Elephants, Canoes and Jetskis 象、カヌーとジェットスキー (キャプション付き)

[edtomorrow]

Hahaah!!! That great! Ive been to Phukett many many times!!! First time was for work during the Tsunami and been back every year since. I dont know about the elephant trek but I've done the same canoe trip. Didnt see any monkeys though. But yeah I love Phuket to death. My best friend met his wife there. I have ideas of living there one day. And going back and forth to Japan!!! LOL!! Ive made a video that I havent posted yet.. One day.. Cheers!!

[chick5581]

At this-> &TBPDQUOpoint-in-time&TBPDQUO I could care-less about another soldier-dieing for our-causes in the war on terror

[shadowfoe]

wow cool!.. it definitely brings back memories when i was in phuket in Nov 07.. stayed in hotel near bangtao beach, swam in laem sing, rode elephants, para-sailing in patong, snorkel in ko phi phi.. its good to see that the place hasn't changed much.. would love to go there again..

[Hikosaemon]

Sweet! Wow, snap! I was near Bangtao as well - it's a bit more relaxed up there than down in Patong. I can't wait to go back myself.

Peace

[BusanKevin]

Looked like a pretty wonderful way to spend Xmas!

[Hikosaemon]

Dude! No complaints AT ALL here ;)

What can I say, it was magic. I prefer "hot christmases" to begin with being from the Southern Hemisphere - and to get family and traditional food at the same time as all the stuff in this vid and some amazing Thai food, is all more than you could ask for. Hope you and your family had a good break mate, and heres to catching up in person sometime this year!

Peace

[BusanKevin]

Yep, looks like you had the best of both worlds....warm weather and traditional food. I have to admit that while I do miss many aspects of Christmas in Canada (mostly family and friends) I don't miss the -15 and colder temperatures!

I look forward to meeting up in person sometime soon as well :)

[sirsanuk]

nice to see you in my part of the world.. did you get to keep your Japanese fresh with any Japanese tourists in Phuket? :)

[Hikosaemon]

Sirsanuk, you are a very lucky man to be from that part of the world! Unfortunately, Phuket had been hit a bit hard by cancellations by tourists over the trouble at the airport in Bangkok, so it was not as busy as usual, which is bad for the people there of course. There were Japanese here and there. I hope that some Japanese people who watch this will want to go and see for themselves!

Peace

[Ilovegrapefruit]

うわぁ、象にのるとこんなに高いの？！

上からと、下からじゃ景色が全然違いそう！！

[Hikosaemon]

うん、本当に動いている家の上に座っているような高さだよ！

しかも、ペースはゆっくりだし、大きいから坂を登る時、像が足で­調整して角度を優しくするから本当に楽で楽しい。

後、俺は83キロで首の上に座るのも心配だったけどさすが像は平­気そうでしたね。

本当に最高でした！

Peace

[Ilovegrapefruit]

はは。象さん、力持ち!!

タイの象に会いに行きたくなりました(n_n)

[Dino2jp]

タイは素敵な所ですね。個人的にアユタヤが好きでした。懐かしい­・・・ビデオを見て行きたくなってしまった。

今年もよろしくお願いします。＾＾　旧 DinoJP

[Hikosaemon]

タイは本当に良いですよねぇ（笑）

うちの嫁がアユタヤに行った事があって、結構薦めているので、俺­ も今度チェックしなきゃ！

今年も是非よろしくお願いしますね！

Peace

[TokyoEnglishClub]

あけましておめでとうございます！　今年もよろしくおねがいします　＾＾　And thanks for the comment on the video!

[Hikosaemon]

明けおめぇ！是非、今年もよろしくね！

And no worries, I was impressed with the preparation you did on your vid - it looked really professional. Looks like an exciting year ahead for you man... Go for it!

Peace

[TaishaJason]

hmmm... stay under my kotatsu for 10 days or go to a tropical paradise.... I wonder who had a better vacation... LOL

Nice vid! :D

[Hikosaemon]

Jas mate! Haha, don't understate the wonders of the kotatsu. I liked them so much I got a bargain one for 8000 yen from a local appliance shop and took it to NZ where I used it for 2 years. With a power transformer that cost 40,000 yen.... Looking forward to catching up when you swing into Tokyo, man!

Happy New Year!

Peace

[hammerfromozz]

Hey mate,

Nice vid. I loved thailand so much i lived there for a year. Phang Nga was my favourite down at phuket. I also recomend Koh Tao. Near the Malaysian Boarder. So nice and not to hard to get too. Especially as you have family there, lucky buggar.

As for the Board. It is called a paddleboard. Guys actually do surf on them in waves. Really hard to balance on though. not sure why.

[Hikosaemon]

Maaaate! ;)

You're a lucky man to have lived there. I've been to Phuket about 5 or 6 times now, but this was my first trip to Phang Nga (I know, I know...) Now of course I totally regret leaving it so long. Koh Tao is a new one to me - I will definitely look into checking it out when I next head back. Thanks for the info on the paddleboard too - something I have to try now!

Cheers mate, and thanks for the nice comment!

Peace

[chris41188]

thailand! i though that was too obvious

im spending christmas in japan

all my friends were workng tho!

but new years in tokyo was amazing

[Hikosaemon]

Haha, sometimes obvious is best ;)

Glad to hear you had a great new years - did you get out and do anything? I've done 8 New Years/working christmases in Japan so I thought I'd take a break this year. Glad to hear you had a good one and have a great 2009!

Peace

[darkcomadreja]

Hi Hikosaemon!

Thanks for sharing your adventure with family ^_^ I enjoyed it very much, it was beautiful. Happy New Year may you get above all else tons of health this year. Peace!

[Hikosaemon]

Darkcomadreja, a very happy new year to you, and thank you for all your nice comments and support! I wish you a very happy and fulfilling 2009!

Peace

[anfield22]

dude... is that pavlova?

very kiwi =D

[Hikosaemon]

LOL, awesome! I am so glad you noticed that =D

Yes, that IS pavlova, and it is VERY KIWI...

It is also the source of endless christmas dinner arguments between my Australian and Kiwi relatives...

It was a perfect Kiwi Xmas for me.

Peace

[fatblueman]

wow. just wow. またタイへ行きたいなぁぁ。。。

[Hikosaemon]

Thai rocks man - glad you liked it!

Peace

[runnyrunny999]

Hiko's daddy 実家がThaiにあるなんてまたいつでも行ける環境が羨ましい。

What a nice vacation! I like the climate in Thailand that you still can get in the water when we are freezing here in Japan. Oh you are Kiwi so it's just a common matter!!

[Hikosaemon]

うん、恵まれているのが分かっていますよ。カナリ最高です♪

And actually, for me Xmas is meant to be hot, lazy and spent by the beach or swimming pools, so this was perfect for me :-)

Peace

[DreamAcademyJapan]

That seemed like it was a very nice vacation. I am jealous! I was stuck here in Japan this year and did not go anywhere. Just cleaned the house.

[Hikosaemon]

Haha, that is what I do most years - this was a good chance to get away, and I made the most of the time there. I'm looking forward to seeing your videos this year.

Peace!

[runeblades]

man it looks so nice and peacefull overthere.

the food looked amazing btw!

[Hikosaemon]

The food in Thailand is insane! And don't get fooled into thinking it is all chilli and coriander. In Phuket in particular, the fresh seafood is off the hook, and the way they use herbs for food that is and isn't spicy is crazy. I think the diet is a big part of why Thais live to be nearly as old as Japanese, even though many of them live in much less well off conditions. Thanks for the comment!

Peace

[Daichen]

Phil Collins rock!! でもウケるw

Man Thailand looks like a fun place to be. I'm jealous that you got to ride on the elephant and saw all the monkeys! Jealous!!

Glad you had fun. Happy New Year Hiko!

[Hikosaemon]

Haha, it was a nice way to do Xmas - and I must admit, I don't mind Phil Collins at all... just a little unexpected ;)

Happy New Year Daichen! By the way, I got contacted recently about a documentary project some people are putting together about you... Not sure what it's all about tho...

[Daichen]

really? I sure hope you didn't talk about the time when I called you sheep @$#%&*.....

[Hikosaemon]

oh...

[APOKALYPSE34]

A new meaning to surf 4:12 .

Looks great I hope one day to vist Thailand.

Thanks for shareing your New year funn with us!

Best wish in 2009!

[Hikosaemon]

Actually, that really intrigued me - I don't know what kind of board it was (to floaty to be a surfboard, no footholders to be a windsurf board) but I really wanted to try it out... Something to try on my next trip!

Glad you liked it, and best wishes for a great 2009 to you!

Peace

[Hikosaemon]

Doh! Bilingual captions are now loaded, so enjoy!

Peace

[watsursnbaby]

Wow wow wow Hiko. What an amazing time that must of been. Thanks for sharing.

[Hikosaemon]

Haha, it was a fantastic trip. Can't wait to get back there again...

Peace

[cather333]

Hello Hiko,

Oh you was in Thailand !

The country of my cousin Eilein, lives.

Your video is wonderful Hiko.

We saw here so many beautiful places.

Look's like you did a very nice trip, I am so glad for you dear.

Thank's for sharing.

Happy New-Years 2009 my friend.

Catherine ♥

[Hikosaemon]

Catherine! I was hoping you would enjoy it;)

Your cousin is very lucky, I think.

Happy New Year and a happy 2009 to you!

Peace

[cather333]

Oh yes Hiko, this a real good video.

Yes, she is so lucky,you'r right.

It is a little bit to hot for me overthere, but it's a so lovely country.

Thank's for answer me.

All the best in 2009

Catherine ☺♥☺

[sassy8girl]

wah i got it wrong

[Hikosaemon]

Haha, I thought everyone did a pretty impressive job guessing based on what I gave!

[oborogin]

Hey buddy!

It is really coo0ool vid.

I wanna visit there in the near future.

Thank you for sharing...

Let's hang in each other this year as well.

Have a good one!!

[Hikosaemon]

Mate! Definitely looking forward to keeping in touch this year and glad you liked the vid!

Peace

[anarchistnation69]

This is just amazing, I'll have to add Thailand to my list of places to visit.

[Hikosaemon]

I can't recommend Thailand enough. A place I seriously think I'd like to retire - medical care there is meant to be on a par with Singapore.

Peace

[yokaijosh]

Well, I've been to Bangkok and Chiang Mai in the north but now I regret not going to Phuket. It looks beautiful.

[Hikosaemon]

Phuket is Magic - I do love Bangkok though too, and have always wanted to visit Chiang Mai. Phuket though I can't recommend enough. The best thing is hard to show in the video - the people are just really nice and easygoing, more so I find than anywhere else in SE Asia. Thanks for the comment!

Peace

[yokaijosh]

I have found that to be true everywhere in Thailand. I'll certainly put Phuket on my "List of Places I Want To Go Before I Die"