'RE BACK ON OUT MALAYSIAN PHONE NUMBER: country code 60 197951501 My apologies in the past for not advising you to drop the zero in front of the regular number after the CC.
Hello everyone.
When we last wrote, we were wrapping things up in Phuket and getting ready to head back down to Langkawi and Penang to begin our Asian land travel. We stayed around a few extra days in Phuket to get part of the rigging done. The rest will have to await our return as it was going to take 2 weeks to get parts like turnbuckles in from Oz. Rose also started seeing an acupuncture guy at the hospital and had a last appointment to attend to. So far not much luck with either her prescriptions or that to ease her aching. However, she came up with the thought that there might be something in the boat's water system--has to be chemical--causing her discomfort. We're experimenting with bottled water and out impending 10 days in Bali will tell the tale. Wish us luck.
So we left Ao Po Marina in the north for Ao Chalong on the south end of Phuket to check out of the country. Major drama at Ao Chalong. Phuket, and maybe all of Thailand, have public moorings which are orange with a blue stripe. There's been some problem in Ao Chalong with the commercial boats throwing yachties off these public balls, claiming they are theirs alone. Some other guys checked with the harbor master who uncategorically confirmed they were first come first served moorings. So we took an empty ball and, to make a long story short, about 5 pm a sport fisherman with 2 local guys came up, honked and ordered us off. Well, let me tell you, I saw another side of Rose!!! She was rather assertive and told them in no uncertain terms to stay away from our boat. Shortening this up dramatically, after about 2 hours of haggling over the phone, yelling back and forth and them getting more guys, the harbor police came out. No one admitted we were right but they finally agreed we could stay the night (we were leaving the next day anyway). So we go to bed and I find Rose cowering worried they're going to come back and slit our throats!!! She now explains she was only assertive because she was afraid. Coulda fooled me!!! Really, this was mild mannered Rose Dyer turning into super bitch withour even a phone booth--sharper than a honed razor, able to heap shit on small Thais with a single bound, etc. There is a moral in this--don't mess with Rose!
Next morning, bright and early, we left for the Phi Phis, about 25 miles away. Oh oh, the engine driven freezer isn't working again!!! Oh, and I forgot to mention some workman stepped on the port engine water lock (keeps water from siphoning back into the engine), but the guy changing the oil noticed it. This is a rip-off $600 plastic box with a baffle, but our guys fabricated us one out of aluminum (aluminium if you prefer) alloy for a fraction of the cost of a new plastic one!!! So we did the usual touristy things at Phi Phi and left the next day for an intermediate stop before getting to Langkawi. This was the area in which the pirates got the English couple so we were a bit nervous. Also friends who had left earlier had had terrible weather. We had neither and had to motor all the way to the Telaga Harbor marina for check in to Malaysia and freezer repairs. The freezer had a leak in the coolant return pipe and these guys changed the whole thing out as the old one was built too far into the bowels of the boat to effect a repair. They only found it after discovering a couple other problems and 2 guys worked two 12 hour days to get the job done. This $ thousands job in the states or Caribbean was about $300 here!! Yippee!!!!!!. Working great now. Of course, now the electric one has crapped out. Cooling water problem that I diagnosed and really nothing wrong with the freezer, thank God. They'll change out the clogged hose while we're gone.
Rose met a couple of other pommies, one of whom had a car which we rented from him for a day or two to go see our friends in Kuah, about 20 kilometers away. Had lunch with Freebird and next day met Scot Free II and took a longboat out to the "Hole in the Wall" where they are leaving their boat to travel home to Canada. Very cool outing and the food at the place was excellent. We also took the opportunity of the car to restock our depleted liquor stocks at dirt cheap duty free prices. One night we had dinner with the two English couples Rose had met and had a great meal--surf and turf for two was about $50 and had shrimp, fish, squid, steak and lamb chops with the usual extras. Before we knew it, it was midnight and they kicked us out, but not after an amusing story from one of the guys. You may remember us talking about the Kiwi boat Squid. Joey befriended the son on board with his elderly, and somewhat odd parents. As usual, the conversation turned around to boating "incidents" and after a few harrowing tales, Graham says something about this Kiwi cat, Squid. Seems they were anchored in some bay and Squid pulled up in front of them, putting out, according to Graham, way too much chain. Well, the wind kicked up a bit which tends to push boats backward to the full length of their chain, and, sure enough, Squid banged into Graham's boat. However, Ian, the crotchety father on Squid (you have to know the guy) claims that Graham's boat dragged forward into Squid. Folks, this is physically impossible but typical of Ian, a short man with an even bigger syndrome. He even tried this preposterous story out on the insurance guys who were paying Graham's damages. Graham got paid!
So we finally got our repairs made and headed around to Kuah before leaving for Penang. We decided to stop at the resort beach just beyond Telaga for a quick lunch and massage before heading on. More drama!! We anchored the dinghy out a ways so we wouldn't have to drag it around the beach. After my massage (Rose was getting a longer treatment) I saw the dinghy was getting grounded and a couple of guys helped me get it back out a bit. I went back to the beach bar to settle in for a few screwdrivers and some spring rolls waiting for Rose. I had debated just going back to the boat and waiting for Rose to call, but the thought of food and a cool drink impaired my judgment. I had just ordered my libation when, bam, all of a sudden, the surf kicks up. We're not talking Hawaiian size rollers, but big enough. I saw the dinghy get swamped and raced down the beach to get out of there, holding my wallet and cell phone over my head. A guy came out to help me and I was trying to pull on the anchor line so I could go, while he pushed. Boom, 3 foot breaking wave over the bow, knocked me in the water and completely flooded the boat. I have a new cheap phone now and have confirmed that the dinghy bilge pump works well!!!
We ran into SFII half way to Kuah and hung out with them for a few days. Had some big storms and we actually--I know you'll find it hard to believe--dragged anchor a bit. Had their crew over for dinner both for their company and to empty our freezer prior to land travelling. Had a few dolphin swimming around the boat and watched the sea eagles feeding at sunset. It was really nice except for dragging, but, at least, we didn't hit anyone!! The boom light went on the fritz, but I got it fixed only to have it and a couple of other lights outside go off the next day. We're leaving that to the electricians in Penang.
We spent an uneventful couple of nights in Kuah, arriving in pouring rain, and then we left for the 60 mile run down to Penang. Damn it, found another leak in the starboard engine room, but it wasn't a deluge. Leak in the exhaust muffler. We finally had some wind and actually put a sail up--first time in weeks or maybe months.
So we arrived in Penang about 4 days ago and have met with Harris, the boat yard guy who is doing our repairs and looking after the boat while we're gone. We met the travel agent who, by and large, isn't too good, but got Rose a cheap flight to the UK and does the tedious legwork of searching out acceptable alternatives. So far, all we have booked is 10 days in Bali, which, even with airfare, is as close to free as you can get a vacation. They're researching the rest at the travel agents, but when we return, we have to hustle out passports over to the Chinese consulate for visas--takes about a week. Then we're doing China for 2 weeks or so, back for a week to get Vietnamese visas, then off to Bangkok, River Kwai, northern Thailand and the golden triangle for about a week. We then segue to Siem Reap, site of Angkor Wat, pick up a week cruise down the Mekong river ending in Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon), a week in Nam and then back to Penang. Lest you think I have beaten the financial crisis, here's an example of travel costs around here. We're not doing this particluar tour but it is indicative of the deals. 8 day/7 nights in five star hotels, tours up the yingyang, almost all your meals and round trip airfare from Penang to Beijing--which is a loooonnngg way--is about $900, taxes and service included.
Okay, that's it. You're up to date and we have an 8:15 flight to get tomorrow morning.
Cheers
Tim and Rose
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Thialand II April 6 2009
Hello everyone.
We left you on our way up the west coast of Thailand with our friends on
Scot Free II (SFII). Our initial stop was a nice bay near the Phuket
(pronounced pooket, by the way) The rainy season is starting, and there are
about 10 foot tides so, needless to say we have been getting a bit wet going
in and out and dragging the dinghy 50 feet back to the water when the tide
ebbs. This was a very nice bay with a few resorts and we stopped at a few
more scenic, but shoreside uninteresting places, on our way up to our ultimate
destination, a little island called Phayam, which, according to a few people,
was like Eden. From there Lottie needed to make a "visa run" to Ranong and
then Burma to get another 2 weeks. Well, the island was nice, but we've
seen a lot nicer. Had some good meals and a great massage, but the surf was
coming in, making dinghy landing and launching difficult at best. One day
we went in around low tide and tried to anchor the dinghy so it could come
in with the tide. No dice. When we all returned, including SFII, it was
about 1/4 mile offshore and it was dark, etc. Discretion is the better part
of valor. After Gerry made an attempt to swim out--too far, too deep--we
had to borrow a local boat and paddle out. It was a circus getting the
girls in and we all got soaked but finally made it. In Thailand--must be a
Buddhist thing--they have these very cool hot air balloon things which you
use with some kind of solid fuel circle, light, make a wish and let it fill
up with hot air, then release it. Made of paper. We got one done before the tide wrecked
the other two, so Rose got her wish made, but the rest of us lost out. The
things go up about 200 feet and it's really neat at night with the light on
the white paper balloon. Later that night--about 3 AM--I awoke to some
serious rock and roll--sort of like Cane Garden Bay when the wind is wrong.
It was full moon so the tides were large and we were broadside to the inflow
and only about 100 feet from the surf break. Okay, no problem. A bit
uncomfortable but we had about 2 feet under the keel. We were rolling quite
a bit so I stayed up just in case. Figured as the tide came in, it would
get more comfortable. Worried a bit about SFII, though as they are a keel
boat and were really rolling. Sure enough, about 4:30, they moved---turned
out they bounced off the bottom. I waited another 15 minutes with no
improvement, woke Rose, and we moved as well. Okay, nice or not, who needs
that aggravation, so we all took off for the Surin Islands, about 50 miles
south--national park. Would have liked to stay for another massage and the
Full Moon Party, but it just wasn't in the cards.
The guides to the Surins weren't much help and the first place we tried to
anchor just wasn't working so we headed over to a gap between a couple of
islands. At one beach was a village of "sea gypsies", the other a Park's
office and restaurant. We went to try to get to the village and saw several
"longtails" (those native boats you see in the movies with the engine
mounted on a 25 foot shaft) go in. However, the captain ran aground several hundred
feet offshore; the admiral said I was going too fast. We tried to wend our
way through the reef, but it was impossible. Decided to check out the
ranger station--going a lot slower this time--but couldn't get in there
either. As a result we had sort of a pot luck on Rendezvous and left the
next day for the Similans, another 50 miles and national park. SFII decided
to stay another night and we didn't catch up with them for several days as
we were just ahead and had to get back to pick up Lottie's friend, Lucy.
The Similans were great. There are basically two islands you can take the
boat to overnight and we did both. The north island is quite a dive and
tourist destination, and the anchorage is in a mini fjord with mooring balls.
The water is crystal clear--the first we've seen since Australia--and we
were greeted by a pod of dolphin on our way in. The water is also warm
enough for the captain to swim, which, hold on to your hats, he did four
times in 2 days. Lots of fish, good snorkeling and we even had sea turtles.
We had just missed the whale shark season but it was still nice. Surprise,
surprise, our friends on Freebird pulled in that afternoon. They'd spent 2
weeks there and were just heading north where we'd been. Had cocktails and
caught up. Couldn't believe with all the tourists, there wasn't a
restaurant. Rose and Lottie kayaked ashore to reconnoiter. You simply must
see the pictures of that event.
Well, with no restaurants and our friends gone, we headed to the next
anchorage south--only about 6 miles away. It was beautiful as well with
lots of tour boats during the day. The parks had a backpacker tent city
going and, halleluiah, there was a restaurant. This restaurant brought new
meaning the the term "fast food". We went in around 6 planning on a few
beers and dinner before returning to the boat. Got our beer, ordered some
local fare and went to get a table. Before I could get the 10 feet to our
table, the waitress paged me and there was our food. Lots of mozzies, so we
ate fast as well and hightailed it to the boat.
The original plan was to head back to Ao Chalong, get the windlass wiring and the freezer done, pick up Lucy and head out cruising in Phangnga Bay, between Phuket and the mainland. As it was closer and had been nice, we decided to go back to Nai Yang. As it turned out this worked out well because Lottie decided to fly to Bangkok for the weekend and hang out with Lucy there while we, presumably, were getting work done. Anyway, it was too rough in Nai Yang and was a mission just to drop Lottie off, so we hightailed it back to Ao Chalong on Saturday. In terms of work getting done, we pretty much had to wait until Monday, so we just hung out a bit, got massages and hit the local market. On Monday, the electrician came out and I asked him to see if he could get a new radio unit for the wireless remote control for the windlass which has mysteriously disappeared. We also needed it completely rewired. Gerry and I (mainly Gerry) had done some work at Phayam having to replace a fuse holder and just disconnect another wire (we think it had something to do with the remote) Later on, the down stopped working, and I found another loose wire so it was time to get things done professionally!!!! An errant engine alarm has also been chirping, and I wanted him to fix that, but, of course, it stopped doing it when we arrived. Well, he couldn't do any work early in the week but promised to look into the remote. We were to call him on our return. Same deal with the freezer man. He found a small leak and fixed it but didn't want to get into replacing the expansion valve. So our plan was to get the girls on board, cruise around and then return to Ao Po on the dock after their departure to get the work done. In the meantime, the icemaker still wasn't turning out cubes at an acceptable rate. Yesterday, we concluded it was the thermostat but it uses a special one which I have now inquired about with the manufacturer.
After what must have been some hardy partying, the girls arrived not Monday, not Tuesday, but Wednesday!!!! and we headed north to Ao Po marina which is really nice except it's in the middle of nowhere. Their water is drinkable and they are about half the cost of RPM. We stopped there for the night and to fuel up. The girls went up to the local resort's pool. Next day, we fueled up and took off for the short trip to James Bond Island. The idea is to get there on the early side before all the tour boats come in. A longtail came over and we hired him for a few hundred baht to take us ashore and then circumnavigate the island for us. Well worth the money with the crowds of boats and hassle of launching the dinghy. Well, it's just like the movie, which we confirmed by watching that night, except for about 50 identical stalls selling identical crappy souvenirs. Lot of photo ops with the big pillar in the bay in the background. After a night at a nearby bay, the next morning we went just a few miles around the corner to another tourist area--a sea gypsy fishing village on stilts. Same deal, a longtail came along and took us on a tour of the river which was pretty cool, with lots of mangroves and a rather large cave/tunnel along the way. Another branch had some prehistoric drawings on the rocks. Back down the river to the stilted village for shopping and lunch. Food was okay. Shopping was only slightly better than James Bond.
The next day we had planned to go to "Pearl Island" for a tour of the pearl farm and lunch. As we approached, the skies opened up so we opted to head on back to Ao Chalong because, that Monday, Lottie needed to hit immigration again for another extension. We also got a call from SFII that they were down there. Once there, I did a little research on windlass remotes as Lofrans apparently cannot replace the sending unit--only sells the remote as a matched package tuned at the factory. This was distressing as the US price for this thing is $600, meaning it would be about $1,000 here. Fortunately, Lewmar has come out with one for $140 which is now installed and working. Of course it was $240 here!!! So we hooked up with SFII for drinks and dinner Sat night and, Sunday, hit Patong for shopping and lunch with Freebird who had called to let us know they were back at RPM. On Monday, first thing, Charlotte went off to immigration. What a rip-off! It costs the same 1,900 baht (about $50) to get the 1 month renewal Rose and I did, or this one week deal which is all you can get on the kind of visa Lottie had. Done with the visa by 11, off we went to the Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee--I'm not kidding) group, one of Thailand's premier tourist destinations, especially for the backpacker crowd.
There are basically two islands there--about 20 miles east of Ao Chalong. The larger, Phi Phi Don, has the hotels, shops, etc. and the bay with all the commercial boats, ferry dock, etc.. The smaller, Phi Phi Le, is a park and has the "beach" where the movie of the same name was filmed. Lottie bought the movie and it sucked, but the beach was nice. Both islands were seriously wiped out in the tsunami, but have rebuilt. Judging from what we saw, the tsunami destruction, from an aesthetic viewpoint, was probably a good thing. Nonetheless, Don, just off the beach, have miles of "alleyways" with shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, dive shops, travel agents, you name it. SFII had pulled in just before us having spent the prior night at Le, and sort of talked us in. There are public moorings there, but beware!! That afternoon, the first one started dragging; we noticed and moved to a more secure location, but a couple of days later, we awoke in the middle of the night as we had dragged (this was a different ball we picked up on our return from Le) and were banging into 3 fishing boats rafted together. Fortunately, the only damage was a 1 inch scrape at the stern but we've RE-learned to back down on moorings like you do when anchoring. Had a nice night or two in Don, exploring the shops and hitting some of the live entertainment the bars provide. SFII had to depart to drop off a guest, who, by the way, had taken a fancy to the girls, especially Lucy. We took off in the morning to explore Le before all the tourists arrived. It's about a 3 mile trip to the "Beach". We picked up a mooring and dropped the dinghy. They--and I wish more places would do it--had a floating dinghy dock. The beach was nice, and we were early enough to avoid the crowds and the park fees. One group was filming some sort of commercial which was sort of interesting. After a bit of exploring, the crowds arrived and we took off to circumnavigate the island in the dinghy. Around the corner to the east was a large hong, which is a lagoon created by a collapsed cave. The first one was okay but loaded with tour boats, but as we proceeded north we came on another that was quite large and almost hidden from the water. There were also some caves which had locals there, which we later discovered were there to protect the birds' nests used in bird's nest soup. Apparently the saliva they use in making the nests has beneficial qualities. They even have an ad here for "Scotch, real bird's nest beverage". Yuk!!! Back to Don where we dragged and off to Krabi the next morning amidst threatening storms.
We thought for sure we'd get stormed on as we left for the 20 mile trip north to Krabi, another tourist destination, but we were running out of time for the girls who wanted to get off in a day or two to do the elephants and tiger temple up in Chang Mai. I'm sure the prospect of another weekend in Bangkok didn't hurt either. We managed to outrun the storm. Krabi, itself is up a river from the anchorages, but there are a couple of bays loaded with tourist stuff. We opted for a southeast bay called Railai. It's supposed to be a sand bottom but we had a hell of a time getting the anchor down, and the tour boats kicked us off the one mooring in the bay. The girls kayaked in and spent the night ashore. The weather wasn't that good so we hung out on board. Next day we moved over to Ao Nang, a mile or two away, as the girls, all three, were taking a cooking course the next day, Saturday with the pick up there. Railai is built at the base of giant rock cliffs and has no land access whatsoever. One of the resorts there caters to rock climbers. We explored again--same old, same old, but the tides are fairly high and we had a time getting the dinghy back in the water. The girls decided to go back to Railai for the night and meet Rose in the morning for the class. When I dropped them to get a longtail over to Railai, they both took a dive after disembarking as it appears the long tails must stir up holes in the sand. Unfortunately, Lucy's camera is now history, but Rose had the same thing happen the next morning and her phone was toast. While Rose's good camera also got wet, to date it is still working. Thank God for that; I was able to get her a replacement phone later for about $25, so not too much damage done.
Unbeknownst to me, it was a lot cheaper to fly out to Bangkok from Phuket than Krabi. All this time I thought the girls were departing from Krabi. Anyway, there is a happy ending sort of. After checking out all the alternatives they found a bus (13 hours) from Krabi to Bangkok for almost nothing, saving them megabucks from flying and the hassle of bussing it to Phuket. So the girls left around 3 on Saturday for the bus and Rose and I just hung out on the boat not wishing to drag the dinghy around nor fall into another longtail hole!!!
Now, left to our own devices, we decided to get back to Ao Po and get the work finished up so we could enjoy our remaining time in Thailand. There is a shortcut over there, through a channel between 2 islands. Saves about 2 hours, but the cruising guide warns "local knowledge" only. Well, we had the SunSail guide to Phuket that showed the way so we anchored off a fishing village at the entrance to the channel and, next day, Monday, made the delightful run 5 miles through, making it to Ao Po at about 10 or 11. First order of business was getting a car and the faithful Mr. Morn (Our RPM car guy) delivered one to us which turned out to be the same one we had before. Nice service. Did I mention the marina picks up our garbage and drives us around in golf carts? Anyway, we wanted the car as we're nowhere, and Rose's ailments are acting up again so we needed to see the doc. I ran a few errands and phoned up the workmen. I also called to get the rigging surveyed (looked at and checked). Next day we got Rose to the doctor.
So, to try to end this, it it now a week later and the new remote and rewiring are done for the windlass. The engine alarm is fixed; the freezer seems to be working, and the rigging has been checked. The only downside is the rigging ALL needs to be replaced. Still waiting for a final on the quote as one wire supplier went belly up and a fitting supplier was out of stock for something, but this will run 5 figures. Damn, but better than losing the mast. Ah, you say, but what about Rose. These guys seem to think her aches and pains all boil down to some kind of digestive problem but the good news is they have, at least prescribed some medication. We'll just have to wait and see. They seemed pretty familiar with her syndrome. Same place I took my physical.
Other news before I end this. There was a "pirate" attack south of here and the captain was killed and thrown overboard. (Rose is holding out hope they will escape for our return to Langkawi). We think it was a "one off" as they caught the guys who were 3 Burmese teenagers who claimed they were enslaved on a Thai fishing boat. Most of our friends here have left for Malaysia as their visas expired. We're thinking of following soon as this is the transition period for the monsoon and we've had some wicked storms pass through with up to 50 knots of wind. Rose is in the process of booking her flight back to the UK and it looks like 3 or 4 weeks from mid July on. So, right now, we're waiting around for a decision on the rigging, Unfortunately, today, Monday, is a national holiday. It's much easier for them to do the head stay while we're on the dock so, hopefully, we'll get that done in a couple of days and then head back down to Ao Chalong for he rest of the work assuming they can get the stuff in a timely fashion. Then off to Phi Phi and back to Langkawi and Penang. We've hooked up with a travel agent in Penang who is working on our plans for land travel.
A couple of personal notes. Joey has broken up with Olivia and is heading back to the states tomorrow to try to pick up work in Fort Lauderdale. He has a coastal Yachtmaster and still needs to do a "practical exam" to get his offshore, but this should be enough for him to get a job. Can't say Rose and I are disappointed about this development. My fashion consultant, Rose, has made me change my wardrobe from what I consider normal shorts to the very fashionable, below the knee version. Probably just as well as I'm getting too fat for the old ones, and clothes are cheap here in SE Asia!! Finally, in a major change and late breaking news, I have been bullied into changing my hairstyle from what I've done for the last 50 years--i.e. combed left to right with a part. Suffice it to say Lottie started calling me Ming (after Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon) and I told Rose I look like Mike Ditka (she asked, gasp!!!, who's he?). Anyway, combing my hair straight back isn't so bad except now my rapidly thinning Ming widow's peak is more evidently thinning. How can this be? I'm not that old yet. Must be Morgan Stanley's fault (just kidding Joe).
That's the latest and greatest. Sorry it was so long but we are SOOO interesting.
Cheers
Tim & Rose
We left you on our way up the west coast of Thailand with our friends on
Scot Free II (SFII). Our initial stop was a nice bay near the Phuket
(pronounced pooket, by the way) The rainy season is starting, and there are
about 10 foot tides so, needless to say we have been getting a bit wet going
in and out and dragging the dinghy 50 feet back to the water when the tide
ebbs. This was a very nice bay with a few resorts and we stopped at a few
more scenic, but shoreside uninteresting places, on our way up to our ultimate
destination, a little island called Phayam, which, according to a few people,
was like Eden. From there Lottie needed to make a "visa run" to Ranong and
then Burma to get another 2 weeks. Well, the island was nice, but we've
seen a lot nicer. Had some good meals and a great massage, but the surf was
coming in, making dinghy landing and launching difficult at best. One day
we went in around low tide and tried to anchor the dinghy so it could come
in with the tide. No dice. When we all returned, including SFII, it was
about 1/4 mile offshore and it was dark, etc. Discretion is the better part
of valor. After Gerry made an attempt to swim out--too far, too deep--we
had to borrow a local boat and paddle out. It was a circus getting the
girls in and we all got soaked but finally made it. In Thailand--must be a
Buddhist thing--they have these very cool hot air balloon things which you
use with some kind of solid fuel circle, light, make a wish and let it fill
up with hot air, then release it. Made of paper. We got one done before the tide wrecked
the other two, so Rose got her wish made, but the rest of us lost out. The
things go up about 200 feet and it's really neat at night with the light on
the white paper balloon. Later that night--about 3 AM--I awoke to some
serious rock and roll--sort of like Cane Garden Bay when the wind is wrong.
It was full moon so the tides were large and we were broadside to the inflow
and only about 100 feet from the surf break. Okay, no problem. A bit
uncomfortable but we had about 2 feet under the keel. We were rolling quite
a bit so I stayed up just in case. Figured as the tide came in, it would
get more comfortable. Worried a bit about SFII, though as they are a keel
boat and were really rolling. Sure enough, about 4:30, they moved---turned
out they bounced off the bottom. I waited another 15 minutes with no
improvement, woke Rose, and we moved as well. Okay, nice or not, who needs
that aggravation, so we all took off for the Surin Islands, about 50 miles
south--national park. Would have liked to stay for another massage and the
Full Moon Party, but it just wasn't in the cards.
The guides to the Surins weren't much help and the first place we tried to
anchor just wasn't working so we headed over to a gap between a couple of
islands. At one beach was a village of "sea gypsies", the other a Park's
office and restaurant. We went to try to get to the village and saw several
"longtails" (those native boats you see in the movies with the engine
mounted on a 25 foot shaft) go in. However, the captain ran aground several hundred
feet offshore; the admiral said I was going too fast. We tried to wend our
way through the reef, but it was impossible. Decided to check out the
ranger station--going a lot slower this time--but couldn't get in there
either. As a result we had sort of a pot luck on Rendezvous and left the
next day for the Similans, another 50 miles and national park. SFII decided
to stay another night and we didn't catch up with them for several days as
we were just ahead and had to get back to pick up Lottie's friend, Lucy.
The Similans were great. There are basically two islands you can take the
boat to overnight and we did both. The north island is quite a dive and
tourist destination, and the anchorage is in a mini fjord with mooring balls.
The water is crystal clear--the first we've seen since Australia--and we
were greeted by a pod of dolphin on our way in. The water is also warm
enough for the captain to swim, which, hold on to your hats, he did four
times in 2 days. Lots of fish, good snorkeling and we even had sea turtles.
We had just missed the whale shark season but it was still nice. Surprise,
surprise, our friends on Freebird pulled in that afternoon. They'd spent 2
weeks there and were just heading north where we'd been. Had cocktails and
caught up. Couldn't believe with all the tourists, there wasn't a
restaurant. Rose and Lottie kayaked ashore to reconnoiter. You simply must
see the pictures of that event.
Well, with no restaurants and our friends gone, we headed to the next
anchorage south--only about 6 miles away. It was beautiful as well with
lots of tour boats during the day. The parks had a backpacker tent city
going and, halleluiah, there was a restaurant. This restaurant brought new
meaning the the term "fast food". We went in around 6 planning on a few
beers and dinner before returning to the boat. Got our beer, ordered some
local fare and went to get a table. Before I could get the 10 feet to our
table, the waitress paged me and there was our food. Lots of mozzies, so we
ate fast as well and hightailed it to the boat.
The original plan was to head back to Ao Chalong, get the windlass wiring and the freezer done, pick up Lucy and head out cruising in Phangnga Bay, between Phuket and the mainland. As it was closer and had been nice, we decided to go back to Nai Yang. As it turned out this worked out well because Lottie decided to fly to Bangkok for the weekend and hang out with Lucy there while we, presumably, were getting work done. Anyway, it was too rough in Nai Yang and was a mission just to drop Lottie off, so we hightailed it back to Ao Chalong on Saturday. In terms of work getting done, we pretty much had to wait until Monday, so we just hung out a bit, got massages and hit the local market. On Monday, the electrician came out and I asked him to see if he could get a new radio unit for the wireless remote control for the windlass which has mysteriously disappeared. We also needed it completely rewired. Gerry and I (mainly Gerry) had done some work at Phayam having to replace a fuse holder and just disconnect another wire (we think it had something to do with the remote) Later on, the down stopped working, and I found another loose wire so it was time to get things done professionally!!!! An errant engine alarm has also been chirping, and I wanted him to fix that, but, of course, it stopped doing it when we arrived. Well, he couldn't do any work early in the week but promised to look into the remote. We were to call him on our return. Same deal with the freezer man. He found a small leak and fixed it but didn't want to get into replacing the expansion valve. So our plan was to get the girls on board, cruise around and then return to Ao Po on the dock after their departure to get the work done. In the meantime, the icemaker still wasn't turning out cubes at an acceptable rate. Yesterday, we concluded it was the thermostat but it uses a special one which I have now inquired about with the manufacturer.
After what must have been some hardy partying, the girls arrived not Monday, not Tuesday, but Wednesday!!!! and we headed north to Ao Po marina which is really nice except it's in the middle of nowhere. Their water is drinkable and they are about half the cost of RPM. We stopped there for the night and to fuel up. The girls went up to the local resort's pool. Next day, we fueled up and took off for the short trip to James Bond Island. The idea is to get there on the early side before all the tour boats come in. A longtail came over and we hired him for a few hundred baht to take us ashore and then circumnavigate the island for us. Well worth the money with the crowds of boats and hassle of launching the dinghy. Well, it's just like the movie, which we confirmed by watching that night, except for about 50 identical stalls selling identical crappy souvenirs. Lot of photo ops with the big pillar in the bay in the background. After a night at a nearby bay, the next morning we went just a few miles around the corner to another tourist area--a sea gypsy fishing village on stilts. Same deal, a longtail came along and took us on a tour of the river which was pretty cool, with lots of mangroves and a rather large cave/tunnel along the way. Another branch had some prehistoric drawings on the rocks. Back down the river to the stilted village for shopping and lunch. Food was okay. Shopping was only slightly better than James Bond.
The next day we had planned to go to "Pearl Island" for a tour of the pearl farm and lunch. As we approached, the skies opened up so we opted to head on back to Ao Chalong because, that Monday, Lottie needed to hit immigration again for another extension. We also got a call from SFII that they were down there. Once there, I did a little research on windlass remotes as Lofrans apparently cannot replace the sending unit--only sells the remote as a matched package tuned at the factory. This was distressing as the US price for this thing is $600, meaning it would be about $1,000 here. Fortunately, Lewmar has come out with one for $140 which is now installed and working. Of course it was $240 here!!! So we hooked up with SFII for drinks and dinner Sat night and, Sunday, hit Patong for shopping and lunch with Freebird who had called to let us know they were back at RPM. On Monday, first thing, Charlotte went off to immigration. What a rip-off! It costs the same 1,900 baht (about $50) to get the 1 month renewal Rose and I did, or this one week deal which is all you can get on the kind of visa Lottie had. Done with the visa by 11, off we went to the Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee--I'm not kidding) group, one of Thailand's premier tourist destinations, especially for the backpacker crowd.
There are basically two islands there--about 20 miles east of Ao Chalong. The larger, Phi Phi Don, has the hotels, shops, etc. and the bay with all the commercial boats, ferry dock, etc.. The smaller, Phi Phi Le, is a park and has the "beach" where the movie of the same name was filmed. Lottie bought the movie and it sucked, but the beach was nice. Both islands were seriously wiped out in the tsunami, but have rebuilt. Judging from what we saw, the tsunami destruction, from an aesthetic viewpoint, was probably a good thing. Nonetheless, Don, just off the beach, have miles of "alleyways" with shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, dive shops, travel agents, you name it. SFII had pulled in just before us having spent the prior night at Le, and sort of talked us in. There are public moorings there, but beware!! That afternoon, the first one started dragging; we noticed and moved to a more secure location, but a couple of days later, we awoke in the middle of the night as we had dragged (this was a different ball we picked up on our return from Le) and were banging into 3 fishing boats rafted together. Fortunately, the only damage was a 1 inch scrape at the stern but we've RE-learned to back down on moorings like you do when anchoring. Had a nice night or two in Don, exploring the shops and hitting some of the live entertainment the bars provide. SFII had to depart to drop off a guest, who, by the way, had taken a fancy to the girls, especially Lucy. We took off in the morning to explore Le before all the tourists arrived. It's about a 3 mile trip to the "Beach". We picked up a mooring and dropped the dinghy. They--and I wish more places would do it--had a floating dinghy dock. The beach was nice, and we were early enough to avoid the crowds and the park fees. One group was filming some sort of commercial which was sort of interesting. After a bit of exploring, the crowds arrived and we took off to circumnavigate the island in the dinghy. Around the corner to the east was a large hong, which is a lagoon created by a collapsed cave. The first one was okay but loaded with tour boats, but as we proceeded north we came on another that was quite large and almost hidden from the water. There were also some caves which had locals there, which we later discovered were there to protect the birds' nests used in bird's nest soup. Apparently the saliva they use in making the nests has beneficial qualities. They even have an ad here for "Scotch, real bird's nest beverage". Yuk!!! Back to Don where we dragged and off to Krabi the next morning amidst threatening storms.
We thought for sure we'd get stormed on as we left for the 20 mile trip north to Krabi, another tourist destination, but we were running out of time for the girls who wanted to get off in a day or two to do the elephants and tiger temple up in Chang Mai. I'm sure the prospect of another weekend in Bangkok didn't hurt either. We managed to outrun the storm. Krabi, itself is up a river from the anchorages, but there are a couple of bays loaded with tourist stuff. We opted for a southeast bay called Railai. It's supposed to be a sand bottom but we had a hell of a time getting the anchor down, and the tour boats kicked us off the one mooring in the bay. The girls kayaked in and spent the night ashore. The weather wasn't that good so we hung out on board. Next day we moved over to Ao Nang, a mile or two away, as the girls, all three, were taking a cooking course the next day, Saturday with the pick up there. Railai is built at the base of giant rock cliffs and has no land access whatsoever. One of the resorts there caters to rock climbers. We explored again--same old, same old, but the tides are fairly high and we had a time getting the dinghy back in the water. The girls decided to go back to Railai for the night and meet Rose in the morning for the class. When I dropped them to get a longtail over to Railai, they both took a dive after disembarking as it appears the long tails must stir up holes in the sand. Unfortunately, Lucy's camera is now history, but Rose had the same thing happen the next morning and her phone was toast. While Rose's good camera also got wet, to date it is still working. Thank God for that; I was able to get her a replacement phone later for about $25, so not too much damage done.
Unbeknownst to me, it was a lot cheaper to fly out to Bangkok from Phuket than Krabi. All this time I thought the girls were departing from Krabi. Anyway, there is a happy ending sort of. After checking out all the alternatives they found a bus (13 hours) from Krabi to Bangkok for almost nothing, saving them megabucks from flying and the hassle of bussing it to Phuket. So the girls left around 3 on Saturday for the bus and Rose and I just hung out on the boat not wishing to drag the dinghy around nor fall into another longtail hole!!!
Now, left to our own devices, we decided to get back to Ao Po and get the work finished up so we could enjoy our remaining time in Thailand. There is a shortcut over there, through a channel between 2 islands. Saves about 2 hours, but the cruising guide warns "local knowledge" only. Well, we had the SunSail guide to Phuket that showed the way so we anchored off a fishing village at the entrance to the channel and, next day, Monday, made the delightful run 5 miles through, making it to Ao Po at about 10 or 11. First order of business was getting a car and the faithful Mr. Morn (Our RPM car guy) delivered one to us which turned out to be the same one we had before. Nice service. Did I mention the marina picks up our garbage and drives us around in golf carts? Anyway, we wanted the car as we're nowhere, and Rose's ailments are acting up again so we needed to see the doc. I ran a few errands and phoned up the workmen. I also called to get the rigging surveyed (looked at and checked). Next day we got Rose to the doctor.
So, to try to end this, it it now a week later and the new remote and rewiring are done for the windlass. The engine alarm is fixed; the freezer seems to be working, and the rigging has been checked. The only downside is the rigging ALL needs to be replaced. Still waiting for a final on the quote as one wire supplier went belly up and a fitting supplier was out of stock for something, but this will run 5 figures. Damn, but better than losing the mast. Ah, you say, but what about Rose. These guys seem to think her aches and pains all boil down to some kind of digestive problem but the good news is they have, at least prescribed some medication. We'll just have to wait and see. They seemed pretty familiar with her syndrome. Same place I took my physical.
Other news before I end this. There was a "pirate" attack south of here and the captain was killed and thrown overboard. (Rose is holding out hope they will escape for our return to Langkawi). We think it was a "one off" as they caught the guys who were 3 Burmese teenagers who claimed they were enslaved on a Thai fishing boat. Most of our friends here have left for Malaysia as their visas expired. We're thinking of following soon as this is the transition period for the monsoon and we've had some wicked storms pass through with up to 50 knots of wind. Rose is in the process of booking her flight back to the UK and it looks like 3 or 4 weeks from mid July on. So, right now, we're waiting around for a decision on the rigging, Unfortunately, today, Monday, is a national holiday. It's much easier for them to do the head stay while we're on the dock so, hopefully, we'll get that done in a couple of days and then head back down to Ao Chalong for he rest of the work assuming they can get the stuff in a timely fashion. Then off to Phi Phi and back to Langkawi and Penang. We've hooked up with a travel agent in Penang who is working on our plans for land travel.
A couple of personal notes. Joey has broken up with Olivia and is heading back to the states tomorrow to try to pick up work in Fort Lauderdale. He has a coastal Yachtmaster and still needs to do a "practical exam" to get his offshore, but this should be enough for him to get a job. Can't say Rose and I are disappointed about this development. My fashion consultant, Rose, has made me change my wardrobe from what I consider normal shorts to the very fashionable, below the knee version. Probably just as well as I'm getting too fat for the old ones, and clothes are cheap here in SE Asia!! Finally, in a major change and late breaking news, I have been bullied into changing my hairstyle from what I've done for the last 50 years--i.e. combed left to right with a part. Suffice it to say Lottie started calling me Ming (after Ming the Merciless in Flash Gordon) and I told Rose I look like Mike Ditka (she asked, gasp!!!, who's he?). Anyway, combing my hair straight back isn't so bad except now my rapidly thinning Ming widow's peak is more evidently thinning. How can this be? I'm not that old yet. Must be Morgan Stanley's fault (just kidding Joe).
That's the latest and greatest. Sorry it was so long but we are SOOO interesting.
Cheers
Tim & Rose
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