Blogs from Ao Phang-Nga Marine NP, South-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 2

Photos of Ao Phang-Nga and Ko Samui - 2008... read more

After I left Krabi, I headed North to the town of Ao Phang Nga. This small town is mainly a jumping off point to the local national marine park. I strolled around the town a bit, and I have to say, it was kinda crummy. No offense to anyone, but there was only 1 restaurant! After I got off at the bus stop a hostel was recommended to me by the guy, Mr. Kean, who is the one-stop tour operator in the town. Very helpful and nice. And he must be well respected because mentioning his name always seemed to drop a few baht off the price of anything you were negotiating for. Very handy. Anyway, I went to the first hostel and booked a room, in a hurry to drop off my bag which was ... read more

Ja, richtig gelesen, ich bin mittlerweile schon in Thailand angekommen und nach einigen Tagen auf der wunderschoenen Insel Koh Tao sind wir nun auf die Nachbarinsel Koh Phangan gefahren wo ich meine letzten Urlaubstage verbringe bevor es in wenigen Tagen zurueck in die Heimat geht. Leider sind die thailaendischen Internetverbindungen etwas langsamer als anderswo (so wie alles etwas langsamer verlaeuft :-)), deshalb ist es nicht mehr moeglich Fotos raufzuladen. Ich moechte mich aber auf diesem Weg nochmal bei einigen Leuten bedanken: - zuerst bei meinem Schwesterherz, mit der ich wunderschoene Tage in Borneo verbringen durfte, - allen Sponsoren meines Tauchkurses anlaesslich meines Geburtstages, ich habe ein tolles neues Hobby entdeckt :-) - bei Kai mit dem ich fuer ein Monat die australische Ostkueste erkundet habe (Team Deutschland - Oesterreich hat sich wieder mal gut be... read more

Tahng Ya Phraek Foundation (YPF) My “desk” is a nightmare of paper notes, pencil shavings and piles of photos, pieces of research and books. There are a hundred times in the day I’d like to abandon trying to sort out all the “things” I am working on and go find a market or beach somewhere. I don’t know why the brain tends to go into molasses mode here…I HATE it. My applications to half a dozen programs are almost complete…almost, and a number of the projects are wrapped up, so my thoughts naturally turn to increasing the list of things to do to keep me in that motivated “busy” state. To better coordinate my projects here and to ensure accurate accounting and movement of funds, I am developing a foundation. Right, I hear the groans, no ... read more

With additional donations, the Orphanage Garden has expanded tremendously. The new space was cultivated by a group effort and the location behind the concrete wall protects it from strong winds and the worst of the downpours. It took about three days to prepare the land for planting. With the help of a local organic farmer, the garden has become exactly what we had hoped (although I still like to get up early and do the weeding!) All the kids play some part in its care…mostly through watering as the water play is much more fun than hauling fertilizer or pulling beetles off the plants. We are growing eggplants, peppers, a variety of Thai veggies I can’t name and we have two baby coconut trees rooted in the middle. The bamboo poles were placed to hold the ... read more