Goodbye to November 2019

Goodbye to November 2019

It's the last day of that dreaded rainy season month and a good moment to say goodbye to November 2019. Problem is, if you can call it a problem, that there was hardly anything to dread last month.

This years rainy season didn't really start until the last week of November.

Before that, the first 3 weeks of this month, were beautiful. Lots of sunshine, lots of blue or partially clouded skies and yes, there was an occasional shower. However, nothing like we sometimes experience during a 'normal' or standard rainy season. That was all kept for the last week of the month.

Here the rainy season kind of roared it''s ugly and wet mouth,but it was ll within reason. Yes, there were of course the known hot spots where the flash floods happen. All in all though, an exceptionally nice November this 2019 version.

Even this morning, it is starting out partially clouded with a 25C temperature at 7am.

Goodbye to November 2019

Broken spirit houses are placed next to the road in Choengmon. Near the Tongsai Bay hotel. Have you ever seen this before? If a spirit house, which is used to protect and bless the house you live in, breaks, it placed on a raod. Typically it's placed on a location where many accidents happen or happened. It's common use to honk your motorbike or car horn three times when you pass such a location. These stretches of broken spirit houses can be found all over Koh Samui and for that matter, all over Thailand.

The last third of this month I find myself on Malapascau in the Philippines, teaching a PADI IDC here. The next coming days we should be under the influence of typhoon Kammury, We're on the outskirts of it though. It will be interesting though.

Time to look forward though, tomorrow is the start of a new month. We're also closing in on the end of the year! Always exciting times.

Enjoy your time on the island and let's cross our fingers that the rain isn't too bad over the next couple of weeks.

Please do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and enjoy the beaches around the island or in front of your hotel or resort and get some well deserved rest and a break. 

If you're done resting or need something else to do, there's plenty of things on offer on and around Koh Samui, you can go snorkeling or diving or take a dive course. 

Join me in a private dive trip with yours sincerely! 

You can also enjoy some of the trips I recommend, like a half day gourmet lunch and snorkeling trip at the Southern part of Koh Samui or a photography trip where you get to see the most photo genetic spots on the island or go for a drinks tasting tour if you like a tipple or two. 

You may also opt for a very special dinner experience at The Thai Experience. Behind closed doors, reservation only and a very enjoyable and well worthwhile way of spending an evening on Samui. Authentic Thai food and a great atmosphere. Can highly recommend this experience.

Contact me for more detailed information on any of the options mentioned. 

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 11th September, 2015

Today's weather;

It's mostly cloudy with a few isolated blue spots over Koh Samui this morning. I don't expect any rain today but it looks like the clouds will keep the upper hand. Current temp at 7am is 25.7C

The spirit house area near Chaweng has been cleaned up and only the main three spirit houses remain 

Yesterday saw a mostly cloudy day and it remained dry until the late afternoon/early evening when we had a few drizzles in our neighborhood. Max temp reached 30C

The forecast predicts an easing up of the clouds over the weekend but as Monday wind and clouds move in again. Between Wednesday and Friday expect very strong wind with lots of rain and next weekend things should be a lot nicer again.

Do 'like' my Koh Samui blog Facebook page and 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

Our spirit house moved

Our spirit house moved

It's just over 2 years now that our own spirit house was installed in front of our house.
Due to my wife not feeling too well over a long period of time this year, one of the recent visitors, obviously an expert in those matters, noted that the spirit house was in the wrong location.

The reason given as that because our sleeping room was above them and we slept above the spirits and also because all dirty laundry water went passed them, the spirits weren't happy! Well you can't beat or defy that logic, so the spirit house had to be moved. Above is a picture of it being dismantled before a move to the back of our house, higher than our sleeping room and away from the dirty water.

That gives this new location, nicely in the morning shade in the back garden and now facing the East rather than the North.

In the process of moving we had to clean the complete houses and were also told not to glue any attributes of the spirit house to the actual spirit house. Well, never too old to learn indeed.

Looking forward to happier spirits from now on!

Camille

More Spirit Houses

Some more pictures of Spirit Houses around Samui.

As already mentioned in previous posts about road side Spirit Houses and our very own Spirit House, here are some more pictures of some Spirit Houses around Samui.

This shows the inside of a Spirit House, where the actual protective Spirit lives. This one shows an elderly couple with various gifts for them. The elderly are very well respected in Thailand and an elderly couple also portrays wisdom, in this case.

Here's an interesting link that explains about Spirit Houses and animism in Thailand.

Here's the inside of yet another Spirit House, which shows a female statue. What makes this picture so interesting for me, are all the gifts for the statue, on the left hand side. A comb, lip stick, a mirror and other beauty related articles. Stereotypes anybody?

This set of Spirit Houses, on the Novotel road in Chaweng, are just awesome in my book for their complete break of traditional Spirit House design. They more like a 'Modern Art' version of Spirit Houses and I love the way they blend in with the wooden background of the main house. Fantastic!







Next time you're on Samui and you need to pick a Spirit House or two, here's one of the places near Lamai where you can get them. Various sizes and colours are available!


Camille

Our own spirit house

We've got a spirit house at our own house.

As previously posted in my entry about road side spirit houses, now I'll write about our very own spirit house in front of our very own house.



Last December, we got our own set of Spirit Houses, to guard over house. Here they are, waiting in the shade of our house, before they will be placed at their permanent place.
They can't be placed wherever you like, a special person who has the skills and knowledge to determine where they can be placed has to do this. Well meet this person on one of the pictures soon enough and since than, I've met this old man on various occasions at the Chaweng temple.

With the Spirit Houses comes a whole set of attributes which are necessary to make sure that the Spirits look well after our place. Most of the attributes are on display here, amongst others various statues, vases for flowers, candle holders, banners etc.

During the inauguration ceremony, loads of food are offered to the various deity's, as one can see here on this picture. This includes a broiled chicken, various fruits, assorted sweets and rice.

This picture shows the old man with 'the Gift' to determine where the Spirit Houses need to be placed and he's conducting the ceremony as well. Here he can be seen building a multi layer food tray, made out of coconut trays and banana leaves.

This picture shows the smaller Spirit House in it's complete state. Inside are statues of an elderly couple, a Grandma and Grandpa.

This is the main Spirit House, with a deity statue staying inside. In front are various smaller statues and lion alike statues.

The whole time, the old man is conducting various prayers during the whole ceremony when the Spirit Houses are placed and inaugurated. The umbrella is for sun protection, by the way.

Here they are, in full glory, after the ceremony is completed.

My wife refreshed the flowers and prays in front of them on a regular base, mostly around the full moon period, when there are (important) Buddha days.

Camille

Roadside spirit houses

Roadside spirit houses

They are a common view in Thailand. Along many roads in Thailand, at some point of your trip, you may see a cluster of spirit houses in various sizes along the side of the road.

This is a perfect sample, on the ring road between Chaweng and Lamai here on Koh Samui. At one of the view points, there's also a small stretch of spirit houses. It's a strange phenomena if you stop at one of them, since the Thais will honk for the spirits, for good luck, so it's really noisy if you stand next to the road, trying to make a picture for instance.

Here's a closer look at one of them, they're put there because it was a dangerous spot on the road and people got most likely killed there. The spirit house give the wandering ghosts a place to stay and to find a home. They're filled with all kinds of small items, like statues in honour of Grand Pa and Grand Ma.

The spirit houses are also covered in the so called "Puang Ma Lay's", as this picture shows. See my blog entry about the school party in Plai Laem about the "Puang Ma Las's". Again, all for good luck! Trees may be wrapped in colour full clothing as well, a lot of trees are considered to be "holy", although, on Samui, the coconut trees must fall out of this category, looking at how much construction is currently going on and how many coconut trees are felled on a daily base.

This picture shows some of the bigger spirit houses on the road between Chaweng and Lamai.

People bring all kind of things to the spirit houses and the trees next to the spirit houses. Here's a good example with some plastic airplane (the Bangkok Airway pilots?).

This is the backside of the spirit houses, where the broken artifacts are gathering. It seems that in good old Thai style, one can sleep everywhere.

The insides of the spirit houses and immediate surroundings are filled with all kind of artifacts, ranging from plastic planes, car, caterpillars, dolls and clothes. Here's a picture of a small army of sitting people.

Here some older people (older people are in general very well respected in Thailand) in the foreground and a bunch of female dancers in the back.

Around Samui there are various spots where a cluster of these spirit houses can be found, but this is the easiest one to find in Samui.
As mentioned before, they can be found all over Thailand and they're really noisy if you happen to stand next to them!

Hope you enjoyed the pix,

Camille