Wednesday 30 September 2009

Goodbye to September 2009

Goodbye to September 2009

It's that time of the month again and time to wave goodbye to September.

It was a nice September, there was plenty of days with sunshine and there were also some days with rain and overcast, a mixed bag this year I would say. All in all a good month. The last couple of days saw some serious wind though, as part of the Ketsana typhoon.

Besides my daily weather updates, it was a quiet blogging month but I did add some interesting sites to my blog and if you're planning to book hotels on Samui, you might as well want to try the Hotels Combined for bookings in Thailand or specifically for Samui.

Let's cross our fingers for next month and hope it's going to be sunny and nice!

Looking forward seeing you here again next month.

Camille

30th September, 2009

Today's weather;

Fairly cloudy with strong wind, that's how this month is going to end. It's currently 28C at 7 am.

Yesterday saw very strong wind all day long, in contrast to what I reported early in the morning for the previous day! It culminated last night in a seemingly constant storm after midnight. Tropical storm Ketsana is being felt in the Gulf of Thailand,
There were already massive flooding in the Philippines with almost 300 dead and Ketsana raged over Vietnam yesterday. On top of this, Samoa and American Samoa have endured a tsunami after an earthquake in the ocean nearby.

Max temp was around 31.8C.

Camille

Tuesday 29 September 2009

29th September, 2009

Today's weather;

Another cloud layer is watching over Samui this morning with a current temp at 7 am of 27C.

Yesterday saw some weak attempts of sunshine and a few raindrops but nothing serious. Max temp reached 29.5C. The strong wind has subsided, which is good news for the divers amongst us.

Camille

Monday 28 September 2009

28th September, 2009

Today's weather;

It's very cloudy this morning and no sign of the sun. The IDC started successfully at World Resort. Current temp at 7 am is 26.8C.

Yesterday didn't see a lot of sunshine but it stayed dry. Max temp reached 30C.
The weather forecast looks a lot brighter again as of Wednesday!

Camille

Sunday 27 September 2009

27th September, 2009

Today's weather;

It's cloudy this morning and we can only hope for sunshine today. Current temp at 7 am is 26.2C. Today I'm about to start another IDC again, after having started an IDCS course yesterday.

Yesterday saw merely overcast and a trace of rain at some stage. During the evening there were some hard storms with a bit more rain. Max temp reached 30.3C.

Camille

Saturday 26 September 2009

26th September, 2009

Today's weather;

It looks very cloudy out there with a current temp of 24.9C.

Today I'm about to start another IDC, but today's being kicked off by the IDCS course, a course that always precedes the IDC by a day. Keep an eye out for my dive blog to follow updates.

Yesterday saw mostly overcast and for the first time since a while the max temp dropped below 30 degrees Celsius, yesterday saw 'only' 29C. There were a few rain drops here and there as well but nothing too serious.

Camille

Friday 25 September 2009

A new hotel booking site added

A new hotel booking site added

Last week I added a new link with a couple of buttons on the side bar for Hotels Combined, who support a very interesting and good hotel search and booking program for both Thailand and Koh Samui and of course the rest of the world. They show you the best deal available with just a few clicks which reduces a lot of searching and is very convenient. I hope that my regular readers will enjoy the service and use it frequently for their hotel bookings.

Another link that I added is for a UK based company that offers directline-holidays with a wide range of holidays including all inclusive holidays & cheap package holidays. I hope that you all enjoy this one as well.

Now go out and book your hotels and holidays with these two companies and I will benefit from it as well. Thanks!

Camille

25th September, 2009

Todays' weather;

It's fairly cloudy this morning but it seems like nothing the sun can blow away once it's heating up. Current temp at 7 am is 25.8C.

Yesterday saw a lovely and very sunny morning, only to be replaced by rain around 4 pm when we were offering try dives at the Kandaburi hotel pool as part of the Samui Mala festival week with the Green island dive operators association or GIDOA. Max temp reached 32.5C.

Camille

Thursday 24 September 2009

24th September, 2009

Today's weather;

A nice blue sky is shaping up with clouds in the distance though. Current temp at 7 am is 26C.

Yesterday saw a nice morning but during the afternoon, around 3 pm there were some showers. Nothing too serious though. Max temp reached 33.6C.

Camille

Wednesday 23 September 2009

23rd September, 2009

Today's weather;

Partly cloudy with plenty of blue skies and a strong wind. Current temp at 7 am is 27C.

Yesterday was warm and mostly sunny although there was plenty of overcast but no rain. Max temp reached 31.7C. There were strong winds during the afternoon which cooled things down nicely.

Camille

Tuesday 22 September 2009

22nd September, 2009

Today's weather;

Cloudy with little burps of blue. Current temp at 7am is 27.2C.

Yesterday was sunny and warm with a max temp of 34C.

Camille

Monday 21 September 2009

21st September, 2009

Today's weather;

A light cloud cover is out and about this morning but it looks like the sun may burn it away rather swiftly once it starts to heat up. Current temp at 7am is 27.3C.


Sunset two days ago over Bang Rak.

Yesterday was sunny and warm all day long without any trace of rain and a max temp of 31.6C.

Camille

Sunday 20 September 2009

20th September, 2009

Today's weather;

For the third day in a row now we're awakened by a near blue sky. The current temp at 7am is 25.3C.

Yesterday was a real nice and sunny day with a max temp that reached 34.3C. Last night when I came home around 1 am, after visiting the lady boxing in Lamai, it started to rain and it must have come down very hard since around 54 mm of rain fell!

Yesterday was also Project Aware's International Clean Up day and we cleaned underwater at a stretch of Chaweng beach with 16 divers!

Camille

Saturday 19 September 2009

19th September, 2009

Today's weather;

Just like yesterday there's a blue sky waking up Samui with a current temp at 7 am of 26.8C.
Today is also Project AWARE's International Beach Clean Up day, which we will participte in at Chaweng beach later today.

Yesterday saw a sunny day all day long with a max temp of 32C.

Camille

Friday 18 September 2009

18th September, 2009

Today's weather;

A lovely blue sky has replaced all the clouds, at least for the time being and a nice and sunny day seems to be in the making. Current temp at 7 am is 26C.

Yesterday saw a nice day with a cloudy sky and a little bit of rain however the sun broke through on various occasions as well. Max temp reached 31.9C

Camille

Thursday 17 September 2009

17th September, 2009

Today's weather;

Cloudy with some small openings in the cover for the sun to works it's way through. Current temp at 7 am is 25.7C.

It's 65 years ago that in the Netherlands Operation Market Garden started in 1944. Since I lived in the city of Nijmegen, a big 'player' in this operation before I moved to Thailand, I'm fairly familiar with what happened back than.

Yesterday was nice and we had some sunshine during the morning with a few showers in the afternoon. Max temp reached 32.5C.

Camille

Wednesday 16 September 2009

16th September, 2009

Today's weather;

A light cloud layer is out an about but the sun is trying to show it's magic and is peeping through. Current temp at 7 am is 27.3C.

Yesterday was a nice day with plenty of sunshine and a short but powerful shower around 8.30pm in the evening. Max temp reached 32.5 C.

I posted some pictures from my recent dives around Samui and Koh Tao on my dive blog, have a look.

Camille

Tuesday 15 September 2009

15th September, 2009

Today's weather;

A partly clouded sky reigns over Samui with a current temp of 26.8C at 7am.

Yesterday was a lovely sunny day with a max temp of 34.6C.

Camille

Monday 14 September 2009

14th September, 2009

Today's weather;

A stunning blue sky is shaping up with a current temp at 7 am of 27C.

Yesterday was once more a lovely day with plenty of sunshine and even a nice cooling down shower around 5 pm. Max temp reached 34.4C.

Camille

Sunday 13 September 2009

13th September, 2009

Today's weather;

A very nice blue sky is shaping up and it looks like it's going to be hot today. Current temp at 7am is 27.3C.

Yesterday saw a lovely day with blue skies all day long. Max temp reached 34.5C.

Although Tuesday and Wednesday may have some rain, the rest of the week looks like it's going to be splendid.

Camille

Saturday 12 September 2009

12th September, 2009

Today's weather;

A blue sky seems to be shaping up today. Current temp at 7am is 27.2C.

Yesterday saw a partly sunny and dry day with a max temp in hte lower thirties Celsius.

Camille

Friday 11 September 2009

11th September, 2009

Today's weather;

It's cloudy but bits of blue are peeking through. Current temp at 7 am is 26.5C.

Yesterday morning saw some serious rain coming down on Koh Tao, during the last part of the PADI IE. During the afternoon it was dry again although it looked dark but no more rain came down. Max temp reached 32.2C.

Camille

Thursday 10 September 2009

Dolce Vita, Mae Haad, Koh Tao

Dolce Vita, Mae Haad, Koh Tao

It's an Italian restaurant located in the street that runs up the hill straight from the Seatran pier. After about 500 meters or so it's on your right hand side.

They serve some excellent Italian food here and I find myself visiting more often whenever I am visiting Koh Tao.

This is how the place looks like from the outside, not very hard to find. It has a very nice laid back atmosphere and it invites just to sit back and enjoy your meal.

The interior is nicely laid out and it's all done a classic Mediterranean white.
Enjoy your pizza's and pasta's here whenever you're visiting Koh Tao, I can recommend the place.
Camille

10th September, 2009

Today's weather;

Koh Tao is cloudy with a current temp at 7 am of 26.3C.

Yesterday saw overcast all day long and during the early evening there was even some rain. Max temp reached 31C.

Camille

Wednesday 9 September 2009

9th September, 2009

Today's weather;

Koh Tao has overcast and strong wind early this morning. Current temp at 7 am is 27C.
Just for the record, I'm on Koh Tao right now with my IDC candidates who participate now in their PADI IE.

Yesterday saw a nice day with some sunshine at some points and a max temp of 33.4C.

Camille

Tuesday 8 September 2009

8th September, 2009

Today's weather;

There's overcast but it looks dry. Today's I'm off to Koh Tao for an IE with my candidates after they successfully completed their IDC. Current temp at 7 am is in the higher twenties Celsius.

Yesterday saw a nice day, not very sunny but dry. Max temp reached 31.5C.

Camille

Monday 7 September 2009

7th September, 2009

Today's weather;

It's very cloudy with a current temp at 7 am of 26.7C.

Yesterday saw a surprisingly nice day with plenty of sunshine and no rain despite the forecasts that predicted rain and thunderstorms. Fair enough, there's strong winds but it was nice and warm. Max temp reached 31.5C

Camille

Sunday 6 September 2009

Stung!

Stung

Yesterday I was doing some gardening and one of the tasks I really like is to burn coconut branches that fell down out of the trees and all kind of other wood and organic stuff that can be burned.

During the burning of all this, I keep checking the rest of the garden for anything that can be thrown in and I'm well aware of the dangers that just grabbing something can bring with it. Or so I thought.

This little bugger, a scorpion or meleng pong in the Thai language, stung me when I picked up a small piece of wood from a previous fire under which it was hiding.
At first I didn't know where the sting came from, it burned pretty hard but I couldn't see a culprit. My main concern was that it was a snake bite but than I saw our little fellow here and I was relieved.

The pain wasn't too bad, more a burning sensation and my wife put balm on it when I ran into the house, asking her how bad it was being stung by a scorpion. Once I was told that I would be survive I grabbed the camera in idle hope of catching the scorpion on film and lucky indeed, there it was, still in a defensive position. waiting to sting me some more if I wanted to.
Got these great shots in but a point was driven home by this fellar and I won't be as inattentive anymore. At least, I hope and think!
Camille

6th September, 2009

Today's weather;

Overcast covers Samui's sky this morning with a current temp at 7 am of 25.3C.

Yesterday saw plenty of clouds and during the late afternoon and early evening we had some rain. Max temp reached 30.7C.

Camille

Saturday 5 September 2009

Thaa Yai 2009 in Wat Chaweng

Thaa Yai 2009 in Wat Chaweng

Before I knew it, a year blew by and it was Thaa Yai time again this morning. In contrast to last year, we woke up at 6am and made our way to Chaweng's local Temple. My wife has lots of relatives there and her grand parents urns are in this temple as well, so time to visit here with our family this year.

As usual, there's people everywhere and food is all over the place. Don't think I've seen it this busy yet in a temple on Samui. Because we were late (all relative of course) it was difficult finding a parking spot.

During the Monks prayers, people all over the temple are in a praying position, with their hands in front of their faces, it's almost just like a wai.

This is what it's all about, welcoming the ghosts of the dead back to earth for a couple of weeks. Some of the tombstones at Chaweng Temple.
Lots of family and relatives were there but I had to leave early since I'm teaching an IDC at the moment.
Camille


5th September, 2009

Today's weather;

It's already late afternoon before this update hits the internet because this morning I was at the yearly Thaa Yai ceremony, this year in Wat Chaweng or the Temple in Chaweng. A post on this will follow shortly.
It's cloudy and we just had a short shower. Current temp at 4pm is 29.7C.

Yesterday was dry all day long with occasional sunshine. Max temp reached 30.7C.

Camille

Friday 4 September 2009

4th September, 2009

Today's weather;

It's very cloudy this morning with a current temp at 7 am of 27.2C.

Yesterday was dry and relatively sunny, at times! Mainly overcast though. Max temp reached 32.5C.

Camille

Thursday 3 September 2009

3rd September, 2009

Today's weather;

It's cloudy today with still a change for the sky to show it's blue side. Current temp at 7 am is 26.8C.

Yesterday saw a lovely day with sunshine all day long, nice and warm. Max temp reached 33.6C

Camille

Wednesday 2 September 2009

Welcome to September 2009

Welcome to September 2009

It's that time of the month again, time to welcome a new start of the month!

In my memory, September was always a very nice month, carrying over the nice August weather. Unfortunately the last two years weren't that great though, 2007 saw a lot of rain however 2008 saw a good second half of September.

Let's hope for the best in this year's version of September despite the weather forecasts predicting a wet weekend ahead, with better days after weekend.

Hope to see you back on my blog and keep them comments coming. If you plan on visiting Samui or Thailand, please have a look at my Samui and Thailand hotel recommendations blogs.

Camille

2nd September, 2009

Today's weather;

An almost perfect blue sky rules over our part of Samui this lovely morning with a current temp at 7 am of 26.5C.

Yesterday started out lovely but later in the morning a quick storm blasted through with some rain and the remainder of the day saw merely overcast with an occasional short shower. Max temp reached 30.3C.

Camille

Tuesday 1 September 2009

1st September, 2009

Today's weather;

A nice blue sky is shaping up. Current temp at 7 am is 26.3C.

Yesterday saw a mixed bag of overcast and sunshine. When we were on Chaweng Beach for an Open Water dive as part of the current IDC I'm teaching, we had a mini shower inbetween sunshine. All in all a nice day though with a max temp of 31C.

Camille