2011 Blog;
The Voyages of SV Island Time
21 Dec 2011 - 3 Jan 2012
With the funeral of our friend Russell
Delahaye on the 21st December behind us, and with the bench tops in
Island Time now completed (white with grey marble effect, along with new tap
fittings), we were ready to get out of the marina and head round to Nai Harn Bay
at the bottom of Phuket for Xmas celebrations. This is where we had been
informed that many yachties gather for their Xmas celebrations. We
got there on Xmas eve and found a space in the anchorage which was quite full
with around 60 yachts present. On Xmas morning after using up all our phone
credit calling family back in New Zealand we caught up with various other
yachties we knew in the anchorage enjoying a few drinks with them and sharing
our candy canes which I’d managed to source at one of the supermarkets. The day
ended up being a very low key affair, as despite what we had been told nothing
was “organised” as far as a beach BBQ was concerned or anything else for that
matter. So in the afternoon we made the most of the conditions and location and
headed into the beach to enjoy a bit of body surfing. In the evening a group of
us did gather at a local beachside restaurant to share a meal together, and so I
used the Xmas cake I’d purchased to add some festive flavour to the local
cuisine. 
Daphne from Andiamo II had made plans to
fly home to Australia on New Years Eve so she could make the arrangements for a
memorial service for Russell with family and friends back there. However she
really needed to get their yacht Andiamo back down to Rebak in Langkawi,
Malaysia as it is much cheaper and hassle free to leave a yacht there. She had
made a special impassioned request of Matt to help her and her son Gareth sail
Andiamo back down the coast. So it was back to Boat Lagoon marina
we headed so Matt could complete this task. Matt was gone 3 days and in some
respects it was quite good timing for him to be away as I’d picked up a head
cold. So I spent the time sleeping, reading and cooling off at the marina pools.
In the evening of the 30th December I collected Matt
from the airport after doing a supermarket restock in the afternoon in
anticipation of our return trip back to Malaysia ourselves. On New Years Eve we
headed out of the marina on the high tide to the nearby island of Yang Rai. We
celebrated the New Years by watching a couple of movies in the comfort of our
outdoor cockpit theatre (Matt has organised our external navigation screen so we
can use it for watching movies also), and observed the various fireworks
displays we could see that were going on around the island of Phuket.
26th November -21st
December 2011
Back in Chalong harbour again, we check in with the authorities which now have updated their systems to a computerised system which in the future will make things much faster. We arranged to get a marina berth for a week as we have quite a bit of work to get done on Island Time in preparation for her return trip down under, including getting our two most used sails into Roly Tasker the sail makers for repair, along with our dodger which is becoming unstitched in places and needs re-sewing. We shared the cost of hiring a car for the week with Ivan and Cheryl from Thumbs Up. Whilst waiting for our sails to be repaired, we show Ivan and Cheryl around the island of Phuket taking them to the various highlight spots, beaches, shopping locations, the Big Buddha statue and lookout and up to the national park and Gibbon Sanctuary at the top of the Island. During this week in the marina we sourced the various supplies needed from the chandleries, as there will be very little ready access to these supplies on our return trip until we reach New Zealand or Australia at the end of next year.
When Matt was sorting out repairs for the sails he was offered the opportunity to have a position crewing on one of the Kings Cup Regatta boats during race week 3-10th December. It is a very prestigious event with a large fleet of yachts from all over the Asia region. It seemed too good an opportunity for him to give up, having the chance to sail on a top class modern race boat. While he was doing this I was offered the position of crew/tour guide on Ivan and Cheryl’s yacht “Thumbs Up” to show them around the Hongs and Bays of the Northern Phuket Bay area which we have already been to on several occasions now.
On Thumbs Up I headed out of Royal Phuket Marina on the
early evening tide Saturday 2nd December. The marina is located up a
very shallow mangrove river channel that the two marina’s Boat Lagoon and
Royal Phuket share access to. Unfortunately however they are in dispute with
each other over the issue of dredging the channel. This has resulted in the
channel being well silted up with shifting sand/mud banks that make it difficult
to negotiate. After refuelling at the fuel dock Ivan took Thumbs Up out the
channel but soon got “stuck in the mud” by taking the wrong angle on one corner.
We managed to bounce off this with the surge produced by the waves caused
by the large tourist speed boats returning from their days outings, only to get
stuck again another 500 metres up the channel. Ivan called for a pilot from the
marina at this stage and he was able to safely get us out of the channel. We
spent that night and the next day at the nearby Island of Rang Yai. This is a
pretty little day anchorage that has a small resort offering various activities
for day trippers, along with a pearl demonstration farm and shop.
The next stop was up to visit the various hongs (Hong means ‘hidden room’, and are individual caves inside the structure of the main outer limestone rock formation). We spent 3 days touring the Hongs and then started to make our way back down to Chalong where we planned to meet up with Matt for the final day of racing for Kings Cup Regatta. On the way down we stopped at the Island of Yao Yai which has a lovely eco-resort and a long sandy beach to walk along.
I enjoyed my week crewing/touring with the Thumbs Up crew. It is always interesting being on another yacht and seeing different the facilities/equipment on-board. Also as they say “absence makes the heart grow fonder” – time apart for Matt and I, always helps to rekindle our love and appreciation of each other! – which isn’t a bad thing!
Practice day was very light, so we just did some manoeuvres, (Tacks, gybes, kite up and down various ways –tack set, gybe set, normal drop, kiwi drop etc) to make sure everyone knew their jobs. The conditions were really too light to get to grips with the performance of these boats.
Day one went well, with a win! We had various results throughout the week, ending up with third overall. We had mostly light conditions, but one day with up to about 18knots. We got just over 18 knots boats speed!
TP’s are very fast, up to around 9 knots to weather, at about 35 deg true to the wind, and more than 25 knots downwind in the right conditions. 10 – 14 knots boat speed downwind in 8-10 knots of true wind is normal.
TP’s don’t use Spinnakers, just Gennakers, which are faster on this type of boat. They are really just big dinghies, and sail like a dingy, usually planing. In 18 knots of wind we were on the “heavy” jib!
The fleet was large and diverse, from cruisers, monohull racers, multihulls, dinghies, and even kite boards. There were parties every night, but I avoided those – the young sailors drink too much for me, and our cruisers budget does not allow the expense!
All in all it was a good week, and nice to catch up on some of the newer technology on a TP. Thanks Josh for the opportunity!
Time booked in at Boat Lagoon marina to have work done on replacing the bench
tops, which after 22 years had become very thin and porous and were difficult to
keep clean and hygienic. Whilst this work is being
done we are spending the week in the resort at the marina, as we have no gas or water onboard while the work is being done. The resort has lovely tropical garden grounds and the biggest pool I ever seen at a resort. Along with two massage spa pools.
Andiamo 11, and the loss of Russ
Sadly the day after we arrived here we had a desperate call from our friend Daphne of the yacht Andiamo II to say that her husband Russell, had become unwell earlier in the day and she had taken him to the Phuket International Hospital, suspecting another heart attack. They diagnosed him with acute pancreatitis which then stressed his other organs and his already weakened heart. He went into cardiac arrest on Wednesday afternoon (15th December) but they were able to resuscitate him, however he was ventilated and heavily sedated. At this stage the hospital rang us to ask us to come and support Daphne as the situation was dire. Their son Gareth who had recently spent a couple of weeks sailing with them was in Cambodia travelling with friends and was able to get back at midnight on Wednesday and was able to see his Dad before he again went into cardiac arrest on Thursday morning at around 7.30am. Sadly they were unable to resuscitate him this time, and he passed away. Their daughter Sarah arrived on Thursday evening from Oz, and we took Daphne and Gareth up to the airport to meet her. Daphne had also asked us to take Andiamo II from Chalong bay to Boat Lagoon which of course we did, and have been keeping in contact and doing what we can to assist. At this stage they are planning to have his body cremated here in Phuket and then will spread his ashes at various locations around the world that were special to him and the family. There will be a memorial service back in Brisbane in the New Year.
This was all a real shock to us as well as the family of course. We had dinner on Island Time with Russ and Daphne the night before, and all was well. In fact the next morning, Russ was feeling fine, and suggested that they go for a sail as conditions were good. Just after lunch he said to Daphne he did not feel well, and they headed to Chalong. By 4pm he was in hospital, and 36 hours later he passed away.
We had met Russ and Daphne at the escape river on our way up the Ausy coast about 18months ago, and enjoyed their company at various locations on our travels. Daphne now has the normal emotional and physical hurdles to deal with with the loss of a spouse, but also the added difficulty of not being the sailor of the couple, and having a boat in a foreign destination.
RIP Russ. You will be missed.
This is the 3rd year in a row we have had funerals to attend in the week leading up to Xmas, and reinforces for us again that our voyage that we are currently making in Island Time while we are still fit and healthy is the right things to be doing. You never know what tomorrow will bring and need to make the most of each day that you have. We miss our family and it will especially strange to celebrate the festive season this year without our daughters, but they are busy with their lives in Wellington and will having the usual celebrations with family there.
23-25th November 2011
We headed away from Rok Noi and Rok Nai
Islands at sunrise, passing through the narrow channel gap between the Islands.
The conditions were ideal with an average of 15 knots from just aft of the
starboard b
eam.
We had a whole day of sailing, as there was actually wind! It was the best
conditions we have had in months, and such a pleasant change from motor sailing.
Matt was in his element, constantly tweaking the sails to get the best
performance out of the boat for the conditions. We anchored in main bay of Phi
Phi Don late afternoon, and then once Thumbs Up were anchored as well we all
headed ashore to explore this high profile tourist destination of Thailand and
to find some good Thai food and a refreshing drink to quench our salt laden
taste buds! After dropping off our laundry we took Ivan and Cheryl for a walk
around the two main beach areas before settling on a place for a meal.
The next morning we all went ashore again to indulge
in some shopping, get local Thailand phone cards a catch up on some decent
internet access after being in the more isolated and remote islands for the past
week or so. Cheryl and I also indulged in some spa treatments as it is all very
cheap here. The guys did there own exploring and we back out to the yachts to do
some jobs there. We all had a meal ashore in the early evening, however when we
went to retrieve our dinghies and return to our yachts we found it was high tide
with a change in wind direction a strong sea surge was crashing against the
seawall where our dinghies tied up, and so they were bouncing around
wildly. So we made the decision to go and have coffee at a nearby waterfront
hotel for an hour and see if the tide/waves abated! Unfortunately things did not
improve and so we just had to brave the waves and get our dinghies retrieved.
The Thumbs Up crew are not as agile as us in getting in and out of their dingy
and through the waves so Matt got them safely into their dingy and on their way.
He then retrieved our dingy which by this stage was swamped with water, with the
fuel can floating around inside it upside down and with most of fuel leaked out!
So it ended up being a long row back out to Island Time. We then found the
Thumbs Up crew in a panic as their yacht had dragged its anchor and was not far
from the reef against the shore. Matt assisted them to get the anchor up and
away from the reef. Conditions in the bay were quite uncomfortable at this
stage, and I found things had been thrown across the floor from our shelves
while Island Time rolled in the waves! Even though it was late (11pm) we decided
to head around the Island to a more sheltered anchorage for the changed
conditions. Around 1pm we got anchored and then Matt once again helped the
Thumbs Up crew who are not experienced in anchoring, let alone at night in a
strange bay. He set an anchor alarm for them so they didn’t have to panic about
dragging the anchor again and finally got to bed around 2pm!
We were all up again just after sunrise a bit bleary
eyed. Today we needed to head off on our next leg of the trip up the coast
to the Island of Phuket so we can officially clear in with the Thailand
authorities.
21nd - 23th
November 2011
After watching the sunrise, and a lovely ‘el fresco’
breakfast at our cockpit table, we set off from Bulon Le at about 7.30am to the
outer Island Group of Rok Nok and Rok Nai. We had a couple of hours of pleasant
sailing conditions again in the morning, but it dropped off in the early
afternoon and so back to motor sailing. We arrived at this anchorage around
2.30pm, and once securely anchored in the lagoon inside the coral reef I was
over the side for a swim and explore of the coral, while Matt wiped the algae
slime that had already grown on the hull of Island Time in month we have been
back in the water since redoing the anti-foul in Pangkor. The warm weather and
water temperature here is a great growing medium for marine life that clings to
your hull and slows you down. It was a BBQ dinner aboard the yacht Thumbs Up.
19-21st November 2011
fter consulting
the cruising guide and the weather forecast we decided to make the most of the
conditions and wind angle and head to Bulon Le Island, 30 nautical miles away as
this would make a good easy day hop out to the outer Island group of Ko Rok Noi
that we had enjoyed on our previous trip up the Thailand Coast. We set off after
breakfast and really enjoyed the very pleasant sailing conditions (we actually
got to sail for a change without the motor!). Unfortunately the breeze faded
away around 10.30am to a calm mill pond, so back to motor sailing again. We
arrived mid-afternoon to anchor just off the beach of a very idyllic looking
tropical island. I was quickly over the side enjoying a snorkel into the beach.
I was pleasantly surprised to find quite a nice variety of
coloured coral and fish to view on the surrounding reef, and a lovely laid back,
nicely presented little ‘eco’ resort ashore that welcomed “yachties”. After my
reconnaissance swim ashore I swam back out and told Matt and the crew from
“Thumbs Up” of my find and we all headed in for a walk along the beach and
sundowner drinks and a meal at the resort. The food was delicious and
beautifully presented as is the Thai style, with discreet but attentive service
from the staff.
The atmosphere and good swimming here at Bulon Le was so
delightful that we made the decision not to rush on to Ko Rok Nok the next day,
but to enjoy the amenities of this lovely little island environment.
The following day we all enjoyed lazy chill out day. I had a fabulous
neck and shoulder massage under the shade of the trees, and we all enjoyed
a late afternoon stroll around the Island to the other side where there are two
more little resorts where we tried out the cocktails as the sunset. We had all
enjoyed our day so much we agreed to indulge in one more day at this little
paradise before moving on.
Much as we were enjoying our tropical island cruise up the Thailand coast to Phuket, you do need to keep moving on. The Thailand officials allow you a lenient 10 days approximately in which to make your way up the coast before you are required to officially clear in at Phuket, we don’t want to get into trouble with officialdom by lingering too long along the way!
After our morning
tour through the Mangroves we picked up the anchor and headed North to our first
stop in Thailand waters at the Island of Tarutao 3-4 hours away. We anchored for
the night just as a late afternoon heat thunderstorm and squall came through the
bay. Our plans to go ashore were waylaid until the following morning as we
battened down the hatches from the stormy conditions. At least after these
tropical heat downpours the temperature becomes more pleasant. We had a very
peaceful night here after the storm quickly passed through and I woke early the
next morning, and enjoyed a pleasant swim around the bay while the “Thumbs Up”
crew Ivan and Cheryl floated around in their dingy taking some lovely shots of
the boats in the anchorage. After a late breakfast we all headed ashore to
explore the historic remains of the penal colony that this island used to be
used for. It is a very interesting walk in the bush and gives you an insight
into the conditions and lives of the people who worked or were incarcerated
here. After a quick swim on our return to the boats we up anchored again
and headed up the coastline of this Island of Tarutao, to an anchorage a couple
of hours away at the top end of the island. As it was dead flat calm I enjoyed
the trip up the island swinging in my hammock on the foredeck (see pic). It was
a very pleasant way to travel in the heat of the day with a nice breeze and a
spectacular view of the island, its golden bush clad beaches and interesting
rocky outcrops. 
10-16th November 2011
It was a very easy trip up to Langkawi, from Penang
(lots of motoring yet again as no wind, however it was great to get a good tidal
push up the coast which greatly assisted our speed). We checked into the
Royal Langkawi Yacht Club in order to pick up duty free goods and new masthead
navigation light that we had shipped there prior to our proposed trip back up to
Thailand for Xmas. Matt installed the new masthead light, and is very
pleased with its new automatic light sensor function (it turns on when there is
low light conditions, and also has a strobe light function which means we can be
seen for a considerably greater distances than normal lights if needed.)
Everyone is very friendly here at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, and it is
always a great place to catch up with other yachties you have met on your
travels. After getting all our duty free supplies we checked out of Langkawi,
Malaysia (along with the crew from the sailing yacht “Thumbs Up” who haven’t
been to Thailand before and want to “buddy boat” with us.)
We headed around to the North side of the island for
the night to what is known as the “Hole in the Wall Anchorage”, which is
part of the National Park. You enter into the anchorage through a narrow gap
between two large rock formations that opens up into a quite spectacular and
very sheltered anchorage location. This area of Malaysia is renowned for the sea
eagles, and as dusk fell they circled and glided around the large rock
formations that surround this bay. Cheryl (from Thumbs Up)
and I went up in the dingy to the fish farm further up the channel to obtain
directions to explore the mangroves, he caves and eagle feeding location that is
noted in the guide the next morning.
Unfortunately the crew from “Thumbs Up”
was not feeling the best for an early start the next morning up through the
mangroves so Matt and I headed out by ourselves. It was a stunning ride up
through the narrow twisting waterways of the mangroves, through the stunning
scenery of bush clad hillsides, rock formations and cave systems. We followed
the local tour boats in our own dingy so we didn’t get lost in this labyrinth of
waterways! At the eagle feeding location the eagles swirled and swept with
gracious wing movements above your head as they ducked and dived for the food
the tour boats were feeding them. We really enjoyed our two hour tour, and took
lots of photos so we could give the “Thumbs Up” crew a visual presentation of
what they missed out on. It was also interesting to see the numerous yachts that
are anchored and hidden away in this mangrove system. A number of cruisers leave
their boats in this sheltered waterway where there are no fees to pay when they
return to their homelands. Sadly many looked quite abandoned and in a very sorry
state of repair – which is quite depressing to see.
1-10TH November 2011
Back at Straits Quay Marina again to enjoy the
delights of Penang. The marina here is very nice, handy to everything including
the great food which the island is famous for. A very diverse variety of people
live here from many cultures so there is a great range of food options and
people to mix with. We also plan to collect Cherly and Ivan from the yacht
“Thumbs Up” here who are going to buddy boat with us up to Thailand as they have
not explored that area yet. Also as they have a car here it is very handy for
getting around.
Matt has done some more maintenance work while here –
engine oil change and has once again had our toilets in bits sorting them out.
Our electric “Letrasan” toilet treatment system keeps packing up and he has to
keep pulling it apart to repair it. We really don’t like putting raw sewerage
into the environment which many boats do. We want to do our bit to look after
the environment that we live in. Unfortunately these systems do seem to require
a fair bit of maintenance especially as it is getting older. We are trying to
save our pennies at present as our budget is getting tight and do not really
want to have to buy a new unit unless we have to. However as you can imagine it
is not a nice job to do. He has also been trying to get our battery
charger repaired which suddenly died on our way to Pankor, unfortunately we have
not been able to get this done. Matt has also invested in a new computer after
leaving his accidently got wet. He has tried to fix that also but couldn’t get
parts and they are now so cheap and technology in this area changes so fast that
he decided he really needed a new one.
Cheryl and I from Thumbs up did restocking of food so we are all ready to go and spend a few days cruising up the coast to Thailand were we are planning to spend Xmas, and Ivan has had a health check-up We had three wet days in a row here recently and we are all beginning to feel a little marina/boat bound we are all looking forward to a change of scene and heading north for some cleaner waters and swimming again.
18th October – 1st November
2011
We left Straits Quay on 17 October, and motored under
the bridge down to Jerejak, and anchored inside that small Island. This was to
make the longer passage (80 odd miles) to Pangkor possible in daylight. There
are lots of fishing boats, nets, garbage and other hazards to avoid. As it was,
we had only gone about a mike from Straits Quay when we got a large plastic bag
around the prop. Jo's turn for the unpleasant task of diving under and removing
it - the water is not clean! Anyway, that done, and we got to Jerejak fine.
However, that night we had a large thunder and lightning storm, and several
strikes nearby. It is quite frightening, with the closest ones actually shaking
the boat! This area has the most storms of this sort, (in the world apparently),
and the season is just beginning. Not looking forward to that, and we know of
several boats that have been hit, often causing extensive damage. Hope it does
not happen to us!
Next
morning, early (alarm at 6am), we were off for Pangkor. An uneventful trip but
this time with a bit of wind (6 knots/11kms!), and current to assist us which
was nice. We made good time and James Khoo, the marina manager, guided us into
the marina by VHF (radio). Safely tied up, we had a bit of a social reunion on
arrival, as there were quite a few boats in this marina that we knew.
We are at Pangkor Marina to do our antifouling and
annual maintenance (change anodes etc). It is currently the cheapest place in
this area to lift out and get work done on your boat, but still Kiwi $400 for
the haul out. The lift was done by a newish style sealift (see pic), rather than
a conventional travel lift that uses a sling to lift boats. The process took
about a day
here because the system is still so new they are custom building
cradles to hold the boats up on the dry dock area one boat at a time. Anyway,
while the cradle was built we employed some locals to sand the hull for us
($60.00 kiwi for 2 men for a day!!) Tried a new antifouling (for me) - Jotun
Seaforce 90. There is a lot of it used on boats around here, and it seems to
work well. The marina here is new and doesn’t have any chandlery/boat supply
shops so we had to access stuff through the marina manager from the local small
hardware stores. The rollers we had to use (for the paint) were not great - kept
dropping material into the paint, and left quite a rough finish. However we had
to do antifouling, so on it went. We were also fortunate that Bruce from the
yacht Enchantress was there (he was a boat painter before retiring), as he had
some special aluminium antifouling we could use to do the sail drive. You cannot
paint standard antifouling on aluminium, as it will erode the metal!
It took us about a week to finish the painting etc
(We had to sand the keel back to the lead in several places, and re prime,
undercoat etc before the antifouling), and then an extra day so we could stay on
the sea lift overnight, and get two coats of antifouling on the places where the
cradle props had been as well as cleaning and polish the sides of the hull. We
really did nothing but boat work during our stay here this time. I (Matt) was a
bit sick for the first few days with some type of Arthritic Flu - really sore
joints (Knees and Hips), and felt really cold. Another night I had an unusual
session session with the whiskey on the boat with some other cruisers, and drank way
too much! Self induced illness that one!
On the 1st of November we left from
Pangkor Marina and headed back to Straits Quay. Had some breeze to begin with,
then motored the rest of the way, arriving just on dark, in yet another
thunder/lightning storm! We'll be here for few days, before heading North to
Langkawi, then Thailand, with Cheryl and Ivan (Thumbs Up).
5th – 17th October
Headed into town on the 6th to clear in
with the authorities. The Immigration Dept gave us a bit of a talking to by for
not coming in yesterday on our arrival, as they informed us they are open 24
hours! However the marina office Manager had informed us not to bother checking
in as the Harbour Master’s and Customs offices would be closed. Anyway, it was
all sorted out OK. Lunch in town with Ivan and Cheryl (Thumbs Up), some shopping
– a trolley for carting fuel jerry cans, another flexible gas line as a spare,
and then some beers while we waited for Ivan’s Rental car to be available. Just
as well they are here, as both Jo and I have misplaced/lost our drivers licences
– replacements are coming from NZ, but for now we are unable to rent a vehicle.
We
enjoyed our two weeks here in Penang getting caught up on some boat jobs, doing
a bit
of shopping to replenish boat supplies following our trip to Indonesia
where there is very little in the way of supplies. We also both had our teeth
checked by a dentist that was highly recommended by other yachties and the
ex-pat community here. One of the main reasons for coming back to Penang was to
have good access to internet to update our blog, and so we could catch the Rugby
World Cup games! It’s a very modern and new environment here at Straits Quay
marina (a bit like the Viaduct Basin back home in Auckland). There are lots of
bars and big screens to watch the games plus plenty of ex-pats to enhance the
atmosphere as they cheering along their particular teams. “GO THE ALL BLACKS!”
We have thoroughly enjoyed spending time
with Ivan and Cheryl (from the yacht Thumbs Up, who temporarily adopted Nicki
for a while when we were away in Vietnam.) They have spent quite some time here
in Penang having an engine rebuilt, and know the Island well. They have driven
us to all sorts of great restaurants and around the island to see various
sights, plus to various locations to pick up parts and bits and pieces for
Island Time. Great chauffeurs and tour guides.
We have also been starting to formulate
some plans for returning home to New Zealand in 2012. The situation
in the Red Sea with piracy and political/economic instability throughout this
region, and Europe as well has meant that travel to this area via a yacht is not
at all recommended currently. We have therefore signed on with the Sail
Indonesia organiser (Raymond) that we used last year to join a new rally called
the “Down Under Rally”. There are now a quite a number of people/yachts in the
South East Asia region looking at alternatives to getting back to New Zealand or
Australia who don’t want to travel the very long way around South Africa and the
Cape of Good Hope to return now that the Red Sea/Suez Canal option is so
dangerous. It is also nearing time for us to come back to work/reality and
replenish our funds!!!! We may even do some work in Australia on the way home if
the economic situation in NZ still poor and our house hasn’t sold.
Following
the Semi Final Rugby World Cup games this weekend we plan to plan to head down
to Pangkor Marina where they have cheap haul out services to take Island Time
out of the water and have her hull cleaned and new anti-foul applied again. We
will spend the remainder of this year in the Malaysia and Thailand. Looks like
Christmas in Phuket! We have to be in Northern Borneo for the rally at the
beginning of April.
Jo on the Straits Quay/Penang Island Waterfront
Walkway
Jo is off to the dentist to see about getting a crown done, and to book an appointment for me for a check up. I’m here in the boat (air conditioned in the marina!!) catching up on this blog. The next bit will be the photos. It takes ages to sort, label, resize for the web etc. I’ll get on to that now...
6 October 2011
Into town this morning to Clear in with the authorities. Got a bit of a talking to by the Immigration dept for not coming in yesterday. The marina office (Straits Quay Marina again) had told us not to bother as the Harbour Master’s office would be closed. Anyway, it was all sorted out OK. Lunch in town with Ivan and Cheryl (Thumbs Up), some shopping – a trolley for carting fuel jerry cans, another flexible gas line as a spare, and then some beers while we waited for Ivan’s Rental car to be available. Just as well they are here, as both Jo and I have misplaced our drivers licences – replacements are coming from NZ, but for now we are unable to rent a vehicle.
13 Sept – 5 October 2011 Subang International Regatta
We left Penang for Langkawi, and the beginning of the Sabang (Indonesia) international regatta. This was the inaugural event of what they hope will become an annual fixture. The Indonesian government, both national in local, as well as various sailing and tourism organisations put up the funds. All fees were paid, including cruising permits, meals, transport and attraction entry, and even 250ltrs of diesel, all included for free!!
Jo had thought that this sounded good, and got me to put in an entry. I don’t think she really understood that this was a race event! It consisted of a 300 mile offshore race from Langkawi Malaysia, to Sabang in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Then 2 inshore round the buoys races.
Sabang is a small Island 15 miles or so north of Banda Aceh, where the Boxing Day Tsunami was centred. Part of the purpose was to get Tourists coming back to the area after the Tsunami disaster and the end of the Civil war for independence from Indonesia.
We spent the first night in the fiord anchorage in W Langkawi, and then one night at the hole in the wall on the E side, before moving into the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club marina. A bit of time was spent doing stores and a quick tour of the Island for Nicki, who had not been there before. Then we had a very nice welcome dinner, and a good sleep before setting off for the start line the next morning. I must say at this stage the rules were a bit unusual – for the offshore race you were allowed to motor, but your motoring time had to be recorded, and a penalty time given as compensation. Anyway, I stuffed up the start in the light and dropping wind, so we were a minute late over the line. We sailed out of the Island’s sheltered waterways, then the wind stopped. As we could make no headway, we started the engine! So did everyone else. We motored most of that day, but the breeze came up later that evening and we could sail again. The fleet (some 20 boats in total) scattered and we lost AIS (Automatic Identification system – class B, good for 4-6 miles) positions for most. Once the wind set in it unfortunately came around to the west (where we wanted to go!) and slowly built to 25 odd knots, reaching 30 odd just off Sabang itself. The passage was slightly over 48 hours, and we were surprised to find that only the Malaysian Navy’s TP 52 (a real race boat)was there ahead of us! So anyway, we got line honours for our division for race one. So far so good
.
Many of the other boats reported damage and rough conditions, with at least one withdrawing with sails damaged and no engine! I guess it is fortunate they don’t sail in Cook Strait! As neither Nicki, Jo, nor I thought it was a rough crossing, just a typical windward passage. It was really good to have Nicki, as the watch keeping on passage is much easier with three – 3 hours on and 6 off to sleep. Bliss.
Sabang is a picturesque Island, fairly steep and rugged, with beautiful clean and clear water. This makes a welcome change from where we have been recently. The Officials made a detailed search of the boat, and then we were able to have a swim and a snorkel. The water was cooler (about 27 deg C!) and the fish and coral were good. This is becoming a popular dive location. Most of the other tourists we met were divers.
Breakfast, lunch and Dinner were provided every day, and the food was very good for Indonesia. The locals and officials were trying really hard! There was a welcome dinner that first night, which was a bit odd as some boats had not yet arrived! Day two was a free day, so a cleanup, more swimming, and a look around the local area with a free car and driver!. The boats were moored on new moorings, provided by the organisers for the purpose. Some were a little close together, but generally it was very good.
On the third day we had a trip to Banda Aceh, and visited many of the local sites, including a fishing boat on a house, the Tsunami museum, a mosque, the mass graves etc. The Tsunami was a terrible thing for this area, reaching more than 5km inland, and with most local families loosing at least one or more members. At it’s peak the Tsunami primary wave was 14m tall. This in reflected in the new Tsunami museum, where the entry has a 14m waterfall on one side. The photos and the models, plus other video and wreckage on display is a sobering reminder of the power of nature. Following the Museum, we went to another museum in the making. It is a 130mx30m steel barge. It happened to be in the area with a 300Kw genset on board, and was dumped upright, virtually undamaged several km from the sea. Unfortunately it crushed a few houses underneath where it came to rest. There are likely still bodies/graves underneath, which will remain, as the vessel is far too large to move, and there is no path back to the sea through the now repopulated area. The only good thing about it was that the rescue effort engineers rigged the genset on board, and it became the regions power station for quite some time after the disaster.
Next Day was race day for the inshore races. 20-25 knt SE, so good conditions. We had a good day and won our division again, after a very pleasant day. We had some extra crew, Ivan and Cheryl, from the US yacht “Thumbs Up”. Thanks for your help guys!
Finally the prize giving. In typical Indonesian fashion, (they like uniforms and awards), there was silverware for every individual race as well as overall. The “small” ones were 3-400mm tall, and the large 5-600mm. We ended up with a table full, winning line honours and handicap for our division. (See photos).Following the prize giving we had a quiet word with the organisers about leaving the trophies for next year’s events, as we don’t have the space for storing this stuff.
To close the regatta there was a function on in town. It was mostly in Indonesian, with speeches by various people including the Mayor, so we could not understnad much of it. It was Very Loud!! And thankfully the bus left at about 11pm to take us home.
Final day we went swimming again, as we had decided to stay another few days. Nicki had booked a flight from Banda Aceh in a couple of days, so there was no rush. I repaired a couple of Autopilots for other boats (Jellyfish and Thumbs Up), one with rusty circuit breakers, and one with a stuck brush in the motor and a magnet separated from the motor case. I also found and replaced a cracked flexible gas hose (from bulkhead to oven) on Island Time, as the old one had split and leaked LPG into the boat. Very Dangerous! Other basic maintenance as usual...
For the last few days we did some more local touring, swimming and snorkelling and then moved the boat around the corner to iboh, a small village. We spent another day in Banda Aceh , to drop Nicki at the Airport. It was sad to see her go, and to know it may be a year or more before we see her at home in NZ , but she was off to start her new job in retail management. She had a problem leaving though – we had not been able to print her Air Asia boarding pass, and the website said it was already done. I have had this happen to me once before in Kuala Lumpur – no problem, the check in people just printed another. They would not do that for Nicki in Banda Aceh, and wanted money (in local currency), which she did not have. Took a while for her to get that sorted with the help of someone in the queue who spoke English. Not a good start to her trip! Fortunately the rest of it went smoothly.
Back to the boat for Jo and me though, and prepare for the passage back to Penang. We had decided on Penang, as we wanted to get Visas for Thailand. If you get them on arrival they are 30 days. This way we can get 60 days, with the right to 30 day renewal. Penang is a slightly longer trip (40 more Nm) and more southerly than Langkawi. Before we left we had a failed starter motor. I removed it, found that the oil cooler had been secretly dripping seawater onto it, and it was beyond repair out here. Fortuneately I was carring a spare. Fixed the leak in oil cooler (failed o ring) replaced the starter, all good.
We left Sabang on 3 October, and arrived late in the day on the 5th. We were followed in by Thumbs Up, an hour or two later. The passage was good – downwind the 1st day, although we pushed a strong current, slowing us considerably. As the current dropped away the further from Sumatra we got, so did the wind. We motor sailed the last day and a half, arriving here with no wind at all, and quite tired. Of course we were back to the 2 watch system, and there were many ships and fishing boats, so not much sleep!
September 1-12 2011
On our return from Vietnam to Penang, Malaysia we had the follow up appointment for Matt at the Dermatologist to remove his suspicious looking lump from his face. While we waited for the Lab results to come in we hired a car and took our daughter Nikki on an inland tour of Malaysia to see some of the sights.
We headed over the Penang Island Bridge – one of the longest in the world - to the historic tin mining town of Ipoh. Once Ipoh was one of the wealthiest cities in South East Asia, but now just another small city, as the tin mining here is no longer profitable. After a brief look around the interesting historic buildings we went up into the Cameron Highlands area for the night.
The Cameron Highlands are one of the agricultural growing areas of Malaysia specialising in tea and strawberries. We stopped at a couple of strawberry places and indulged in Strawberry dipped in chocolate and a layered pastry filled with cream and strawberries – yum. In the late afternoon there was a torrential downpour and the road became quite slippery and treacherous. It is quite steep in places, and very scenic. Instant waterfalls appeared on the hillside – it was quite dramatic and spectacular, and we began to wonder if we would make it to the top! However, just as it was getting serious, the rain eased off, and we reached the summit. The rain cooled down the atmosphere, although with the higher altitude is much cooler in this region anyway. Very pleasant after the high humidity of the lowlands. After finding our accommodation we went out in search of a meal.it was OK, but more expensive than the lower areas, more tourist orientated, and a bit of a food factory, pushing thru the diners asap.
The next day we moved further South on the “toll road” to Kuala Lumpur. While this road system is reasonably expensive (around $40 NZ in total for our 800 km road trip), thankfully fuel is very cheap here! It was an efficient and fast to travel on a multi-lane highway in good condition. Speed limit is 120kph, which is about all our little car an do!
We stopped off late afternoon at the famous Batu caves just outside of Kuala Lumpur. The entry is a bit tricky, and the GPS map we were using was not accurate! However, once we found the right entry road, all was well. These caves are a Hindu shrine with in a system of 3 caves that are guarded by a 43 metre ‘Murga’ golden statue (Highest in the worlds so they say)-and the Monkeys! They will steal food/bags/water right from your hand, and can be quite aggressive. You reach the shrine by climbing up a steep, monkey guarded flight of 272 steps which is a bit of an aerobic workout! The caves are well worth a visit – see photos.
Next stop was to find our accommodation in central Kuala Lumpur where we were staying for the next two nights. Unfortunately due to not arriving till late afternoon we hit the peak of the traffic flow and it was a slow crawl into the city centre. After a swim in the pool (great after the exertions of our earlier Batu stair climb) we walked from our apartment to the Famous Bintang Walk High End shopping area. Nikki enjoyed having a look around the shops and even found a pair of cheap shoes she claimed she had to have for when she got back working at home again! Matt found a replacement pair of bi-focal, polarised sunglasses that he was after, and I found a fabulous coffee/chocolate shop so everyone was happy J
The next day we used the hop-on, hop-off city tour bus to take us around the sights. Easier than driving around and trying to find a park! It covers the highlights of the city and gives you an informative commentary on the way. Nikki was keen to see the Petronas Twin Tower building and do the Bird Park at the botanic gardens as well. Unfortunately her visit to the Petronas towers did not go as planned, as they have only a limited number of tickets per day, and we were too late. The service was poor, and the staff impolite to her. She got into a bit of a tizz, so we collected her again and went out for a nice coffee. The rest of the tours went well, and we all enjoyed the bird park. In the evening we went to a sushi train place for a meal and then back to my favourite coffee/chocolate shop!
Off to the historic port town of Melaka. We stayed in a large old hotel, and visited the Cheng Ho museum again. This is a must for anyone interested in history or in early sailing and discovery. Cheng Ho was a Chinese admiral, who, in the years 1421-1423, lead a very large fleet (800 ships) on a world-wide voyage that most westerners never heard of. He was responsible for the earliest navigational charts showing the modern world, and for the charts that Magellan and Cook had, showing places that they “discovered”. If you are interested in this, there is much information online, or you can try the book “1421”.
After the Cheng Ho Museum, we checked out the marina, to see if it was repaired form when we were there (work was underway, but with the same poor engineering standards – it will break up again...), the dinner at a great restaurant for Nicki’s 20th Birthday celebrations. I can’t believe she is 20!! We then went on a good river boat cruise up the historic Melaka river.
Next day we did the literature and lithographic museum, then began the long drive back to Penang. On the way we stopped at Putrajaya and Cyberjaya, the Government centre. This is a planned, futuristic city, which is kind of bizarre. The buildings and bridges are architecturally very modern, and the city is based on a large man made lake, but there are very few people here. It is almost deserted, like something out of a movie. It is all touted as the “intelligent garden city” of Malaysia. It is also the official palace. But it is kind of weird!
The rest of the trip was uneventful, arriving back in Penang late that night
Vietnam Tour Impressions (17th-30th
August)
We had a very enjoyable time in Vietnam. We now understand and fully appreciate why everyone raves about Vietnam as a travel destination. Our tour which was put together by Active Asia (www.activeasia.com or www.activeasia.co.nz) was well organised, and efficiently run with no hiccups. We were in a small group consisting of 7, all Kiwis (New Zealanders). We all got on well together, and it was fun meeting new fellow travelling compatriots, and to hear some other non-sailing related stories for a change (I felt!). Our guide Mr Tach was courteous and knowledgeable answering all our queries and enquiries about Vietnamese history/lifestyle. He was responsible for organising our internal Vietnamese travel arrangements with local drivers, internal flights between destinations, prearranging tickets into the various sights so we didn’t have to queue and also for any extra side/extension trips you wanted during the well spaced and scheduled “free time” tour allocation during our 2 week stay. It certainly made travelling around stress free and easy when it was all so smoothly organised. We made the most of our 2 week stay and took in most of the countries highlights. Having a local guide - particularly in the North, where the communist era doctrine and mindset is still quite strong, is very useful. He helped us with everything, from officialdom to bargaining when buying things which was great.
The only thing we all did not like about this organised tour was that following the full payment of our tour fee the documentation we received strongly indicated that we were expected to tip the drivers/guide every day a minimum amount in $US that we all considered was too high based on the average income. On researching Lonely Planet and Tourism Vietnam websites they stated that tipping was not expected here. We did read however that some tour companies however use client tipping in lieu of wages for the people, and this practice is not encouraged. They would rather these companies pay a fair wage for their people rather than them relying on tips! We all agreed we would have preferred the initial tour fee to be bigger and upfront, and then if we felt we had extra good service from our drivers/tour guides you can determine what tip you would like to pay yourself. We have voiced our concerns to them about this.
The level accommodation was fine, (we had selected the 3 star option) and would have been mostly what I would classify as 4 star at home. The staff in these places were all very helpful and accommodating, with a strong sense of service and hospitality. We were kept well fed along the way going to a wide variety of food outlets, styles and types of local food including a number of non-profit places that have been set up to assist street kids/deaf/blind people to obtain skills and employment within the economy. I particularly enjoyed the refreshing delicate tastes of the local cuisine which was a change from the more spicy Thai style food we had been experiencing in Thailand/Malaysia over the last few months. Also the general presentation of food was quite stunning - an art form in its own right.
The variety and quality of fresh vegetables/fruit and seafood in Vietnam was some of the best we have seen in our South East Asia travels. The fresh fish markets were great with no horrid dead fish smell – as the fish and shellfish were all kept alive in tanks or basins that were oxygenated with fish tank aerators or kept on ice. Many local markets we have visited in this region simply have wet fish stacked on tables or mats on the floor in the heat and are covered with flies, or else is being dried fish the smell of which to our kiwi noses is quite horrific. It was delightful to see good quality sized fish which smelt good and that was cooked beautifully and tastily and not fried to death as most seafood seems to be here.
The countryside is diverse with a variety of scenery from verdant green rice paddies and market gardens, white sandy beaches with turquoise sea, stunning rock formations and mountain ranges. The city life and motorcycle traffic in Hanoi in particular, was chaotic.
Halong Bay World Heritage Park was for us a real highlight, including staying overnight on a luxury style Junk boat and seeing some spectacular limestone cave formations.
The Chi Chi tunnels tour depicting how the local Viet Cong people lived and fought for their lives in this underground environment was fascinating. It gave you a real impression of how difficult their lives must have been during this time. They were incredibly ingenious in building this 250km, multi-storey system that included and hid trapdoors, weapons factories, hospitals and even kitchens with smoke vent disguise systems that made it appear the smoke was just fog or jungle mist. No wonder the Americans had such difficulty fighting in this area. It was at this location that I nearly stood on a scorpion that was scurrying across the jungle path I was walking down. I did a very big jump and loud squeal when I looked down and suddenly saw this creature that I was about to stand on!
The other place that made an impact on us was the war museum in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). Some of visual pics and quotes from people were both enlightening and depressing – why do we humans have to keep treating each other so badly and committing such suffering to each other in the name of war? There was whole section on the on-going effects of the chemical ‘agent orange’ defoliation campaign during the 1960’s which is still being felt today with high incidents of birth defects and deformities. I shed a few tears looking at images of children and families that are trying to deal with this aftermath L
Another thing I found quite fascinating is the way the locals here literally live their lives at street level. Most homes/buildings are on average only 3 metres wide, with a shop of some sort at street level and then accommodation for the extended family on the 2 levels above. Socialising is done on the pavement, meals are eaten here, games of chess played and I even witnessed a children’s birthday party going on in the middle of a main city street footpath. They are very industrious and hard working with long business hours from 10am - 10pm each day, or working in the fields from dawn to dusk.
Our overall impression of the local Vietnamese people was that they were very polite, courteous and service orientated but didn’t seem overly friendly or particularly happy people. When the opportunity arose to discuss their personal lives and situations, many quietly indicated to us they still feel oppressed and constrained by the “big brother” communist style structure in effect within this country. Things like independent thinking, and travel outside of Vietnam are still difficult or made impossible by the regime, this was more evident in the North despite the move to the more open-door liberal society, and style of leadership of more recent years. An example of this we personally experienced was trying to log onto open forum websites such as “Facebook” which was often blocked to log onto blocked here and without Matt’s computer skills we probably would have been unable to do so! There is also still some remaining tension evident between the north and south populace even after years of now being one country. There are two dialects with different word pronunciation, a variety in the styles of food and also climatically which effects rice productivity, (2 growing seasons in the north and 3 in the south) and therefore economic prosperity. They are however very loyal and proud of their history and fight to remain an independent nation. Red communist flags flying all over the countryside with many stunning statues and sculptures in the parks to represent historical moments. They are also very aware of keeping fit and healthy as was observed in the public parks on our early morning and evening walks around the cities. Here you could see a range of “keep fit” style classes, park gym equipment, martial arts classes and Badminton (the national sport) games going on during these times. It is a diverse and interesting place to visit we would recommend it to others in their travels.
VIETNAM 17th-30th August: The following is our Itinerary provided by Active Asia tours www.activeasia.com who specialize in small group tours throughout Asia. We are doing their "Ultimate Vietnam" 14 day tour.
Itinerary:
Day 1 Hanoi. On arrival your English speaking guide will meet you as you
exit the arrivals area at Hanoi airport for the transfer to your hotel.
The afternoon is yours at leisure to explore or to rest after your flight. 6pm
Tonight dinner is at a local restaurant for you to discover the cuisine and meet
the rest of your tour group.
As it turns out our small group (7 of us in total, Max. group size is 10), are all Kiwi's! We meet Clive and Georgia from Auckland, Mike and Maureen from New Plymouth. Our tour guide is called Thach.
Day 2 Hanoi Early start this morning to bring you a unique and magical insight
into Vietnam’s people on a Good Morning
Hanoi tour. Hanoi’ites begin their day early with many taking part in exercise
around the picturesque Hoan Kiem
Lake. Your walking tour visits the lake where you will see residents enjoying
Tai Chi, exercise and meditation.You’ll get to see the inner city ‘old quarter’ as its narrow streets begin to
fill up with the bikes and people of Hanoi
as their day starts – a fascinating look at two sides of the city and daily life.
We then return to the hotel for breakfast and to freshen up. Then it’s on to
visit the cities main historical sites
including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ho Chi Minh’s house, where he preferred
to live simply, which are
splendid reminders of the great man who once led this country. One Pillar Pagoda
is a small but significant pagoda
with a Buddhist representation of the world and the Temple of Literature which
was originally built in 1070. Our last
stop is at the Ho Chi Minh Museum for a brief insight into the history of the
man who has is recognised as the
modern father of this country.
We stop for lunch at KOTO – an opportunity for us to support a fantastic
organization, KOTO is a not-for-profit
restaurant and vocational training program that is changing the lives of street
and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam. Late afternoon and evening is at leisure to
enjoy Hanoi’s narrow streets and the fascinating old quarter - we
recommend seeing the Water Puppet Theatre (not included) – a colorful form of
traditional entertainment.
Day 3 Halong Bay
De parting Hanoi this morning, we travel through rice fields and small towns to
Halong Bay. Here we board a traditional junk boat for a boat
trip through the magical seascape of Halong Bay which includes stops at various
islands and caves.
For those who wish, time is spent anchored for a swim or optional kayaking is
available (payable to your guide).
Overnight is spent on board in air-conditioned cabins with dinner on
board.
Day 4 Halong Bay to Hue.
Awake to the sunrise over Halong Bay for breakfast on the cruise back to Halong
by late morning, where we head
back to Hanoi with a stop to visit a local village popular for embroidery and
textile products.
Late afternoon arrive Hanoi for a break before transferring to Hanoi airport for
the short flight to Hue.
Transfer on arrival in Hue to your hotel
Day 5 Hue
Today explore the historic city of Hue – the former Imperial City.
We start the day with a boat trip along the Perfume River to Thien Mu
Pagoda, which was built in 1601. Then continuing by road to the
Ancient Citadel, the capital of Vietnam from 1802-1945, which was
recognized as a World Heritage Site, where the last King of Vietnam
– Bao Dai King – abdicated on 30 August, 1945.
After lunch at a rustic but delicious and popular local restaurant –
visit Khai Dinh Tomb with its mix of Asian and Western architecture.
Day 6 Hai Van Pass
This morning we travel over the spectacular Hai Van Pass, once rated by National
Geographic as one of the 50
‘must-do’ journeys in the world. Stunning views await of Lang Co Beach and out
to the South China Sea as we take
the winding mountain road.
Just after leaving Hue we make a special stop at Duc Son Pagoda. Run by Buddhist
Nun Thich Nu Minh Tu. The
Temple not only gives shelter to disadvantaged children, including Orphans and
the homeless, the nuns have also
created favourable conditions for the children to attend classes and go on to
higher education. A brief visit allows
you to see the wonderful work and the temple. Active Asia supports causes around
Asia including this orphanage.
Continuing on we traverse the spectacular Hai Van Pass with a photo stop at the
top, before stopping at China
Beach, famous from the TV series and home to the American R&R post during the
war before arriving in Hoi An. During the 17th and 18th centuries Hoi An was a major Asian trading centre and
is now one of the most popular
places to visit in Vietnam with its charming cobblestone streets and old shop
houses. A wonderful town for getting
clothes tailor made or for buying art and souvenirs, Hoi An also boasts an
excellent beach 5km from town, which
can be reached by hiring a bicycle or grabbing a taxi.
Tonight experience some of the local specialities with dinner at a local
restaurant.
Day 7 Hoi An / My Son.
Today begins with a tour to the ancient ruins of My Son – the home to the Cham
people centuries ago. The Kingdom
at My Son dates back to the 4th century and remained fully occupied through
until the 13th century which makes it
the longest occupied of all the major monuments of SE Asia. Today the ruins show
testament to the Cham with its
sculptures and buildings.
Back in Hoi An for lunch before a short walking tour introduces you to this
ancient town’s old shop houses and the
Japanese covered bridge.
Late afternoon and evening is at leisure to enjoy this popular and magnificent
town. Your guide is available to assist.
Day 8 Hoi An . Today is at lesiure for you to enjoy Hoi An. Shop, relax at the beach or
beside the pool, enjoy the great local restaurants, get clothes tailor
made or explore the ancient buildings.
Optional activities are available including a half-day cooking class
where you’ll get to learn all about the delicious Vietnamese cuisine and
hot to make popular dishes – or a cycle tour with your guide to the
surrounding countryside, farms and home industries around Hoi An
(payable to your guide)
Day 9 Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)
This morning a visit is made to Marble Mountain, made up of 5 limestone hills
with marble outcrops and home to a
fascinating village of artisans carving the marble into all manner of statues.
Marble Mountain is also home to a
Temple, in more recent times it was used by the Viet Cong, due to the view it
has of the Danang air base which was
home to the Americans during the war which at the time made it one of the
busiest airports in the world.
We then transfer to Danang Airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon),
on arrival transfer to your hotel.
Day 10 Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)Today we head out of Saigon to visit the Cu Chi tunnels one of the few intact
monuments to the Vietnam War.Beneath the ground lie 200km of underground tunnels, dug by hand and inhabited
by the Viet Minh during the US
war. A video of the tunnels in use is shown, before walking around the area to
view some of the tunnels, field
kitchens and hospital. Crawl inside and experience life in the tunnels if you
wish!
On our return we visit the Cao Dai Temple, a colourful temple decorated with
dragon’s, pillars and domes.
Late afternoon and evening is at leisure for you to enjoy Saigon’s many cafes,
restaurants and markets.
Day 11 Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)
Good Morning Saigon! – you have seen the traffic, now you’ll get the chance to
really see the city with some great
photo opportunities. You’ll be amazed at the deserted streets as you walk around
the inner city with the chance to get
up close to the historical buildings and experience Saigon as it awakens for the
day.
After breakfast a visit is made to the Ngoc Hoang Pagoda and the stunning Notre
Dame Cathedral before visiting the
War Museum – a stark reminder of the War.
Afternoon is at leisure for you to relax – or shop!
Day 12 Mekong Delta
2-day Mekong Delta Tour. A visit to the Mekong is one of the best ways to
experience rural life. Driving through
beautiful agricultural areas to the Mekong offers a great glimpse into local
life. At My Tho town we board our boat
to explore some of the myriad of estuaries and islands including home based
industries such as coconut candy
making, orchards and bonsai gardens where we get to sample the wonderful array
of fruit.Back at our we transfer to Can Tho where we board a boat to the home of a local
family.
After arriving and checking in at the home stay, an optional bike ride for
another chance to travel through the fruit
orchards. You spend the night in the home of a local family.
NOTE: Sleeping arrangements tonight are very basic with shared facilities (cold
shower/toilet) and canvas stretcher
type beds with blanket and mosquito net. Basic but an amazing experience
TIP! You are welcome to pack and leave your main luggage at the hotel for your
return, packing a small overnight bag for
your Mekong tour.
Day 13 Mekong Delta – Ho Chi Minh (Saigon)
After breakfast a visit is made by boat to the Cai Rang floating market.The Mekong is a main tributary where the produce grown in the area is
shipped and traded.
Masses of boats ply their wares in the early morning by boat.
A brief stop is made at a garden for some morning fruits before
returning to our coach for the drive back to Saigon by road with a stop
enroute to see the colourful Cao Dai temple.
A farewell dinner tonight at a popular eatery gives us the chance to
share stories and celebrate our experiences.
Day 14 Farewell
Sadly today is the end of your tour.
We include a transfer to the airport for your outbound flight.
16- 17 August. Nicki arrived this morning (16th) after an epic 4 days of travelling following her Camp America Camp Consellor experience in Northern Michigan. She has flown Detroit - New York-Turkey-Kuala Lumpur-Penang! Jo and I met her at the airport and are so excited to see her. We took two local buses down to the airport, then rented a car to put Nikki's luggage in, and to allow us to get to the airport early in the morning for our two week trip to Vietnam. As Nicki's visit was unexpected and only planned in last week , she will be in the boat for 2 weeks exploring Penang by herself. However knowing Nicki she will soon find someone to connect with. We also have the marina manager keeping an eye out for her! Jo and I (along with Jo's Mum Fiona) booked our tour of Vietnam (starting tomorrow) long before she decided to come. Anyway, after our return we'll have a month or so together, which will be great. Nikki will benefit from some downtime to get over her Jetlag and recover from her hectic Camp America experience. After getting back to the boat to get her settled, then, she was to hyped up and not yet ready for sleep that we went for a bit of a drive around the island so she can get her bearings. Nikki and Jo found a "spice garden" to explore which let Nikki stretch her legs after her travels before heading back to a local hotel for diner and an early night for us all.
12- 15th August. Motor sailed the
55 odd miles from Langkawi down to Penang, in about 5 Knts of breeze. We have
come in to the new Straits Quay marina, which is nice, and
behind a properly constructed real sea wall which is a change for many Malaysian
marinas! On arrival we were greeted by two Kiwi’s (Daryl and Laurel) on the 50ft Cat Cool
Bananas. We had an enjoyable meal with them that night -and the
next two night's! Daryl is an electrican by trade but ended up getting involved
in the Dairy and Kiwi fruit business instead. After selling these he became a
property development investor. Laurel is early childhood trained, like Jo. It
was lovely to share "kiwi" stories and our common interests. Daryl and Laurel also have a website – see http://coolbananas50.blogspot.com
for details. Matt managed to get a
appointment yesterday (the day after we arrived – at home you would wait
weeks/months for an appointment with a specialist!). He has burnt off numerous
Solar keratosis growths on Matt’s face – they are small, scaly or flaky areas of
skin. I also got a few age spots and bits done on my arms at the same time. He
said I was too young to have these on my hands (cosmetic stuff only really). The
Dermatologist has booked Matt in for a small surgery when we return to remove a
small suspected basal cell carcinoma....
We are looking forward to seeing Nicki
(youngest Daughter) in 2 days. She has finished her stint at camp America, and
is coming to see us for a while. That will be great. We are pleased to have
someone to look after Island Time while we are away in Vietnam, and there is
plenty for her to see and do here for free/cheaply while we away to keep her
occupied.
1st -11th August. Langkawi Island, Malaysia. After arriving back in Rebak Marina following our Cambodia travels Matt had some boat maintenance jobs to complete on his “to do list”. He removed and cleaned out the 3 heat exchangers on the motor (thanks to a special tool that our friends the Vlaars brought up to Phuket with them), did an oil change and rewired some of the plugs on the various electrical goods we have purchased during our time in Asia with New Zealand plugs (Thanks to the Norrie Family for bringing these up for us.)
Also our dingy is in need of repair after 10 years of hard use, it is starting to show its age. A dingy for a yacht is like having a car in your garage in that it lets you conveniently leave your home (the boat), to go and explore your location, get the shopping etc. Recently we keep finding it partially deflated (like having a flat tyre every time you want to go out!). There is a repair place here in Langkawi that has been recommended to us by another yachtie, so we have sent it off for some attention, which will take about a week. So we are somewhat marina bound now.
I spent the first couple of days back from our travels recovering from a head cold, and traveller’s tummy that I picked up during our time away and was laid low for several days. I then enjoyed some recovery time by the Rebak Resort pool, reading my book, doing some yoga classes and catching up with our website blog and photo editing seeing as we have FREE internet coverage here. Sounds like a hard life doesn’t it!
While we were in Rebak Marina we caught up with various other yachties who are here, including Dale and Lorraine from Umbra Luna who we met in the Indonesian Rally (Lorraine was the GP who helped us out with my Mum’s toe when she damaged it). Over lunch one day she observed Matt’s face and told him he really should get his skin looked at re sun damage, and also to get a biopsy of one area that she considered quite nasty looking on the side of his face. We took onboard Lorraine’s advice and decided that as we were planning to get to Penang Island further down the coast so we can fly out from there to Vietnam, that we would just head down there a few days earlier and get Matt seen by a skin specialist before going to Vietnam. There is a great range of hospitals and doctors in Penang - it is a popular "Medical Tourism" destination.
After the return of the Dingy, we stayed
the last night in Langkawi at anchor in the “fiord”, which is a steep to narrow
passage on the north side of the Island. We took to the opportunity to clean the
hull and make our trip down to Penang Island the next day faster. After this we
then visited the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden. It is a freshwater lake
held back from the sea by a narrow rock wall. Quite interesting, but very run
down as much of Malaysia's construction seems to be. At some time quite a bit of money has been spent on it
in the past with
decking and walkways once almost encircling the lake.Now the boardwalk acces is limited to
the
swimming platform at the end of the walk over the hill to the lake.
Cambodia Blog
23 July 2011 – 31 July 2011 After a sleepless night at the airport waiting for our flight we arrived in around 7.30am at Phnom Penh the capital of Cambodia. Flying into the capital it appears that the landscape is drowned with miles and miles of rice paddies stretching across the horizon. Following obtaining our visas and clearing customs and immigration we caught a local Tuktuk to take us to the hotel that our friends the Simmons were already staying in. We were impressed on our way in with the general cleanliness of the place – the cleanest we have seen in our travels through Asia so far.
We joined Lorne, Nicole and the girls for breakfast and then we arranged for us all to hit the two main tourist attractions of Phnom Penh - the S21 Genocide museum and killing field memorial. During the Pol Pot era over 3 million people were captured, tortured and executed during his reign from 1975-1979. The memorial is a stark reminder of the tragedy. It stands 7 stories tall and houses the bodily remains of some of the victims, in layers of skulls, hip bones, leg and arm bones and clothing. In many ways it is quite bizarre to see these remains displayed in glass cabinets as a memorial. Here is the “killing tree” where young children were killed by smashing their heads on the tree. It is all pretty depressing what people can do to each other. Our next stop was the S21 complex. Formerly this had been a school but was turned into a detention/torture centre. After “confessing” people were sent to S21 for extermination.
By this stage we had had enough of these depressing scenes so headed back to our accommodation for a refreshing swim/snooze before heading out in the late evening to the river side water front area where we enjoyed a meal at the FCC (Foreign Correspondence Club). After this we wandered along the paved path of the river’s edge to see the brightly lit up passing river boats doing their evening cruises. Phnom Penh has an amazingly high incident of street beggars – young children and amputees from land mines relentlessly perusing you to purchase their trinkets and wares or simply requesting money which is a harsh reality of the way and conditions of life here.
Next morning we walked down the road from our accommodation to the National Museum. The building is a traditional Cambodian design with beautiful manicured tropical gardens. It houses many sculptures and relics from around the country side and the temples. After exploring the museum we headed to a restaurant called “Friends” that has been set up to educate and train street kids in the hospitality industry. We enjoyed a very pleasant lunch with a good selection of food and delicious fruit shakes on offer. They also have an outlet shop selling arts and crafts goods that have been made by street kids.
That afternoon we took a 6 hour bus trip north to Siem Reap. The road is constructed barely above the height of the rice paddies with an enormous range of housing conditions visible from grass/hay type constructions, wooden and corrugated iron shacks to quite elaborately adorned, gated buildings surrounded by barbed wire. Many of them are surrounded by pools of water as it is the wet season and the land is very flat for miles. The ditches alongside the road are filled with Lotus flower plants.
As we were approaching Siem Reap in the early evening the sky darkened with black bulbous clouds which were highlighted against the bright orange skyline of the setting sun – it looked very dramatic. Just as we pulled up to the bus station the rain came tumbling down and drenched the countryside. We were welcomed on arrival at our accommodation (Lotus Resort and Spa which Lorne and Nicole had secured for us all at a very good rate via a connection of one their children whose friend was a Cambodian refugee and had a contact at this hotel), with a delicious chilled sugar cane complimentary drink which was a nice refreshing boost after our travels on the bus.
Following a lazy start and laid back breakfast the next morning we made plans to hire a rental van and driver to take us to the Angkor Museum. The hotel staff had advised us to see this as a pre-requisite to heading out to the temple sights. It gave us a good overview giving us explanations of what we would see out at the various temples. It is a relatively new complex so lots of visual presentations to add to the static displays. While we were in here there was tremendous tropical downpour, so when we got out to the temples themselves they were quite sodden with pools of water lying everywhere. We visited 3 temples in the remainder of the afternoon including Thom Prom which was used in the Tomb Raider movie. The details in the carvings and the construction technique using simply dry wall technology- no cement is fascinating and quite awe inspiring how they trekked the sandstone from the hillside over 50kms away.
The next day we arranged a ½ day minivan and tour guide hire to take us around 3 more temple sights. We wanted to see the lady temple that is acknowledged as having some of the finest and most detailed carvings due to the more delicate approach of the women carvers.
We stopped at the Land Mine Museum. Land mines are a plague on Cambodia, with over 200 people per year still killed, and many more injured. There are large tracts of land unusable due to mines. This museum was set up by a local man, following his experiences as a boy soldier for the Khmer Rouge, wanted to do something to assist in making his countryside safer. He set about clearing land of mines – all self-taught! He personally removed 55000 landmines, without accident, before his government forced him to stop because he was not “qualified”!!! Since then his organisation has become internationally certified and, although he does not do this personally anymore, his employees do. They are locals only, and, at the current rate of clearance it will be 150 years before Cambodia is landmine free.... We made a small donation to this worthy cause.
In the evening we headed out to a Lonely Planet recommended restaurant named Madame Butterfly, which was great. Following this Lorne, Kendra and I headed off to a Blind massage treatment centre for a local Shiatsu style massage to complete the day.
We got up and organised a bit earlier today to make the most of the cooler morning temperatures to visit Angkor Wat, which is a very open temple with little shade. In the afternoon we had organised to take a bus through to Battambang, which was due to leave at 1.30pm, therefore we needed to make the most of the day. Angkor Wat is the biggest temple complex. It was a “hydraulic city” with running water, and a million people when London had 50,000!!! Due to our earlier start we were able to missed the heat of the day, as planned. It was actually quite pleasant meandering through the temple, and with a helpful breeze blowing through the place today it the conditions a lot more comfortable. The temple is broad wide complex (the entire city was 30,000 square kms!! Ankor Wat was the centre piece and main temple) surrounded by a large moat. It contained a great range of wall murals depicting beautiful looking women who were only costumed below the waist, and simply adorned above the waist with a stunning and varying array of jewellery. Matt and Lorne much appreciated and admired these stunning wall reliefs (see pics).
It was another 6 hour bus trip to get through to Battambang, and once again just as we arrived a tropical downpour occurred which quickly flooded the streets, as there aren’t sufficient drains or storm water systems in place the streets quickly become flooded with water pouring off rooflines and building orifices in all directions. (see pics for images) Also the sewerage provisions in these places are substandard. The sewerage overflow quickly runs into the pooling water, and the smell permeates the air. Unfortunately our accommodation tonight wasn’t quite what we expected based on the price and images shown on the internet. The pool was heavily discoloured from all the rain and our room had water marks running down the walls!
It was then time to head out for an
evening meal in the town centre. Our Tuktuk dropped us off near the local
markets, where there were a large number of locals purchasing their dinner from
the vendors. We were quite interested to watch chickens being cooked on a
portable rotisserie cart over hot coals (see pics.) We found a steakhouse
operated by a local Cambodian women and her Australian husband. Lorne managed to
sort out with the Australian information about how to get out to the Bamboo
Train that we wanted to do the next day.
We got ourselves organised reasonably
early again today as we wanted to fit in a trip on the Bamboo train before our
taxi pickup time of 11am that was going to take us through to the coastal town
of Kampot. We took a couple of Tuktuk’s out to the countryside where you can
catch a ride on a Bamboo Train. This is simply a three metre
long wooden frame, covered lengthwise with slats made of bamboo that rest on two
barbell like bogies. The aft one connected by belts to a 6Hp Gasoline Engine,
which cruises along the track at around 15Km per hour. When one train that meets
another, the one with the least amount of cargo is dismantled and carried off
the track to let the other one past! It was a bit like going on some sort of
theme park ride with the bushes on side of the track acted as a narrow corridor
that you pass through click, clack on the warped and misaligned tracks.
At the turnaround point there was a
refreshment stop and local women and children made crickets, rings and bangles
for you out of palm fronds. They also took us on a tour of a local brick making
facility, which produced rows of the standard brick from the local clay that
they fired in kilns using the husk of the rice grain as fuel.
On the track down to the brick factory we passed a cart carrying blocks of ice
that he cuts up on the back of his cart to deliver to the local houses. There is
currently no electricity in this part but they are expecting to be connected to
the grid in the next couple of months which will make life a lot easier for
everyone.
In the afternoon we travelled via two private taxis down to the coastal town of Kampot. This 455kms trip take took us eight hours with the local road conditions. Each taxi cost us $97 for the distance which compared to what we would pay at home was an absolute bargain. We stayed a couple of nights at a fairly new upmarket seaside resort for $60 a night. There was quite a thunder storm overnight and it continued in the morning. Our Idea of spending some relaxing time at the beach and pool were thwarted due to the weather conditions. So we made plans to head into the nearby town Kampot and then to the seaside village of Kep. On the way to Kep we detoured down a muddy side road in torrential rain, thunder and lightning to visit some cave temples. The local boys followed us on their bikes trying to keep up with the Tuktuk, and then guided us up the track to the cave temple and used the opportunity to practice their English with numerous questions. The cave was quite interesting with a variety of rock formations that resembled elephants, and the Temple dating from around 600AD.
In Kep we had a nice late lunch at an Italian restaurant and then completed the return journey back to the resort.
Another rainy start to the day today and we enjoyed a relaxed start to the day before packing up for our three hour journey back to Phnom Penh. We planned to get there mid-afternoon so we could get to the afternoon open session of the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. The Royal Palace has a classic Khmer roofline with ornate gilding. The roofline is held in place by sculptured ornate feminine figurines (see pics.) It has highly manicured topiary styled gardens. The Silver Pagoda gets its name from the silver floor tiles used to cover the floor and also houses a substantial collection of gold and silver ornaments. Following our tour of the palace we found a place to eat an early dinner, as none of us had had lunch today. After this Lorne, Nicole and I treated ourselves to a massage – again at the Blind massage place called Seeing Hands.
Last day, to the airport and off to Kuala Lumpur about 9am. Lorne and family flew from here to Singapore. We stayed overnight, and returned to Rebak and the Boat on 1 August....
22nd -31st July – Travelling in Cambodia. But first it was in to Kuah (we arrived at Rebak about 7pm last night) to clear customs. We also tried to arrange collection of the Dingy for repair (some seams need re-gluing, transom has a crack etc – it’s 10 years old!) but as it is Friday afternoon here now it’s like the weekend. We’ll have to do that when we get back from Cambodia. We also got new SIM cards for the phones – numbers are on the home page – as we seem to have lost our old Malaysian SIMs.
19-2st July – Matt here for a minute. This morning I fitted the new alternator (an alternator makes electricity from the engine – to charge batteries etc) – supposed to be a direct replacement, but of course it did not quite fit immediately – some wiring had to be moved and altered. Anyway, once this was done, installed fine, and tested, it all worked well. Generally it produces about 2x the amount of power that the old one did – at normal revs, so should speed up our recharge times significantly! For those interested it is a 600 series Balmar 70 Amp, and replaces a 55 Amp Ingram, now relegated to spares.
Jo Again -We cleared Thailand Customs and Immigration and prepare to make our back to Rebak Island in Malaysia where we will leave Island Time for the week we are spending travelling in Cambodia with the Simmons Family. Left at 0600 on 20th. We motored the whole way due to the flat calm windless conditions. We did stop overnight at the lovely little anchorage spot between the islands fo Rok Nok and Rok Nai. We enjoyed the clean clear water and gave the hull a quick wipe over for better mileage while moving along.
18th July 2011
(Jo Agai n Now) After Matt was finished in the coolness of the Simmons air airconditioned resort room, along with free internet access, we made travel arrangements for our upcoming plans to head to Cambodia together. At lunchtime we headed out to a cheap and cheerful beachfront restaurant. I was astounded by the amount of rubbish, old fishing nets and lines the locals were hauling up off the beach following the effects of the stormier weather over the last week, as the beach had always been clean when we had been there before. Lorne generously booked me in for his complimentary daily 2 ½ hour spa session at the resort that day, while Matt and Lorne went back up to the middle of the Island to collect our new alternator. Nicole and I enjoyed some relaxing spa treatments before we all headed out together for an evening meal. .
17th July – The Norries, Vlaars and McNeils are due to return their yachts to Yacht Haven Marina by 11am this morning. The day dawned bright and sunny – the first one of the yacht charter week! The Norries, Vlaars and McNeils off loaded their remaining supplies to us and we sadly said our farewells.
We have more family friends (the Simmons family), who are currently here in Phuket coming out to join us for a day outing to the Hongs. So, collecting them from Ao Po Marina at 9am, we had a pleasant trip out to the Hongs and explored 3 or 4 different ones including a cave that we hadn’t been into before that had magnificent mirror reflections of the stalactites and stalagmites. It was really quite stunning. Mid afternoon we returned to Grand Apo Marina, and Lorne stayed onboard with Matt to help take Island Time back down to Chalong Harbour. I went with Nicole and the girls in the rental car back to their resort at Kata beach, and enjoyed a swim in the pool before we picked up Lorne and Matt at Chalong and enjoyed a meal at their resort.
11th July – with the weather forecast looking good for some wind over the next couple of days, the decision was made to make the most of the conditions and complete a run down to the Phi Phi Don Island, approx. 33 nautical miles away as the first destination. After lifting the anchors we all set about putting up our sails. It quickly became apparent that something was seriously wrong with the rigging of the McNeils yacht. The forestay was so loose that Matt made me photograph it, as the threat of a rig failure and mast falling down seemed imminent. They pulled down the sails in a hurry, and returned to shelter. Contact was made with the Charter Boat Company. They came and looked at the situation – the rigging “repair” they had made had failed! Another yacht was arranged for the week, a Catamaran this time. However this meant they spent most of the day getting this sorted and so they effectively lost a day. As there was nothing the rest of us could do to assist, we made the most of the conditions and headed down to Phi Phi. There was a good swell running and we had the tide running with us so we made the trip in good time, averaging just under 8 knots.
The McNeil family group joined us the next day at Phi Phi but due to an uncomfortable and roly night in the main anchorage the call was made to relocate to the other side of the island to Loh Goa Bay to get out of the swell. Three days were spent around the Phi Phi Island group. The Norrie, Vlaar and McNeil families organised a day trip on the local Longtail boats to the tourist attractions at Phi Phi Le, took in some shopping at the main beach, and we did some snorkelling in the bay. The weather was overcast with passing rain squalls coming through at regular intervals. On the 14th we headed back up near the top of Phuket into Phang Nga Bay to investigate some the Hongs in this location, visit the Muslim fishing village on stilts and to show them James Bond Island. Despite the disappointing weather everyone remained bright and cheerful, and we enjoyed each other’s company and the sights that were seen.
10th July - We picked everyone up (the Norries and Vlaars) at 9.30am and headed up towards Yacht Haven. The next door neighbours of the Norries, and the instigators of the yacht charter concept the McNeil family, were due to arrive at the marina from the airport around 11am. It was hoped that while the ladies went and got the fresh supplies the guys would be able to load up the boats and get the briefing session over and done with by the time we returned. Unfortunately the yacht the McNeils were scheduled to use required a rigging repair (Wires that hold up the mast!!) to be completed before it was fit to take out. This ended up taking till mid afternoon. When we returned from the grocery run around 3pm a heavy tropical downpour saturated us all as we loaded up the supplies. This was a foreboding start to the week ahead. Finally ready to get away around 4pm. With only a couple of hours left of daylight we all headed down the channel, with the McNeils having a few issues with the furling of their foresail. They finally got it furled and continued under power. We arrived at the bay to anchor in for the night, just as another squall came through to make for an extra dramatic and exciting finish to the day – 30 knot gusts, heavy rain, and little visibility. It is the monsoon season, after all!!
4 – 10th July 2011 – We have been enjoying the company of our Kiwi camping friends Richard and Inez Vlaar and Cath and Wayne Norrie during this time. They had booked a week of resort accommodation at Kata Beach, and following this had arranged a yacht charter hire for a week.
As the night of the 4th July was Stephanie and Rohan’s last night here in Kata Beach we arranged to have a final meal with them and our friends the Norries and Vlaars at the highly recommended Mama Tri’s Boathouse. Unfortunately when we got there the place was in the process of being renovated during the low season, so we headed further up the hill to Mama Tri’s Villa where they have a lovely hilltop resort and restaurant overlooking the beach of Kata Noi. We enjoyed a fine meal here and at the end each of the ladies was presented with a long stem red rose, which unlike the ones at home were beautifully scented. We thoroughly enjoyed sharing time with Steph and Ro here in Phuket, it was great having their company, and a special bonus was the numerous swims in their resort pool!
While the Norries and Vlaars were here in Kata beach, we would come across the hill each day from Chalong Bay, where Island Time is anchored, to meet them for a various day outings around Phuket on the scooters we had all hired. Our trips included a day tour of the Southern part of the island taking in the sights of Big Buddha where Richard and Inez took the opportunity to have an elephant ride, then the Southern beaches of Raiwai and then Nai Harn where we enjoyed some body surfing in the late afternoon. We also took in the viewing points of Phromthep Cape and Karon before completing the round tour back to Kata Beach. We had a shopping trip outing to Patong Beach another afternoon enjoying an evening meal there, before taking in some of the atmosphere of the erotic nightlife that this location is renowned for. Another day we headed off to do a round tour of the central island west coast beaches, through to the middle of the island to the Heroines Monument and nearby Thalang museum. After that we headed out to Boat Lagoon where we had a boat part that we had ordered in to pick up. Next back down to Chalong where Cath and I had booked a 3 ½ hour ‘Perfect Massage’ at the “Massage by the Blinds” location. Richard and Wayne both had an hour Thai massage there while Matt and Inez went out to Island Time to fill in time before coming back to collect Wayne and Richard. They all then headed out for some fun at the local shooting range and kart track before picking Cath and I up at the end of our Perfect Massage session.
The supermarket was next, to get the non-perishable shopping supplies for the upcoming week’s yacht charter, as there are no nearby Supermarket facilities at Yacht Haven Marina, where they are collecting their charter yacht. As Matt and I planned to take Island Time up the coast the following day we figured it would be easier to transport the non-perishable goods on Island Time, as the 7 seater vehicle we had hired would be a tight squeeze for all the people and luggage. After getting the supplies we shared a meal and then organised some transportation down to the pier for the groceries. Everyone helped load up the dingy with the supplies.
Next morning it was a pleasant day sail up the coast to Yacht Haven Marina, where we caught up with Russell from Andiamo II (who was opposite us in the marina) for a meal that night. In the morning we completed a few jobs (such as filling up with fuel and water) in preparation for the weeks yachts charter with our friends, and waited patiently for the arrival of our new interior seating to arrive from the upholsterer. It is Matt’s birthday today and he was eagerly awaiting the delivery of his birthday present – the new seating! It wasn’t until 5.30pm that they finally arrived with our squabs! After getting them fitted and Matt approving the new level in comfort, we picked up the rental car and headed back down to Kata Beach, where we were to meet the Norries and Vlaars for a celebratory birthday dinner. We had also arranged to stay the night in a cheap hotel room to make picking everyone up the next day much easier. We enjoyed a pleasant meal out at Two Chefs, with our friends generously shouting Matt and I for our Birthday celebrations (mine is two days away on the 11th).
2 July Slow start this morning after
a bit of a rolly night. Updated the pics for the web, and now this. Going to
Step and Rowan’s hotel this afternoon for a swim.
1 July Matt here. This morning Jo
went out and had a haircut and did some shopping etc. I worked more on the
Alternator issue. I had thought that the max charge (50amp) was not being
reached possibly due to a failed diode, but further tests indicated that this
was not the case. I removed the alternator and cleaned all the electrical
connections, replaced one of the neg terminal connectors, replaced the brushes
(one very worn, other OK) cleaned and reassembled. Now working fine!!! Yay!
However, in view of these issues and the fact we keep adding more electrical
stuff, we have decided to get a better alternator and use this one as a spare.
I’ve ordered a 70amp Balmar marine Alternator, which, although in theory is only
20amps more, has more than twice the output at usual charging revs. Should be a
huge improvement. It’s coming from West Marine to Langkawi (duty free), so
we’ll pick it up late this month when we are back there.
30th
June - . We enjoyed our day out with Steph and Ro and I think they had
fun with the sailboat experience and snorkeling amongst the fish at Coral
Island. We took some bread to feed the fishes (just like they give to the
tourists) and Steph was quite thrilled with the experience of having the all
sorts of tropical fish come up around her to nibble the bread. Rohan was a very
useful crew member (great having a strong young man around to help), lifting the
dingy up and down the beach, pulling up the mainsail and helping with anchoring.
He also had fun holding onto a rope behind the boat as we sailed along. It was
good to share the with them again and after happy hour drinks and nibbles on
board I let Ro drive the dingy into the wharf, and they then caught a taxi back
to their resort for a fresh water swim/shower meal and massage. We are having a
quiet evening onboard for a change.
29th
June - hired a car yesterday to pick up our headsail that had been in
for a repair at the sailmakers and took Steph and Ro for a bit of a tour
around the lower half of the Island and to the Zoo where they wanted to go. It
has been fun sharing our time/experiences with them and we have thoroughly
enjoyed their wonderful company (good to have Kiwis to talk to and discuss
things with).
28th
June - Matt spent the morning installing the new cabin lights,
and the NZ electrical fittings that our niece and her husband Stephanie and
Rohan had brought up for us. I had fun catching up with various people on
Skype. In the afternoon we headed over to Kata Beach to enjoy a swim in Steph
and Ro’s resort pool and then out received from
27th
June - Up to Boat Lagoon Chandleries/Lunch with Daphne/Russ to pick up
the lights Daphne had bought up for us from Ausy. One new saloon light, and new
reading lights for our cabin. In the afternoon, Matt was keen to get on to the
Alternator issue. We got the required cable and terminals at one of the
chandlers while in Boat Lagoon this morning. Installation was a bit difficult as
it has to go thru the under floor conduits to the switch panel. It took both of
us most of the afternoon to do this, (one pulling, one pushing) using the old
cable as a pull thru, and lots of perspiration! Anyway, it has now improved the
alternators performance, although it is not totally fixed yet. Caught up with
Steph and Rohan that evening for a meal and to collect the various bits and
pieces they had generously brought up in their luggage from NZ for us.
26th
June – More boat jobs – like housekeeping they never end!! Matt
(and me too – it takes forever to charge the batteries each day) is not
happy at present with the way our alternator is charging so after some
investigations and tests decided we need to replace the alternator main output
cable, as it had high resistance. I did the windows and outside salt
crystal clean. Then lunch at our favorite air-con lunch/free wireless update
computers/website. After that I helped Bruce on Enchantress with sails, and
Matt cleaned up the mess on Island Time. We had a quiet night on board
25th
June – Spent ½ the day doing boat jobs. In the afternoon we hired
a motor bike to go to Kata beach for a well deserved break from boat jobs and
some fun in the surf and dinner.
24th
June – Off to Customs/Immigration at opening time this morning to
complete our clearance requirements. We then hired a car to take our
furling headsail up to the Sail Makers, Roly Taskers. It is now showing quite a
bit of wear and tear and had ripped its leech cord in the windier conditions
yesterday. Russell’s friend Bruce we had met the night before also joined us as
he had a sail to pick up from Roly Taskers. We also took the roll of fabric we
had picked up in Langkawi, Malaysia to deliver to the upholsterer at the other
end of Phuket, to enable them to get on with finishing our interior seating job.
On the way back down we stopped at Boat Lagoon Marina
to pick up various bits and pieces we wanted while we still have access to
decent chandleries. We also caught up with Campbell and Jenney from Charelle,
and got to view the completed woodwork they have had done to their boats kitchen
and interior – it looks great, a huge improvement. Bruce then showed us a
number of useful little shops in old Phuket town where you can access cheap
tools and boat supplies. Our last stop on the way home, while we have the use of
a car instead of motorbike, was at the local supermarket to stock up on meat and
groceries (including a carton of Weetbix - our favourite and difficult to
source breakfast cereal). We ended our day with a quiet dinner by ourselves over
at Kata Beach.
23rd
June – We sailed from Phi Phi to Chalong/Phuket today, as Russell was
keen to get to Phuket with a bit of time to clean up his boat before his wife
Daphne arrived up from Australia. I offered to crew for Russell as he was still
quite tender and sore from his injuries. This was just as well, as once we got
out of the shelter of Phi Phi Island there was quite a breeze blowing (25-30
knots) with some reasonable waves. It was quite stormy conditions for this area
- it reminded me of Windy Wellington on a good sailing day!! We got quite
salt laden on our trip with spray and waves washing the decks, but soon dried
out in the sun and heat. We wanted to get the paperwork for Customs and
Immigration clearance sorted out on our arrival at 4pm to enable us to have a
free day the next day to get on with our jobs but once ashore we found
they had closed at 3pm. So we decided to quench our thirsts at the Lighthouse
Pub on the foreshore. Russell met up with one of his sailing acquaintances
and we all ended up sharing the evening together over some drinks and a meal. I
also indulged in a massage while the lads swapped sailing yarns, as my shoulder
had been quite sore over the last few days. The massage was wonderful and
resulted in me having a very good night’s sleep that night. J
21st – 22nd June (Jo writing again now) We had a lovely day sail to the Island of Phi Phi Don, we actually got to sail all day instead of motor-sail! There was finally a decent breeze blowing which makes a nice change for around this part of the world, I must say. When Russell from Andiamo turned up (his boat is a bit slower than ours) we all headed ashore. Matt and Russell enjoyed the “sights” as this is a real backpacker’s location, so lots of beautiful young things to look at. (insert by Matt – Jo looks too, just not at the same ones!) I indulged in a much needed leg wax treatment at one of the beauticians. (I have found that getting waxing done here is not as readily available as at home, unless you are in a big tourist location. The local people don’t have a lot of excess body hair, and instead choose to indulge in skin whitening and slimming treatments at their beauticians).
Unfortunately on our way back to the dingy after our meal, Russell tumbled down the steps of the seawall in the dark. He landed on some sharp rocks/concrete and gave himself some grazes and quite a shock. When we got back to Island Time I patched him up as best I could with medical supplies. I was pretty sure he hadn’t broken any ribs in his fall but he was very tender in this area. He didn’t sleep very well that night so the next morning we arranged to find a Doctor to check him out. They also confirmed he hadn’t broken any ribs but prescribed him some decent muscle relaxants to take to ease the pain.
19 - 20th June –We spent the last two days at a more isolated and idyllic tropical island location. We anchored in a channel between the islands of Rok Noi and Rok Nok. The water here is crystal clear with golden sand and bush down to the shoreline. It is part of the national park in this area, but in this non-peak monsoon season it was very quiet and peaceful with just the local rangers and some yachties in residence. Being more isolated from the more popular tourist areas closer to the mainland the coral was much more pristine and alive which made for some great snorkeling. I must have spent 4-5 hours in the water on the second day– it was just the sort of tropical island retreat that you dream of finding but rarely do.
On the first night we were invited to join another yacht for drinks (an American catamaran called Ocelot - many catamaran/multihull boats are named after the cat/feline family). We enjoyed their company and stories and ended up sharing a pasta meal with them. When Russell and I went ashore on the second day the local ranger station they gave us a tour of the accommodation used in the peak season, and also the local wildlife – several Monitor Lizards and giant hermit crabs that lived around the rubbish areas disposing of the scraps! When we enquired about the fish and prawns we had seen drying in baskets from the trees. They generously loaded me up with crab, squid and tiger prawns to take away. I gave them some cash and invited them to come out and look at our yacht “bungalow”, but they politely declined. So we ended sharing the food in a communal meal with the crew from Ocelot and Russell from Andiamo, and had another interesting evening sharing stories.
Unfortunately for Matt during our time here we had problems with both our toilets. So he ended up spending one afternoon sorting out this issue so that we wouldn’t pollute this lovely environment. It was a shame to spend his time in this stunning location doing such a shitty job (literally!!) but we didn’t want to harm the environment with our pollution.
Matt writing now for a bit – for anyone interested in what was wrong with the toilets. Stop reading here and go to the next date below if you find toilets squeamish!
The fwd toilet was backwashing when pumped – the one way valve in the Henderson MK V pump had failed due to scale buildup. (all marine toilets using salt water suffer from scale) Removed the pump, disassembled, chipped off the scale with a screwdriver, and reassembled the pump. Unfortunately I put the flapper valve in backwards, so then had to do it again! Anyway, that fixed the front toilet, and this time I got away without using a rebuild kit.
The rear toilet has a lectra san treatment system. This had stopped working completely, no lights or sounds. Dead. Tried to diagnose it with no luck. I thought it might be a control board, and an electrode pack. I’d had enough of toilets by this time, and as we now had one working one, I left this until the next day at Phi Phi Don (see Below).
Once at Phi Phi Don, I decided to have one last try at repair, and to remove the unit. It is a very difficult thing to remove, as the heavy pipes for it have to be heated to be flexible enough to have a chance at getting them off the pipe fittings. I had to cut them off to get it out, as our inverter (1500w) is not powerful enough to run the paint stripper gun I would normally use for this. Fortunately we carry some spare pipe. Anyway, got the lectra san out, took it into the cockpit, emptied it over the side and flushed with lots of salt water until clear. Removed the top, manually cleaned the electrode pack and macerator motor shafts, reassembled. Then I cleaned all the electrical connections and re-installed ( I used a butane blow torch for heat – at bit primitive, and easy to burn the plastic, but it worked! Fortunately, once reassembled, it all worked fine. The control board and the electrode pack were over $1300 NZD so very pleased to avoid that, and worth a hard and dirty days work!
19 June - An early start today as we have to cover
around 45 nautical miles to find the next sheltered island anchorage. We had
light wind conditions but from directly in front which is not a good angle for
sailing, so it once again motor sailing in order to make headway. There is still
also quite an ocean swell running, so a bit of bounce which we haven’t had to
put up with for many months. I had a cleanup session inside after all the dust
made by Matt installing the new air-conditioner and did some computer work.
18 June
The next morning (18th June)
we headed up just 5 nautical miles to the bay in the middle of the island that
previously was the port area for the Thailand vocational penal colony
during the early to mid 1900’s. The island housed up to 3000 political and
dangerous prisoners, along with pirates who used to be a real menace in this
area (just like the Red Sea today). There was a large crocodile and shark
population (all now eaten!), which made escape by sea perilous. They built a
sawmill here- had the inmates log the timber for crafts/furniture etc. Which the
Government, ( and also corrupt prison wardens) sold for a profit. The area is
now a historic national park and was very pretty with lush tropical rainforest.
There is a nice paved path through the jungle that led you around the various
old facilities, with informative notice boards at each location. The harsh
environment meant disease and malaria a real problem here with over 700 deaths
out of the 3000 inmates in one particularly bad year. Punishments noted
for bad behaviour included carrying a large wood anchor around for days on end,
or until they dropped from exhaustion, being left on a rack in the sun for
10-15 days at a time, or placed in a pit. It was an interesting and informative
walk but unfortunately at the end of the walk I found 3 leeches had happily
attached themselves to both my feet under the straps of my shoes (yuk). It does
seem in this climate that the mozzies prefer the taste of Matt’s blood, but that
the Leeches like mine.
After enjoying a
refreshing hose off from the freshwater hose at the end of the old wharf we
headed out to the boat for lunch, and then made our way further up the coast to
find an anchorage at the top of the Island for the night. Quite a swell was
coming in the bay at the top which would have made an overnight anchorage
uncomfortable so we headed back down the coast to find something a little more
comfortable. Matt did some boat jobs late afternoon and I had
a swim and made a start on cleaning the hull of Russell’s boat that after
several months of sitting in the marina had quite a bit of aquatic life stuck to
it which reduces your speed through the water. However the tide was quite strong
here and after an 1 ½ hours of battling the tide while trying to clean the
underneath of the boat I gave it up and headed back to prepare dinner for our
shared BBQ.
Phuket, Thailand to Langkawi, Malaysia (6th June – 16th June)
We cleared Phuket(customs etc) from Ao Chalong and headed out towards the Island of Phi Phi Don. About 20 mins after leaving the temperature alarm for the motor sounded. A quick investigation by Matt found the cause to be the Refrigerator Heater Exchanger which appeared to be blocked (it’s the only one we haven’t cleaned out yet). After doing a back flush through it using the salt water pump he was able to clear a lot of the grunge out and then reconnected it. He will do a proper cleanout once we get back to Rebak Marina and will also need to replace the heater hose which ruptured under the pressure. It was fortunate that there was plenty of heater hose to cut the ruptured piece out. We got to Phi Phi Don late afternoon and entered the harbour along with the Ausy yacht Windchimes (which we have been unintentionally shadowing over the last couple of weeks) as we have made our way around Phuket. When we passed them we made contact and agreed to share a meal ashore that evening. Phi Phi Don is one of the big tourist destinations so there was lot of tourist accommodation, dive shops and little restaurants to choose from. We enjoyed finally making the proper acquaintance of the crew of Windchimes – Greg and Janice.
The following morning we took our dingy out to the nearby Island of Phi Phi Le where all the tours go out to and spent a couple of hours exploring features. One bay is quite picturesque and was used as a location in the movie “The Beach” a few years ago. We went snorkelling in the clear waters behind Maya Bay and then down the coast to Hong Pileh. Due to the numbers of tour boats going in and out of here we had to wait for a gap in the ‘queue’ to make our way into the entrance. It was like a two lane highway! In fact due to the number of boats going in and out the air was filled with engine fumes, and this is supposedly the quiet season! We headed back past Viking Cave before going back to Island Time for lunch and to collect some information about anchorages further down the line from Windchimes. Late afternoon we headed ashore again and went for a wander around the shops along with the Windchimes crew. We walked across to the beach on the other side of the island. When settling down for our evening meal we noticed the yacht Camille coming into the bay, so Matt went out and invited them to come in and join us all for dinner.
The next morning we headed south again stopping for the night at an anchorage off Ko Muk where Windchimes had told us about a Hong that you entered through a 80 metre pitch black tunnel that leads you into an enclosed cathedral type cave named Emerald Cove. This was once used by pirates as a treasure trove apparently. As it was a bit windy with quite a swell moving in and out of the tunnel entrance on the afternoon we arrived we decided to leave it and try again early the next morning.
The weather/sea conditions were better, so into Emerald Cave we went (in the dingy). You can certainly see was a wonderful spot for hiding treasure, with a hidden entrance (now marked by bouys), and near vertical cliffs all around, with a fully enclosed bay open to the sky in the centre, and a nice small beach. Well worth a visit.. After this, south again for Tarutao Island for our next overnight stop.
One Night (a bit rolly) at Tarutao, then today we headed the rest of the way to Rebak Marina. Had a thunderstorm just after lunch with great claps of thunder and bolts of lightning coming down and hitting the sea on each side of us. A short but dramatic show, quite scary. The following day (Friday) we headed into the township of Kuah to do our official business of clearing in, pick up our saloon seating fabric and to locate a replacement air-conditioner and necessary hardware supplies for making a cowling for it.
This has kept him (Matt) busy over the last few days installing it and the cover for our deck hatch. He has also completed the cleaning the fridge heat exchanger (shellfish growing in the entry pipe fitting!) so hopefully that will rectify our overheating issues. We plan to restock the supplies of duty free alcohol on Thursday and complete our clearance for heading back up to Phuket again ready to meet up with the various family and friends who are coming up that way over the next month.
2 June - We plan to make our way back down to Chalong via the Krabi Coast over the next week and will then clear out of Thailand to make our way down through the southern islands to Malaysia (Rebak, Langkawi again) as we need to renew our visas before heading back for the various family and friends who are coming up to Phuket in July that we plan to spend some time with.
1 June - It’s now the first day of June- hard to believe ½ the year is almost gone! We left the marina on the high tide this morning and headed back up to Yacht Haven Marina for the fitting session of the foam for our new saloon squabs this afternoon. Matt is very pleased with how it is all coming together. It should be far superior and much more comfortable than what we currently have which are only flat, unmoulded foam pieces with no ergonomic considerations. The new foam is twice the thickness, and better density so should feel quite luxurious when finished when we bring the new fabric back later in June.
27 May - 31May Heading back out to Phang Nga bay, we anchored off Ko Phanak East over night. downpour (Thunder storm), so went around to a more sheltered/isolated spot away from the tour boats. In the cruising guide we have read that there was another Hong to explore – we found it but it was only accessible at High tide, so we decided to anchor in a pretty little bush clad bay we had passed on the way which had an inviting sandy beach off the island of Ko Khlui. I swam ashore and explored the beach and found the little tropical island paradise had a ‘For Sale’ sign. Swam back out to make lunch. Enjoyed a lazy afternoon reading and ended up spending the night here.
After a peaceful night and morning swim, off down the coastline some more (of the island of Yao Nui) and ended up anchoring in the channel between this island and Yao Yai. It was quite breezy so it was pleasantly cool. We went into a local restaurant that was recommended in the cruising guide and I had Crab for dinner which they obtained from storage traps they had attached to the floating pontoon we had tied our dingy up to. You don’t get much fresher than that! We enjoyed a cool night’s sleep with rain squalls and I even had to resort to a blanket in the wee hours of the morning. Matt had had growing concerns about the efficiency of our portable air conditioner unit we had purchased in Singapore last October and was keen to take it to the air-conditioner technician in at the boat Lagoon Marina at Phuket. We needed to make our way through the channel between the two islands before 11am, so got organised and went. We anchored again at the island of Rang Yai North East so we could get the tide to go up to the marina early the next morning (it is a shallow and winding route best done coming up to high tide). I enjoyed a swing in my hammock in the shade of our foredeck shade rolling over and jumping in for swims to cool off.
Next morning it was up to get up the channel (allowing for plenty of water this time so we didn’t hit the bottom. ) We dropped off the air conditioner and then had a swim at the pool and some lunch at our favourite fresh bread shop. The air conditioner technician contacted us and advised that our unit had no service valves and to look at the refrigerant levels they would have to cut the pipes and add the values but this was really an uneconomical option based on the value of the unit. As a result we hired a motorbike and went out hunting for a replacement model, which proved to be a mission to find. Ended up having dinner at the shopping mall and went to the cinema to see the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The next morning Matt spent time on-line searching for a specialised air-conditioner shop (rather than the home improvement/department stores we had looked at the day before) and after locating one we headed to talk to them. Unfortunately as English is not the native language getting our message across about our requirement proved difficult, and with the pricing much higher than we would pay in Malaysia. As we are planning to head there in the next couple of weeks and aren’t really planning on spending anymore time in Marinas we will wait to purchase one then.
As I wanted to get some fresh groceries before we headed out again so we stopped off at the mall to pick up some supplies, by this stage it had started to pour with rain so we had a drink and with no sign of it easing up decided to see another movie. It was still raining when we came out of the movie and so it was a cold wet ride back to the marina. We must remember to pack our raincoats now that it is the wet season!
23-26th May – Yacht Haven Marina. We came back here to get the measurements done for our new interior saloon seating and to get our dodger windscreen replaced. We didn’t like any of the fabric samples that the local supplier had so organised to order some fabric from the USA through a mail-order company called Sailrite, they specialize in marine fabrics. Matt wanted to go for a creamy colour that would help lighten up the inside, however one we really wanted was discontinued so we decided to go for a pale blue that would complement the current decor. This also was unavailable! Now (3rd choice) it’s a slightly darker shade of blue which they have in stock. The Material (an artificial leather, specifically for marine use) will be shipped to Langkawai in Malaysia (duty free there) and we will bring it back up here on the boat in July.
Whilst here I enjoyed a day outing with our friends Pete and Judith from Camille (while Matt waited for the upholstery guy to make a pattern for the saloon seats – on the boat) in the air-conditioned car they hired to pick up essential food items (as this Marina at the top end of Phuket is isolated from the main shopping areas). We did a run through the Chandlery shops at Boat Lagoon. I picked up our replacement dingy propeller we had ordered, and also picked up our new camera we had ordered. We spent a day using our sewing machine to do some repair jobs seeing as we are hooked up to shore power. Some time also spent updating the website again, and giving the cockpit a good cleanout and cut and polish seeing as the dodger was away being fixed. We will head out on the tide today to explore some more of the islands before coming back into the Marina for a fitting of the foam squabs when they are ready next week.
22nd May – We need to head back to Yacht Haven Marina later today so we can dismantle the dodger ready to take up to the upholstery lady first thing on Monday morning. So we headed off after breakfast and explored a little more of Phang Nga Bay by taking an alternative route back down. We stopped briefly at Ko Hong Island that proclaims to have the biggest Hong in the area. We had a brief tour of the area, then with rain squall coming through we quickly dashed back to Island Time, as we had left everything open. It was time anyway to make the rest of the way back down to the Marina. We passed through a couple of light rain squalls on our way back and did put up the rain catcher but that always seems to chase the rain away!
21st May - This morning we up anchored and headed further north into the Phang Nga Bay area. The trip up through the rising pinnacles of rock faces that dot the seascape here are majestic towering structures and quite enthralling. On our passage we motor sailed through a good downpour of rain and as we still had our water catcher up we were able to collect a good 50 litres of water for our supply as well as a free shower each on deck! We anchored at Ko Yang bay and then further explored the region of Phang Nga Bay by Dingy, including a trip across to the popular tourist destination of “James Bond Island”, so renamed after it was used as a film location for the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. We had a relaxed afternoon back at the boat with passing showers and thunderstorms passing over us throughout the rest of the day.
20th May –We took our dingy on a tour around the island of Ko Phanak. With the arrival of the daily tour boats we were able to locate the various “Hongs ” (an enclosed internal lagoon inside the island which is reached through a cave entrance). The Hongs can be hard to find, as there are many caves and possible entrances. Most of the tour companies use Canoes to enter the Hongs, but as we only had a dingy we needed to wait for mid-tide in the late afternoon before we would have enough room to enter . So, while waiting, we circumnavigated the island and found a lovely secluded little beach with overhanging trees and a stunning cliff face to shelter from the heat of the sun. An assortment of butterflies hovered all around us – a very nice little break here, in a beautiful environment.
We headed back to Island Time for a late lunch and then mid-afternoon once most of the tour boats had departed we headed back to the Hongs to investigate them further. It took some negotiating to carefully get the dingy through the narrow, oyster and barnacle encrusted cave entrances which then opened up into small lagoons, with steep sided bush clad rock faces open to the sky. Quite stunning and spectacular.
19th May – I wanted to get a few bits and pieces of fruit to restock my supply before heading out again for a few days and so Judith from Camille showed me where to meet the Vege Van man. After waiting 40mins for his arrival we were informed by another local that there had been a death in the family so he wouldn’t be coming today. Judith then took me into the local village so we could look at the supplies there, but the cupboard there was very bare as well as it was a ‘holiday’. We will just have to make to with what we have. After these ventures I figured I deserved a swim before we headed off and there was no rush to leave as we wanted to go out with the outgoing tide at mid-afternoon. We paid our bill (at the marina) and headed on our way. The tide gave us a good push down the channel, and we headed to the anchorage at Ko Phanak. The islands at this end of the Phuket are quite stunning. They rise with vertical cliff faces straight out of the sea, they have unusual overhangs at sea level were the sea has eroded the softer rock layer of the bottom of the island due to the constant tidal and wave action and has left formations of stronger types of rocks dangling from the eroded lip (see photo’s). Limestone formations have also formed on these edges and they drip down into the water. We enjoyed the setting sun in the cockpit and settled down for the evening.
18th May – We enjoyed a bit of sleep in this morning in the comfort of the airconditioning (I even threw a blanket over me!), however by mid-morning the humidity and sun were beating down and our little air-con couldn’t keep up and was only maintaining a temp of 33°C so we headed up to the Marina Pool to cool down (after the upholstery lady had been to measure up for new Saloon Seating) . The heat kept climbing, along with heavy grey clouds and rolls of thunder. By lunchtime the rain had started so we escaped to the Deli for lunch while waiting for the rain to ease. Once the rain had stopped it was much a much more comfortable climate again. We headed back to Island Time and Matt did some more sorting out in his “tool” cabin, wired a power point into behind our saloon seating so we can power the computers without running extension cords around the cabin (much safer). It was my turn for an afternoon snooze as I’d had a headache all day that wouldn’t move so took some tablets and a sleep seemed to help. That evening we caught up with sail Indonesia friends Peter and Judith from the yacht Camille who are here also and we had drinks here and then headed out to a local restaurant/bar for a meal together. It was good to catch up with them as the last time we saw Peter was at the bottom of Malaysia where he was very unwell and had been sent home to the UK to recover with suspected Dengue Fever. It was good to see him fit and healthy again.
17th May – We made our way up to Yacht Haven Marina today, this is the upper most marina on the Island of Phuket. As a result of the narrow gap between the island of Phuket and the mainland the current runs very swiftly up here and so we were advised by the Marina to wait outside till “slack water” (the time between the changes of tidal direction), before entering the Marina between 1-2pm. We did as advised, but decided to take the dingy in for a look around the marina while waiting. We enjoyed something to eat in the coolness of the deli, then registered and got the paperwork out of the way and then it was time to come in. The temperature had been rising all morning and it was cooking with high levels of humidity again as the skies filled with thunder clouds threatening a downpour. This arrived mid afternoon thankfully and cooled down the atmosphere to a much more comfortable level.
We have made arrangements to meet up with a local upholster here that we have had good reports about to get a price for re-doing the seating in our main saloon/cabin area. Matt did not sleep well last night and has a gripping story that he is reading so he retired to complete this while I took the opportunity with free internet to once again to catch up with computer tasks and communication.
16th May – We left Royal Phuket marina this morning on the rising tide (to avoid hitting the bottom of the channel again!), and headed out towards Ko Yao Yai Island (the next biggest island between Phuket and the mainland). Having recently collected our new front hatch shade cover once anchored we decided to test it out. Matt had designed it so that we could use it as a shade shelter to go above my hammock that I like to hang between the mast and foresail when at anchor, and also so it can be dropped down to the deck to cover the hatch above our bed to give shade from the morning sun and to prevent rain coming in the open hatch at night whilst still allowing vital airflow. It works a treat. After a couple of hours R&R, we decided to go ashore and have a look around and perhaps to grab some lunch now that the tour boat had departed. Lunch was no longer available but we did get an ice cream and a drink. Can’t say there was anything particularly attractive about this location to invite us back again, but you never know till you have visited! The wind had turned around by this stage so we headed off for an afternoon sail to the island of Ko Nakha Yai back on the Phuket side again as Matt wants to get to the Marina near the top of Phuket tomorrow for a meeting with an upholstery person.
14-15th May – (Royal Phuket Marina). After checking the tide tables after breakfast we realised we needed to get away ASAP to get up the long river channel to the marina before the tide dropped too much. The channel is marked with a series of concrete posts that meander from the shallows of the outlying bay of Ao Tha Rua and up the river to the two marinas located there. We had made arrangements to check into the uppermost marina of ‘Boat Lagoon’, however about 200m from the entrance we kept touching the muddy bottom of the river. It was apparent that we were going to be pushing our luck to reach the entrance of the marina on an outgoing tide. We made the decision to turn around and go back down the river to the Royal Phuket Marina, where the entrance is in deeper water. This is the most expensive marina in Phuket, as the name would suggest, but I must say they offered impeccable service. On arrival we were offered on a tray cool and fragrant cleaning cloths to wipe ourselves down with, a very refreshing welcome. During our stay the staff bent over backwards to assist us, despite one of the days being a public holiday. Everything was done efficiently and on time (unusual in this part of the world), very impressive.
After tying up we signed in and got our air conditioner going once we were hooked up to shore power. We ordered filtered water to replenish our tanks as they didn’t recommend using the water on the wharf for drinking. We had also had a call earlier to say our shade cover for the front hatch was ready so we organised to hire a bike to go and collect it, and to also pick up some fresh supplies from the supermarket. While looking for the bike hire place we came across an acquaintance from the Sail Indonesia Rally who was having work done on his boat at Boat Lagoon Marina next door. It is the biggest marina here in Thailand, and is a real hive of industry for getting work done on your boat. It has numerous chandleries and associated boat shops and services along with eateries, swimming pools, beauty spas well as apartments you can rent while having your boat worked on! It is like a small town and the most comprehensive Marina we have seen since leaving Australia. Our friend Campbell gave us a grand tour of the place before we headed off on the bike after we had arranged to meet up for dinner.
We got our supplies and stored them away before a quick shower to freshen up before Campbell and his wife Jenny picked us up in their hire car to take us out to the dinner place. We enjoyed a pleasant evening catching up on boating stories and what the various people we had met on the rally were now up to.
13th May – Today we headed out to Khai Nui Island which is located in the middle of the channel between Phuket and the next biggest island of Ko Yao Yai. Khai Nui is a very small private Island (200mx30m=6000m2), that has tourist facilities and welcomes private boaties. There is some coral here to view and the tropical fish are so used to having people in the water swimming with them that instead of the school of fish diverting away when you approach they surround you and let you swim as part of the school! I did a circumnavigation swim of the island which was quite a work out and each end to get through the tide roaring around the island. We then headed into the restaurant for lunch (part of deal for picking up a mooring off the island is that you go ashore and partake in meal). The meal was very good, though a bit pricey but this is understandable due to the location. We also met up with the crew onboard the catamaran Divinci (a chartered yacht), they were a mixture of British and Australians who were giving us cheek about our “All Blacks” flag and our chances of winning the world cup. It was good banter and through our conversation we discovered that one of them was currently a Policeman in Hong Kong who knew one of our friend Russell from the Sail Indonesia Rally, who had also been a Policeman up in that area. This island was not a suitable stop for an overnight anchorage and so after our late lunch we headed off to Rang Yai Island for the evening. On arrival I took the dingy ashore to explore this Island and was greeted by a local boy who escorted me across to the other side to the resort located there where I looked around the facilities. My local guide didn’t speak much English but we managed to make ourselves understood through gesture. On the way back to the dingy another local lad joined us who spoke much better English and was a real character. I invited them both back to Island Time to see our “Boat Bungalow” and they thought this was a real thrill going in the dingy and looking around onboard. They took lots of photos with their cell phone and mine, ate up our biscuits and then I delivered them back to their village at sunset. I feel it is a wonderful experience to share our lifestyle with the local villagers who are so openhearted and generous at sharing their lives and villages with us when we go ashore.
12th May - We headed out to Coral Island this morning. This is a popular day trip location in close proximity to Chalong. On arrival Matt decided he wanted to finish cleaning off the Hull, while I explored the coral reef and tried out my new “inflatable toy” that Matt had bought me (see photo!) It’s a bright orange, submarine shaped “Divers Float”, that you attach to yourself and tow along when snorkelling to make you much more visible. Coral Island being a popular day trip location with numerous power boats coming and going was an ideal location to test it out. Also with the distances I tend to swim out to it makes Matt feel more at ease about my safety. After our swims we headed into shore for lunch at one of the local beach restaurants and Matt enjoyed the best Green Curry he has had so far in Thailand. I was keen on another swim after lunch and explored the other end of the bay, where all the tourists go and feed the fish. The fish were so tame they kept coming right up to your facemask just about taping on it asking for food! After this we headed away around the bottom of Phuket Island and up the coast to find a sheltered bay for the night.
10-11th May – The weather forecast is not the best for heading out so we spent these two days enjoying the cooler conditions and continuing our cleanup and sort-out effort. I am more than ready however for a change of scene! I am eager to head out to explore some of the other islands around Phuket. Matt completes an engine oil change, and I’ve got all the shopping done, we are all ready and keen to go.
9th May -
The day dawned with blue sky and sunshine despite the forecast for stormy
conditions. After a much needed session onboard to de-clutter
some of the surplus paperwork/brochures and gear we seem to have accumulated in
recent times (a 40 foot yacht is just too small not to have regular cleanouts),
we rented another scooter to make the most of the good surf conditions at the
beach. We enjoyed our surfing at the beach, and then mid-afternoon a tropical
downpour came in so we headed to the Mall at Patong beach to shelter, have a
drink and use the free internet access. The rain came and went throughout the
rest of the afternoon and evening. We entertained ourselves with a bit of window
shopping and tried out a 4D motion picture ride, and Matt also had a session at
a shooting range to pass the time away before we took a dash back to Island Time
in one of the rain breaks. It appears the “wet” monsoon has arrived over the
last couple of days with much more rain (good for the watertanks) and it has
lowered the temperatures and humidity which makes life for us a lot more
comfortable here.
8th May – It was rather a
stormy night last night and even though we are at anchor it felt like we
were on a passage with the sea conditions in the harbour. The overnight storm
seemed to make everything a lot cooler today and it was comfortable enough to
spend our day onboard updating and rearranging our website. It is actually quite
time processing job sorting through and labelling photos, documenting and
editing our travels then accessing the internet to update the information which
if the connection is slow as it is here takes some time. It cleared up in the
afternoon but there was still a good cool breeze to make life onboard more
pleasant than normal, so we invited an American couple over from a yacht nearby
to join us for “happy hour”. It is always interesting to hear other
people’s stories and experiences. We haven’t been onboard at this time most
evenings to do this since being in Thailand so it was a pleasant change.
5-7th May - We enjoyed a
couple of days of blobbing out at a couple of cleaner bays within the main
harbour area of Chalong to get over our ordeal of being evicted from the
Similians! We now plan to head out to the inner island group. Then on the
evening of 6th of May our freshwater pump for the taps failed.
Although Matt was able to remedy a repair it was a fiddly process to go through
each time simply to turn on a tap. The spare pump he did have he had already
taken parts off to fix our salt water pump at an earlier stage so it was back
into the chandlery shop in Chalong to get a new pump and workable replacement
one for the spares. Just as well we weren’t still out at the Similan/Surin
Islands as it would have been a pain having to use the temporary repair system
all the time. Anyway after the chandlery we enjoyed a pleasant lunch at my
favourite air-conditioned café. Then while Matt replaced the waterpump, I
bought a new snorkelling mask for myself as I’d found mine had got its frame
smashed in the back locker when I went to use it the other day. After that we
hired a scooter and headed over to Kata beach for some fun in the surf and
relaxation on the beach. Just before sunset a tropical downpour came through,
and Matt worried as always about his precious love Island Time, and decided we
should go back in the pouring rain on the scooter over the hill to check on her!
I was not impressed with this idea and felt his earlier thought to sit out the
conditions in a beach bar much more sensible! Anyway back over the hill we went
and out in the dingy through the lightning strikes to check on her. Of course
conditions were much more sheltered in the harbour compared to the exposed beach
side!!! After the storm abated we headed back into town for a cheap meal and
also I felt in need of a massage from the “blinds” people as I had twinged
something in my back in the surf, so I enjoyed a relaxing after dinner massage
to finish off the day with. Apparently according to the local weather forecast
the conditions here aren’t the best for the next 3 days so we will probably stay
around the harbour area so we can at least get ashore in the breaks to stretch
our legs or go to a movie/mall if it is not going to be beach/island hopping
weather. At least our watertank is getting refilled at no cost I guess!
Similan Islands (2-4th May)
We headed away from Chalong Harbour at dawn as it would be a full day sail to reach the Similans in daylight. Unfortunately the wind blew (lightly) from directly in front of us the whole way and so we couldn’t use the sails at all – so it was a long 12 hour motor trip up the coast of Thailand (I sometimes wonder if we are a launch rather than a sailboat with all the motoring we have done throughout South East Asia). Anyway we managed to anchor in a quiet little bay just as the last of the daylight was disappearing. We got up the next morning to find we had the bay to ourselves, the water was crystal clear with a beautiful white sand beach and interesting shaped granite rocks and bush down to the beach (see photo of what I have named “sliced bread rock”) – just what you imagine an idyllic tropical paradise to be like! We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and then headed over for a swim and to clean the hull which was rather dirty - not having been cleaned since the Maldives. Anyway just on lunchtime a large motor vessel approached us which turned out to be a National park/forestry patrol vessel and we were in apparently in trouble for stopping here. We were aware this Island Group we part a National Park and prior to our departure had made enquiries at the local tour desk in Chalong about obtaining a permit. They advised us that the permit was for the peak season only which closed on the 1st of May due to the seasonal change of weather around this time. We asked if it OK to take your own boat out there and they said if we wanted to risk the weather that would be OK. We decided to go as the weather forecast was fine and we could see that there were suitable all weather anchorages we could shelter in. In many ways we felt it would be nicer to visit outside the peak season anyway and to view what we had heard was quite spectacular coral reefs and clear water. Apparently this was not the case and we had be misinformed - we were told “the park is closed – no visitors.”, then threatened to fine us and imprison Matt if we did not leave immediately!!! So up it was up anchor and we were escorted out to the park boundary! So our planned two weeks of touring the Similans and Surin National Parks was short lived – less than 24 hours in total. On the bright side we did get to enjoy a very pleasant sail back down the coast with the winds finally blowing the right way. We arrived back in Chalong Harbour around 11pm
1st May – We finally get our gear sorted from Roly Taskers and fitting properly so we can finally get going (it is simply too hot here to leave without the shade covers, as we would have cooked in an open cockpit without shade protection). Our next stop is to get the last of the fresh fruit/vege supplies and drop our hired scooter back so we are all ready to go at first light the next morning. I had noticed a shop nearby that advertised “Massage place by the Blinds people” and had been keen to try it out so decided to finish our day with this relaxing experience. It was much cheaper than other venues and miles cheaper than resort prices with the added benefit of assisting visually impaired people. It was my first Thai massage and a very interesting experience with my masseuse putting me in some very interesting stretches – a sort of cross between an acupuncture/osteopath/yoga session. I did feel well stretched and taller afterwards. They also offer what they call the “perfect massage” which is 3 ½ hours long. The lady on the bed beside me was having one of those and was blissfully asleep during the process – contently snoring away. I’m keen to try this one as some other stage.
30th April - We decided as this was likely our last day at Phuket for a while and as we were pretty organised to get going except for fresh fruit and vege and picking up our gear from Roly Taskers!, that we would spend most of our day at Kata beach and even hire ourselves some beach lounges to relax in. We enjoyed the surf, reading and relaxing on the beach and then late-afternoon Matt went and picked up the Bimini (cockpit shade cover) - it was finally ready. He then picked me from the beach and we headed back to Island Time to make sure it all fitted correctly. They said if any problems bring it back and they said they were working late throught to 10pm that night to catch up on some of the backlog and so we thought that if it wasn’t right we could still get it fixed that night. Unfortunately one of the zips was in the wrong way round so we dashed back up to the factory on the scooter hoping to get it sorted. However they told us they were under pressure to get a particular job done that night and could not attend to our job until the following day. L After a hot afternoon spent re-fitting the Bimini and then disappointingly not able to get it fixed we took ourselves off to Kata beach again to cool off and had a pleasant meal enjoyed have a swim at Phillias Fogg on the beach front before going back to Island Time.
29th April – We organised to refill our diesel tanks at the floating fuel barge and then filled our dingy fuel tank at the service station all in preparation for our planned trip out to the Similan/Surin Island groups where there are no shops. Once this was done we got lunch then headed off to Roly Taskers to check on progress of our gear. They told us our gear should be ready for pickup by 3pm, but on arrival still not ready. We wanted to collect some other bits and pieces for the spares department – Stainless steel fittings etc which have been very difficult to source since leaving Australia last July and so we now wanted to top up the supplies where there was a good range. We hung around for another 1 ½ hours hoping they would finish the job before the end of day but it was not going to be. It was clear there was still a considerable amount of work to be done on the Bimini. Matt made arrangements to call back the next afternoon, which should give them enough time to complete the necessary work. Disappointed we headed to the beach for a swim then went up to a restaurant up on the hillside above Kata beach which I had thought looked interesting and that we had passed on our Southern road route the other day. It was much cooler up here on the hilltop surrounded by bush rather than the sand and concrete of all the shops down at the beach front. The place seemed popular with tourists and locals alike (always a good sign.) We enjoyed our meal and it was somewhat cheaper than down in the resort area. Regardless however, eating out is very much a part of the lifestyle in this part of the world and is generally very inexpensive especially if you go with local delicacies rather than western style food. Certainly saves me from slaving over a hot stove in this climate!
28th April – It had been a stifling hot night with little wind flow last night and I spent a good portion of it dozing in the cockpit or my hammock up front to get outside in the somewhat cooler air. The humidity level has been rising and the air is thick with Thunder and Lightening but it has not resulted in any actual rain down here at the coast. We took ourselves off to the chandlery shop down the road to pick up the new mosquito screens we had ordered at the local yacht club open day. Finding a lovely little comfortable and cool cafe nearby, we had lunch. I had the best berry waffle I’ve ever eaten – it was scrumptious and Matt had a tasty chicken sandwich. They had a great book collection that we perused and will come back to another day to do a book swap. Then it was off to the beach via the most southern road. We went past Rawai and Nai Harn Beaches where the Royal Meriden Yacht club is located (at the end of a lovely little curving bay) and is not nearly as crowded as the other west coast beaches. We also went up to the southernmost lookout point of Promthep Cape which has a display about lighthouses and a elephant shrine and seems to be a very popular place for both locals and tourists alike to visit to view the evening sunset. We continued to follow the road around the coast past pretty little villages and through tropical bush clad hills to our favourite beach Kata for our prerequisite end of day swim.
27th April – Matt has been working on the boat computers this morning getting them all updated while we have internet coverage before our plans to head out to the Similian/Surin outer Islands once our gear is back from Roly Taskers. In the afternoon we went for a bike tour out to the coast beyond Phuket city to have a look at Asia marina. This is one of the marinas that the commercial and Fishing companies operate out of. It is dirty and has few facilities. After that we went to the Ao Po Marina. It was quite remote, yet still expensive we felt. This is where the Yacht Charter companies are. Facilites are quite good. After that we headed back over to Kata Beach in the late afternoon for a sunset swim and meal at one of the local restaurants.
26th April – It has been a bit more overcast today with rain threatening so we headed out to Roly Tasker the sailmakers to check on progress of our new cockpit squabs and bimini/shade cover. We were able to collect the squab seats but the rest won’t be ready till Friday they say. We decided to head to the mall up the road following this as the heat was quite oppressive and yet it was overcast and not really a beach day. We had a late lunch and then went to see a movie and enjoyed sitting in the comfort of airconditioning.
25th April – We rode the scooter up to the other end of the island today to visit Splashjungle Waterpark. Before going to the waterpark we explored Mai Khao beach on the way as this is the longest and remotest beach in Phuket. It was certainly quiet with just local’s there picnicking and no resorts cramming the beach front – so a pleasant change from the hussle and bussle of the main beaches. We then headed down the road to the more exclusive resort area and stopped for lunch at one of the cafes before heading to the waterpark for some waterfun for the afternoon. There were two big waterslides in particular that were quite a thrill with one called the “boomerang” that had you sliding down the tube then dropping onto a large slide where you catapulted to the top and then slid backwards on into the splash pool. The other one had a big bowl that you dropped into like a sink and you spun around inside that before dropping down the dark plughole into the splashpool. It was a fun way to cool off for the afternoon – but quite expensive.
Sunday 24 April Up, write up this blog. The local yacht club has an open day today, so we'll go have a look at that...
Saturday 23 April One of the jobs I had done recently was to replace the cooling fan in the electric fridge with a spare (provided with the unit when new - they must expect this failure!), but last night, when checking it, the new fan was not going either!! So, today, back to Central Festival Mall to try to find another. Fortunately that proved no problem, and we bought two more. also bought me a new pair of swimming shorts (togs, swimmers, trunks whatever you call them!), and a present for our Daughter Sue's partner, David. Then we did a bit of a scooter tour out to Asia Marina (won't go back there!) and around that peninsular. Finally, yep, back to Kata beach for our swim!
Friday 22 April Went to Rolly Tasker Sails to see if they could make us a new Bimini ( a sun shade over the cockpit - must have here!) as the old one was falling apart. They said yes, bring it in today, so back to the boat, strip it off, and the outdoor squab covers, bundle it up and, just like the locals, transport it by scooter back to the sail loft. Once all that was done, it was about 3:30, so back to Kata Beach! Dinner over at Kata.
Thursday 21 April We went to Central Festival, the main mall in Phuket, to try to buy a new camera (if you follow this blog, you'll notice no pictures for some time - our waterproof camera wasn't). We had found one we liked in a flyer from Banana IT, but their local store at A Chalong did not have it. Anyway, long story short, neither did anyone else, and they would not order for us. Hopeless. Back to Kata beach - too hot to do anything else!
Wednesday 20 April Took Murray in this morning to catch his taxi to the airport. Jo and I rented a motor scooter, and went up to Phuket Boat Lagoon to see if the electronics dealer there could help with our broken Sonar unit. No Luck, but we did have a nice lunch! Then on to Kata beach for a swim and a body surf. Very nice. Back to the boat for a simple dinner, and a movie on board.
Tuesday 19 April Slept in, Late breakfast, pack and checkout, return to boat. Dingy was at the wharf, called Murray, he was in a local restaurant for lunch. Jo and I took the dingy out to the boat to find that the hatches had been left open in the rain, and there had been quite a bit! The floorboard in the aft head was afloat, and there was a lot of water on the main cabin floor. So we spent a bit of time cleaning up - fortunately no real issues as the hatches over the beds etc had been closed. Anyway, cleaned up, Jo unpacked, and then I went in and got Murray. A few jobs, then ashore for dinner. Our shout, as it is Murrays last night. We went to a nice local restaurant, with real chefs, and had a delicious meal with complimentary Salmon starter, Lemon Grass Drink, and sorbet between courses! $150 NZD for three, including wine.
Monday 18 April This afternoon we went to Patong beach, the most famous of Phukets tourist beaches. It is a nice beach, but is crowded, has many touts, and a slightly sleazy atmosphere. The rows of beach chairs are 3-4 deep, and go for the whole length of the beach (about a mile). It's sure not like NZ!! Anyway, we had a bit of a walk around, ate a subway (me, not Jo), bought a lonely planet Asia, and returned via Tuktuk to the hotel.
Sunday 17th April Today Jo comes back. Tidied to boat a bit, did washing, made the bed with clean sheets - you know, all the stuff a man does when she's been out of the house for a while! Then Murray (he will boat sit for a few days) and I went and had lunch ashore. I got a taxi to the hotel Jo and I have booked for a few days, about half way up the Island at Kamala Beach. On the way up in the taxi we had a torrential rain storm - water flooding across the road, and fast in the hills! Anyway, made it safely and checked into the hotel. Air conditioning!!!! Stayed in the room for a few hours, then got a Taxi to the Airport to meet Jo. She came thru the arrivals gate before the info board had even said her flight had landed!! Really good to see her again, seemed longer than 6 weeks! Back to the hotel about 9pm.
Saturday 16 April Something I ate yesterday did not like me! Felt a bit off colour today, and I did basically nothing. Ate nothing all day until Dinner time. Murray rented a motor scooter to have a look around a bit further afield. Dinner ashore again
Friday 15 April Phuket is typical Thailand - busy with scooters everywhere, unbelievable wiring hanging from the telephone posts, hot, sticky, and crowded. Phuket really is a tourist island, with a huge amount of tourists from all over here. Today I did boat jobs, then we walked to the local supermarket, found a lunch place in an air-conditioned space, had a nice lunch for under $8, looked around Ao Chalong some more. Dinner in a local restaurant again
Thursday 14 April Up again at 7, off to Ao Chalong, Phuket. An easy 24 mile passage, arrived about lunchtime. Launched the dingy and went in to customs. Clearance all done in about 1 1/2 hours (had to wait 1/2 and hour because they were at lunch), all easy. Had lunch at a local restaurant, and a walk into the local town for ATM and a look around. Lots of little roadside bars - they look like they may be a front for local brothels!! Lots of girls out front with nothing to do... Back to the boat for a few hours, and to write this. Skyped with Jo.
Wednesday 13 April Up at 7, headed to Koh Phi Phi Don, about another 50 odd miles. Easy days. Got in about 4 pm, and anchored on the W side of the bay amongst the moorings, in 20 Meters. Lots of local traffic and wakes, but a good night.
Tues 12 April Paid up the Marina fees, and cleared the marina entrance about 10am. Headed for Koh Bulaobot, about 50 miles away. Arrived about 5 pm local time, and anchored on the E side. Very calm and pleasant. Very steep amazing rock formations! About 8 pm the wind came up and shifted to the E, so we moved around to the W side for the rest of the night. All good, except the Sonar has failed and we have no depth finder. This is a bit unsafe!
Monday 11 April Got a car and went to Kuah to clear customs etc for tomorrow (yes, you can pre clear here!!). Did that, went to the supermarket and cruisers provisioning places and got what we needed. All ready now.
Sun 10 April Pretty lazy day. Filled with water, and another couple of odd jobs. Stores tomorrow, then plan to leave Tues.
Sat 9 April Did a few sail repairs, and odd jobs on the boat, to get ready for trip to Thailand.
Friday 8 April Got up about 7:30 to get breakfast before we had to get to the ferry terminal at 8:30. Ferry ride was OK, but next time I'll fly both ways. 3 hours on the ferry, and then a taxi back to Rebak.
Thursday 7th AprilUp, breakfast, and to the embassy again by nine. Quite busy, probably due to being closed yesterday. Anyway, we had to queue, then had to go to the ATM as the visas cost more than we were led to believe (told they were free - and apparently they will be in another month, but not yet!). So did the application, and had to return at 3:30 to collect the visas. All went well, and we got the tourist visas (60 days, with 30 day extension available), which we would not have got if we had just sailed to Thailand (get 30 days there with a 1 week extension available).
Wed April 6 Got up at 6:45 to catch 9:15 plane to Penang to get the Thai Visas. Plane flight was good, no fuss. Hotel was Ok, and near the Thai embassy, but the embassy was closed!! Have to come back tomorrow, just as well we booked two nights. Murray met up with his friend Fely, from Singapore.
Tues April 5 Cycled from Rebak ferry terminal down to the Asia France boatyard with Murray and Bernie. Went to check on a boat for a friend (Mr P), and see what state his boat was in. He is home in the UK, and the boat is being worked on here. Took a few pics, and emailed them on. It was a good 30km ride in the heat, which is good exercise. I'd had enough when we got back though - its been a year and more since I did a good ride! Murray found it pretty tough. Came back about 2pm and had a swim.
Mon April 4 Had a telephone appt with the accountant to sort out a tax issue, and then just spent the day around the marina, pretty lazy!
Sun April 3 Bit of a late start today, up about 9:45. Spoke to Dad then Jo on Skype. Did some investigation about Thai Visas, and discovered that the best
Visa needs to be obtained from the consulate in Penang. I have booked a hotel for 2 nights later in the week, and Murray and I will go down there by ferry to get the visas. Jo says she will most likely fly to Phuket on the 19th. Murray plans (at this stage) to leave for a tour around Asia on about 20th April.
Sat April 2. Got an email from Jo about an unexpected Tax bill. Had to go to the mainland to get cell phone recharge card, so Bernie and Murray came as well and we had a good bike ride around the local town, then over to Telaga Harbour to the bakery for lunch. Came back, and spent the afternoon replacing the salt water pump. All good now, self primes, and the pressure switch works! It will be good to have the deck wash hose working, as well as the salt water galley tap.
Fri 1 April. This morning we moved back to Rebak (about 8 miles), and have paid for a week in the marina. Some minor maintenance to do, and a few days relaxing seem in order!
Thurs 31 March. Arrived in Kuah, Langkawi. 9 days at sea, all very light or calm, with only about 30 hours sailing, and a LOT of motoring. Not much to say about this trip other than is was the lightest and calmest ocean crossing I have ever done! Coming back to Langkawi seems a bit like coming home with my tail between my legs! I'd have really liked to have continued to the Med, but is was not to be. Looking fwd to Jo returning in a couple of weeks!
We went ashore for a beer at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club , and visited the chandlery in town for a new salt water pump.
Tues 22March. Cleared Galle customs etc, and left the harbour at 10 am local time. Light winds, a bit of rain. Murray a bit sick. Gave him a scopaderm patch, and he seemed to brighten up.
Monday 21 March. Water day, filled up, Murray and Bernie went to town for more provisions. Leaving for Langkawi tomorrow, 1100 miles, probably 10 days, and likely to weather and windy.
Sunday 20 March. Slow day Today, Bernie went bike riding, I spent some time on the net etc. Dinner at the beach again.
Sat 19 March. Provisioning for trip, and also met with a shipping agent to discuss shipping Island Time to the Med. Dinner Unawatuna again!
Friday 18 March NZ lost at cricket to Sri Lanka! Man were they pleased about that! More diesel, then some of the afternoon an Marlan's watching the cricket. Murray and Bernie back in evening, then Dinner at Unawatuna
Thursday 17 March Not much to report, another 5 jerry cans of diesel. As the Tuktuks are not allowed into the port, you have to carry the cans to and from the gate. To is easy (empty cans), back is not. It is heavy hot work, and 5 a day is enough!
Wed 16 March did another oil change, filters etc. Cleanup of engine room, and went to town via Tuktuk with 5 20 litre jerry cans for diesel.
Tues 15 March Bernie and Murray left this morning for a 4 day trip around the island, similar to the one that Jo and I did a few weeks ago. I've got some maintenance to do... I went to town and bought some refrigerant and a vacuum pump to finally fix the freezer.
Monday 14 March Today is water day. It takes a day to do everything! We went to the Agents office to check that he had ordered the water. He had not! Got that done and paid for, went back to the boat and moved her to the wharf. Then waited several hours - Bernie and Murray gave up and went into town to see the fort and museum. I waited more, and, just as I was about to go to the Agent again, the truck turned up. Got the water OK, and when crew returned, moved back to the floating pier, as it is quieter. Went to Unawatuna for dinner again.
Sunday 13 March. Waited for the Navy for a couple of hours for permission to move into the Harbour. Got that finally, got thru all the clearance procedures by about 1pm. Not to bad, and no bribes except a cap this time! Once cleared, we went to Unawatuna beach for a cold beer and then dinner at the German's restaurant. Had Schnitzel again, but not as good as last time!
Sat 12 March We have arrived at Galle, in the dark again, and anchored at the conical buoy outside the harbour, awaiting clearance in the morning. We actually had the motor off for a few hours today, but the whole trip has been very calm. The NE trade is simply not here. Mostly 3-8 Kn form NE. Still, better than a strong headwind!
Friday 11 March Same calm conditions, still motoring. More ships now. AIS back on transmit as we are really out of the pirate area.
Sunday 10 March Calm again today.AIS is on silent due to Pirate Threat. NE less than 5 Kn. Motoring/motor sailing. Hope the diesel lasts if it stays like this! Water is low as well, and there are no fresh veges...
Sat 9 March. Well, this is a first! We have been kicked out of the Maldives!! We did breach the rules a bit, but it has turned into a real issue. As far as Customs are concerned, we left Uligamu with no permit. What the agent did or did not do is irrelevant. I was given a lecture about the rules (which are about to change anyway!) regarding movement within or between atolls,(forbidden!! without permit IN YOUR HAND) and made to write an apologising letter. Not to do so was threatened with the police, and a lengthy and potentially costly legal battle. We were not given the opportunity for fuel, water or provisions, and asked to leave immediately. In typical disorganised fashion, when we agreed to do so, there was no one to take our $8.00 anchorage fee, so we could not go! Took a few hours to sort this, and we left about 13:00hrs for Galle. I cannot say I am in a rush to come back to the Maldives. it is expensive, disorganised, not yacht friendly, and bureaucratic! That the agent that they Customs) recommended had told us we did have a permit was not even considered.
Tues 8 March No change yet, and no answers. Still sitting here at anchor, and really ready to move on!
Monday 7 March. Got call to say permit is ready! However, when I go in to collect it, Customs won't give it to me as they say that I left the Island with no Agent and no permit! Their head Office has to decide what to do about this. We cannot clear the Maldives, nor leave Uligamu until this is sorted out. It is another holiday here, so it will be tomorrow at least before this is sorted. I went back to the boat, found the emails, txts etc that proved that we had appointed an agent on the 24th, and that we understood the permit would arrive on the Sunday (27 Feb) in the afternoon. We had left on The Saturday, thinking it was only a day, and the permit was on it's way. We had to pick up Bernie from the airport, and needed 4 hours of daylight to get to the Airport in time. The agreement with the local agent's rep was that we would return to pick up the permit after dropping Jo off. I have dropped these docs and a covering letter to Customs here, and have o await their decision about what happens next, and if there is a penalty or what.
Sunday 6 March Still no permit. Have to stay here until we get it. We are really ready to leave!
Sat 5 March; Customs came alongside and are very unhappy with us leaving without a permit, and according to them without an agent! Rang the agent again. Seems that the Agent has not done his job! The Agent is Antrac Maldives Ltd, a Mr Sameer in Male. We had a "discussion" and the permit should be here shortly.
Friday 4 March; Had to go back to Uligamu to collect our cruising permit. which was supposed to be waiting for us since 27th Feb. However, we left about 10:30 am for the 4 hour passage, and arrived about 3pm to find that the permit was not there!. Chased it up with local agent's rep, should be here tomorrow - but it's a holiday again. Maybe Sunday...
Thursday 3 March; Dropped Jo at the Airport for her long flight home. A bit sad to see her go! Anyway, it's only 5 or 6 weeks I guess. About 4:30 Bernie, Murray and I went into the town. We went to the boatbuilding yard again and had a town tour by the owners, then a pleasant local dinner, for $25 for three! All Good.
Wednesday 2 March Stayed at Hideaway, as have to take Jo to the Airport tomorrow, and it is convenient from here. Did a few jobs on the boat - the compressor fridge is playing up again, but unfortunately it is not just a gas refill this time. Bernie did the refill, but the unit's expansion valve is switching off when it should not. ING is not, unfortunately, a rumour, and things do not look good for the family on board. Imagine, another yacht we have met in Indonesia, also today narrowly missed being pirated, when a warship turned up just in time to prevent the pirates boarding her. I have decided that the Indian Ocean, which is meant to be one of the easiest ocean passages, is too risky to attempt this year. Jo is flying home, and Bernie, Murray and I will take the boat back to Sri Lanka, then Langkawi. I really did not want to do this, but circumstances have changed, and I really have little choice now.
Tues 1 March; We visited the 100ft dive boat, owned and built (locally) by a German. All Timber. Quite impressive for a locally built boat. We have given him a fuse he needed in the morning, and in return got the invite over, where we got a boat tour, a beer each, and a whole fillet steak!! for free.
Murray arrived a little late at about 2:30pm, and we upped anchor and went to Hideaway Resort, about 10 miles north. This is one of the Maldives most luxurious resorts, with rooms costing up to $4000 USD per night!! We went to happy hour (beers USD $6-10) and then went to look at the dinner menu - a Buffet for $130 USD each, PLUS 13% tax! We decided this is too rich for us, and returned to the boat. There is a marina here, quite good quality, but we are on one of the resorts moorings.
Monday 28 Feb Bernie arrive on time, no issues with Customs etc. All good. We stayed put for the day, weather still 10knts from North, 30 deg. Water here is not so clear, but still fine for swimming. Now awaiting Murray on the 1st March..
Sun 27th Feb. No Permit. Decided to go anyway, so left Uligamu for Hanimaadoo, about 23 Miles. Very Calm, motorsailing. Arrived about 2 pm, and anchored inside reef near a 100ft local dive boat. Went ashore and checked Airport - about 200m from the jetty! All Good. Bernie due in at 08:50am tomorrow.
Sat 26 Feb Another Holiday. Hope to get the permit tomorrow, otherwise it is not legal for us to go and collect Bernie! Nothing on the news re ING, so hoping it is not real!
Friday 25 Feb; A holiday here, so nothing happening. We hear another rumour that another yacht (ING) has been taken by the pirates. It has Kids on board. No outcome yet, but again being shadowed by warships. 2011 is now the worst year for Yacht Piracy on record. Perhaps we will have to return to Malaysia or Thailand. Thinking on this seriously.
Thursday 24 Feb No luck with other agents, although at fist one said he could do it for 1/2 the price. I said yes, then they called back to say they could not do it!! Back to the first agent, hope to have the permit before we have to leave and go get Bernie on Sunday. There is a fine if you are caught by the security service without one. The Maldives are an unusual place. It is 100% Muslim. In fact, they have remove the passports and kicked out some of their own citizens when this rules was made! Until 2 years ago, government policy was to restrict Tourists to the resort Islands only, and not to allow any mixing with the locals. Now there is a democratic government, but other changes are slow to be made.
Wed 23 Feb We have heard today that the crew of the Quest have all been Murdered. Dreadful news, and our thoughts are with their families. This is the first time a hostage from a yacht has been killed, and is making me rethink our plans some more, as we planned to pass through this area next. Bernie has sent an email saying he is no longer willing to do the Indian Ocean to Red Sea passage, which I understand in the circumstances. I do not want to do it singlehanded, and am reluctant to put a crew in this situation.
I spent the day Negotiating with Customs etc about cruising permit, trying to get the price down. No luck so far, but we have a list now of alternative agent so we may get a better price...
Tues 22 Feb. Cleared Customs at Uligamu, all very easy and friendly. However, if you want to stay more than 3 days, (which we do), you have to have a Cruising permit - $700 USD!! This is by far the most expensive we have come across yet, although we had been warned that the Maldives are not "Yacht Friendly". We later find out that this is the same price as they charge for a Cruise Ship!!. Anyway, we'll stay here a couple of days, get the permit, and then go pick up Bernie and Murray at Hanimaadoo Airport, about 20miles away on another Island.
Monday 21 Feb; Arrived today, finally getting to sail the last bit, and arriving an hour after dark. Sneaking between the reefs, we anchored near another yacht, Passage, from the US. Off to bed.
Sun 20 Feb Same conditions as yesterday. Still hot as well. Stopped in the afternoon for a swim off the back of the boat. Not so many ships around now, leaving the shipping lanes. Very poor radio Propagation, no sailmail today!
Sat 19 Feb On Passage to Maldives, light headwinds, Motorsailing. Lots of ships around, still using AIS despite slight risk of Pirates here. Making OK time, but with headwinds, looks like another 3 days yet... We have heard today that the US Yacht "Quest" has been taken by Pirates! This is very bad, as we had all thought that the targets were really ships. It has made me re-think what we are planning next. Quest is being tailed by US warships, but this is a very bad situation for the family on board. All well on board Island Time Our thoughts are with those on Quest..
Friday 18 Feb. Jo left at 7am this morning to get the Veges etc. I'm due at Port Control at 8am, to start clearance, after which we'll be off for the Maldives. Should be about a 3 day passage...
Thursday 17th Feb. Finished the required work by lunchtime, and spent the afternoon at Unawatuna beach. Very nice, although a Tourist Area. We had a nice relaxing afternoon. Plan to leave tomorrow morning..
Wednesday 16th Feb -Boat cleanup day - planning to leave tomorrow. However, one the work was done, and things stowed away, it was after 5 and we still had not got the fresh veges etc, so we have decided to stay another day!
Tues 15 Feb We were to
move to the pier at 10am to get water and fuel. However, at 9:30 we were yelled
at from the pier – the water truck was here! We moved over, and filled with
water. We could see the diesel truck refuelling another yacht, but by the time
we had done the water it had gone! We waited, and waited some more. By 1pm Matt
went to the agent’s office to find out what was happening. This time they said
2pm. They finally turned up at 2:30, but had no pump! They managed to borrow one
from the harbour control guys, and filled our cans. However, they filled 9 20
ltr jerry cans, and said that that was the 200 ltrs we had paid for!! No
arguments seemed to help – that is what we got! Anyway, the main tank is full
and we have 2 jerry cans to fill at the local service station, which we will do
tomorrow. Jo did more washing and Matt worked on a better photo album system for
the website. We had the crew of Strummer, an English boat, over for drinks this
evening.
Monday 14th
Feb Boat jobs again. Hot water heater failed. Matt took it to bits put
it back together, no change. Next Morning, it worked by itself and has not (yet)
stopped. Fresh water system blew a hose off and wasted a couple of hundred
litres of water before it was noticed, as the engine was running to charge the
batteries! Jo did lots of washing. Time spent also on this web site, both
writing this and Matt trying to sort out all the photos!
Sunday 13th
– We headed away at 8am after a very pleasant night in our accommodation. Back
up the road to Dambulla so we could take a different road from to the one we
have already travelled on, as we head to the Capital city of Colombo. On the way
we pass various different localities that specialize in various crops or
industries such as Mangos, Pineapples, Cashews, King Coconuts and Rambutan
(which is a most unusual fruit it had a green and red coloured prickly looking
but not sharp outer husk, that when peeled reveals a clear pod of a sweet
glutinous substance surrounding a large seed pod. They were much nicer than the
oversweet canned variety we have sampled before.) We also sampled the large red
skinned bananas that our driver had purchased yesterday and which had now
ripened sufficiently to enjoy. We passed rice fields where the crops being
harvested both manually and by machine. Local specialist industries included
Rattan cane and wood furniture, and decorative mask and Jewellery making.
As we approached the city of Colombo
(with a population of 3 million which has grown rapidly and haphazardly without
much planning), the traffic became denser and more intense in driving styles.
Horns were honked incessantly as many different forms of transportation
(pushbikes, buses, tuk-tuks, motorbikes, cars,rotary hoe powered trailers!! and
vans and more), all jockeyed for a position on the road at the same time on what
is simply a two lane road! Our driver manoeuvred his way quite forcefully at
times through the traffic flow, as he guided us past some of the sights of the
city from slums through to presidential accommodation.
Next we headed down the
coast road past beaches with golden sands and with water that looks an idyllic
and sparkly clean aqua colour. This is an area that was also hit hard by the
Tsunami of 2004 and we had a stop at the Memorial and Buddha statue that has
been erected in memory of the tragic loss of life that resulted.
Our driver Sampath wanted to stop at his
house to give us a gift of some freshly harvested and ground coffee that his
wife had prepared. His township was also devastated by the Tsunami and we saw
the remains of his previous house that was damaged irreparably and got to meet
his young children. Sampath told us that at the time of the
Tsunami he was out of the region on a tour resulting in many hours of anxious
wait before he could return to learn the fate of his family, fortunately no-one
in his family had perished, although his house was destroyed!
Lastly we stopped at a genuine Moonstone
mine (a milky coloured gem with a blue sheen that that is apparently only found
here in Sri Lanka). They still mine in the traditional way with a vertical open
pit that is dug and operated with manual labour into the wet silt mud layer
below to retrieve the slush that is then washed out in baskets at ground level
(similar to gold panning) to reveal the gem fragments that resemble broken glass
in their natural raw form. We were shown the manufacturing
jewellery process and encouraged to make a purchase as a special reminder of our
travels Sri Lanka. Whilst a quite interesting and unusual luminescent stone, I
could not justify the purchase of anything on our current budget – the memories
and photos will have to suffice.
Nearing the town of Galle our driver had
one more stop for us at the special Fishermans shrine, where he wanted us to
make an offering to ensure our safe travels on the sea. Following this we
returned to our yacht in Galle and invited Sampath aboard our ‘home’ to present
him with a Rod and Reel that he indicated an interest in during our talks on our
travels. It was really surplus to our requirements and we were happy to see it
go to a good home where it would be of more benefit and help to sustain his
family especially as they have very little themselves. Unfortunately when he
tried to leave the port the officials would not allow him to take the fishing
gear and he had to return it to us. We will have to find some other discreet
means to get it to him before we leave the country.
We enjoyed our tour especially the
opportunity to spend a few days in the much more temperate hill country away
from the heat, humidity and constant sweating here at sea level. Overall it was
a very worthwhile experience, but we are pleased to know that we have safely
returned to our boat from the dangers of the road trip.
Saturday 12th
– We left Kandy and Sampath took us on an Avuretic Herb and Spice centre (I
think he is very keen on this medicinal concept, as well as wanting to pick up
some supplies for himself). This place is a 180 acre plantation from which they
manufacture their own herbal remedies and medicines. Attached is a school for
500 students of Avuretic Medicine, which is a 7 year course of study to qualify
(just like our Western doctors). We were shown the various herbs and spices in
the garden with their uses explained. Following this we were given a
presentation from the head doctor about the benefits of their various natural
concoctions, and then naturally led onto the shop to make our purchases.
Our next stop was to drop our bags off
at our hotel and then up the road to a local house that is a friend of our
drivers where they provide a Claypot curry lunch for the passing travellers. It
was much tastier than the fare dished up at Hotels. After
refuelling our bodies we headed off to the Golden Buddha Temple (largest in the
world) and Cave Temples at Dambulla. The golden Buddha fronts the natural cave
temple which you have to climb up the steps and rockface to reach. On the way up
you passed women selling flowers for the Temple offerings, invalid beggars
seeking donations, a snake charmer at work plus numerous crafts and souvenirs on
offer. The five cave temples were used by King Valagambahu in the 1st
century BC to escape invaders from India. When he regained his Kingdom he turned
these caves into a Buddist Shrine with innumerable statues of the Buddah posing
in various positions. He also had the walls and ceilings painted with murals.
This location is also where holy water is collected, to use for the various
Buddhist ceremonies around the country. Sadly this Temple is also showing the
ravages of time and poor maintenance. In appears that in years gone by the
tendency has been to construct newer, bigger or fancier Temples rather than
maintain what is already in existence, thankfully this practice seems to be
changing now as they are making efforts to restore what is already in place.
Next stop was my eagerly awaited
Elephant ride. We had the services for an ½ hours of an 25 year old male
Elephant, and 2 Mahout’s (Elephant carer/driver) to go through a large paddock
and local stream. Once the Elephant was garbed up in its attire we climbed up on
board using a specially constructed platform. The sideways rolling gait of the
Elephant took a little getting used at first as it meandered along but we soon
became accustomed to the rhythm. Down the road a little way we stopped at a
local shop to purchase some Bananas as a special treat for our Elephant friend.
Then I was invited to sit up the front behind the ears and head of the Elephant
like the Mahouts do. The Elephant reached up with his trunk to get the bananas.
As we travelled along the Elephant stopped constantly to refuel with grass and
leaves from beside the track (at 3 tonnes it takes a lot of food to keep moving-
around 300 kilos a day!) It was fun and refreshing sloshing through the stream
and on the return run Matt got a turn riding the elephant up front and giving
him some banana treats. It was a special treat having my first ever Elephant
ride (Matt had done it previously on a “business trip” to Thailand), they are
such inspiring, gracious and gentle animals. It was wonderful to have this
opportunity and you certainly felt quite regal sitting on top and with great
views of the countryside.
Friday 11th-
Today was our around town day with visits to a local Batik, Gemstone, Wood
Carving and Silk/Clothing factories where we got to see the largely traditional
handmade processes still at work. We were of course encouraged to make purchases
at each stop but we ended up only purchasing some items of clothing (mostly for
Matt). Our next stop was the Royal Botanic gardens which were originally
established back in 1371. The 60 hectare park had an
interesting variety of plants and was where the first tea seedlings were
planted. I was keen to see what is debated to be the largest spreading tree in
the world, a large fig tree reputedly covering 1600 square metres. We also got
to see 1000’s of Red Faced Fruit Bats dangling from the large trees lining the
river. One local man was parading a live scorpion around the park for which he
wanted a fee for taking a photo of. After our 1 ½ hour stroll around the gardens
Sampath our driver picked us up and took us to lunch at a riverside restaurant.
Next we headed up 3 miles into the hills again to the Ceylon Tea Museum. This is
a beautifully restored Tea Factory that exhibits vintage machinery and
historical artefacts from the tea industry. Our guide was very informative, and
at the top of the four storey building you get to enjoy the complimentary cup of
tea whilst overlooking the countryside. Then returned to the hotel to get ready
for the evening cultural show in town and tour of the sacred Temple of the Tooth
Relic for which we were required to wear long sleeved tops and pants.) Due to
the hassles with parking close to the Temple and cultural centre we walked down
the hill from our nearby hotel and around the manmade lake at the centre of the
town that was constructed in 1807 by the last King of Sri Lanka. It is suggested
that the Kings concubines were originally housed in a building on the island in
the middle of the lake!
The cultural show began at 5.30 and was
a rapid succession of various dance and musical routines from Sri Lanka. This is
followed by a fire dance and fire walking demonstration. Next we headed over to
the Tooth Temple where you have to pass through security checks because it is
regarded as Sri Lanka’s most precious object, in the past the place has been
bombed. The tooth relic is supposedly the remains of Buddha’s tooth following
his cremation after he reached the status of Nivarna (the ultimate peaceful
state of mind, free from ignorance and the perceived human suffering cycle of
death and rebirth). The tooth is entombed in 7 elaborate nesting gold and
jewelled caskets inside a closely guarded shine that is covered by an ornate
gold roof. It is regarded as a symbolic representation of the living Buddha.
There were a number of other rooms housed in the temple, one that depicted the
life of Buddha, a room holding ancient paper books written on palm leaf, a
shrine for medicinal purposes, and also the original audience hall where
historical documents were signed. There we long queues of
both locals and tourists there to view the precious treasure/make offerings with
large drums being constantly beaten it was very hard to hear what our guide had
to say. Once we had completed the tour we caught a taxi back up the hill to our
hotel for our evening meal, which I followed with a swim in the pool before
heading to bed.
Thursday 10th
February 2011 –Heading up into the hills to the Ella where we are
catching the train - which is a recommended side trip in the guides, with great
scenery. En-route we stopped at Ramboda waterfall (a stunning 2 tier waterfall,
with 2 x 100 meter drops – see pics). While here touts offered us samples of a
range of the local rocks that precious gemstones are extracted from in this
region.
On reaching Ella, our 3 hour train
journey in an antiquated train took us over the ridge tops of the ranges and
through the agriculture region, where a variety of crops are grown on terraced
gardens on the steep hillsides. Reaching the summit of 1987 metres, we then
continued through some of the high country tea plantations, and passed through
many tunnels (the locals all squealed and yelled as we went through the dark
tunnels). We got off at the Nuwara Eliya station where our driver met up with us
again and took us to our lunch stop. A quick walk around the town centre
followed, then the market place to locate an ATM.
Back in the van and heading down winding
hill road to our next stop at Kandy (acknowledged as the cultural capital of Sri
Lanka) was interesting. As a result of the torrential rainfall in this area the
road conditions were rather treacherous, with many slips apparent. I later read
in the Newspaper at our hotel that night that they had declared a disaster zone
in this area due to the high rainfall making the hillsides very unstable. It did
mean however there were plenty of waterfalls everywhere to view cascading down
the rock faces. Half way down the hill we stopped at Blue Fields Tea Plantation.
We had a guided through the factory and explanation of the process of turning
the leaf into tea followed by a complimentary cup of tea in their tearooms. A
sample some of the expensive Golden Tip tea was included, which has quite a
distinctive taste, and is supposedly good for your heart.
We then continued our Journey down the
hill to Kandy, the second biggest city in Sri Lanka. It is a congested town with
homes and businesses clinging to the hillside (reminded me somewhat of
Wellington). It was clear that the issues with the rainfall are evident here as
well with the river running very high and slips being cleared from the roads.
One road that we travelled down going into the city had killed 5 people the
previous week when they were caught in a massive slip and many houses were
demolished as well. Our driver took us to a Avuretic herbal massage centre that
provides a treatment using 27 herbs in the oils. After your full body massage
you then spend 10 minutes in a steam room that has herbs dangling from the
ceiling and lining the walls and floor. This is followed by a rub down with a
towel. We tried a special treatment that is supposedly good for treating sinus
and migraine problems using a liquid honey! It was a most unusual treatment
system and something quite different to previous experiences. We also treated
our driver to a session which he greatly appreciated. It was then on to our
hotel for a buffet dinner and bed.
Wednesday 9th
February – An early start to be ready at 6am to meet driver. We watched
the sunrise come up over the beaches as we drove along, stopping to see the
unusual method used along this coast by the local fisherman whereby they sit on
a stilt that has been driven into the sand in the shallow water just where the
small waves break. In their sacks they had small sprat like bait fish. We then
drove on to the Lighthouse at the southern most point of Sri Lanka at Dondra
point, we were invited to climb the 222 steps to the top of the 50 metre
structure where some great views could be seen (see the pics). Then down the
road and inland a little bit further to the Budddist Temple at Wewurukana Vitara
which is claimed to be the tallest in Asia at 8 stories high, we climbed to the
top of this as well. The lower chamber beneath the Buddha has artwork which
illustrates the 129 “sins”, along with an associated punishment that will be
given in hell as a result. Some of the images where quite gruesome and vivid
(see some of our pics). Another building held large painted plasterworks
creations the depicted the life and times of Buddha. It was quite an astounding
monument but sadly all very dilapidated and in need of repair.
We continue on our way normally at
speeds of between 40-60 kms per hour. Even at these low speeds the roads are a
dangerous place to be with vehicles often completing some very dodgy manoeuvres,
including commonly passing on blind corners! There are no seat belts in back of
the van so you feel particularly vulnerable when the brakes are applied in a
hurry. I hope we manage to safely make it to the end! If you ask me the risk of
pirates on the sea is less of an issue that driving on the roads!
We finally reached our final destination
of Yala at 2pm. After quickly dropping our bags off at our accommodation we then
headed out on our Jeep Safari to Yala National Park. Sri Lanka apparently has
largest concentration of Leopards in the world, with a large majority of them
here at Yala. They also have Sloth Bears, Elephants including largest elephant
in world @ 25m tall!! – Ok, it’s really a rock formation!! (See photo), Water
Buffalos (they live up to their name, and are often seen almost completely
submerged, and in fact do completely submerge for short periods) Monitor
Lizards, Monkeys, Crocodiles (Estuarine and Marsh), Mongoose, wild Pigs and much
bird life – Peacocks, Pelicans, Eagles, Storks, Bee Eaters, Hornbills to name a
few. Sadly despite the best effort of the guides we didn’t actually get to see a
Leopards or Sloth Bears but it was a very interesting if bumpy trip. Our vehicle
was a very worn out old open top Land Rover. Despite our concerns it
surprisingly made it around the park with regular stops to refill the radiator
as it had a leak and no radiator cap! (or instruments – did not work- broken
door catches, crap seats etc)
We were pleased to get back to our
accommodation at the lakeside waterfront lodge around 7pm having endured several
hours of bumping along the tracks. After a much needed cleansing shower and a
change of clothes we had dinner and then headed to bed – it had been a long day!
Tuesday 8th
February – We had a late start after the previous nights drinks session
with Matt wanting another boat job day. He checked the rigging and steering over
and gave the stainless steel work a cleanup whilst I did some washing ready for
our travels. We then decided we should top up our fresh water supply. This
however required carrying the 20 litre jerry cans in the dingy over to the
wharf, up the wharf and then over to water supply area to fill and then back
again to the boat. As one of our plastic jerry cans had already perished in the
sunlight and I managed to drop and smash another one when carrying it back on
our first trip this left us with only 40 litres to fill at and carry each time
so it was going to be a time consuming and laborious task. The guy on Meridian
then advised us that you could actually arrange to order a water tanker with a
minimum order of 1000 litres for approx. $9 and simply tie up at the wharf to
get filled. We decided this is a much better idea so will organise this prior to
our departure from Sri Lanka. Next was a fridge cleanout and check over along
with some of the cupboards. Matt decided he wanted to remount the salt water
pump so it operated better so he did this. After our days work Matt thought we
should head back to Unawatuna beach for another pleasant and relaxing dinner to
finish the day off. Whilst Matt was having a shower ready to go out the fresh
water pump decided to stop operating, and so it needed some attention also
before we could head out for the evening. We really must endeavour to get to the
beach in daylight hours before we leave to properly appreciate it and enjoy a
nice swim there.
Monday 7th February
– Enough of boat jobs! – Today we confirmed our tour
arrangements and then headed out to explore the local attraction of Galle Fort,
which is an Unesco World Heritage site. On the western peninsula of Galle’s
natural harbour this fort was originally commenced over 5 centuries by the
Portuguese who had invaded this area. The Dutch invasion of 1640 saw this
structure further enhanced and built upon with major additions that enclosed the
peninsula to form a protected city with associated army barracks, housing,
shops, courts, prison, hospital, churches and a cemetery. The fortification
withheld the force of the 2004 Tsunami, with it being one of the few areas in
this region to come away unscathed. As a memento a broken clock
tower is now set to display the time of the Tsunami struck. Numerous buildings
have been restored into boutique accommodation, antique and jewellery shops,
restaurants or museums while many have been left sadly to deteriorate. The walk
around the top of the outer wall of the ramparts gives you good views and takes
you past some lovely little beaches that looked quite inviting for a swim! We
finished our tour by enjoying a very refreshing cool drink in the superbly
renovated Amangalla Hotel. This hotel is a real step back in time to the
regency/colonial era including appropriately attired, discreet staff to serve
you. We walked back through the town to the port and so had tired feet by the
time we returned. On our return we invited the crew from Meridian for drinks and
nibbles as they wanted to have a closer look at our water catcher. Their yacht
has been here for over a year following a dismasting in 2010. They returned to
Australia to work in the mines for 6 months to fund the repairs and are now
eagerly awaiting the arrival of the replacement rigging, and for the new mast
that is slowly being constructed here to be completed so they can continue their
travels.
Sunday 6th February
– Matt worked on more boat jobs again jobs sorting out my
leaky sink taps which involved pulling the whole lot to bits but at least I
don’t have a constant leak into my cupboards below now dripping into my pots and
pans. He also removed and resealed one of the forward windows that had been
leaking. I arranged to get the gas bottle and checked out local shops for food
supplies. I also made enquires about organizing an inland tour. That evening we
headed out to Unawatuna Beach supposedly one of the most popular beach hangouts
in Sri Lanka to a place that our Tuk Tuk driver recommended. The beach front is
dotted with accommodation and food outlets. There is a strong Italian influence
shown with nearly all the places offering Italian food, so not much variety to
choose from. We enjoyed a stroll along the beach following our meal, watching
the fireworks being let off at each end and the laser light display from the
beach night club before organizing our ride back.
Saturday 5th February 2011
– Jobs/cleaning up day. The Salt Water pump had
stopped, and Matt spent some time stripping and repairing it. It had been full
of salt water! Ride into town in a Tuk Tuk (a 3 wheeled 125cc enclosed scooter –
see photos) to locate some plumbing supplies and hardware stores, along with a
guide book for the region, as well as to get a feel for the
locality. It is an interesting mix of dilapidated colonial and ramshackle
buildings. The township suffered a lot of damage in the 2004 Tsunami that swept
through the region on Boxing Day. Sri Lanka suffered the most
damage after Banda Aceh in Indonesia. Many locals have stories to tell of losing
family, homes and businesses during this devastating event.
Some of the buildings are only just being repaired or replaced now seven years
later. We walked to a local beach restaurant for dinner that night which a
popular choice with the local male population (I was the only women in the
place). It seemed to be a place to meet their mates and share a bottle of
Whiskey (the drink of choice here it seems here) we enjoyed our meal before
walking back again.
Friday 4th February 2011 –
(today is an official Public Holiday celebrating their Independence Day,
luckily for us however the port is still being operated.) When arriving in Sri
Lanka you are required to use an agent to handle the customs and immigration
requirements which cost $200 US - we thought it was quite absorbent for the work
involved and was our first experience of this type of system. Once we had
arranged an agent we were escorted into the Port late in the morning by the
Naval representatives.
We had been forewarned on the cruising
website Noonsite that requests for and expectation of “gifts” to the numerous
officials throughout the process in the form of clothing, cigarettes, alcohol or
money were normal. This is despite the fact that warning signs are posted around
the port stating that asking for or providing “bribes” was a crime. On the site
at another yachtie had taken the foresight to photograph one of these signs and
had posted on to the internet suggesting that you print out the picture and
place it on a prominent position within you yacht for the officials to see. We
followed this advice and as a result I think we got away quite lightly compared
to many others that we spoke to, as we lost only a miniature bottle of Whiskey
to one of the officials. Once the officialdom had been dealt with by late
afternoon we were free to go ashore. However as the Port of Galle is a Naval
base the place is ringed with armed guards and you are required to carry a pass
with you to be able to get in and out of the area.
We headed ashore with large load of wet
clothing, towels, sheets etc from trip across. Arrangements for them to be
laundered by local family were made, before heading out to dinner at a local
restaurant. Once seated we were presented with tray laden with a large variety
of cooked curry type parcels they made on the premises, along with a plate of
fried rice. They were tasty and surprisingly for me (Jo here!) I could handle
the spices. I had read in the guide book that Sri Lanka is renowned for its hot
and spicy curries and wondered if I would manage them as I generally don’t enjoy
spicy food. It was also a very cheap meal costing approx $5 for both of us.
3 Feb 2011 Trying to make it in today. Morning started off good with 25 kn SE, then moved around to NE, and died away completely. Motored for a few hours, wind came back, 5 kn from the NE, then moved around to West, right where we are going. When we got to the southern tip of Sri Lanka, and altered course 30 deg North, so did the wind!! We then motorsailed the rest of the way to Galle, arriving about 2 hours after dark. The 2 Hours were sressfull, as not only were we motoring into 25knts and a chop, but there were 100's of poorly lit fishing boats around. We made it though, and were guided from the last channel marker to the anchoring point outside the harbour walls. (The navy closes the harbour at night, with a boom). The Anchorage was fine, and we slept well.
2 Feb 2011. Mostly head winds, which is not supposed to happen here at this time of year. Motor Sailing, wind has been from every direction 2 x in the last 24 hours. Sea state is a mess! Not feeling that good!
1 Feb 2011. Very light winds still, although we did get about 4 hours sailing during the night. Passed the 1/2 way point of this passage now. Motor sailing again, sea state now dropping away. Hot and sunny between rain squalls, which can be very heavy!! Jo is making a quiche for lunch. 2-3 days to go dependent on wind.
31 Jan 2011. Light conditions today, wind from all over the place! Some headwinds. Progress not so great! Motorsailing. About 6pm saw a ship (big, cargo, 300m long, the something Atlantic) on AIS, not under command, drifting towards our course. Although we are not yet in the real Pirate Area, it was a bit odd. I switched off the AIS transmission, and used no Nav lights until well past her. About 20 mins after that, she started up and proceeded on her course. I don't know what was happening, but it was certainly unusual.
About 9pm, just as the ship was disappearing, I saw some vessel lights fwd of our port beam. Nothing on the radar, or AIS. Watched them for a bit - they came closer, and we got a poor radar signal. Watched it some more - a large (30m??) Asian type fishing boat, on an intercept course. When he got close, I shined the big spot light on him, then our sails. Eventually, at about 400m, he turned on his searchlight and lit us up. Despite the collision rules he just kept right on, and I had to stop to avoid a collision!
30 Jan 2011 Pretty much the same as yesterday, with the odd rain squall coming thru, winds up to 35 at one stage in these. Running under main only, up to 10 knots at times. Fwd Head failed late in the day, as one of the lever pins in the Henderson mk5 pump fell out. Stripped it, cleaned, replaced pin with a bolt. A couple of hours of "undesirable" work! Jo cleaned up most of my mess with bleach, as the sewage from in the pump gets everywhere! Approaching Half way, so good progress so far.. Meant to be lighter tomorrow though.
29 Jan 2011 Left Great Nicobar about 10 am local time. 20 Knots NE, good sailing conditions, but sea state a little confused and lumpy as we got offshore. Still, good progress!
28th Jan 2011 We decided to stay here one more night. Conditions still about the same, wet and windy- Hot though! Refilled the Boat Diesel from Jerry Cans, used 30ltrs from Malaysia to here - for charging batteries. Cleaned up the engine room - I have a small leak (oil) thru the throttle leaver on the governor control box. It is an O ring, but on the old motor I've had issues with re-sealing this same issue, so it will have to wait to Sri Lanka, just in case I need some parts I don't have. It is not too bad, maybe 1/4 cup of oil in 15-20 hours running, but it is getting worse and makes a mess!
Jo restacked the freezer (looking for the bacon!) and for some unknown reason the electric fridge is working again. Weird!
After these jobs we slept, read, movies etc. A good quiet day. We did not want to go ashore due to the entry issues etc, and being wet and windy we did not feel like swimming! Planning to leave after breakfast tomorrow.
26th and 27th Jan 2011 Spent at sea, arriving at Great Nicobar about 4:30 in the afternoon, local time. Conditions had slowly deteriorated since leaving Malaysia, with frequent squalls (up to 35knts) and rain. Lots of Lightning, fortunately none to close! Finished the trip in steep 3m seas and 30 odd knots, with frequent heavy rain. We have anchored in Pemayya Bay. This is Indian Territory, and we have not formally entered the country, but hope no-one will notice! We do have Indian Visas etc, but the nearest entry point is several hundred miles away in the Andamans.
Seems the place is basically uninhabited, with many dead trees around the Island. I think that this is probably due to damage from the big Tsunami. For some reason the electric fridge was not working properly, slowly loosing temperature. I'll have to look at that.
25th Jan 2011 Got up this morning and Jo went and paid the final account for the Marina. I set a course for Telaga harbour, so we could top up with Diesel. The gas bottle was not ready - they had run out of gas!. Anyway, we took it back - it was still around half full anyway, and with the other bottle still full we should be fine until Sri Lanka.
About 10am we left Rebak for Telaga, and then refuelled on arrival. We also scraped together our last Malaysian Ringets and bought an ice-cream, some orange juice, and another few bits and pieces. No point in keeping any Ringets!
We left Telaga about 11am headed for the south end of Great Nicobar Island, 370nm away, or about 2-3 days. Weather was 15-20 knts NE, hot and sunny. Great sailing conditions! We spoke to most of the family on leaving, just to use up the last of the credit on our Malaysian cell phones! It was good to catch up! It leaves both Jo and myself a bit sad after talking to the girls. We miss them, but realise they are grown and it is good for them to stand on there own feet!
Rebak/Langkawi 17th- 24th January 2011 – With our return to here we are gearing up for our onwards passage through the Nicobar Islands to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Matt has put the new propeller blades on and sorted out our new waterproof and sunlight viewable screen so we can follow our sailing course and associated chart information without having to go below. I have been busy restocking the food supply ready for the next few weeks at sea. It’s been HOT. Nearly ready to leave now, just collect the refilled gas bottle on Monday, planning to leave Tues Morning.
Jo is flying home from the Maldives to work for a few months, while Matt and a crew (Murray Hughes and Bernie ) take the boat across the Indian Ocean and up the Red Sea. We would like a small convoy of Yachts, perhaps 4 or 5, rather than the 30-50 in two other groups that are going! We intend to keep up to date with the recommendations (other than don't go!!) from the international Naval force patrolling the area. Matt has bought a laser as an alternative to a firearm, and we will do our best to avoid confrontation. Carrying firearms is to difficult with customs etc, and they are often confiscated while in a nations waters anyway. Also, the pirates tend to have more of them!!
We might be leaving here alone, as the boat we were planning to leave with, Whisper HR, are having 2nd thoughts about crossing the Indian Ocean due to the Pirate issue. Not sure what will happen yet!. But we will try to join up with a few other boats in either Sri Lanka, or the Maldives.