'Pae-Leng' and Lee Loh Chia who is he?

at Katu Shrine at the beginning of the Vegetarian Festival

There is always one man that I have witnessed at the Phuket Vegetarian Festival and this is him.

Ever since I can remember (10 years) this man has helped lead the people in the celebrations during this time.

When he was 19 he had a death defying incident and it wasn't for 10 years that he understood that he was blessed - read the full story in The Phuket Bulletin - September 2013. 

Lim Hu Thai Su Chinese Shrine

He then found out that he was being used by the Chinese God 

- Lee Loh Chia as a medium.

Jui Tui Chinese Shrine

Lee Loh Chia is a General who served the Jade Emperor and can be recognised by the gold hoop that he always carries and the sharp ornate spear. 

Bang Neow Chinese Shrine

Yellow flags scatter the ground that he walks on!

Sam Kong Chinese Shrine

Thank you to The Phuket Bulletin for this information - now if I can only give names to the rest of the Gods?

Bang Neow Chinese Shrine on the 1st day of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival 

Ideas anyone?

View Chinese Shrines in Phuket in a larger map

More signs in Phuket?

We have all read about the signs that are going up to explain the red flags on the beach BUT can anyone tell me what this sign means?



What happened here to make them put up signs about not climbing on the 'anything'?

It is on the stairs to Tunk-ka Cafe on Rang Hill...
a pleasant place to visit...

Emergency Drinking Water and the beach

Along the beaches I find that the same thing is repeated again and again.

I have contacted a Jiaxing Rongsheng Life Saving Equipment for
 their Emergency Drink Water.

What did they say?

Serpico and Thailand - a connection?

As we left the Twin Palms / Bake Coffee Shop opposite Wat Chalong we followed this truck. The first thing that got me was that we really should not follow it too closely because the concrete was a little too close...

That is not what this is about however.

"What is the attraction between Al Pacino / Serpico and Thailand?"

Moon Festival in Phuket Town (18-21 Sep)

This is always something that is worth making a visit - there is a great deal of information about the Festival and I thank the TAT for giving me some details.

The actual celebration for the moon (fireworks are going off as I speak) is actually this evening - Thursday 19th September BUT there was the beginning of the Festival set up in Queen Sirikit Park.

This looks like it is going to be fun but I will not be able to make this one - the photographs are of the stalls which were set up on the Wednesday.

Information below was used in a Teaching Lesson

The Moon Festival is held in honour of the Quan Yin (the Goddess of Mercy) and the moon – which is why it is always celebrated at the Full Moon period.

It is a Festival of Harmony because it is a time where all the family members come back to the home and they will eat the Mooncakes together.

The Mooncake

Traditionally the Mooncake was a full rounded pastry – approximately 10 cm in diameter and 4/5 cm thick.

The filling was usually made of read bean, Chinese peanuts and spices and a lotus seed.

Many of the more expensive Mooncakes would be baked with a salted duck egg in the middle – giving it a beautiful pattern when it was cut.

Now you are able to purchase the Mooncake with a number of different fillings - Swensens ice cream also make one!

Ko Hor Mooncake Shop

Do you want to see them being made? Phuket Old Town (near Robinsons)

A wonderful place to visit.

Graffiti and blaring car stereos with obscene words - welcome to?

Okay my rant of the afternoon is here!

Graffiti may well be an art but I do not think that it is recognised as an art in Phuket?

Unless Coach Art is? 

 But as I am watching the development of the Underpass next to Central, the painting of the bridge over the road and the land opposite I wonder what (or who) manages the property on the corner of Central.

But more - the graffiti of Deadmau5 has got bigger and I am seeing it more around in Phuket - than I wait whilst my daughter plays with the local children and I listen to obscene blaring music!

There are some things from the West that Thailand definitely does not need!

(Rant Over)

Rain, noodles, cheescake, crash!, homework and LEGO Ninjago

Phuket Vegetarian Festival begins 4th 

This morning - Friday 13th - started off with taking Jemma to school and it was raining so the morning was put on hold whilst I watched a couple of movies and the rain stopped!

Then it was time to try a new noodle shop out - Chuen was in charge and this one was behind the International Hospital - near a popular restaurant for Jamie - Dairy Hut.

This was when I realised the date.

Lunch was at  ถูกปาก ก๋วยเตี๋ยวไก่มะระ - the review will be coming shortly here - but I would have to add that this is certainly for the locals so it was not for me...

Then it was my choice - back to Cheesecake by K.Reed, i went last week and was impressed but this week... serving the cake and the telling us that the person making the coffee was not there!?

Jemma has had a lot of tests at school so I thought that I would replace her copy of Bambi II - but to no avail (nothing for me neither).

So we set off a little grimaced - there had been a BANG - as we waited for the crossroads outside TescoLotus we see a recent accident with a trailer in the middle and a taxi (air-bagged) in front - Ouch.

It was Friday the Thirteenth.

Jemma could not get her treat to I told her that we could pop quickly to the Indy Market in Phuket Town because she had two good ticks in her book but at 4:30 it was not ready yet - as the rain began to fall we went home.

At home we did our homework and we made mini-pizzas - exactly how Jemma wanted them. We ate mini-pizzas and watched LEGO Ninjago again

Friday the Thirteenth is finished.

Bubble Tea and Controversy

Well after all those comments regarding girls in school uniforms I should have expected things like this coming from the same group of children (children?).

But there is a point to all this?

Where is the best Bubble Tea in Phuket?

I have to admit that it was Keng-Tin and in such a wonderful location... but 

The winner now has to go to Mellow Yellow for a number of reasons

1) Keng-TIn have removed their seat at the front

2) Mellow Yellow have a Loyalty Card

3) Happy Friday (my day off) but one get one free :)

Back to Education and the article mentioned at the top

I can only say that will this make the students Independent thinkers? - "If you insist on Rote learning as the method in schools then you will get students who do not think." - but I don't think so...

Then I read 

"Welcoming Thailand to the mid-20th century. Only a half dozen more decades to catch up now."

Not much to add really - time for a Bubble Tea

Mooncakes in Phuket Town....

What are 'Mooncakes'?

Mooncake (simplified Chinese: 月饼; traditional Chinese: 月餅; pinyin: yuè bĭng) is aChinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu). The festival is for lunar worship and moon watching, when mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals.

(text is from Wikipedia)

Wandering around in this period it was clear that it was a Chinese Holiday Season - there were Mooncakes in the shops. I wandered around and bought a selection!

The selected mooncakes were from:

 The Metropole Hotel, Keng-Tin, Robinsons and Ko Hor.

The Metropole

Keng-Tin

Robinsons

Ko Hor Mooncake shop

Ko Hor Mooncake Shop was wonderful - there he was rolling, cutting, preparing, baking, glazing mooncakes - wonderful. This was certainly a special place to visit (but what does he bake the rest of the year)!?

I will visit again at the end of the month to see what else he is preparing in his obviously well functioning oven.

He was rolling the dense pastry and then filling it with a 'filling' - be it mixed fruit, Durian Paste, Watermelon - the number of types were tremendous

I took a slice of each one and had a bite....

I am sorry but - no thank you. The pastry was dense and also a little sweet - with some hot thick gravy I would imagine that these were very edible but they weren't.

Then the fillings of each one seemed to taste less of what I had thought that the filling was supposed to be... not a good experience with any of the mooncakes!

Swensens

Then I had a Mooncake from Swensens and it was not for my palate either - spent the next day in bed so I guess that mooncakes do not 'agree' with me.

So the winner was Ko Hor Mooncake shop because I could watch whilst he makes them.

Thank you.

View Mooncake Investigation in a larger map

Rain, mooncakes, noodles, mooncakes, Chinese Shrines, cheesecake and mooncakes

My itinerary was blocked because all of the rain this morning - and it kept raining!

This means that I invested time in digging the drain outside again, making pizza bases for later and then deciding that I was glad that I did not waste my money by buying a real DVD.

As the rain stopped it was lunch time - a Noodle Shop for me! But my first stop was at The Metropole Hotel where they have a large Chinese clientele then pop into the TAT office for the bicycle ride on Sunday and then to buy a Mooncake from the stall outside!

After this I went to the Hokkien Noodle Soup Shop next to Mee Ton Poe - for - Hokkien Noodle Soup - very good and I did like the Iced Tea - see the review here later.

Time for a coffee at 168 Cups - good coffee and Free WiFi.

After this it was time to go into Robinsons - I was told that they sell very good Mooncakes. 

Then I popped into Keng-Tin for their mooncake.

After this it was time to walk to the Chinese Shrine where they were reeling a film during the Por Tor Festival last week!

On the road I came across something that I had never seen before - Ko Hor's Mooncake shop - I was welcomed in to watch one man make them all - fascinating and very special!. (this will have a single post).

Then I came to the Shrine - and it was being rebuilt! - Good Luck!

Then I went to the Por Tor Kong Shrine and then to Bang Neow Shrine to make a blessing.

As I left the Bang Neow Shrine to return to the main road through the back entrance I noticed that there was a new coffee shop opposite the side of Robinson's - well a Cheesecake Shop - Cheesecake by K.Reed!

The coffee and cheesecake were delicious!

Then off to Swensens to wait for Jemma - where I had an ice-cream Mooncake!

We left swiftly and returned home to make Pizzas and watch Scooby Doo - which was;

"Creepy not Scary"

Another wonderful day off - join foursquare to follow my investigations as they happen!

View Chinese Shrines in Phuket in a larger map

Instagram, InstaTiling, hashtags and more

Instagram is a mobile photograph sharing (and recently video) App that is a popular hit with many people.

What has made it so popular is that it is really simple to use and even simpler to share – facebook, twitter, foursquare, email, flickr and tumblr.

Okay the App is good with all of the filters but I have to admit I do like InstaTiling.

Then there are the filters, effects and the frames that can be added to make that photo a little more special – we like it in the Office here.

Then there are the hashtags that you can add – this is a #. This enables you to ‘tag’ your photographs with a short description of what you are sharing. But this is sometimes a little confusing for me.

I try to make one post a day in the morning and always attach similar # at the bottom.

 www.timinphuket.blogspot.com #instaplace #instaplaceapp #instagood #photooftheday #instamood #picoftheday #instadaily #photo #instacool #instapic #picture #pic@instaplacemobi #place #earth #world #thailand #TH #อเมืองภูเก็ต #love #loveit #day #phuket #phuketstagram