Leekpai Bridge

We took a tuktuk to the village of Ban Batu, otherwise known as "Fisherman Village". This is the village that is closest to a bay where the dugongs can be found, and where we saw one last year on 14th February. There is a very long pier, at the end of which is a lookout tower - we can't find any information on the tower, but can only assume that it was erected for the purpose of a dugong watch tower. The pier is called Leekpai Bridge - although it is actually not a bridge. 
The pier is currently undergoing major repair work, as it had become very dilapidated. This work was going on on Sunday, and most of the village seemed to be there to observe. They can work on this only when the tide is out, and then they have to move the machinery again until the next low tide. When they come to putting the concrete in, it will all have to be mixed by hand and carried out there.
On the right are some stilt houses where fishermen live. I expect they will be pleased when the work has been completed as it's very noisy.
In the village we stopped and chatted for ages to a Japanese professor who is there to study the dugongs. We mentioned to him our observations in that there is no point in countries such as the UK stopping plastic bags, when many Asian countries give out plastic bags with every item that is purchased, whether it's a bottle of water or a packet of tissues wrapped in plastic! That's just a start. I could go on for hours on the subject. The professor made notes of our discussion - especially when we said that we now have to pay for bags in the UK. 
The extras are of a fisherman on his porch of one of the stilt houses (with fish drying) watching the repair work, and a very large, dark blue hermit crab, taken with the aid of torchlight outside our bungalow when we were just going out to eat.