Hail

It hailed tonight. For some this might not be a big deal - but its the first time my children have seen it. The noise on our tin roof slingshot me back through time to my own childhood. Hail meant destruction, devastation, a spate of frustration and tip toeing around Dad.

Sometimes we would have a little times warning before it hit - the cannons would start and my mother would groan. The Granite Belt is renowned for the size of the hail stones ( often as large as gold balls). Many fruit farmers invested in hail guns or cannons and shot them up into storm clouds to break it up. Many said it chased the rains away. All I know is that when the cannons started, hell broke lose.

In lambing season it meant dozens of dead lambs, frozen, battered ripped apart by nature. In fruit picking and vege harvesting, it meant shredded trees, leaves and produce. All laid to waste as the hail ripped the flesh and tore at the hearts. Any produce which escaped would no doubtedly be bruised and unable to be sold.


So when the hail started tonight, my heart thumped momentarily and my breathing got shallower. Then I remembered I was in the middle of suburbia.

I rushed my Pjamed kids outside and under the tin roof and we shreiked at each other trying tobe heard above the racket. We picked up icy stones and popped them in our mouths and watched as our lawn was carpeted in white pearls.

After the torrid of rain had settled, Morgan and Lilly took bowls out onto the lawn and collected the biggest stones.

It was like frozen peas - but without the peas they noted...

A day at the Zoo

I had originally planned to take a bus to Phuket town and then get a tuk tuk to the zoo – but was feeling a bit crappy so decided just to get a tuk tuk directly to the zoo from my hotel. I knew anything I caught along the beach front would be overpriced – so cut in through some back streets and went a bit inland. After disagreeing with a few drivers on the price I walked away and one called after me that he’d take me. I knew I had the upper hand as it was early in the day with very little business likely to pick up within the next 2 hours. I was surmised and a bit embarrassed that my tuk tuk turned out to be a brand new merc – leather interior and airconned. Pok was very polite and offered to pick me up and take me back for the same amount. He said he’d wait outside for me – but I told him to go and make some money and exchanged mobile numbers telling him I’d be out at a specific time or would call him.

The Zoo itself is very old, tired and shabby and fantastic. The grounds are meticulously kept clipped, raked and tidied. The cages are old and in many cases you can feed the animals by hand.. including the crocodiles. Animal feed selling stations are everywhere – 20 baht by an honesty system – bananas, seeds, smelly frozen fish, meat – whatever the animals are likely to want to eat – is sold near their cages.

I went in fully understanding that everything I went to see would cost extra – but for the uninitiated, this might seem that you pay to go in and then are constantly handing over small amounts of money the whole day. Well you are and it doesn’t matter. This zoo really is one of a kind and must see.

The very first thing I did was walk to the elephants – but was waylaid by the most magnificent tiger, just sprawled out on a throne slab. 200baht to take a photo of him. My luck with anything touristy was well with me today. Another Australian couple and I were the only visitors for over an hour. As it was so quiet, the tamer let me sit near the tiger and pat him on the head and he took a photo of me. He took a few photos with my camera and then got the other couple to sit with tiger. I took some shots myself and was about to go when the tamer called me over and patted the spot in front of the tiger. He told me to slowly slowly walk and sit. He then said “Lady lie down on tiger”… so I did. I must have moved a bit fast as the next thing I knew I had the jaws of the tiger and his hot stinky breath within centimeters of my nose. The tiger roared.

You know how time slows down and a million things go through your head. The first thing I thought was crap. It’s the monkey thing again – this time my head is going to ripped off. ( on my 30th birthday we were in Gibraltar. I was feeding an ape and it decided it didn’t like me and rushed me and took a chunk out of my shoulder. I have some cool scars after that one.) Next was – oh well – Adrian would be impressed.( he loves tigers above all animals)

The tamer shouted at the tiger and hit him on the nose with his bamboo stick. I looked up at the tamer and realized for the first time that he only had one arm. I had to try very hard not to burst into a fit of hysteria.

Its kind of a pity the tamer didn’t take photos during that time, but he’d dropped my camera to pick his stick up - so I only have ones from before and the strained look afterwards.

I gave the tamer 100baht as a tip and reckon I got out of that cheaply!

The crocodile show was amazing. Those guys are completely insane. Four large croc in water and they are either in the water with them on sitting on them or putting their heads inside their mouths. One stunt this guy does is the croc is on land and facing him with his mouth open. The guy takes a running leap and slides along the ground on his stomach and stops with his head inside the croc mouth. Insane.

The elephant show was pretty cool, along with balancing and dancing to rock music, they played instruments, kicked soccer balls and put basket balls into the hoops. The coolest thing was them painting. The elephants had paintbrushes in their trunks and then chose a colour and walked over to a big easel and started painting. How cool is that? Afterwards they auctioned them off and I bought two – one drew flowers and the other swirls. I think the kids would really like them framed and in their rooms. I doubt many people can say they have art by an elephant!

I even had my photo taken with the elephant that painted the picture and it ‘kissed’ me with its trunk! Man the trunks are so weird – tough and hard and kind of squiggy and hairy too.

I have to say the monkey show was a bit upsetting. Not badly – but just sad in a way. I understand that people want to see performing monkeys and its not even that they are treated badly. I saw in the back – beyond where tourists would normally see, the tamers being very affectionate and connecting with the monkeys while they were waiting to go onto the stage. I guess its not really up to us to judge – different culture and different rules. Also I guess, if tourists didn’t pay or want to see this sort of thing – then it would die out. However the thronging amount of tourists about clambering for photos with the monkeys was enough to cut that idea down in flames.

Princess in the Rain today

Phuket is so vibrant it is a living being. Day slides into night the flashing lights the bars that pop up literally out of the sand. Its an incredible place to just be part of, observe the tourists and the locals, drinking in every sense you have.

Every second motorbike you see whizzing down the road has a passenger perched on the bag clutching the hugest package of toilet paper – almost as big as the passenger themselves

Poses the question – is it hard to get – or do you just need a lot of it because of all the curries?

I just had to put this photo in - 4 on a bike - incredible... and I don't think it was much more than a 150cc either.

Today it was sub cyclonic along the beach front. I headed inland so didn’t see just how fierce it was for most of the day. I hired a taxi for the day to take me to the Zoo, the temples, Big Buddah, markets and the pearl farm. However, I decided agianst the Zoo - and did it the next day as a seperate outing - it really woudl not have been a nice day to do anything around the zoo. It was so disgusting – rain gail force winds, it was just a relief to be in the car again and driving, rather than dashing from building to building at the temples. I did persevere though – got so wet.

The Big Buddah usually has spectacular views all over Phucket – but when I was there , I could barely see his feet. The heavy cloud lifted momentarily ( thank you!!) in order for me to take a few shots –but barely that I had done that then the rain and fog ensued.

Its so hard to choose which photos to put up here too - everything was wonderous ( to my eyes at least) the Changmai Temple abounded in Elephant statues ( like many other places) and the richeness of the perfectly kept gardens to the gold edging on the fountains and railings all shouted the respect and reverence these peopel have for thier religion. I took heaps of photos in the temples and gardens - and got totally satched.


I felt like a princess today – chauffeured around visiting gem and jewelry shops. I was totally aware that the places I was being taken woudl have had kick backs tothe taxi driver and was incredibley overpriced... but it was a fun day to be out of the terrible weather.

I tried so many things on – all gorgeous – but even at their cheap cheap prices – so out of what I was comfortable in spending on my self. I loved a simple white gold band inlaid with sapphires and diamonds – worked out to be around $600 and I am sure if I was serious I could have bartered them down a bit more. Adored a string of pearls – black, purple, cream - $150 – matching bracelet $120.

So many necklaces and bangles too I could have just scooped up. It was fun trying them on and despite the rain at the scenic spots and temples.....I'd do it again!