Once more; an update on Chaweng's Pagoda

Once more; an update on Chaweng's Pagoda

And it's looking good! The work on the Pagoda is seriously progressing.



First of all I thought that a picture from a different angle would be interesting and here's a view at the foot of the stairs leading up to the Pagoda, where the buildings next to the Pagoda can be viewed. The white building on the left is where currently the Buddha statue is kept and is nothing more than an open room. The building on the right is the house where the Monk(s) will be housed once the Pagoda is opened.

The scaffolding has gone, at last. Last month and in previous pictures/updates the scaffolding can still be seen. It's a vast improvement on the overall impression the Pagoda makes.

The Aat has also been completed, in contrast to last month when they where still constructing it.

The Aat is either for displaying Buddha statues or for the Monks to sit on.

Lovely view over Chaweng from the roof.

Details of the roof part of the Pagoda which is almost completed, the outside part is fine, they're completing the inside.

The last two pictures also show yesterday's nice weather!

This place keeps dragging me back, not only to see the ongoing results of the construction , which is interesting enough by itself but also because of the fantastic views it has over Chaweng, Bang Rak and the airport.

Camille

13th September, 2008

Today's weather;

It's cloudy but the sun is shining through occasionally and the wind seem to have dropped a bit for the (current) time being. Current temp at 7 am is 26C.


Yesterday was a great day, all morning saw sunshine although the wind came back rather quickly after a lull in the morning. Up until early afternoon it remained sunny than the clouds took over again but it stayed dry. Max temp reached a nice 33.8C.


The big political news yesterday was that Samak dropped out of the PM race and possibly now also as party leader for the PPP. The Politics pulled back from the brink... for now it was like everybody waited for a Big Bang that wasn't. For the time being things take a seemingly right course, this coming Wednesday the show will continue unless Thailand gets shaken with another surprise before that.


On a local Samui level, tomorrow there will be municipal elections in order to elect a new Mayor for Samui after Samui has received Tessabaan Muay or city status. This means in a nutshell that Samui gets to govern all the moneys it generates without the Changwat or Province of Surat Thani getting their hands on it first. A similar situation like in Pattaya, where Pattaya City is part of the Changwat Chonburi but gets to govern over their own finances.


Camille

New PM assignment postponed

New PM assignment postponed

In what seems a very late wake up call, the PPP, Samak's political party is now divided about voting Samak back as PM and plenty of MP's boycotted the vote, thus dashing Samak's comeback hopes as House adjourns urgent session.
Samak left Parliament immediately after the PM voting was adjourned.

Is the Thai Parliament finally smelling the coffee? Samak's own party is now divided enough to back him down.

Before the voting began Pro-government crowds started rallying in support of Samak. As it seems, to no avail.

Democrat nominate Abhisit as contender for PM position he may be the neutral person that can consolidate the current crisis and bring reason and peace back to the country.

Interesting developments and I'm sure there's more to come.

Camille

Bowling at Tesco Lotus in Chaweng

Bowling at Tesco Lotus in Chaweng

As part of a big group of people, approximately 15, we went for a nights bowling yesterday with the whole family.

It was good fun and on our three lanes (which were reserved in advance) the games lasted long enough with 5 players at each lane to give some time in between turns to talk with other people.

The bowling center, Major Bowl, is located in Tesco Lotus in Chaweng, next to the Major Cineplex, which has numerous outlets throughout Thailand.

The bowling center hosts 8 lanes and two can be accustomed for children by having the sides blocked off of the lanes. There are three price tiers, in the evening it's 100,-THB per game per person, the earlier in the day you visit, the cheaper it is. Bowling shoes are available at 40,-THB per pair and socks are also 40,-THB per pair. You can bring your own socks!

Reception at Major Bowl

Drinks and food are served as well and all together, it's a good night's out.

Camille

12th September, 2008

Today's weather;

Despite the weather predictions, it's sunny and there's no wind this morning! Current temp at 7 am is 27.7C.

Yesterday saw overcast once more with traces of rain and very strong winds. Max temp reached
28.4C.

The political forecast is running overtime with a new PM to be announced;

Was the television cooking show a serious constitutional offence? No. Was the Constitution Court right to disqualify Samak Sundaravej from the chief executive post? Yes. Does the People Power Party have the mandate to reinstall him? Yes, technically. Ethically, no.
From an honest mistake to a potentially disastrous one. An interesting article in the Nation explains more.

The Coalition parties ready for People Power-led govt by Samak again? Too much money seems to be changing hands, too much seems to be at stake ofr the former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

The voice of reason; Democrat leader Abhisit most qualified to end protests

Camille

11th September, 2008

Today's weather;

More overcast this morning but it seems a lighter, brighter overcast compared to previous days. The wind is still very strong though. Current temp at 7 am is 26.2C.

There's also a Tsunami warning this morning after a 7.6 earthquake in Indonesia. I can only hope that this warning is cancelled asap!

It's also 7 years that the so called 9-11 attacks happened in the US.

Yesterday saw lots of overcast accompanied by occasional showers and drizzle although most of the day it stayed dry since the wind seemed to be too hard for rain. Max temp reached 29.5C.

On the political front things are relatively quiet but that can all change tomorrow when a new PM will be chosen. Don't reinstate Samak, say academics is a plea made by academics. In the meantime the government is planning to use Don Mueang Airport as a temporary workplace because it will take several months to repair Government House after the sit-in protest by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and a very interesting article about the PAD's New Politics raising too many questions.

An anti-government website can be found here with regular updates.

Camille

10th September, 2008

Today's weather;

It's very cloudy again and a drizzle is going on outside with strong winds since a few days. Current temp at 7 am is 26.1C.

Yesterday saw overcast all day long with just a few glimpses of sunshine although it stayed dry. Max temp reached 28.6C.

The political climate is heating up in Thailand however, PM Samak's disqualification makes him the first prime minister to be ejected by court order.
Due a strange loophole in the Thai law it's posible that Samak may be re elected on Friday as the new PM. It's not very ethical and the PAD (the anti government party) is against this as are various business organisations in Thailand.
It'll be a tough one to sell for Thailand if the PM gets disqualified on Tuesday but is back as a PM on Friday!

Camille

Breaking News; PM Samak disqualified by court order

Breaking News; PM Samak disqualified by court order

With an hour and a half delay, since the PM himself didn't show up at the court room in Bangkok for the 2 pm scheduled hearing that was going to determine if the PM violated the charter.

The English newspaper the nation has this article; SAMAK DISQUALIFIED with a live update and this entry; Convicted Samak disqualified.

It will be very interesting to see how this develops and what impact it will have on the current political situation in Thailand.

Here's a bit of explanation on why Samak got disqualified and interestingly enough, his political party is about to vote Samak back as PM. Apparently that will be decided this coming Friday.

9th September, 2008

Today's weather;

It's very cloudy again this morning, with few bright spots. Current temp is 25.5C at 7 am.

Yesterday saw heavy overcast all day long with some rain in the early evening for about half an hour. Max temp reached 29.5C.
The weather forecast for the next couple of days is not looking that great unfortunately.

On the political front things seem to have slowed down a bit, although this may be the silence before the storm, since PM Samak is facing a court ruling today that may see him having to step down and with him the whole cabinet.

The whole cabinet moved to the North East of Thailand, to the city of Udon Thani and it could well that the fuse is lit again here. Earlier this year there were already deadly clashed between pro and anti government demonstrators.

Even if Samak would survive all this, it's going to be interesting towards the end of the month, if he decides to actually join a UN meeting in New York city, an event during which former PM Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted from power in Thailand by a military coup.

It's quiet right now, but it can change very fast. If anything major happens, I will update my blog accordingly.

Camille

8th September, 2008

Today's weather;

It's grayish from overcast this morning but bright spots can be located at the horizon which hopefully bring sunshine. It hasn't rained last night or this morning. Current temp at 7 am is 25.7C.

Yesterday it kept raining until noon after which it slowly turned brighter and eventually some sunshine broke through. Max temp reached 29.4C.

Camille