Big Cleaning @ Toh Seh Hill Today

[phuketsub]

Sorry for the late notice, but there will be a 'Big Cleaning Day' on Khao Toh Seh in Phuket Town this afternoon starting at 1:30pm. Meeting point is Point Five. the OrBorJor will provide equipment, I have been told.

It would be nice if other TV members who use the hill for exercise could show upand pitch in.

For those unfamiliar with it, the road up the hill is off Damrong Road, right across from Provincial Hall and the tennis courts.

[Paangjang]

I can think of a few members who should go visit this so called Tosser hill, if thats the correct pronounciation...

[Guest]

I call it monkey hill as I always forget the real name.. however tosser hill might be something to remember Nice viewpoint as well.

Plenty of monkeys on the roads

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MqfUp32tzb3VE4rngg2RStMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

Sunset at the viewpoint is nice.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PYwdY1h2zbEh-9GLnbw9dtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink

[JetsetBkk]

1:30pm is far too early for me and too hot, although today is a bit cloudy so maybe not too bad.

The OrbBorJor has spent about 9 million baht resurfacing the concrete road with tarmac and providing viewpoints, some of which are in the wrong position as there is nothing to see - unless they have plans to cut down a lot of trees. But it is much improved over what it was. There are even toilets at one place about half way up.

However, improvements attract more people, more tourists vans and more mess. The monkeys make enough mess as it is without all the tourists adding to it. The walkers, i.e such as me, keep the place clean and tidy as best we can.

[Felt 35]

1:30pm is far too early for me and too hot, although today is a bit cloudy so maybe not too bad.

The OrbBorJor has spent about 9 million baht resurfacing the concrete road with tarmac and providing viewpoints, some of which are in the wrong position as there is nothing to see - unless they have plans to cut down a lot of trees. But it is much improved over what it was. There are even toilets at one place about half way up.

However, improvements attract more people, more tourists vans and more mess. The monkeys make enough mess as it is without all the tourists adding to it. The walkers, i.e such as me, keep the place clean and tidy as best we can.

Is cars allowed to drive up to Toe sae hill also now?

[falkan]

1:30pm is far too early for me and too hot, although today is a bit cloudy so maybe not too bad.

The OrbBorJor has spent about 9 million baht resurfacing the concrete road with tarmac and providing viewpoints, some of which are in the wrong position as there is nothing to see - unless they have plans to cut down a lot of trees. But it is much improved over what it was. There are even toilets at one place about half way up.

However, improvements attract more people, more tourists vans and more mess. The monkeys make enough mess as it is without all the tourists adding to it. The walkers, i.e such as me, keep the place clean and tidy as best we can.

Is cars allowed to drive up to Toe sae hill also now?

have been long time!

[JetsetBkk]

1:30pm is far too early for me and too hot, although today is a bit cloudy so maybe not too bad.

The OrbBorJor has spent about 9 million baht resurfacing the concrete road with tarmac and providing viewpoints, some of which are in the wrong position as there is nothing to see - unless they have plans to cut down a lot of trees. But it is much improved over what it was. There are even toilets at one place about half way up.

However, improvements attract more people, more tourists vans and more mess. The monkeys make enough mess as it is without all the tourists adding to it. The walkers, i.e such as me, keep the place clean and tidy as best we can.

Is cars allowed to drive up to Toe sae hill also now?

They have built a nice new parking area near the Chinese temple, about 1/4 the way up.

[phuketsub]

1:30pm is far too early for me and too hot, although today is a bit cloudy so maybe not too bad.

The OrbBorJor has spent about 9 million baht resurfacing the concrete road with tarmac and providing viewpoints, some of which are in the wrong position as there is nothing to see - unless they have plans to cut down a lot of trees. But it is much improved over what it was. There are even toilets at one place about half way up.

However, improvements attract more people, more tourists vans and more mess. The monkeys make enough mess as it is without all the tourists adding to it. The walkers, i.e such as me, keep the place clean and tidy as best we can.

Can't blame the macaques for this. The self-entitled "Mr Monkey" who is their principal source of food doesn't bother to take the packaging off the fruit he collects at the market downtown -- thus a big new deposit of foam and plastic and the two feeding areas each day. Anyway. I tried to get up there at about 2:30PM yesterday and the single-lane road was jammed with cars and schoolkids and the OrBorJor truck was on the way out. I guess I missed the blitz, but I like the way they put schoolkids to work here cleaning up garbage; too bad the lesson doesn't seem to stick later in life.

I am totally down with you on keeping up the cleaning vigil there day in and out.

I love Khao Toh Seh and I think the OrBorJor's efforts to make it more accessible were well-intended, but I also fear the place might get overrun.

Edited February 23, 2013 by phuketsub

[stevenl]

but I like the way they put schoolkids to work here cleaning up garbage; too bad the lesson doesn't seem to stick later in life.

I guess because the schoolkids from now know that when they grow up and make a mess the schoolkids will do the cleaning.

[phuketsub]

but I like the way they put schoolkids to work here cleaning up garbage; too bad the lesson doesn't seem to stick later in life.

I guess because the schoolkids from now know that when they grow up and make a mess the schoolkids will do the cleaning.

Well put. Edited February 23, 2013 by phuketsub

[JetsetBkk]

1:30pm is far too early for me and too hot, although today is a bit cloudy so maybe not too bad.

The OrbBorJor has spent about 9 million baht resurfacing the concrete road with tarmac and providing viewpoints, some of which are in the wrong position as there is nothing to see - unless they have plans to cut down a lot of trees. But it is much improved over what it was. There are even toilets at one place about half way up.

However, improvements attract more people, more tourists vans and more mess. The monkeys make enough mess as it is without all the tourists adding to it. The walkers, i.e such as me, keep the place clean and tidy as best we can.

Can't blame the macaques for this. The self-entitled "Mr Monkey" who is their principal source of food doesn't bother to take the packaging off the fruit he collects at the market downtown -- thus a big new deposit of foam and plastic and the two feeding areas each day. Anyway. I tried to get up there at about 2:30PM yesterday and the single-lane road was jammed with cars and schoolkids and the OrBorJor truck was on the way out. I guess I missed the blitz, but I like the way they put schoolkids to work here cleaning up garbage; too bad the lesson doesn't seem to stick later in life.

I am totally down with you on keeping up the cleaning vigil there day in and out.

I love Khao Toh Seh and I think the OrBorJor's efforts to make it more accessible were well-intended, but I also fear the place might get overrun.

Yes, "Mr Monkey" - also known as Pae-Hok - has his heart in the right place, but is typically Thai regarding rubbish.

There's no excuse now of course as there are plenty of green rubbish bins around - at least one at every new view point / monkey feeding station.

And the smell of rotting fruit doesn't improve the ambiance of those feeding areas either.

.

[Felt 35]

1:30pm is far too early for me and too hot, although today is a bit cloudy so maybe not too bad.

The OrbBorJor has spent about 9 million baht resurfacing the concrete road with tarmac and providing viewpoints, some of which are in the wrong position as there is nothing to see - unless they have plans to cut down a lot of trees. But it is much improved over what it was. There are even toilets at one place about half way up.

However, improvements attract more people, more tourists vans and more mess. The monkeys make enough mess as it is without all the tourists adding to it. The walkers, i.e such as me, keep the place clean and tidy as best we can.

Is cars allowed to drive up to Toe sae hill also now?

have been long time!

Well haven`t been up there for a lo....ng time but still a shame.

[phuketsub]

Big, big changes up on Khao Toh Seh, and mostly for the good:

1. Full time street sweeping staff since start of this month, with an obvious improvement throughout the park.

2. The access road (starting from Green Forest Restaurant) closed 7-8am (presumably for the water truck to spray the road) and from 4pm to 7pm, to keep walkers safe from cars. There is an elderly security guard and a rollaway metal barrier there to enforce it at the Toh Seh Shrine.

3. The spirit house landfill drainage ditch was cleaned out sometime yesterday afternoon, with an English-impaired sign telling people not to dump unwanted spirit houses there anymore (cc: www.engrish.com)

4. I suspect the kind-hearted but environmentally ignorant "Mr Monkey" has been banned, presumably for brazenly ignoring the signs which specify where the macaques can be fed -- not to mention dumping loads of fruit with foam packaging on the roadside. Some of the street sweepers today dropped off a bunch of bananas and the macaques were fighting over them. A month ago they wouldn't bat an eyelash at a banana, preferring junk food, durien, coconut, dragonfruit, etc.

5. Far fewer dogs. I saw about 10 puppies (two litters) on Friday. No sign of them today. I can't rule out they were out in the forest. Most of the the well-known, established mutts are still there in their usual positions.

6. No more pigs.(this goes back about 3 months)

7. Overall, one of the best projects the OrBorJor has done, IMO.

[Guest]

Thanks for the update Sub. It's good to hear that there are improvements happening on the island.

Is it still possible to drive or ride up to the hill during daytime 8am - 4pm?

[phuketsub]

Thanks for the update Sub. It's good to hear that there are improvements happening on the island.

Is it still possible to drive or ride up to the hill during daytime 8am - 4pm?

Yes, it is. In fact, the view up at Point 7 is awesome late at night. Also, the access ban only applies to cars, not motorbikes.

[Guest]

Thanks for the update Sub. It's good to hear that there are improvements happening on the island.

Is it still possible to drive or ride up to the hill during daytime 8am - 4pm?

Yes, it is. In fact, the view up at Point 7 is awesome late at night. Also, the access ban only applies to cars, not motorbikes.

Great to know. I'm not sure where is the Point 7. Is that the place they made the viewpoint, about 100 meters down from the big satellite antennas? And the place where one of the monkeys were lost?

[phuketsub]

Yes, that's Point 7. Also well worth checking out is the garden at the Channel 5 station. Nice view of Phang Nga Bay and Koh Maphrao and a beautiful sea breeze not unlike the one atop Big Buddha Image hill.

The monkeys have been 'lost' from several of the points, but I expect that to lessen now that they have some security.

[phuketsub]

More developments up on Khao Toh Seh...As I walked past Point 5 I saw a huge cement truck coming down and thought "this can't be a positive development"...It turns out they are covering the traditional monkey feeding point (the one used by Mr Monkey) with concrete.

The head of the park's sanitation unit was there so I asked him "What about the sign that clearly states 'do not feed the animals here'. He said it would be taken down. I wanted to ask why they didn't remove the sign before they covered everything with cement, but then he got a phone call and I didn't want to wait.

Other developments:

-The pigs are back...two spotted at Point 3. Pork rustlers take note.

-Thieves have disassembled many of the walkway lights and stolen the light bulbs.

-A kiosk has opened at Point 7 selling water and a few snacks. It's run by Toh Seh Hill Walkers Association member Mr Pian, who has worked at the Ch7 broadcast office for 30 years. Bottled water just 10 baht; not bad considering the location. The association is about 10 years old and has about 100 members.

-The temple behind the court (Wat Lang Sarn) is offering free meditation classes for a month. They started on the 24th and run for a month. However, there is no English on the sign so I expect it is going to be a Thai only affair.

[Guest]

I tried to ride up there with an scooter today to take shots of the sunset. There is now restriction (and a guard enforcing it) even for scooters to go up to the hill between 16:00-19:00.