I owe
you all an update of what I did during my 8th month post ops.
I am very slow to update my blog. I have being busy in my normal
daily lives juggle with my job as a database administrator in a
financial Institute and do frequent swimming as my physiotherapy.
Working in the IT field in the financial Institute take care of
production environment is very challenging. Many of times we need to
sacrifice our sleep as maintenance slots is only available for us
after the system have finish serving the customers.
Scoliosis
started to enter into my body ever since I am about 10 years old. The
long list physiology effects of scoliosis experiencing low self
image, dislike people to take candid shots of me, feel left out, feel
so different/ugly due to body deformed, back-ache, muscle soreness,
I fully understand and know them well. Ever since the spinal fusion
for scoliosis that I had gone through, I have a better posture, in
additional to that the unexplainable
muscle soreness and the weird back-ache have also lifted off from me.
“Given/constructed back with a new spine”, it is like being
granted with a new lease of life. As I am experiencing the benefits
of medical help on my scoliosis I wish no others scoliocian continue
to be ignorant, lack of awareness, shun away from the society suffer
in silent. So in my free time with this new life and new spine I do
give back to spread awareness of scoliosis, sharing my scoliosis
journey, support another scoliosis patients and their families.
Able to help another person who is having the same spine deformities
like me gives me a very nice satisfy rewarding feel.
With
this heavy pack daily schedule unknowingly I am heading towards my 13th
months post ops. Now I have to re-track my mind on my birding
holiday trip that I did during my 8th months post ops.
This
spine surgery that I took on 17th Feb 2014, hearing my spine doctor said
“You are now only allowed to carry/lifting less than 3 kg until
your spine is fuse...”, it is like pronouncing to a hyper active
small kid “you need to be grounded...No further question until
further notice...”. It has seems to be my annual ritual since a few year already that during mid Oct till end of Oct I will be at Chumphon, Thailand.
This year I did not secure my flight ticket to Surat Thani in order for me to land at Chumphon. To me this year Chumphon trip is my wishful thinking. I console myself “It is OK that this year I am unable to witness flocks and flocks of many thousand of Black Baza migrating. However my birding friend (Mr Lam) keep tab on my recovery progress. This year he has the intention to drive about 1,200 KM per way from where he is base to Chumphon. Mr Lam keep persuade and invited me to be in his car. I was hesitating at first. On my 6th mth post ops based on my full spine X-ray my spine doctor told me that my spine is fussing in progress. My weight lifting or carry things of less than 3kg has lifted off. This is indeed a good news cause the less than 3kg weight restriction rule me out of whatsoever holiday.
Mr Lam assured me that there will be many Malaysian birders friends who are also in this trip will look after this "new titanium lady”. It will be a free and easy trip with no fixed itinerary. We will make many stop over just in case my back could not handle the long car journey. The word "Free, Easy and we are not bound in fixed itinerary sound very ideal to me. So I agree to spend my annual “a must to have a long stretch of days where we keep away from office" to be one of his car passenger.
This year I did not secure my flight ticket to Surat Thani in order for me to land at Chumphon. To me this year Chumphon trip is my wishful thinking. I console myself “It is OK that this year I am unable to witness flocks and flocks of many thousand of Black Baza migrating. However my birding friend (Mr Lam) keep tab on my recovery progress. This year he has the intention to drive about 1,200 KM per way from where he is base to Chumphon. Mr Lam keep persuade and invited me to be in his car. I was hesitating at first. On my 6th mth post ops based on my full spine X-ray my spine doctor told me that my spine is fussing in progress. My weight lifting or carry things of less than 3kg has lifted off. This is indeed a good news cause the less than 3kg weight restriction rule me out of whatsoever holiday.
Mr Lam assured me that there will be many Malaysian birders friends who are also in this trip will look after this "new titanium lady”. It will be a free and easy trip with no fixed itinerary. We will make many stop over just in case my back could not handle the long car journey. The word "Free, Easy and we are not bound in fixed itinerary sound very ideal to me. So I agree to spend my annual “a must to have a long stretch of days where we keep away from office" to be one of his car passenger.
As
the days approaching, he has collected 2 more others passengers, so
we have a full car load. I keep repeating the words Chumphon a few
times. Many of you would wonder what foreign word is that ? Where
is this place?
Where
is Chumphon (pronounce as choom-pond) ?
Chumphon
is located in the narrow land-bridge connecting the Peninsular Malaysia with Thailand. With the geographical coordinates of 10º
30´0 North, 99º 10´ East. This place is midway of Bangkok and
Hatyai. Chumphon is in between Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand.
Chumphon is the gateway to the Archipelago Koh Samui, Koh Tao, Koh
Phangnan
Your
choice of accommodation are range from affordable guesthouse, hotel
room to luxurious resort/posh hotel room. The location also for your
preference at Chumphon city or along the quiet holiday clean beach of
Thung Wae Lean beach (Mueang Pathio) about 15km from Chumphon city. Thung Wae Lean beach is peacefully quite and beautiful. The good thing is not crowded as this place not a popular tourist spot.
Click here to watch a fraction of a very Large flocks of Black Baza on flight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVxCjvf2D5Q&feature=youtu.be
The
journey back to Malaysia we depart from Albaratos on 31st
of Oct 2014 at 4.30am Malaysian time. 3:20pm we are Malaysian's
Custom. This time we stop overnight at Taiping rather than rush down
back to KL.
http://chumphon.sawadee.com/attractions.html
Food
As this place is near the coast, you would not want to miss the seafood when you are there.
Food
As this place is near the coast, you would not want to miss the seafood when you are there.
How
to get to Chumphon?
1. By
Flight
Chumphon's
domestic airport is located at Muaeng(district) Pathio about 30km
from Chumphon city. Nok Air the Thailand low cost airlines is
serving this route and the flight duration is 1 hour from Don Mueang.
Overnight nearby at Don Mueang (Bangkok) may be necessary if you
doing connecting flight to match with your flight schedule. http://www.nokair.com/nokconnext/aspx/flightschedule.aspx
Alternatives
Airport you may consider are Phuket, Don Mueang, Suvarbhumi and Surat
Thani. The
distance of land transfer, your budget, your convenience, how much
traveling time you have and what you want to see along the way will
determine your choice.
For
me the journey from KL, I will choose Surat Thani.
The
big birding holiday trip I did is in October year 2012 . That is
also to Chumphon. That time I travel on my own, parked my car at
terminal bersepadu bersatu get into the bus to head to LCCT, took a
flight to Surat Thani then continue the journey by van to Chumphon
town. To land myself to the guesthouse I took motorcycle taxi from
Chumphon town. I was traveling with 3 bags (1 suitcase, 1 laptop bag
and 1 backpack fully loaded with my camera, lens and binoculars). I
manage to travel all the way alone with just of my very limited thai
vocabulary.
2. By Train
This
land mode of traveling require longer time to reach your destination.
There is a railway network connection stretch from Singapore to
Thailand passing by Peninsular Malaysia.
 |
| http://www.seat61.com/Map-southeast-asia-train-routes.htm#.VQbPeo6UfVI |
3. By
Car
The
Asian Highway also known as Great Asian Highway the main intention is
using land transport infrastructure to interconnect Asian land.
The
abbreviation of AH (Asian Highway) followed by the digit number is
assigned to indicate the route.
AH2 (Asian Highway 2)
AH2 (Asian Highway 2)
3,177KM
is from Denpasar, Indonesia to Merak Indonesia, Singapore, Peninsular
Malaysia, Thailand and then leads to khosravi (Iran).
 |
| To include meal break and toilet break you need 15-16hrs |
Where
to stay at Chumphon?
This is the second time I stayed in this guesthouse
 |
This is a two bungalow lot, the one on our right is non-aircon.
Per room is only 350 baht. All the rooms are WIFI enabled.
The speed of the WIFI is so much faster than our Telekom Unifi
 |
This is thung wae lean beach
|
 |
| The fisherman village at Sapli Pathio District Chumphon |
 |
| At Tung Wae Lean beach |
My birding trip from 18th of Oct 2014 - 31st of Oct 2014
I
wish to thank Dr Lim for extending his hospitality to me by
hosting me one night at his house. It is so happen that his house
location will ease Mr Lam to pick me up. Even though I have being to
Chumphon numerous times but this is my first time pack along as
passenger all the way from KL, Malaysia. I remember very well as I
was packing on top of the excitement I also have thoughts wondering
how are we going to compromise each others living with harmony for
two weeks. Before we start the journey I offer to pray for all
asking for God's covering cause we need safe journey, the cars in
good condition, all of us have good health throughout the trip, have
an enjoyable trip and living harmoniously with each other.
On
18th of Oct 2014, three cars fully loaded with the
passengers and our luggage convoy all the way from Malaysia. All of
us are full of excitement and we did 16hrs drive to reached Chumphon
on the same day. For me to be there I wish to thank Mr Lam who made
the tiring journey of “driving and driving and keep driving of
wondering when are we reaching Chumphon” that day.
From
my scratch book this is what I recorded.
We
left Dr Lim's house at 6:30am, reached Rawang R&R @7:05am, push
off from Rawang R&R @7.30am.
 |
| I took a break from my normal high calcium breakfast menu today. |
At 9:50am we are Bkt Gantang for
toilet break. We left Bkt Gantang R&R @10am and @12noon we left
Changlun after we had our lunch and settled the cars permit and
insurance to enter Thailand. @1:25pm
we are at Immigration Malaysia
to present our Malaysia passport. @2pm we are done with presenting
our passport, cars permit and insurance coverage at Immigration of
Thailand office at Sadoo Thailand. @3.05pm I saw 102 sign board of
Pathalong. @4.05pm we have out toilet break at PT petrol station
where Pathalong is about 28KM.
@4.25pm I saw the sign board leading
to Thale Noi (the first world ramsar site in Thailand). Oops and I
did not record further cause I slept but at 7:15pm (Malaysian Time)
we had our dinner.
 |
| Tssssh..Tssssh.. hot hot.. super hot.. but nice and yummy (aroi) |
 |
| Some of my friends had noodle from this stall. |
Then after about 20mins we push off again, the
sky is getting dark, I sat at the back and I could not see any
further signboard to record. Finally after about 4hrs of driving we
finally arrived at Marakot Hotel @ Malaysian Time 22:00pm. Oooosh
it was indeed a very long car journey.
18th
of October 2014 mark as my 8th months anniversary post
ops. Friends are worry that I have soreness/back ache due to the
long 16 hrs of car journey. I told them unlike those years my back
could not sustain such journey but that day I have no soreness at
all.
19th
of October 2014 it was raining/pouring that morning, all of us from
Mr Lam's car we decided to stroll along Chumphon market as a normal
tourist rather than head to Khao Dinsor.
Some of the scenes at Chumphon wet market and it's surrounding.
 |
| Zzzzzzzzz.. Is life so slow there? |
 |
| This is Toyota Hilux lock in the cage. Hmmm why does this Hilux need to be in prison? |
 |
| I am impress of the Chinese culture there. They use traditional Chinese character. |
Where
is the site for raptor watching?
Khao
Dinsor 10.63°N
99.28°E
It
was in the year of 2008, a thai birder Chukiat Nualsri notice large
numbers of raptors fly close along the ridge of this mountain
previously a graphite mine. Subsequently the next year with the
financial support from the local government and community this site
has develop into bird watching site. Due to this strategic location
in the Asian flyway birds migration route in early september till
early november we can see a wide range of raptors species fly pass
here.
Ever
since from year 2010 many raptors researchers and bird watches from
various places all over the world make it a point to be there to
witness and to study the raptors migrations pattern. We have noted
that there are 25 species that fly pass annually. Each year the
species continue to increase as someone would record a rare species.
I
also want to thank Sam Liong as some days he will help me to carry my
back-pack of photography gears. There are days I carry it myself on
my back. As my coronal plane and sagittal plane has being corrected,
this year of walking up and down I don't feel the soreness, pelvic
pain and breathless. I am like a new person.
 |
| Black-Baza is the icon for Khao Dinsor |
 |
| This is the scene at platform 1 |
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| It is totally a different feel compare the previous time I was standing here. |
 |
| This is the night scene Those small spots of lighting are the fisherman doing squid catching.
The following is only a small portion of birds photo that I harvest from this trip. I could not insert all in this blog.
|
Click here to watch a fraction of a very Large flocks of Black Baza on flight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVxCjvf2D5Q&feature=youtu.be
Nong
Yai area development Royal Project
During
the Raptor festive day Mr Lam brought us to this place. This place
exist and initiated by King Bhumiboi Adulyadej due to the tragedy of
typhoon gay that hit hard on Chumphon in the year of 1989. The large reservoir act to mitigate flooding and also to conserve water to be use during dry season. There are times researcher come to this place to study the wetland ecology.
 |
This is a very small tiny snake. I use my DSLR mount with long lens to capture this.  |
 |
| With great patience I was photographing dragon fly |
I had a great holiday, good company. My birding friends who was with me during this trip. Thank you for your company. I have a wonderful raptors birding holiday, the local food is delicious and most of all the warmness of Thai people will makes me want to go there again.
