Kuay Jap Noodles - A new restaurant in Phuket Town

Last weekend, after a little drive around Sirey Island to the east of Phuket town - where I finally got to see the reclining Buddha (the other times I have been there the temple had been closed) - we were heading home and I had half a mind to cook some pasta, but we passed a new looking noodle shop which looked interesting. Most noodle shops look the same, rather basic and cheap with plastic chairs and questionable hygiene (don't look too close - a good motto for Thailand!).



The Kuay Jap Champ Suphan noodle shop is in the Sam Kong area in the north of Phuket Town, just half a kilometer east of the Tesco Lotus store on the way into town. It has been open about 6 months they told us, somehow we'd not noticed before. Or maybe we were in the mood for Kuay Jap which is a kind of noodle soup made with rolled up thick noodles, crispy pork, "moo daeng" (roast red pork) and (unless you ask them NOT to include it) things like liver, heart, intestines, congealed blood.. aka "offal". If you are an ex vegetarian like me, some meaty things are still considered inedible - so if you don't want all the bits, just say "Mai Sai Kruang Nai".





This noodle shop makes an effort. The place has a little style, the tables are wood, not plastic, there are decorations, and it is clean! This is no local backstreet noodle stall, it's much nicer and yet.. it's still cheap. We paid 210 Baht for 4 dishes and 5 drinks. I had a delicious Kuay Jap with the Moo Grob ("crispy pork") and the Moo Daeng plus some egg; my wife had the full monty with all the bits, and our kids had Khao Moo Daeng - red pork on rice with a kind of sauce/gravy. Very tasty.





I do love a bit of moo grob! Crispy pork.. like porky scratchings/hog lumps in a soup. I think we will go again tomorrow!

#update 2011 - they have opened a 2nd branch in Kathu, opposite the entrance road to the Prince of Songkhla University, we have tried this one too - just as tasty!

At home: Summer update @ 10 weeks

It's only been 10 weeks but Summer has recovered so well since her accident and I thought it was time for an update.

First, Summer is a lunatic but I didn't think photos of an indistinguishable, blurry piece of fluff would impress anyone so you'll have to settle for stills instead.  Suffice to say, she has really recovered and is back to being her normal kitten-like self again.

See? You can't even notice at first that she is missing a leg.  That is in fact the affected side and if you look hard, you can see that the fur on her thigh is still growing back.

One of the signs of a healthy cat is if they preen themselves.  Summer is obviously pleased enough then.

Summer was sure to let me know when she'd had enough of me pointing a camera at her.

Summer and Seth were rescued by an animal shelter.  Men had been trying to sell them as 'meat' in a township and the shelter had confiscated the kittens.  We had gone to the shelter to pick up Summer and so I picked her up, put her on my lap and she promptly fell asleep.  Seth then climbed up my legs, sat on Summer's head and looked me in the eye as if to explain that this was a package deal only.  I had strict instructions from Stephen that we were not to get a male animal and so I looked doubtfully over to Stephen as if to ask what I should do and he just said something like, "okay, so we're getting two then".

So Seth doesn't like being left out.  Here are some pictures of my majestic little boy cat then:

Yes, my cats are pretty vain and Seth is no exception.

But sometimes I can distract him long enough to get a decent shot.

Until he too communicates that he has had enough.

Why can't they be more like dogs?  Dogs never tire of being photographed or being played with or being cuddled! 

Although sometimes dogs like some downtime too.  Have you noticed how Josey (in front) likes to steal Molly's bed?  Josey's bed is actually more expensive and meant to be better for her orthopedically but she prefers the immediate comfort of Molly's bed and steals it.  On the other hand, Molly like the relative coolness of Josey's bed anyway.

Evening Out: Frankie Boyle Tour 2008

On 11 November, Stephen and I rushed out to the Beck Theatre in Hayes to see the magnificent Frankie Boyle do a live comedy show.

The Beck Theatre is in Hayes, Middelsex and it took us 75 minutes to dash over there after work!!

We're big fans of Frankie's and hence the obligatory ticket shot.

Waiting around before a show is always torture!!  Especially when you've been waiting for several months for the gig!

Unfortunately, once inside the concert venue itself, we were told that there was to be absolutely no photography or recording of the gig.  I hate that but totally respect it.  Frankie doesn't need people stealing his material!!

Photo courtesy of Telegraph.co.uk

You might recognise Frankie from television's Mock The Week and in fact, he is the second MTW performer we have seen perform live (the first being Andy Parsons back in September).

Martin Mor opened for Frankie and the guy was brilliant.  You know when you laugh so hard your side starts to hurt and you're afraid you might asphyxiate if you don't catch some air?  He was that funny.  Unfortunately for one man in the front row, he also lays heavily into the audience and that man did not come back after the intermission.  I'm sorry to say that I found it to be hilarious and you just need to know - never get front row seats for a gig like this.  Martin also started the risque jokes to a sharp intake of breath from the audience.  His reply was classic - "you do know where you are tonight, right?  This is a Frankie Boyle gig".  Brilliant.

Then the man himself came on.  Frankie is completely irreverent and absolutely nothing is off limits with him.  He pushes and pushes and when he finally pushed the audience into a hiss and a boo, he simply smiled to himself as if to say "result".  It is a long time since I've laughed so hard that I had tears running down my face and after the gig I had to lift my arms above my head to try relieve the cramping in my side.  The epitome of side-splitting humour indeed.  If you can see Frankie Boyle (and you have a tolerance for morally reprehensible humour) then get tickets and go see him.  You won't regret it!

At Home: S & D & K come to visit

It apparently snowed in the night but this was followed immediately by rain so there was no trace of it when I dragged myself out of bed at 11am.  I never usually get up that late but I could not get to sleep last night and landed up reading reviews of the new Twilight movie until after 3am.  It's not that I wasn't tired though - on the contrary, I was exhausted and sleep was very much welcomed when it finally arrived.

Stephen decided to make a full roast dinner for us today and we invited Sara & Donovan & K over.  K is my godchild and she is two-and-a-half years old.  Sara and I met in high school and have been close friends since 1988.  Essentially, we followed them to the UK but would probably not follow them if they went back to South Africa again!

With a two-and-a-half year old child, you sure have to keep busy!!!

First we danced around a bit.

Then we bounced on my Swiss ball.  It is the most that ball has been used in six months!!!

Then we watched Beauty and the Beast and ate roast beef, roast potatoes, peas and Yorkshire pudding.  Yum!  Stephen is an awesome cook.  We tried to go for a walk after eating to try walk off our dinner but it started pouring with rain. We needed to tire K out somehow though...

So then we baked some cookies.  K is a great cook!  Maybe she'll grow up to be as good in the kitchen as Uncle Teev.

Of course, it's very important to clean up after a cooking exercise, so K had a couple of dishes to do.

All too quickly, our afternoon was over and Sara and Donovan and K have gone home.  We've decided to have a quiet hour now before Top Gear is on television and so all you can hear in our lounge right now is the sounds of Ste and I tapping away on our respective keyboards.  After that, I am going to study a bit and all I'll be able to hear from downstairs will be the sound of Ste giggling along to the Top Gear gags.

Phuket Thai Hua Museum

I have said it before and will say it again - I like Phuket Town, especially the old part of town which comprises a few blocks around Phang Nga Road, Thalang Road, Krabi Road and Dibuk Road. The narrow roads and turn of the century architecture combined with the old Chinese shops make a welcome break from the busier parts of town, and if you come from the tourist beaches it's like another world. Yes, you are in the real Phuket, which is what this blog tries to show!

The Phuket Thai Hua Museum is found on Krabi road, a block North and half a block west of the traffic circle near the market. Krabi road is pretty quiet, most of the buildings are of the "Sino-Portugese" style and life itself seems slightly old fashioned in this part of town.





The museum has been open a couple of years, and still has a museum-in-progress feeling. It has been used for art exhibitions too. The building dates back to 1934 when it was established as the Phuket Thai Hua School, a Thai-Chinese language school mostly for the families of local families of Chinese origin (there are many due to the arrival of many Chinese in the 19th century in the tin mining boom years). The Thai Hua School moved to a new larger home on the edge of town in the 1990's. We know people whose kids study there and the Chinese language is still part of the curriculum.





Inside the front gates, the car park is decorated with photos of the old school.



When my daughter and I arrived, there were loads of guys with fancy cameras all over the place. With my little Canon Powershot I felt quite inadequate! I asked a guy what was going on. Turns out to be a photo assignment for Canon. I looked closer, yep they all had Canon cameras. A model was posing for photos inside the museum. Well, even with a Powershot you can snap a nice photo!



My daughter and I then wandered around the rooms of the old school. Some still with old school desks, lots of photos on the walls of past students. I did feel a sense of history, and we even met a former student sitting in her old classroom. She told us she had been at the school in the 1970's, and her mother had been to the same school before her.





One room was full of old school books. The Chinese connection is clear! There was a wall full of little reading books ranging from Snoopy to what looked like "Why China is the best country in the world" type books! There were also old Chinese dictionaries and such. We did consider the Thai Hua school for our daughter some years ago, thinking Chinese would be a useful skill if they decide to take over the world, but in the end we opted for a school that teaches more in English.





As I say, the museum is still growing, but it's certainly worth a visit. Phuket has plenty of history and culture, but you are not going to find it in Patong Beach! The brochure I picked up says it's open every day except Monday. If you are in Phuket Town, have a look. If you are a backpacker and stay at the Old Town Hostel, no excuses, it's about 1 minute down the road!

(update 2010) - the museum has been renovated and there is more to see now, but there is also an entry fee of 200 Baht per person :)

Exploring: Walking around Sidcup

Yesterday morning I decided to take a walk around Sidcup.  I make a habit of walking whenever possible so I thought it was an excellent opportunity to walk home from the doctor's rooms instead of arranging for Stephen to pick me up.  I knew it would be about a 35 minute walk which is just perfect. 

The first thing that caught my eye was this little rest area.  It is completely fenced in with a chain link fence and it is the tiniest area.  I suppose it would be a great area to throw a little ball with your dog but I am not sure it would be any good keeping in my massive dog!  She could easily just step over the fence and stroll out of there, I'm sure.

This little stream runs straight through Sidcup.  It is the same stream as the one that runs behind my house.  I'll show you a picture of that shortly.

I am really desperate to get a photo of a squirrel or fox.  They are so common here and we often have them causing trouble around our house.  Of course, we don't get either of those animals in Johannesburg and I am not sure if I ever saw squirrels anywhere in South Africa.  We definitely don't get foxes.  They fascinate me.  So, I was trying to get a picture of this particularly shy squirrel and I decided to follow it into the woods.  The thought did cross my mind that I felt safe enough to go into the woods alone but there were lots of people out dog walking.

Whenever I see woods, my mind goes back to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and all the time our heroes spent hiding in the woods.  I love all of the dense vegetation.

It was so quiet in the woods that I could hear the sound of individual leaves and twigs falling to the ground.  It was so beautiful and soothing.  It was as if I could hear the very sounds of Autumn itself - like the sounds of the merging Spring but in reverse.  It was surreal and lovely.

It was only 8:45 in the morning and apart from the dog walkers, the streets were very quiet.  I've often remarked on how late Londoners get up on the weekends!

It was so quiet in fact that the sounds of the birds was riotous in comparison.  I think in some sense this picture shows that winter is definitely here.  I cannot wait to start putting up Christmas decorations (and then to start complaining as my lunatic animals tear them down).

The shopping precinct near my house is called 'The Oval'.  It is a line of cute little businesses running along the one side of an oval-shaped park.  I like the sense of community among these little stores and we're up at the shops at least twice a day on the weekends.  Then again, that is mostly my brother popping out to support my flying saucer fix.

In no time at all I was almost back home.  I took a walk into the park behind my house and took a couple of shots from across the park.  You can just see the muddy bank of the stream at the end of the grass.  I imagine it is going to be full of mosquitos i the summer but for now it doesn't give us any problems at all.  And it keeps the dog walkers from coming right up to our back gate and torturing our dogs with their unknown smells and sounds!! Ours is the house on the left hand side.

Loy Krathong 2008 - 12th November

Yesterday was Loy Krathong, a very old festival which takes place on the full moon of the 12th lunar month (so the date is different every year). Loy Krathong is largely about giving thanks to the goddess of water, though may be based on an old Hindu festival. There are many links between Buddhism and Hinduism, being that the Buddha was born in India. The festival is not huge in Phuket compared to Chiang Mai for example, but nevertheless it seems that everyone does it!

Does what? Well, aside from a bit of a party, you have to "Loy" (float) your Krathong - last year I wrote about Making a Krathong. There are also beauty contests and who-can-make-the-best-krathong contests.

Despite the weather, we headed out in the evening to Bang Wad Reservoir which is only a few kilometers from our home. The reservoir is Phuket's largest fresh water supply, so a good place to give thanks. The evening has been wet. Yes, we had been "blessed" with plenty of water. Of course, everyone waited until the rain had stopped, so it was rather crowded and also muddy underfoot. We had several Krathongs to float - one made by my wife, one made by her sister and one made by my daughter at school. There were hundreds of Krathongs in the water and hundreds more people wanting to float away all their bad luck.





Near the water were some food stalls. We did not hang around. It was crowded and muddy... and getting late. I think next year we'll go somewhere quiet for Loy Krathong.





At the reservoir we bought some "kom fai". These are lanterns made of paper with a lump of solid fuel built into the base. Simple design. All you need to do is light the fuel, let the hot air rise and watch them go. People were doing it at the reservoir.





At home we found that lighting the fuel was not so easy with a bit of a breeze. One of the lanterns took off and then landed again in the garden next door.. then took off again and got stuck in their TV aerial. I thought the burning fuel would burn their TV cable, but the lantern blew off to safety in the end. We sent 4 lanterns off into the night sky to become stars (so I told the kids!)


(above) burning fuel heating the air in the Kom Fai


(above) Once the fuel really starts to burn, the air heats up and you can slowly release your lantern...