An Evening in Bang Niang
Kite flying in Bang Niang
Soar
Long tail fishing boat
Get a massage on the beach
Kees - owner of Amsterdam Resort where I stayed for the first few nights. You can see his receipt book, into which he furiously writes entires of money collected/owed by all guests.
Strange buddies - the stray kitten was left behind by a guest and the poodle has a new toy.
Amsterdam Resort - leaving resort to find cheaper accomodation for the rest of the week.
Amsterdam resort - decent rooms, clean - a little difficult to locat from main road, a hop from the beach, usual guests are german or austrian - i was the FIRST Indian to land there. [Caution: don't forget your jeans when you check out! It will be thrown in the garbage or given to the cleaner's husband!]
Cape Pakarang Boatyard.
Boatyard - first visit - the office/tool shed and Scott's pickup which is used as a mobile jukebox to keep the workers humming and singing at work.
Boatyard - one of the long tail fishing boats built - this one funded by Rotary Intl.
Boatyard - a pleasure boat being built - Scott and Steven.
The beach at the boat yard - whitesands, light blue andaman sea. You won't see many tourists make it up to this beach, which is around 12kms from Khao Lak beach.
Plan as you go - Aaron and Scott
A boat coming in for repairs.
Boatyard - backwater
Boatyard
The only long tail boat in constuction during the time i visited.
Mike
The hoisted half-mast - 80 feet long.
Mobile grocery store
Monday - Nam Khem 1 - these homes were constructed by the Tsunami Volunteer Center.
Albert (first from left) and Jenny (second from right) explaining TVC projects, challenges to Graham and Pat (she is a researcher figuring out some social questions in the post tsunami context).
Tap Tawaan housing construction project.
Tap Tawaan 2 - i think!
Free lunch (delicious stuff) for Volunteers on the Tap Tawaan construction site.
Tsunami Memorial Park
Sight from the tsunami memorial park
Albert talking about the tsunami memorial park - to the left you can see the curved wall symbolizing the wave. to the right is the wall with names of people and countries from where they came - and died - during the tsunami.
Flowers often decorate these memorial slabs. At one, i saw a little toy gun tied to the slab - it was for a thai kid that had perished.
Pat and her political affectation.
Blue Angel - thats what they call this boat that did no harm to anyone and washed up here with some people on board - all safe. There is a Red Devil nearby too - which killed people on board and people in the home it barged into!
Sunset at Cape Pakarang Boatyard
Fishing boats tethered in shallow waters.
Monday nite is orientation nite for the new volunteers who wash up ashore. Project managers give update on respective projects.
Boat builder - relax with a puff
Good Man Andy
Ralf
Frej
Night sceen at Khao Lak
Khao Lak street scene
Frej, Sussi, Klabbe - family and friends.
The Godfather
Everybody needs someone.
Ann and Andy - i've seen them nudge, lift, move and curse everything from solid lead blocks to the big boat's engines.
Nepali family at whose home I had dinner on one of the nights.
Good food for THB 80
Chilling out at SKA Bar @ Khao Lak
Proof of hard and sticky work.
Awesome roadside eats @ Khao Lak - in front of Nan Thong supermart.
Whisky plank - the last plank to be put in place on the hull. The tradition is to have a "Whisky plank party" on that day and make merry at the boatyard!
The Whisky Plank Party
The Whisky Plank Party - Thai crew with Scott. The lady kneeling at the right corner is Nid - she runs the show from the background.
Aaron and Dave
Scott's boat - the deck in the making - you can have a glimpse of the engine below.
Good times
Tsunami Volunteer Center @ Khao Lak. Sign board says "We still need volunteers!"
Chong Fah dam
Signboard pointing towards Chong Fah waterfall
Chong Fah - 5km from Bang Niang
The flag tree - people from all over the world have volunteered at the boatyard and some made arrows with the name of their country or city and nailed it to this coconut tree.
The flag tree
I was the first Indian on the boatyard - and didnt want to leave without making a tri-colored arrow with INDIA on it!
This way home.
Bang Sak beach - where local Thai families congregate over the weekend. There is food, fun and lot of sand in your clothes.
Bang Sak sunset
Love at first sight
Looks like a freshly built church
