Aug 22

Thailand 2010

The family and I spent 2 excellent weeks in Thailand earlier this month. Seven of us were able to make it in the end – Myself, Zawadi, Amani and Malaika, my daughters Skye and Hayley and Hayley’s fiance James.

[simage=2255,144,n,left,] Zawadi, the little ones and I flew with Oman Air and enjoyed a couple of nights in Bangkok staying at the luxurious Banyan Tree Hotel. I managed to bag Club rooms through Myhotelguru for only $109 a night, including taxes and buffet breakfast! These rooms normally cost more than 3 times this amount. I sent Zawadi off shopping with cash in hand whilst I took Amani and Malaika swimming in the hotel pool and then for a walk to Lumpini Park where they had much fun playing on the equipment until Malaika slipped over in some thick, black mud… Yuk! The walk back to the hotel certainly seemed much longer than the walk to the park, what with Malaika falling asleep in my arms whilst I tried to keep the worst of the mud off me and while hanging on to Amani with one hand. She must weigh close to 20kgs now.

[simage=2270,144,n,right,] We made it back without incident though. For the evening, I had arranged an in-house babysitter and took Zawadi to the Banyan Tree’s rooftop alfresco restaurant Vertigo located on the 61st floor. Magnificent food and views as we celebrated (slightly belatedly) our 6th wedding anniversary. A special evening indeed.

[simage=2291,144,n,left,] We met up with the rest of the group at Krabi airport and then all ventured on to Railay Beach – one of my favourite getaways, staying as usual in Villa Plus rooms at the Sunrise Tropical Resort. Just love it there. Phra Nang beach is so incredibly beautiful. Straight out of a post card.

[simage=2309,144,n,right,] After a few days in Krabi we loaded up in a minivan for the journey to Koh Ngai, a beautiful island in the Trang province. We stayed at the Thanya Resort and loved it. The hotel staff were all so nice, especially the manager Ms Naan and dear Noong in the restaurant. Incredulously we had the whole resort to ourselves for the first couple of days! Actually almost all of the (only) 6 hotels on the island were empty, very different to when I was there in March during the high season.

[simage=2365,144,n,left,] All having had sufficient time to chill-out and unwind, it was time to start and pick up the pace! We caught the overnight express train back to Bangkok, a journey of about 800kms. Apart from the toilets/showers, the train was quite comfortable and we were in Bangkok’s Hua Lamphong central station before we knew it. There a minivan was waiting for us for the 2 hour drive to Pattaya where I’d booked us in to the Hard Rock Hotel. Rock ‘n roll baby!

[simage=2383,144,n,right,] The hotel was a blast and we all enjoyed it since they cater to all ages. Went out to the -5 Ice Bar one evening and drank shots of vodka from glasses made of ice!

[simage=2430,144,n,left,] After 3 nights of Hard Rock, time for a change of tempo. So off we headed to the Khao Kheow Open Zoo where besides tigers and other indigenous wildlife, they also have giraffes, rhinos and other African wildlife! Hayley kindly volunteered to look after Amani and Malaika at the zoo whilst the other 4 of us prepared ourselves for the adrenalin rush about to come… The Flight of the Gibbon experience! Flying by zip-line up to 300 metres between giant rain forest trees over 50 metres high! There are something like 23 zip-lines in all and the experience lasts about 3 hours. Was great fun and I’d love to do it again some time.

[simage=2450,144,n,right,] That evening we did the night safari and got to see the big cats when they’re active – not like in the daytime when all they seem to do is sleep. Was very interesting and we then spent the night at a camping resort called Es-Ta-Te within the zoo boundary. The tents had proper beds, a mini bar and air-conditioning! Pretty civilized actually. Droppings near the tents indicated that ‘wild’ deer had been wandering around during the night. Also a very nice and fairly unique place to stay.

[simage=2454,144,n,left,] With the holiday nearly at an end, it was back into a minivan for the short trip back to Bangkok. We stayed at the Siam Heritage Suites on Surawongse road, near the Montien. It’s an excellent location just around the corner from the Patphong night markets. Rooms were very comfortable and the rates were very reasonable. We prefer to stay in this area of Bangkok at the end of a holiday in Thailand, so that on our last night we can-:

[simage=2487,144,n,right,]
1) Have cocktails at the beautiful Montien hotel lobby bar

2) Go for dinner at Patty’s Fiesta, a somewhat crazy Mexican restaurant at the end of Patphong road, with transvestite waitresses, live music, average food but excellent Margaritas and Daiquiris!

3) Shop until you drop! Enjoying the odd drink whilst absorbing the surreal atmosphere that is Patphong, safe in the knowledge that you won’t need to worry about taxis or tuk-tuks and can simply saunter back to your hotel when you’ve had enough.

And that is exactly what we did :-)

Jun 09

Morgan Cemetery

Recently I wrote about the planned headstone unveiling ceremony and family reunion at Morgan. I wasn’t able to attend myself unfortunately, but did make a monetary contribution towards the headstone for our great grandparents Jack and Emily Kakoschke.

By all accounts the day was a great success. Fund-raising for the headstone was evidently ‘over-subscribed’ by around $300 and the surplus was donated to the Diabetes Association of SA.

I’d like to thank Helen and Rex Kakoschke for providing the following photographs and commentary:

Unveiling Ceremony at Morgan Cemetery

Unveiling Ceremony at Morgan Cemetery

We had a very good day on 18th April – some 45 people present.  Oldest I think was Ron Leedham, and youngest Ken Kakoschke’s daughter Leigh Stewart’s baby boy 10 weeks old.

The trip out to the farm was enlightening and interesting – also went to the Lindley cemetery and ruins of church and School nearby.

The headstone looks very nice.  The appeal to cover costs of this was over-subscribed, and according to the family’s wishes,  I have just posted a cheque to the Diabetes Association of S.A. for $376.95.

The a/c will be closed next week.  We received $1012.95 from the a/c which had moneys in it for the “Kakoschke” book.

The monumental work cost $3350.  Some people thought JFWK may have suffered from diabetes, and it may have contributed to his death, hence the donation to Diabetes Ass.

As soon as I can get assistance with the pictures we took on the day, and reports, they will be emailed to you, as I too think it will be of interest to viewers of the web-site.

Many thanks,  Helen K.

The following article was submitted by Helen Kakoschke to “Morgan Matters” and “Riverland News”;

Rex and Kevin Kakoschke formally unveil the headstone

Rex and Kevin Kakoschke formally unveil the headstone

It was just under two years ago that Rex and Helen Kakoschke, from Yorke Peninsula, were in the Riverland, and decided to visit the grave of Rex’s great-grandfather Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Kakoschke, who came from Rädnitz, Prussia, to Australia on the ship “Edvuard” in 1878.

What Rex found was three mounts of dirt in the Morgan Cemetery – and so began the planning for a permanent memorial to the memory of a man who’s left some eight hundred descendants in this land.

The venture came to fruition on Sunday morning 18th April, 2010, when forty-five descendants gathered at the Cemetery for a short ceremony, and unveiling of the Memorial headstone to Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Kakoschke, who died in February 1915, his wife Emilie Augusta (nee Wittwer, who died in April 1925, and one of their sons Adolph Heinrich Kakoschke (child No. 17), who died in June 1915, aged 10 years.

Unveiling attendees

Unveiling attendees

The oldest direct descendant present was J.W. Ronald Leedham, aged 84, only son of child No 8, Selma (Zellie) Kakoschke, and the youngest was ten-week old baby Kaelen Gibson Stewart, all the way from Melbourne for the weekend, sixth generation of Child No. 1 (Johann Gustav Herrmann (Jack) Kakoschke.

Fifteen of the original eighteen Kakoschke children survived to adulthood, and made homes at nearby Burra, Lameroo or Adelaide.

After lunch at the local Commercial Hotel, most of the group went on a tour, led by Kevin Kakoschke (well known in S.A. for his historical work at Radium Hill) to the Lindley area, to see “Swamp Farm”, as it was named, and the ruins of the Lindley School and church, where they worshipped.

It was clear from the tour that these pioneers of the Morgan district had it tough, and that the people present appreciated and admired their dogged persistence, fortitude and Christian faith in the face of hardships, not experienced by anyone present that day.

As Rex said in his speech at the graveside, “We salute you and say thanks for giving us the chance to be living in a free country and a land of opportunity”.

The following article was submitted by Helen Kakoschke to “Together”, the Lutheran Church Paper:

Headstone

Headstone

Ninety-five years ago in February 1915, Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Kakoschke died at Lindley, near Morgan in South Australia, and was buried a few days later in the Morgan cemetery. He was 64 years old . One son, Adolph Heinrich Kakoschke, aged ten years, died in June that same year.

Friedrich (as he was known according to Mid-Murray Council records) had married Emilie Augusta Wittwer, an Eden Valley girl, born in 1864. She died in 1925, and is also buried in the same plot.

Friedrich and Emilie had eighteen children, fifteen of whom survived to adulthood, and made homes for themselves at nearby Burra, Lameroo and Adelaide. About 800 descendants are now in Australia.

Rex & Helen Kakoschke of Yorke Peninsula, went looking for the graves in 2008, and were disappointed to find them unmarked – and so began the planning for a permanent memorial in their memory.

Rex is a great-grandson of Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Kakoschke, who migrated to Australia from Rädnitz in the Kingdom of Prussia, in 1878, coming out on the ship “Edvuard”. He was 27 years of age. He went to work for Johann Gottfried Wittwer, the father of his future bride, at near Point Pass. It is possible that their families may have known each other in Prussia, as Brody is approximately 14 kms from Rädnitz.

Friedrich and Emilie married in 1880, and settled down at their main property “Swamp Farm” in the Hundred of Lindley, and the family attended the Lutheran church and school at Lindley, the ruins of which are still to be seen alongside the Lindley cemetery, some 15 kms out of Morgan.

On Sunday 18th April 2010, forty-five descendants gathered at the Morgan cemetery for the short ceremony and unveiling of the memorial headstone. Thanksgiving prayers were said, hymn “Now thank we all our God” was recited, and the Australian National Anthem was sung before the headstone was uncovered.

After lunch at the local Hotel, a tour out to the old farm ruins and land was taken. All who went on this tour, realized how difficult Friedrich & Emilie’s life was, hearing again the stories of the hardships of taking up virgin country and working very hard through droughts and good seasons, to provide for their ever-growing family.

So, ninety-five years after his death, a permanent memorial to Friedrich and Emilie has been constructed, and they have been remembered and thanked for their contribution to South Australian history. Thanks be to God, who gave them the strength to endure.

Footnote from Bart:

If you happen to have any old Kakoschke photographs, please contact me.

May 27

Beware of eMail Scammers!

Today I received an email purportedly from an old friend whom I hadn’t heard from for a few years. The email claimed that they were currently in London, had lost their wallet, and needed some urgent financial assistance.

Hmmm… a “little” odd to receive an email of this nature out of the blue.

At first glance the letter looks genuine enough, except for a few grammatical errors, which were enough to raise my suspicions.  Checking the email source code confirmed that the message had indeed been sent from my friend’s email address. However, after examining the message header and using whois to look-up the originator’s IP address, it turned out that whoever had logged-in to her Hotmail account and sent the message was in fact in Lagos, Nigeria!
So it would appear that somehow this person (or more likely persons) have hacked her Hotmail account and very likely are sending this request for financial assistance out to just about every contact in her address book.
So beware! If you receive a message anything like the following, don’t send any money until you verify exactly what’s going on:

Hello,

How are you doing? Sorry I didn’t inform you about my traveling to the United Kingdom, I’m presently in London and am having some difficulties here because i misplaced my wallet on my way to the hotel where my money and other valuable things were kept. I’ll like you to assist me urgently with a loan of (2,560 pounds)o sort-out my hotel bills and to get back home.

I will appreciate whatever you can afford to assist me with, I’ll reimburse you at my return, kindly go to any western union Money transfer outlet and send the money with the information’s below.

Name:*** *******
Address:113 Lambeth Road,
City:london Zip code SE1 7LS
Country: United Kingdom

l will appreciate whatever you can afford to help me now because in a terrible situation since the incident.
Anticipating you reply at the earliest to my request.

Thanks
***.

May 18

Swahili For Kids

Swahili4Kids If you happen to be interested in music for young children, I can highly recommend a beaut CD titled “Tuimbe Pamoja” produced by an organization called Swahili4kids. The songs are lively and have that wonderful African rhythm that makes it hard not to get up and dance – even if you have two left legs like me! Children don’t need to know any Kiswahili at all to enjoy the music.

The CD is not expensive (about $15 plus postage) and importantly 20% of the proceeds go towards helping young musicians in Tanzania. I’m sure your children will appreciate the music and I know that some children in Tanzania will definitely appreciate it too.

The CD may be ordered here Tuimbe Pamoja and if you would like to listen to some samples, MP3s can be previewed via the widget below:


Amani and Malaika love listening to it!

Mar 22

Koh Ngai Thailand

Just back from a short but most enjoyable holiday to one of my favourite places in the world – Krabi Province in southern Thailand. My daughter Jenny flew in from Aus and we spent the days chilling out whilst simultaneously “recharging our batteries”.

It was our first visit to Koh Ngai, but I think I will definitely be going back again soon. I especially love staying at tropical locations where you can go snorkelling without having to take a boat to do so. And Koh Ngai is just such a place – simply walk into the water right in front of your chalet and snorkel to your heart’s content. :-)

We also did a day-trip to the Emerald Cave & Lagoon. What an amazing place. The trip included some other nearby snorkelling sites too, one of which was a reef on the other side of Koh Ngai, which is undeveloped. The snorkelling was just beautiful. (Unfortunately my Panasonic waterproof camera sprung a leak and “died” on our first day, so I wasn’t able to take any underwater photos.)

This Canon EOS photograph though should give you something of an idea of what Koh Ngai is like above water:

Koh Ngai

Koh Ngai

Looks pretty awful, right?

If you’d like to see some more of my photos of Koh Ngai, click here: Koh Ngai

Jenny and I stayed at the Mayalay Resort and we both loved it. Friendly staff, delicious Thai food, excellent frozen smoothies and nice cold Chang beer, not to mention an ambiance that is practically impossible to match.

View from the resort

View from the resort

There are only about 8 hotels on the whole island. More info may be found here: Koh Ngai Hotels

If you have a Bucket List, my advice is to put Koh Ngai on it.

Jan 01

Happy New Year 2010

Still a bit hard to believe, isn’t it? The year being 2010 I mean. Hope you enjoyed your New Year’s celebrations. For us, it was the dinner buffet and dance at the Muscat Intercon Hotel. Great food – awful music! It did begin to improve once the hour of midnight struck, but by then we had to leave to collect the little ones from the babysitter. Overall still a pleasant evening, but would have been better with decent music.

Now for a quick catch-up on recent items of note. I’ve placed a link at the top of the page for Morgan Cemetery. Some Kakoschke descendants are organizing headstones for ancestral graves there and are seeking contributions from other descendants. I’ve contributed and if you too are a descendant of Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Kakoschke hope that you will as well.

In other news, my daughter Skye and her husband Simon joined us here in Muscat for Christmas this year. It’s been great having them here and we took the opportunity to give the Hummer a good workout by doing a 3 day trip to the interior, visiting Jebel Shams, Wadi Damm, ancient (around 5,000 year old) tombs near the village of Bat and the spectacular An Nakhur Gorge with 1,500 metre cliffs rising above you. Awesome! Also, Jebel Misht with nearly sheer cliffs rising to over 2,000m – quite spectacular too and such a pleasure to photograph. I’ve posted some photos to Picasa and below is a slide-show with some of them.


Scenes from Oman (2009) Click picture to view larger size
Well, that’s it for my first post of 2010. Cheers!