Koa Sok National Park

I can't imagine going to a country without a Lonely Planet Guide accompanying me. Lonely Planet (or Rough Guide series) Guides are available for every country in the world and they are not just brilliant for the amount of information in them but they are ESSENTIAL if you want to get the best out of your holiday. Buy one a month before your holiday, turn off 'East Enders' and read the bloody thing...do some research...get a grip!!


Then there is 'Google'. Just stick Koa Sok into Google and wait for the info to appear before your eyes...or, to get you started, just click this link http://www.khaosok.com/ and off you go!!


Koa Sok is so photographic that it's difficult not to keep taking stacks of photo's. Remember the pre-digital camera days of the rolls of film we used to waste?? Digital cameras are a massive plus for us travellers...and the photographs many of you come back with are fantastic. Capt'n Bob is a fine photographer...so here's a few of his scenery shots.



Early morning is very nice with the mists forming inbetween the Karst mountains...






Transport around the lakes is pretty basic.....and that's all part of your adventure.








There's 11 (I think) floating 'villages' on the lake for guests to stay in overnight or for several days. The villages are either 'noisy' or 'quiet'. The Park is very popular for Thai school and University trips and for working Thais (usually from Bangkok...upper class
...and really charming people) and they tend to favour the 'noisy' floating villages with a party atmosphere and, wait for it, drinking at the weekends....(no, not the school kids). So, you have to make the decision of either going to a quiet village or joining in with the Thais. The advantage of the 'noisy' floating villages is that you will meet lots of Thai people who are either in education or are 'educated'. This means they are not just happy but keen to converse with you in English. English is the World's language and we, as Native English speakers, are blessed with what is arguably the most important 'qualification' anyone could possess...the English Language. And the Thai people you will meet here are an absolute pleasure to be with...extremely polite, charming, fun loving....it's an ideal way to have the chance to meet and talk to Thai's.

Very early morning shot of the lake, the mountains and the mist. You just have to get up early in Koa Sok as it is such an inspirational place for all photographers and nature lovers.

The day is now under way. Apart from bird and animal spotting, and partying at night (if you chose a party village) there's swimming, fishing and kyaking in the lake.....you can just go off and do your own thing.

Capt'n Bob and Co

Captain Bob and family have been here since March 5th.....and now there's only 3 days left until they go back to UK....and I've put nothing on here about what they have been up to!! This is because they, Like Roger and Mary, have embraced the idea of going off ADVENTURING.

A car was rented on the first day and Capt'n Bob, wife Cath and daughter Jen were soon off for a three day trip to the Koa Sok National Park. Bob particlularly enjoys seeing wildlife and the Park is a haven for birds in particular...so, it's good to have proper binoculars and a good camera. There's plenty to see and photograph.


Thailand has an impressive variety of birdlife and there are some big critters flying about here. The world's largest sea eagle lives here...with a wingspan of 3 metres.....and we get them fishing in the lagoon behind the house now. In fact, since we have been here, the bird life by our lagoon has steadily increased.



Stuff just seems to grow in Thailand overnight....there are zillions of different plant varieties to enjoy. The good thing for me with so many different people coming to stay is the variety of interests you all have. It means I am constantly learning about new things and what is on offer in the Phuket and north of Phuket area....things I would not necessarily have sought out without the interest of you guys to motivate me. I'm not really into birds, plants etc....but it's great when real enthusiasts come to stay and can hold forth on such subjects. I can now recognise this flower...it's a pink one!

We are getting a few of these birds fishing in the lagoon....but these are taken out at Koa Sok. I have featured this Park several times in the Blog as it is a very impressive place to visit. A large dam was made in the 1980's so a massive part of the Koa Sok valley was flooded....with all sorts of waterborne life now combining with the animals lurking in the dense jungle. I kinda thought the tourist stuff about how many animals could be seen was hype....and so far I haven't seen any animals 'in the wild' when I've been to the Park. But then I crash about and have no idea how to spot shy creatures which are doing their best to stay hidden. Bob and Co have the knowledge...and they have come back with all sorts of stories and photographs from their adventure.

Apart from little things, there's always the elephants to enjoy...

Nice shot of a herd down by the river.


Lik everything, it's all about the effort you put into your holiday as to what you will gain from it. Saying that, though, there's nothing wrong with just coming over here and just 'chilling out' but this winter our guests have been very keen to 'do stuff' and not just sit around the place. Excellent...that's why I set this place up...as a base for your personal adventures.

These 15 weeks have flown by for me. We've all done so much this 'winter'. There's just a week to go before I return to Weymouth and the fishing......but no problem there either...it's great to come home to a place that you love and to a job that has to be the best one on the planet??????

Mary and Roger

I haven't featured our current guests, Mary and Roger, much at all! This is because they have been off 'doing their own thing' every day.....and they have my genuine admiration for doing so.

Mary has never driven an automatic car before but announced it was her intention to do all the driving here in Phuket. We collected a nice new shiny Toyota on their second day here and they've kept it for thier 2 weeks. Mary spent some time just driving around the estate getting the hang of an automatic...and then they were off. I know many people who have come to stay have been nervous about driving here...but Mary has handled it brilliantly and they've enjoyed a cracking holiday by going off and discovering Phuket for themselves.


Here's Roger...a retired Commercial airline pilot. Roger is a proper English Gentleman. Always polite and charming with a ready and disarming smile...jolly nice couple!!

And here's Mary with us two. Mary had spent a good deal of time researching Phuket before they came. She'd studied maps, looked up places and had made a real effort to understand Phuket in order to get the best out of it. So, you see....you don't HAVE to put up with Whittall's Work Camp when you're made to go diving and fishing...you CAN do your own thing. Just relax...go where you want when you want and IF you want. Roger and Mary spent a part of each day just chilling by the pool and reading.....nice holiday.

They've been to loads of places....but Mary's 'lost' her first camera card...so there's only a few shots on the current card. But here's a picture of the fish (I know, always bloody fish...Whittall is just fish, fish, fish....boring old git) at The Rawai Sea Gypsy Village which they discovered by themselves. They have really enjoyed Rawai and have been there a number of times.

Picture of Rawai seafront...most of the longtail boats were out at sea doing thier daily 'round the islands', snorkling or fishing trips. Idealic, ain't it??

We've had some unseasonable stroms in the last few days...very heavy rain and plenty of lightning. This photo probably doesn't show it too well....but as a storm starts to brew...the sky, the buildings, the water all go a shade of pink...bizzarre. Then it blackens over with a vengeance and rains. 'Rains' is not really the word for what happens here...it's like a total waterfall! And then..it's gone. The sun comes back out...everything dries up in minutes and it's back to sun, sun, sun.

Tomorrow Roger and Mary head off to Hong Kong for a couple of nights.....but they've loved it here and have already asked to come again next year. With Pleasure!!!

Today Captain Bob, wife Cath and daughter Jen have arrived. They've already been in the pool trying out the dive gear and we've had a quick tour of Rawai, Nai Harn and the Yan Nui beaches
to suss out our first shore dive sites. Looks like tomorrow we'll be diving again....as soon as I get back from Phuket airport after seeing Roger and Mary on their way.

Captain Bob and his family are our last guests of the season and it's been great fun this year. We've done lots and learnt lots more about Phuket. The 110 days have flown by!! Soon it will be time for me to return to Weymouth for what I hope will be a trouble free season after all the mishaps with my NEW engines last year...but before then..another 2 weeks of diving to enjoy.

Yo Ho.

Jung Ceylon

Before it was named Phuket, this tropical paradise of an island was called Jung Ceylon. There's a massive shopping centre deep in the heart of the mad tourist centre of Patong. Today...it poured with rain...so we thought we'd better do some indoor exploring...hence The Jai and I going to this shopping centre...Jung Ceylon!!




Luckily Jai hates shopping as much as me...so, after a bit of a wander around...and then a nice Thai dinner....we found ourselves in an excellent Irish Bar!! As we entered, the band struck up with a fine medley of jigs and reels. Now ain't Irish music the business??? Jigs 'n reels are guaranteed to brighten the rainiest day...which is what I guess they were designed to do back in rainy old Ireland.

And the drinks menu....well, the Irish just KNOW how to do it!!




Inbetween the music and the Guiness (which was excellent), I wandered around the pub a bit...and sure enough, there was the ubiquitous bike hanging from the ceiling......

And what Irish Hostelry, stuck in the middle of a Thai shopping Centre, wouldn't have a few items to provoke fond memories of the Dear Homeland....????

What did The Jai make of it all?? Well, she jigged all over the place to the music...downed several large whiskeys...knicked the bike and rode home in the downpour......Ah, Irish Blarney...can't beat it!

Kata New Road and the Phuket Glitterati

A couple of days ago Jai and I were given V.I.P tickets to attend the opening of a new Italian Restuarant in Kata. The press, stunning Thai (lady!) models and various important Phuket dignatories were there to welcome us and the other invited guests...the creme de la creme of Phuket High Society, you understand (ha ha ha).

There's so many new developments going on in Phuket that it's hard to keep up with its ever changing face. This new restaurant is on a brand new road..Kata New Road. The road and all the new up-market businesses opened the same night (25th Feb) and it was a pretty impressive spectacle.

Anyhow, this new restaurant is owned by four major share holders; two of whom are the financial backers of the Phuket Private Lagoon estate that my house is on and another of whom is none other than Gae.

Here is Gae. She's 28 years old and has risen like a meteorite in Phuket Business Society. It is her intention, so she tells me, to have 20 million Baht (£4 million) in her bank by the time she is 40. She, like many Thai's, is money obsessed. The saying here is 'Money First, Buddha second'. Well, I'm sure we all have our own opinion about that but whatever my view, I have to admire this young lady who is 'driven' to succeed. Gae is the Project Manager of Phuket Private Lagoon, is one of the share holders in Offshore Rebel Co.Ltd (Thailand) and has also recently started her own 8 house project in Rawai and is involved in a multi-million Baht housing project in Koh Samui.

This has all come about through the generousity and foresight of EFSA President Horst Sneider who recognised Gae's talents and sent her to University in Bangkok to study Business Development and Accounting. Horst was on hand to give one of the welcoming speeches to the guests...and it's worth pointing out that it was Horst who secured the two year contract with a top award winning Italian Chef to be the Head Chef at this new restaurant. Ah, wheels within wheels, eh...and a lengthy arm of influence.


Throughout the evening there was entertainment with plenty of Thai Culture on show with performances from the Thai version of the Indian Epic 'The Ramayana' and music and dancing from different parts of Thailand. It was an impressive two hour show....no expense spared!



I enjoy Thai culture. Everyone has their own likes/dislikes when on holiday but I am surprised as to why hardly any of our visitors shows much interest in the culture of this country. There's a new show in town...and it's stunning. So far only Mandy has wanted to come along and see it.....and she (and Jai and I) loved it. Why come all this way to a totally different Culture and show no interest in it??

Anyhow, hope you enjoy the photographs......Happy Days.....

Mr Ellis and Keith fishing at Phuket Game Park

On the last occasion Keith, Mr Steve (soon to be given an award for being a pillar of local Society??) Ellis and his mad keen fishing wife, Alison went fishing at the lake without me. No doubt I was doing something fascinating...but I forget what!

Keith was on the camera...so hence no photographs of him....it's all about Mr Ellis. Well, that's OK as Mr Ellis is a story in himself with what can only be described as a unique approach to lake fishing.

It's not good to lose your fishing rod into the lake. As we are hiring rods, it's a 6,000 Baht 'fine' (£130) if you lose one. How can you lose one?? These fish are incredibly powerful. They will pull an unattended rod ....and metal rod rest...into the lake with ease. The lake is deep and murky...you ain't gonna jump in and find your rod...which will have been towed half way over the other side of the lake anyway. Here's Steve tho' with a nice catfish...just to show he can catch them....eventually.

Mr Ellis lost 2 rods and a big rodrack!! Luckily one of my trained professional rods was also being used. For those of you who do not understand, a professionally trained rod is one we skippers use. It knows what lunatics it will be surrounded by and is always ready to leap to the rescue...apart from catching the most fish. So, Mr Ellis' first rod had gone and then my 'professional' rod buckled over which Mr Ellis managed to grab....and on winding in discovered the hook on the 'Prof' rod had skilfully hooked the balearm on his reel......how about that then?? The missing rod was carefully brought in and then Mr Ellis was able to resume playing his fish.

Later in the day, Mr Ellis caught someone else's rod...this rod had also been dragged in by a fish. He retrieved this other rod and there was still a fish on it....I dunno; I wouldn't want to own a fishing lake. These lake anglers are clearly bonkers.

Another technique employed by intrepid lake anglers is to cast as high as possible and get your terminal geat to hang off the electric cable that runs high over the lake. This is a pretty impressive achievement as the casting angle must be about 10 degrees to achieve the required height. However, many appear to possess this gift as a number of sets of gear (including 3 sets of Mr Ellis') were suspended by the end of the session.

Having lost tackle at an alarming rate....Mr Ellis found a bit of old rope and tide rod, rack, and right foot together to a nearby tree stump. Good idea.....

And here he is again with another catfish.....Keith was also catching but Mr Ellis doesn't know how to use a camera or take photographs....so nothing of Keith, I'm afraid.

And here's a Siamese Carp for Steve....this carp was attached to another lost rod which Steve managed to pick up on his gear.

I could say these fish were the result of incredible angling skill....but then again?????

Longtail Boat diving trip..Coral Island.

Bit of a poor surface photo but here we are swimming away from our longtail boat before we drop down onto the reef at Coral Island which is about 2 miles offshore from Rawai. There's stacks to see and a riot of colour...here's a pufferfish hiding under a bit of coral.

There's plenty of vivid fish to enjoy and take photo's of...and lots of attractive bits of coral scattered around away from the main reef.

Here's a frogfish....I saw a couple in the Similan Islands so nice to see another one so close to Rawai. (It's the little yellow blob of a fish....expand it and you'll be able to make it out as a fish...well, just about!)

Occasionally there's a nice Nudibranch......we're lucky there's so much to see on all the dives. And today worked out at a splendid £30 to charter the longtail boat and fill four tanks for two dives for me and the Jai to make two dives each.

With so much on offer, I aim to get as many of you coming here interested in the diving....I can guarantee that if you make that first sea dive (I'll only let you make it after several pool sessions and when both you and I are happy in your confidence and ability) then you cannot fail to be 'hooked' on diving....it's an amazing and colourful world around south Phuket.