Ligaya in West Thailand Ao Po and the area around the marina. |
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The Ao Po Marina is in the north east of the island of Phuket - where the numbers are clustered in the picture. I am trying to explore as much of the island as I can by bike - my tracks are shown in blue. The infamous Patong is bottom left of the picture, and the main town of Phuket bottom right. |
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We arrived in the rainy season, which normally finishes around the beginning of November. We have had lots of rain and some spectacular sunsets. | |||||||||||||
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Although Thailand is a Buddhist country, this part of Phuket is a strongly Muslim. There are two small villages. The main industry is fishing, and the support of the fishing industry. | |||||||||||||
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Where there are boats there will be boat builders. These two guys re-planked most of a long-tail boat, working on the beach, with very basic tools. | |||||||||||||
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There is a scattering of abandoned boats on the beach. Some in a better state than others, | ||||||||||||||
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Every time that the boats come back in, the nets have to be cleaned, removing the crabs and shells that get caught in the mesh. It seems to be quite a social event, with plenty of banter going on between the people. | ||||||||||||||
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This young fellow was being encouraged to learn the art of net untangling. Always best to start them young. | ||||||||||||||
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While the nets are being cleaned and sorted, often the fishermen take their ease and just keep an eye on proceedings. | ||||||||||||||
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This man makes big crab-pots. I often see him working inside a pot, as he adds the finishing touches. I'd say he makes about two a week. | ||||||||||||||
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Along the beach houses, bars and restaurants are built out on stilts over the beach. Some are better built and maintained than others. | ||||||||||||||
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The tidal range here is a couple of meters and the shallow water goes a long way offshore. The long-tails are limited by the tide as to when they can go our and when they can return. | ||||||||||||||
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There is quite a large group of sea-gypsies living out in the bay. Some times they bring their house in to the beach, maybe to go shopping or to trade their catch. Most, like this one, have a run at the back of the boat for birds. This one had ducks, but most seem to keep chickens. When I take an early morning walk along the beach, it is weird to hear lots of cocks crowing from far out to sea. |
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This house is well set up, with a long-tail boat pulled up beside the house and a crab pot on the beach ready to go. | ||||||||||||||
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Scattered along the beach are many hammocks. It is rare not to see somebody taking their ease in a communal hammock. This girl is acquiring the art of relaxation at an early age. | ||||||||||||||
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Away from the beach there are several small hamlets, and I often see this man doing his rounds selling a variety of brushes. | ||||||||||||||
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There are plenty of buffalo in this area. I do not know if these are water-buffalo, but they certainly seemed to be enjoying the wet weather we had. I have learned to be wary of going too fast on my bike round a blind bend - I have been surprised a few times by groups of buffalo wandering up the road. |
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It is still odd to me as to how many very modest houses in the middle of nowhere have a big dish to get TV reception. | ||||||||||||||
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Outside of the towns, very few houses have running water. You often see people bathing under a communal tap in the mornings. This is the municipal laundry. I pass this on my early morning rides. It is sobering to think that Patong, with all of it's excesses is a scant 30 kms or so from here. |
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