phuketrex

There is a Ball being held at the Marriott on the 27th with proceeds going towards the LifeHome Project...a refuge on Koh Sirae for women and children living with HIV>>>

I've been a supporter of LifeHome for a couple of years. Here's a few of my pics>>>

Hopefully as this is a charity and to help local people the thread will stay.

Banana Beach is still very easy to get to and in my Top 5 favourites on Phuket. Just park your bike above it and walk down the steep path. Here's a pic of mine from last year in high season>>>

...and in low season had it all to myself>>>

There is a very long thread on another forum with lots of pics of most of Phukets' beaches but again no links allowed :-(

I enjoyed that post, cheers. Not enough threads with photos as far as I'm concerned. It reminded me of the ride reports you get on motorbike forums. Love the picture of the trainer, are you going to try and repair it?

I've posted a load of "road trip" round Phuket videos on Youtube. Not allowed to post a link here so if you look at this one then click on phuketrex you will see all the others listed>>>

Soi Dog foundation features on Youtube>>>

...this is off to one side of the track too...another huge area of land raped...

I'll make another attempt soon...maybe try the track that starts near the elephant trek near Safari Pub but last time I came up against a very high wall with a locked metal gate half way along it...but has anyone successfully made it to Freedom Beach over land in recent times?

...here's where the trail comes out at the coast...Freedom Beach off to the left around a headland...

So I started climbing over the rocks...

...and got to this point...

...when one of my trainers decided to disintegrate big time...

...so with the finish line in sight I had to stop and struggle back up the trail to my bike dragging one foot behind me.

Common knowledge that the people who like to control Freedom Beach as if they owned it and not the King make it very difficult for visitors to get there other than an expensive ride for a few minutes by longtail.

So I decided to try and walk to it today using a trail that starts between TriTrang Beach and the Merlin Beach Resort>>>

It runs down to the coast and then the idea was to scramble over the rocks around the headland to the beach. I've walked the trail many times before and until a few months ago it was a lush green picturesque nature trail with some lagoons with storks and cranes in them...lots of lizards scurrying about...the occasional snake...birds of prey soaring overhead...and what I think were sounds of monkeys up in the trees...

...now look at it :-( It is being heavily scraped of all the vegetation and the trees are coming down and it now looks like something out of a disaster movie...

...it's a huge area too. I suppose this is the prelim to some resort complex going there...

The 200 or so people living in the Gypsy village live in filth and poverty. They can barely look after themselves let alone any animals.

That's nothing. Filthiest beach on the island by far is the one in front of the Sea Gypsy village at Koh Sirae>>>

If you see a sick dog on the island rather than ignore it's suffering there is something you can do about it. Last week I saw this dog in a terrible condition on Koh Sirae and I reported it to SoiDog>>>

I received this back from them today :-(

"Our dog catcher has been back to the area 3 times over the last few days looking for the dog and each time he had gone he came back with other dogs also in bad condition and sick, which we are now treating at the shelter, however yesterday the dog you identified was found and taken to the shelter, Dr Ami confirmed what she had suspected from her initial look at the photos and that the dog did indeed have cancer, this plus the malnutrition and the severe wound on his back, it was decided to put the dog to sleep in the best interests of the dog.

The condition of the dog moved the shelter volunteers to tears and prompted one person to write the following poem, just after the dog was euthanised and whilst she was still in tears, I will reiterate now that the poem is not directed at you, as you actually took the time and effort to do something, but it is that persons feelings towards all the other people prior to you who ignored this dog, I thought I would share it with you as its quite moving."

So if you see a dog like this and want to do something about it notify soidog at www.soidog.org Emergency Helpline: 081 788 4222 They do care and will help relieve the dogs' pain.

www.filmon.com good for BBC/ITV/Channel4

www.tvunetworks.com

www.atdhe.net

Exellent news.

All very friendly and non confrontational.

Of course it was. All smiles as he tried to extort 300 baht from you :-)

SFX Coliseum Cinema Phuket (Central Festival Phuket) can now screen movies in 3D.

True Legend currently showing in 3D (in Thai).

Still plenty of tourists getting taken in by the Absolute scratchandwin "Fractional Ownership" offers. Busy day as usual for the Absolute touts at the Sea Pearl>>>

Few pics with my cheapie digicam>>>

Yes looks like it's wednesday! I'm sure the news source said thursday earlier today and have changed it.

The USS Nimitz and 2 other USNavy ships are parked in Makham Bay now.

On Thursday the Queen Mary 2 is due to visit>>>

I think you can still hire the mini hovercraft at Cape Yamu. They are fun. Owner has changed though from this>>>

It does say 100 baht with personal camera but I take that to mean they stick the eagle on your shoulder and you have your photo taken WITH it not that you pay just for taking a photo of it chained to a cart.

Meanwhile it's business as usual for the 2 p1ssed off looking eagles at the Viewpoint. Took this pic this afternoon...as soon as I had the girl comes over to me and asks for 100baht! So I said to her "If I go to the Big Buddha and take a picture of it do I have to pay?"..."No" she said. "So I don't have to pay for a picture of the eagles" I told her.

Seems it's a numbers game and everyone who takes a picture they ask for 100baht and no doubt some people are stupid enough to pay it. I guess revenue for the next few days will go towards paying bail for her "brother".

SAFE and FRIENDLY eagles...unlike their owner.

One time I travelled back to UK last year padlock stayed nicely intact...instead the b@stards just cut a hole with a knife about 6inches in diameter in the middle of my case and yet they didn't take anything!

Being reported in the media now they are currently blockading the Provincial Hall in Phuket Town and threatening to move to the airport if they don't get what they want.