Thursday, November 30, 2006

Jalle Lorensson playing at S:t Gertrud

Thursday evenings around 20.00 there are various bands, made-up-bands, constellations and other formations (seems like some, might be most, musicians belong to more than one band) performing live music at S:t Gertrud in Malmö.

This evening was a lucky strike since Jalle Lorensson, known as Rektor Rock, joined in for a blues / rock session. Jalle is a living legend in Malmö, being the harmonica player in Wilmer X.

The entrance fee is normally low at S:t Getrud. I think it was around 50 SEK this evening - for up to two hours of live music that's nothing. Could be the reason why Erik is so relaxed and happy...

Bond in Casino Royale

Movie: Casino Royale [SF Royale theater, Malmö, Sweden]

So, why the SF Royale theater and not a comfy sofa? I actually (quite boring some say) prefer movies on DVD since I then can get numerous popcorn refills, an espresso, stretch my legs, yet another espresso, and all the other things you just got to do and have if it's a long movie.

Truth to be told, I was invited to a Sony Ericsson sponsored show of the movie at SF Royale in Malmö, Sweden. The company had invested in the movie, promoting its brand displaying gadgets on the white screen. I like those promotion movie nights - you get everything for free and it's all framed in with a movie. Nice.

After the movie Sony Ericsson arranged a short interview / quiz on stage with Mads Mikkelsen, one of the villain characters. It was very appreciated - Mads is well known to us that consume Danish movies; the Pusher trilogy, etc.

Rating: The action scenes were nicely done. Some twists in the plot which is mandatory - just got to have them in a standard Hollywood production nowadays since it's no longer enough with a number of explosions (has it ever been?). It lost speed in the middle part - some love story mixed with "I'm quitting my agent job" lines - but luckily regained it again for the grand finale. All in all, it's a worth-to-watch 2.5 hour movie.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Time to go home


Leaving Thailand. From Phuket on a domestic flight to the new airport just outside Bangkok to swap to the flight home to Sweden.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Bar girl's beer

Bar girl and Per chatting...

Bar beer waiting to be used in the heat.

Thai massage for 200 Thai Bath

It's impossible to avoid hearing phrases like "Massaaage!", "Massaaage! Miiisteeer!", and "Miiisteeer! Massaaage you liiike!" (one of my personal favorites) if you're strolling around in Phuket's tourist traps.

So, what's Thai massage really like? Is it rough? A handful of violence mixed with two cups of pure rage? Is it true that the massage girl / woman is walking and climbing all over your body making it look more like an expedition to Everest than traditional massage? I had to find out. Since no one - except Per who had done this a number of times already - volunteered, I had to use my own body, roughly 2m of prime Swedish male, for the experiment.

"Ok. I'll go for a one hour Thai Massage. 200 Thai Bath."
"I have one condition though. Must be able to sit upright afterwards."
"Haven't had lunch yet you know. Yes. No. Never tried it before."
"Will like it? Yeah, I really hope so."
"Must be able to sit upright afterwards - Oh, yeah, sorry. You already know. Yeah."

It was dark inside the massage institute. Reminds me of the phrase "It's always darkest just before it goes pitch black"...

Me to the left, Per to the right. No oil, just one tough Thai woman kneading my body like dough.

Aouch. What's this move called? Was it even in their massage instructions?

Almost done. Putting the pieces together again.

Done. One hour. It felt great. At least afterwards. Per told me that this was one of the toughest he'd experienced so far - and it was my first encounter with Thai massage. But I'll definitely do it again. Maybe a two hour session next time...

For reference: This took place at "Hakone Thai Style Massage", one of the massage institutes in Patong Beach, Phuket.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Frog market

Me trying to deal on the local frog market:

Pusher: "150 Bath, special price for you miiiister..."
Pusher: "Special frog you see..."
Me: "Na... You get it for like 10 Bath at your distributor..."
Pusher: "Noooo miiiiister... Not possibleee..."
Me: "Ok, say 15 Bath. I'll give you 30 Bath for a frog. Happy?"
Pusher: "Nooo can doo. Nooo can doo... Not possibleee..."
Me: "The problem is that the market is flooded with frogs."
Pusher: "Eh?"
Me: "They're jumping all over the place..."
Pusher: "80 Bath... Ok?"
Me: "Nooo can doo... I'll give you like 40 Bath for a jumper. Max."
Pusher: "60 Bath? Ok?"
Me: "50, and it's a deal."
Pusher: "Deal!"

Not every frog is worth the initial claimed 150 Bath. I'm not interested in frogs, it's the action dealing with the frog pusher that I'm after, that's what's worth 60 Bath to me.

50 Bath.

I could go on dealing the whole night here...

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

The Famous Old Dutch in Patong

Anonymously located at Soi Patong Tower, one of the quieter and not-so-crowded side streets in Patong, just off the beach, you'll find The Famous Old Dutch, a small Thai bar and restaurant.

The Thai food at the Dutch is superb, spicy, and perfectly balanced - exactly how Thai food should be prepared and served. Try it!

Introducing Sor Fee, aquaintance from the Similan dive trip, to the delicious food at the Dutch.

Per is trying out one of the hats sold by a local fake-frog-hat-bracelet-dealer. Fake since it's wooden frogs they're selling, not real ones. The dealers (they're all dressed in the same way) circulate around bars and restaurants, trying to make you buy something you have absolutely no need for at all - but since it's so cheap, and you get "special price for you my friend" it's sometimes hard not to... Next time maybe.

An article mentioning The Famous Old Dutch and its restructuring after the tsunami can be found here.

McThai's in Patong

Ronald and one of his Thai-dealer-friends hanging out at the local McDonald's restaurant in Patong. Dealer to the right.

Didn't try it in Patong; McDonald's burgers taste the same all over the world. Almost.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald's

Diving Similan sites with Similan Diving Safaris

Every morning starts early to get the most out of the day. Four dives are planned each day, including one night dive. Around 06.30 wake-up calls can be heard in the corridor.

The dive crew at the table, planning todays dives for the different groups.

Since there's eat-what-you-ordered breakfast right after the morning dive a few toasts and a coffee is more than enough before the first dive in the morning.

Into the blue; giant strides from dive deck into the Similan ecosystem. The water was clear, blue, warm, ...

Lunch time. Mm... Always lots of food, lots of great Thai food. Delicious.

A visit to one of the Similan islands. I have climbed up on the rocks to get the view - fantastic... A few dive boats can be seen anchored in the sea.

Night dive. Had to watch out for the barracudas.

Time to go to bed. More diving tomorrow...

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, Boon Sung

Fun dive; Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

18.1m, 47 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, Koh Tachai

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

21.2m, 48 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Monday, November 13, 2006

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, Richelieu Rock

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

Night dive; Per didn't join since he had problems with an ear.

16.0m, 39 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

Eleven Minutes is a fascinating story about Maria, a young woman from a small Brazilian village that gets heartbroken at a tender age. She becomes convinced that true love doesn't exist, that "love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer . . .".

After a chance meeting in Rio with a mysterious European man she decides to leave Brazil for Geneva, for what she hopes will be a fresh start with new possibilities in life. But life is sometimes like a big maze, it's difficult to find what you're looking for - and maybe you don't know exactly what it is that you're hoping to find...

I had a hard time to stop reading it once I had started. Finished it on the Similan liveaboard boat just before the trip was over. It's definitely one of Coelho's better stories.

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, Richelieu Rock

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

26.4m, 53 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, Richelieu Rock

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

29.6m, 52 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, Koh Tachai

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

30.4m, 52 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, Koh Bon

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

13.2m, 39 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, North Point

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

22.7m, 45 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, Breakfast Bend

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

24.6m, 57 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, Elephant Head Rock


Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

30.4m, 40 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, East of Eden

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

8.0m, 34 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, West of Eden

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

27.3m, 53 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, East of Eden

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

23.4m, 44 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Dive log; Thailand, Similan, Barracuda Point

Fun dive; guide #624813 (Matthew Norman), Similan Diving Safaris, M/V Dolphin Queen.

24.0m, 46 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com

Friday, November 10, 2006

Leaving Khao Lak for The Similan Islands

Time had come to leave mainland for The Similan Islands, a national park located off the coast of Khao Lak or around 100km north west of Phuket. The park is a well-known area for divers, and contains some of the best dive sites in Thailand.

We had pre-booked the liveaboard trip while staying at the Crystal Dive Resort, and now had to finalize the payment (vouchers, please!) at the Similan Diving Safaris center in Khao Lak before boarding.

The boat nearest to the pier was our living space for the coming four days and nights.

Crew and divers gathering. Only happy faces.

Traditional Thai boat ceremony while leaving the harbour. The boat crew used fireworks to scare away bad spirits.

The kitchen crew served a delicious Thai meal after the ceremony, and then we headed down to our bunk beds to try to get some (sea-)sleep before next days first dive.

Thursday, November 9, 2006

Billiard

Me and Per playing billiard in a local bar. Had to get some practice before we could take on the local players...

Action shot. One of the local bar girls loosing a game to me. Didn't happen that often though - they're very skilled plus it's not normal billiard rules that apply, you're supposed to play a Thai version which you'll have to pick up as the game is being played.

The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho

No, no, no, ...

I guess most authors are being pushed, either by their inner selfs and greed or by a publisher's dream of more gold at the end of a plausible second rainbow, to mechanically generate a number of stories that can be released onto the market while it's hot, after coming up with a bestseller like The Alchemist.

It's unfortunate that a good story by itself in many cases lacks the possibility to generate any revenue worth mentioning in book shops. Instead, it seems to be the author's name that's the most valuable asset in the book business nowadays. It's the author that sells, not the story in the book.

The Devil and Miss Prym, which I got just to have something to read on the beach, seems to be just like one of those stories, gaining a crowd (yes, I admit that I got it myself since I had read a few of Coelho's previous creations) only because of its author's popularity. It's definitely not one of Coelho's greater ones, I got through it quite fast since nothing really stood out.

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Dive log; Thailand, Phuket, Koh Dork Mai

Fun dive; guide (Stephanie), Scandinavian Divers.

20.8m, 43 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.


http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.scandinavian-divers.com

Dive log; Thailand, Phuket, Anemone Reef

Fun dive; guide (Stephanie), Scandinavian Divers.

24.1m, 44 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.

Emptied the cylinder; used Stephanie's octopus during security stop.



http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.scandinavian-divers.com

Dive log; Thailand, Phuket, King Cruiser

Fun dive; guide (Stephanie), Scandinavian Divers.

25.8m, 38 minutes; Suunto D9 dive log.



http://www.asiadivesite.com
http://www.scandinavian-divers.com

Diving Phuket sites with Scandinavian Divers

After a few days on Phuket's sunny beach in Patong we we're in desperate need of some action. You just can't lie on a beach staring into the sun for too long, it gets boring. At least for me.

Patong is flooded with diving firms selling equipment, one-day trips to nearby dive sites, as well as liveaboard experiences to more distant locations. We spent a few hours window shopping to get a feeling for current price level on one-day trips and seriousness of the firms.

Finally settled for Scandinavian Divers which had its shop just a few hundred meters from our hotel, located between restaurants and bars in a busy soi on Bangla Road. It's not just named Scandinavian for nothing - it seemed like all Scandinavian countries were represented in the firm; shop people, dive instructors, dive guides, etc.

Early the following morning we were picked up by the firm's Thai guy responsible for quick-and-bumpy transport to the pier, ...

... had our names called out and quickly replied "Yessir!" to get in the water as fast as possible, ...

... and then eagerly boarded the designated one-day trip boat together with a number of other dive addicts.


Happy divers taking a break between the dives. Some preferred the sun deck - I tried to hide from the sun though, didn't want a sun burn. The Thai boat crew made sure that there were coffee, tea, and fruit (papaya, pineapple, etc) available the whole time.

Trip manager; made sure everything ran smoothly on the boat.

Stephanie, our dive guide for the day. Thanks for letting me use your octopus during our second dive! I used a lot of air during that dive and my indications to her didn't get through. We were at around 15 m when I finally swam to her and switched to her octopus - my cylinder was empty.

Sun deck; not that sunny at the moment though.

Same type of boat as we were on.

Last dive for the day done. It was time to head back to the pier and Patong again.

All in all a great one-day trip.

http://www.scandinavian-divers.com