Back from New York

So I’m back.  Actually, I got back on Sunday night which is two days ago but I have pretty bad jetlag and I am very, very tired on top of that.  I had ambitious ideas about spending the week blogging and finishing it all up by the end of the week but that’s unlikely to happen; I’m more likely to spend the week doing absolutely nothing instead. 

To put it into perspective, when we went on our road trip in December, we would see one, maybe two attractions in a day.  I found that pretty tiring but to be fair, I was sick.  I was seeing three or four attractions a day in New York, walking three to five miles every day and I walked a record-breaking 7.8 miles in 30°c, humid conditions on Friday when I was in DC.  I sound like I’m complaining – I’m not.  I had the most amazing, wonderful trip and I saw so much.  I’m just very much in need of a mental holiday right now.  I also need to get back into Greenwich Mean Time which means I am not staying up until 3am again tonight and I am going to go to sleep shortly!  I hope.  Jetlag is meant to be worse going east to west but I’m feeling really weird at the moment.  :)

Anyway… I will start posting the photos and stories soon.  I kept a paper diary while I was in the US which I will post along with my stories.  You’ll get an insight into the things that go through my mind when I spend a week alone!  I won’t be able to upload all of my photos on this blog though.  After sifting out the blurry shots and the duplicates, I was left with 521 photos.  If you take the numerous shots I took of the Washington Monument out of the equation, I’m still left with a good 500!  (I fear some weird sort of Illuminati conspiracy because I couldn’t stop taking photos of the Washington Monument).

Exhibit A: one of numerous photos accused took of Washington Monument

Phuket Aquarium

I never seem to tire of Phuket Aquarium even after (about) 15 visits over the years, maybe more. We went the first time in 2001 when my daughter was a few months old and loved her reactions to the fish. We took her again a few months later and noticed how, as an older baby she paid more attention to the marine life. As she got older, different things fascinated her, and once she could start asking questions, well then Dad the Diver could start explaining all kinds of interesting fishy facts! It's been the same with our son who is now 4 years old. They always have new questions and it's always fun to visit the aquarium with them.





We visited again last weekend on another sunny low season day. Phuket Aquarium is located at the end of Cape Panwa, to the SE of Phuket Town. I like the area a lot, one of our favourite restaurants is in the Panwa area, and there's some lovely scenery, particularly if you turn off the main road down to the aquarium and take the smaller road along the west side of the cape with views across Chalong Bay. On the way you also pass the turn off to Khao Kad viewpoint.

The entry fee is not high, just 100 Baht for adults, 50 Baht for kids.. and yes it's a bit cheaper for "us locals", but not a rip off anyway. It's not a huge aquarium, but has expanded little by little over the years and there are plans for more. In the first room by the entrance are many small tanks, all kind of fish.



You then follow the passageway, with many different tanks and displays on your right. We found an Arapaima, which originates from South America and is one of the biggest freshwater fish in the world. Kids were fascinated by this one!



There's all kinds of species from moray eels to lionfish to angelfish, batfish, lobsters, scorpionfish.. most are found in Thailand. Also some oddities like electric eels. These are all in the smaller tanks. Also around the walls are educational displays about marine life and environmental awareness.





The walkthrough tunnel was not there when we first visited, it only opened in 2005. Not a huge tunnel to be sure, but still, there are some little sharks in there, eagle rays, jacks and more. Always a hit with the kids!



And my son has always liked the other big tank that contains several huge groupers, big enough to eat a 4 year old boy. I liked seeing a small tank containing several seahorses. I love seahorses. Beautiful little things.





When you exit the indoor section of Phuket aquarium, you'll find a little snack and drink shop and a souvenir shop - some of the items are tacky, some are pretty nice. The kids got some fish pens and stickers and we got a present for my wife and her sister too as they couldn't join us at the aquarium this time. I think she liked her turtle shaped ashtray!

You'll see some steps near the shop heading to a nature trail. There are lots of signs explaining plant names and with environmental information. There is now a hatchery too, but we found it's open only on weekdays. Further on you pass a little boat that the kids always stop to play on, then a long jetty which leads out to several boats including a research vessel. The aquarium is more than just a show, there is also a marine biological center here with an endangered species unit.. and my favourite part - the turtles! Here at the aquarium turtles are reared and also injured turtles are looked after. We saw a couple of big turtles with bits of flipper missing or chunks missing from their shells, no doubt as a result of contact with a boat.







We'll be back again. I want to see the hatchery, oh, and want to see the feeding show, meant to be 11am every Saturday or Sunday. Guess we lazy souls arrived too late last weekend. After the aquarium, we went for lunch at a little roadside restaurant with great views across Chalong.. and this little restaurant will be the next blog post :)

Emm in New York

There are so many things I wanted to do before I went on holiday.  I wanted to post about the Race for Life that I did and about going to see War of the Worlds tonight.  But alas, that will all have to wait as I have some last minute packing to do and then I’m leaving at 6am tomorrow morning for the airport.  I still haven’t decided if I am taking Ste’s laptop with me but I’m leaning towards not taking it at the moment which means I will be out of contact for the next 9 days.

New York City here I come…

One Tambon One Product Fair at Sapan Hin (Phuket Town)

We seem to be visiting Sapan Hin quite often recently. The whole area has recently been tarted up and Sapan Hin is now a very nice place to come and exercise or have a picnic by the sea, and just a few minutes from the centre of Phuket Town. In early May we came for the Halal Expo, and at the end of last month we were back for the OTOP (One Tambon One Product) Fair, with handicrafts and food from all over Thailand. The "OTOP" program is a government initiative to encourage production and sales of local village (Tambon) crafts, ceramics, clothes, foods, household items... something that maybe typical of that area or is commonly made there. The OTOP program helps to promote these products.

This is a very local affair. We went twice during the week long event and I swear I saw only 1 other foreigner. The event was not promoted in tourist areas, we only knew about it because we happened to drive around town a few days before the start and saw promotional posters. I guess organisers may assume that only locals are interested. I beg to differ.. these kind of local fairs are just what I like!

We first took a walk around Sapan Hin, lots of people taking walks, jogging, enjoying the sea air or just sitting in the late afternoon sun. Sapan Hin has become a really nice place to come and chill out!





About 2 days before visiting this OTOP fair, we'd bought some new furniture for outside our house. And wouldn't you know it, there was plenty to be had here at very good prices. If we'd not just got some, we might well have got it here. I like this kind of rustic wooden stuff carved out of slabs of wood, natural shapes, big and chunky.



Meanwhile, my parents were happy to find a wooden mobile to take home. In the Central Festival mall a few days earlier they were quoted over 300 Baht for one of these. Here at the fair only 100 Baht. So they got two!



Plenty of food stalls around selling drinks, snacks, insects... I have never tried to eat insects. I suppose some people like it. Indeed some people were buying insects at this very stall. Not for me, thanks.



Another stall specialised in tamarind. I do like a bit of tamarind, either eaten alone or made into a sauce. One of my favourite dishes is Kung Pad Nam Makam - fried prawns in a spicy, yet sweet and also a bit sour sauce.



Another stall was selling a snack made from pork rind, what you might call pig snacks or hog lumps. Very good with a cold beer, just like back in the UK :)



We also found a stall selling wooden boxes.. you know, those kind of decorative wooden boxes which are sure to be useful for something, or at least useful as a gift. Everyone has something they want to put in a box, so why not an attractive Buddha box, ideal for "putting things in".



All our wandering up and down rows of stalls was bound to make us thirsty. And I was happy to find a Chumphon coffee stall. My wife is from Chumphon, a town about 400km from Phuket, about halfway to Bangkok. Good coffee. I will write something on this blog about Chumphon sometime soon. I've been there about 20 times. The coffee man was happy to hear I have a Chumphon connection.



Tasty coffee and even tastier fruit juice. This stall had strawberry juice, lime juice, watermelon juice. 20 Baht per cup. I had 3. It had been a hot day. You gotta love all the fruit you can get in Phuket!

Day Out: Further up the Thames

This is the second part of my post on our ride up the Thames in a TFL Thames Clipper. [Part 1]

London Bridge

In the distance, you can see London Bridge.  It is a pretty boring, nondescript bridge and many people mistake the magnificent Tower Bridge for London Bridge.

Under London Bridge

London Bridge is simply a road bridge over the Thames.  Thankfully, it is made of concrete these days and is in no danger of burning down.

Southwark Bridge (1921) in front of Cannon Street Rail Station (1866)

I absolutely love all the bridges over the Thames. They are exquisite and they represent so many periods in history.

Millennium Bridge (2000), Blackfriars Railway Bridge (1924) + Blackfriars Bridge (1869) just visible

My favourite bridge in London is the Blackfriars Bridge.  Ignore me if you hear me say that Tower Bridge is my favourite because Blackfriars Bridge is really beautiful. 

Blackfriars Bridge (1869)

Thank you for allowing me to indulge my love of architecture and old bridges! Moving along swiftly now (as, indeed, the clipper was moving)...

 
The OXO Tower and complex (1929)

Big Ben (1859) and the Houses of Parliament

Our boat ride had taken us all the way from the O2 to the Westminster Millennium Pier. 

Eye in the sky

As you may know, I can’t get enough of the London Eye and I could sit and take photos of it all day.  I was pretty happy to get some new angles!

The London Eye (1999)

We got off the clipper at Bankside Pier which is right by the Globe Theatre.

 
The International Shakespeare Globe Centre and Globe Theatre

The Real Greek

We had lunch at The Real Greek which should be avoided at all costs.  The service was absolutely awful with the waitress forgetting half our order and neglecting to mention that the other half was not in stock.  Added to that, we got charged for all the items at the end but managed to correct the bill. Shocking, terrible service – I can see now why they weren’t full!

The Expat Curse: Saying goodbye

There are a couple of curses in the expat experience.  From browsing expat blogs this weekend, I’ve seen mention of never fitting in to one’s adopted homeland; finally settling into a new life just to have to move again and not being able to gain employment at the level previously achieved.

This weekend I’ve experienced personal heartbreak and the worst expat curse of all: having one’s loved ones move back home.  People often emigrate to new shores in groups and it’s never going to work out for everyone.  There will always come a time when some of the group go back.

So for their last weekend in England, Sara, Donovan and Keira spent the weekend at my house and I followed them around as they wrapped things up.

Guildford Cathedral [taken on my Nokia N70]

We went through to Guildford Cathedral yesterday.  Guildford Cathedral reminded us of The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa.  They both have the same really ugly architecture on the outside but at least the cathedral is reasonably pretty on the inside.  We went there because Donovan was performing with the joint Guildford Choral Society and Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra’s production of Verdi’s  Requiem.  They had a four-hour practice yesterday afternoon and I was fortunate enough to sit through an hour of rehearsal.  It was majestic!

Inside Guildford Cathedral [taken on my Nokia N70]

    

Keira enjoyed watching her daddy perform but she didn’t like the loud drums!  Her daddy has always been a good singer and attended the Drakensberg Boys Choir.  I uploaded a short video of the practice to YouTube.

We decided to save Keira’s nerves and ears and we went through to Guildford Town Centre so that Sara could go to the bank.

Abbot's Hospital [taken on my Nokia N70]

It really is a picturesque little town and I enjoyed taking some photos from the roof top of a parking garage while Sara and Keira went to the bank.  I definitely think we’ll go back there one morning and hopefully visit Godalming too.

A view up Guildford High Street (showing Guild Hall ) and Guildford Castle [taken on my Nokia N70]

We then went and finished packing up the house and handed the keys to the estate agent.

---

Today was a little more serious.  I woke up and immediately wished I hadn’t.  It took me a while before I felt like facing everyone and then I had to rush back upstairs as I started crying.

It wasn’t properly explained to Keira what was going on but she picked up on all the tension and she looked as sad as I felt.

Stephen took this photo of me watching Keira and I was pretty miserable!  Actually, all I could think was “do NOT cry in front of the three-year-old”.  Anyway, as they were taking three massive suitcases, there was no room for me in the car.  They left around 1pm and by now they will be in the air.  I’m very sad.

The Amazing Phuket Vegetarian Festival

NEW - check the photos from the 2010 vegetarian festival... 7 - 17 October 2010.

• Phuket Vegetarian Festival 2010 Photos (on Flickr)

Latest Blog posts about the 2010 Festival:

• At Kathu Shrine 15th October
• Bang Neow Shrine Street Procession
• First Days of the 2010 Vegetarian Festival

Over the last 5 years on this blog I have written plenty about the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. There are multiple posts detailing different aspects of the festival from 2006 - 2010 with more on the way! The Vegetarian Festival is my favourite event in Phuket. The face-piercing processions, the food, the mystical rituals at the shrines... this is a special time of year. The festival has been a part of Phuket's culture since 1825. It's no show, it's not made up for the tourists and not for the faint hearted. This is the real Phuket!



This blog post is mainly intended to tie up all the vegetarian festival related posts from the last few years. I never saw a procession until 2006 and didn't have a great camera then. There are better pictures from 2007 and 2008 also some little videos made in 2008. Last year (2009) I finally had a much better camera (EOS 20D) and got some great photos. There are also posts about some of the Chinese shrines and the food. 2010 Festival was 7 - 17 October, the 2011 Festival (I think) starts on 27th September. Date varies according to the Chinese lunar calendar.



Vegetarian Festival Photos and Blog Posts

In 2008 and 2009 I went to a shrine early morning (6am) before a procession to see the face piercing take place. Kathu Shrine is only a couple of kilometers from my house. Kathu has a largely Chinese Thai population and was the center of the tin mining industry in the 19th century. Watching the piercing was very interesting to say the least. Will try to get there even earlier this year. I want to see the Ma Song (devotees) becoming entranced in the shrine.

• 2008 Photos in Kathu Village - Face Piercing

The Kathu procession is one of the larger ones and they walk about 5km from Kathu into Phuket town. I followed them into town. Processions are in the early morning starting around 7am to avoid the midday heat. In 2009 I also went to the procession for Jui Tui Shrine, which is in the old town and much more crowded.

• Vegetarian Festival 2009 on Jamie's Phuket
• 2009 Photos on Flickr
• Procession in Phuket Town (2008)
• Festival and Procession Photos 2007



I experimented with some videos in 2008, but just using a simple Canon Powershot camera on video mode - not pro quality but some of these little clips give a very good idea of what goes on.

• Vegetarian Festival Videos 2008

The food is an integral part of the vegetarian festival. Locals who are taking part will only eat specially prepared food which is pretty much vegan, not only vegetarian. The Thais can do 100 things with tofu and sometimes its hard to believe you are not eating meat. There are "Jae" foodstalls all around the shrines, not so many around the beach areas. Phuket town is the best place to be especially around Jui Tui or Bang Neow shrines. Other shrines on the edge of town like Sam Kong are worth a visit, and maybe I'll see you at Kathu Shrine if you head in that direction.

• Vegetarian Festival - The Food

 

The vegetarian festival is mainly celebrated by the Chinese Thai community, most of whom live in and around Phuket Town, with others further north in the Thalang area, the older parts of Phuket. Not much going on around the beach areas, if you want to see something, head for one of the main shrines. I've blogged some of them, still want to write about Bang Neow which is on the south side of Phuket town. Jui Tui is the largest, and is near the market, easy to get to and the streets in that area are packed with food stalls during the festival.

• Jui Tui Shrine in Phuket Town
• Kathu Village Shrine 2008
• 2009 Photos in Kathu Village

 

• A Walk in Kathu Village
• Sam Kong Shrine and Foodstalls

Kathu and Sam Kong shrines are both pretty close to my house, just 2 or 3km, so we go to get food from these areas in the evenings. I try to stick to the diet for the 9 days of the festival. It's very good for cleaning out the body.

The vegetarian festival is something special, and a million miles from the resorts and beaches of Phuket. If anyone wants a special experience, then October is a good time to come to Phuket! The full schedule for the festival is published each year at the Phuket Vegetarian Festival website once dates are official - it'll be 7th - 17th October this year (2010). Roll on October!