We had just moved into the new house for about a week, when I headed back to Canada to do some business. Having left the wonderful plus 32 degrees(C) I stayed in Mission, where it managed to get to about 10 degrees, albeit in the terminal grey cloudy rain-filled days, and dark by 4PM. I left to go back to Saskatchewan to see my family and managed to bring with me a warm front that had the temperatures soar to neat 0 degrees. The downside was of course that this produced rain and within 24 hours the temperatures had dropped to minus 35 degree's, turning the roadways into virtual frozen skating rinks.
Meanwhile in Rawai, Clive, the dogs and cat were getting their routines established and the house organized. Having gone through the massive downsizing we did to come here from Canada, we have become very materialistic possession averse. Almost to the verge of paranoia, whereby we evaluate every possession purchase to determine if it is a need or a want. The wants seem to loose out, and the needs get assessed and evaluated for the value added factor.
Clive managed to ensure the dogs got their walks and avoided any snake encounters. He did become familiar with the local rubber tree plantation, as he had decided to allow the pups to wander the moo for a sniff around. Annie decided this was a great opportunity to check out the rubber tree's. Normally not an issue, except that at this time of the year the plantation is high with grasses and vegetation, and of course provided excellent ground cover for the snakes.
I think however that the amount of noise and movement probably made any snakes head for deeper cover.
The hounds have discovered these wonderful small trails that lead from the highlands and the coconut grove to the shoreline. They bound down the rocks to the waterfront searching for crabs, as usual. The crabs however I have noticed are very adapt at detecting anything approaching their territory and as soon as one crab spots movement they all head underwater. This is not much cover, as Dixie will plunge headfirst underwater looking for them, sputtering out salt water in her effort to catch her crabs. And on occasion she has been fortunate enough to enjoy a fresh crab breakfast.
Grace in the meanwhile has discovered that she can work her way out, on low tide, to a rock outcropping about 2 meters from the shoreline. In her exuberance to get out looking for crabs, the distance and depth do not seem to be a problem. Coming back to shore however is another matter. With her pacing the outcrop for a place to step off, but if there is water of any depth she simply sits down and whines. I liken her to Ginger from the television show Gilligan's Island. If however you wade out (mid calf depth) to the rock outcropping and take hold of her halter, she will plunge and actually swim back to the shore line. Shaking off the water and looking at you as if to say "what the hell took you so long to come and rescue me".
The area is usually also bound to turn up someone on the rocks casting their fishing lines. The area is very close to what is locally referred to as the sea gypsy village. It is basically a small community where people make a living from the ocean. They have a small area on the roadway in Rawai where they sell their fresh daily catch of yellow finned tuna and other local fish, sea shells and pearls. And, as Annie has discovered, one of the rock outcrops seems to also be the local toilet, where she has proven adapt at finding human excrement. Once discovered and eaten, she bounds towards you tail in the air wagging away and looking to give you a kiss. The bigger issue is the other three learning of Annie's delicacy discovery, and thwarting three other bassets from partaking in the newly discovered feast.
It was not for a while until one day when Clive was walking the hounds, and saw a man actually drop his drawers and have a poop that the real source of her discovery was unveiled.
Last week as Clive took them for their walk, he came across a smashed up long tail boat on the rocks. Clive and the hounds explored their discovery and imagined the dramatic events that resulted in this boat smashed into three sections along the jagged shoreline, and many many articles of clothing scattered along the rocks. There had been a few days of very high winds and he had heard a report of the discovery of a dead man in the waters off Rawai, presumed to be a fisherman. The dress code for the fishermen is apparently a pair of Speedo like bathers, and a T-shirt. So the belief was that it had been an unfortunate fisherman who had been bashed ashore and drowned. And then the Phuket Gazette went to press and revealed that a number of refugees from Myanmar (Burma) had washed ashore at Rawai.http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2011/article9913.html
Since that time, we have taken the hounds for daily walks and continue to find clothing, toiletries and address books scattered along the shoreline and the trails up the hills from the beachfront.
As I had said in an earlier posting we have moved to the community of Rawai. We live in close proximity Muslim mosque, and are sometimes awakened to the sounds of the call to prayer at daybreak. Some days I wake to it and other days I seem to not be stirred at all. While it is a bit of a surprise, it is actually a soothing sound and the rhythmic chanting soon lulls me back to sleep. Clive however once awakened is wide awake, so it is proving to be his daily alarm clock. The mosque has several calls to prayer in the daytime and then again at dusk. We have become quite accustomed to it, and unlike some of the other foreigners who live in the area and find it a source of annoyance, we find it comforting, and a reminder that we live in a very diverse country.
One evening Clive decided that he would like to have a beer, and being the walker/runner that he is, he headed to the main road to get some at one of the local shops. The reality of our neighborhood came home to rest, as most of the shops do not sell alcohol. As he strolled he saw a baby shop, where they sell toys, cribs and clothing for babies. Outside the shop they have a large cooler, and they sell beer! So now to get a beer we head to the baby shop.
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