Goodbye to February 2008

Another month passed by!

Once more it's time to wave goodbye to another month; February 2008.

February was a nice month with fairly good weather conditions up until the end of the month, when we experienced a lot of rain and cloud cover, this in stark contrast to the early part of the month when the sun shone a lot and it was very warm.

The rain seems to be the last leg the rainy season is standing on, the first week of March looks a lot better again but here's it proven once more, the rainy season isn't over till it' over. Mmm, wisdom of the day? Seriously though, we had a very wet rainy season this time around, starting with the almost catastrophic amounts of rain in October and to a lesser extend in November, with a closing bit right now.

For the locals the rain comes a s a relief, as it is, with the enormous amounts of people living on Samui, the ground levels for water can't cope with the demand anymore, so all the rain that we're experiencing right now,is filling up the wells for weeks or months to come. My father in law already had to order water since his wells were drying up.

Obviously, the tourists visiting Samui, have a different perspective, as the emails addressed to me show. Keep them mails coming or even better, post on comments on my blog!

On a personal note, I had a very busy month with a big IDC, nine candidates. Hard work but also a lot of fun. Furthermore I had an excellent trip to Pattaya for some wreck diving. All of this can be seen at my dive blog, including various pictures.

Looking forward to March and hope that if you visit Samui during March, you'll have a god time and lots of fun!

Camille

29th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's fairly cloudy today but there are plenty of blue spots around and the sun is trying hard to fight it's way through the cloud cover. Current temp at 7 am is 23C.

Yesterday saw a very wet morning with lots of rain and a much drier afternoon. Max temp reached 27.7C.

Camille

28th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's cloudy again this morning with a temp at 7 am of 25.7C.

Yesterday was cloudy almost all day long with rain showers scattered throughout the day. Max temp reached 28.6C.

Camille

27th February, 2008

Today's weather;

There's a very cloudy sky this morning. Temp at 7 am is 27.2C.

Yesterday turned out to be a very nice day! After the rain very early in the morning, it stayed dry all day and was warm and sunny with a max temp of 28.8C.

Camille

26th February, 2008

Today's weather;

There's a fairly cloudy sky out there with some sunshine however. It rained with sunshine this morning! Current temp at 7 am is 24.5C.

Yesterday was a grey day with lots of rain spread out all over the day. Max temp reached 26.3C.

Camille

25th February, 2008

Today's weather;

Dark, grey overcast with very few blue spots reign the skies this morning. Temp at 7 am is a lowly 24.5C.

Yesterday it was grey overcast all day long with a lot of rain in the morning. It cooled down a bit, max temp reached only 26.8C.

Camille

24th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's clouded and very dark and furthermore it's been raining since the last hour with more rain predicted today and the rest of the week. Current temp at 7 am was 26C.

Yesterday was a warm and dry but cloudy. Max temp reached 30.9C

Camille

Babylon Bar, Bang Po

At last, there's a place to go to with your children.

Unfortunately the Babylon Bar has long since closed down

It's the Babylon Bar on the ring road, just before the mountain into Nathon, if you're coming from direction Maenam.

So many times we wondered where we could go with the children during weekends and we always ended up driving around the island and go to the beach. Babylon Bar is offering a new option.

They have three big bouncy castles and set up with some glides. A children's swimming pool is in the making with more toys near the pool.

It's also a great place to have a children birthday party. You can order sets of meat for the BBQ and off you go, the kids have fun and you can BBQ some meat! Excellent.

They also have a restaurant and bar and we ordered some Thai food which was excellent, my wife really enjoyed her Yam Bunsen and Patsa Iu and I had a lovely Matsaman curry.

For the kids it's only 50 baht to play in the fenced off play ground. All in all a very good deal and highly recommendable for a day out with a nice stop at the beach!

For reservations or birthday party info call 08 5792 8806 or 08 7876 6068. I'm sure we'll be back more often!

Camille

23rd February, 2008

Today's weather;

The sun is trying to fight it's way through a thin cloud layer with a current temp of 22.5C at 7 am. It's good to be back home again and see the family!

Yesterday was a warm and sunny day in Pattaya. Samui had loads of sunshine too with a max temp of 30.8C.

Camille

22nd February, 2008

Today's weather in Pattaya;

It's looking like a clear blue sky is shaping up. Current temp at 7 am is 23C at 7 am in Pattaya.

Yesterday was a warm, sunny and dry day with a max temp of 29.4C. Overall it seems to be slightly warmer in Pattaya than it is on Samui.

Today I'll be back on Samui again, from tomorrow onwards, there will be Samui weather updates again. Did some real enjoyable wreck diving here in Pattaya, which I commented about in my dive blog, in case you're interested.

Camille

Pattaya temples

An unusual view of Pattaya, one of it's Temples;

On the corner of PattayaThai and 2nd Road is a very big Temple which I visited this morning. Due to fact that it's Macha Bucha day, the temple was crowded with locals paying respect to Buddha.



Inside the Temple grounds I found this explanation which is always useful when you're visiting a Temple or attraction.

As already mentioned, the Temple was packed with locals paying respect to Buddha, the priests are doing overtime blessing all the people visiting today.

This beautiful stupa is also located within the Temple grounds and it's surrounded by brass bells, which. One is supposed to walk around with a big wooden stick and hit each individual bell. Since it was so busy, there was a bit of a noise going on here!

Last but not least, I also went up the hill overlooking Pattaya, where there's another Temple and a Navy statue of Admiral Krong Luang Jumborn Khet Udonsak.

The views over Pattaya bay and the surroundings are stunning here and are an absolute recommendation, especially in the evenings after sunset!

Camille

21st February, 2008

Today's weather in Pattaya;

A few clouds are in the sky and a warm and sunny day seems to be building up with a current temp at of 7 am of 22C.

Yesterday was a dry and warm day in Pattaya with a max temp of 31C.
We had an excellent dinner last night at the Swiss House in Soi Diamond, well worth a visit. Goulash, mixed kebab a set pork menu and a very good Cordon Blue stuffed with Swiss cheese were on the menu.

Camille

20th February, 2008

Today's weather;

Very late today but nonetheless, it was fair weather today in Pattaya. At 16.00 it's 28.5C.

Yesterday was a sunny day in Pattaya with a max temp of 28.7C.

Camille

19th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It looks like a nice blue sky is shaping up. Current temp at 7 am is around 24C.

Yesterday was a cloudy sky all day long but no rain. Max temp reached 30C. We had some great wreck diving yesterday, see my dive blog.

Camille

Nang Nual Restaurant, Walking Street, Pattaya

Nang Nual Restaurant, Walking Street, Pattaya

Was our choice of the evening and it proofed to be a good one!


They're around since 1965, the very early days of R&R for American soldiers, when Pattaya must've been a sleepy sea side town.

They make sure that you know that they're unique! One interesting feature is that they're located in Walking Street, a happening on it's own.

The restaurant is at both sides of the road and massive on either side. Nonetheless, the food is good.

One of us had this delicious sea food platter for just 450,-Baht!

The Seafood Hawaii pictured here, was delicious and settled nicely in my stomach!

Good place to eat on Walking Street when in Pattaya.

Camille

18th February, 2008

Today's weather in Pattaya,

It's fairly clouded but dry with a temp of 24.2C at 7 am.

Yesterday was a day with overcast in Pattaya and there were a few occasions with a few drops, nothing too serious though. Max temp reached 30.5C.

Camille

Samui airport departure lounge

Arrived safe and well in Pattaya,

This afternoon, where I will be wreck diving for the next three days, follow my dive blog for updates on this.

At Samui airport I found this sign for the VIP & Premier Gold card members of Bangkok Airways, to use their lounge and thought I share this picture with you;

Enjoy!

Camille

17th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's partly cloudy but the sun's out. It also seems that the wind receded a little bit. Current temp at 7 am is 26.9C.

Yesterday was another warm and dry day. Max temp reached 28.8C.

Today I'm leaving for Pattaya until Friday. In Pattaya we are going to dive some wrecks, so keep eyes tuned in to my weather blog, I may find time to shows some Pattaya stuff on here and have a peek into my dive blog.

Camille

AowThai Restaurant, Ban Don

AowThai Restaurant, Ban Don

After not having visited this place for at least a year, we went again yesterday and it was pleasant.

Lot's of (local) Thais visiting but also plenty of Westerners. They have a massively big screen, good for sport events, and a live band playing. Make sure to get a table that's not located in front of the band.


It's located opposite Bandon Hospital, on the road leading away from the ring road. Behind the Irish pub on the corner.

Here's the band in action, they mainly sing Thai love songs or soft Thai music, no rock and Western main stream songs.

The food was good, especially their specialty, the sizzling plate, here with mixed seafood.

AowThai is very big and has outdoor tables and two big roofed areas as well. It's enjoyable and worthwhile visiting.

Camille

Pee Soon Restaurant, Chaweng

Pee Soon Restaurant, Chaweng

The restaurant has moved location since the whole area where it was located has undergone serious reconstruction, update August 2013

Has been an all time favorite of my wife and me for the past 7 years that we know each other. My parents are also very fond of this whenever they come over as is my sister and her family and pretty much everybody we ever brought here! Nuff said, one would think!

It was a while ago that we've been here last and things have changed a bit. Unfortunately their cook for more than 10 years, who started out as a young boy as kitchen help, has left and that was noticeable.

The seafood is still as good as ever but the the 'a la carte' dishes didn't have the same magic anymore as with the former cook! We loved the Pomfret deep fried fish and the other fresh seafood, but the soups and other dishes just didn't have it. They were still good, don't get me wrong but just not up to the same standards as before.

Here's a bit of the food we had, bottom left, a green curry (Kaeng Khiao Wan Kai), Garlic Pepper squid (Pla Muek Thot Gratiam Phrik Thai), Deep fried Pomfret (Pla Chalamet), Sai On Toth, Mussels (Hoi Lai Phat Prik Chao) and fried rice with veggies (Kao Pat Pak).

Still worthwhile visiting though and it's located opposite the new short cut to the airport, up the road the ring road, where the one way system starts in Chaweng. Just before the first 7-11 you will encounter, heading for he ring road on your left hand.

Don't forget to use my Camille's Samui hotel recommendation blog and my Camille's Thailand hotel recommendation blog for all your hotel bookings on Koh Samui and around Thailand. By doing so, you will support my blog. Thanks folks!

Camille

16th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's still cloudy and fairly windy with a max temp of 26.8C at 7 am.

Yesterday was cloudy and saw fairly strong winds. In the evening it rained lightly.

Camille

15the February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's cloudy this morning with a current temp of 27C at 7 am.

Yesterday was a warm day with overcast. In the afternoon there were some isolated showers. Max temp reached 28.4C.

Camille

14th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's still very cloudy but dry and the temp at 7 am is 27.2C. Strong winds are still around.

Yesterday was cloudy but dry with a max temp of 29C. Very strong winds yesterdays.

Camille

13th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's overcast and windy with a current temp of 27.2C at 7 am.

Yesterday was very hot around noon. Max temp in the very high twenties.

Camille

12th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's a blue sky with thin layers of clouds that seem to be evaporating in the sun. Current temp at 7 am is 27.2C.

Yesterday was a nice and warm day with a max temp of 28.7C.

Camille

11th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's a cloudy sky this morning, which makes for a change to the previous days and the wind seems to be a lot less. Current temp at 7 am is 27.2C.

Yesterday was another nice and warm day with a max temp of 28.4C. All my students from my IDC were successful in their PADI IE, see my dive blog.

Camille

10th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's a fairly blue sky with some clouds in it, sounds familiar this month? Current temp at 7 am was 27.5C.

Yesterday was a warm day once more with plenty of sunshine, although, in the afternoon we had a mini shower and last night it rained a bit as well. Max temp reached 29C.

Camille

9th February, 2008

Today's weather;

A bit later than usual, it's already 15.00 hours, but it's been a lovely day so far with lots of sunshine and a fairly blue sky with a max temp of 28C at 13.00 pm.
The reason that I'm posting so late today is because a very early start of the February PADI IE and I didn't have time to update my blog until now.

Yesterday was a nice and warm day with some rain overnight. Max temp reached 28.8C.

Camille

8 February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's almost a clear blue sky with a few clouds over the ocean. It's 28C at 7 am. Last night there must've been some heavy rain since everything was wet this morning.

Yesterday was a warm and dry day but mostly overcast all day long. Max temp reached 28.8C.

Camille

7th February, 2008

Today's weather;

There seem to be a few more clouds this morning but there are still plenty of blue patches. Current temp at 7 am is 27.7C.

Yesterday was Chinese New Year, with Samui having a lot of Chinese ancestors on the island, there was a lot of firework (crackers) going off early in the morning and before noon.
It was also a sunny and warm day with a max temp of 28.5C.

Camille

6th February, 2008

Today's weather;

More of the same, a blue sky with a few clouds but fairly a strong wind. Temp at 7 am is 27.3C.

Yesterday was warm and sunny all day long with a max temp around 30C.

Camille

5th February, 2008

Today's weather;

It seems to be a bit more cloudy than yesterday and the wind is still fairly strong. Current temp at 7 am is 27.7C.

Yesterday was a nice and warm day, although there was a nice and refreshing albeit very short shower in the early afternoon in Bophud. The Big Buddha area didn't have any rain at all though. Max temp was 29.5C.

Camille

4th February, 2008

Today's weather;

More of the same, like the previous days, a blue sky with some clouds in it. Current temp at 7 am is 27.5C.

Yesterday was a nice and warm day with plenty of sunshine. Max temp was around 30C.

Camille

Buddha is watching over Chaweng

Since a few months, there's a stupa being build overlooking Chaweng.

It's located at the same road as the Art Palace and Q Bar, overlooking Chaweng.

Once you drive up on the hill, towards the Q Bar, there's a round about that goes all along the new building, but you gotta walk up some stairs and a little path way, along lovely green and scenery, to get to the actual building. Once you reach the roundabout, there's a parking lot at your right hand and it's than about 100 meters to walk to the stairs, leading up to the building.

This is the actual building. As you can see, it's still under construction, which will hopefully have me go there on a regular base and update on progress.

There are plenty of richly decorated ornaments laying around inside the building, waiting to be installed.

We really enjoyed the views from the roundabout. My wife, who is born on Samui, was never up on this hill and really enjoyed, here are some views, above, the airport and part of Bang Rak with even Big Buddha in the background.

Below a view over Chaweng.

It's not as big as the Phuket Big Buddha, under construction, for which you can also find more info on Jamie Monk's Phuket blog but it looks like a nice building and an interesting addition to Chaweng's attractions for the near future.

It's highly recommended for the fantastic view over Chaweng and Bang Rak, especially at night it must be spectacular.

It looks like it's being build next to an existing, but very much neglected, small Temple. Hopefully that will be revived and patched up as well.

Stay tuned,

Camille

3rd February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's fairly cloudy over the ocean and less cloudy over land right now with lots of sunshine and a current temp at 7 am of 27.7C. There's a fairly hard wind though and this morning around 6.30 am we had a short shower.

Yesterday was a nice, warm and sunny day but with a lot of wind which lead to a choppy beach. Since we were completing the Open Water dives of the Assistant Instructor course of the IDC at Chaweng beach, it was a bit of a challenge but we managed! Max temp reached 29C.

Camille

Welcome to February

Welcome to February indeed.

During this month we mostly see a continual rise in overall temperatures compared to January and things start warming up again.

In general there's less rain than during January so all in all, a nice and agreeable month.

A good time to visit Samui, sine it's not that busy and the weather can be very nice!

Camille

2nd February, 2008

Today's weather;

It's like the previous days, a blue sky laced with some clouds. Current temp is 28C at 7 am.

Yesterday was a warm and sunny day with a max temp near 30C.

Camille

1st February, 2008

Today's weather;

February starts out really nice, with a mostly blue sky and just a few clouds. The wind, that was blowing very hard yesterday, has ceased. Current temp at 7 am is 27.5C.

Yesterday was a warm and dry day with plenty of sunshine, max temp reached 29.2C and we're all getting tans in the pool during the IDC.

Camille