Funny Faces, New Years Eve 2007

The Island was absolutely packed with people.

We started off with a nice dinner at one of the more upmarket restaurants in Phi Phi and made our way to the beach party form there.

Here follows a few maybe not so great photos of us and some of our friends.

Who wins the cmpetition for the funniest face???

Loy Kra Thong Festival

In the old days 90% of Thailands people made their living as fisherman in small long tail boats or larger fishing trawlers, depending on how ell off they were and how much fish they caught.

Today it is still practised in the smaller coastal towns and villages and especially on the islands.

Once a year the people say thank you the the "Gods" of the sea for the previous years "harvest" and also to ask for a prosperous year to come, with calm seas and large amounts of catch. Each person places an arrangement of flowers or decorated bread into the water as an offer to the keeper of the seas. They light candles on the shores and let them take flight with large brown paper bags.

Quite a site to see.

(Traditional Thai clothing for the special evening.)

Thai Boxing

We went to see the real thing, this time it wasn't boxers doing it for the benefit of the crowd, they were really hurting each other.

The evening starts off with the youngest boxers who are probably no more than seven or eight years old, but are already well trained in what Thai boxing is and don't flinch one bit at the pain that must shoot through them with every kick or hit.

Not too fond of the kids fighting, but it is seen as a right of passage here in Thailand and there is tremendous pride for the family if they do well as Thai boxers.

Then as the evening progresses it becomes more and more real and serious with the grown up boxers really showing their stuff. Blood and all, how some of them get up afterwards is beyond anyone from western descent.

Well Its about time for an update

To start off with a few of Carlien's newest underwater photo's.

We really love high season in Phi Phi so many opportunities to spot new things and all the old things that are now seen in juvenile form. Great!!!

Gone are the days where you spot one of everything, Carlien's record of six leopard sharks on one dive...

Mini Movies

Here is our first mini movies since we've done the underwater videography course.

Video one is Bubbles, by Carlien...

Video two is my first small movie, by Eugene

Under the sea...

Some more of our photos.

This is why we love diving so much...

Beneath the surface there is a world of constant flow in which nothing else matters anymore.

Something Different

Q: What are the usual decorations you find in bars?

A: Posters of Bob Marley, maybe a countries flag etc. Well the local resort bar in Lanta has a complete dolphin skeleton. A bit creepy, but of huge interest to Eugene. The barman says they apparently found a whole washed up dolphin, much to my relief that no one actually killed it and they then decided to keep the skeleton.

Q: What can we do back in S.A. as job creation?

A: Make curtains out of straws, preferably used ones so that it contributes to recycling as well. These were made just by folding straws in a certain way and then stringing them together with a piece of thread, no staples or pins required, so even people in jail can make them...

Q: How to find an "Action shot"?

A: Simply wait for it to rain non stop so you can't leave the room and then look up at your roof where you are bound to find yourself looking at a live show of the hunt. Better than discovery channel. I fell asleep before the gecko got the moth. Hee Hee, don't tell Eugene...