VIIII. Koh Samui
After three decades of being settled in Nepal, the centre of the culture he portrayed so well Rob moved to Koh Samui, Thailand with his wife Lieve, where he designed the Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and an exquisite home for themselves that encompassed huge hillside boulders, lush trees and sublime views overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. As the inside trees grew, so did the building, with some roof sections rebuilt several times to accommodate the surging foliage.
Rob painted huts precariously balanced on bamboo stilts pressed against the rocks at the nearby Koh Sii Koh Haa (Five Islands), as well as dramatic rainstorms that would obscure the view of the sea from his house like a giant curtain. Rob also documented tools used by local fishermen, including their boats with their strings of bright green lights used to lure squid during nighttime fishing expeditions.
