6th May, 2009

Today's weather;

It's overcast again this morning. Current temp at 7 am is 27.3C.

Yesterday saw merely overcast although there were a few sunny spells, which made the temperature rise immediately. Max temp reached 32.5C

Camille

Bird singing contest

Bird singing contest

Many times I passed this empty lot of land which clearly marked a place where there would a bird singing contest. Today was the first time I've actually seen this particular piece of land being used for just that. I've seen contests all over Samui and Thailand but never had a camera at the ready.

Bird singing contest

The location is at the Ghost Road leading from Bang Rak towards Chaweng, after the crossing that also houses a 7-11 and the chicken fight arena, it's directly after the sharp curve in the road and this sign is up permanently.

Bird singing contest; Plenty of folks gather with their birds and the bird cages are hung up on some line, all in two rows.

Bird singing contest

A whistle is blown and the bird cage is made free of a cover and the birds need to sing for a while, until the whistle is blown again and the cages are covered up again.

Prices can be won by the bird owners, betting is heavy and some birds can pass hands for around a million Thai Baht, if they know how to sing properly.

You may be able to catch an event like this whilst travelling the country, it's worthwhile stopping and checking it out for a bit. If you look carefully, many Thai house holds have birds that can compete in these contests.

Bird singing contest

It wouldn't be Thailand if everything had to be as 'sabai sabai' possible, so conveniently a couple of these covered sitting areas are set up next to the battle field!

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Camille

Update March 2018

5th May, 2009

Today's weather;

There's overcast again but it doesn't look like rain and the temperatures are a lot more agreeable, current temp at 7 am is 27.3C.

Yesterday saw a day with overcast but nice and not too warm, max temp reached 30.7C.

My dive trip to Sail Rock was good, during the last 6 days, there were 5 days with whale shark sightings, including yesterday. To see this fish is kind of most divers wet dream, for the non divers amongst us. I have to put some archived pictures though, since during both dives, me and my buddy managed not to see yesterday's whale shark! A tough day at work.

Picture of a whale shark, this one was about 4-5 meters.

One of the things we did see at Sail Rock yesterday was this white eyed Murray eel.

For more of my dive pictures, feel free to visit my dive blog or my dive website if you like to book dive trips or dive courses.

Camille

Look Nimid at Wat Kanuram

Look Nimid at Wat Kanuram

When we visited Wat Kanuram yesterday, to see the Mummified Monk, there was something special going on in the Temple or Bot building next to the new quarters of the Mummified Monk.

The Bot at Wat Kanuram

There were 'look Nimid' placed around the Bot, 7 on the outside and one on the inside. Without these stones, the Bot couldn't be ordained or function and are considered very holy.

The Look Nimid will be lowered into holes, dug in the ground, one in front, one in the back, three at each side and one inside of the Bot.

Three 'Look Nimid' at one side of the Bot.

Inside the Bot one can clearly see the 'main' Buddha image of Wat Kanuram, with some intricate white cords weaved around the inside of the Bot. In the middle is the big 'Look Nimid'.

There's a very important Buddhist day coming up later this week, Visikha Bucha Day on 8th May, when they will put the 'Look Nimid' in the ground.

Every Temple in Thailand will have a main building, the Bot. All the Bot's in Thailand should have "Look Nimid" inside or rather in the ground and around them, in front of the little statue like houses placed around the Bot's.

Surely another thing learned today!

Camille

4th May, 2009

Today's weather;

It's cloudy and windy with a max temp of 27.7C at 7 am.
I'm off diving to Sail Rock where a whaleshark was sighted for the last 4 out of 5 days!

Mummified Monk at Wat Kanuram in Lamai

Yesterday we went around the island and although we saw signs of rain, we somehow managed to escape rain all day long, we even slept through the 7 am shower. There was overcast all day long so the temperatures were nice and bearable after the heat during the last week(s).
Max temp reached a 'cool' 30.4C

Camille

Wat Kanuram and it's Mummified Monk in his new quarters

Wat Kanuram and it's Mummified Monk in his new quarters

It has been a long time that we went 'around the island' with the family but today it was time again to restore this good family tradition. On ocasion, we tend to stop at Wat Kanuram near Lamai. The two times I wrote about this 'Wat' were a year ago in July 2008, when the new building of the Mummified Monk was a work in progress and a big tree in front of this building was being torn down. The other time I wrote about Wat Kanuram was in August 2007. I don't know how many times I've been there in total, admittedly I lost track.

The new quarters of the Mummified Monk in Wat Kanuram.

A long time I was under the impression that this was the only Mummified Monk on the island, untill I found out that there was another Mummified Monk in Baan Taling Ngaam, in Wat Kiri Wongkaram with thanks to Monique, a Dutch photographer who lives on Samui.
There's also a 'not so mummified monk' in Lamai's main Temple, the temple or 'Wat' that houses the Samui Natural Museum, a very interesting place to visit!

The Mummified Monk of Wat Kanuram in his newest resting or rather display place.

A statue and picture of 'Luung Por Daeng' the Mummified Monk

A shot from the side of his glass display house

As usual, it was a nice visit to Wat Kanuram and a nice break in our trip around the island. It's also good to see that the Temple has been able to build a new building for Luung Por Daeng, the Mummified Monk. This must be one of the most visited places on the island and after all these years on Samui, still a good place for me to stop a few times per year.

Camille

3rd May, 2009

Today's weather;

There's overcast this morning and for today and tomorrow some rain has been predicted. Current temp at 7 am is 27C.

Chaweng has quieted down, like every year during late April and early May, this is Chaweng beach yesterday morning around 11 am.

Yesterday once more was hot! Very hot! Max temp reached 34.3C.

Camille

2nd May, 2009

Today's weather;

It feels slightly cooler than previous days, there's a light overcast and a nice breeze, which may be the cause of the nice cooler feel. Current temp at 7 am is 27.4C.

Yesterday must've been one of the hottest days so far this year, it was almost uncomfortable, walking around just made your sweat run freely. Max temp reached 34.7C.

Camille

Welcome to May 2009

Welcome to May 2009

A new month on the horizon, May 2009.

I'm proud to note and mention that this is the third year running for info and weather reports on Koh Samui!
Back to the topic at hand though and during he last two years, May didn't kick off that nicely, last year saw a lot of rain during the first half of the month with improvements in the second part of May and 2007 saw a similar pattern.
The weather forecast at Windguru is actually looking very good for the first part of the 2009 version of May.

I'm crossing my fingers for a nice month, but I'm pretty sure that there will be some rain during this month, which is a good thing since today it was almost unbearable hot! I'm very glad with the air con in the living room in the evenings!

Enjoy May and I hope that you keep visiting my blog.

Camille

1st May, 2009

Today's weather;

A blue sky is above Samui with a current temp of 27C at 7 am. It's going to be hot again!

Yesterday saw sunshine and it was very hot, once more. Max temp reached 35c.

Very sad news yesterday was the attempted assault on the Dutch queen and her family during the koninginnedag in Apeldoorn where 5 people died.

Camille