested this place. You would never find it if you didn’t know where it was. It is a small lake in a scenic location just a few kilometers before you reach Krabi. There are a few shelters around the lake and there is a small restaurant. You just settle down in one of the shelters and drop your line in the water. Ben and Jenny did all the fishing. They never had a chance to catch anything as they splashed their rods in and out of the water but they thoroughly enjoyed trying. Pon and I sat in the shelter and took full advantage of all the restaurant had to offer.

The park has a few bungalows. They are basic affairs but ideal for the get-away-from-it-all feel of the place. We spent the evening sipping beers on the balcony while enjoying the solitude. It was good start to the trip.

The next day we went to Hat Yai. We would stay two nights. I enjoy basic accommodation when we are out in the country but when I am in a big town like Hat Yai, I want a decent hotel. Places like Hat Yai are just too much hustle and too tiring to have to come back to a grotty hotel. We settled in at the Asian Hotel – fantastic value at 880 baht a night. It is not exactly 5-star but the rooms are comfortable, it has cable TV, hot water and a bath. You can easily find a hotel for 500-baht but it is just not worth the saving.

The next day I did the 1-hour drive to Dannok and the visa-hop routine. We did some shopping around Hat Yai and checked out a few of the local bars and restaurants. All good. I like Hat Yai. There is nothing very exciting there but there is a lively feel to the place.

We spent our final night on the way home at Thale Noi, near Phattalung. It is a large lake that is a bird sanctuary. The main thing to do there is take a boat across the lake and enjoy the scenery and birds. The north half of the lake is quite shallow so it is like a field of lotus leaves and other foliage. There are lots of herons, cormorants, kites and all kinds of other birds that I couldn’t name. It is all very picturesque. It is just a shame they cannot find a quieter mode of transport to enjoy this tranquility than the chuggering longtail boats. It would be a stunning trip if they could replace that ear-bursting noise with a nice gentle hum.

My wife Pon has an uncanny talent for making friends with the locals. She seems to attract them without even trying. Almost anywhere we go, we will end up having a few drinks and a friendly chat with some local characters. In Hat Yai, we had a fantastic seafood meal for half price after the restaurant owner decided she wanted to spend the evening chatting with us. In Thale Noi, we could hardly get the guesthouse owners to accept our money for the beer.

All in all, a very good trip. Doing it in 4-days is definitely a much more civilised pace than 2 days.

Vegetarian Festival

2008-10-06T11:00:00.002+07:00

It is that time of year again in Phuket when everything gets a bit weird and mystical -- especially around the Phuket Town area. It is the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. It is a truly extraordinary festival and it is right up there with the strangest sights to be seen anywhere in the world. There is a lot of information on the net about the festival. The official website is here. There is so much going on that you could easily spend the full 10 days exploring and enjoying the events. Indeed, many people from all over the world come and do just that.

There are 9 temples spread around Phuket Town and the surrounding area where the activities are centered. There are lots of food stalls around all of them serving a wide range of very good vegetarian food. In the evenings there are displays around the temples such as walking across hot coals or climbing blade ladders. The main focal points of the festival are the processions. Each morning, a procession sets off from one of the 9 temples and marches around Phuket Town and back again. This is where you can see the famous body piercings. There are ‘mediums’ or ‘shaman’ who pierce their cheeks and other places with a bizarre assortment of objects ranging from skewers and swords to spears and bikes.

Every year, we make an effort to see at least one of the processions. We also go to a few of the temples, eat some vegetarian food and do a little ‘wai pra’ at the temple.

However, my absolute top recommendation for the festival is the final night, which this year is tomorrow – 7th October 2008. If you are only going to make one visit to the festival then this is the time to go. This is the night when they call the gods to ascend back to the heavens. The crowds start to gather around the route in Phuket Town from the early evening. They start lighting fireworks and firecrackers all around town and they keep it up all evening until it slowly builds up to an incredible crescendo. On this night, the procession comes through town at a charge. As they come through, the crowd bombard them with firecrackers. The air is full of smoke and flashing lights. It is a truly spectacular sight.

We always go to the area around the clock circle in front of the Metropole Hotel. The final procession comes charging through around 11pm until midnight. Then everybody heads to Saphan Hin for a mass celebration.

If you are free and you haven’t seen it before, you shouldn’t miss it. Ear plugs are a good idea.

Rain On

2008-09-28T18:27:00.003+07:00

The rain continues to come down. I was going to play football today. The regular ex-pat game is going again in Patong after the latest tournament finished. My usual injury problems are currently clear. Unfortunately, it has poured down all day so I gave it a miss. The school holidays have started now so at least it is easy for me to get to the weekday games. My legs only really hold up to one or two games a week so I will wait until Tuesday.

There is no sign of the rat. I think it must have slipped out somehow. Pon thinks it might have died inside the cooker but I think we would be able to smell it by now. I still feel like replacing the cooker - it is very old and two of the hobs don't work anyway.

Ben has been suffering with a runny nose for two or three months. We have taken him to Phuket International Hospital a few times to check it out. At first, they thought it was sinusitus and gave him antibiotics. After that didn't work, they sent him to the ear, nose and throat doctor. He reckons Ben has developed some sort of allergy. The only way to be sure is to give him allergy tests which apparently are quite painful. For the moment he is on a nasal spray to quieten it down. I wonder if he might be allergic to the rat -- I blame everything on the rat.

We had a great meal at a new restaurant yesterday. There is a guy called Jamie Monk who runs a good blog about all things Phuket, outside of the main tourist places. He covers a lot of the sort of places I like, so I sometimes find myself following his recommendations. So we headed to the Pak Naam Seafood restaurant, just north of Phuket Town. It was a fabulous meal of really good Thai food, friendly service and nice setting. I wish more tourists could see these sort of places as they are so much better than the restaurants they will experience in the tourist resorts.

We had a great meal for four (plus two kids), we were all stuffed and the bill came in at 1,000 baht. To get to the restaurant, drive north out of Phuket Town on Thepkrasattri Road and turn right at the traffic lights just after Mission Hospital. The restaurant is about 3km up this road on the left hand side.

The football season is now in full flow and Spurs continue to prop up the league. At least Hull made my weekend by beating Arsenal. It is a bit sad when your main source of sporting satisfaction is seeing your rivals lose but that is what I am reduced to. It is a bit like being Scottish. Anyway, time to settle down and watch Spurs struggle at Portsmouth.

A Rat in the Kitchen

2008-09-18T08:44:00.002+07:00

It has been a quiet couple of weeks. It is the height of the rainy season and it is difficult to get out and do anything. The rain has been coming down pretty hard and regular. September and October are the two months of the year where you know it is going to be a bit miserable and you just have to get through them with plenty of indoor activities. I take the kids to the play areas in Big C or Tesco or we go and see a movie. It is a bit limiting but it is only a couple of months.

Ben made a big breakthrough on his bike yesterday. We took his stabilisers off. It took a few minutes with me running along beside him as he wobbled along but he soon got the hang of it. He is delighted with himself and wants to do more this evening.

Gil has been back in Phuket so we have had a few drinking sessions and a night in Patong. It was the first time I have been in Patong for quite a while. There are actually a McDonalds and Starbucks in Bangla Road now, which weren’t there last time I went.

In the meantime, I think we have a rat in the house. I have seen a couple outside and around the house next door which is only semi-occupied. There had been a few indications that something was inside. A corner of our sofa was gnawed, a bin bag shredded and the rice bucket opened.

Then there was scrabbling in our roof. Every morning we were woken by scrabbling across the ceiling above our heads. I hate rats so I couldn’t have them running around above my head. I bought some of those glue rat-traps. I was going to put them above the ceiling. I stuck my head up through the little trap door into our roof and I could hear scrabbling all around me. I hated it. I was about to lay the traps when I saw the culprits. It wasn’t rats at all. We had a mother cat and her family of kittens in the roof. I was so pleased it wasn’t rats that I was happy to leave them there.

Then Pon saw a rat in the kitchen. It darted into the back of our cooker. No matter how much we shook the cooker, it refused to come out. We have circled the cooker with glue traps for the last week but we still haven’t caught anything. Pon swears she still hears noises in the cooker sometimes so it is still inside. Can rats actually stay inside that long? I don’ know. I think I might just buy a new cooker and throw the old one away.

Ben and Jenny

2008-08-25T10:03:00.003+07:00

One of the things I'm often conscious of about having two kids is trying to make sure the younger one gets the same attention and opportunities as the elder did at the same age. Ben is a bubbly personality and very demanding. Jenny is a quieter character and is often happy to play second fiddle to Ben. If Ben had his way he would happily push Jenny aside and do everything himself.

Research shows that the eldest child in the family usually has the highest IQ. This is generally put down to the eldest child having the undivided attention of the parents in his early years while the younger siblings have to share the attention.

So I often find myself trying to remember what Ben was doing at Jenny's age. When he was three he was already good on the computer. He could use the mouse and find his way around internet sites to play little games. These days, they still like to play on the computer but of course Ben does it all and Jenny watches so she is really getting nothing out of it. This week I forced Ben out of the seat and let Jenny have a go. In just a few minutes she picked it up and was happily clicking away with the mouse. I guess all that time watching Ben wasn't a total waste.

It is interesting to watch the way they develop. In one way Jenny has a disadvantage with Ben in that Ben had my undivided attention when he was a toddler and I just cannot give Jenny the same amount of time. On the other hand, Ben is actually a benefit to Jenny because she does learn from him. He is a little chatterbox so she is always picking up language from him. He also likes to lead her on little games. Ben says Jenny is rubbish at everything except playing - he says she is very good at playing.

In the meantime, the English football season has started. What a disaster! Spurs have lost their first two games and with away to Chelsea coming next week we are at the foot of the table. It is early days and plenty of time to turn it around but I think the notion we might be able to break into the top 4 has already been exploded as nonsense.

I have never really been down on football before. I have always thought football was the best game in the world and never really had any negative thoughts about it. However, I have to admit the way the game has developed over the last few seasons leaves me feeling cold. It is actually the sport's success that is working against it. The sport is now so popular and creating so much money that the game has become secondary. The big money men have come in and their only motivation is profit. The richest clubs have set up the game so that no one else even has a hope of competing with them and most of the players seem to have lost any sense of loyalty to anything except money.

Still I have to say the sport itself is miles better than any other sport in the world so I will still be watching next week.

Ratchaprapha Dam at Khao Sok National Park

2008-08-10T11:00:00.002+07:00

The kids had a great birthday. They had friends round and plenty of presents. They have destroyed most of the presents already. It took Ben one minute to break his new remote control car. I’m convinced his future is in demolition. We had a good collection of the local characters round for the BBQ and plenty of beer was drunk. It was an entertaining evening.

The next day I only had a minor hangover so we gave the kids a couple of days off school and went to Ratchaprapha Dam at Khao Sok National Park. A few of our Thai neighbours organized the trip. I have known most of them for a few years and they are all a good bunch so I was happy to join them. I have wanted to visit Khao Sok for some time anyway.

I didn’t know exactly what to expect but it turned out to be a great trip. Our group of 12 drove up in 3 cars. It is about 2 and a half hours drive from Phuket.

At the dam we hired a boat to take us across the huge lake to our accommodation. Our Thai friends arranged everything. While they did that, I chatted to a German couple at the pier. They were very unhappy. They had been quoted 5000 baht for the boat trip and two nights stay – twice what they had paid the previous year. They were refusing to go and the guy was sure the park had been taken over by the mafia. I really doubt that but there is no doubt prices have increased sharply in Thailand and that tourists are charged more than Thais.

We of course, were going to get the Thai price. We also had the benefit of savings of scale because we had a bigger group. It was 2,200 baht for the return boat trip (200 baht each) and 600 baht per person, per night for the accommodation.

The lake really is big. It took us an hour to make our way around the spectacular limestone karst scenery to the drop off point. From there we had a tricky half hour trek over a hill to a lake on the other side and then a short raft trip to our accommodation – a group of floating huts on the lake. I actually thought 600 baht per person was expensive for the basic accommodation until I found out that the price included three slap-up meals and use of the resort’s kayaks.

We had a day of swimming in the lake and paddling around in kayaks. The scenery is fantastic. In the evening the resort prepared us a fantastic meal and the food kept coming until we were all stuffed. After that, it was beers by the lake. The next day, breakfast, swimming, kayaking, lunch, swimming, kayaking, going home. It was all good fun.

The thing that amazes me is the way our two little kids get stuck into these trips. You might think that a lake in the middle of the jungle would be a bit scary for a 5 year old and a 3 year old – not a bit of it. The pair of them could not wait to get their lifejackets on and dive into the water. They were soon swimming around in the middle of the lake. Then they jumped into the kayaks and Ben was happily paddling across the lake. Even the trek over the slippy hill didn’t bother them. They both walked right across.

A group of huts floating on a lake is not ideal accommodation for two small kids. You do have to keep an eye on them all the time. The pair of them were just not phased and never slipped. I guess I was the heaviest person in the group as my foot went through the bamboo flooring a couple of times – I’m really not that heavy.

Kids' Birthday

2008-08-06T13:33:00.002+07:00

Well the Dengue is all clear and we are all well again. It took a good week or two after the symptoms had cleared before I really felt back to normal. It seems like there is a lot of Dengue around at the moment.

Today it’s the kids' birthday. Both of them. Ben is 5 and Jenny is 3. It is not a total coincidence that they were born on the same day two years apart. They were both born by caesarian so we had a little bit of choice about what day Jenny came out. Since she was going to be born within a few days of Ben’s birthday, it seemed to make sense to get her out on the same day. That way we only need one birthday party a year, no jealousy, no wishing it was their turn.

The kids are at school now. When they come back we will have a little party. A BBQ and a few beers. Shortly, I will go out and buy their presents. I think a new bike for Jenny and a train set for Ben. Maybe a few other bits and pieces.

Tomorrow we are planning on going to Khao Sok National Park for a couple of days. I think it depends on quite how bad our hangovers are but Pon is confident we are going. We have a few friends going and they have delayed the trip until after our kids birthday just so we can join them. I have fancied going to Khao Sok for quite a while so it should be a good trip (as long as the hangover is not too bad). We will have to give the kids a couple of days off school but that doesn’t matter at their age. In fact, I think I would have struggled to get them into school tomorrow anyway after the party tonight.

In the meantime, work have found another project to involve me with so it looks like they will need me for at least another couple of months which is good news. If only my internet connection wasn't so frustratingly unreliable at the moment. I use TOT's Silvercyber package. It is okay when it is running - nowhere near as fast as it shoud be but okay. The problem is it just freezes up so often. TT&T have just come into our estate and offered their own package - Maxnet. From what people are saying it is faster and more reliable so I think it is time to change.

Dengue ?

2008-07-20T10:32:00.002+07:00

The fevers are beginning to clear. Jenny seem pretty much better. Ben and I are still in a bit of a daze but the real suffering has ended.

I am convinced it was Dengue Fever. We haven't actually gone to the doctor to do the blood tests and confirm it. However, I had Dengue last year and this was exactly the same. One of the problems with Dengue is there are four strains and even when you have had one it does not give you immunity from the other strains. It is therefore possible to have Dengue four times - I'm halfway.

The main symptoms are the high fever which comes and goes. A vicious headache which is what really knocks you off your feet. Then there are the acheing bones. You also completely lose your appetite - I have been trying to force myself to eat but its not easy. You also get a red face and red flushes on your arms and legs. The three of us have been through all the classic symptoms of Dengue.

There is no treatment apart from to ease the symptoms with paracetemol and drink plenty of electrolyte rehydrating fluid.

So I did my visa run on Thursday. 12 hours on a minibus and boat was absolutely the last thing I needed. The guys I usually use weren't going last Thursday so I had to try a new company. Eve have two minibuses. They run one to The Andaman Club which I think is a nice bus - unfortunately it was full. I had to do their standard Ranong run on a cramped 15 seater minibus. Strangely, all the other passengers were Filipino. Apart from the minibus being cramped, there wasn't anything wrong with the run. It was just my physical condition that made it so crap. I had cold chills and was acheing all over by the end of the trip.

I am so looking forward to fully shaking off this thing.

Fevers All Round

2008-07-16T11:07:00.002+07:00

Ben, Jenny and myself all have a very nasty fever. Jenny came down first. It hit her really hard. She was burning up and shaking. We took her to the hospital on the second day. I was a little worried it might be Dengue Fever. I had Dengue last year and it really is nasty, you would not want to see your 2-year old go through that. The doctor felt it was a virus and gave us medicine to ease pain and fever.

The next day Ben and I came down with it. Now I know what Jenny has been going through. This horrible fever comes with a vicious headache and an aching back. For two days I could hardly move. The three of us have been spread across the sofa while Pon tends to us. Not that you actually want that much attention. When you feel that miserable you just want to bury your head in the pillow and wait for it to go away.

Jenny has had the fever for a week now and looks like she is starting to shake it off. Ben and I feel a little better but I guess we have another couple of days to suffer.

It feels like we have lost a whole week. What is more frustrating is I have to do my visa run tomorrow. Normally you know I like to make a trip out of this chore. Take the family along and spend a couple of days somewhere nice along the way. This time I had it in mind to try a couple of days at Khao Sok National Park. Of course that isn't going to happen now. Instead I am forced to book myself onto one of the many minibus visa run trips. I hate this trip at the best of times but tomorrow I am going to have to do it while still suffering a fever.

Still I think it gives me an excuse to take the family for a treat somewhere special once we are all better. I was looking at Phuket Hotels for Children. It is the low season and rates are good at the moment so we might give one of them a go.

Phuket Stunt Show

2008-07-04T10:24:00.003+07:00

There is a new show on the island. The Phuket Stunt Show has just opened in Chalong so I took the wife and kids and along we went to take a look.

The show starts at 7:30pm. It is 1,200 baht but they have discount for residents and Thais so I only had to pay 600 baht each for Pon and myself and the kids were free. That makes it quite a bargain for the quality of the show. We arrived early so we had time for burgers (100 baht but good), beer (90 baht and okay) and popcorn.

It is an impressive set up. A big stage area and water pool for the stunts and plenty of seating. As the name suggests, it is a show with lots of stunts. They do a lot of diving including a scary looking 27-meter high dive. It made me feel quite giddy just watching it. They mix all this up with some jetskis and boats buzzing around the water and in the second session they do treasue hunters and pirates fighting.

Ben absoultely loved the show. He couldn't stop laughing and kept saying 'that's a funny one'. Jenny was a little unnerved to begin with but she eventually got the idea that it was just play acting and started to enjoy it.

I think they could be on to a good thing with this show. It is not often that there is a genuinely good addition to Phuket's tourist attractions but this is one. It is a good idea and now they have it set up, their running costs can not be that high. The place was less than half full when we went but once high season arrives and they start filling the place, it has the potential to fairly rake the money in. Best of luck to them.

Their website does need quite a bit of work - Phuket Stunt Show

More about work

2008-06-26T12:30:00.003+07:00

What a shame, it looks like Huwy's DJ career has come to a rapid end. I think the radio station management recognised that they really couldn't afford to pay that much for a show that only covered 2 hours airspace. As much as it was a decent show, it just does not make financial sense to pay a full time wage for a 2 hour show. They tried to work out ways to get more from Huwy's talents but nothing else really fit. They were willing to pay a nominal fee for the show but Huwy was putting a lot of hours into it and was not willing to work on the cheap. So at the moment it looks like they will be going their seperate ways.

In the meantime I have been considering my work position. I have come to the conclusion that I will wait and see. If an opportunity comes along then I will take it but for the moment I am not going to chase anything. I have enough income to live comfortably enough so I will sit back and see how it develops. There may yet be a little bit of work from England. I also feel that if in a few years time my financial position is struggling then I always have the last resort of returning to England to do some work. That would be a much easier option once the kids are bigger.

I can't play football at the moment. I had been playing quite regularly but my old achilles injury flared up again. I at least had the sense to stop immediately so i think few weeks rest should put it right. Well as right as it ever will be.

To Work or Not To Work ?

2008-06-17T11:08:00.004+07:00

Well Huwy's show finally went out last week. It is a good rock show. Huwy's taste in rock music is very much on the heavy hardcore side and that comes through in his show but he also plays some more commercial and classic stuff. It should now be a regular show on Wednesday evening from 7pm to 9pm on 91.5FM.

Gil's break from work has been a short one. He is going back to the North Sea today. We have done a few little drinking sessions but nothing too heavy. This week has also been go-live for my work project in England. It all seems to have gone well and they are going to start using the system today. There will be a few more pieces of work for me to do to finish the project off but I think this is basically the end of the work from England.

All this work talk brings me to a quandary that has been at the back of my mind for a while. Do I want or need to find new work? I saw a couple of job advertisements

The work from England has been fantastic for me. It is part time, working from home and mostly at times that suit me. It was always my plan that once it was finished I would just live off the money I get from renting out my flat in London. However, it has to be said that the cost of living in Thailand has gone up considerably and looks like it will keep on going up. What previously looked like a comfortable financial situation is now much tighter. In addition, we now have the extra cost of educating the kids and I have to think that if they are to go to university then I will need to find this money for the next 20 years.

I can still live in Thailand well enough but I don't have the spare money to do a lot of the extra things I would like to do. You also have to consider the unexpected such as health problems or other unpleasant surprises. I have always paid our hospital bills as we go and they have never been a problem. Still I do feel a little exposed without some proper health insurance and I would like to have the family covered.

So there is my quandary. It is a quandary many other ex-pats in Thailand also face. How do you balance your quality of life with your money needs and long-term financial plans. I love not working. I have such a great lifestyle in Thailand. I love the time with my kids, going out and enjoying all that Phuket has to offer.

On the other hand, you have to be realistic. I have the time to enjoy Phuket but not always the money to do everything I want. I am still at the age when I should be trying to make money. It is no use waiting until I am in my fifties and then suddenly realizing I don’t have enough money to educate my kids.

Then again, if I do go to work, I have the money but I don’t have the spare time to enjoy it and I don’t have the same time or energy to spend with my kids.

It is a tough one to call. I need to spend a bit of time doing my sums and decide just how badly I need to work.

Show No Show

2008-06-06T16:15:00.002+07:00

Well after all the build up, Huwy's show didn't go out. A storm took down the radio station's antenna so there was only dead air. Oh well, all you excited listeners will just have to wait another week for his debut.

Huwy's birthday booze up did go ahead and it didn't stop until 6am. That made yesterday a bit of a write off for me - I was in a half daze all day. A good 12 hour sleep has sorted me out so I am back to life, and just in time. Gil has arrived back early so my hope that I could cut down on the drinking sessions is looking a bit forlorn.

Huwy Goes Live

2008-06-04T16:23:00.003+07:00

It is an exciting day for Huwy. His first rock show goes out live tonight - well it is not actually live. They recorded his first show but they did it as if it was live. They will let him go live when he is up to speed. I have heard a preview of the show and I have to say it is very good for a first effort. The rock schow suits Huwy's personailty much better than the little teaboy bit he has been doing and he comes across much more comfortable in the role. Huwy is a big rock fan and used to be a drummer in a band so he knows his heavy rock.

If you like rock you can catch his show from 7pm to 9pm, Wednesdays on 91.5 Phuket Island Radio.

It is also Huwy's birthday so a few drinks could be on the cards this evening.

In the meantime my life is in the usual routine. There seems to be quite a lot of drinking at the moment. I'm not knocking it but it does leave me feeling a bit rundown. Still Nick has gone back to work and Gil will be away for another couple of weeks so maybe things will slowdown a bit. On the other hand it is Huwy's birthday and Pon's birthday later this month.

Phuket Island Radio

2008-05-24T15:31:00.003+07:00

Huwy has started his new job as a radio presenter. It is a great result for him and I do hope it works out. Phuket is a great place to live if you have the money to enjoy it but it is not an easy place to make money. Huwy has tried running bars and working offshore but it just hasn't worked out for him. He doesn't really have many job skills so it was difficult to see how he was going to make a living here. Then out of the blue, on a night boozing in Patong he gets the offer to present a radio show. Huwy has no experience of radio presenting but the owner is confident he can pick it up in no time.

The owner actually has no experience of running a radio station but got drawn into it after he helped some Thais set up their station, only for them to drop out. Since then he has got serious about it and is making a serious investment in setting it up properly. Apparently the rules have recently been relaxed on foreigners running radio stations in Thailand so he is now free to do it. It is Phuket FM on 91.5.

There have been a few attempts at English language radio in Phuket but they have been pretty poor efforts and did not last long. I have always thought there was a market for a good English language radio station on the island so hopefully this guy can make it work.

Huwy has been learning the ropes as 'teaboy' on a couple of the afternoon shows. Basically the DJ calls on the teaboy (Huwy) for his opinions on whatever subject. Their afternoon DJ is an experienced radio presenter and you can tell he has that happy DJ voice. In comparison, Huwy still sounds a little wooden but as he gets confident he should improve. Huwy is a big rock fan so he has been given a rock show and a sports show. Today he records his first rock show. Once he gets confident they will start letting him play live.

Happy Birthday to Me

2008-05-20T12:44:00.003+07:00

Yesterday was my birthday. We had a little party. It was bad timing in a way because today is Ben and Jenny's first day back at school. I promised myself I wouldn't get too drunk and I would get to bed early. I was kidding myself. Time does funny things when you are drinking. Last night it magically became 5am and I have no idea how it happened. This morning I pushed the kids into school at 10:30am and was quite proud of myself for only being two and a half hours late.

In a way, it was also bad timing for Gil and Huwy because they are both starting new jobs today. Still they are good jobs for both of them so they were in good moods. Gil has got his first offshore job in the north sea which is something he has been hoping to get for a while. And Huwy has a job with a radio station. For Huwy to find a job that actually suits him is quite a result. He doesn't really have many job skills and he doesn't like working for people (who does?). I really wondered if he would ever find work but we were out in Patong last week and a guy offered him a job as a radio presenter. It could be ideal for him. He has got a sports show and a rock show. Today he is doing 'tea boy' while he learns the ropes.

In the meantime, I have had quite a bit of work coming in from England. The project I have been working on is going live this month. I'm not sure what is going to happen after that but I suspect that is pretty much the end of the work they have for me. It has been a great deal while it lasted. It is five years now that I have had part time work from them that I can do remotely from Thailand. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. My finanaces are okay but I would really like to get an extra income stream going to keep my books balanced.

After our recent visit to Nakhon Nayok, I decided to knock up a little website about the area so I have been doing that in my spare time over the last few weeks. This is it - Nakhon Nayok. The area is massively popular with Thai tourists but almost unknown to westerners so I figure it deserves a bit of promotion.

The Rain is Back

2008-05-11T16:43:00.002+07:00

Marco has gone home and Gil is away for a week in Singapore. Good, I need a break from all these boozing sessions. I just don't recover the way I used to. We did a final session in Patong on Thursday night to see Marco off. He loves every minute while he is here and takes full advantage of everything Patong has to offer. He is that sort of character, but also it is the difference between being on holiday or living here. He so quickly catches up with so many of the characters and stories that make Patong such a colourful place. It reminds me that the place can still be fun, even though I am a little bored of it.

In the meantime another friend is back in town. Nick is another guy who works offshore for a month and comes back for a month. I seem to have quite a few friends who come and go. Nick lives on the same estate as me, enjoys his sport, likes a few beers. We naturally have quite a bit in common so we go out for a few beers now and then. Last night we went for a few in Phuket Town, only to find that everywhere was closed for an election - damned democracy. So it was back to Nick's house for a couple of beers.

And in the meantime, the rains have well and truly arrived. Burma has been absolutely battered by a cyclone with tens of thousands dead. Thailand never seems to be hit by storms to that extent but the long periods of rain can be a bit demoralising. I enjoy a really good thunderstorm. They are so moody and spectacular to watch and they usually pass in an hour or two. It is the times when the rain settles in for days on end that drag you down a bit. We have 6 months of rain to look forward to but fortunately there are usually plenty of bright spells between when you can get out and about.

Marco Back

2008-05-01T21:29:00.002+07:00

So with old friends Marco and Gil both back in town, we all went out for a big night out in Patong on Tuesday night. It is good to see Marco back. He lived here for a couple of years until he had to go home for health reasons. He's an entertaining guy and was in good form. He loves it in Thailand and is keen to move back so he is working on putting away enough money to set himself up out here again.

It was Champions League night, Man U v Barcelona, and they are all Man U fans, including Huwy. How cliche is that. They are all good guys but I can't help feeling some disdain for Man U supporters. In all fairness, Marco is actually from Manchester. Gil and Huwy, the same as 99% of Man U fans, have never been to Old Trafford but still claim to be the most passionate fans in the world.

Man U won 1-0 so they were all very happy. Not surprisingly, they were not put off by my disdain for the Champions League and opinion that it was actually a boring game. Unless Spurs ever qualify for the CL, I will continue to look down on the competition as just the money making machine for the top 4 clubs that makes it impossible for anyone else to break their monopoly on the league. That is what the CL was designed for and it has turned the English Premier League into a predictable closed shop. Of course, if Spurs ever qualify I will be really happy we are getting a slice of the money.

We tuk-tuk'd home about 4am absolutely hammered. I felt crap the next day but wouldn't you know it, I had a load of work to do so I had to grind through it despite my a massive hangover. I'm just about recovered now.

Turns out I won the gym challenge. However, I can't really claim it was any great achievement as only 3 people entered. Strangely, they are not rushing to give me my prize shirt.

Back Home

2008-04-25T13:52:00.002+07:00

After a couple of weeks away, we are settling back into the usual routine at home. Jenny has gone back to nursery summer school. She was fine with it for the first couple of days but this morning she kicked off a right little tantrum and declared she did not want to go to school so I had to drag her there. I hope it is a one off and not a sign of things to come. It is only another week anyway and then they get three weeks off before the proper term starts. It will be good to get Ben and Jenny both out of the house. As much as I love them, I am looking forward to daytimes without being hassled for attention.

We have renewed our membership at the gym so I have been for the last few days. they have a little gym challenge going on at the moment. It is 20 minutes runnng, 20 minutes stepping and 5 minutes push ups. You total up the calories and push ups and the top three in the gym get a t-shirt and gym voucher. I do like a challenge so I had a go even though I haven't exercised for a month. I had to plod along on the running machine because I know if I push it, I will tear my feeble achilles tendons. I banged out a very respectable 460 calories on the stepper and struggled to 135 on the push ups. I am optimistic that one of those t-shirts is mine.

Gil is back in Phuket. We saw him and Daeng earlier in the week for a quick meal. We will go around their house tomorrow for a little bbq and to watch the football. Marco arrives back in Phuket next week so I expect there will be a few serious boozing sessions coming up.

Hot Springs, Ranong

2008-04-21T09:28:00.003+07:00

So we're back home. After our nice stopover at Ao Manao, I needed to go through Ranong and do the tedious border hop thing to get another three month stamp in my passport. I dropped off the family at the hot springs in Ranong. It would be a nice place for them to while away an hour or two while I sorted out the passport.

It turns out the immigration office in Ranong has just moved - it is now 1km further along the road at the longtail boat pier. So after a slight delay finding that, I did the usual routine. Stamped out of Thailand, got a longtail and crisp 10 dollar bill for the usual rip off 800 baht, went across to Burma, stamped in and out and then back to Thailand to stamp back in.

As I headed back to the hot springs, the heavens opened and the rain came down in a big way. Luckily, I had already moved all the bags inside the car so they would be safe while I did the visa trip. I found the family hiding under a sala. There was no way we were making the 4-hour drive back to Phuket in this rain. We had a full load so the bags and a couple of people were in the back of the pick up. The rain wasn't going to stop any time soon so we booked into a resort for the night. We then spent a bit of time relaxing in the hot springs. The water is so hot that you can barely dip into it, but once you get in and adjust to the temperature it is very soothing.

The next day we finished the drive to Phuket. It was a great trip and I really enjoyed it but it is also good to be home.

Ao Manao, Prachuap Khiri Khan

2008-04-20T16:40:00.005+07:00

I have done the drive from Phuket to Nakon Nayok and back again many times now. I have done it in a day but it is a bit crappy driving the car for 12 hours solid so we now always do stopovers. I have visited most of the obvious stopover points on the route but this time on the way back we tried a new place - Ao Manao. What a lovely little gem of a place it turned out to be - I can't believe we have not visited before.

Ao Manao (Lemon Bay) is just south of Prachuap Khiri Khan. We have stayed in Prachuap several times and I have always thought it was a nice little town. It is by the sea but the beach is not particularly good. There are some nice little eating spots along the seafront. There is a big temple overlooking the town from the top of a hill. Around the bottom of the hill are lots of playful monkeys that you can safely feed without getting bit.

At the south end of the beach is a small airforce base and if you drive through it you come to Ao Manao. I was expecting a small bay with maybe a few bungalows around. It is actually a long sweeping beach enclosed by two spectacular headlands with an island out smack in the middle of the sea. It is a beautiful little beach. The sand slopes into the sea very gently and the water was absolutely placid making it perfect for the kids to play.

There is plenty of accommodation and although it is pretty basic, it was ideal for our group which was now up to 8 people as we were carrying two of Pon's friends with us back to Phuket. We got an 8 bed apartment (2 floors, 3 rooms) for 800 baht. There are plenty of eating and drinking places along the beach and the food is good and very reasonably priced.

The whole area is maintained by the Airforce and apparently they occassionally close it the public for airforce functions. However, generally it is open and they are very welcoming. I found the whole area very charming and we will definitely make this place a more regular stopover on our drives to Nakon Nayok.

Leaving Nakon Nayok

2008-04-17T11:05:00.003+07:00

Today is our last day in Nakon Nayok. Tomorrow we start back for Phuket. We will take a couple of days driving. I need to stop at Ranong on the way to do another visa hop over the border to Burma and back for another 90 day stamp.

I do like Nakon Nayok and every time we visit I ask myself the same question, could I actually live here? I'm sure Pon would be happy to move back close to her family. You could set up a very comfortable life here. If we sold our house in Phuket we could build a bigger house here. Set it up just the way we want it. We would get UBC (satelite TV) so I would have my football and western TV.

The cost of living here is so cheap that it would make our finances much better. The people are incredibly friendly, the food is great and the scenery fantastic. There is a bit of nightlife, lots of restaurants and often stuff going on. You could even set up a small business here much more competitively than in Phuket. Nakon Nayok is only an hour from Bangkok and two hours from Pattaya so there are easy options for a bit of life.

The area generally has a lot going for it but still I have to say I always come to the conclusion that I don't want to live here. I think Phuket still offers me a much better lifestytle. Playing in the rivers and waterfalls of Nakon Nayok is fun for a while but it would wear thin after a couple of weeks. In comparison, Phuket offers so much more. The beaches and the islands are so much more varied. Phuket even has waterfalls although they are not that great.

Phuket also has much better facilities. I think about all the things I use there. The shops, the cinema, the gym, the internet, and so much more that I use all the time in Phuket and which is just not catered for in the same way in Nakon Nayok. Phuket has much more nightlife, more restauarnts, western food outlets, all the amenities you could want. It just has more of almost everything than nakon Nayok. Yes it is more expensive but then you are paying for the luxury of living on a tropical island with all the amenities that you need.

Then there is schooling. Visiting Nakon Nayok is really great for Ben and Jenny. They get so much attention and the people set such a good example for children that you know they would grow up to be good people. But I really doubt if I could find a decent bi-lingual school here and the education on offer here would just limit them for the rest of their lives.

The final clincher for me is that I would just feel a bit isolated here. I enjoy spending time with Thai people. They are so hospitable and there are always lots of people around. However, I still want western friends as well. I want to talk to people with a similar background and mindset as myself as well as Thais. As much as the Thais are great company, there is just a limit to how much depth of conversatin you can have when you are trying to use a second language and speaking with people from a very different background.

So Phuket still gets my vote for home. Maybe Nakon Nayok is something I would consider when I am old and ready to hang up my boots but for the moment I still want the life of Phuket.

Pon's Family

2008-04-16T12:00:00.004+07:00

The thing that always amazes me about Pon's family is they are so happy. Pon is generally happy and good fun and it seems to be a trait that runs in the family. She still has her mum ('khun yai') but her dad died a long time ago. She used to have two brothers and three sisters. The eldest brother and sister have both also died. That leaves her with two elder sisters and one younger brother. You will rarely see them without big smiles on their faces.

The elder sister is Daeng. She has three children, two girls and a boy. The eldest girl has just finished university, the younger is still at university while the boy is 13. All three of them smile a lot. Their dad died quite a few years ago - death somehow seems to be more common in Thailand although statistics say their life expectancy is almost the same as in the west.

Daeng is very funny. She beavers away working at her restaurant all day but always with a smile on her face. In the evening, the Thai whisky often comes out and she gets wobbly drunk. For some reason, she does not understand a word I say. I know my Thai is far from perfect but most Thais seem to be able to understand it. Daeng always looks to Pon for an explanation of what I have said. Apparently, in her younger days she was very pretty but hard work, bearing three children and drinking whisky does take its toll.

The younger brother is Gah. He is very funny with an infectious laugh. He is a motorbike mechanic. This week he entered a motorbike race. I took the rest of the family and we followed him. We drove for an hour to find the dirt race track. It really was in the middle of nowhere along potted roads and dirt tracks. He got lost several times and arrived late. When we arrived there was a comical race to get him to the starting line on time. The race started and Gah was at the back of the pack for two laps. Then his gears failed and he was out of the race. Gah came back to us laughing and the whole family was in hysterics. We all pottered off back home.

Gah has a wife, a young boy and two step children from his wife's first marriage (her previous husband died).

The eldest sister is Dan. She lives in Trat. Two years ago we were in Nakon Nayok waiting for three weeks for the British Embassy to process a birth certicate application for Ben. I didn't want to stay in Nakon Nayok for three weeks so I said we should go somewhere. Pon said they had a sister in Trat and I fancied visiting Koh Chang so off we went.

As we drove I asked when they had last seen this sister. I was surprised to hear it had been 12 years. I asked when they last spoke to her on the phone - they did not have her phone number because 12 years ago nobody had phones. So they had not had any contact for 12 years. How the hell are we going to find her, I asked. She had a stall at the market, they said, we will go there. I figured we had no chance of finding her but we went to Trat market and amazingly, there she was.

It was a lovely seen - a bit like those heart-tugging TV reunion shows. Her face dropped as she saw first Pon and then her brother. She could barely talk as she struggled to hold in the tears as Daeng and Khun Yai arrived. The family she had not seen for 12 years and probably did not expect to see again. Now they are all in contact again and call each other often.

Finally there is Khun Yai (Thai for Granma). They are not sure exactly how old she is but it is 70+. To be honest she looks much older. I wouldn't say a bad thing about her to the family because they adore her and she is a lovely old lady. However, she is hideous to look at. She still has the old Asian habit of chewing betel nuts with tobacco. It turns their teeth black. Add to that a generally hard life and what you have is a wizened old lady with a handful of pure black teeth and a mouthful of tobacco and betel. It is not something to look at while you are eating your food.

Still she has obviously done a great job of raising her children who are all so happy and well-balanced.

Nightlife in Nakon Nayok

2008-04-15T12:02:00.002+07:00

Nakon Nayok is a fairly typical provincial Thai town. Pleasant and charming enough but without any real points of interest. It is not the biggest town and is pretty quiet but there are a few nightlife options. I do like to watch my English football and there is nowhere out in the sticks where we are that has it. It is a 15-minute drive from the countryside where we are staying into Nakon Nayok town.

We have found a couple of live music bars that also have the football on a big screen. This is ideal for us as I don't care about the commentary and Pon loves her 'Peua Cheewit' Thai music bands. 'Peua Cheewit' roughly translates as 'for life' so I guess we would categorise this music as folk or country. These music bars can be found everywhere in Thailand. They are usually rustic style buildings with solid wood furnishings and a relaxed atmosphere. If the band is good then they are popular and the bands usually are good. Thais love their music and seem to have plenty of playing ability. I remember once going to a party where someone pulled out a guitar and started playing a few songs. She was good but then she passed the guitar to another friend and he was also good. In the end, as they passed the guitar around, it seemed like half the Thais there could strum out a decent song.

After satisfying my demand to see the football, we decided to finish the night by checking out the local nightclub. There is only one nightclub in Nakon Nayok and it was busy. As usual, they had a live band. this time it was the typical Thai club band doing a selection of covers of Thai and western classics. These bands tend to be very simlar across the country, they are very energetic, usually switch singers regularly and inevitably do 'Hotel California' and 'Zombie'. Still they are usually technically good and this band was no exception.

The club itself was also a typical Thai style nightclub. No dance floor, they just dance around their tables and in the aisles. Everyone was very friendly and of course lots of them wanted to say hello to the only farang guy in the club. One thing I just cannot help commenting on - just how many stunningly beautiful Thai women are there in this country? Wherever you go out in Thailand, there will be beautiful young women. They like to dress up glamorous for a night out and yet they still know how to look stylish and classy. Some of these young women make a few of today's hollywood actresses look plain. There are beautiful women everywhere in the world but there cannot be many countries where such a high percentage of the women are so stunning. Anyway, I'm married with kids so I shouldn't be dwelling on such things.

Interesting to note that out here in the sticks, the local cops are still very strict on opening hours. At 01:15, just fiftenn minutes beyond the allotted closing time, they raided the club and ushered everybody out for after hours drinking. No big deal, they just made is plain it was time to go home.

Songkran in Nakon Nayok

2008-04-15T11:20:00.002+07:00

Songkran (Thai New Year) is just about over. It is celebrated across Thailand with what must be the biggest water fight in the world. It is great fun and makes perfect sense since this is the hottest time of year but the rainy season is only a few weeks away.

It is however also a remarkably dangerous celebration. Several hundred people die every year in related road accidents. It is not surprising when you see what is going on. People line the roads throwing water at passing cars and motorcycles. Other people load up the back of their picks ups with bins of water and drive around throwing it at any person or vehicle that comes in range. And of course there is plenty of drinking involved. It is all done in good spirits and is a fantastic celebration but it is not surprising a lot of people have accidents.

Can you imagine what would happen in the west if we had an annual celebration that caused such carnage. In the UK, we have bonfire night and every year a few people get burn injuries or occassionally even blinded. It always causes a bit of controversy. Imagine what would happen if 400 people died - the celebration would just be cancelled. In Thailand, they are not going to stop a good party just because a few hundred people die.

This is my first Songran in Nakon Nayok. Not surprisingly, considering playing in water is actually what they do here all the time, it is an ideal place for Songkran. My wife's family live in the area near the dam and Nang Rong waterfalls. Over the last few days the whole area has been heaving with visitors from Bangkok taking their holiday here to play in the water. The river is a heaving mass of revellers floating down on truck inner-tubes, kayaks and assorted floating devices. The side of the river is lined with salas where the families picnic all day on the incredible assortment of local food that is available.

On the surrounding roads the water fights are in full swing. Pick ups slowly cruise around while the occupants in the back throw and soak up as much water as possible. Everyone is laughing and dancing and it is just one huge party.

Ben, Jenny and myself do stick out a bit as we are the only westerners I have seen in all the time I have been here. We therefore get lots of attention. If we take an innertube for a float down the river then for sure everyone we pass will wave and splash water. Ben and Jenny revel in it.

Pon's family have a small restaurant by the river. They have been very busy for the last few days trying to meet the demand but it is a good money earner for them. It is good for me as well because I get all the food and drink I want prepared how and when I want. And since all the locals know us, we don't need to pay for anything. We get free lifejackets for the kids, free floats, free boat rides, free mangos, it is just an endless stream of hospitality.

Ben has started going down to the river by the restaturant on his own for the last couple of days. He is such an outgoing character that within minutes he will start making acquantances with the people there. It is funny how quickly everyone gets to know him. I will go down to see him and wherever we go, people I have never seen are calling 'hello Benjamin' like he is an old friend.

Well the crowds are drifting away today and the area will be back to normal sedantary life style. The normal influx of visitors will happen again next weekend but I expect we will have left by then.

Nakon Nayok

2008-04-12T14:23:00.002+07:00

So we are in Nakon Nayok. The visit to the wife's family home is a ritual many expats in Thailand will recognise. While most of us tend to live in the well developed resort areas such as Phuket, our wives' families often live in more remote country areas. Family ties are important in Thailand so the wives want to visit and usually like it if hubby comes along to.

Don't get me wrong, I don't need to be dragged along. I love travelling around Thailand. There is so much to see and the hospitality really is genuine. However, once you have been to the same village a couple of times you have seen it and there isn't really anything new to do. So I limit my visit to Nakon Nayok to once a year. We will be here for five or six days. I find that is about the right amount of time for me to really chill out before I start getting tetchy and bored.

I guess I am quite lucky in that my wife's family home in Nakon Nayok is a beautiful little area. It is only 100km east of Bangkok in the foothills of Khao Yai National Park. There are rivers and waterfalls. There is a huge 3km-long new dam with a great lake behind it. This means that they can release a steady supply of water into the main river so that they have water all year round.

The area is a popular holiday retreat for the wealthier Thais in Bangkok. They come to play in the water, kayak down the rivers, etc. There are many local bungalow resorts and the land prices here have really rocketed since the dam was completed. The area seems to be very much off the western tourist trail - it doesn't even get a mention in Lonely Planet.

This visit is absolutely great for our kids. They have the time of their lives playing in the water and with the local kids. My wife of course is delighted to see her family and they will just picnic and natter all day. I get the VIP guest of honour treatment and I am introduced to an endless stream of local characters who embarrassingly all remember my name when I have no chance of remembering theirs. Drinks are constantly thrust into my hand and it is impossible to not eat. The only possible complaint about the hospitality is that at times it can be a bit overwhelming. It is difficult to find a quiet hour to yourself to just sit and read a book.

Thanks to the booming land prices here, my wife's family have a nice new home. When I first visited I was taken aback by the shack they lived in. It was a ramshackle old concrete pillar building with wooden boards and corrugated iron roofing that made one hell of a din in the rain. It was basic living and a real eye-opener to how Thai country folk live - and yet are so happy.

Fortunately, about 20 years ago they bought a 1 rai plot of land for 7,000 baht. Two years ago, they sold that plot of land for 1.4 million baht - how is that for inflation! Enough to pay off the family debt and build a nice little house. It is still cold showers with water pumped from a well but it is a far more comfortable stay than it used to be.

Anyway, tomorrow is Songkran so it will be water fight day.

Kanchanaburi

2008-04-11T12:17:00.003+07:00

After our stops at Thung Wua Laen and Cha Am Beaches, we headed for Kanchanaburi. It is not actually on the way but it is a small detour. It is less than three hours drive from Cha Am and I have always wanted to see it.

This was our first ever visit to Kanchanaburi so we decided to stay two nights. That is nowhere near enough to fully explore the area but it is a chance to look a round.

If you don't know the area, this is the place where the Bridge on the River Kwai was built. It is not actually called the River Kwai - that was a creation of the movie - but the basis of the story is true. This is the area of the death railway where in WWII, thousands of allied pows and locals were forced by the Japanese army to work under intolerable conditions building them a railway. 100,000 pows and locals died and the few survivors suffered incredible hardship. This horrible part of history is a sombering backdrop for what is actually a beautiful location.

We made our way to the river to look for accomodation and were soon given an interesting option. You can rent big rafts for a trip down the river and an overnight sleep on the river. These are big solid wooden affairs that can easily accommodate 20 people or more. You have a choice of basic rafts or a party option with karaoke or a disco. Since there were only six of us we went for the basic option - 2000 baht for the trip. The Karaoke rafts have their own generator and DJ provided and cost 3,500 baht.

They are towed by small motor boats down the river and you make a few stops along the way. We saw one of the war cemetaries, a well known local temple where one of the nuns meditates by floating in water (mae chee loy nam). There is also a fairly standard monkey show. In the evening you are moored up at the side of the river. You are sort of in the jungle but not actually very far from civilisation. There is a little shop and showers on the bank.

The only problem is all the other rafts are also moored here and the disco rafts make one hell of a racket. Still they all finish by midnight. You sleep out in the open air so a good supply of insect repellant is essential. I only slept for three or four hours but that was okay. At 3am I couldn't sleep so I sat at the back of the raft sipping a beer and watching the sky. It is amazing how many more stars you can see when you are away from all the lights of civilisation. It was actually very beautiful and relaxing.

The next day we found a nice bungalow resort in town by the river (1400 baht for two good air-con bungalows). We checked out the famous bridge and the nearby war museum. We did a little fun train trip across the bridge and back for 20 baht each. There are lots of great restaurants along the river so we had a good eat up in the evening.

There is still much to see in Kanchanaburi so we will have to come again. I want to see Erawan National Park and the waterfalls (although this is not the best time of year) and also the big dam and lake. Still we had to go because we wanted to reach Nakon Nayok before Songkran so they will have to wait for another time.

Cha Am

2008-04-11T12:02:00.003+07:00

The followimg day we drove north to cha Am. It is only another three or four hours drive from Thung Wua Laen Beach.

I have been to Cha Am a few times and the place is slowly growing on me. You get plenty of western tourists here but still the majority of visitors are Thai, mostly coming down from Bangkok.

This visit is the first time I have seen Cha Am really busy. Rooms are normally easy to find and pretty cheap but we had to look around for a while before we found a big bungalow a little overpriced at 1700 baht. Still it was by the beach and big enough for us all to sleep.

The beach at Cha Am is quite a thin strip of sand and is set up with rows of deckchairs and tables so you can eat and drink on the beach. The waves were a little too big to let our little-uns play on their own so we had to keep them nearby on the beach. The problem is they have ponies riding up and down the beach which is a little worrying when your kids are running around. Jenny had a couple of close shaves.

They have jet-skis and banana boats and all kinds of goods being hawked up and down the beach so in that way it is a little like Patong. The good thing is the prices are much more competitive here (again they are aiming more at the Thai market). Ben and Jenny were very entertained with two polysterene airplane kites that kept them happy for an hour or two at 50 baht each.

The water is distinctly dirty and digging in the beach to build a sand castle pulled up all sorts of rubbish like polysterene and plastic cups. I guess it is difficult to avoid spoiling the environment a little when you get so many visitors.

There are lots of food and drinking options in the evenings. All in all, Cha Am is a decent option for a day out.

Thung Wua Laen Beach

2008-04-11T11:40:00.002+07:00

We are now safely in Nakon Nayok. We took five days driving up here making stop offs on the way to make the trip as leisurely as possible. The first stop was Thung Wua Laen Beach in Chumpon. That was about five hours drive from Phuket.

It is a nice enough beach. The good thing is there are a lot of little bungalow operations there so you can find a decent bungalow for well under 1000 baht a night. Our whole family of six is travelling so we need two bungalows a night and we found a decent deal for 1400 baht.

The beach is long and straight and slopes gentle into the sea. When the tide is out it leaves a few pools that are good for the little-uns to play. There are plenty of restaurants along the beach and a few bars.

You get a lot of Thai visitors here which I always think is a good thing because they set everything up so much more competitively than when they are aiming at the foreign tourist market. There's one big resort at the north end of the beach called the Cabana. There is meant to be good diving here so you get a fair few divers and dive instructors around.

I thought I would be able to find a bar with live football but at night the place is incredibly quiet with just a few bars and none of them have the full UBC package. I went out with Pon and after we had given up on finding the football we settled on a bar with a live blues band. It is amazing how good some of these little bands are in Thailand. They were playing in the open air in front of a handful of guests for 1000 baht a night between them. Yet still they knocked out three hours of good entertainment.

The bar was run by a young British guy and his wife (he was slaughtered but happy). They had a handful of expat locals and just a few tourists guests. Still it was a cool night out. And the beer was 45 baht a bottle - that is what I mean when I say these resorts are so much more competitive.

Jenny Starts Nursery

2008-04-04T10:31:00.002+07:00

We go away on Sunday but since we had to pay the summer school fee for Jenny and since summer school started on the 1st, we decided we might as well send her there for a few days. To my amazement, she is totally unphased by the whole experience. We dropped her off for the first day and there were a few tears when we left her. However, when we picked her up she was happily playing and the teacher says she had no problems.

For the next three days we dropped her off at school and she happily waved bye-bye without any fuss at all. She does not seem to think it is a big deal at all. I really thought she would not like it and it would be a big drama every day. It just goes to show you can never be sure how kids will react to something new.

Ben continues to impress with his remorseless drive to push everything to the next level. If there is something he wants to do then he is never satisfied and always wants to take the next step. It is good to see but hard work to keep up. Swimming is his current project. Last week he really impressed me by learning to snorkel. This week he took his arm bands off and he can actually swim!

He is not quite there yet. He can only swim while he is wearing the snorkel but it is good to see him getting his head down and frantically paddling across the pool. He is so pleased with himself for every advance he makes that I worry he is going to run out of normal thrills and end up being some kind of extreme sports freak. Anyway, I guess the next step will be to get him some swimming goggles and see how he does swimming with them. That is probably a few months away yet but you never know with the speed at which he is improving.

So on Sunday we set off for Nakon Nayok. It is a long drive and I really can't be bothered with doing a 12-hour stretch in one go so we will take at least two nights stop on the way. That way it becomes a much more leisurely and enjoyable trip.

The aim is to reach Nakon Nayok before Songkran (Thai New Year - 13th April) and to leave a few days after so that we avoid the main traffic mayhem that comes at this time of year.

Jenny to Start Nursery

2008-03-29T13:37:00.003+07:00

The school holidays are flying by and already it is time to think about next year. Ben is already registered to go to Darasamut School again next year but we also wanted to get Jenny into nursery.

They have a nursery for kids from 2 1/2 years old at Darasamut so yesterday we enrolled Jenny. It costs 11,200 baht for the term. For some reason that I don't fully grasp, they insisted that we must also enrol her for summer school even though we don't want her to go and are away anyway. That was another 2,000 baht. They have been doing quite a bit of building work at the school and I think they are trying to recoup some of the costs.

Anyway I am happy enough with the school and it will be great for Jenny to spend more time with other kids. I am not sure she will like it. Ben was always a very sociable little boy and really wanted to go to school. Jenny seems a little more reticent to play with other kids.

Ben is making great strides in the swimming pool. I promised to buy him a snorkel if he would stick his head under water. To my surprsie he immediately did it so I had to buy him the snorkel. He now happily snorkels around the swimming pool and insists he wants to go snorkeling in the sea - he's only four.

We will be going for our annual holiday to Pon's home next week. It will be a couple of weeks driving around Thailand and maybe a week in Nakon Nayok. I am not sure it is going to be good timing for work, they are trying to go live on the project I am working on but they have budget problems so it is not clear what the requirements will be. Anyway, they have not paid any of my invoices for four months so I am not really feeling like delaying the holiday when I am not getting paid.

In the meantime, I have also been doing a bit of internet stuff. I am quite into my health and fitness so I have been involved in writing this - Health and Weight . It has been quite good fun working out the javascript calculations for ideal weight and metabolic rate. Keeps me entertained.

Pon's Friends

2008-03-15T14:31:00.002+07:00

Pon has had friends visiting this week. She used to live in Betong near the Malaysian border. There are a lot of troubles down there these days so we have not been for a long time. This week two car loads of her old friends came to Phuket to visit. When Thais travel it is often in large groups with the whole familiy and assorted friends.

They spent the first night drinking whisky Thai style (with ice, coke and soda) and catching up with all their gossip. The next day we took them around a few of the regular tourist spots in Phuket. We went to Wat Chalong, Laem Promthep, Nai Harn Beach, Kata Viewpoint and Patong Beach.

They were really keen to see Patong Beach. Personally, I wouldn't put it on the list of must see places but for the Thais, the same as other tourists, it is the place everybody has heard of and they want to see it. They set up in Loma Park by the beach. This is the area most popular with Thai visitors. They got a couple of big floor mats and started making their way through all the food options from the local vendors. this is what Thais do above all else when they travel, they eat. They want to eat just about everything they see and they never seem to stop. You would think they would be fat but somehow it seems to work for them.

Today is Fern's birthday (Huwy's youngest stepkid). She is 6 so he is having a little birthday bbq round his house. I expect we will get slaughtered together while the kids cause chaos.

School's Out

2008-03-09T08:06:00.000+07:00

Ben has finished his first year at school. Friday was his last day and
now he has a long holiday. Amazingly, even at 4 years old in Thailand
the kids have to pass end of year test to move on to the next year. In all
fairness, I don't think the kids can actually fail but it does seem a bit
much.

I am really pleased with Ben's first year at school. He has made so many
steps forward. His Thai language has come on leaps and bounds, his
colouring and drawing are so much better, he knows his ABC and also a
good chunk of the Thai alphabet. I did spend quite a bit of time with
him on his ABCs but I am still impressed with the school.

Now I want to find something for jenny for next school year. That would
actually mean she is starting a year earlier than Ben. I don't want a
full-on school but I do worry that she spends most mornings watching
cartoons. I am busy working, Pon is doing her household chores and Ben
is at school which means the TV becomes Jenny's babysitter.

This is the main Thai school holiday and lasts about two months. We will
probably go on our usual annual holiday to visit Pon's family. That will
be towards the end of this month. At the moment I have quite a bit of
work coming in so I need to wait for a quiet period on that. I expect
it will be very quiet soon as I don't think it is far from finished.

Koh Rang Yai

2008-02-26T13:20:00.005+07:00

I do enjoy exploring Phuket and the surrounding area. Still after all these years in Phuket there is plenty I have yet to see. I think I have seen most of Phuket itself but there are still many islands around Phuket I have yet to visit. So on Saturday we looked to tick one more island off the list and went to Koh Rang Yai off the east coast.

We went to Laem Hin pier and rented a longtail for the return trip. It cost 1000 baht - that is about normal although I am sure we could have negotiated a slightly better price if we could have been bothered. The boat trip to Koh Rang Yai is only 20 minutes and skirts around another island, Koh Maprao (coconut island). The sea here is usually very placid and today was no different, it was a beautiful day.

You are never quite sure what to expect when you do these trips to new places. I had read that Koh Rang Yai is a bit of an activity centre so I thought it might be heaving with energetic bikers, kayakers, climbers, etc.

When we got there I was instantly impressed. There were a few people around but it was basically very tranquil and what a beautiful beach. Most of the beaches I have seen on the eastern side of Phuket are either stony, muddy or shallow so I did not expect much here. I was in for a pleasant surprise. It is a lovely sandy beach with beautiful clear inviting water. Ben and Jenny took one look and charged in.

There are a few deckchairs on the beach and a handful of eating places. As we strolled along the beach absolutely nobody tried to hawk their service, what a pleasant change to the full on tourist beaches.

I had read there is no accommodation here but that is not the case. There are a few bungalows behind the beach and some basic huts right at the end.

There are meant to be some nice little hiking trails through the interior and you can rent bikes. There are also kayaks for a paddle around the sea. You can also play beach volleyball and there is a badly kept little pitch and put golf course. I wouldn't exactly call it an activity centre but there is enough to keep most people entertained for a day.

There is also a pearl shop. There is meant to be a pearl farm but it was closed and doesn't look like it has been open for some time. I am guessing the pearl prices are not exactly cheap and are aimed at the tourist market.

We had a good swim and then ate at one of the restaurants. The food was okay but a little expensive. Understandable when they have a captive market and most of the ingredients will need to be shipped across from Phuket.

I had read that there is some decent sorkeling offshore but I couldn't find it. All the seabed I saw was sandy. I was surprised by the strength of the current's drift. I snorkelled for a minute, looked up and I had drifted 50 yards along the coast from where I entered. I wouldn't say the current was actually dangerous, it flows parallel to the beach rather than out and you can swim against it if you need to. Apparently the drift is caused by all the water that enters Phang Nga Bay from the many tributaries there. The water just keeps flowing southwards from Phang Nga Bay passed Phuket.

All in all, we were impressed by Koh Rang Yai and we will go back. Next time we might look to take a few friends and stay overnight.

Valentines Day

2008-02-17T22:49:00.003+07:00

I took Pon out for valentines night. It turned out to be a fun night out. We started with a visit to Fantasia in Phuket Town. It is a big place and has been there for three years but we have never got round to visiting. We new it was some kind of girly bar but didn't really know what to expect. It might not sound like an obvious choice for valentines but these places can be fun. It turned out to be a very well done out venue with a big stage and a nice little song and dance show.

It is an impressive place with lots of staff. There are also lots of girls. Lots & lots of girls and I have to admit (although of course on valentines night out with Pon I am not thinking about such things) the girls are all quite stunning. This is a high end Asian girly bar and I have no idea how much the girls charge but I guess they are not cheap. The place was entertaining for an hour but the beer prices were too high to think about staying for a long session so we moved on.

We tried Timber Hut but the place was so packed that we couldn't even find a parking place on the street. We ended up at a live music venue not far from home. It was also busy but we met some friends and took seats at their table. It turned out it was extra busy not only because of valentines but they also had a well known Thai singer doing a show.

It turned into a really good night. The back up acts were all good and lots of fun. The atmosphere in the bar was good and everyone was having a great time. When the main act came on I did recognise her although I didn't know her name. She did a good show and was actually far more beautiful in real life than when I have seen her on TV.

It is hard to imagine a major star back in the UK doing a show in some small provincial bar. It was a good night out.

Wat Chalong Fair

2008-02-07T12:34:00.000+07:00

It is Chinese New Year. Among the many events that take place around Phuket is Wat Chalong Fair. Wat Chalong is the biggest and most important temple on the island. It is a big event with market stalls selling all kinds of stuff, games, rides, food and shows. in fact, it is so popular that if you are not going to the fair, the area is worth avoiding because the traffic can be a bit of a nightmare.

We went late afternoon to beat the main crowds. We wandered around the stalls with Ben and Jenny insisting on stopping at every toy stall, and there were lots of toy stalls. 'We'll buy something later, we'll buy something later,' all the way round.

We found our way through to the fair rides area. They are basic rides, roundabouts, trains, big wheels and bouncy castles. Nothing special but is is amazing how much pleasure Ben and Jenny can take out of circling around a train track.

There was one ride that was a bit more impressive - a little rollercoaster. It wasn't big but it crawled up to maybe 5 meters high and then did a fast circling drop. I thought it would be a bit too much for Ben and Jenny but as soon as Ben saw it he wanted a go. I thought he was over-reaching himself but we gave it a chance. I was sat in a car with Jenny while Ben sat in a different car with a young girl. I thought he would be scared when the ride started but I should have known better. He and Jenny both loved it and they just wanted to go again.

We wandered around the rest of the fair, played a few games, ate some food, bought a bit of stuff. It is a nice event and you could stay there all evening. They have a few bars with live music later and some nice little shows. However with the two kids it gets quite exhausting after a while so we headed home tired but happy.

Another Night in Patong

2008-01-29T16:42:00.000+07:00

Gil is back in Phuket after a trip to Israel. Sadly, his wife has lost the baby she was carrying. She was close to 5 months pregnant but it was always going to be a difficult pregnancy after her previous health problems. They had problems and the littl one was just too young to save. Fortunately Daeng is fine.

Friday night was Meeow's birthday (Huwy's wife) so we all went out for a night in Patong. I seem to go there less and less these days. The last time I went was New Years Eve and I still didn't feel in any great rush to get back there. But a birthday is a birthday so we did the usual routine. A taxi in, round the usual set of bars where we know the owners, we even did a quick visit to a go-go for a bit of a change.

It was all nice enough but strangely, Patong just doesn't excite me anymore. Some people never get tired of all the lights, crowds, noise, colour and of course, flesh. I'm not sure what it says about me that I actually start to find it a little boring. Maybe, just that I am getting a little old. I was actually asleep by the time we were ready to go home.

Another Visa Run - Pak Meng Beach

2008-01-25T12:36:00.000+07:00

I have just completed another visa run. It is a tedious chore that many ex-pats around the world need to perform. In Thailand, it depends what type of visa you have. I have a 1-year multiple-entry visa based om marriage to a Thai. This visa requires I leave the country every 90 days and then re-enter. It is a simple matter of going to a nearby border, crossing to the other country and then turn around and come straight back in to Thailand. Silly but that is the rule.

As I say, it can be a tedious chore so I usually try to make a trip out of it by taking the family along for a couple of days and visiting somewhere interesting along the way.

I usually really enjoy these trips. Thailand is a great country for travelling around. There are so many beautiful little spots to find and the people are always so hospitable.

This time I decided to go to Trang. It is meant to have some good beaches and islands. We drove to Pak Meng Beach which is about 3 and a half hours from Phuket. I have to say I was disappointed. The beach does not even remotely compare to the beaches in Phuket. The sand is course and muddy. Even Ben and Jenny who normally love any beach were not very impressed. The scenery is quite nice but not as good as Krabi.

And the little resort town there was really disappointing. The area is popular with Thai visitors so I was expecting some nice Thai style resorts. What they actually have is a strip of quite charmless restaurants and bars and behind are some very charmless looking huts and bungalows. Just breeze block affairs without an ounce of character or style. We drove up and down the strip a couple of times and finally settled on a bungalow set back from the road and just on the edge of town. It semed like the best of a bad bunch - 600 baht a night. If only we had kept going a little further we would have come to the Pak Meng Resort which looks like the one place of accommodation on the beach that had some charm. Maybe if we had found that place in time I would have a different view of Pak Meng.

We had a meal at one of the beach restaurants and it was poor and overpriced. We took a drive along the coast. It is nice and quiet and there are some national park areas around. However they don't really seem to have anything special to offer. The beaches are just not good when you are used to Phuket.

I would have liked to take a boat around some of the islands which are meant to be nice but we didn't really have time for that. The one highlight of the stay was waking up at 3am to watch Spurs thrash Arsenal 5-1 in the semi-final of the Carling Cup, oh what joy!

It is not often that places in Thailand really disappoint me but Pak Meng Beach just left me feeling flat. We set off the next day to the Malaysian border to do my passport stamp. I did the border hop at the very quiet border crossing at Wang Kelian in Satun - it only took 10 minutes including a shop at duty free for a couple of bottles of wine.

There didn't seem to be any point in spending another night in Trang so we decided to go to Hat Yai. We don't often head for big towns but it proved a good choice. We headed to downtown Hat Yai and found a fantastic hotel for the price - The Asian Hotel. It was 880 baht a night and worth every baht. A nice comfortable king size bed, big bath, view of the city and friendly staff. It was just what I needed after all that driving and a crap night in Trang.

Hat Yai itself always quite impresses me. There is lots of good shopping with bargains to be had on stuff imported from Malaysia. There are plenty of restaurants and bars and the place generally has quite a lively feel. It would have been nice to have a proper night out there with Pon but of course we had to take care of Ben and Jenny and the bed was just too comfortable.

We did some more shopping the next morning and then the 6-hour drive back to Phuket. It was an okay trip but I felt like it was all a bit rushed. There was too much time driving and not enough time to look around. If we come this way again, and I am sure we will, then I will give it 3 or 4 nights. Maybe Trang will impress me better if we get out to the islands and give it a proper chance.

Putting the Diet to Bed

2008-01-25T11:51:00.001+07:00

Time to put the diet to bed. It is two months since we finished and my weight has settled around 75kg. I hope it stays there and I never have to diet again but I doubt it. Pon's weight is also steady but then she never actually lost anything. We are both still getting down the gym often which really does make a difference.

Anyway, I'm buggered if I can work out how to put the diet table into my blog so it lines up with the rest of the post so I will leave it way down below.

		2nd Oct	9th Oct	16th Oct	23rd Oct	30th Oct	12th Nov	20th Nov
Weight	Jim	80kg	78kg	77kg	76kg	75.5kg	74.5kg	74kg
Weight	Pon	54kg	54kg	53kg	53kg	53kg	53kg	54kg
Bum	Jim	40in	40in	40in	40in	39.5in	39in	39in
Bum	Pon	38in	38in	38in	39in	39in	39in	39in
Waist	Jim	35in	34.5in	34in	33.5in	33.5in	32.5in	32.5in
Waist	Pon	32in	31in	31in	30.5in	31in	32in	32in
Chest	Jim	39in	39in	39in	39in	38.5in	38in	38in
Chest	Pon	34in	34in	34in	33in	34in	34in	34in

Friendship Beach Resort

2008-01-19T22:46:00.000+07:00

We spent a really enjoyable afternoon at Friendship Beach Resort today. It is a popular spot with long-term residents for a weekend meal and a dip in the pool. It is not actually busy but always a few families and groups there at the weekend.

It is right on Friendship Beach about 2 kilometers along from Chalong Circle. Friendship Beach isn't actually any good for swimming. It is more known for its views. However the resort has a nice saltwater swimming pool and also does a decent burger. We don't often go to these westernised venues aimed primarily at tourists but sometimes they make a nice change.

What really made today good was how much our two kids enjoyed playing in the swimming pool. Ben especially loved it and made a good breakthrough in his learning to swim process. He loves playing in water but cannot actually swim and won't put his head under water. Today he decided to put his armbands on. Normally he doesn't like them and he is scared of floating unassisted. Today he slowly broke that barrier down until he was eventually paddling around the pool on his own.

He was ecstatic, so pleased with himself. "I can swim,' he kept declaring, 'look at me, I can swim wherever I want.' Now paddling around with the aid of armbands is not the most impressive achievement for a 4-year old but to Ben it felt like he was breaking the sound-barrier. He even started doing cute little jumps into the pool where his head would briefly go under water. He called them his 'underwater jumps'.

Jenny also loves the water and has little fear. She happily throws herself into the pool confident that mama or papa will catch her.

For a dad, it is just such a pleasure to see your little-ones so happy and full of the joys of life.

Children's Day

2008-01-13T14:31:00.000+07:00

In the west we have Mother's Day. Here in Thailand they also have Father's Day and Children's Day. Of the three, Children's day is the most important. The Thais give great importance to looking after, entertaining and teaching their kids, they are the future of the country.

Children's Day is the second Saturday in January. They make a great effort to give the kids a good time with special events all over the country. The schools normally do something on the Friday before. At Ben's school they kept it quite simple. The kids were allowed to bring in cake and they were given little presents. Just toy cars and dolls but it is amazing how much these little things make the kids happy. When I arrived to collect Ben the boys were in a state of delirium pushing and chasing their little cars around.

I continue to be impressed with Ben's school (Darasamut). They seem to get things about right. They even did a little school trip to the airport last week. Ben loved it - the best bit as far as he was concerned was going on a bus. He loved the bus.

Huwy sends his two stepkids to the local Thai school which is very cheap. However for Children's Day they arranged a school trip to the zoo and a party - cost per child for the parents, 1,300 baht. That is a quarter of the average Thai monthly wage just for a school trip. This seems way over the top even for Children's Day and I'm sure beyond a lot of the Thai parents.

I would have taken Ben and Jenny out to one of the events yesterday but we had a football match against the teachers at BIS. We only get this game about once every month or two and it is great to have a runout on a proper grass pitch. It is one of the few things I miss from home - running out on to a proper football pitch with the lads. Of course, I am a little too old to really get around the pitch anymore but I still love the feel of it.

It was an easy 5-1 win. We were never really pushed and it was a bit of a stroll around. I even did a 20 minute session in goal and never had to use my hands.

Camping

2008-01-06T22:49:00.000+07:00

We took the whole gang camping this weekend to Nai Yang Beach. Pon and me, Gil and Daeng, Huwy and Meeow, Chris and Nok, and of course the kids (Huyw took 3 and we took 2). We picked them up from school on Friday afternoon, fully loaded up two cars and off we went.

We rented tents from the park HQ, 3-man tents for 225 baht a night and 4-man tents for 300 baht a night. We would have liked to set them up by the beach but if you rent their tents they insist you use their campsite on the other side of the road. It is still only two-hundred yards from the beach. I am sure we will go again and maybe next time we will take our own tents so we can pitch them next to the beach.

Still the campsite is okay. They have toilets and showers, not exactly first-class but they do the job. We were the only people there so it was still nice and isolated. We set up one hell of an impressive bbq and got the beers on ice. Took the kids to the beach until sunset and then spent the night eating and boozing.

The kids had a fantastic time as ever. It is great to watch them play, so happy and full of energy and life. Ben is good friends with Fern - one of Huwy's step-kids and only a year older than Ben. They played all evening.

The next morning the kids were up early to play some more. We moved the BBQ to under the trees by the beach. Ben went into the sea in the morning and didn't stop again until we dragged him out late afternoon to go home. One of the great things about Nai Yang Beach is the shallow, gradual slope of the beach which is nice and safe for the kids. Not that you can actually take your eyes off them but we took turns watching.

It was a great night and day out. We all agreed the only thing we were really needed to make it better were some deckchairs. Must be a sign of age I guess but next time we will be loading up a few chairs so we can really sit back and relax.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T15:37:00.000+07:00

We went to celebrate the new year in Patong. It was an entertaining night but I have to say the number of fights we saw and the general underlying feel of tension did not make for the most relaxing time. I have never seen the mood in Patong quite so ugly.

Pon and I started by going for a seafood meal with Gil and Daeng. Then we met Huwy, his wife, Chris and his girlfirend in Soi Eric. So far so good. Bangla Road was crammed and there were lots of people in all the sois. We had a couple of drinks in Soi Eric and it was all nice enough. Then we moved on to Soi Crocodile before midnight. This is where things started to get a bit tasty. I was still fairly sober but the state of some of the people wandering around the soi was hopeless.

One guy wandered down the Soi glowering at anyone he could try to goud into a fight. He decided to pick on a bunch of boozed up Aussies and after introducing himself, he chinned one of them. Somehow it didn't kick off so he wandered off looking for more trouble.

There was a guy in our bar so smashed he could barely stand but still generally looking troublesome. Then the action really heated up as one nutter took a hammer from the nail-banging game and tried to start on the barman. The bargirls did a fantatastic job of coming between them and cooling the situation but it couldn't last. Two or three more punch-ups, security got involved and then eventually a smashed bottle was held against someone's throat.

It was time to go so we tried Soi Easy. It all started fine but then a big punch-up kicked off in the bar next to us. One poor innocent bystander came staggering into our bar covered in blood looking for protection. His only apparent crime was that he must have talked to the wrong girl.

We moved on to Soi Gonzo. Outside there were people puking and unconscious in the street while the party revellers milled around them. I can't be bothered to go into all the general mayhem and unpleasantness that we saw through the night. Strangely, despite it all we actually did have quite a good night out. Just the same, next year I think we will be spending New Year's Eve somewhere else.

Patong really is not Thailand. It is a special creation to satisfy the needs of tourists and part them from their money. It says more about the tourists than it does about Thailand although it does of course also attract the worst of the Thais. Don't get me wrong - I actually like Patong for an occassional visit to see all the craziness and if I was coming to Phuket for a short holiday then it is where I would go. But once you live here it is somewhere you move away from and even visiting once a week would be too much for my liking.

Xmas

2007-12-29T13:34:00.000+07:00

We had a good Xmas. We had a BBQ round our house which turned into a major booze up. Gil is back and has received the great news that his wife is pregnant. This is especially good because she had cancer of the womb three years back and although she had some state-of-the-art surgery to clear it, it was not sure that they could still conceive naturally.

Huwy and Chris were both round along with a lot of Thai friends. Huwy came round with a 5-litre flaggon of wine and was totally blotto by the end of the night. The joys of Xmas.

Other than that, it has been the usual routine. I have been playing a bit of football, we've been out a few times, gone to the beach, to the movies, usual stuff. Some people might think this is an unfulfilling existence but to me it seems pretty great. I just wish I had more time to do all the stuff I want and enjoy playing with the kids.

Ben has reached a really nice stage where he is mostly lovely and full of fun. Jenny is generally lovely but she is in the terrible-twos and she can throw a very impressive tantrum. She just can't stand bath-time and it is always a massive drama. Still she is mostly lovely and after the tantrum she usually wants a make up cuddle.

Benny Learning

2007-12-17T13:33:00.000+07:00

I continue to try to teach Ben to read and it is going surprisingly well. He knows the alphabet, can recognise quite a few words and he can even write a few.

My latest idea is to write a few flash animations for him. He likes to play on the computer and it will keep him interested. This serves the dual purpose of Ben learning to read and me learning to use flash. I have been knocking up a few little animations with words and sounds and Ben loves playing with them.

In the meantime, life in Phuket is good. The family went for a camping trip at Nai Yang Beach at the weekend. It was beautiful and we had a great time. Ben and Jenny loved sleeping in the tent and in the morning running straight out onto the beach. The national park there is now fully open again and the place is looking good. Great beach, tranquil, lovely people. We rented a big 4-man tent for 300 baht. We will do it again for sure. Meybe get a bigger group together and sort out a proper barbecue for the evening.

Even Spurs managed to make me happy with a great performance to get a 1-0 win away to Portsmouth.

Marco and the gang have all gone home but Gil comes back next weekend so there will be more socialising to do.

Very busy

2007-12-11T13:31:00.000+07:00

Well all of the sudden life is quite hectic. Not only do I have quite a bit of work coming in but also there are friends in town and quite a lot of day outs and stuff going on.

Marco has been in Phuket for 10 days so we have had a few sessions with him. Got hammered with him on Sunday morning/afternoon while watching the boxing between Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather. Being away from England you lose touch a little with who are the latest stars. Ricky Hatton has become a very popular boxer back in the UK so his fight against the best boxer in the world - Floyd Mayweather, was a huge event.

In the end Ricky Hatton came up short, he was knocked out in the 10th after a good fight. I can see why he is popular. He is an all action fighter and seems to be a good down to earth guy. In the end the quality of Mayweather and having to step up a weight division was just beyond Hatton.

Spurs put me through yet more frustration last week as they lost 3-2 in the last minute again, against Birmingham - how many times? This week they made up for it with a 2-1 win against Man City and this time we scored quite late in the 83rd minute.

The weather is fantastic at the moment. If i didn't have so much work I would be getting out even more but it is good to be busy. We have been to the beach, park, fairs, etc. There is something to do pretty much every day at the moment.

Busy

2007-11-29T22:45:00.000+07:00

All of the sudden I have a load of work coming in from London. Not that I am moaning because the dosh is going to come in useful but typical that the work should arrive at the same time as the good weather. It is glorious outside but I am glued to my computer most of the day.

As expected, the diet has kind of finished. There have been too many temptations in recent days, nights out, restaurant visits, drink offers, etc. My will was broken. Still I am very pleased with my 7 week effort and 5 kilo weight loss. Now I have to be careful not to just bounce back so although the diet is basically finished I am still showing a bit of discipline and controlling my food intake and also keeping up the efforts at the gym. I feel good for it and felt much sharper at football this week.

My friend Marco arrives in Phuket this week and Gil is back the week after. Huwy is off to Singapore for a couple of days job hunting. He is trying to break into offshore work but cannot get his break and he is running out of time and money. If he doesn't find something on this trip to Singapore he is running out of options.

It seems like a distant memory now but England threw away the lifeline handed to them by Israel in the most painful of fashions. The manager made a right pigs ear of selecting the team playing a 4-5-1 and making all the old compromises and cock-ups that characterised most of his reign. We quickly found ourselves two-nil down. At halftime we reverted to a 4-4-2 and got ourselves back to two-two. So having found a formation that was working the manager then decided to revert to the 4-5-1 that had not worked and what do you know, we lost 3-2. Needless to say he was sacked the next day. It will be a long and painful summer watching the Euros with no England.

Sun

2007-11-20T12:41:00.000+07:00

Well the dry season seems to have arrived bang on time in the middle of November. There will still be the odd downpour but the weather over the last few days has been glorious. Somehow everything feels a little brighter once the sun comes out and you feel an extra spring in the step.

I am just about hanging on with the diet but I can feel my resolve weakening. We had a big eat up at a local restaurant this week and I had a boozing session with Pon in Phuket Town and another with friends in Patong. It looked for a while like Gil would be back this week which would have made it even harder to keep going but he now has an extra three weeks in Nigeria. Still I am pleased with the results of the diet so far but would like to drop another kilo or two if possible.

It has been international week for football and England got a huge break this weekend when Israel beat Russia ( I will have to buy Gil a beer). If Russia had won then England were as good as out but now we only need a draw at home to Croatia on Wednesday so it will be a late night for me.

Rain

2007-11-11T11:00:00.000+07:00

It has been raining hard for the last couple of weeks. It is normal for this time of year but we are in November now and the high season weather should be here soon. It could come anytime but there is no sign yet. A couple of years ago it didn't happen until January which was a bit freakish.

When it is raining a lot and you are trying to be healthy you are a bit limited in what you can do. Finding a good spell of weather for a day out is difficult and trips to restaurants and bars are limited because it is just not the same if you can't stuff your face. So things are generally a little quiet and dull at the moment. Lots of trips to the gym, healthy food, a bit of shopping, the odd movie, bit of football. Nothing to get excited about.

Things will pick up when the weather breaks and at the end of the month we have a few friends arriving. A good old friend Marco from England will be here for 10 days and Gil is back early next month. Until then I intend to use this quiet period to push on with my diet. Another two or three weeks discipline and I will be very pleased with myself. Even Pon claims to have new found resolve but I am no convinced it will last.

Dietting On

2007-11-04T12:06:00.000+07:00

The diet continues to tick along well enough. It is more than a month now and I still feel I have another couple of weeks will-power left in me. I continue to up my efforts at the gym and to eat lots of small healthy meals and the weight is slowly droppng off which is the way it should be. Pon, as expected, has lost next to nothing. In fact I'm not sure she isn't starting to put on weight again. The concept of reducing food intake is a tough one for Thai people.

My football team had another friendly game against the teachers at the BIS school yesterday. For the first time ever, they beat us 3-2. It had been raining hard and the pitch was a bit of a mudbath. It suited them a bit more than us as they are cloggers where as we of course are passing football purists. Well almost, but it did level the playing standards a bit. I only played the second half and we were already 3-2 down. I can live with only playing half a game at my age. Just the same the lack of discipline from some of the players at this standard is frustrating. I played at centre back which is not my natural position and it was not made easier by the wanderings of two of the other defenders. I certainly got plenty of running in.

Spurs have their new manager in place. Ramos from Spain. His start seems promising. He is saying the right things and seems to have a bit of presence so we will see. He has started with a home win against Port vale in the league cup and last night we got a 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough. It is the first time this season that we have not thrown away a result in the last minute so it is a start.

New Visa Success

2007-10-27T13:54:00.000+07:00

A successful trip to Penang although it was not smooth sailing. The first day proved a right struggle. My return flight was cancelled so my return was put back one day. When I arrived my ATM card refused to work - the banks are very suspicious of transactions in Thailand and Malaysia so as soon as they saw something out of the ordinary they blocked my card. That meant I was left relying on changing the Thai money I had with me - barely enough.

Then I realised that with all my concern about whether my bank balance would be enough - I forgot the most crucial document. I was applying for a visa based on marriage to a Thai and forgot my marriage certificate. How stupid was that? I thought it looked like a disaster. I was staying at the Mingood Hotel. It is a basic hotel but good for the price and they have a good visa agent. He said if I could get the document scanned and e-mailed then he could print it.

So with phone calls to Pon and Huwy the plan was put into action. Huwy came through and the document was scanned and sent through just in time for me to get the application in. I still had the anxious wait to see whether they would accept my dodgy bank balance but in the end it all went through and I have another 1-year multi entry visa. It really shouldn't be this much effort. I am married to a Thai with children and you would think the visa would be almost automatic. Still rules are rules and we have no choice but to play along.

The rest of the trip to Penang was uneventful. It is a chance to eat really good Indian curry with naan bread which I just love. And I had a few drinks of Guiness which is also good. I took a trip to Penang Hill which is one of the attractions of the island. It is a cable train ride to the top of the 830m hill. Well in line with the general tone of the trip, the clouds came in so there was no view to be seen. Then it started bucketing down with rain. I waited in a restaurant for two and a half hours but it just wasn't going to stop so I went back down. Well at least I saw the cable train.

And while I was away Spurs' troubles reached farcical levels. Having totally failed to perform in a 3-1 defeat at Newcastle, we then had an apparently easy uefa cup game against Getafe from the bottom of the Spanish league. We lost 2-1. Our manager was sacked. As much as I like Martin Jol and I think the board made his position impossible, I have to say it is the best thing. I was never convinced by his tactics and sometimes he was just too nice. We always got dumped on by referees because they know MJ won't kick up a fuss. It is a sad reflection of the game but the reason why all the top managers spend a lot of time attacking referees is they know it works. If you try to be nice and sporting it is just taken as a sign of weakness.

Penang Trip Tomorrow

2007-10-22T09:20:00.000+07:00

The last night of the vegetarian festival was fantastic. It is an amazing site. For 3 or 4 hours they keep up a constant barrage of firecrackers and fireworks while the processions charge through. And somehow while throwing firecrackers at each other they keep the whole thing in good spirits.

Well tomorrow is my Penang visa trip and I am a little concerned I don't have a decent bank balance to show. It is a fairly new requirement in Penang that you need to show a Thai bank book with a decent balance. I was going to organise a transfer from England over the phone but when I called they have changed their rules and I now require a telephone banking pass code which was sent to my mum's address inEngland. Typically she is on holiday so I can't get it. I therefore only had the option of sending a letter. It might have made it in time but there is a postal strike in England. So now I have to smile nicely and hope they are kind to me. It would be gutting to do all the effort and expense of this trip and only get a 3-month visa. Fingers crossed.

Still I am quite looking forward to the trip. It is a chance for some decent Indian curry and some Guinness.

In the meantime money continues to drain from my account like someone pulled the plug out. My flat in England is finally renovated and occupied again (by a nun I think). However the washing machine instantly broke down and had to be replaced plus yet more renovation work and I even had to refurbish it. It will be at least another month before the rent starts coming in.

Work from England has also been very quiet with nothing to do for around 3 months. Fortunately it has picked up this month with quite a bit coming in but again the money won't come until next month. I keep on expecting this work to dry up completely but I now think it will last until December. Once it is finished I will have to seriously look into making some money in Thailand.

Late night tonight, Spurs at Newcastle.

Last Night of the Veggy Festival

2007-10-19T12:58:00.000+07:00

The diet continues slow but steady. That is the way it should be. I am going to Penang next week for a couple of days. I need to get a new 1 year multi-entry marriage visa. The last couple of times I have taken the bus. It is a long ride and there is now a direct flight so that is what I am doing this time. It is an okay trip. Makes a nice little break. I keep thinking about sorting out my 1-year extension but I acually quite enjoy these visa trips. I will take a couple of days break from the diet as it is no fun being away if you can't eat or drink. There is a decent gym in one of the hotels where I can work off those excess calories.

Tonight is the conclusion of the vegetarian festival. We have been to a couple of the processions. They are spectacular but I have seen them so many times now that I dont' get excited anymore. We have also eaten plenty of the vegetarian food which really is good. Tonight is always fun. It is a firecracker extravaganza and a truly spectacular site as the procession charges through the smoke and flashes. Pon and I will go. We can leave the kids at home as it is a late event.

On Wednesday I went round Huwy's to watch the vital England game in Russia. We blew it. From one-nil up and looking comfortable, we lost 2-1. Now qualification is out of our own hands and looking unlikely. Sometimes I think being a footy fan is more heartbreak than it is worth.

Start of the Vegetarian Festival

2007-10-11T23:29:00.000+07:00

The vegetarian festival has started in Phuket. This annual event (see Phuket Vegetarian Festival) is certainly the weirdest event of the year in Phuket. Nobody fully knows where the origins of this strange event come from but it was certainly Chinese settlers or visitors who introduced it a long time ago. Since then it has developed into a bizarre spectacle with street processions, body piercings, displays around the Chinese temples and all sorts of weirdstuff going on. It is 10 days of pure madness and just has to be seen.

There are a number of rules that should be followed for the 10 days. The main one is that you should only eat vegetarian food. Others include wearing white clothes, no alcohol and no sex. Pon makes an effort to adhere to a vegetarian diet. There are vegetarian foodstalls everywhere this time of year so it is not that difficult. I play along when we go to see the events but otherwise I continue as normal.

We went to the Downtown area of Phuket Town this morning for the first full day. We had vegetarian food and bought some white clothes. At one point Ben gave us a nasty little scare. Pon had crossed the road to buy some food. Ben suddenly decided he wanted to join her and dashed across the road. Luckily there were only a couple of motorbikes coming and they managed to stop in time. He has never done it before and we had relaxed. It is a reminder that you only have to relax for a second with kids and something terrible can happen.

Before we went to the vegetarian festival we went to the gym and I had a go at the yoga class with Pon. I have always heard that yoga is hard work but I was surprised. I was absolutely soaked in sweat by the end. Still it makes a nice change from the usual workout so I might do it again.

School Holidays

2007-10-09T13:17:00.000+07:00

The school holidays have started so Ben is very happy. I wonder if he will actually start to miss school after a while. I don't think so. I don't remember ever wanting to get back to school when I was a kid. Jenny is pleased to have him back. Although they have the odd dispute they still generally enjoy having each other around to play with.

Meanwhile, one week in and the diet is going okay. Well for me - I don't think Pon is going to lose an ounce. Thai people are really rubbish at dieting. They like their food too much and they can't stand being hungry. Instead they look for magic solutions or take appetite suppressing pills. I try to explain to Pon that losing weight does involve feeling a little hungry sometimes but it is just not the Thai way. If they are hungry they eat.

I have upped my efforts at the gym (just got another two months membership) and I am also back playing football. I am eating a reasonable amount of healthy food and I have dropped a couple of kilos. Of course that is normal when you first start a diet and most of that is just water and food clearing my system. Still I think I have dropped a bit of fat.

Spurs are teetering on the edge of a turning point. Having recovered a 4-1 disadvantage against Villa into a 4-4 draw we then went and got a 2-2 draw at Anfield. Normally this would be a good result but of course in typical Spurs style we almost won but gave away a last minute equaliser. It was still a step in the right direction so I hope it turns around for Jol before he loses his job.

Time for a Diet

2007-10-05T12:15:00.000+07:00

Unbelievably, Spurs compounded their half time situation by going 4-1 down and then made a comeback with a last gasp equaliser for a 4-4 draw. It makes a nice change from us throwing the match away in the last minute. Still I cannot bring myself to be too pleased as we were dreadful at the back and we really needed a win. We are still in the bottom three. Still it is the sort of moment that can be a turning point. You never know.

Gil has gone back to Nigeria. We had final drinks with him on Sunday night. Thought it was just going to be a quiet night out in Phuket Town but in the end we got totally hammered.

Pon and I are now going on a little diet. Neither of us are badly overweight but we have let a few kilos pile on. It is something I seem to find myself doing every couple of years. The weight slowly goes on to the point where I say it is enough. I set myself a limit of 80 kgs. Whenever I hit that point it is time to lose some weight. So a bit of discipline over the next month and I hope to lose 4 or 5 kilos.

I have done this three or four times before and am reasonably good at it. Plenty of exercise and eating a sensible amount of good food is the answer. Do not try to lose weight too quickly - 1 kilo a week is more than enough. Also drink plenty of water and avoid sugar and fat.

I never needed to worry about my weight until my 30s but as you get older, you put on weight that much easier.

So I have added our starting measurements to the side of the blog:

Ben Busts his Head

2007-10-02T02:51:00.000+07:00

Huwy has yet more drama in his life as his wife falls ill on the same day he needs to organise his visa trip to Penang. Everything he does seems to turn into a crisis. The result was we ended up babysitting their kids on Saturday morning while he was trying to sortt his stuff out.

To add to the drama Ben was playing with Fern and managed to fall off the hammock and crack the back of his head open. There was a lot of blood and it looked quite nasty. We took him into Phuket International Hospital where they very quickly pinned the gash together with 4 staples. Ben was a little upset but quickly recoved and was soon running around again.

The one good bit of news was that Ben's school insurance paid for the hospital bill. It is one of the few financial breaks I have had in the last few months. My flat in London is currently empty and being renovated which is killing me. I have not had much work from Hammersmith so there has been no money coming in. Still it is looking a bit brighter now with the flat due to be let again this month and some work coming in again.

Right now Spurs are torturing me again 3-1 down at half time against Villa. Jesus!

A nice week

2007-09-24T12:37:00.000+07:00

It has been a nice week. We have been out with Gil a few times. Over the weekend I had quite a bit of work to do over the internet but wouldn't you know the connection was up and down all weekend. Saturday was a beautiful day so we decided to go out for a drive. We ended up at the north of the island. We did a nature walk around a mangrove forest and then found a nice spot by the beach right next to Sarasin Bridge. We ate somtam and drank beer while the kids played. It was lovely.

Yesterday, despite my dodgy internet connection, I managed to get through all my work.

Last night Gil and I went to Patong to watch the football. Spurs ground out a 1-1 draw at Bolton. Normally this would be a decent result but in the current situation it is not enough and the crisis deepens. Gil was a bit happier as Man U beat Chelsea 2-0.

Huwy has been in Pattaya for a week. As with most things that Huwy does, the trip turned into a bit of a drama. It is all much too complicated for me to go into here. He got back to Phuket last night.

It looks like Gil will be going back to Nigeria next week. Gil was convinced he had left for good but circumstances have changed. His boss had a heart attack after Gil left and they are desperate for Gil to help them out. I think Gil feels a bit obligated after working so long there so despite himself he will be going.

Weener the Dog

2007-09-15T14:07:00.000+07:00

It has been a busy if uneventful week. England got another good result winning 3-0 against Russia. Tonight I endure more Spurs torture as we face another grilling from Arsenal.

Huwy and family have gone to Pattaya for a few days so we have his dog weener. Ben and Jenny are pleased. It is an energetic little sausage dog and they have been chasing it all over the house all morning. Needless to say the dog was exhausted long before they were.

Gil's entire family are in Phuket for a week. They were greeted with a tsunami warnng at the start of the week although it proved to be a false alarm. I may join him and his brothers for a few beers tonight but we will see how the football goes first.

A Good Result

2007-09-10T23:00:00.000+07:00

So Huwyy and I ended up watching the England-Israel game around Gil's house. Pon went as well as she is good friends with Daeng. The game went well for us with a comfortable 3-0 win. Gil took it well - as much as he supports Israel he still saves his most passionate ranting for Man U games. So up to this point a few beers and a bit of wine had been drunk and everything was to pan.

Then Huwy suggested we try a bar he had heard about not far from Gil's house so off we go. It turned out to be a small farang bar and nice enough so we settled in for a few more beers. Somehow the ante was upped and we started doing a few shots and B52's. Now I just know it is a mistake to start on the shots but somehow at the time it always seems a good idea.

By the time we staggered out of the bar everything is a little hazy. What we do know is that Huwy decided to do a quick shadow box with a statue but in his befuddled state he mistimed the punch and actually hit the statue knocking it down. The bar owner was not happy and started threatening to call the cops. Not that that would have worked so it was a pretty empty threat. We mumbled our apologies, made a feeble attempt at picking the statue up and stumbled out. I don't remember much more of the night. Huwy had cut his hand open in three places. Fortunately Pon was there to drive us home.

Ben and Jenny in Good Form

2007-09-07T12:05:00.000+07:00

Ben and Jenny are both in great form at the moment. They are so full of life and charm. Sometimes I think it would be nice to be able to say this is where I want to stop time. Just stay where we are now because everything is so good. The pair of them can leave me quite exhausted by the end of the day but I wouldn't have it any other way because they are so much fun.

Ben seems to be doing fine at school. He does not like going but not many kids do like school. His Thai, colouring and drawing have all greatly improved. My efforst to teach him English reading are also bearing some fruit. I try to find 10 or 15 miutes a day to do a bit of ABC with him. He can now identify most of the letters of the alphabet and read the first few pages of Peter and Jane. We have only been doing it for a month so I think that is good progress. My thinking is that if it takes a year before he can read books on his own then that will be good going.

Jenny is just full of character. She laughs and plays so easily. Her English has noticably improved over the last couple of months with her stringing little sentences together and making up her own phrases. She seems bright as a button and loves looking at books. If Pon and I haven't got time for her she will happily grab a picture book and start flicking through the pages.

Gil has been back since Saturday so we have met up for a couple of quiet nights out. We had a few drinks in Phuket Town last Sunday and last night we had a meal and went to the movies (Invasion - not bad but I think remakes always struggle to make the impact of the original). Tomorrow England play Israel at football. Gil is from Israel so it is an opportunity for a bit of friendly rivalry. We are going around his house for a little party to watch the game. It will be a change for Huwy and me to be on the same side against Gil.

Spurs Torture

2007-09-02T14:06:00.000+07:00

Spurs continue to asolutely torture me. Last night they totally dominated the game against Fulham, took a 2-0 and then a 3-1 lead and then contrived to throw it away to another last minute goal for a 3-3 draw. It is just incredible that they do not learn. We make the same two mistakes every time we get in a good position. First we get all cocky, look at us, we're so good and go into cruise mode. Then the other team take advantage of the cruise mode to get back into the game and then Spurs get all scared, go into their shells and invite an end of game siege that invariably leads to a goal.

I still support Martin Jol as manager but I have to say he has got to sort this out because it is destroying us. If he does not learn his lesson this time and insist that the team keep pushing until the end of the game then he will start to lose the support of the fans as well as the board.

Gil got back from Nigeria yesterday so I expect we will be out for a few beers in Patong tonight. He at least will be in a good mood as Man U sneaked a 1-0 in over Sunderland yesterday after sneaking a 1-0 win over us last week. It will be good to see him again. He has finally quit his job in Nigeria so he can chill for a while before looking for a job closer to home that will give him a better lifestyle.

Night Out in Phuket Town

2007-08-31T14:05:00.000+07:00

Pon and I went for a night out in Phuket Town last night. We do these nights out together occassionally. I really think it is good for the relationship to go and get pissed together sometimes. Get away from the kids and other friends and just spend a night together. Pon is always good company for these trips.

We started at Timber Hut. It is the most popular bar in Phuket Town with a live band and always lots of customers. It is actually the bar where we first met. We moved on to Jammin which used to be the next most popular bar in town but the last couple of times we have been it was very quiet. Last night we discovered it had closed. We went on to a Thai Country music bar on Sakdidet Road and then the bar in the Thavorn Hotel. At 1:00 am most bars close but we found a nice place on the way home that stays open until two and finished the night there.

A night out in Phuket Town makes a nice change to Patong. You often find yourself the only westerner in some of these bars so you always get a bit of attention but it is always friendly and well intentioned.

Renew Driving License

2007-08-29T12:33:00.000+07:00

I am just about calming down after Spurs' weekend game against Man U. As is normal in this game we were stitched by the referee. Having played well and restricted Man U to a handful of chances we had two clear penalty shouts turned down. How the referee missed the first one when Vidic literally threw himself into Berbatov is beyond me. The second one was a clear handball but possibly difficult for the ref to see - although I don't think so as I saw it first time on TV and everyone else around it saw it.

As if that was not bad enough Man U go up the other end and score just a few minutes later. And although it was a good strike it still only went in because of a lucky deflection. So once again a game against Man U leaves me seething at the sheer injustice of it all. It is crazy that a game of football can do this to grown adults but I was in a bad temper for a couple of days.

So today I renewed my Thai driving license. I got my first license last year to finally make myself legal on the roads here but the first one is only for 1 year. So yesteday and today I faced up to the hassle of dealing with thai bureaucracy again. Armed with a conformation of address letter from immigration, a health certificate from the doctor, photocopies of all relevant pages of my passport, photos of myself and my old license - I went down the local transport office in Phuket. once I finally had all the documents sorted out it remarkable only took 15 minutes to get the new license. And the new one is valid for 5 years.

2007-08-25T13:04:00.000+07:00

We have found a taker for the rabbit so I don't have to worry about whether to keep it. It would have been a nice pet for the kids but the amount or crap they produce is a real pain.

I went out for a night with Huwy and Udo in Patong. The usual routine around the usual bars but a nice night out. At the end of the night I was so hammered that I couldn't find Huwy. Udo had already gone home. I went to the toilet in Soi Tiger and I think I just went back to the wrong bar. In a state of wretched confused drunkenness I gave up and found a tuk tuk home. I have a vague memory that the first tuk tuk took me the wrong way - probably because I was too drunk for them to understand me. So they dropped me off and I got a second tuk-tuk home. I really don't handle the booze like I used to.

Rabbit

2007-08-22T11:22:00.000+07:00

We have found a rabbit. I don't know where it came from but it has been living with us for a few days. We are asking around to see if we can find the owner but so far no success. It was found hiding behind a bush near our house. It was wet, dirty and trembling. I guess it is a scary neighbourhood for a rabbit with all the cats and dogs around. We took it in, cleaned it up and put it in our garden. I didn't think it would stay for long but it seems to have settled down nicely.

It is white with dark ears. Ben and Jenny love it. "Rabbit, rabbit' Jenny says, "carrot for the rabbit.' The rabbit seems fine with them. It is happy to take carrots from them and be stroked. It does not much like being picked up and kicks its legs so I have to hold it by the scruff of the neck to avoid being scratched.

At night we put it upstairs in our currently spare room with the leaking roof. I don't think we can leave him out overnight because of all the neighbouhood cats. As it is I think it is only a matter of time before a dog or cat comes into the garden and grabs the rabbit.

If we cannot find the owner soon we will have to make a decision whether to keep it or not. I am not sure I want to keep it because it will be a hassle keeping it safe and there will be rabbit pooh everywhere. On the other hand the kids love it an it does save cutting the grass. It is amazing how much difference a rabbit can make to the lawn in just a few days. If we decide to keep it we will have to buy a cage.

Damned Achilles

2007-08-20T13:06:00.000+07:00

Our ex-pat football team have a tournament going on at the moment. Unfortunately I cannot play. My achilles tendon injury has flared up again. It is a long standing problem for me and so frustrating. I have to be so careful when I play. I always do a half hour warm up before I go. I have to take a few days break between playing to let my msucles loosen up again. I also put heel lifts in my boots to take the strain off the calf muscles. But still sometimes it tears. I have a little tear at the moment but I know if I play it could go completely. I pushed it a few seasons ago and it ruptured. I had to literally crawl off the pitch. I could not even walk for a month.

It is so frutrating because apart from that I am very fit for my age. I would be a very good player in the over 35 tournaments if only my achilles was okay. Ity is my own fault for not taking better care when I was young. Not enough time warming up or stretching and playing through injuries has caught up with me.

So I watched the guys from the sidelines. Normally I hate watching because I am dying to play. This time I must admit I did not envy them at all. They were totally outclassed by the Thai team. To make it worse it was pouring with rain. It looked like a thoroughly miserable experience. They lost 5-0. We know we don't have any chance of winning these tournaments but we do hope to atleast make it through a few rounds. The next game is tomorrow and I still won't be fit. Maybe in another couple of weeks.

Learning to Read

2007-08-15T12:01:00.000+07:00

Well the new football season continues and Spurs continue to torture me. I stayed up until 4am last night to watch Spurs put in a dire performance against Everton. We lost 3-1 and could not complain. We look totally shorn of creativity. The defence is missing a few players and was shambolic. And we are trying to squeeze all our superstar strikers into the same team. When will managers learn to play players in position and in a formation that works? I am in a bad mood this morning.

I have decided it is about time Ben started learning to read. I figure since he has the extra demand of learning two languages and two alphabets then it is time to push on. I have always read story books to Ben and Jenny and they both love them. But now Ben is 4 I have started getting him to recognise words and learn letters of the alphabet. He seems kind of neutral on the whiole concept but in our few sessions so far he can now read a few words and letters. I figure if I can do 10 minutes once or twice a day then in a few months he should start to pick things up.

Not that I have any knowledge of how to teach reading so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

Football is Back

2007-08-12T09:24:00.000+07:00

Well the football season is finally back and what a dissapointment. After all the hype and transfer activity Spurs kicked off and went right back to type. An opening away fixture to Sunderland was always going to be tricky. We always start the season with a tricky away fixture which I can't help but feel is because the fixture list is now fixed to make sure Arsenal, Man U and Chelsea always start with a comfortable home fixture.

So after 92 dreadful scoreless minutes of huff and puff Spurs contrived to go totally asleep for the last 3 minutes and just gave Sunderland a goal with the last kick of the game. Spurs are so tough to support sometimes. They do this again and again until it becomes painful to watch. And it just never happens the other way round. I can't remember the last time Spurs grabbed a winner with the last kick of the game.

To add to my despondancy, the TV coverage has gone downhill. It has been bought by the Thai satelite TV service and put on Thai channels with no English build up or half time/full time analysis.

Happy Birthday Ben & Jenny

2007-08-07T23:02:00.000+07:00

Yesterday was Ben & Jenny's birthday. Yes they were born on the same day but two years apart. Very hand for a combined birthday party.

We had a big birthday party and they loved it. We got Ben a remote controlled car and a little games computer. We got Jenny a new racing car she can sit on and push. So far Jenny shows no signs of liking dolls or any other girly stuff. She likes the same things as Ben such as cars and balls. The only girls thing she really likes is her cuddly dog which she still loves and can hardly be parted from.

There were lots of other kids around and they all had a great time. Huwy and another friend called Udo came round for a fair few beers. It was all a good night.

One thing I have noticed over the last couple of months is I have been tired a lot. The result is I have often been grouchy and yesterday I noticed it was getting Pon down. I know I have been doing it and keep telling myself to buck up but somehow I kept being grouchy. Thinking about it I think it has coincided with Ben starting school and my having to get up early to take him. So my new reslution is to make sure I get a bit more sleep and pick my mood up a litt.e

Work About the House

2007-08-04T12:27:00.001+07:00

Boo (Pon's daughter) is the latest to come down with the lurgy. She has a headache and fever. I guess it is going around.

The odd jobs around the house have been building up and it is time to get them done. The final straw was when a guest went to the downstairs toilet and as she was sitting on it, it fell over. It made a hell of a noise. Quite amusing really although she looked a little shaken. So we have called in the local handyman. His name is Dum and he is Burmese but has lived in Thailand for a long time and speaks good Thai - I understand him better than I can understand most Thais.

We will get him in for a couple of days. Fix the toilet, replace the shower and bum gun and a few other jobs. We are slowly getting rid of all our wooden door and window frames. They seem to be an attractive home for termites so the simplest option is just to remove them.

In the meantime I will push on with fixing the interminable leaking roof. My solution of filling the gaps with silicone seems to work. So now it is a matter of filling every gap. I need to pull the entire ceiling down and get to work. Once it has done we will have to wait for some serious rainfall and see if it stays dry. If that is okay we will get a new ceiling built. Instead of having a solid ceiling we will get ceiling tiles so they are easy to move in case of future leaks.

More Ills

2007-08-01T00:09:00.000+07:00

Blimey it just seems to be one ailment after the next at the moment. This time it was my turn again. I was hit with a stunning headache. I don't think I have ever had a headache like it, not even with my Dengue Fever a couple of months ago. I endured it for a day and a half but in the end it was just too much and I headed down the hospital. I was barely able to describe the symptoms to the doctor as the headache pierced into my skull. I don't think he really had much idea what it was but he suggested maybe a flu or some other virus and gave me a medicines to cover just about every possibility. It was another 24 hours before I began to feel human again. I just had to hunker down and sleep as mush as I could until then.

But only three days later and I feel perfect again. Today I played football in Patong while Pon took Ben and Jenny to play by the beach. In the evening Pon and I went to the Halal Food Celebration in Thalang. It is a nice little fair with quite an impressive show. A Thai style play depicting some of the history of Phuket's settlement. It is all a bit of a drama with lots of wailing and crying but the set is spectacular, great costumes, lots of colour and 500 performers.

It has been a long weekend for Ben because it is Buddhist Lent. He is back at school tomorrow.

Visa Run

2007-07-26T22:44:00.000+07:00

So today was my visa run. I hate this day. It is a tedious chore that I have to perform every 3 months to extend my stay in the country. I normally look for a way to make it more interesting by turning it into some kind of trip. I haven't actually done the standard minibus run to Ranong for almost two years but for some reason this time I couldn't be bothered to make a trip out of it so I did the standard run.

You can find a description of the standard visa run here - The Standard Phuket Visa Run.

The good thing is our friend Geoff (the millionnaire) has added a visa run operation to the legal business ran by his girlfriend - Bangkok Legal Services. They have bought a very good minibus with comfy seats and a TV & DVD. They are even doing the trip for a bargain price of 1,300 baht all in. So it was an easy choice to give them a go.

They didn't make the best of starts when they turned up 20 minutes late but from then on it was all good. They just got on with it which is all everybody wants. Get the job done and get home. There were only 5 of us on the bus which makes all the difference comfort wise. There were no idiots on the bus which also helps, no overstayers, no messing around.

We were back home just after 4pm which is the fastest visa run I have ever done by a mile. It is still a crap day but at least it was less crap than usual.

Ben's Ails Continue

2007-07-25T09:15:00.000+07:00

Ben has been vomiting again over the last couple of days. This time so much so that he could not keep any food down and was clearly suffering so we gave hime the day off school. He was also complaining about his ear again. This time we decided to take him to an ear specialist as I am sure he has an ear infection. So we took him into Phuket Town to an ear doctor on Phuket Road.

It took the doctor about 10 seconds to declare Ben's right ear was clogged with wax and infected. I suspect this may well be the root cause of all his ailments over the last few weeks. He has actually been complaining about his ear on and off for a couple of months. Goes to show you should take note of what the kids say.

The doctor set about sucking the wax out of Ben's ear with a nasty looking suction syringe. Ben was a little nervous but he sat still and patiently endured the process. He has been a little soldier about the whole thing and made me feel quite proud. The doctor gave us some ear drops and hopefully they will clear the infection.

Ben looks better already and is back at school today.

Ben's Energy

2007-07-21T23:36:00.000+07:00

I wonder about Ben sometimes. He seems to have quite extraordinary energy levels. He never stops and when there are other children around to play he turns into a whirling dirvish. We had a friend around today who bought his seven year old son. Ben played and played and played with this kid. They ran, jumped, chased and played for hours. This kid eventually ran out of steam but Ben just never stopped and would not let this poor exhausted kid stop either.

I have seen Ben do this before. He can just run other children to exhaustion. I worry that he might be hyperactive but on the other hand maybe it is a good thing and just shows he is a very fit boy. I try to cast my mind back to when I was a kid. I can't remember back to Ben's age but I do remember having lots of energy. When I was a kid we would go to the park to play football after lunch. We would play constantly until it was dark and then head back to our street to play other games until we were finally called in by our parents.

It would be fantastic to have all that energy now. Imagine what you could do if you never needed to stop. Sadly there is no beating age. It is all I can do to keep Ben and Jenny entertained and under control.

Ben is Better

2007-07-18T10:10:00.000+07:00

Well Ben is very much better. The cough is gone and he is full of energy - actually he was always full of energy. I went to bed at midnight last night only to find that Ben had got out of bed and was happily playing bu himself. Needless to say he was rahter tired when we got him up for school this morning. We are meant to take him for a follow up visit to the doctor but I am not sure I can be bothered.

I have a new interest - torrents. I recently bought a video camera so that I can take home videos of Ben & Jenny growing up and therefore I also had to find software to convert those videos into DVDs (Nero seems to the best software out there). One of the few frustrations living out here is that you miss some of the TV from back home. There is not much I am bothered about but I did want to see the second series of The Office so I investigated torrents.

It took me two days to download the entire second series and the Xmas specials but now I have them. I do not seem to be able to get the speed above 20kbs which seems very slow but it gets there in the end. I think I am missing something on the set up but maybe it is just the limits of my internet connection. I will continue to tinker.

Ben's Cough

2007-07-14T14:00:00.000+07:00

We took Ben to the hospital for a check up. The doctor was very good. He spoke good English and quickly diagnosed bronchitis. He explained we needed an X-ray to make sure there was no pneumonia. He also said there was the possibility it as asthmatic bronchitis but it is difficult to tell the difference. Of course I hope Ben is not asthmatic - I can't see why he should be. There is no history of it in either Pon's or my family.

Anyway the X-ray was clear for pneumonia. They gave Ben breathing treatment - a breathing mask that mixes air and medicine into a steam. Ben was a little intimidated by it all but he was quite the little soldier about it. The doctor gave us some medicine. There was bronchial clearing stuff, antibiotics in case there are any related infections (we think he might have an ear infection, an and asthmatic tablets just in case.

The funny thing was although he was meant to be sick he was sprinting round the waiting room for most of the time we were in the hospital. Anyway a couple of days later and he is much improved.

Went for a night out in Patong with Huwy. It was the usual routine around the usual bars. A nice enough night out. We finished off with a pizza at our usual restaurant. It was slow coming and Huwy threw a little strop and walked out. Huwy is a good straight-up guy but he does like to make a drama of things. The simplest problem gets turned into a major event. Guess we won't be going back to that pizza place for a while.

Ben's Ear

2007-07-11T09:51:00.000+07:00

Ben's cough has returned with a vengeance. He was coughing all night and had a rough sleep. Then he was sick in the morning. He has also been complaining about his ear so I think it looks like an ear infection may be the problem. Since it hasn't cleared up it is time for a visit to the doctor to have it looked at.

Everything else is normal. Pon and I went for a night out in Phuket Town on Monday. We were going to watch a movie first but the schedule was wrong so we just went out boozing. We started at the bar in the Thavorn Hotel. It is a nice cosy bar with live Thai country music. Then we went to Jammin. This is a more pub style place with a live rock band. It used to be one of the most popular bars in Phuket Town but it seems to have dropped off the in-list. There were only a handful of customers. Still it made for a nice atmosphere as the customers could have a bit of banter with the band.

After that we went to YoYo Restaurant by the weekend market. The boss, Khun Joy, is a friend and also an old friend of Pon was coming. The beers flowed quickly again and we got absolutely hammered. It was good fun but again I remember little of going home and woke up with a stunning hangover. I worry I have lost my booze handling ability.

The Gym

2007-07-07T13:15:00.000+07:00

We forgot to go to the gym this morning. Well okay, I overslept. They have three morning yoga classes that Pon attends regularly. The only problem is the only day we can go together is Saturday. On Mondays & Thursdays Ben is at school and Jenny will not play on her own. Therefore after dropping Ben off at school, I drop Pon off at the gym and then I go home with Jenny. I go to the gym early afternoon for a session before collecting Ben from school.

So Saturday is our day when Ben & Jenny can play together in the play room while I do a session in the gym and Pon does her yoga class. Don't let anyone tell you having children won't affect your life. Everything revolves around them.

Over the last month or so Ben & Jenny have developed quite a sibling rivalry. They are endlessly battling over toys and they will not share anything. I think Ben was the one who started it but now Jenny is standing her ground and they will fight over anything. I am not quite sure how to deal with it. No matter what we try the pair of them will not et on. Hopefully they are just going through one of those phases.

What a Hangover!

2007-07-04T12:27:00.000+07:00

Yesterday was a complete write off. The day before Geoff had one of his little parties at his house. I don't know what happened - it seemed like a normal long boozing session. We were certainly hammered by the time we left and I don't remember much about going home. A big session for sure but I didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary. However the next day I was just wiped out. I lay on the sofa until 3pm and whenever I did get up I felt giddy and had the shakes. I don't think I have ever had a hangover quite like it. I've had a few where I felt dreadful but not actually physically faint. I think it is a little warning that I am getting older and my body cannot handle heavy boozing sessions the way it used to.

Today I feel recovered. I will go and do a lunchtime session at the gym before picking Ben up from school. Then we need to do a shopping trip.

Night out in Patong

2007-07-01T12:29:00.000+07:00

I went for a night out in Patong last night. Patong is the biggest tourist town in Phuket and is where all the tourist nightlife goes on. I lived there for a while and always used to visit often. However, I have not been down there for a month. It is a fun place but over time you start to get bored of it. It is still a good place to visit but I can't be bothered to go there regularly.

I went with Huwy and we did our usual rounds of the bars where we know the owners. A few drinks and a chat and then on to the next bar. I am definitely out of practice as I felt hammered after an hour. Still we ploughed on, got slaughtered, had our traditional end of night pizza and then struggled home barely conscious.

It was good fun but it might be another month before I go again.

Supercheap

2007-06-28T12:29:00.000+07:00

Yesterday we did a shopping trip to supercheap. It is a big cash & carry style warehouse. It is basic presentation with no air-con, concrete floors and the goods piled high. However it is out & out the cheapest place to shop in Phuket. We don't go there very often as it is a bit of an effort compared to Big C but every now & then we pay it a visit. The other problem is you are tempted to buy so much because everything is so cheap. I kept a tight rein on myself and limited the spending to 4,000 baht.

Among other bargains, we got a little train set for Ben. It is a fantastic little train that goes, has a light, makes train noises and makes smoke - all for a paltry 160 baht. Ben loves it. He is funny when something really takes his attention. He could not leave the box alone until we got home. Could not control his excitement as I loaded the batteries and once he was playing he could not even waste time to eat. Come bedtime, I had to drag him away from it. I am not sure exactly what time he woke up - I think it was about 4am that he went downstairs to play some more. And of course he wanted to take it to school and he says he wants another one. It is nice to see him so happy and excited. Of course it is only a matter of time before he breaks it.

A Day Off for Ben

2007-06-26T11:32:00.001+07:00

We gave Ben the day off school yesterday. He still had a cough and a temperature. It is the first time he has missed a day. He was actually very boisterous all day and probably would have been fine to go to school. He is back at school today.

Pon and I have resolved our little medicine dispute. Pon agrees not to rush into giving the children medicine and I agree that Ben can have some cough syrup to ease his cough.

The interminable tale of our leaking roof goes on. There was a bit of rain yesterday and there did not seem to be any water coming through the tiles I had bunged up with silicone. We need some heavier downpours before I can be sure and if it looks okay I will do the same thing with the few remaining leaks. We will then leave the ceiling open for a couple of weeks to make sure it looks okay. In the meantime Ben and Jenny continue to sleep in our room. It is actually quite nice. They both tend to wake up early and climb into our bed for a cuddle.

Medicine

2007-06-24T10:36:00.000+07:00

Benny has a cough and is occassionally vomiting. Jenny also has a little cough but otherwise seems fine. These little ailments always cause disagreements between Pon and myself. It is one of those different culture things. Pon always wants to give them medicine as soon as possible. Thai people love medicine - they must have more pharmacies per head of population than anywhere.

I don't believe in rushing to give the children medicine. I don't think it is good for them to unnecessarily put drugs into their systems when I think their immune systems will deal with most ailments. The other thing is Pon does not worry too much whether the medicine is totally appropriate. She gave Ben anti-allergy drugs for his cough which left me distinctly unimpressed as I don't think he has any allergies. She on the other hand is convinced I am showing a lack of care by not giving medicine.

It is one of those culture differences that you have to find a way round to make these relationships work.

Pon's Birthday

2007-06-21T16:20:00.001+07:00

Yesterday was Pon's birthday. We had a party. It was good fun. The usual routine with lots of beer, Thai whisky and food. We did it inside as it has been raining a lot over the last couple of days. Everybody got thoroughly hammered and in traditional Thai style we got the karaoke mic out. We managed to make so much noise that the neigbours called the police. I think I was probably the worst culprit.

Woke up this morning with another hangover and struggled to run Ben into school half an hour late. Then I fell back to sleep and didn't wake up until the afternoon. I feel better now.

Before the party I spent some time working on our interminable leaking roof. I bunged up the gaps between the leaking tiles with silicone. I think it looks promising but I will have to wait for the next heavy rainfall to be sure and typically the weather has changed for the good.