Camille's Samui Info blog

Sunday, 4 August 2013

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 4th August, 2013

Today's weather;

It's looking nice again for a change around Koh Samui, plenty of blue spots are sharing the sky with some thin cloud layers and it looks like it will be warm today. Current temp at 7am is 25.7C

If you haven't done so, now is a good time to read my post about Krua Bang Po restaurant, which I posted yesterday.

Lantern post in Chaweng

Yesterday saw a fairly nice day, with an occasional sun beam up until around 3.30pm when a short but very strong storm raged over the island bringing some rain as well. Later during the evening, some parts around the island had some more rain. Max temp reached 30.7C

The forecast shows 3 nice days in a row, including today with plenty of sunshine and no rain or at most a tropical shower. Wednesday is going to see a breeze again and Thursday looks stormy, the weekend shows strong wind and rain.

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

Saturday, 3 August 2013

Krua Bang Po

Last week we wanted to visit the Bang Po Seafood Restaurant, voted among the top 10 seafood restaurants in the world earlier in March 2013. However, after we parked the car, we didn't really pay attention and we walked into Krua Bang Po, or Bang Po restaurant.

The exterior sign

What do we know now; the two restaurants are near to each other and I can immediately tell you, Krua Bang Po does the trick! The food was delicious and well worth the visit, despite our initial mix up.

Inside, under the roof

The restaurant is fairly big, with a big roofed part, which comes in handy when it rains, or when the also fairly big outdoor section is full. Wherever you sit, the tables and chairs are placed in the sand.

Don't expect anything fancy, all the restaurants on this 'strip' in Bang Po have a similar set up with mainly plastic chairs and wooden/bamboo tables.

Outside, almost on the beach

When we arrived it was slowly going on to dusk, so fairly early and in these parts of the world the change between daytime, evening and it being dark is most often nothing more than 15 to 20 minutes. It's well worth the early arrival to experience the change in lightning.

Beach view

Although Bang Po is a bit out of the way from the popular and busy locations like Chaweng, Lamai or Choengmon, just to name a few local beaches, it's definitely worth the trip over there and try one of the many restaurants along this strip, especially this one, Krua Bang Po or Bang Po Seafood.

Deepfried Pomfret with garlic

Now on to the food, we ordered loads and the above pictured dish was delicious, the pomfret or Plaa Jalamet or ปลาจะละเม็ด was fried to perfection and the meat melted on your tongue.

Giant prawns with tamarind sauce

We had the above pictured dish also a day earlier at Sabeing Lae in the new Chaweng outlet and the sauce was lots better there, however, the prawns here were as juicy and fresh and very customer friendly, with only the head and the tail in their 'armor' and the meaty middle section was just that; meat! This was sold per 500 grams or per kilo, not per 100 grams as listed on the menu, but this was also clearly explained, so no big deal.

Soft shell crab with curry powder

The soft shell crab in curry powder must have been the best one I ever had! I order this dish or curry powder dishes many times but seldom or rather never was it so tasty as here!

Krua Bang Po, steamed mussels

The above pictured mussels or Hoi Ob หอยอบ were a big surprise, the way they were steamed, with herbs, was just delicious, there was no need to even use the sauce that came with them. A very good choice by my wife! They were munched down in no time and had a very good size.

We also had ordered 2 steamed crabs or Pu Neung ปูนึ่ง, a massaman curry with chicken or Kaeng Massaman Kha (Curry Paste) แกงมัสมั่นข่า , deep fried mini spring rolls or Po Pia Thot ปอเปี๊ยะทอด and fried rice.

Take a taxi or rent a car for the day and make your way over, you won't be disappointed!

Some worrying news on the oil spill

The worrying news is that according to the MCOT online paper, PTTGC uses more chemicals than permitted to remove oil slick.

Thailand's Pollution Control Department head says that PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) has used an amount of chemical dispersants to decompose the oil slick in the sea greater than the amount permitted by the agency.

Director general Wichien Jungrungruang said the company asked for permission to use 5,000 litres of the dispersant chemicals for the oil decomposition. Nonetheless, PTTGC recently announced that it has so far already used 32,000 litres of chemicals to decompose the oil spill.

5,000 liters for a 50 tonne spill is a ratio of about 10:1 which apparently is the recommended ratio for the chemicals used.

Using 32,000 liters indicates that there's a much larger oil spill to deal with then is published or acknowledged so far. It's a big carpet where this can be swept under!

Toxic matter 'may enter food chain in 3 months' as the 'The Nation' reports and the PCD is to probe heavy metal content in the sea.

Ao Phrao beach on Koh Samed

The same source also claims that the oil slick has caused 100 million THB damage on Koh Samed.

The anti oil rig movement on the Samui archipelago seems to get new power due this oil spill, although I'm afraid that it won't be able to avoid the new and planned oil platforms in front of Koh Samui to be build or taken into service.

Good news is that Richard Barrow, a blogger who writes lots about Thailand, has visited the East side of Koh Samed and his findings show pristine white beaches and no oil on that side of the island.

If you made it this far into my post, be assured that there is no oil on Koh Samui beaches! Up until this moment, the oil spill has been in a very different area then the Koh Samui archipelago!

Aerial shots also have shown that the spill is getting smaller each day, which you would hope for, considering the amount of chemicals used! Now let's hope that it will be safe to eat fish from the Gulf!

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 3rd August, 2013

Today's weather;

There's once more a cloud layer over Koh Samui this morning but I hope the sun will break through later on. Current temp at 7am is 26.3C

Bang Po beach during the early evening

Yesterday saw a dry day but it remained mainly cloudy all day long with just some occasional, short appearances from the sun and there was a good breeze all day long, which most likely contributed in the intensity of yesterday's house fire in Bang Rak. Max temp reached 30.7C

The forecast predicts some wind today, tomorrow sees a decrease in wind and Monday and Tuesday should be sunny. Come Wednesday the wind starts to pick again with some real force and rain by Friday!

Camille

Friday, 2 August 2013

Fire in Bang Rak this evening

About two hours ago, there was a hefty fire in a wooden house in Bang Rak near the Grand Sea pier.

The fire as seen from a hill, near Bang Rak. Picture by David Fullarton

The information I could gather is that there were people in the building but that nobody died, there may be one person in hospital, but that's not confirmed right now.

The fire as seen from the road

As the pictures show, the fire as intense and some very high flames were crawling up towards the sky.

The aftermath

The aftermath shows a completely burned out house where just a few stone pillars can be seen left standing with some very heavy wooden beams that show heavy burn marks.

Only rubble left

People were still pouring water on the smoldering ashes of the remains of the house. It seems that the wind helped the fire become very big but was also in a direction towards an empty lot of land. The other direction would have seen a few more wooden buildings and possibly more damage done.

Ash and silence

Hopefully there will be more information tomorrow and the confirmation that nobody was seriously injured.

Camille

Welcome to August 2013

A new start for a new month, August 2013 is ready to kick off!

Typically during August we have nice and sunny days, although occasionally a short, tropical shower may happen. In general I consider August to be one of the best month of the year, when it comes down to sunny and nice days.

if you want to find out some more about the last 6 years during August, please have a look at my archives, half way down the page on this blog, right hand side, they go back a few years. Open a month that you’re interested in and check one of the last posts of each month, starting with ‘Goodbye to…………’ this post will tell you the weather conditions for that month.

You can also check each individual post for that month if you wish to.

Choengmon beach, one of my fave beaches on the island

It's also a month with family and friends visiting during their summer holidays, so usually plenty of visits to restaurants with good food.

There are races to run on the mainland, near Samui, this month, but due to a knee injury which requires rest, I'm not sure when I'm able to start running again and in the near future there won't be any races.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 2nd August, 2013

Today's weather;

A cloud layer covers Koh Samui's sky this morning and the sun might break through later today. Current temp at 7am is 25.6C

Walking the dog, errr, the buffalo on Bang Po beach

Yesterday saw a a bit of a mixed bag, some sunshine but mainly cloudy all day long but it stayed dry. Max temp reached 30.4C

You may also want to check out the update on the oil spill in the Gulf of Thailand, which I posted yesterday.

The forecast looks a bit nicer this morning. The next 7 days show strong wind tonight, an occasional shower over the weekend but a decrease in wind, starting Sunday. By Wednesday the wind might pick up again.

Camille

Thursday, 1 August 2013

Update on the oil spill in the Gulf of Thailand

It's time for an update on the oil spill in the Gulf of Thailand, that saw crude oil on Ao Phrao beach on Koh Samed. The previous two posts on my blog can be found here and here.

Clean up under way at Ao Phrao on Koh Samed

In general it's good to see that many independent parties are very wary of the official lines, experts scoff at PPTCG's response and it's also reported that the spill may be bigger than it looks and the recovery will be tough. The Public is warned of air pollution caused by the Rayong oil spill.

All not great news, although;

The Energy Ministry promises to complete its investigation into the cause of the disastrous offshore oil spill within seven days and to ensure full compensation by PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC).

"The situation is under control now as no oil stain is found on the waters off Koh Samet," Energy Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisa said yesterday.

Anon Sirisangtaksin, CEO of PTTGC, promised Ao Phrao would be cleaned up within seven days.

The use of the dispersant called Slickgone NS would not threaten marine life, he said.

About 35,000 litres of the chemical have been sprayed on the oil slick in the past days, prompting concern among environmentalists.

Partly cleaned beach on Koh Samed

The TAT has joined the party now as well, and in their everlasting optimism, they have released a fact sheet. This is one of the things they claim as a fact;

"The rapid deployment of roughly 500 personnel of the Petroleum Authority of Thailand, navy personnel and volunteers has facilitated a rapid clean up effort. Only about 10% of the original oil spill remains in Ao Phrao. It is expected to take about 1-2 days to the remove the sludge."

I can only hope that they're right but somehow I doubt it.

An aerial view of oil spill as of today

Satellite image by Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), as of 1 August 2013, 06.09 hrs

The image shows the area of the oil film is concentrated on the north side of the Samet Island (Ko Samet) and shrinking. There is no impact on nearby islands such as Plateen Island, Kham Island and Kudee Island. In addition, the density of the oil film is thinning considerably as the image shows the water color clearly appearing on the surface.

Good news in fact is that only Ao Phrao was affected by the oil slick. The rest of Koh Samed is normal. Swimming is possible in the waters including at Had Sai Kaew (Crystal Sand Beach), Ao Wong Duean, Ao Phai, Ao Kio and Ao Karang all of which are located on the east part of Koh Samed. The whole Eastern side of the island is totally unaffected.

Coral near Koh Samed, clearly visible is a black layer on top

Ther has now also been Thai marine divers who dived near Koh Samed and they spotted black layers on coral and in the sand. I wrote about this on my dive blog, so please follow the appropriate link.

Protect the Samui archipelago logo, guess the logo speaks for itself!

The oil spill is not 100% contained yet, it seems and the long term effects is something we probably can only find out in 10 or 20 years down the line. Let's hope that this environmental disaster will not have too much an impact on nature and the tourist industry in the affected areas and for Thailand in general.

Camille

Koh Samui, Thailand daily weather update; 1st August, 2013

Today's weather;

It's cloudy this morning around Koh Samui and most likely no sign of blue spots are in sight. It's dry for the time being though and there's a bit of a breeze. Current temp at 7am is 26C

Flash flood yesterday in Chaweng

Yesterday started out as a fairly nice day, with blue spots and some sunshine until the early afternoon. Around 3pm, enough dark clouds had gathered and taken over and one of hour of heavy rain and occasional strong wind bursts broke loose over the island, followed by another 4 hours of steady rain. A staggering 83.6mm of rain came down.

This caused various flash floods around the island, at the usual suspect areas, but the good thing is that with the new drainage system in place all over the island, the floods drain nowadays within half an hour, as soon as the rain stops, in contrast to the not so long ago 'old days', when floods sometimes took a week to disappear. Max temp reached 32.8C

The forecast predicts fairly strong wind to good breezes for the next 7 days, with a break over Sunday and Monday, when the wind is supposed to drop off. There's a lot less rain predicted now.

Camille

Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Goodbye to July 2013

The end of this July is in sight and it's time to say goodbye. It was quite an eventful month, especially towards the very last couple of days.

Firsts let's check the weather though for this July of 2013. Quite frankly, it wasn't good. Lots of cloudy days, lots of rain and lots of strong wind. Not typical for your average July on Koh Samui. Although you can expect some rain and cloudy days during July since it's part of a monsoon period (although the rainy days usually hit the East coast harder this time of the year), Samui got much more than asked for!

On the other hand though, the amount of rain did the island good, the ground water levels have had time and plenty of water to fill up again. If you were here for a sunny holiday, it may have been slightly disappointing with the amount of rain coming down. We even had a few stormy days with some toppled over trees all over the island!

To compare other July's, going back since 2007, please have a look at my archives, half way down the page on this blog, right hand side. Open a month that you’re interested in and check one of the last posts of each month, starting with ‘Goodbye to…………’, just like this post and it will tell you the weather conditions for that month.

You can also check each individual post for that month if you wish to.

Koh Samed, Ao Phrao beach covered in oil

As already mentioned, the last couple of days of this July version were filled with news and most of it not very good news. The biggest news must have been the oil spill in the Gulf of Thailand that reached Koh Samed. Very sad and not good for the environment, unsure what the long term effects on the ocean will be with the chemicals being used and scary, come to think of the fact that oil platforms are within 40 kilometers of Koh Samui.

Big local news were the killing of a police officer at a local gas station in Chaweng and the fire that erupted on a Raja ferry in Lipa Noi just a few days ago, which material damage of around 10 million Thai Baht.

Other shocking nationwide news was the revelation that Thailand has the worst traffic safety in the world, according to a recent study.

Surat Thani, half marathon pre race day winds

The day before the Surat Thani half marathon the wind wreaked havoc near the finish line

On a personal level, it was a fairly quiet month work wise, since I was all month at home, not travelling around teaching PADI IDC's. It was busy on the running front though, after my first marathon that I ran last month in Lansaka, I had four races lined up this month, a 13km race in Phun Phin, a half marathon in Surat Thani and a last minute surprise, the third weekend of this month featured the Koh Phangan Full Moon marathon, where I attended last year already the 10km run, during which I came in 2nd in my age group and this year I decided to run the full marathon distance. This time I managed to come in as 7th in my age group for the classic 42,195 km distance, the last spot that earned you a price.

A fourth race was scheduled last weekend in Wiang Sa, also in Surat Thani province, like the other 3 races, but I never made because of a knee injury I developed during the Koh Phangan marathon. It's a few weeks off running now, to let my knee heal. That's hard and not easy but necessary!

During hte first kilometers of the Koh Phangan Full Moon marathon

We enjoyed good food at some of our favorite restaurants around the island, including Juzza Pizza in Fishermans Village, pork sateh and 'raad na' at Dcheed 2 in Chaweng and Korean food at Arirang in Choengmon just to name a few.

Hope you enjoyed the blog this month and I look forward welcoming you again in next month, August 2013, when Samui should be full with visitors, looking for the islands beautiful beaches and ll the other things that make Samui such a great destination.

Camille