I have a holiday for the next week, Hurrah! Today was rather like yesterday - hot and sunny. Indeed I managed to work up quite a sweat yesterday slaving over a hot keyboard. The sky was mostly cloudless - this is the temple outside Sunrise Divers (Karon Beach)...



Today - first day of holiday. My daughter is off school too, so we naturally had a lie in. Then dived into Tesco Lotus for a bit of shopping and into Phuket Town where I wanted to buy new glasses. I have worn glasses since I was a kid and have never been tempted by contact lenses. Lasik would be good, but I don't have the spare cash right now. If you want glasses in Phuket, try Better Vision in Phuket Town.



High season is here! Or.... does the low season have one more surprise up it's sleeve?

You just can't make plans at this time of year based on the weather... I had planned to drive up from Phuket to Khao Lak today to see some dive centers and some dive boats, but looking at the weather on Tuesday and Wednesday, decided to forget it. Of course - today is sunny, clear skies, beautiful weather!



Blogging is a funny old game. This weather blog sometimes shifts a little off topic, so to keep it more on topic (though I will refrain from posts like "Today: 31 degrees, sunny, light waves") I have started a new blog where little offshoots, news, views, photos, rants, raves and bits 'n' pieces can be added in quick, easy to manage bite size chunks : Monk in Thailand

After that lovely weekend, the rain has been a falling the last 2 days. Nothing too serious, but you'd want to keep an umbrella handy. There was some minor flooding on the roads around Chalong this morning with police directing people up back roads to save them from flooding their engines.

The latest satellite picture shows a fair amount of cloud to the west. Maybe the last of the westerlies? I swear I felt a North wind last night?



The WindGuru forecast for the next week is wet and windy. Please be wrong - I have a holiday next week. Right now there is light rain but not much wind. The weather radar shows a lot of rain around:



You can find a whole bunch of Phuket weather links on the left side of this page - radar, satellite, forecasts, webcam and more.

Meanwhile, over the border in Myanmar - I am watching the news closely. There is the potential for a change for the good; there is also the potential for a bloodbath.

And parts of the UK were struck by tornadoes on Monday! (see BBC News)

Looks like the bad weather over the Indian ocean all boiled away. More bad weather was predicted for the end of the week and weekend, and while on the latest satellite picture there is some cloud to the west, it's sunny again today (OK, there was a little rain this morning).

Thursday and Friday were both sunny, warm days, though the wind is still westerly so the beaches are not calm yet. But for sure things are changing now. Might yet be some more rain in the next couple of weeks, but then it'll be high season. There was a lovely sunset at Karon Beach on Friday - I was glad I decided to take the beach road home...





On Saturday - hurrah! Sun! No need to go shopping this weekend! We headed north to Bang Pae waterfall and the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, then took a little drive around this area. I wanted some lunch at Bang Rong (a floating restaurant in the mangroves), but it was was closed for Ramadan. We headed to Po Bay which is lovely, though starting to get some modern development - new houses and hotels. Much of the north of Phuket is quiet and unspoiled and worth a drive around the back roads. You get some great views - I think the photo below shows just how green this area is.



Later we had a drive up Rang Hill in Phuket Town where you have views over parts of the town and across to Chalong Bay, Cape Panwa and more. It's a popular hangout for people in the evenings.

Avast me Hearties... Apparently, today is Talk Like a Pirate Day..

My pirate name is Black James Flint... Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, I can be pessimistic at times. Like the rock flint, I be hard and sharp. But, also like flint, I am easily chipped, and can be sparky. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from PirateQuiz.com

It's also 1 year to the day since the coup.

Aye, and the sun be shining in Phuket this fine day. A great day to be a pirate on the high seas. The pictures below show Karon Beach this very morning. Arr!

With the news of Sunday's plane crash still all over the news, theories abounding as to the cause (maybe strong wind shear), Phuket in the news for the wrong reasons again and several days of wet and windy weather we really needed some sunshine today. It has been a very nice day, and tomorrow could be pleasant too, but according to the excellent WindGuru site, the weather will turn crappy again over the weekend. Oh, man, does that mean I get another Saturday shopping?



(above) Karon Beach this afternoon



Temple in Karon Plaza outside Sunrise Divers shop

I might even get some decent internet at home soon instead of messing around with dial up. The phone company said they can't do ADSL in my street, I can get a Satellite system from Singapore for nearly 100 US$/month, but now have found a Hi Speed Wireless Internet from the C.A.T. - 10,990 Baht set up fee, then only 800 Baht per month. Will hopefully get that all installed tomorrow and then... more blogging!

World Weather: Shanghai is in the path of Typhoon Wipha - see BBC News or Tropical Storm Risk.

I was leaving for home a bit early yesterday since the weather was so bad - there was a gap in the rain so I wanted to ride my bike home rather than make my wife and kids drive over to pick me up again. Just before I turned the computer off, I saw reports of a crash at Phuket International Airport. Reports were not sure of casualties yet, so I dashed home to get more from the Thai TV news.

I guess the weather was to blame - heavy rain and quite strong winds as I said yesterday. The BBC spoked to a hotel owner (I think the owner of the Phuket Airport Hotel) who said when the plane crashed there as a sudden squall. The BBC has stories about "low budget" airlines being unsafe, but sudden changes in weather have caused crashes before, I remember seeing a program on TV about "downdrafts" that can hit a plane as it lands. Too soon to speculate, but the weather in Phuket sure was bad yesterday.

I say a prayer for those who have died.

News Reports of the Crash:

• Bangkok Post
• The Nation
• Phuket Gazette
• BBC News

•One-Two-Go Website - Passenger Manifest and List of Survivors

Important telephone numbers:

One-Two-Go Hotline 1126
Bangkok Phuket Hospital 076-254421-9
Siriroj Hospital 076-249400
Vajira Phuket Hospital 076-361234
Mission Phuket Hospital 076-237220-9
Thalang Hospital 076-311033
British Embassy's emergency centre 02-3058333

Phuket Airport 076-351-144, 076-351166



You can see more pictures and story on Matt Crook's Blog - he works for the Phuket Gazette - The Lost Boy.

I was going to write about yesterday being probably the wettest day of the year, but I think maybe today has now taken the honours. It seems like it's been raining pretty much non stop since Friday afternoon. It was very wet Friday evening. My wife had to come pick me up in the car. Riding the bike home in the rain did not seem appealing. The forecasts that I read on Windguru were correct - wet, wet and more wet. The forecast continues wet and windy for the next week. Still, no point sitting around moping. You have to expect a week of cr*p weather at the end of the low season. Happens every year. This year is a couple of weeks earlier than normal, which should mean "high season" will start early...

Yesterday I was not working. Not ideal weather, so we did the usual wet-weather thing and headed for the Central Festival mall to eat and see what the weather decided to do. On the way, I decided to nip up to Bang Wad Reservoir to see how all this rain has affected the water level. Nice and full! Hopefully no problems with water supply this year. Whilst we were there we drove around the reservoir, telling the kids to keep an eye out for tigers and snakes. The wind was strong. I got out of the car to take a photo and with the rain hitting my face and the wind in my hair, why it was like being in the Yorkshire Dales!





After eating at Central (the food court upstairs is good for cheap eats), the rain was still falling, but I hate sitting around, so I thought we'd take a drive down south to Phromthep Cape and Rawai beach. Still a bit wet, but there were patches of bright sky. I noticed that all the little restuarants have now gone from Rawai. It looks much neater, but on the other hand, those little beachside restaurants were very popular - see photos on my Rawai Beach page.

At Phromthep Cape we had gusty winds and even a few rays of sun. The coast around Phromthep and Naiharn is great. We took a side turn to where the wind turbines are between Naiharn and Phromthep - the trees here are bent over by years of westerly winds:



Looking back the other way you can see Ya Nui beach in the foreground:



My wife and daughter enjoyed standing in the wind with their long hair blowing around like wild flames. See, you can have a nice drive around and a nice day even on the second wettest day of the year! Today wins that award.

Well, not here... Last night there were 2 large earthquakes in Southern Sumatra, the first 8.4 on the Richter Scale, followed by a bunch of aftershocks and then a seperate large 7.8 quake further south. The Indonesian government issued Ts*nami warnings, but none occurred. The quakes are along the same fault line that triggered the Boxing Day quake in 2004. Ever since that day, everyone in this part of the world gets a bit nervous at earthquakes. The quakes yesterday were not felt here in Phuket and no ts*nami warning was issued here; nevertheless, people did head for higher ground - see report in the Phuket Gazette.

You can check for large quakes on the USGS Website.

Meanwhile, the Nation newspaper had reports of flood warnings being issued for Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga and Ranong. As I write this, it's quite sunny outside, though there is a breeze blowing and the sea looked a bit agitated this morning. Yesterday was all sunshine and showers, no heavy rain here in Karon Beach. Weather is normally unsettled at this time of year. I'll just dash down the beach and take a photo... hmm, a bit rough. Don't ignore the red flags, folks.

The lovely weekend weather continued into Monday - yesterday was mostly sunny, but dark clouds arrived in the evening. I had hoped to stop at Karon Temple for some photos, as I noticed that the temple looks great just before sunset, but by 6pm there was no more sun. Later the rain did fall a little.

This morning I awoke ready for a brisk walk around the village and my daughter was ready to join me which was nice - we normally have to drag her out of bed in the mornings! Unfortunately it was pi**ing down at 7am, so no walking. I am sure my garden appreciates the rain, though I am trying to grow roses and orchids, not a rainforest..



However, by 8am the sun was shining again and indeed, with the air cleared by the early morning rain, promised to be a lovely day. I drove to Karon via Patong under blue skies, stopping off for a couple of photos... The Go Kart track is just outside Patong, and is a popular attraction for groups and families - you can even arrange your own "grand prix" - have a look at the Phuket Go Kart web site.



Just as you enter Patong, at the bottom of the hill, you find Patong Temple - a little bit of "old Patong" - a far cry from the hotels and bars in the tourist zones. The area of Patong around the temple is quiet and "local" with a little streetside market in the mornings and small local shops (now competing with the 7-11). You can read more about the temple here: Patong Temple.



So, today started wet, got sunny and then.. yes, it's raining again now!..no, wait..it's stopped... get the picture? Phuket wether is hard to fathom sometimes!

It was 6 years ago that the September 11th attacks took place. I saw it all happening on TV. Watching the World Trade Center collapse has to be the most shocking thing I have ever seen. I was hoping that I was actually watching a movie - this could not happen in real life, could it?

Saturday was everything September weather is about - started bright, but we coudn't take full advantage as the door fell off our fridge this morning. It had fallen off once before - cheap rubbish. Well it lasted 4 years and was too small anyway. So we had a trip to HomePro to get a new fancy big fridge - heavy rain sounded on the roof while we were indoors and of course the fridge we wanted was out of stock, so we had to choose again. Kids running around the bathroom displays and getting bored. The rain was not a good sign as we were due for a kids birthday party at a friend's house in the afternoon.

Luckily, by early afternoon the sun was out again and the kids could play in the pool. Dad jumped in to join them for a while. Some dark clouds briefly threatened our happiness, but just a few drops of rain fell.

It'll be time for a holiday at the end of this month before our 6 month high season kicks in. Busy time for diving - everything from beginnners dive courses to liveaboard trips. If you're thinking of diving, come and say hi to Sunrise Divers.

Today has been bright and the little temple in Karon Plaza has been spruced up...



Meanwhile, English teams managed wins in Football, Cricket and Rugby on the same day. Well done lads. I didn't watch any of it, was too busy last night having mock sword fights with my 2 year old boy who thinks he is King Peter of Narnia. Then the wife and I watched "300" - very romantic, eh! More blood than an abbatoir.

Some more great low season weather in Phuket over the last 2 days. Things have been rather mixed over the previous 2 weeks, but yesterday and today have been hot and sunny, the beaches have been becalmed - I reckon we might be in for an early start to the high season. Last year the rains continued into November which was unusual -so we need a long high season to make up for it - and to make up for coups, tsunamis, terror threats, bird flu and SARS scares etc... EVERYONE here hopes, prays and wishes for a tourist high season with no major disasters or negative news.

Yesterday, I went to the shipyards in the east of Phuket town with the boss. We wanted to visit a couple of liveaboard dive boats and catch 'em with their pants down kind of thing - seeing a boat during repairs and rehaul does not make them pretty but gives us a good feel for how the boat is run and a chance to see the boat "warts and all". We took a tour around the MV Jazz and the Queen Scuba (who were not expecting our visit at all!). Nice boats - Jazz is a good mid price dive boat, Queen Scuba a bit fancier and pricier. We intend to visit the port of Thap Lamu next week to see boats there and take in Khao Lak too.



Today - lovely day for aircon. I have been busy in the office. Quick Phad Thai for lunch, and got a 1GB RAM fitted to my computer. Feel the Speed!

Todays' Photos - Kata Beach and Painting our little temple in Karon Plaza:

 

Finally, farewell to Luciano Pavarotti. The voice. Like many millions I had just about zero interest in Opera until the World Cup 1990 and Nessun Dorma. In 1996 I carried a "3 Tenors" cassette with me for a year in my backpack. Still got the cassette in my house here in Phuket. Cancer does not respect icons.

Finally finally, Hurricane Felix may have missed my old hangout of Utila, but hit the coastal areas of Nicaragua and Honduras killing many people - see BBC News.

AND FINALLY - the Rugby World Cup Starts TODAY! See the BBC Sport Rugby pages.

I joined the ThaiVisa forum today. Don't know why I hadn't before. Loads of Thailand chat on there. I answered one question about the weather and said "the weather in September is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get". Phuket weather in July and August is more stable, but now we see typical September weather - it changes nearly every day! Some could call the weather "unstable"... It seems a boat sank near Phi Phi yesterday in a storm and one person died - and yet today has been warm, sunny, almost cloudless.



Life is full of changes. Our friend Forrest Gump was not wrong. Life is a box of chocolates. Not every chocolate is the caramel.. sometimes you get left with the coffee creme. In the movie, Forrest's wife dies of cancer. My mum has cancer. Again. Today she said "I have been blessed to have cancer twice".

I would like to say Rest In Peace to Jane Tomlinson, who died of cancer just a couple of days ago. When she was told she had 6 months to live, she went out and lived and raised huge amounts of money for charity. My mother also reminded me of Terry Fox, who decided to walk across Canada when he had cancer, also raising millions for charity. He made it about half way before the cancer got him. I recall visiting a memorial to him back in 1995 when I was in Canada.

You get 1 life. Come rain or come shine, enjoy it.

A quick update of the last few days - nothing really exciting to report... On Saturday evening, my wife and I attended a 20th wedding anniversary party for some friends at the Chili Restaurant which they own (it's on the main road North of Phuket Town, near Boat Lagoon). Luckily they had a large tent outside, as the rain hammered down for much of the evening.

Sunday started wet, but the sun did peep through later. Monday was dry but grey all day and a friend in Utila alerted me to the fact that Hurricane Felix was pointing directly at them. I stayed in Utila back in 1998/99 and had done my divemaster course there in 1996. I just missed the catastrophic Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Would hate to think another monster is going to cut across Honduras. The latest track suggests that it will make landfall soon on the remote Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and head inland away from Utila - see Tropical Storm Risk, or the BBC News.

Today has been mostly drizzle. No hard rain, just gloomy :( We had planned to look at some dive boats at the Phuket shipyards today, but the skies were just too darn cloudy and rain started around 10am. Might get over there on Thursday - forecasts look decent... I pray for sun in Phuket and I pray for anyone in the path of Hurricane Felix.

We didn't really have time for visiting the surfing today. I will try to get to Kata Beach tomorrow. Saturdays are often a rather lazy family day... today there was time for a haircut (70 Baht at my local barbers in Kathu), noodles at a nearby noodle shop (see Noodles in Phuket), a drive up Buddha Mountain (again? well, my wife's cousin is visiting so we took her for a little tour) - see photo below. The sun was out in the morning, a beautiful morning up on the mountain - see photo below. The picture shows the mini Buddha which itself is "only" 12m high. The BIG Buddha which is slowly nearing completion is 45m high..

See Big Buddha - Getting Bigger...

 

There were a few clouds around, but no sign of rain...then as we drove home it suddenly poured down for 15 minutes. Very localised - our house was dry. Some mornings the heat builds up and it just HAS to rain. Now it's late afternoon - sunny again, but I see dark clouds building. Hardly any wind though...which can't be good for them surfers at Kata Beach!