Too mucch AND too little .....

Right: Mudslide reaches the mainroad from where Kik and I live.

These last days we had some spectacular rainshowers again here in Patong. And specially on our hill/road it had some consequences this time..... a mudslide, if thats how you could call it.
Because of contuction on 'our' hill, above where our road turns to the houses were we and the other residents live here, the sand was washed down from the hill, over the road, on the mainroad at the fot of our little hill.

Now, a lot of people, mainly those wwwho work for the city of Patong, were all very surprised it happened... we who live there were somewhat less surprised because it had happened on numerous occasions before, though have to admit, in smaller quantities then this time.
Often during or after a strong rainshower when I have to drive down or up our hill, I have to drive around stones and such, while the sand is washed away by the water. Our road functions on times like these more or less as a riverbed. Strong currents which deposit stones and such aloong the way.

same time, while we have so much water pooring down, we also enjoy real water shortage here because the waterworks of the city of Patong is unable to supply/guarantee proper watersuply here on the hill. They say its lack of waterpressure and too much building on our hill....
when one hear about that, one can not keep from smiling.
When I was responsible for planning, construction, developing in Rijswijk as vice major, oone of the most important elements one had to take care of was
a. the capability of the location which needed development, could handle rainfall, ttill above the average level and that the water coul;d be disposed of in an efficient and not damaging way to its surroundings;
b. the said location should have all basic fascilities in place before building starts, like water, gas and electricity, roads and pavements, and such basic commodoties.

Well, here they approach such things, by the look of it, somewhat different...........

In Rijswijk, a vice major could start looking for a new job as soon as one such incident would take place and he/she could not come up with a very satisfing explanation for the council and assure its just a freak accident...... because the city hands out permits for contruction etc and as such is responsible that the basic fascilities operate ... how different things go here.

Patong Beach, and/or Phuket, and/or Thailand keeps on surprising me in the way they deal with these matters. Not alone the politicians and people responsible, but also the way the local (non-foreign) population reacts.

Tey put up with badly construced roads, there just a few months and allready full with putholes, to dangerous to drive on but open to the public anyway .. amasing, and the popolation uses these roads in full enthousiasm regardless the dangerss for accidents.
Amasing Thailand, thats for sure.
But what a wonderfull hollidaydestination it is and remains ;-)

Warm???

Its here in Patong, at 3 am iiin the morning, still 28 degrees ....... is that warm or hot? No idear, but to my surprise its not too bad, though absolutly necessary to switch on the aircondition before turning for a well needed rest.
In a way its just like home though, Holland.... but instead of switching on the heating when the temperature drops too much, here you switch on the aircon when the temp turns too high....... so except for the temps, whats the difference?

Okay, in the morning I get up and jump in the swimmingpool, which I can't or wouldn't do in Holland, instead of taking a shower;-)
But like most THai, I prefer to stay outside the sun when I get the chance too, why lok up the warmth if one has it all the time aorund himself... so in a way one turns into a local, behaviour wise that is, relating to the climate that is ofcourse.

At the moment my mother-in-law stays at my house here in Phuket, and she never switches on the aircon in her room, to my surprise........ why? because I do not have a fan here right now. That one is temporarily at a friends house here.

The dog, but since a week I should say dogs, Didi and Mulan, seem pretty okay still...though sometimes I feel a bit sorry for Didi. At home in Holand she allways enjoyed the warmth, surprisingly much and by the look of it, she still enjoys it, also here when the temps are constantly in the high twenties at night and thirties during daytime........ give or take sometimes when a good rainshower takes place and the temps drop a little;-)

All in all, the call it low season here, but one would say, experiencing it right now that weatherwise this period has definitly its attractions, if one doesn't mind to have some spectacular rainshowers when one is lucky ;-)

OK, from a 28/29 degrees patong Beach Phuket I wish you all a very pleasant night ;-)


O, I didn't check on spelling or typing mistakes again haha

family addition?!

Left: Mwoi, with the newest familymember on my lap, Mulan....

The other day I got a message from a Thai friend of mine who had run into a abandoned puppy and after having tried to take care of it himsel;f, he could not.... his employer did not want a dog around his hotel where my friend works and sleeps.
So, knowing that we had Didi, he asked me if we would be willing to take in this puppy because he was afraid for its safety if he would turn her out on the streets again.

Okay I said, in that case I like to meet the little one and also have the puppy meet Didi, because I do not like any problems or discomfert for Didi when we would take in a new dog.
So we agreed and ofcourse: we fell in love allmost on the spot with the little one, and Didi was pretty okay with her as well (its a she, so hence me calling her "her" all the time).

So, after Kik agreed as well, and Didi didn't seem to object, we decided to take her in... and so now our adventure has started with Mulan.
Sofar all goes well and she seems pretty well behaved sofar as well (touch wood though, haha)

But isn't she a sweety when you see her like that on my lap??

So now its Kik and me, and Didi and Mulan ...

Rain or ....

Right: While we were in the temple to celebrate 'King Boedha' day, outsite de thunder started roaring and the skies opned in a most fascinating way, for at least me, because it was a first for me!

(I did not check the text on spelling or typing errors so pleaseI hope they are not that irritatting)

To start with, if I could have made a picture of what I witnessed earlier this week outdoors when the sky opened and didn't really close for days to come (except half a day after the first big thunderstorm and downpoor of water)..... but sadly I didn't dare to bring out my iPhone too afraid it would go down under in the waters around me.... with hinsight a real pitty but O well, maybe another chance will develop one day ;-)

So, this period of rainfall, which started last tuesday and lasted till yesterday (sunday)morning, started while Kik, Somcha, Sandyi and me where attending the celebration of King Boedha day in temple here in Patong.
While the skies broke and dumped their water, the ceremony in the temple went on undisturbed, though the people needed to crawl a bit away from all the open windows... but after the religious ceremony was over, lots of people saw their shoes floating in front of the temple stairs were they were left by them... and , we had a good laugh, Somchai's slippers drifted the furthest and so he had to go to them to get them, getting soaked wet in the process.
For those who arte used to such rainfalls, it was irritating, for the very few guys who experienced this first time it was major fun.

Kik ggot hold of our mootorbike and when I got on on the back we slowly drove off... and after turning the corner of the street the temple lies on WOWWW, we had to go trough water that came up pretty far and we had to be aware that the motorbike would not shut down because of it..... because that would mean a pretty long walk home and another huge repairbill... sssso at one moment I asked Kik to just go and drive on the walkway next to the street, which was quite higher then the street itself.... he did, but, hah, son also the walkways went down under....

I allways thought that the main streets here had an afwull lot of sewer/drainagepoints, but on this day I saw water pooring into them aaaand still it was not enough aand the waterlevel rized further. After we managed to keep the bike running and slowly got to higher grounds we could continue to our house... haha
BUT arriving down of our little hill on top of which our house is positioned we had to drive the bike uphill trough a fastrunning streetriver comming down towards us. Another fun bit of the way back home for me and an annoying excersise for Kik folowed...but then again, we were both soaked wet sso what did it matter anymore?

We arrived home allright aaaaaaand it took a while to take in these new experiences....
more then half a day later a period of roughly 2/3 days of nonstop rain started, not that much rain comming down in such short time but quite a lot at times nonetheless and when after these days we left the house, at least I then did, I could see how loads of sand had been deposited from the hil on the street, how loads of small stones had bene left behind while the sand had washed away further down our hill...........
these next days we have to be extra cartefull now because (wet) sand is like ice and one slipes away very easily and when on a mootorbike that can hurt pretty badly.

In the end: It was an experience!! Though we suffered powercuts, phonelines and as such internetconnections went down, etc.
And, in the middle of this downpoor we on the hill had to order 'drinking'water to be delivered because our watersupply is/was down......

now a new period of sunshine seems to have arrived.... O and all the time the temps were most pleasing and evenings comfi 'cool' .....

Such a rainperiod can be cozy if you look to the upside of it ergo I enjoyed it ;-)

Behold

Today, latest tomorrow I wil start again by keping all of you updated again about what is happening with me, or what I am experience..... or unasked for opinions about what is hapening in Holland or elsewhere.
These last weeks I have been silent, mainly because I was back in The Netherlands for 6 weeks and totally occupied there.
So, in these comming days one might find stories here going back to some of the things I experienced back in Holland, respectivly am experiencing now here in Phuket.
In due time I also hope to enlighten them with some pictures as well ;-)

So, see you soon again!