From May to October the monsoon winds create great waves for surfing but do also bring all kinds of debris to most beaches on Koh Lanta. Both natural, such as wood and coconuts, and man-made, for example plastic bags and glass bottles. The garbage come from far away as we have found yoghurt cups from Malaysia and plastic packaging from India and the Maldives.

When the winds change directions in November the ocean will bring the garbage back into the sea for another tour around the world. As we would like the sea to be clean we interfere the cycle by doing beach cleanings during the monsoon season. Yesterday we cleaned Pra Ae (Long) Beach in front of the public park.

As you can see, this year the waves have been so strong that the park walkway has been damaged. 

One of our Thai boxing students, Mårten "Superman" came to help.

Many Thai people have Chinese ancestors who came to Thailand for work and business hundreds of years ago. They brought their own traditions which are still honoured and celebrated today. One of the most spectacular festivals that is celebrated in Thailand is Chinese - the Chinese Vegetarian Festival.

The Vegetarian Festival lasts for nine days and during that time the participants keep a strict vegetarian diet which means excluding meat, dairy, eggs, alcohol, onions and garlic from their meals. The purpose of the diet is to purify and cleanse your body. For this reason participants also dress in white clothes and follow special cleanliness and moral rules.

The most fascinating part of this festival is the processions that pass through the towns on their ways to different Chinese temples and shrines. Hundreds of people people dressed in white and yellow join in together with mediums who pierce their bodies (mostly their faces) with knives and other objects. The sound of firecrackers, drums and cymbals are heard from far away.

Chinese families and businesses prepare tables with flowers, food and offerings that are blessed by the mediums when the processions pass by. The mediums then continue to perform unbelievable feats such as walking barefoot on burning charcoal and climbing ladders with rungs made of sharp blades.

On Lanta the biggest celebration takes place in Old Town and we are now preparing for our trip there on October 29th. Please sign up at the reception if you would like to join.

Below you can see some photos from previous years. If you don't like to see a man with a knife through his cheeks you should click away from this page.

Last weekend we went jungle trekking to the waterfall in the southern part of Koh Lanta. Some of us chose to ride on the elephants that are working in the area. When we arrived to the waterfall, all hot and sweaty after the walk, it was great to take a shower and a relaxing soak in the cool water.