Phuket Happenings - March 2013

thank you to Mr. Diday

Was March a short month? Because it did seem to go very quickly...

So what are the points that I found this month?  

photo courtesy of Cape Panwa Hotel

Miss Thailand World came to work today at Cape Panwa Hotel and it was entertaining but what did this tell me about Phuket Gazette readers?


Land probe model comes to Phuket 
is this an April Fool and someone got their dates muddled?

Tuk Tuk 'does a flip'  
another reason not to take a Tuk Tuk - is it safer walking?
Bangkok visits Phuket to rid Phuket of unscrupulous Jet Ski operators 
- but there are none...

Greenpeace stage a rally against the exploitation of Krabi for it's Natural Resource - Coal.
Looks good enough to preserve....
Happy Hour - Worldwide 
well only if you read the right things - minimal promotion here in Phuket.

An illegal tanker spills oil into the canals of Phuket
and 
“We have identified the boat and the owner, but we have yet to find him,” Phuket Marine Police Inspector Chatchai Sakdee told the Gazette.

In the same week as Russians in Rawai are caught without a work visa Russians are found with protected animals (but no legal ownership papers) asking if photographs want to be taken.
Then I read that "very little Russian money reaches the local people"
So who's getting the money from them then?

A triple murderer is caught at the Visa Run Pier 
Moral: don't leave the country where they are there for paperwork and money

Phuket sea gypsies unearth Human bone under home
they are worried because
1) there are no ghosts
OR
2) this was the original owner?

Tour Operator not making enough cash turns to selling drugs  
is there more here or more on kickbacks?

Unearthed bones from the foot of Big Buddha 
but they were dog bones...

Worries being shared about the problems in Songkran 
- let's wait and see...

Read this story and remembered what my mother told me about playing in revolving doors to the library
driver of coach stuck and dies in the automatic doors 

A new Phuket bus route from the airport comes into operation...
- well it was going to but then there were threats...
but then people are told to use it - is this the same bus?
people are told to use the Phuket Airport Bus 
the buses are ready to roll 
- maybe there are no drivers?
but maybe the taxi drivers are protecting us from the drunk bus drivers
drunk bus driver chased to Thalang 
BUT
foreigners maybe forced to buy insurance? 
- will this be able to be used with the Jet Ski operators?

They are looking into the idea of using tracking devices for tailing criminals let out of jail. Have they never seen the Television programmes which allow the user to negate these systems or other people to be tracked for you?
- some of the comments are quite funny

Or is this the April Fool?
to reduce arthritis etc squat toilets will be removed...

Accidents in Phuket - think this is old and out of date or there are simple too many

The most recent being - runaway bus on Patong Hill kills and injures many  

View Accident black spots. in a larger map

Game Centre is NOT your friend

How many of you (me included) have taken a quick break to visit the toilet and smoked a cigarette, made a phone call or something else?

Last week I was having a great run on Temple Run – Level 7 and it was fabulous and I broke my best score – okay maybe I might have had more than one game…

Anyway – did you know that you really should put on the Airplane Mode if you have a play when you shouldn’t and I really don’t think that you should share you score with Game Center.

I had a colleague who was surreptitiously having a ‘Temple Run fix’ and after the end of the game got an SMS from the boss –

“If that’s the best you can do I suggest you stop playing – much like your job!”

But there is a fix for this.

Happy Easter from Phuket

Egg Painting

Monster Rock Painting

Egg Dipping

Easter Egg Hunt and more

Happy Easter

4th Annual Mai Khao Turtle Release (29th Mar)

It has certainly been a while since I have visited one of these lovely events - I think that the last one was part of the Phuket Aquarium and the release from the Naval Base near Cape Panwa Hotel.

This release is at Mai Khao beach and it is organised through the JW Marriott - North of Phuket Island. It is also supported by a number of different foundations.

Marine Turtle Foundation: Facebook

Phone Number: 089 733 8830

Email: info@maikhaoturtlefoundation.com

Thank you to all those who participate.

Siamese Fighting Fish

This is something that after living in Phuket for a number of years expected to see more of - Siamese Fighting Fish.

With the very clear amount of Chinese Influence that I see throughout Phuket, from the Sino-Portugesuse Architecture in Phuket Old Town, the Chinese Temples and the Chinese New Year Festivities I was surprised not to see more.

I saw these Siamese Fighting Fish whilst we were visiting the Chalong Temple Fair and have not seen them again...

The Siamese Fighting Fish will notably 'attack' each other when the card is raised which os normally places between them. The fish will attack each other if they are placed in the same tank as each other - even after breeding it is recommended that they be separated.

Interesting but not for me!

St Patrick's Day in Phuket

Well this was fun today - but they did look hot with their St Patrick's Day outfits on - well done!!!

I was at work today and there was another couple with green Micky Mouse ears and they were off to Baan Rim Paa.

Where's everybody going?
Patong - to find an Irish Bar - this won't take long...

Angus O'Tools, Scruffy Murphy's and Molly Molones will be busy tonight.


Happy St Patricks Day.

Phuket Webcams and Weather Apps

ClearWeather App

So many people ask me what the weather is going to be like tomorrow? 

clear weather app - tells you the weather with it's colour

I believe that the fishermen know best but there are all these Apps which can be used to tell you what the weather will be like!

iMeteo App

But how many of these Weather Apps apologise to you when they are wrong?

worldview App

The only way to know about the weather is what it is like NOW. 

touch weather App 

The rest is all to do with a little gamble - so (as Jamie points out on his weather blog) the best thing to use is all these Webcams around Phuket (if they are working of course).

I do enjoy having a look at all these Apps.

A trip to Hong Kong

We visited Hong Kong last week and we had a wonderful time and we went to so many places I am glad that I 'tried' to write a blog about our trip as I was going along.

Timinphuket visits Hong Kong - the blog with many more posts

Disneyland 

Avenue of Stars 

Tin Hua Chinese Temple  

Stanley Market 

and a plethora of other places.

Sex, condoms, responsibility and the beach

A condom is used to prevent any number of things and it does show a degree of responsibility which is recognised.

BUT do you really need to discard it into the ocean?
The used condom should be disposed of carefully.

Here is a template of the letter.

A company that was informed:

 Durex Thailand 

And what was there reaction?

Phuket Happenings - February 2013

Should you have Travel Insurance?
Gareth would say yes...

image from the Phuket Gazette

Racha Yai Island is having problems with the disposal of rubbish...
This does not look good - where are the businesses and hotels?

As previously reported by the Gazette, the tsunami warning message (click to play) and the cancellation message (click to play) are given in Thai, English, German, Chinese and Japanese.

The lack of Russian language messages has raised serious concerns among many of Phuket’s leading tourism figures as Russia is now the second-largest source market for tourists visiting Phuket (story here).

and they are not going to 
because?

Green plated taxi's are legalised and will be polite 
when?

National Lottery moves to Phuket because of rumours of rigging.
and why will it be different here?

A Buddha image is moved from Kata Viewpoint 
i don't think I ever saw it?

The Swiss exchange student is found in a Police Station in Ranong
makes you think twice about your family going on an exchange...

Anti-Russian protests in Bang Tao 
The Russians do not seem to integrating though.

Russians robbed from Hotel Safes whilst on a trip with Coral Travel
guess I would not book with Coral Travel?

Lee Aldhouse pleas Not Guilty 
He was looking for his dog... when did he get a dog?

Expat death in a room with beer cans?
There are a number of expat deaths - but is it more than standard? or just reported?

A game of Mahong for your house? 

This is the new scam in Phuket? Can you play Mahong?

Blaze hits abandoned resort at Nai Yang 

- is this classified as 'moving forwards'?

Clampdown on Foreign Workers in Phuket 

Happy that I have all the paperwork this time...

Working in Human Resources in a hotel is dangerous
 - think I will stick with the guests - are they dangerous?


Two wheels fall off a truck and kill a motorcyclist...
this is certainly a tragedy but odd

German Tourist has telephone stolen by drug supplier
- found by App - Find iPhone - do you have it installed?

14 Hotels and Resorts in Phuket have encroached on land.
Which 14?
and closing them will hurt 'tourism and investment'....

Jellyfish warnings erected for visitors to Phuket 
more reasons for the tourist not to come - image of Phuket is not good in the media.

image from the Bangkok Post

Nothing to do with Phuket but...
Kim Jong-Un and his smartphone  
which is not really identified.....

'Dreamliner' plane - cause for concern 
no worries... bet they have good promotions....

Australian resident found dead after motorbike accident 
More accidents - too many...

View Accident black spots. in a larger map