SAIL INDONESIA BEGINS

26–30 July, 2008 Darwin to Kupang

The start to the rally was set for 11 AM. We booked marina lock for 9AM. The morning rush delayed us about 30-45 minutes. We shared the lock with three other yachts. Despite the delay we were at the start line well ahead of time. Some yachts have ignored the official start time and left early. We decided 30 minutes would not make much difference and set the sails. The wind was good and with the MPS we were moving fast. The start of the rest of the fleet was spectacular. We saw about hundred yachts, many with MPSes or spinnakers moving behind us.

The first night was also our first ever on our own. The wind dropped and we hardly moved forward. We decided not to use the engine as we were not sure we would have enough fuel for four//five days. In the morning we found ourselves somewhere in the middle of the fleet.

During the next two days and nights we had to motor as the wind was nonexistent. This is when we discovered the first problem. The engine was not recharging the batteries. Without electricity we are back to the beginning of the millennium – no navigation and no food as the fridge and freezer keep most of it. After a call to an electrician and some troubleshooting with a metre we established that a switch between starter and house batteries failed. We could bypass the switch by manually connecting batteries together. We will have to do that till we have a replacement switch. This may have to wait till September. Apparently, sending things to Indonesia is not a simple task. The electrician offered to send the switch. We will probably have to get it in Bali.

Next day brought us another problem. Autopilot failed. It came with a message that SeaTalk links did not exist. I moved the communication cable to a second port on the autopilot and the system came back. What a relief! Four hours later the same happened. Moving the cables did not work that time.  Well, I disconnected and connected back wind indicator instrument and... We had the system back again. It has not failed since then – fingers crossed it will stay that way.

The last day brought fresh winds and we were able to sail again. We aimed to reach the straits leading to Kupang at the sun rise as we did not want to sail trough them at night. Since we entered Indonesian waters we encountered large number of various boats. At night the lights are everywhere. They move and it is hard to know in which direction. On a few occasions we had to change the course to avoid... something. During the early hours of the morning on the last day we experienced one of the best sailing conditions ever. The wind was just right to keep us going at above four knots and there were no waves. The yacht was moving through the night silently and only splashing of the water on the hull could be heard. Then the sun came up and we saw the Timor Island. I guess we felt the same as sailors from the past and nowadays when they see the land.

Passage through the straits does not seem to be difficult at all. It is very wide and deep channel, and certainly there are no obstructions in the middle of it. Fish traps and other nets were only very close to shore.

In Kupang we found half of the fleet already anchored. We found a good place for ourselves and also anchored. Sail Indonesia people provided information what to do. We raised Q flag to show the authorities we needed quarantine clearance. Officials arrived soon and gave us the clearance. The next were to be Customs. Well, that would take another two days before we are visited and cleared. After that we had to see immigration and Harbour Master. By the time I am typing this text we still have to fill in a form for Customs. At present we can visit Kupang only and the yacht must stay in the area too. There is a large sticker – put by the Customs – on the yacht. It says we cannot go anywhere. That last form should set us free.

Kupang – 30/07 – 5/08 (10.09S, 123.34E)

Anchorage in Kupang is not comfortable. It does not protect the boats from prevailing NE/E winds. We have had winds in excess of 20 knots on a few occasions and some yachts dragged their anchors. Owners were often away thus others had to rescue the boats and those nearby. Customs boat dragged the anchor too. It actually hit a yacht. The owner demanded from Sail Indonesia that the Customs do not anchor close to him as their anchor is not big enough. Ann from Sail Indonesia diplomatically replied that they “cannot influence the size of the anchor used by the Customs”.

Yesterday – 01/08 – we were to have dinner provided by the governor of the province. Unfortunately, the wind picked up and a swell from the North arrived. Many people – including us – did not go as landing on the beach was too dangerous. A couple of dinghies capsized. Some people got hurt. We think we made the right decision turning back to the yacht after inspecting the waves.

Our stay in Kupang was rather on a negative site. This is a busy place with lots of noise from the traffic on roads. Walking was also a problem as the vehicles moved very close to the kerb. Holes and open sewage made the task even more difficult.

On the second last night we had another dinner organised by the Mayor of the town. Food was good and beer even better. We enjoyed the night.

Last day we spent buying fresh vegetables and some drinks. The wind picked up again during the day and we just made it in time to the yacht. During the day we heard calls on the radio for people who needed Customs clearance. They had to ferry the officers between the yachts in rather bad conditions. We were cleared a day before in some strange circumstances. There was an announcement that Customs would clear yachts according to their lists. Three officers with a list of ten yachts were allocated and we were not on the list. Then later in the afternoon we suddenly heard a call for us. An officer was waiting on the beach to be picked up and provide us the clearance. I went there and took him to the yacht. He filled in forms, I signed them and we were done. He then requested to be returned back to the beach. He had no other yachts to clear.  We were astonished with this treatment!

Removing the sticker from the clear on the dodger proved impossible. The glue is still on the plastic and we have no hope to get it out before Singapore where we intent to buy some adhesive removal.

05-06 – August, Kupang to Alor

We left the anchorage as soon as we were ready in the morning. The route is about 130 miles. Some yachts decided to stop somewhere along Timor Island and stay for the night. We preferred to sail overnight. The wind was good initially and we moved quickly. Later the wind dropped and a current of about three knots set against us. We had to motor making very little progress. Later in the evening we heard from a cat ahead of us they had 25 knots wind. It soon arrived to us. With a reefed main and full headsail we started moving. The current did not matter any longer. It was rather a wild run for about four/five hours. The wind was initially close haul then veered to beam and eventually to broad reach. We had to drop the headsail to slow down as we would have arrived to the straits before the sun rise. Little we knew that this decision would cost us a few hours of delay. We got to the straits at the worst possible time as the current there was the strongest, nearly 6 knots, against us. There was little we could do. We motored against the current as the wind went away by then. We were moving less than a mile per hour. Other yachts tried some other tricks (one followed – successfully – a ferry) to beat the current. Eventually, after about four hours, the current rather fast changed the direction. We were on our way.

In the early afternoon we reached the anchorage and dropped the anchor. A few yachts were already there and many still coming. We rested a bit and then went ashore to see the organisers of Sail Indonesia.

06-10 – August, in Alor (8.13.279S, 124.30.857E)

Anchorage in Alor is pretty. We sailed right to the end of a large inlet with magnificent hills on both sites. There is little chance here for waves as it was in Kupang. The only issue is the depth of the anchorage. We managed to find about 15 metres close to the shore. Most of the yachts, especially those that arrived later, had to anchor in 20 or more. Part of the place is off limits for anchoring as there are wharfs there for larger ships. Nevertheless about 50 yachts found the place to drop their anchor.

We were welcomed by the local people and authorities. Our arrival coincided with opening of Expo in Alor. We were invited to the opening. It was a big mistake to go there. They gave us some seats under cover and... we had to listen to speeches of local and regional chiefs. Of course we had no idea what they were talking about. Two hours later, and we were about two hours late for the ceremony, the speeches ended. A guide told us we could go back to the yachts; just when the real stuff began! Anyway, most of sailors had sleepless night behind them because of the strong wind thus we returned to the boats eagerly.

The next day we spent most of the time working and resting. In the morning we gave our laundry to the local service. Out outboard motor developed a problem by not retrieving the cord after the pull. It took me nearly all day to find the fault and fix it. In the evening we had official dinner and local school children performing for us. It was a nice evening although food was not too good. For some reason they serve it warm or cold. So far we have not had any stomach problems but the thought is always there.

The following day we made some shopping – vegies and drinks – and booked ourselves for a trip to snorkel on the reef. The trip includes visiting a local village and some other historical place of interest. We also ordered more diesel.

The trip started about one hour later than planned. The highlights included a welcoming ceremony in a village where a 4-500 years old book of Koran is kept. We could see the book that was put on a chair in front of us. No one seemed to be worried about the deterioration of the book.

Snorkelling was very good. The best coral and sea life we saw just on the edge where the sea becomes very deep. We went to see it twice and we have some photos from the second trip. We were served lunch which was good – smoked fish. We also won a price – a fish trap. We won it by playing some form of musical chairs, but with a bottle.

After the return from the tour we rested a bit and then went to have dinner with other sailors. It was a total disaster. Well, we got what we paid for.

In the dark we prepared the yacht for sailing the next day. A couple of glasses of wine helped us to forget the dinner experience (and sterilize the stomacks).

10 – August, 2008 – Alor to Blangmerang – Panter Island (8.21.49S, 124.05.44E)

We started early. Despite that we were somewhere in the middle of all other yachts leaving Alor. It had to be a rather spectacular view from the land.

We had to motor from the inlet as there was no wind and plenty of fishermen with their nets. As soon as we left the inlet we set the sails. The wind was strong and it kept changing the direction. After a while the wind suddenly stopped and we had to motor again. This was followed by again strong wind (about 20-24 knots) but from different direction than before. It took about half an hour and the wind disappeared for good. It was weird to see yacht behind to struggle with strong wind and us in 2-3 knots wind. We motored for the rest of the day.

We started with two routes. One – longer - would take us to an anchorage on the next island and then we would have just one day of sailing to the next destination with celebrations organised by Sail Indonesia. We did not know however how the currents and winds will play with us thus we had a backup route – 37 miles – to another anchorage. We made good progress but two other yachts that we associated with were too far behind to make the longer route. We turned to the second choice. On the way we saw a couple of places where we could possibly anchor but eventually we ended up where we initially planned to be. It is a well protected anchorage although in deep water (25 metres).

Anchoring in Indonesia seems to be always in very deep waters. Finding a good place is also a challenge as there are no guides, only stories.  The book we copied proved to be useless. Some people followed a story written by someone a year ago.  They tried to anchor on a south tip of some island. It is clear from the charts that this would give protection in very specific weather. Everybody had to abandon the place and sail farther, some overnight. A guess this is just a part of adventure and fun of sailing.

The autopilot failed again. We serviced all cable connections thus we are at a loss what is wrong with the devices. We got a message that communications between controller and the computer failed. At that point we have to switch off all instruments as the motor locks the steering. After we switched the instruments we have to recover the route to know where we are going. The “Microsoft reset” does not fix the autopilot. It seems that sometimes disconnecting and reconnecting wind indicator fixes the problem. We will try to isolate the wind indicator after the next failure. The theory is that maybe the wind indicator instrument is faulty.

11 – August, 2008 – Panter Island to Lewolein Island (8.17.470S, 123.37.872E)

We left early again. The sailing was in a shade of a volcano and around it. Another one was on the horizon and it was discharging thick smoke from time to time. We had variable winds thus we had all types of sailing, motor-sailing and motoring.

We arrived at the destination with a lot of daylight left. Initially we wanted to anchor with about a half a dozen other yachts near the north of the bay. However, Mark from Windbird, let us know that in the south part there was a village we could visit. We went there especially that it was actually our last waypoint in the route, meaning we planned to anchor there.

It is a good place to anchor but for a couple of yachts only. Others would have to drop the hook in deeper (more than 25 metres) water. By accident we discovered a shallower patch in front of the beach. We dropped the anchor there – in about 14 metres.

Later we visited the village. We were met by Peter a local man who took us to the “leader” of the village. Peter spoke some English and this was really helpful. We spent few minutes in the leader’s house, gave some pencils, pens and copybooks for kids and went to see the rest of the village. Inhabitants were preparing for a visit from Sail Indonesia in two days. Accidently we came to the village that the tourist organisations show to the visitors.

The village was clean and there were nice tables and seats for the tourists. We were taken to a place where people (mostly older) were preparing the show for the sailors. The highlight was a full production line for fabrics; from collecting cotton through weaving to the actual fabric. I noticed only some old people were wearing cloth made the traditional way. Most others wore the same T-shirts as us.

We returned to the yacht rather tired. Jerry from Scot Free II caught a fish on the way and shared it with everybody. We had good and healthy dinner.

Although the anchorage is well protected from the prevailing winds and there is no swell there, its location under the hills creates conditions for some acceleration of the wind. In the morning we saw yachts starting the trip under sails and then motoring as the wind was not really strong. Such effects are quite common here.

During the night the wind came and I moved to the cockpit for anchor watch. I did not trust the “hump” and there were noises of chain on the rocks. Nevertheless the anchor held well.

12 – August, 2008 – to Kroko Island (8.14.36S, 123.19.32E)

In the morning we (“Windbird”, “Scot Free II” and us) went just a few hundred metres from the anchorage and dropped the anchors again - this time for snorkelling. I did not go and apparently the coral was mostly damaged.

After snorkelling we set the sails to Kroko Island. Again sailing was sometimes motoring and sometimes motor-sailing. The distance of 20 miles we covered easily.

The anchorage is close to the place of Sail Indonesia meeting – Lambata. We decided not to go there. Instead we anchored at the Kroko Island and it is a delightful anchorage. We will stay here at least two nights.

Autopilot still plays games with us. It starts well in the morning and we can use it for a few hours. Later it fails with the same message – “No pilot”. The latest theory is that connections of the cables to the pilot are rather badly designed and they may cause problems. Daryl from CanKata cat had similar problem and he extended the connections to make better contacts. That worked for him. He thought that when the yacht gets too hot the cables and connector expand a bit and lose the contact. Today I extended the connections.

We went snorkelling in the afternoon. It is not the best place to watch the underwater world. The coral is mostly damaged. In some places we could see ropes around the coral. There were used by the local people to attach their floating huts or some fishing platforms. We still enjoyed being in the warm water that refreshed us after the hot day.

15 – August, 2008  Kroko Island to Tanjung Gedong (8.04.598S, 122.50.715E)

We left the nice Kroko anchorage early in the morning. Our expectation was that most of the fleet would be on the move today and all anchorages would be full. We were right. The trip was – as usual – a mixture of motoring, motor-sailing and sailing. We arrived to the anchorage ahead of three other yachts that we teamed up with to sail. There were already about half a dozen of yachts in the bay. We found a place to anchor in about 14 metres. Next yacht somehow found a place between us and the other yacht. Two other yachts could not find a suitable depth and left for the alternative anchorage about 20 miles away.

We settled comfortably and had a swim. I then decided to check if our anchor was set properly as the water was very clear. I discovered the anchor was not set! In the meantime a Japanese yacht anchored very close to us (actually, too close). We tried to reverse to set the anchor but we soon found out we could not as the Japanese yacht was in the way. We had to re-anchor. After a couple of attempts we succeeded and the anchor set. It did not solve the problem of overcrowding in the bay. More yachts arrived and they struggled to find a place for their anchor. I think most of us will have rather sleepless night. We plan to leave with the first light. Who knows what we find in the next anchorage?

16 – August, 2008  Tanjung Gendong to Besar (8.26.002S, 122.24.69E)

After the anchoring problems last night many yachts left early. That included us. Sailing was as usual, a bit of everything. We arrived to the next anchorage after about six hours. “Windbird” and “CanKata” were already there. Mark from “Windbird” helped us to anchor. We had to look for sand patches to make sure the anchor sets. The first attempt was unsuccessful, but the second one set the anchor well. We later checked when snorkelling and it looked good.

The anchorage however is not good at all. We actually hoped to stay here extra day as we have to make some water and just relax. Well, there is swell coming in to the bay and the yacht rolls a lot. We hope this will end in the evening. We went for snorkelling only to discover that the coral is nearly completely destroyed. Only in deeper waters we could see some. All together it is a rather disappointing place. We will move on tomorrow.

17 – August, 2008 Besar to Sea World (8.38.149S, 122.18.401E)

It was to be an easy stroll of about 18 miles. We had our morning tea, raised the anchor and started moving. As we needed to make more water we turned on the water maker. All went well till we reached the tip of the island. The wind became stronger and the waved steeper. The direction of the wind was nearly directly from our destination. “Windbird” went on motoring directly against the wind and waves. We could not do that as our yacht is much lighter and it slams the hull on the water when coming down from short waves. Instead we decided to sail. The water maker had to be turned off and the sails set. Since the wind was reaching above 20 knots in gusts we set the first reef on the main. Sailing was good but uncomfortable as the yacht was heeling heavily. We sailed long first tack hoping the waves would become more friendly closer to the land. Unfortunately we could not sail too close to the land as there were some reefs there and plenty of fishermen markers. The second tack took us close to the destination. We dropped the sails and started the engine. As usual, we checked if the water was coming out from the exhaust. It was not. We had to turn the engine off and set the sail again. I called some sailors at the anchorage asking for advice how and where to anchor fast. We were told to go between two yachts and two dinghies were waiting for us.

Sailing with the headsail only against the wind took its time. We were making rather slow progress. Hoping to speed up the approach we turned on the engine again. The water was coming out from the exhaust! The emergency was over. It looks the salt water system got some air into the pipes when sailing. It just took time to fill it in again.

The anchorage is located in very nice area. Anchoring however is not simple as the bottom of the sea rises fast giving only limited scope for an anchor to set. We found however a good place in about 6 metres and close to the shore.

As soon as we set the anchor a flotilla of small boats with locals surrounded us. Enterprising locals offered exactly what sailors need: fruit, vegetables, fuel, laundry and other services. We bought vegetables and diesel. While fuel was cheep other products matched prices in Australia. We ordered laundry service for the next day.

In the evening we went ashore to have barbeque dinner in the resort. Food was excellent and it was supplemented with entertainment by dancers and musicians. We returned to the yacht tired but happy.

The next day took us to three lakes in the mountains. We hired two cars to travel there. It was a rather long journey on narrow roads with plenty of all sorts of vehicles, including a bus with goat on the roof! The views on the way are stunning. The lakes are also beautiful. On the way back we visited a village with the oldest church on the Flores Island. After we visited the church we were surrounded by local people trying to sell their weaving products. It took about a quarter of an hour before we could leave with some products and less money in the wallets.

In the evening we stayed ashore to have some dinner. Tomorrow official ceremonies begin thus the bay is filled up with many yachts. Two local resorts are making good business.

21 - August, 2008  Sea World to Mausabi (8.30.478S, 121.47.713E)

Yesterday we attended a welcome ceremony. Local authorities provided us with dinner, two hours of speeches and very good entertainment with local schools performing. Sailors came up with their own performance - NZ Maori Hakka. Everybody had good fun till two sailors started a fight. It was not really too serious, no blood and no doctors needed. They just pushed each other and were quickly separated. Nevertheless they spoilt the mood. Sad - they were not even drunk!

Next morning we woke up early thus we decided to move on. A couple of other yachts were already on the way. We had good wind and sailed most of the time. About two hours before we anchored the wind became too weak to give us a good push. We motored in to the bay with some yachts already in place. We tried to find a place where the swell would not find us but to no avail. We dropped the anchor in the middle in about 10 metres of water. Others wandered along the bay in search of a better place but ended up rolling in swell anyway. We hope the swell will not be too bad at night.

We discovered water in the engine compartment. Nothing to panic about but it would be good to know where the water was coming from. Eventually we found out that hot water pipe had a tiny leak. With some help from Gerry and Clinton we fixed the leak. A pipe had small holes - how? Who knows?

22 - August, 2008 Mausabi to Riung (08.24.577S, 121.01.708E)

The last night anchorage was a bit rollie but we slept well. So well, that we left last as other yachts raised their anchors early. Trip was uneventful in practically no wind conditions. We had half an hour of sailing and over eight hours of motoring. Entering the bay was easy with the waypoints we were given. In any case the entrance seems to be rather wide and the reefs easiely visible in the afternoon sun.

We anchored in about 14 metres of water. There is no protection from SE winds but reefs seem to do a good job stopping any swell.

In evening we are going for dinner in a local restaurant.

We liked the place thus we stayed here for another night. During the day we went in dinghies to snorkel near islands. Coral there was very much destroyed or damaged. We saw many tourists coming to swim and snorkel. I am sure many of them were disappointed with the coral.

In the afternoon I went to buy some petrol for the dinghy. It was a rather good experience as I was alone and I had to find my way to a place where I could buy the petrol. Eventually I found it. It was just a house with water bottles filled up with petrol. I bought five litres as that much our little container takes. Price was reasonable.

24 - August, 2008 Riung to Inca Village (08.15.605S, 120.24.613E)

We woke up early thus we had time for tea. Other three yachts started at about the same time. We left friendly and nice Riung following tracks we saved when entering. Initially we had no wind but after about two hours NE wind arrived. We sailed with the MPS all the way to the bay.

We found an anchorage in about 10 metres of water. Other boats (three more joined us) anchored in other part of the bay. We have Scot Free II next to us for the company. There is some swell and it could become uncomfortable if the boats turn their sides to it. At present we face the swell thus there is no issue. Anyway the waves are not too big.

25 – August, 2008  Inca Village to Labuhan Bajo (08.31.051S, 119.52.093)

We had a reasonable night with little swell thus we had no problems with. After morning tea we started the passage. We were in the company of other six yachts that spent the night in the same bay. There was no wind initially and we motored. The last three hours of the trip was had light wind and we could sail. Most of other boats were too heavy for that.

The route of the passage took us between reefs and small islands. This is a dream of any cruiser. The views are stunning and sailing is just wonderful. We negotiated the passage well despite the charts being wrong by about a quarter to half a mile. At some point our chart plotter showed we cut the piece of a headland while we were in the middle of the channel.

Finding anchorage was not difficult as there were a few yachts on anchor already. We found about 5-6 metres place and the anchor set in well. Jean-Pierre from “Safina” organized a trip to the town with the locals. They took us for about two mile trip to the harbour. This is a place from pirate movies. Fishing boats with wide bamboo floats looked like spiders. A number of old sailing boats was anchored in the harbour. They are really old! The boats, colours, mess, the bay and town on a hill made are just perfect place to film a pirate movie.

In the town we went along the narrow main drag with many motorbikes and cars. The town is dirty and smelly. We saw a number of tourist offices as this is one of the entry places to Comodo Islands – dragon place. We had a beer in one of the establishments that was nicely decorated and the service was excellent. Our last stop was a restaurant. The meals were good and the prices very affordable. Even beer was cheaper than in other restaurants. We came back to the yacht quite satisfied with the days of work.

Next day I spent on the yacht trying to relocate some storage. I also checked the oil level in the engine and it required topping up. In the process I discovered some oil under the engine. I assume messy mechanics spilt it when servicing the engine. Nevertheless we will check the level of oil every day from now on.

Tina in the meantime went to town and bought some supplies. We also got a plan for next week sailing. It looks we will spend at least a week in Comodo Islands.

27 – August, 2008 Bajo to Rinca (08.39.152S, 119.42.815E)

It was a short – about 12 miles – trip. There was no wind thus we motored. The bay is very well protected from any winds. Entry is between small islands, reefs and rocks. Charts are wrong by a few hundred metres. We are actually anchored on a hill according to the charts.

The place is very nice. There is a hut and some information about the national park. A jetty serves diving and other tourist boats. We could tie our dinghies there. A short walk took us to a ranger’s office where we paid entry and some other fees – all three types of them. From the office we went for walk with a couple of guides. The island is famous for giant lizard, called dragons. We could see one of them at the jetty. There were also some near the ranger’s office and guest house. The walk was not too long but we saw more dragons, some water buffalos and monkeys.

We are anchored in about 16-17 metres of water. Some boats – there are about 10 of them here – had to anchor in deeper water. We will go for another walk tomorrow morning. I guess we will see more dragons and hopefully some other animals. The views from the mountains are also worth a mention.

28 – August, 2008 – Rinca to Rinca South part (08.46.543S, 119.39.201E)

The walk in the morning was very much the same as the walk yesterday. We just saw more dragons. It took about two and half hours and we returned rather tired. Despite that we raised the anchor and went to the other side of island. It was an interesting trip but not from the sailing point of view, as there was no wind. Instead we had to find our way (we were with “Windbird” and “Safina”) between reefs, rocks and shallows with charts completely wrong.

The bay we anchored is on the south of the Rinca Island. It is protected by another island. Entrance to the anchorage is on both sides of the island. We used western leg and then motored to the eastern where we were to anchor according to the guide we bought in Darwin. The guide – as usual! – proved wrong. The waypoint for anchoring is in deep water and there is little chance to find a good spot. Jean-Pierre scouted the area and he found much better place with just 9 metres of water. We anchored there and everything seems to be fine.

The scenery at the anchorage and on the way to it is really spectacular. The southern coast is full of caves, mountains and little bays. Rocks often look like sculptures.

Last few days we had rain in the afternoon. According to local guide it is unusual. We will see! The main concern is that clouds shorten the time for the solar panels to recharge the batteries. At present the panels keep up with the demand unless we use the water maker. Even then longer sunny day is enough.

Next day we went snorkelling. We arrived at the patch of reef before the high tide. The current was too strong to swim. We explored other side of bay and we snorkelled there. There was little fish there but the coral was good. Some of us saw a turtle. In the afternoon we returned to the reef we visited in the morning. There was some current but it was not too strong. We enjoyed large number of fish and very nice coral. Most of us thought the little patch of reef provided for the best snorkelling so far.

In the evening we went onboard “Windbird” and we had dinner with Judy and Mark. In the evening and at night it rained.

30 – August, 2008 Rinca (South) to Pink Beach (08.36.371S, 119.31.468E)

We raised the anchor in the morning for the short (18 miles) trip to Pink Beach. There was little wind and mostly directly on the stern. We had to motor-sail. Fortunately, Jean-Pierre and Mark worked out currents in straits thus we enjoyed some help from them.

Anchoring proved a bit difficult for us. We had a few attempts before the anchor set. It was a bit frustrating exercise. As soon as we were anchored a boat with local people arrived. They opened their little shop with useless and expensive souvenirs.  Polite attempts to make them go do not work. We ended up buying something and, after empting my bottle of cordial drink, they left. Dealing with local enterprising people becomes a bit tiring. Well, we have to cope with that somehow.

31 – August, 2008, Pink Beach to North of Komodo Island (08.29.599S, 119.32.984E)

 I had a bad night. The anchor chain rubbed some rock or coral and the noise was not pleasant. Each time that happened I had to check if the anchor holds. Eventually I moved to the cockpit as from there I could see the other yachts without getting up.

In the morning we went to snorkel with Judy and Mark. It was a good place with plenty of fish. Coral – nearly as usual – was damaged. Two big, old looking sailing boats came to the anchorage shortly after we returned to yachts. One decided to get the mooring next to “Windbird”. At some point it looked awfully close to the yacht. It managed however without causing any damage.

We left the Pink Beach anchorage few minutes later. The wind was strong – about 15-20 knots – and we sail with the headsail only. The distance of about 16 miles we covered fast. On the way we parted our ways with “Windbird”. We chose to anchor in a deep bay in the north of the Komodo Island. Judy and Mark sail to an island north of our anchorage. We will probably meet again tomorrow or the day after.

The anchorage is safe but windy. Hills of the island seem to strengthen the wind entering the bay. We found a free mooring (one of two) and tonight I should sleep much better. Initially we planned two night stop here but the place does not seem to be too inviting and we will probably move on tomorrow.

01 – September, 2008  North Komodo to Batu Monco (08.27.071S, 119.26.986E)

We left the bay after breakfast. The wind was good and we sailed around Gili Lawa Island. We saw the anchorage there and it looked good. We did not stop however but carried on to Monco Bay. “Scot Free II” and “Windbird” were already there. Mark helped us to find a very good place to anchor – six metres of water and sand all over.

Later we heard a call from “Harbour Lights” yacht that they lost their propeller. We offered our spare one. The yacht was only two miles away from us. Because the wind became very weak the yacht took some time before it arrived and anchored near us. Unfortunately, our  propeller was the wrong size and we could not help them. “Scot Free II” also had a spare propeller but the same size as ours. The yacht will have to sail farther to find the right propeller.

We liked the bay thus we decided to stay here for two days. After lunch we went snorkelling. We just jumped from the boat and swam. The coral is partially damaged but we still saw good ones and plenty of fish. Tomorrow we may go in the dinghy a bit farther in the bay.

To me the best attraction of the bay is in the scenery. It is surrounded with high hills with deep cuts. A few beaches make the bay looking very pretty. It is also well protected from any but NW winds. We did have some little swell but it did not trouble us at all.

03 – September, 2008 Batu Monco to Pulao Medang (08.08.644S, 117.22.343E)

In the morning we went on a beach near the yacht and collected some small shells. Just as we returned park rangers arrived and asked us for the tickets. After being confused with three lots of them (each valid for three days only and we had eight day permit), they accepted we were in the park legally.

Shortly after eleven o’clock we raised the anchor. Our first job was to retrial autopilot as it had developed some strange behavioural problems. The trial was successful and the autopilot worked much better throughout the entire trip.

The plan was to sail about 110 nautical miles overnight. The place we aimed for was Kananga. We started after eleven as this was the right time for the currents. For the first four hours the current was with us. After that we had a small .5 to 2.5 knots current against us. Sailing was actually good. Nearly all first day and night we had wind from the right direction. Although at night the wind became stronger (20-25knots) and we had to reef the sails. The waves in strong winds make everything on the yacht difficult, especially cooking. We had cold dinner. In the morning we changed our plans and instead of going to Kananga we went to Pulao Medang. It is an island with plenty of reefs to protect the anchorage from swell. Morning sailing was again good although the wind was initially nearly on the bow. It swang later and we could even had a hot lunch.

Entering anchorage we encountered a shallow that was not on our charts. There was probably enough water to go over it (it was also high tide) but we went around it. It appears that our Navionics charts are not as accurate as C-Map. Right now according to Navionics we are anchored in the middle of the island. On the other hand C-Map chart shows the right location. Annoying.

We are anchored on about 7-8 metres of water and the anchor is in the sand.

We stayed in the bay for two nights. The first night we slept like logs. It was recovery from the previous sleepless one. During the day a man from the island came and started asking about everything he could see on the yacht. He was persistent. I kept saying him he could not have my swimmers but he would not take this as an answer. Eventually, he decided he could not get anything for free thus we started making offers to us. We agreed to buy petrol for outboard and ten eggs. The prices were inflated to cover his service. However he had no change thus he collected this as the cost of the delivery. He also requested money in advance and took our tank for petrol. We thought we should have some sort of guarantee. We decided to take a photo of him. He rejected initially but then Tina said he would be with me on the photo and he agreed. He delivered eggs and petrol later that day. His next attempt was to take our petrol tank by giving us his old container. He gave up the idea seeing me really angry. After we finished transactions he still would not go away and kept asking for everything, including my reading glasses. I showed a pair. He tried and showed it was making him dizzy. Eventually we gave him my old cap, as he asked for it, and told him he had to go. After he left I discovered he took the glasses! He never returned.

We went on the beach for a walk but that was rather uneventful. On the yacht we made preparations for the next day sailing.

06 – September, 2008  Medang Island to Gilly Lawang (08.17.754S, 116.41.38E)

We started early. There was about 20 knots wind and we enjoyed good sailing for a couple of hours. We then had to motor for a few hours. The wind returned later but from a different direction – close haul for us. We still enjoyed sailing although we had to reef the main sail. We managed to do this without using the engine but just by sailing on the headsail.

Last six miles we motored as the wind became weak and unpredictable. All day we had a 1-1.5 knots current against us. This was the case right to the last waypoint. We anchored within a reef. Entrance to the reef was a bit tricky as there is a shallow (bommie) in the middle. We have about 6.5 metres of water and two boat length from the reef. I wonder how I will sleep tonight.

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We slept well although I woke up a few times to check the things. As it happened the wind came all of a sudden just after dinner. It was about 15-20 knots and it turned the yacht around 180 degree. The anchor held thus we could be confident that it reset itself. Nevertheless we were rather anxious.

07 – September, 2008  Gili Lawang to Teluk Kombal (08.24.1186S, 116.04.386E)

We left the reef anchorage at about six in the morning. We had the track from the entrance saved on the plotter thus we went back the same way. It was a bit scary as we could not see anything below the water level but with the use of the track and the sonar we managed well.

During the retrieval of the anchor fibreglass plate supporting the windlass cracked. It looked we could lose the windlass during the next anchoring. It was serious. I called Gerry and Mark and let them know what happened. Gerry gave us lots of comfort saying he could fix it at the next stop. I checked our spares and I found we had nothing to repair the fibreglass. Mark had everything.

The wind blew all night but it stopped in the morning. We motored most of the times. Fortunately the current changed direction after about two hours and started helping us. About six miles from the Gili Air Island the wind picked up again. It was directly on the bow and about 15-20 knots. We still motored. In the meantime Mark called Jean-Pierre, who was already in the bay, and asked him if there was a mooring available for us. As it happened there were mooring in the bay and Jean-Pierre attached his dinghy to one of them to make sure we had one on arrival. We did not have to anchor.

The damage to the fibreglass supporting the windlass was extensive. It was likely we would have even windlass detached from the deck if we used the anchor. We had lots of luck!

Soon after arrival Gerry came to our boat and started the repairs. He said we would not have had the problem if the washers under the windlass bolts were larger. He put a plywood board under the fibreglass then fixed it with a repair kit from Mark. In about 6-8 hours of work, including going up and down in the dinghies to fetch needed tools and parts, the work was done. It looks good and we hope it will serve us for years to come.

A local man took care of all our needs in regard to sightseeing, fuel, tour organising, laundry, etc. We just had to pay but the charges were very reasonable.

We spent one day visiting a park built in eighteen century, weaving village, clay potter place and shopping centre (of course). It was a good trip showing us different Indonesia than the places we visited so far. Lombok is a richer part of the country and it can be seen everywhere: brick buildings, better dressed people and even some organisation of the road traffic. Today we plan a trip to Gili Aer Island.

10-12 – September, 2008 Gili Islands

We visited the Gili Islands on tenth and eleventh. Local people arranged a boat to take us from the anchorage to the first Gili island – Aer. The island has an anchorage and a number of moorings. All were taken by sailing boats. Anchoring there is in deep water and we heard calls on the radio about yachts dragging their anchors. As soon as we landed we were surrounded by sellers and owners of little horse carriages. We took one carriage to the north-east tip of the island. It landed us in a bar where we had lunch. The rest of the day was spent on the internet and visiting bars. Dinner was in Wiwin place and it was good.

The island is good for people with plenty of time and willing to do nothing. Bars along the coast are inviting with seats where one can lay down. The huts are well built. Service is good and prices not too high. We saw many young backpackers. This is actually a quite season as Europeans finished their holidays and left.

We arranged a snorkelling trip for the next day. In the morning we were again taken from the bay of Lombok to the Gili Aer. While waiting for the transport we saw a boat being loaded with cement bags. The work was done by women only. They put the bags on their heads and carried them to the boat. There were men around but none would do the heavy work.

On the Gili Aer island we boarded a boat that took us to two other islands. On the way we stopped in a number of places to snorkel. The first attraction was turtles. We saw them going about their own business until the guide disturbed them. The guide could stay under water for rather long time. Other snorkelling places offered plenty of fish and some coral. We went for lunch on the second island – Meno. Other yachties doing the same trip were there too. After we finished the trip we still had time to access the Internet. The connection was reasonable.

After constant series of activities I decided I needed a day on the boat. It was maintenance and repair day. I started with the water maker. We received some help from the manufacturer who advised an outlet hose had to be above the device. There was a spare hose on the boat and I installed it. Unfortunately, the device worked for about 30-40 minutes only. We will need spare parts and some good instruction how to replace the faulty ones. The manufacturer is going to send them to us to Bali.

The other job was to check why solar panels were not recharging the batteries at the higher, expected level. It turned up that we had three bad cable connections between the batteries. The cables were just pushed in the connectors but not crimped. We squeezed the connectors and we hope this will end all our electrical problems. Well, we can at least hope...

Many other yachts from the rally arrived in the bay. It seems that most, if not all, ignored the official anchorage which is simply unsuitable. We gave our passports to the organisers to have the visas extended as the original one was for 60 days only. We should receive the passports back in Bali.

The last day in Lombok I spent working on the boat trying to make the water maker work. I received instructions from the manufacturer how to grease the rod. This should help us till we get the new parts. After a few attempts I managed to make the device work. It made enough water to fill in half a tank. In the meantime Tina bought some water thus we have full tanks right now. The plan is to run the water maker every day to top up the tank, instead of running the device every two/three days. It looks that we can get shorter working times from it easier than the longer ones.

Tina went with Mark and Judy to a nearby town. They took a taxi that drove them to the wrong place. They ended up paying few times more than expected. However they enjoyed the trip and returned happy.

In the evening we had an official welcoming ceremony by the local authorities. It was a rather uninteresting event as it is fasting month here and no festivities are allowed. We had therefore plenty of speeches and some food. Next day we will sail to Bali.

14 – September, 2008  Lombok to Bali, Lovina Beach (08.09.610S, 115.01.315E)

It was an early start as the distance of about 70 miles had to be covered. We left at about 5am two/three hours after other boats. For the first four hours we had 20-25 knots wind with gusts of 30. It came from the right direction – broad reach. With reefed mainsail we made excellent progress while admiring the huge volcano on Bali Island. Later the wind disappeared and when it returned it was from NW (on the nose) and about 5-6 knots. Additionally we had about one knot current against us. For about five hours we motored with the speed just enough to make it to the anchorage before the sunset. Last two hours of the trip were better as we could motor-sail and the current weakened. We made it to the Lovina Beach before 5 pm.

Anchoring was not too difficult in about 6 metres of water and in volcanic, black sand. The first job after the anchor set was to let some local people know that we did not need to buy anything. I then ran the water maker which worked well and we had enough water for showers and back flash, ending up again with the full tank of water.

Swell enters the bay and the yachts roll quite a lot. It was not easy to cook the dinner. However during the night the boat did not roll too much and we had a good night sleep. We hope the swell will go away as we are to stay here for the next 12 days. 

16-18 September – Ubud

Gerry and Donna asked us if we would go with them to Ubud. We gladly agreed. As I also agreed to drive a car we rented one. The man who rented the car to us requested a passport as a security. Since our passport were with the authorities we offered $US 600.oo bond. The man agreed and we had the car. In the end I actually gave the man my other passport.

Driving on Bali, generally in Indonesia, is a bit of a challenge. The only rule (not always followed) is that the cars drive on the left hand side of the road. I was the only one who could drive the car, according to the rental agreement. It appeared I was also the only one willing to do that. Eventually, I found driving not too difficult. Everybody drives slowly, about 40 km/hour.  Such speed gives a plenty of time to react to unexpected events that surely come from time to time. My main worry was that without the language we would have real difficulty if something went wrong, even a little scratch on someone’s vehicle. Fortunately nothing wrong happened and we enjoyed the trip.

Ubud is a typical tourist place with streets full of shops with souvenirs and mostly uninteresting “art”. Between the shops there are plenty of restaurants and bars. Food is still cheap in comparison to Australia but dearer than in other parts of Indonesia. The main attractions include evening traditional dances, massages and some rather very modest temples. We enjoyed the massages and others were happy to see the dances while I spent good time in a restaurant.

The place I liked was a temple in a cave. It was discovered only in 1923 and some rock carvings only four years ago. The place is small but a guide made it interesting with the history and description of local customs.

We stayed in a private house that had rooms for rent. The rooms were clean and with bathrooms. The price included breakfast which was also good.

On the way back we stopped at a hotel restaurant somewhere in the mountains. The air there was less humid and cooler. The hotel had free rooms but we were on our way to the yachts thus we just had lunch there. It seems that staying in the mountains could be a better option than somewhere on the beach. Especially, that right now the Kuta Beach is covered with huge pipes. The pipes are used to pump the sand. Access to the beach is limited and... there is little reason to go there.

After we arrived back to the Lovina Beach and checked the yacht was in good shape, we went to the official dinner. It was organized by the local authorities in a restaurant on the beach. I think everybody enjoyed the dinner. We did.

18-26 September – Lovina Beach Bali

The rest of the stay on Bali we spent visiting nearby towns and places as well as just relaxing. Sail Indonesia organized dinghy watch while local art school provided daily entertainment on the beach. One day we went to snorkel and to visit national park in the west of the island. This was a very disappointing day. Together with Judy and Mark we hired a car with the driver. The car ran out of fuel just a few hundred metres from where got in. We had to wait for someone to bring the petrol. Snorkelling turned up to be in a nearly completely destroyed reef with little fish. On the way to the park the car broke down for good. Again we had a long wait for the replacement car in the heat of the early afternoon. In the park we went for a walk with a paid guide. We saw a couple of monkeys, deer and a squirrel. It was hard to swallow that we paid nearly half yearly average Indonesian salary to the guide. The walk simply was not worth a fraction of the cost and effort. On the way back we visited a temple with monkeys on a headland. It was interesting but by now we were tired and it was not easy to enjoy it.

Other days we filled with works on the boat and walks in the town. Water maker needs parts that will arrive with our additional crew Neil on Friday. Neil will also bring new “heavy duty” fuse holder for the solar panel regulator. At present we are using a “homemade” holder that works rather well. We hope to leave Bali with no issues on the yacht. We made plans for the sailing till Singapore. All routes are stored on the Navionics card although I am sure they will change.

The bay is slowly getting empty of the yachts. This was one of the biggest rally stops since Kupang. We believe the next one of this size will be in Belitung where we will check out of Indonesia. Checking out will not mean we cannot stop in Indonesia on the way to Singapore which is good as we plan a few stops, including one in the marina in Batam.  We plan to leave Bali on Saturday, 27 September.

28 – September, 2008  Lovina Beach to Raas Island (07.07.171S, 114.30.255E)

We left Lovina Beach early at about 5am. In the dark we followed our track saved from the entry. At some point we passed a fishing platform very close to our port. Night sailing is not easy in Indonesia. We motored for few hours before the wind increased and gave us a chance to set the MPS. Sailing was good except that the sea was very “messy”. The waves were not too small and from any direction. It looked as if a few swells combined together. This type of the waves lasted till we reached the Raas Island.

We anchored at the above waypoint. Initially we tried to find a place closer to the entry but without the success. We moved more inside the reef and we found about 14-15 metres place. The anchor set first time. We had a nice night with no swell. The wind was not strong but just enough to keep us cool. There is some current but not strong.

29 – September, 2008 Raas Island to Bawean Island (05.43.900S, 112.40.153E)

We spend the morning swimming and preparing for the overnight sail. The anchorage is well protected thus we had a good rest. AT about 10 am we raised the anchor. Leaving the anchorage was easy. We had little wind initially but later it increased and we could sail with the MPS. Till the evening the wind was just right in strength but from the bad direction, on the stern. Despite that we made a good progress. For the night we removed the MPS and put the headsail on the spinnaker pole. The speed dropped but the direction is at least parallel to the route.

We can see many flags with large logs on the water. We had to change the course to pass one of them. Only luck we have for the night. They have no lights and they are not marked on charts. It is going to be an interesting night.

We had a small accident. When jibing the main sheet caught the open middle hatch. One hinge was bent and we had to remove it. We cannot fix it on the boat. The hatch will remain closed till we can fix the hinge on the land or replace it. 

30 – September

Sailing was excellent all night. The wind was 15-20 knots on the stern. Neil set the headsail with the spinnaker pole and the main with jibing preventer. The boat was balanced and we enjoyed a very good ride. We also had enough luck not to hit any of the bamboo constructions that fishermen built on the ocean.

We arrived at the Bawean Island in the morning. There were five other yachts anchored in the bay. We found good place in about 5-6 metres of water and the anchor held. After some rest we went for a walk to the local village. People were preparing for the celebrations of the end of Ramadan. We saw huge speakers and power generators being prepared for the night festivities. People greeted us cheerfully and some asked questions about our nationality. Most were friendly and smiled. Some made comments in Indonesian and laughed. We had no idea why.

01 – October, 2008  Bawean Island to Karumjawa (05.52.516S, 110,25.623E)

In the morning Tina and Neil went snorkelling. I spent time preparing for the overnight sail to Karimunjawa. We set the sails at about 10:40 am. Initially the wind was strong and from the good direction. We made excellent progress. Later the wind shifted to East and we had to use the spinnker pole again. Nevertheless we were sailing at good speed and according to our plan. Neil caught a Mahi-mahi fish on his lure. Fish for dinner again! (He caught a Wahoo a day earlier).

At night the wind died and we had to motor for about four hours. The batteries needed recharging as we made water the other day and because of strong winds we had not used the engine. Everything worked out well therefore.

We arrived at the Karimunjawa in the morning. Entry to the anchorage is well marked with navigation buoys. Depth for anchoring is more than 18 metres. We use all of our chain and put the anchor buddy. There are other yachts here as this is an official rally place.

Two things annoyed us when sailing last few days. Firstly, the unmarked constructions make journey really dangerous. Second, VHF channel 16 is abused. Some people played music, had long chats and even transmitted prayers (although they sounded more like some sort of bad jokes). The annoyance of the transmissions was such that we had to remove the channel from the scan.

At some point of sailing at night we came across a ship that was on a collision course with us. It is possible they saw us and tried to contact but we had the channel 16 switched off. We had to change the course to avoid the ship. It was not easy as the lights were rather confusing.

06 – October, 2008 Karumjawa to Kumai (02.44.663S, 111.43.874E)

We had to sail for about 230 miles thus we started early. The aim was to avoid anchoring at the mouth of the Kumai River and reach the anchorage up the river by the end of the second day. We achieved the goal but mostly because we motored. We had good wind for just a few hours at the start of the trip. Later we crossed a cold front and the wind changed to weak and... “on the nose”. Going through the front meant we had heavy rain, some lighting and sudden changes of the wind direction. The worst however were the seas. The waves were coming from all directions and with the lack of wind the yacht was thrown up and down, and on the sides. That lasted a few hours before we got better seas.

Going up the river was not too difficult as we had the waypoint from previous visitors to the port. The shallowest water was about 3.6 metres at the ebbing tide. Anchorage was in about 7 metres. Many other yachts have already arrived here directly from Bali. The following day we had to re-anchor as the wind came and it was against the current which was rather strong. As a result the yachts moved wildly on their anchors. We were coming too close to a large yacht near us thus we decided to move to other place. The wind stopped shortly after we settled.

The first day we spent going to a nearby town to find the bank. It took about 30 minutes on the bimo (local bus) to reach the town. We found the bank and the main street full of shops. The only place to have lunch was a hotel about half a kilometre from the centre. We were the only customers. The food was good.

On our return we arrange the tour to the jungle, water, some petrol for the dinghy and the diesel. The diesel was delivered late the same day. Water was not.

08/09 – October – visiting orang-utans

We were picked up from the yacht by the boat that took us to the jungle. The boat was one hour later than scheduled. The trip to the jungle was very good. We saw many animals and birds. The highlight was visiting stations where orang-utans are fed. The animals are really amazing. Some behaviour can easily be compared to human. We took hundreds of photos.

Apart from orang-utans we saw gibbons and other monkeys. The jungle is an exiting place and spending a night on a small river on the boat was a pleasant change from the yacht.

The trip started with a few hours of motoring up the river in a local timber boat. The boat was simple with two decks. The top deck was dedicated to the tourists. This time there were five of us as two young students from Hungary and Romania joined the tour. We took our own chairs with us thus we had comfortable seats. The deck was covered providing good protection from the sun. We did not feel too much heat as there was some wind at all times.

The lower deck was used by the crew. There was an exposed diesel engine, kitchen and places to sleep. The engine was rather noisy making conversations nearly impossible. The crew included: the guide, cook (woman), driver and helper. The guide talked to us from time to time explaining where we go and what we see. The helper served meals, cleaned the deck and did any other required tasks.

At the stern of the boat we had a toilet. Well, that’s what it was called. It was a timber rectangular place with the toilet seat and a bucket of water. The water was taken directly from the river. There was no roof. We showered there too, using the water from the bucket.

The route to the feeding stations took us through the jungle with narrowing river. In some places the boat hardly had a room to pass through. The guide often would ask the driver to slow down the boat as there were animals for us to see. Usually there were monkeys or birds. We saw two wild orang-utans, too. All of us tried to snap a photo of the animals but we had a mixed success. Some birds and animals remain only in memories, not on the paper or our computers.

The first station we visited is the most known. We met there a few other boats. A short walk from the jetty took us to some building where the rangers worked. Another ten minutes walk leads to the feeding platform with some wooden benches for the tourists. The guides time the trips in such a way that everybody arrives where the rangers take food to the animals. The food was bananas. The ranger put the bananas on the platform and soon orang-utans came to eat. We saw mothers with little babies, young ones and the dominating male, named Tom. Tom had become the dominating male only recently. Later we met the male that was removed by Tom.

The orang-utans packed their hands, feet and mouth with bananas, and moved up the trees to eat. One mother with a little baby came and sat with the observers. Cameras got really hot.

It was amazing to see the behaviour of the animals. Mothers cared for their babies that played on their backs and heads. Sometimes a baby would take a banana from the mother’s hand without any resistance. When we met the previous dominating male it was eating some bananas. A youngster came to steal the food. The male grabbed it by the wrist and just held it. The youngster screamed but the male held him hard. Only after a minute or two it let go. It looked he gave a lesson to the young one. However the most incredible and moving event happened just a few minutes later. A mother with a baby came to the field. The male lay down on the ground and extended its arm towards the baby. The mother was watchful but she let the male to touch the baby. The touch was very light and careful to make sure the baby is not hurt. It was likely the male was the father of the baby and it looked he got some visiting rights.

We slept on the boat after very good dinner prepared by the cook. The beds were made by putting together two mattresses and providing an insect net around them. The night was cool and we had a good sleep despite a bit hard mattresses.

The next day we went to another station with orang-utans. I did not stay too long there as mosquitoes made the place unbearable. Despite covering myself with repellent I was bitten a few times. I left alone and waited for others at the office. There I met a young male orang-utan named King. I even was allowed to give him some bananas. He took them only when there was a distance between us.

After lunch we visited a village in the jungle and returned to the yacht. The village was well prepared for the visitors with pavements and large school. The most interesting was observing a boy who was fishing. He used a trap to catch small fish which he kept alive in a bucket. He then used the fish as live bait to catch larger fish. The boy was skilful and most certainly knew how to catch the fish.

On the yacht we met a guard who spent two days and a night in the cockpit. He cleaned some stainless steel when guarding the yacht. We paid him for that. It was good to be back. Some people preferred to take two nights trips. We were happy with one night.

We will spend the next day preparing for the two night sail to Belitung.

11-13 – October, 2008 Kumai River to Belitung (02.33.226S, 107.40.452E)

We left the anchorage early in the morning. Going down the river was not difficult as we followed our track saved when going up. On the way we passed some fishing boats as cargo ships. There was little wind thus we motored. Later we had a good wind for about 4-5 hours. It looked we could reach Belitung 24 hours earlier than planned. The wind weakened however and a slow negative current slowed us down. We sailed as long as we could before starting the engine again. By the noon next day we had to start slowing down to avoid arrival before the sun rise. Other sailors warned not to enter the anchorage at night as there were reefs and rocks in the bay.

We arrived early in the morning and anchored without difficulties. An impressive number of yachts was already there. The local people welcomed everybody very warmly and made a number of arrangements to help us. Sailors were treated as celebrities with people asking to have photos with them and police escorting free buses to the nearby town. There were many shops on the beach but the traders were polite and not pushy, a good change from the previous locations.

We visited the town where we bought some fishing things, drinks and accessed Internet. The buses were to take us back to the beach but instead they took us first to a restaurant for lunch and then to a village. In the village the people were celebrating full moon with dances and music. We returned from the trip rather tired. In the evening we still went to the beach to have dinner with other sailors - very exhausting day.

Next day we attended to the papers work as we were advised to check out from the Indonesia in Belitung. The process was short. Officially, we have left the country. We can however sail in the Indonesian waters and stop at island to rest. Someone suggested we should not stop for longer than 24 hours.

In the evening we had the farewell ceremony. Sail Indonesia Rally was officially over.

16-17 – October, 2008 Belitung to Bangka Island (01.30.316S, 105.52.907E)

We left Belitung at about eleven in the morning. The passage was about 120 miles thus we needed less than 24 hours to sail. It was rather motoring than sailing although we managed a few hours under the sails only. There were a few cargo ships around and not all were showing up on the AIS. Initially I thought we had a fault in the system. Later I heard a sailor calling a ship and asking why he could not see it on his AIS. I guess the system is not always on. In cases when the system is used I found it accurate.

We reached the anchorage in the morning. It is a pretty place with nice beaches. We spent the night in the company of four other yachts from the rally.

A few days ago the autopilot failed with the same error as about six weeks ago – Seatalk Failed. After some fiddling with the cables, which did not help, we put a fan next to the computer. It fixed the problem! What’s more an hour’s reader on the engine came back and stays that way. It looks that some devices fail in higher temperatures or in humid conditions. We think about installing the fan permanently in the stern of the yacht where the autopilot and other device are located.

18-19 – October, 2008  Bangka Island to Kentar Island (00.03.59N, 104.45.780E)

We have crossed the Equator!

Sailing was a good during the day with nearly perfect conditions: 12-14 knots wind below the beam. At night the wind dropped and we had to motor. Early in the morning we crossed the Equator and for the first time we were sailing in the Northern Hemisphere. We did not do anything special while crossing. Others stopped to have a swim across the Equator.

We anchored in a bay that offered good protection. Looking for some relief from the heat we tried to stay in a breeze. That did not last long as the wind disappeared. The only relief was provided by swimming and showering. Fortunately, the water maker worked well and we had plenty of water to shower.

In the evening we went for Equator Crossing Celebrations on one of the catamarans in the bay.

Next day, early in the morning rained heavily. The dinghy was half full of water. Some forgotten things got wet, too.

20 – October, 2008 Kentar Island to Mesenak Island (00.25.948N, 104.31.367S)

We had breakfast before starting. The distance of about 30 miles we covered in less than six hours. Most of the distance we had to sail as the wind was about 4-5 knots. At some point it increase to 6-7 and we sailed for about an hour.

The anchorage is nice. Like in the Kentar we had local children visiting us. They asked for Coca cola, T-shirts and biscuits. We gave them what we had. It was rather interesting seeing a local teacher asking for things from us and then becoming embarrassed when a mobile phone is his pocket started ringing.

21- October, 2008 Mesenak Island to Sembulang (0.52.216N, 104.14.887E)

We woke up with the yacht rolling in a small swell. It was not comfortable. We had breakfast and left. Other boats did the same and everybody seemed to be in a hurry. I wonder why?

We mostly motored and sailed only with winds generated by rain clouds. It was a short – about 32 miles – passage and we anchored just in time for lunch. In the weather we have had so far we could anchor in the middle of the ocean and we would be fine. Since the visit to Bali we have had cloudy skies and weak winds. Rain comes often and we see many lighting storm in a distance. Only once we were in the middle of a lighting storm and for a very short time.

We will stay here for one night only. Tomorrow we will try to enter Batam Marina and stay there for a couple of days. It is about 25 miles away now.

22 – October, 2008  Sembulang to Nongsa Island (01.12.270N, 104.04.846E)

We had to change our plans. Instead of going to the marina in Batam we went to an island nearby and anchored there. It was rather an annoying experience. We asked many times Sail Indonesia organizers if we could stop at the marina in Batam, if we checked out in Belitung (very strongly recommended by them). We were assured we could. The story changed when we tried. The marina could not accept us and the organizer, who gave us all those assurances, suggested going to Singapore and return to Batam by ferry! We could see the marina from where we anchored but that was all we could do.

The weather had changed. We had stronger wind and we sailed nearly all the way to the anchorage. Small inlands offered protection from westerly swell but not wind. This created pleasant and cool conditions on the yacht. Despite very strong – about 25-30 knots – wind at night we slept well.

23 – October, 2008 Nognsa Island to Singapore (01.14.693N, 103.50.440E)

After breakfast we raised the anchor and set course for Singapore. “Windbird” has been with us for a few last days and we followed Mark and Judy. Catamaran “Truest Passion” joined us to make easier crossing of the shipping lanes. There are ships everywhere. Some move fast on the shipping lanes, other move between and outside the lanes, and still other are anchored. We saw huge ships as well as very strange ones. One looked like a huge crane and... it was the crane! We had to negotiate our way between all of them.

The weather was not helpful. We had strong, about 20-25 knots, wind directly from the direction we were heading. We even did not prepare the main sail – it was motoring day. We went along the shipping lane staying on its south side. When we approached the place when we wanted to cross we did that following the shortest possible route. We had to change course only once for a huge barge on tow.

Before we could enter the marina we had to be checked in by the immigration. The usual place for that is near the Sisters Islands on their west site. Well, that was not possible today. The wind was from the west and the waves were rather big. We called the immigration and after some misunderstandings we discovered we had to stay within the area of the anchorage without anchoring. Officials arrived to check us in on a motor boat. They approached the yachts very carefully and collected the papers from us. Their boat was close to the yachts but it never touched them. After they checked and stamped the passports they returned them the same way. We were allowed to enter the country.

One15 Marina is located just “around the corner” from the immigration anchorage area. We decided to join “Windbird” and others there just a day earlier. We are happy with this decision. The marina is closer than Raffles which we considered to use. It also offers all resort facilities that include: swimming pool, gym, free shuttle buses and free temporary membership. We discovered the power of the membership when we were returning to the marina in a taxi. We did not have to pay toll for the bridge, something that astonished the driver, and security checks were very brief.

There is some surge in the marina and the yacht rolls a bit from time to time. We cope with that without any problems.

We will spend here about two weeks. The main task is to make the water maker work properly. There are some other small maintenance jobs to do, too. In the meantime we have already started to enjoy the comforts and luxuries of the resort and the highly developed country. Singapore has made a very good impression on us. It is such a huge contrast to the towns in Indonesia. Pity we have to pay for that – prices here are much, much higher than just across the border – beer does not cost two dollars any more but six-eight. With Aussie dollar diving we will have to spend more than expected.

END OF SAILING IN INDONESIA

Sailing in 2008/9, from Singapore to...

29 - October, 2008 In One15 Marina, Singapore

We stopped in Singapore to have a rest and make some repairs after three months of sailing in Indonesia. Marina is very nice and we enjoy swimming in the pool as well as good services. The list of repairs and service jobs is slowly shrinking. We hope to be ready to set the sails in about a week. This time we will sail to Malaysia and Thailand where we intend to be before Christmas.

23–October – 15–November, 2008  Singapore

We enjoyed the stay in Singapore in One Degree 15 Marina. There were some issues, like surge entering the marina, but overall the stay was pleasant. The most popular attraction was the swimming pool. It provided immediate relief from the heat and washed daily troubles away. Restaurants in the marina complex have a reputation of being expensive among the yachties. We found out it was not the case. Even beer was cheaper than in most of town restaurants. We had a few dinners in the restaurant and we liked the food. People running the marina should do something to change the reputation of the place. Most yachties we know would enjoy the food and the drinks.

We visited some main Singapore attractions and we have mixed views. Tina liked most of them. I have not gone to some as the ones we saw were not that great. Night safari is definitely overrated. Everything there is expensive, including the entrance fee. There is however little to see. We had some special for a meal and that turned up to be a burger. It was not good. Another attraction – Sea Songs – is not about the songs really but about water and light show. It is spectacular and worth a visit. Tina also went to botanic gardens and birds sanctuary. She was very happy with what she saw.

Singapore in general is just one big shopping centre. Shops are everywhere. During the weekends we saw crowds going there. They must be buying something although a visit just for air conditioned environment is also a good reason. Food courts are always full of people during the lunch time. I wonder how such a small island could develop top class country. Where is the money coming from? Well, Sydney and other Australian towns could learn a lot from this one.

We managed to prepare the yacht for the next stage of the trip in full. This means everything is in working order, even the watermaker. It took a few attempts to fix it but it seems to work now. We will know for sure after a it worked without problems at least ac few months. We did not buy too much food this time. It looks that we will be able to buy everything we need in Malaysia. We will see!

15 – November, 2008 Singapore to Pisang Island (01.27.680N, 103.15.145E)

We left the marina at about 7:30am. We had to sail to Sisters Islands to have our passports stamped by the Immigration. Singapore has a strange system for yachties. It is the same as for the large ships – passports are checked at the sea. We waited for some time before the boat with officers arrived. They took our papers and passports by coming close to the yacht in their big powerful motor boat. The officer then checked the passports and they were handed back to us the same way they were collected. I think it would be much easier to have an officer in the marina for an hour or so every day.

We had to motor all day. There was some wind of 5-7 knots but right on the bow. We had some current, most of the time with us. After about seven hours we anchored near the Pisang Island. It may not be too good anchorage as there is no protection from the swell. At present we rock a bit but that’s bearable. We will see what happens at night. In any case we have to be on our way early tomorrow as we have about 70 miles to cover. We saw a number of yachts passing by. I guess they were going directly to Port Dickson.

16 – November, 2008 Pisang Island to Water Islands (Besar, 02.06.241N, 102.19.871E)

The night went well although we had some “rolling moments”. They came four-five times during the night but they lasted for a few minutes only. Nevertheless they some were rather violent and we were glad we packed everything before going to bed.

Our intention was to start at about six in the morning. It was still dark however and we saw a number of fishing boats around us. We decided to delay the departure and wait for the daylight. The anchor was dug in very solidly. It came out covered with clay.

The trip was again motoring with occasional headsail when the wind turned away from the bow. We had some help from the current in the morning and later in the afternoon. In-between we had current against us but only about one knot. We made it to the anchorage by 5:30 PM. On the way we had to zigzag between the fishing nets and boats. The best way to sail here is just next to the shipping lines, although even there I saw some nets! For a while we were going together with a tow boat and its barge. They were however too slow for us.

The anchorage seems to be good. We have no swell, but there is some current and just now – against a very weak wind. The island has some resort(s) and it looks nice.

17 – November, 2008 Water Islands to Admiral Marina

We slept well as the anchorage was free of any problems. The trip started with motoring. Soon however we had winds above 20 knots and some rain. We were on the edge of a large storm cloud. Somehow we managed to stay on the edge thus we avoided most of the rain and the wind soon returned to normal weak 5-8 knots. It also changed the direction by about 160 degrees. We sailed then we motored then we sailed again. Most of the time we had about 1-1.5 knots current against us. It changed in the afternoon and stayed with us till we reached the destination.

The marina seems to be a good place to stay. People are helpful and relaxed. They helped with berthing the yacht which was not easy. The berth is located between the shore and other finger leaving very little space to manoeuvre. We managed however well with the help of one of the staff. Later in the office we were advised how to officially enter the country and how to fill in the papers to avoid any more paper work. I hope this will work! I impressed the clerk on the office with my signature stamp. I had to sign more than ten papers and she just could not believe I was prepared for it!

18-21 – November, 2008 Visited Melaka

With the yacht safely berthed in the marina we decided to have a two night trip to Melaka (this town has so many spellings that practically anything looking familiar is fine). This time we used public transport. We started with about 300-400 metres walk from the marina to the main road. There we caught a taxi to Port Dickson. Taxi worked really as a bus. The driver had a passenger in the car when he stopped for us. Soon the person got off and someone else joined us. The driver would slow down at every bus stop looking for possible clients. A pensioner – older woman – showed him her discount card and... the driver drove off saying something (I’m sure not pleasant) in his language.

From Port Dickson we took a bus to Seremban after about ten minutes waiting. The bus was clean and comfortable with air conditioning. Seremban is a local bus hub and it is about 30 kms from Port Dickson. The bus had many stops at designated places as well as in the middle of the road. The trip took about an hour and it ended at a bus depot. There we took the bus to Melaka. We did not have to wait at all. The bus had only one stop before it reached Melaka. The depot there is far away from the town centre but it is located with a shopping centre. After lunch we boarded another bus that took us to the centre. A young student started talking to us on the bus. He said he would show us the town but he had a date with his girlfriend.

The first thing we did in the town, we found a hotel to stay. After rejecting an offer of a family room for 190 Malaysian Ringgit we found a hotel for less than half the price. The room had a bath, TV, air conditioning and it was clean. We stayed in the hotel for two nights although at some point we considered leaving it as the wireless internet connection did not work.

It was too hot to do anything in the afternoon thus we had a siesta before we started a walk around the town. We followed instructions from the Lonely Planet. It was good although we had not completed the walk. We started with a guided tour in an old Chinese house. It was interesting to see how people lived about one hundred years ago. The guide was a woman who without any hint of expression on her face told many jokes about the house. The tour finished with a cup of tea.

We then went to see some of many temples. There was also a mosque on the way. Leaving Chinatown we entered the main place of the town centre. Soon after that a heavy rain started. We ran and look for a shelter in the church. The church is being renovated and inside is rather empty. The rain developed more with time and it was soon obvious we had to get wet. Running along the river we found an open bar. We stopped there and ordered some beer. Soon other people from the church joined us. After two rounds of beer we had enough and decided to go anyway. The rain stopped at the same time. We spent rather a lot of time trying to find a place to eat. Most restaurants were closed. We ended up in a restaurant with Chinese food. It was good although environment was rather like in McDonalds.

Next day we went to have breakfast in the Chinese house we visited a day before. The food was good with excellent service and... free wireless access to internet. After breakfast we went to finish the walk we had to abandon yesterday. We went uphill to the St. Paul’s church. It is really in ruins. Huge grave stones – some from seventeenth century – were very impressive. One had a boat carved and the other Jolly Roger! We followed the path to see the remains of a gate in the town walls built by Portuguese.  Nearby we entered a rebuilt sultan’s palace. The palace might not have been too interesting but the stories about Malayan history were intriguing.

The next stop was a shopping centre and coffee shop with wireless, free internet. From there we walked to Medan Portuguese. It was a long walk and it took us along the walls of the jail. We also missed the street where we had to turn to the place. Only after a couple of blocks later we were told where to go. Medan Portuguese was a disappointment. It was empty. Restaurants were closed with one exception that just opened. We had beer there and went back to the centre. On the way we had lunch – yam-cha.

In the afternoon we went to see Nautical Museum. A part of it is a replica of a Portuguese ship. The texts in the museum were very nationalistic. This tourist attraction was the last one we visited. After some walking in the town we stopped in bar on the river. Soon other sailors joint us. We stayed together till late in the evening. We had dinner in a Chinese restaurant with very good food.

Next day we went back to the marina. The trip back was exactly the same as the trip in – just in the reverse order. We plan to stay in the marina for two days longer – meaning we intend to leave tomorrow.

24 – November, 2008 Admiral Marina to Selatan Island

We decided to leave the marina in the last minute after seeing many other yachts sailing away. Weather forecast was for wind from NW thus many people (including us) thought they would stay in the marina longer. In the morning, however, the weather seemed to be fine thus we left following a half a dozen of boats.

It was a day of motoring mostly against the weak wind. For a half a day we had the current with us and then against us – fair. The biggest attraction was sailing through a huge harbour of Klang. There are many modern facilities installed and the port makes a very good impression.

We wanted to make as many miles as we could that day as the next passage would also be long. We therefore sailed to a little island of Selatan. There are actually two islands with a little channel between them. We arrived about 30 minutes before the sunset. Other yachts were there too. We anchored south of the island. The evening was fine as we had dinner in the cockpit. The night was however very bad. The yacht rolled a lot and it was hard to sleep. We would probably prefer to sail an overnight passage than stay at this anchorage. It is possible that eastern side of the island offered a better protection from the swell.

25 – November, 2008  Selatan Island to Laut Island

We started with the first light. Other yachts were already on their way. We could motor-sail most of the time and later in the afternoon even sail close to the wind. Choosing the anchorage was a dilemma as the wind picked up in the afternoon and our planned anchorage near the Laut Island did not look too good. Other yachts decided to anchor on the other side of the Pangor Island somewhere on the edge of the shipping channel. In the meantime we heard on the radio that one of the yachts behind us hit something with its propeller and it could only sail. They were in a company of another yacht and they were looking at finding a place to anchor quickly. Since other yachts went to the channel we decided to check the Laut Island and possibly tell others about the conditions. The anchorage was not too good. Firstly, sailing would be difficult because of the wind direction. There are also many shallow places and steep underwater banks. Anchoring in those conditions would be difficult for a yacht without the engine. We did not call other yachts to advise them to change the plans. It looked that the yachts already in the channel found good places to anchor. We stayed at the Laut Island.

The night was fine although we had some swell between midnight and two o’clock.

26 – November, 2008 Laut Island to Lumut

After breakfast and without any hurry we started the trip to the Lumut Yacht Club where Sail Malaysia organized festivities. About half a mile from the anchorage our yacht started shaking. I put the gear in neutral. We had something attached to the propeller. Using the engine for longer could make some damage to the saildrive. We called on the radio and asked other yachts for help. Two dinghies arrived in no time. In the meantime we stayed on the course by using the little wind we had in the headsail. The dinghies attached to the yacht and took us the anchorage.

After we anchored I went to inspect the propeller. There was a huge heap of line attached to it. The line was not too thick but there was probably a kilometre of it (well, maybe half). I used a knife to cut it from the propeller. It looks we are clear now. We went forward and back on the anchor and there were no vibrations. Gears changed without any problems. We will know for sure once we have left the anchorage in a couple of days.

28 – November, 2008 Lumut to Pangor Island (04.13.797N, 100.32.342E)

The plan was to sail down the river and anchor on the northern tip of the Pangor Island. This would shorten the trip next day and free us from foul smells in Lumut.

We started slowly as we were not sure about the saildrive, propeller and the engine. They worked fine – relief.

We went to the northern tip of the Pangor Island but we did not like the place. It looked as a good and comfortable anchorage but there was a fish farm nearby and the access to the beach was to shallow for us. We proceeded to the other side – western. The first bay was pretty and we anchored there. After lunch we had to move on as the swell was coming in and the yacht was rolling a lot. The next bay was even prettier. We saw some yachts anchored there and... they were rolling. We went to the other end of the bay and it seemed to be much better. As a matter of fact it was till about five in the morning when the yacht turned beam to the swell. Anyway we stayed there for the night and enjoyed the evening drinks and dinner with the crew of the “Southern Cross”.

29 – November, 2008 Pangor Island to Rimau Island (05.14.589N, 108.16.338E)

It was an early start for the long trip. We aimed to anchor at the Rimau Island as that would shorten the trip as well as we were not in a particular hurry to enter marina. The trip went well, initially motor sailing then sailing. The anchorage was a bit full but we found a place and we had a good night sleep. The only problem was that we seem to be coming with some sort of cold. We hope it is not from mosquitoes.

30 – November, 2008 Rimau Island to the Tanjong City Marina

We did not want to go to the marina as we had plenty of time. While others from the anchorage left to the marina we went the other way, around the island. First we visited Kendi Island. It looks it would be a good anchorage in the north-east –south weather. We did not anchor however but went to another place in the north-west part of the island. Soon the wind picked up and it was directly on the bow. The waves became quite nasty as the wind was against the current and the area was shallow. For about couple of hours we were beating against the wind and the waves. When we reached the anchorage it was not good. The swell entered the bay and the night would not be comfortable. We decided to go to the marina.

We travelled more than 30 miles around the island today. The marina staff helped us to berth the yacht. Richard from “Aquarius 1” also joined.  There are waves entering the marina from time to time. They roll the yacht a bit and this is annoying. We will see how bad it is and how long we will cope with it.

30–November – 10-December, 2008  In Penang

Marina in Penang is located right next to the centre of the town. One can walk to see the old town or to find a restaurant. This is about all good about the marina. There are no breakwater walls thus the waves enter the marina and the yachts roll, sometimes really violently. Water is dirty and smelly. We believe there are some sewer outlets nearby. There are also jetties where people live. Their toilets are just holes in the floor. Owner of the marina said he would work on the breakwater walls. Let’s hope he will.

Despite unpleasant marina, Penang is a good place to visit. It is actually a bit strange as the streets are very unfriendly for the pedestrians and smell of sewer is often present. The town has however its charm and one tends to forget unpleasant things. Just walking is quite nice.

We visited a number of temples and two private houses available for touring by tourist. One house was particularly good to see. It is owned by a rich antique dealer and it looks like a fully functional place. A guide can tell interesting things about the history of the house and its owners. The other house – blue (we called the first one green) – is not that interesting. The visit does not offer anything new in terms of architecture or interior decorations. Instead a guide talks for about 60 minutes. The guide tells the stories about the original owner and about the house itself. I thought the blue house was rather a disappointment.

We saw so many temples that it is rather difficult to write much about them. They all seem to be “the same”. We went out of the way to see the Snake Temple and it was not that good. Fortunately we were able to see a snake show and that provided some justification for the visit. There are still two temples for us to visit but we think we should see them on our way down to East Malaysia next year. At present we feel “templed out”.

We had lunch in the East and Oriental Hotel. We celebrated Tina’s birthday there. It was a real treat! There were so many dishes on offer that even so we tried only little samples of each we could not try all of them. It is a real restaurant and not very expensive. Other places in Penang are often similar in price but not even close to the atmosphere. We always feel we are in a take-away place rather than in a restaurant. Food however is good everywhere.

Sail Malaysia organised a dinner for us at the marina. For entertainment they had a group from the local school. The group played 24 drums. It is Chinese type of orchestra. The boys and girls played wonderfully! They not only beat the drums and sticks but also jumped on the drums, hid behind them, danced around and turned them around. Everybody enjoyed the play and we gave them a standing ovation. No wonder - they are country champions!

We also had a dinner organised by a local businessman. He owns a ship building yard and he wanted us to know what they can do for the yachties. We visited the yard and the shop. After that we were taken to the War Museum. The museum is located in the former British fortress that was used by the Japanese as a prison during the war. It is rather said place but that’s how it was.

After the visit to the museum we were invited to the house of the businessman for dinner. We were welcomed by the rows of young people dressed in traditional costumes. They also danced later after the dinner. Local tourist authority turned up to give us a welcome speech. For some reason the official thought we all were from Australia. It did not cause any problems as other nationalities decided to accept the new citizenship without a fuss. The food again was wonderful; especially that it could be washed down with free beer.

We bought a new power generator here. It will serve as a backup in a case our engine or alternator fail. It should also lower the number of hours on our engine when we run the watermaker. We thought about buying a new outboard engine as they are rather cheap here and we need a bit more powerful one. However the weight of the new engine was too much for our little dinghy. We will have to look for more power but less weight.

Our next destination is Langkawi. We are waiting for the washing to dry before we leave the marina. We may anchor opposite the East and Oriental Hotel for the night. We will then sail to Langkawi southern islands next morning. 

11 – December, 2008 Penang to Dayang Bunting (06.10.269N, 99.48.423E)

We started early with the sun. There was no wind thus we motored or motor-sailed. By about the midday the wind increased to above 10 knots and since it was close to the bow we could sail.

We arrived at the anchorage at the planned time. There were two yachts anchored in one of the most beautiful bays we have even seen. The whole area is just wonderful. Only in the movies I saw anything like that before. We stayed two nights there before we thought about moving to another place. In the meantime we used the dinghy to go on the beach and around some small islands nearby. On the beach we saw monkeys, wild pigs and lizards at the low tide. They came to enjoy the seafood.

13 – December, 2008 Still in the same place

We wanted to move to another anchorage to see more of the scenery. The engine would not start. After checking battery charge level and fuel supply I could not solve the problem. I asked others for help. The best advice I got was to hit the starter motor with a hammer. It was a very serious advice from two independent sailors. Fortunately, there is no room in the engine compartment for me to swing and hit the motor.

Since we talked on the radio some other yachties joined in the problem solving process. Eventually two of them came on our yacht equipped with a manual that had troubleshooting section. There we found that the symptoms pointed to... dead battery. We checked the voltage level – it was good. Nevertheless we used the house bank to start the engine. It started! The battery may show the right voltage but it still can be useless!

We relaxed but decided to go to the marina to get a new battery.

15 – December, 2008 To the Royal Langkawi Yacht Marina

We started the engine again using the house batteries (starter battery would not work). Motoring to the marina was pleasant as we went between islands enjoying most beautiful views.

On the way we discovered we could not empty our holding tank. Marina looked even better. We arrived there and two men came to help us to berth the yacht. It was good they were there! There are strong currents in the marina and parking the yacht is not easy. We had two attempts. We know other boats had similar problems. Once we got attached to the jetty – we’re fine.

The first job was to take care of the holding tank. It looked our macerator was broken. Fortunately, after some investigation we discovered that one of the outflows in the holding tank was blocked. We used the other one to empty the tank. The blockage was caused by calcium. From now on we intend to use plenty of vinegar to clean the tank.

The evening we spent with other sailors in a restaurant at the club. Food was excellent and drinks too.

We will stay here for at least a week, more likely two, till the girls join us. We still have a long list of things to buy and jobs to do.

15 – December, 2008 Langkawi, Royal Yacht Club

The stay in Langkawi has always been to a maintenance time. We had to go to the marina earlier as we had starter battery dead and blocked holding tank. It took about four days to solve the problem with the holding tank, although most of it was waiting for chemicals to do the job. Battery was a more difficult issue as we could not source one. It had to be ordered from Singapore with the delivery date a day before our planned departure. I prepared for the worst and eliminated the starter battery. We would start the engine using the house batteries. The idea to change was to avoid making the changes at the last moment as I did not believe the battery would be delivered on time. Well, it was on time and I had to reverse the connections!

Other jobs included full service of the engine, fixing bimini, dodger and boom bag. It was the first time I did the engine service. Everything went well but... we had a diesel leak from the pre-filter. After many attempts to reseal the filter it turned out it was a loose drainage bolt which I had not touched! Other jobs also encountered problems. Boom bag got a new zipper that was too short. The repair was done a day before we left the marina. The boat was fully polished, including stainless steel parts. That job was done by a local man. We also hired a diver to check the bottom of the boat. Everything was fine. It was a busy schedule but we somehow managed to finish everything on time.

We hired a car for three days and visited most of places of interest. The only one we have not done was cable car. We left that for the next visit. Christmas Eve we spent with other yachties in the club restaurant. The club had a buffet dinner and drinks as many as one can drink - all for just $25.oo per person. On Christmas day we had long, long lunch with the same sailors. Food was prepared by the yachties and it was excellent.

The last job was to buy supplies. We bought food for us and our guests till they leave and wine for the next three months. Langkawi is the cheapest place in the region to buy alcohol. We are ready to go to Andamans!

28 – December, 2008 From Royal Langkawi Yacht Club to Tarutao, Thailand (06.33.421N, 99.37.548E)

We had lots of work to do in the morning. Boom bag was delivered to us late on previous day, when we had sundowners. It took us nearly two hours to fit the bag back on the boom and sort out all lines. We then had to check out from the country, meaning we had to visit three offices and get appropriate form and stamps. That done, we took the yacht to the fuel jetty to fill up with diesel. Just after midday we were ready to go.

Sailing was really motoring. There was little wind and we used it when possible. We went around the Langkawi Island first west then north. The views were great. We reached the Tarutao Island well before dark and anchored in about 7 metres of water. We did roll a bit but it was not too bad.

29 – December, 2008 Tarutao Island to Phetra (07.01.985N, 99.28.220E)

After breakfast we raised the anchor and started moving.  I then discovered that we were not recharging the batteries. After some research I found out I missed one cable when reconnecting new starter battery. It took nearly an hour before everything was back to normal.

We motored all the way as the wind was about 2-3 knots. On the way we passed many islands/rocks and the views were spectacular. We also encountered large number of flags with buoys. There were set by the local fishermen. We did not know if there were nets between them or not. We tried carefully and we discovered there were no nets. Later we saw a fishing boat full of fish traps. We could motor between the flags safely. Still they were so many of them that we had to change the course many times.

We arrived at the Phetra Island in the afternoon. We still had time for a short swim and some fishing. We have not caught a fish since we left Indonesia. The island is spectacular. We may however have some rocking at night as it offers little shelter from the swell.

30 – December, 2008 Phetra Island to Koh Rok Group (07.12.844N, 99.04.036E)

We did not rock too much at night thus we had a good sleep. Wind came in the morning and it stayed with us till afternoon. We could sail nearly all the time in very pleasant 8-12 knots and we arrived at the destination just for the lunch. The anchorage is between the islands. There are moorings but we were advised by other yachty not to take one. We anchored in about 10 metres in sand. The water is crystal clear and we could see the anchor at the bottom. Snorkelling was not as good as expected. The coral is mostly damaged. There was however plenty of fish. We considered staying here one more day but decided against it as we need to check in to the country and there are many other places to see.

31 – December, 2008 Koh Rok Group to Phi Phi Islands (07.43.865N, 98.46.466E – mooring)

We had a good night sleep and everybody woke up nearly with the sun. We are adjusting to the nature, again. After breakfast we set sail towards Phi Phi Islands. There was good wind initially – about 10-14 knots. We could sail close haul and stay on the route. The wind however weakened soon and we had to motor-sail. This was the story for the day: sailing a bit then motor-sailing.

On the way we passed rocks famous for their caves and probably snorkelling. We saw many commercial boats there. One day we may stop there, too.

Anchorage in the southern bay of the Phi Phi Don Island is very busy. We could hardly find a place to drop the anchor. Fast motor boats do not slow down here thus the waves are sometimes very unpleasant. Just after we lowered the anchor a German couple came to us and told us they were leaving soon. Since they had a mooring they offered it to us. We took it. There are many Bavaria yachts here. Two of them are anchored just next to us. A bit to close, maybe?

We had emptied one of our water tanks since we left the marina thus it was time to run the watermaker. Girls went ashore to find out about restaurants and other facilities. I watched the watermaker. It had to run for at least four hours. Fortunately the batteries were full meaning we did not have to generate extra energy.

01 –January, 2009 In Phi Phi Don

We spent the New Year’s Eve on the boat after having a dinner in a restaurant. Local resorts set a great show of fireworks that started as early as nine and finished at about two in the morning.

On the first we went to see the town and walk up to a lookout. The walk was not too difficult although there are many steps to walk up. The views are spectacular. We enjoyed physical exercise and the reward in the form of the views. On the way back to the yacht we found a resort that provided showers (charged). Later we had lunch. After lunch Tina and I went to have a Thai massage. For an hour we were “tortured”. I had to endure a woman walking on my back! We felt good after the massages.

02 – January, 2009 Phi Phi Don to Phuket, Ao Chalong (07.49.190N, 98.21.492E)

Sailing started in heavy rain and winds of 20-25 knots. Later the wind dropped to 15-20 knots. We covered 27 miles in very short time. The Ao Chalong Bay is rather shallow.  I did not expect any channels markers there as there are none on the charts. The markers exist but we discovered them too late. With the help of the sonar we managed to anchor safely and without any problems.

Soon after we anchored we went ashore to check-in to the country. In the office we met our next guest – Maciek. Procedure to check-in was simple and painless. We had it done in less than 30 minutes.

After lunch we returned to the yacht. The bay was exposed to the wind which brought a relief from the heat.

03 – January, 2009 Chalong to Ko Racha Yai (07.36.499N, 98.21.889E)

We used the southern exit. At the time we left a huge flotilla of local charter boats was also going for their daily tours. Boats were everywhere around us.

The wind was good and we sailed all the way to the island. In the anchorage bay we encountered a real traffic. Many diving boats were occupying the bay, some on mooring other drifting. Diver were also everywhere. Speeding motor boats somehow avoided the swimmers – pure chance!

We could not find a mooring thus we dropped the anchor. We thought we would find a mooring later. Children took the dinghy and went ashore to have lunch. We stayed watching the anchor while running the watermaker. At some point we noticed there was a free mooring. We decided to take it. We raised the anchor and moved towards the buoy. We were nearly there when we discovered it was not a mooring but a divers’ buoy! We anchored farther away from the beach in about 15-16 metres of water. This would be our anchorage for the night.

The night was not good. Swell entered the bay and the yachts were rolling a lot. After midnight I heard some noises coming from the anchor chain. I was afraid we were dragging the anchor. The rest of the night I spent in the cockpit with an alarm in my hand. The anchor held!

04 – January, 2009 Ko Racha Yai to Ko Phraya Nok (07.40.861N, 98.45.798E)

After rather bad night we gladly left the bay. The wind was about 10 knots and close haul. We sailed nicely till the wind died about 5 miles from the destination.

We entered a cove (rather than a bay) and found a mooring. It is a beautiful place! Magnificent rocks hang over the deep and crystal clear waters. There are many boats here but most will leave for the night. We hope to have a good night sleep this time.

05 –January, 2009 Ko Phraya Nok to Phi Phi North (07.44.995N, 98.46.059E)

We returned to Phi Phi Don Island but anchored on the other side of the village. Despite deep water – about 14 metres – the chain found a rock. We had re-anchor, this time in front of the Monkey Beach. Initially there was some swell coming in to the bay but it went away for the evening and night. Our guests decided to stay on the island in a hotel for the night thus we had a quiet evening, enjoying the views.

Next day they came back with some supplies, mostly fruit and drinks. They had to use a taxi-boat as our outboard broke down. We decided to head towards Phuket.

06 – January, 2009 Phi Phi to Ko Yao Yai (07.53.563N, 98.35.439E)

On the way to Phuket we decided to stay for the night at the south end of the Ko Yao Yai island. The anchorage was good but the hills on the island created “bullets” with great regularity. Fortunately, the wind was not too strong and the anchor held well.

07 – January, 2009 to Ao Po Marina

The wind was good 10-12 knots and we sailed all the way to the marina. Marina staff sent a dinghy to show us the way to enter it. Entrance is from the south and we had good depth all the way. Berthing was made after the third attempt as I reversed the yacht too early and the propeller motion prevented the yacht from turning into the berth. We had plenty of help on the jetty, including Mark and Judy from Windbird. We have not seen them since Singapore.

After lunch I pulled apart the outboard motor and discovered that the sacrificial pin bent. It supposed to break! The bending damaged the plastic propeller. We need a new one. The other problem – the outboard is always in gear – I could not fix as the stick is jammed, probably by salt. We put plenty of WD-40 and hope for the best.

We will stay in the marina at least two nights. Girls are leaving today and we are a bit sad. 

08-09 – January, 2009 In Ao Po Marina

We managed to find someone who fixed the propeller for the outboard. It is a temporary fix but it is enough for us to wait for the new one. In a rented car we went to Phuket Town to arrange visas to India and Andamans. The process became complicated by the fact that we did not have passport photos with a blue background. For a while we considered not to apply for the visas and forget the Andamans as the visas are for 15 days only. In the end we filled in some forms and paid large amount of money to apply for the visas. We hope they will be worth the effort!

A resort near the marina is nice and offers cold beer with a swim in a pool. We treated our daughters there before their departure. Only insects and prices are unpleasant there.

Working on the outboard brought some success eventually. The gear stick is now moving again and the propeller does not slip. We were ready to sail again.

10-11 – January, 2009 trip to James Bond Island

Our goals were to visit a cave on the Phanak Island and the James Bond Island (where “The man with a golden gun” was filmed). The weather was not good. Wind was around 20 knots and directly from our destination. We wanted however to provide my son with some sailing and attractions thus we left the marina. Most of the time, we had to motor directly to the wind. It was not pleasant but the views compensated it. This is the region I hoped to sail one day. Beautiful islands of all shapes cover the whole area. Sailing between them is just unforgettable.

We anchored at the Phanak Island near the cave. Tina and Maciek went to see the cave or rather the tunnel. The tunnel leads to “hongs” which are collapsed caves. I stayed on the boat as the wind was rather strong and we were not completely sure we could leave the yacht unattended. It appeared that the cave was not a good attraction. They returned both covered in mud. The tunnel is about 50 metres long and they found a muddy patch where the dinghy got stuck. They had to leave the dinghy and pull it in the mud. The “hong” was also a disappointment.

We stayed for the night at this place as the tides were more favourable next day.

During the night strong wind came and for a couple of hours we had “bullets” that tested our anchor. Despite that we slept rather well.

Next morning we raised the anchor and motored towards the James Bond Island. The island is actually not approachable by yachts as the water around it is shallow. We anchored behind an island recommended by a cruising guide. It was not good. Wind bullets hit the yacht regularly and swell entered the bay. We braved the elements and got into the dinghy. We wanted to see the JB Island. As soon as we rounded a headland we were in big waves and strong wind. It was too dangerous to continue. We turned back. On the way back we asked local fishermen to take us to the island. The however refused saying it was too difficult for them. It could be just an excuse.

After the tide turned we sailed back to the marina. Maciek leave us tomorrow. Again saying “Goodbye” is not easy.

13,14 -  January, 2009 Ao Po Grand Marina to Ao Labu (Ko Yao Yai – 08.01.641N, 98.33.811E)

It was just a short jump from one end of the bay to the other – 8 miles. Wind was 15-20 knots and we sailed. The bay Ao Labu is well protected from NE weather although there are some gust bullets when the wind is stronger. There are no waves however and we had a good sleep here. We decided to stay two nights.

Local fishermen approached us with prawns and fish. We bought prawns for lunch on the first day and a big fish for dinner on the second. They also had lobsters for sale but we have had enough of seafood recently and they asked rather high price for them.

15 – January, 2009 Ao Labu to Phiphi Don (Monkey Beach mooring)

After two days in quite anchorage we decided to move on. Our plan was to visit Krabi area where we had not been as yet. The weather seemed to have entered some pattern with 15-22 knots winds nearly all day. The exception were afternoon hours when the wind dropped to 10-15 knots. We decided to leave after 10 in the morning as that would give us strong wind to run with and then lighter to beat against. The plan was to reach Ko Dam Hog islands (one of them with rock forming Chikenhead).

We raised the anchor as planned in 25 knots gusts created by the hills on the island. Initial sailing was according to the plan. When we reached the bottom of Yao Yai island situation has changed. The wind got stronger and the waves became short. Beating against the waves was very unpleasant. We decided to aim for Phiphi Island. The wind angel just allowed us to reach the island on one tack. We had to tack however once as we had to give way to two fishing boats with a net between them. Sailing was good although the yacht leaned a lot.

The place to anchor was to be a northern bay where we had not been before. On arrival we discovered there were no yachts there and it did not look too inviting. We sailed farther south to the Monkey Beach. The bay was not fully protected from the swell by we decided to take a mooring that was free. The yacht did roll a bit but the night was bearable. We considered staying one more night but then we decided to go. We have already spent lots of time on Phiphi and around.

16 – January, 2009 Phiphi Don Island to Ko Dam Hog (07.57.601N, 98.48.437E)

In the morning we decided to sail to our original destination from the previous day. The wind seemed to be calmer than usual. “Windbird” contacted us as they were on the way to the same place but on the eastern site of the Phiphi Island. Mark told us they were in 20 knots winds with nasty short waves. After a short break we decided we would go.

Sailing was good although with two reefs on both sails and with lots of leaning. We could not make to the destination on one tack. A 15 mile route ended up 20 miles long. We arrived rather tired.

The anchorage is good. We anchored in about 14 metres of water behind a middle island. There are no currents here thus the yacht stays true to the wind. Waves have not enough space to develop as reefs and sand banks protect the bay between the islands. All that creates pleasant anchorage with fresh breeze to cool down the yacht.

We made some water using the watermaker. The device seems to work properly since the repairs made in Singapore. We filled up the tank in three hours. The quality of water was good.

Tina went snorkelling with others but she was not impressed with it. The place is however visited by many tour boats with tourists. Some go swimming and snorkelling, others just rest on the beach. At night we shared the anchorage with “Windbird” only. We will stay here for another night to enjoy the sunset over the rocks and have time to explore the islands in the dinghy.

17-January

We went to see the northern island. It was a rather long trip for our little dinghy but made it without an incident. There were so many long tail boats with tourists that it is a great achievement not to be hit by them. On a little beach there were probably 100 or more people. They came to walk on a sand bar that is exposed between the islands during the low tide.

We found on the northern island the same crowd. There is a restaurant there and we had some soft drinks as it was still morning. Prices for dinner and lunch seemed to be the same as back home in Australia. Well, there is no competition.

The beach goes nearly all around the island. The views are great. We walked there and back before returning to the yacht. Despite the weather forecast the wind was again strong. The anchorage is however comfortable. “Windbird” left this afternoon for Krabi. They have a schedule as they have guests on the boat. We will meet them again tomorrow, possibly for the last time before the next year.

18 – January, 2009 Ko Dam Khan (Chickehead) to Ao Nang (08.00.667N, 98.49.903E)

In the morning we visited south island with the famous rock formation called Chickenhead. We went along the beach and, since it was low tide, we reached the point where we stood under the Chickenhead. Well, the camera was left on boat thus we have no photo of this event.

After lunch we motored about four miles to the Ao Nang or rather a small bay in it called Rai Le Beach. We met Mark, Judy and their family there. In evening we had dinner together in one of many beach restaurants. The restaurant provided entertainment with Thai and fire dances. Food was also good.

There are two beaches here as the bay is divided by some rocks. Both have hundreds of tourists visiting them. Bars and restaurants take care of food and drink needs while many climbing shops provide equipment and training for those daring to challenge the rocks. And the rocks are spectacular!

We plan to spend here a few days despite the traffic noise during the day and loud music till late at night.

21 – January, 2009 Ao Nang to... Ao Nang (08.02.013N, 98.48.009E)

We moved closer to the Ao Nang town – just one headland around. This is a really touristy area. Streets are full of restaurants and bars. Small shops sell basic food, mostly sweets. We could not find anybody selling vegetables. Nevertheless we spent two nights at the anchorage as it was nice at night without gust “bullets”.

23 – January, 2009 Ao Nang to Laem Hong Nak (08.02.906N, 98.45.162E)

We were to go farther but the bay looked nice thus we stopped here for the night. There are resorts on the shore and we plan to visit them after lunch.

An elephant came for a swim at the beach. We went there to have a look. The animal was well trained and very friendly. It shook its trunk with my hand! Great experience.

We went for a walk along the beach and discovered a few restaurants. In one on the beach we had beer and then dinner.

The night was comfortable.

24, 25 – January, 2009 To Ko Hong (08.04.531N, 98.40.817E) then to Ko Pak Bai (08.07.021N, 98.40.479E)

Mark told us there was good snorkelling near the Ko Hong Island. We had to be there however at the low tide. We stayed on the anchor till lunch time and then motored about four miles to the island. In a very nice bay we found a mooring and took it. It looked good and we thought we would stay there for the night.

At the low tide we went snorkelling. It was just a small area around three rocks. We attached the dinghy to one of the mooring there. The snorkelling was really good although not the best. There is some undamaged coral and plenty of fish. I even saw a larger Mahi-mahi.

On the way back to the yacht we had some drops of rain. We saw rain north and south-east of us but it did not come to us. We hoped it would wash down the salt from the yacht. The wind however picked up and it was blowing directly into the bay. We decided to move to a safer place.

Just three and a half miles away we anchored at Ko Pak Bai. It is a very beautiful place. There are rocks of all shapes, including one like a mushroom. A little beach offers good sand and access to both sides of the island. There is however strong current associated with the tides. At night we had a situation where the waves were coming directly on the stern because the wind was not strong enough to override the current. It lasted about one hour only and it did not cause any discomfort. We decided to stay here one more night.

In the morning a few motor boats with tourists and holiday makers arrived on the beach. We went there too. After a couple of swims we returned to the boat planning to go around the island in the dinghy once the wind, which picked up a bit, settles. All around us are beautiful, toll and green islands with some lime cliffs. Sometimes it feels we are in a forest of islands!

26 – January, 2009 From Ko Pak Bai to Ko Roi (08.11.609N, 98.36.621E)

After breakfast we raised the anchor and set the sail. In light breeze we used both sails. With the help of the flood tide current we managed to sail for about an hour. On the way we passed “The Southern Cross” catamaran. We had a short radio conversation exchanging our experiences in different parts of the region.

There are two islands with a channel between them. We went there to check if the place was suitable for anchoring. On the southern island we saw a big and very pretty hong. After we had inspected the channel we decided it did not look good for the night stay. We motored to the Ko Roi.

In the bay there were other yachts anchored. We came close to the beach and dropped the anchor in about 9 metres. It held. Just shortly after we anchored a depth alarms went off. It showed just 3.4 metres of water! It would be not enough later as we arrived at the high tide. The depth however quickly changed to 9 metres again. Was there a rock under the boat? The water is not clear here thus we could not see anything. We decided to move to the other place.

This time we anchored in 14 metres. The anchor held. We left the instruments on. After a while the depth alarm sounded again! We knew we had enough water this time. We either have a faulty depth sounder or it is too sensitive for the water here. We will have to watch it.

In the evening we had crews from “Destiny III” and “Sourani” for sundowners. We celebrated Australia Day in this beautiful place with wonderful sunset. We like it here and we will stay for one more night.

28 – January, 2009 To Chang Lat (08.16.468N, 98.37.795E)

After two nights at Ko Roi we went to Ko Chang Lat north. Since there are many shallows we waited for high tide before raising the anchor. We chose to enter the passage between the islands and the land from the south. On the way we saw regatta yachts racing in very weak wind. The regatta attracted about 60 yachts and the fleet looked spectacular under the spinnakers.

We were approached by local fishermen and they sold us prawns. We had them for dinner.

The anchorage is in a channel between islands and the land. It is very pretty. The hills on the islands look like nature made castles. There are small inlets and hongs.

We anchored in the middle of the channel in about 14 metres of water. Holding was good and we had a good night sleep after we had watched a disappointing movie “Bangkok Dangerous”.

29 – January, 2009 To James Bond Island (08.16.51N, 98.29.121E)

Again we waited for the high tide before we raised the anchor. This time we had to go over many shallow waters with charts showing... nothing. We had to rely on our eyes and instruments. Just around the Chang Lat northern tip we encountered the shallow spot. Depth rapidly went from 19 metres to just 5. We found that sailing closer to the Chang Lat Island we had more water. The rest of the trip was a mixture of good depth and some scary moments with sometimes rapid changes. There were also long times with low but even depth. In the end we had not seen anything below 5 metres.

We anchored at Ko Daeng Yai in about 8 metres. There is tidal current here. We have to watch the wind strength and direction as the chain may rub the hull if the wind and current come from opposite directions.

Nearby James Bond Island is full of visitors. Large numbers of all sorts of boats arrive with loads of people. We will go there tomorrow morning before the tourists arrive – just to find out why they are coming here!

30 – January, 2009 To Ko Hong (08.13.212N, 98.29.972E)

Well, James Bond Island was a disappointment: large crowds of tourists and commercial stalls. The island certainly used to be nice but the commerce seemed to have taken away all the charm.

We left the anchorage for a short trip to Ko Hong. We anchored in about 14 metres of water although there is a sand bank that decreases the depth rapidly. Nevertheless we had enough water to sleep well. We visited the hong inside the island. At high tide it is a beautiful place.

31 – January, 2009 From Ko Hong to Ko Rang Yai (07.57.050N, 98.26.826E)

With the ebbing tide we motored to the Rang Yai Island. We managed to book a berth in the Boat Lagoon Marina for the repairs of the anchor locker. The island is a convenient stop to wait for the right tide. We also visited the island where we met some English people from another yacht. After a short walk and a beer (expensive) we returned to the yacht. The night was a bit rollie but not too bad.

01 – February, 2009 to Boat Lagoon Marina (07.57.820N, 98.23.211E)

The marina has a tidal entry meaning we had to enter it at the right tide. Today it was about 1PM. We waited till about midday before calling the marina and asking for berth allocation and possible assistance to enter the marina. The woman that answers the calls speaks very limited English and it was rather difficult to get any useful information, forget help with the entry. Like a few other yachts we were on our own.

The guides to Phuket provide a waypoint to the channel entry. We went there seeing about 4.5 metres of water only. The channel is marked with some white posts with instructions stating to keep them to the port about 10-15 metres. We went through the first part of the channel without any problems although the shallowest water was 2.4 metres only.

At some point the channel runs through the mangroves. Just at the very beginning of this part the depth went below 2 metres. We were stopped. Reversing and going farther away from the bank we found enough water to go through. But the problems were not over yet. After we passed the entry to the Phuket Royal Yacht we encountered shallows waters again. This time the depth sounder showed 1.9 metres only. This should stop us, but... it did not. We were still moving. It had to be some soft mud. After we passed that part we entered the marina. With help from the staff we berthed the yacht. I am quite sure that only some very special circumstances will be able to force us to come to this marina again.

We will stay here at least a week. Tomorrow the repairs should begin. We will also do some maintenance works to prepare the yacht for the trip to Andamans.

02-09 – February, 2009 In the Boat Lagoon Marina

The time in the marina was divided between maintenance, repairs and some relaxation. We had to fix the anchor locker as new cracks started to show up. The locker was temporary fixed by Gerry in Indonesia but we hoped the repairs would last longer. They probably would but it is better to be on a safer side and attend issues before they become problems. Local tradesman made a wonderful job on the locker. It looks like new. The fibreglass is much thicker than it was originally. We now hope the locker will last longer than the boat.

In the process of checking things we discovered there was a problem with the steering. Boat builder installed the steering in a rather sloppy way. It lasted nearly five years but it was doomed to fail. Joins of the wire with the chain were thick because of the clamps. The clamps were covered with plastic to protect the wires from rubbing against each other. The plastics eventually had worn off and one of the wires bent. We could feel on the steering wheel that something was wrong. There has been another problem. One of the wheels that guide the wires to the quadrant is misaligned by a couple of millimetres. That’s the reason why the wires rub each other. Nothing can be done about that without a significant engineering work. We replaced the clamps with eye connectors that are a lot thinner. Despite that the wires just touch each other. We rigged a little pulley to guide the wire in to the wheel and the rubbing has been eliminated. This is another temporary solution and we will have to attend it when the yacht is serviced in Langkawi in April/May.

Lots of other small and larger maintenance jobs kept us occupied all week. We found time to relax mostly late afternoon. Nearby club with a restaurant and a swimming pool offered just right services. We also had the company of Mark and Judy. They hired a car and drove us to the town a few times. This made collecting passports – with Andaman Islands visas – and shopping much easier. We also had some “Happy Hour” and dinners together.

Maintenance and repairs were made just in time for us to leave the marina. On the first spring high tide we motored out. We asked the marina for a pilot to guide us through the channel. This made the trip less stressful and free of any incidents. On the way out we also filled up the diesel tank.

We anchored in Ao Chalong Bay near Aquarium. It was rather boring place although we were too tired to visit the beach. There was also rather limited access to the beach at low tide.

10 – February, 2009 To Nai Harn Bay (07.46.477N, 98.17.799E)

After a good night sleep and breakfast we left the bay to start our trip around the Phuket Island. This time we are going to the west side. We had good wind thus we sailed most of the way.

Nai Harn Bay is very nice. There are many yachts here. We anchored within a group of boats near the Sane Beach in about 15 metres of water (depth of anchoring is less important for us since we bought 80m of new chain in the marina). The beach is rather small and landing at the low tide is not straight forward. We went there anyway. Most of the beach is taken by some resort. The huts are rather simple although there is another part of the resort that looks much better. A restaurant on the beach looks good and we had a beer there. They seem to specialize in sea food. We ate however on the boat.

The place is pretty and we will spend on more night here.

11 – February. We went to the main beach and we had lunch there. The beach is crowded with tourists and chairs with umbrellas. Locals hire the chairs to the tourists. Restaurant owners seem to be promoting their business rather aggressively. There is a lot of competition.

Westerly wind blew from midday till midnight. It created a little swell that became rather large inside the boat. We had to bring the dinghy up and the sleep was not the best.

12 – February, 2009 Kata Beach (07.49.166N, 98.17.721E)

Just before midday we finished making water and raised the anchor. We went “just around the corner” to Kata Beach. There is only one yacht here and some local “long-tails”. Beach is however busy.

13-February.

We had a rather rocky night again. The wind from the west seems to arrive every day and lasts for more than 12 hours. The swell it causes makes the boat rocking. Fortunately, the waves come on the bow thus it can be tolerated.

We spent most of the day on the land. Kata beach and nearby town exist for tourists. Many restaurants and shops occupy the streets. We had good breakfast in a nice restaurant on a side street. Massages followed and they made us feel much better. In the meantime heavy rain fell on the island. It made the beach rather muddy thus we decided to have showers on the yacht. Lunch in Mali restaurant was good although a bit expensive. Their advertisements are very confusing.

We returned on the boat in the afternoon. Since there are clods covering the sky our solar panels do not work to their best ability. We also ran the watermaker yesterday. Batteries had to be recharged by the petrol generator. 

14-16 – February, 2009 Kata Beach to Patong Beach

We had rather rocky stay at Kata Beach but we enjoyed going ashore.

In the morning we went to a shop where we bought spark plugs yesterday. The plugs had no “cap” that comes usually with them. In the shop the mechanic quickly found the “caps” for us. We now have two spare plugs for our outboard.

After some shopping and coffee we went back on the boat and set sail to Patong. The wind was 8-10 knots and from NW. We managed to sail nearly all the way. In Patong we anchored with other yachts rather far from the beach. It looks that from here we will sail to Similan Islands in a couple of days.

17 – February, 2009 Patong to Similan Islands

We got up early and set the sail to Similan Islands. There was little wind and we managed to motor-sail for a few hours. Later in the morning the wind picked up and we could sail for about four hours. We could not keep the course however thus we ended up motoring again directly up the wind. We hope this will change in a few days when we sail to Andman Islands.

On the way we caught the first fish since we left Indonesia. We actually caught two but the second one was the same as the first catch thus we let it go. We also had a third strike but this time fish got away.

At the anchorage we met “Tonic” and two other yachts from the Indonesian Rally. Doug told us about a mooring we could take and that saved us lots of time. Unfortunately they will leave tomorrow. We had no time for drinks!

18-February

In the morning we moved closer to the beach as other yachts left the bay. We looked around the mooring to make sure there were no bommies as we could see the bottom. We did not see anything thus we checked the depth on the sounder. It was 26 metres! The water is clear here.

We went snorkelling and it was the best since we arrived in Thailand. There is not much coral but a plenty of fish. We could swim in the middle of fish school. Pity the underwater camera broke last night! The variety of fish is such that there were many I have seen for the first time.

Unfortunately, some water got into my ears and they started aching. I will not be snorkelling for a while now.

19 – February, 2009 to Similan Island

We woke up to SE wind this morning. It blew directly into the bay. It was not very strong wind but it managed to make the bay less attractive. We decided to move to the Similan Island about eight miles north. The wind was strong enough to let us sail and save the fuel.

We found a mooring at the southern part of the bay. Other moorings were taken by commercial diving boats or reserved by people who left their dinghies attached to them. Since we needed water I started the watermaker. At some point I went on the deck and saw some large fish circling nearby. I called Tina to see that. She came with some bread. We dropped the bread into the water hoping to see the fish coming closer. The big fish however was not interested in our bread. Then suddenly completely different fish came to feed on the bread. The fish was also big and colourful. We took plenty of photos. Just as we thought the show was over a turtle came. It also liked the bread. It came as close as a metre from the yacht. Wonderful!

On the beach we found nothing interesting. A short walk took us up to a rock with a good view of the bay. Water in one corner of the beach was very warm. It would not give any relief from the heat. Very strange.

20-22 – February, 2009 From Similan Islands to Andaman Islands, Port Blair

The most difficult part of planning the trip was to establish the time we would need to sail about 340 miles. We decided we would average 4 to 4.5 knots as the forecast was for very weak winds. This meant we had to start at about 9-10 in the morning to arrive in Port Blair on Monday. As usual we were ready to sail much earlier than we wanted. Just to make sure everything was alright I looked into the engine compartment. There was water there! Where did it come from? It was salty and seemed to be very clean.

We looked for the leak thinking about aborting the trip to the Andamans. After a few attempts we found the leak! It was a screw holding a cover for the emergency steering. The fix was easy.
We tested and the water would not enter the boat again. We were ready to go.

It took us 58 hours to sail 345 miles. On the second day we had a very good wind and we were able to sail for about 18 hours altogether. As a result we discovered we could arrive to Port Blair on Sunday evening. It was a bit of a race with time.  We arrived just after the sunset and anchored still in some light.

On the way we caught a fish – Mahi-mahi. It was a big one and it gave a good fight. We will have about four dinners from this fish. The sad part is that it means I will not fish for at least a week as we will not need a fish! We also saw dolphins. They stayed with the boat for quite long time, playing in from of the bow.

Arriving in Port Blair is a bit tricky. We were told to follow some very strict rules, such as letting them know we were coming, calling the port on the radio as so on. We sent an email advising the port authorities about our arrival. We tried to call them on the radio before the arrival. For some reason we could not establish HF voice connection. We managed to call on VHF when about 40 miles from the port. All that seemed to be a bit overboard as the operator was rather short and quick. He accepted the calls and kept them really short. I think in the end we could just arrive and let them know before entering the harbour.

We are anchored opposite the island where all authorities are located. Since we arrived late on Sunday we expect nothing will happen till Monday morning.

23-February

The formalities to check in to the country took a few hours but they were not too bad. First the Coast Guard arrived with half a dozen of forms. They had a two page guide to follow and they did it with utmost accuracy. They checked our safety equipment and photographed any documents we did not have a copy of. Next Customs arrived - again three men. They accepted documents we prepared. While two of them were chatting to us the third one worked hard filling in the form. I just stamped them where needed. Despite early hour (about 11) they asked for beer. They got it and soon they were not quite sober. I guess they had some on a ship they inspected before us. After they had finished I took them ashore in two batches. I was not sure they would not capsize the dinghy considering they state. Immigration officers arrived – like Customs – from another boat. Their work was short and to the point. They issued us with 15 days permits for the islands only. The only reason was that we had a stamp from the Bangkok Indian Embassy stating that period of time. If we arrived without the permit we would had been given 30 days! Immigration officers preferred other than our dinghy transport and luckily they got it from the same boat they delivered them to us.

The last step to check in was to visit the Harbour Master. We went in the dinghy to the concrete jetty. There a boy was already waiting to take care of our dinghy. He moves it around thus the dinghy is not in a way for other boats coming to the jetty. A taxi driver was also there. For 150 Rupiahs per hour he offered to take us wherever we wanted to. We hired him and it was a good move. The Harbour Master was on holidays and another director had to sign our permit to visit the harbour. The office of the director was in more than walking distance thus the taxi was useful. An official from the Harbour Office took us to the director. That made the whole process much easier.  He was even mistaken by the director for an agent acting for us. Generally, we found people here very helpful and this is just one of the best examples of that. We returned to the Harbour offices and completed the formalities there. The officers told us we should not go to Cinque Islands as the Wildlife and Park Authorities would charge us about $300.oo just for two day visit. Since we were told the islands were not good anchorages and we did not want to pay that sort of money we removed them from the itinerary. After that the officials told us we did not have to have any more papers and we could sail.

The taxi driver took us to a hotel restaurant for lunch. The ground floor was under construction and there was a four people lift that took us to the first floor. The wind had an operator! We enjoyed the food although it took time to cook it.

The last thing we did was to buy four jerry cans of diesel. Again the driver was very helpful. The price of the diesel here was less than a dollar per litre – some guides indicated much higher prices.

24-February

We went ashore again and we hired the same driver. He took us around the town. The most interesting and rather depressing was a visit to Cellular Jail. It is hard to believe what people can do to the others.

Another interesting visit was to the saw mill. The driver took us there although we could do this without him. The mill is just about hundred of metres from the jetty. We did not complain as he was helpful. We finished the trip with the purchase of four more jerry cans of diesel. That meant we had all the diesel we could carry.

24 – February, 2009 to Neill Island (11.50.628N, 093.00.654E)

At about midday we left the harbour. There was NE wind of about 8-10 knots. Our course was... NE. We motored all the way to the anchorage. There we met Tom and Nicolette from Katanne. We had some drinks in the evening and exchanged information about the places we visited so far.

The anchorage is comfortable although there is current here and we had very light wind only. Landing the dinghy on the beach is only possible at the high tide. Tom found a gap in the coral that allows to get to the beach half tide.

25-February

We decided to stay one more night with Tom and Nicolette. In the morning I dived under the boat and found some netting on the propeller. This should explain some random vibrations we felt from time to time. Tina also cleaned one side of the yacht leaving the other for the next anchorage.

We went snorkelling. There is not much coral here but we saw lots of fish. Some fish was really big. Nicolette saw a dugong when swimming but we were not that lucky. We were later told that one can swim with the dugong and the animal likes to play with humans. It is only one of two that are known to live near the island.

On the island we had lunch in a restaurant with timber crooked tables. The service was slow but very friendly. The price was even better.

We returned to the boat rather tired. Still we managed to meet Tom and Nicolette in the evening. We will not see them for some time now. They are finishing their month long visit to the islands. Tomorrow we will leave the Neill Island and sail to visit another one.

26 – February, 2009 From Neill Island to Henry Lawrence Island (12.04.924N, 093.04.312E)

We started the trip after breakfast. There was little wind and we motored most of the time. Last half an hour however we had enough wind to sail. We anchored in about 13-14 metres. There is another yacht here but it is about 300 metres away.

By the afternoon the other yacht left. We had the place for ourselves till next day when we left. In the morning we went snorkelling. We saw plenty of fish and lots of coral. It was nice.

After snorkelling Tina backed bread while I went fishing. I caught a couple of fish just enough for lunch. Fishing on the coral is rather difficult. One fish I caught went under the coral and I could not pull the line back. I had to raise the anchor to move the dinghy to have other angle for the line. To my surprise the line came up with the fish on the hook!

27 – February, 2009 Henry Lawrence Island to Inglis Island (12.08.115N, 093.06.526E)

After lunch we motored to the anchorage at Inglis Island. Initially we planned to stay for two nights here. Next day in the morning we changed our minds as the yacht was rolling in a NE swell.

28-February

We went to visit the beach on the island and then snorkel. The beach is nice but there is lots of rubbish on the sand. Water is crystal clear however.

Snorkelling was very good. We started in the most eastern corner of the beach and swam towards the yacht from there. The first part had nice coral and plenty of fish.

28 – Febraury, 2009, Inglis Island to Outram Island (12.12.140N, 093.05.893E)

Again we motored to the next island. It is only about five miles away. We anchored in about 12 metres of water. We are the only yacht here as it was the case in two previous anchorages. In a distance a local fishing boat seems to travel between the islands. It probably carries divers.

Fishing proved to be disappointed. All I caught was a couple of small fish that I let go. Looks that much had changed since the guide for the island was written.

01-March

We went snorkelling in the morning. Near the beach we found interesting coral and plenty of fish. When we got closer to the point the coral became more damaged. It looked very much like a tsunami damage.

01 – March, 2009 to North Button Island (12.18.760N, 093.04.043E)

Today we had wind from NE. Our course... NE! Nevertheless we sailed. We had to tack a couple of times but sailing was nice in very pleasant 10-12 knots wind.

The anchorage proved to be a bit tricky. There are coral patches everywhere and we had to find a patch of sand for the anchor. After the second attempt the anchor held in about 10-11 metres of water. Chain is completely on the sand and we hope it will stay that way all the time.

I caught two fish thus we will have them for dinner. A short snorkelling trip to the beach showed that the coral here is mostly damaged and there is much less fish than at other islands. We will try on the other side of the beach tomorrow.

02-March

We did not find any better snorkelling area here. The beach is pretty. We found a concrete block with the text declaring India’s ownership of the island. Later in the afternoon a big motor cruiser dropped the anchor not far from us. It had about a dozen of people on board although probably 40 would have space to sleep and dine there. The boat stayed for the night but it did not make too much noise with its generators. 

03 – March, 2009 to Middle Button Island (12.16.254N, 093.01.449E)

In the morning I went for a swim or rather cleaning job under the boat. There were plenty of little shells on the saildrive and I decided to remove them. As soon as I was in the water I noticed a big white, black and yellow fish with big blue eyes nearby. It looked beautiful! The fish stayed with me all the time I was cleaning the saildrive, sometimes just a couple of metres from me. Later I found out the name of the fish – Angelfish. I had an angel looking after me when I was diving with a wooden spoon and scrubbing the shells of the metal!

After our regular reporting to the Port Blair Radio (we have to report twice a day our position and plans for the next 24 hours), we left the bay and motored to Middle Button Island. We anchored in about 15-16 metres of water not far from the beach. Snorkelling was not too good. Lots of coral seems to be damaged. On the western side the coral was healthier and we saw some fish. I guess we got spoilt with some other places where the coral was colourful and fish in abundance.

04 – March, 2009 to Havelock (11.58.839N, 092.57.148E)

We reported our position and raised the anchor. South Button Island is just about three miles away from the Middle Button Island.  We anchored there and went snorkelling. Just as we started a boat with some backpackers arrived too. This is the best place to snorkel we found in our short stay in Andamans so far. The coral is healthy and beautiful. We saw many fish from small, big, large to giant. A turtle swam nearby. We swam from the north of the island through east to south-west and then back. This is a place not to miss in Andaman Islands.

After a short break we moved on to the Havenlock #7 anchorage. We anchored in about 8 metres of water. Tina went snorkelling and I got to clean the boat on the water level. We also checked the anchor. It looked good but the sand here seems to be rather shallow.

After we finished swimming we sat in the cockpit with drinks. A big fish started circling the yacht. We were sure it was a shark! It went away and back many times. A Frenchman from a nearby catamaran came to us as he was looking for some cure for his ear. He had an ear ache from time to time, very similar to what I experience after having water in my left ear. We offered antibiotics but he would not like the idea. He also identified the fish as some large harmless animal not the shark. What a relief!

There is some swell in the bay. It seems to be coming from the open Indian Ocean. It is not big but it does create breaking waves on the beach. We will have to be very careful tomorrow when we go on the land.

05 – March

Early in the morning we heard someone arrived to the yacht. I went to check and found a large navy dinghy with divers. They requested that we move the yacht towards the west side of the bay. Indian Navy was to have some exercises here. A number of navy boats was anchored nearby. We moved the yacht as requested.

We took the dinghy to the beach. Landing was not easiest but we watched the waves and we managed to find some lesser waves. With the dinghy secure we went to explore the island. The main goal was to find internet access and buy some vegetables. The beach is very nice and long. From where we landed we had to walk some distance to the road leading to the other side of the island. Villages on the island do not seem to have names but are numbered. We were near village number seven. Internet and shopping are at village number three.

We found the road and a few restaurants along it. We stopped in one of them for drinks. The owner was very helpful and told us how to go to the village number three as well as how to find some turist attractions. He advised us take a bus which would arrive “in five minutes”. It did arrive about half an hour later. In the meantime large number of tuk-tuks (motorised rickshaws) brought large number of tourists to the beach. We had no patience to wait for the bus and accepted an offer from one of the returning jeeps.

The ride on the jeep was quite an experience. The road is about wide enough for one car. When a car from the opposite direction appears both have to go to the shoulder. Our driver was a young man who talked to his mates often looking at them not the road. He also took a phone call on the mobile. We passed a few vehicles and he drove the jeep with just one hand at the speed of about 50 km/h. We were happy when we arrived that we were still alive.

The village number three has a number of shops and stall with all sorts of goods, mostly food. In one of them we found two computers with internet access. The connection was painfully slow but we managed to check our emails and bank accounts. After shopping we were ready to go back. This time we hired a rickshaw. The trip back was much slower but also it was much less stressful.

We stopped for lunch in the same restaurant we had drinks. The food was good and very cheap in our terms. The owner looked after us and offered more rice as soon as he saw we ate most of it. No extra charge for that.

We returned to the dinghy and the beach with the bag of shopping. The swell created large breaking waves. Again we waited for the right moment and pushed the dinghy into the water. I jumped into the dinghy while Tina swam pushing it. I helped with an oar. We were quickly out of the danger zone. Tina came onboard and we soon were safe and dry on the yacht.

We were relaxing in the cabin when we heard a motor boat near the stern. I went to check and found out there was a large dinghy with about eight people on board. Some of them were navy marines. I asked what they wanted but they just replied everything was fine and they did not want anything. They were however manoeuvring their dinghy towards ours.  Suddenly, one of the marines jumped onto our dinghy. It capsized! The engine was in the water. The marine, his radio and backpack were in the water. Others helped him and started drying the dinghy. I could not believe my eyes. We were so careful to make sure we do not capsize the dinghy and here we have someone doing this in front of me! They were so apologising and sorry that I could not even be angry. Their commanding officer swam to the yacht to see what was happening.

The marines dried the dinghy and cleaned the engine. It started and worked well. It took them about an hour thus we had a chance to talk to the commander during that time. They offered any help we need as long as they stay in the bay.

06 – March, 2009 to Melville Point (11.59.268N, 092.55.856E)

We decided to go to the Elephant Bay. After breakfast we raised the anchor. On the way we had NW wind and the waves started to build up. The Elephant Bay is exposed to NW winds. We also discovered that a warship was anchored there, too. We turned back. On the way we saw a bay that looked protected. We went there and dropped the anchor. We intend to stay here for the night. In the meantime we went snorkelling and it was good. The coral especially is very nice.

In the afternoon the wind dropped and we think this is a better place than the Havelock #7 but we still have a night ahead of us.

07 – March, 2009 Havelock Port then Elephant Bay (12.00.395N, 092.56.383E)

We had a good night. There was no swell and the yacht was steady all night.

In the morning we decided to go to Havelock Port or village #1. Before arriving we called the Port Control. They did not reply. They were quick however to call us as soon as we entered the channel. After taking details regarding the yacht – painfully many of them – they let us anchor in the harbour. We anchored west of the jetty (12.02.482N, 092.58.999E) in a rather tight spot between the reef, shallows, jetty and some local boats.

On the land we found nothing of interest. It is a typical remote village with exists mostly because there are people who visit the island via ferry. We were a bit disappointed with all that and decided to leave.

We went to Elephant Beach. A warship was anchored there. We called them and asked where we could anchor. The intention of the question was to make sure we were not intruding on their war games. They however became very helpful by indicating places where we could find appropriate depth for the yacht. We anchored in rather deep waters as we did not want to be too close to the reef.

08 – March, 2009 to Port Blair (11.41.267N, 092.43.010)

It was rather cold in the morning. We had to use a blanket. As usual we had lots of dew on the yacht – sign of good weather.

We went snorkelling and it was good, just. A navy dinghy approached us when we were in the water. They told us not to go to the other part of the beach due to a visit by some VIP. There were many boats around, some looking like fishing boats, with security guards. After we had finished snorkelling, Tina baked the bread and we prepared to leave for Port Blair. We were about ready to raise the anchor when yacht SDF (we met them in Singapore first time) anchored nearby. We had a short chat with Jean-Marie who came to us in the dinghy. They will be going to Borneo in May and it sounds very tempting for us to join them.

We mostly motored as there was not wind – seas were flat. There was some wind however when we got close to the port and we motor-sailed.

In the port we anchored in about the same place as before. There are three more yachts here.

09 – March, 2009 In Port Blair

We started the day too early. Vijay, the driver, took us to the Harbour Master office where we were told they opened at 9, not 8:30 as we were told. We went to some restaurant/bar for tea. I ordered Indian speciality and it was... spicy tea. I liked it although I do not remember how it was called.

In the Harbour Master Office we still had to wait for the... Master as he would not start before 9:30. Eventually, he showed up. He looked at our papers, had some small talk with us and then summoned an official we deal with on arrival. He told him to prepare the bill for us and the letter that we do not own anything to the port authorities. He then let us go.

The official took us to the office where we were before. There we got all the papers we needed after we were charged for anchoring in different places. I had to fill in a form with detailed itinerary where we stopped. The form had two columns and I had to write the same information twice. In the process we learnt that we were charged for anchoring only as our yacht was less than ten tonnes. Otherwise we would have to pay more according to the weight.

Harbour process finished, we went to Customs. There they took away from us the letter we got from the Harbour Master and gave us another one. We had to wait about 20-30 minutes for all that. Since there was another couple from a catamaran that we met at Havelock we were not bored.

Last visit – or that’s what we thought – was at the Immigration Office. There we were told we could not get departure stamps as we would leave the next morning. Instead, the officials would arrive to the jetty at six in the morning and gave us the stamps. It’s all fine but it would rob us of two daylight hours for sailing back.

We did shopping and went back to the yacht.

In the evening Vijay took us to the Cellular Jail where we watch sound and light show. It was more sound than light but it was interesting from the history point of view. Before the show we were approached by a doctor who came from the mainland with his family for a holiday. It was a pleasant event and we enjoyed talking to the doctor and his sons.

10-12, March, 2009 From Port Blair to Surin Islands (09.25.660N, 97.51.278E)

In the morning we got the departure stamps on the jetty. The officials were on time and very efficient. We left the Andaman Islands hoping to come here again as liked the area and we visited only very few of the interesting places.

Initially we had to motor as the wind was too weak. After about four hours the wind picked up and we had very good run for the next 24 hours. It was close to perfect with the exception of the waves. They were coming from different directions and created “pyramids” that slowed us down and rocked the boat.

In the afternoon on the second day we noticed a storm cloud ahead of us. Hoping to go around it we changed the course to south. It did not help as the cloud caught up with us. Suddenly we were in 20-25 knots wind. Lightings and thunder were all around us. The waves started to build up. We dropped the sails early enough to avoid doing this in strong wind. Initially I could motor still trying to get to the edge of the storm. The wind however strengthened to 34-35 knots. I had to change the course to face it. The rain was so intense it would blind me. The waves were very steep and very short. The yacht could handle them only when the angel was about 30-40 degrees. The problem was to keep the yacht on such course as our speed dropped to just about one knot despite the engine running at high revs. Fortunately the storm did not last long. Soon the wind dropped to 20 knots. We thought we were out of it. Then the second wave came. It was not as strong however and lasted only minutes. All together we were in the storm for about one hour.

After we passed the storm we had no wind again but very big waves. We had to cope with the waves for a few hours before the sea became calm. This lasted till we arrived at the Surin Islands. We made it just at the sunset. All three moorings were taken thus we anchored. Soon after the dinner we were sleeping.

13 – March, 2009 Surin Islands (09.25.260N, 097.53.881E)

We had a bad night. Swell entered the bay and the current turned the boat beam to them. The yacht rolled a lot. I had to get up a few times and secure some things or tighten lines.

In the morning we decided to try the other side of the island. It was only ten miles and we made it in about two hours. In the bay we found a mooring and took it.

14-15 March

We spent that time in the bay where we found the mooring. We actually moved to another mooring for a day, just to change the scenery. We tried to find a good snorkelling place somewhere in the channel between the islands but it was not successful. On the land we went to a backpackers resort and we had lunch there. The resort is very well organized and pleasant to be there. Long tail boats constantly come and go taking the tourists to snorkel.

After lunch we visited a village of “Sea Gypsies”. They still live like they did hundreds year ago. Their homes are huts on posts. The huts are built of timber and leaves. Children play around with no cloth on. We saw some enterprising attempts as some were selling small copies of their boats. The boats are made of a tree trunk – all one piece. We also saw a beautiful model of their sea going boat. There was no one to tell us who made the model and what was the price. We would not have bought it anyway as it was too big to store on the yacht.

On the way back we saw some snorkelling boats and went there. This was the best place to snorkel and it was just a short swim from our boat. We spent so much time looking for a good spot and it was just next to us!

Late in the afternoon the wind picked up and the waves built up. Our mooring has become uncomfortable. We decided to move to the other part of the bay. It looked that there was a free mooring in a quite area. We motored there to find out that the mooring was taken by a local fishing boat. We decided to anchor. The bay does not offer good depths and bottom for anchoring. We tried two times in depths of 25-30 metres. The anchor would not hold and we could hear the chain being dragged over rocks. We went back to the mooring we had the first night. It was free as it was also exposed to the wind and waves. It was already dark by then. We found the mooring and we had not too bad night.

16 – March, 2009 To Kho Surin South (09.23.342N, 097.52.075E)

In the morning we decided to change the scenery again. This time we went to the west side of the island as the wind was from the NE. The anchorage is not comfortable. There are waves and ocean swell that roll the boat a bit. It is bearable but not calm. 

After lunch we moved to a north bay where we found a mooring (09.25.074N, 97.50.940E). We were not sure if there were no rocks too close to the boat thus I took a dinghy anchor with the right length of rope and swam around the boat with it. It did not touch anything thus we were fine. Coral around us was not however. There was no point to go and snorkel here. We had good night sleep as the bay was quite and there were no waves.

In the evening we had a storm nearby with heavy rain. Suddenly in the water we could see lights. The lights were small initially but with time they grew creating “snakes” of light in the water. There were so many of them that it was really an amazing event. In the rain we also got our showers.

17 – March, 2009 A couple of stops then Kho Phrak Hong (09.01.606N, 98.15.382E)

We left the mooring early as we had to catch up with Jamimah and Ulah yachts that anchored on the eastern side of the islands. We sailed together to Rechelieu Rock. We arrived a bit later than others just when a mooring became available. The rock was surrounded by yachts and commercial boats with divers. Most had to anchor in deep 35-40 metres of water. The mooring we took was so close to the rock that we just jumped into the water and started snorkel.

This is a site for spotting whale sharks. We did not see any. Snorkelling is probably not the best way to achieve it here. The depths are significant and diving offers much better chances. We swam around the rock a couple of times then returned to the yacht. Soon we were on the way to an island near the mainland. Initially we wanted to anchor there for the night. However when all three yachts anchored we got wind from the NW. The waves started to build up and it was obvious we would not have a good night. Mike from Jemimah suggested us going about 15 miles south to anchor between islands. This is not an anchorage in any guide but it looked good.

With the wind we made good progress. Entry requires crossing a bar. We saw 4.3 metres at least. The anchorage proved to be very good.  We had two storms: one in the south and the other in the north. We were in-between and we got some rain only.

18 – March, 2009 To Ban Thap Lamu (08.34.165N, 98.13.125E)

We had early start again. After crossing the bar again we set the sails and motor-sailed till the wind arrived. Lamu is a natural harbour with many fishing, commercial and navy boats. We anchored between two moorings. Later a large commercial boat took one of the mooring and they put about 40 metres long line. We could not stay where we were. We re-anchored by moving up the river.

In the evening we went ashore and met with others for dinner. There is just one place to eat. The owner actually prepared take away for us but we ate at tables in the shop. Beer was cheap and good.

19 – March, 2009 To Patong

We had good night sleep although we were woken up by early birds in the form of fishing and diving boats. On the way out we passed a number of fishing boats returning back from the night work. The fishermen looked happy and they waved their hands to greet us.

We had no wind initially but later it came... from SW, right “on the nose”. Jamimah and we sailed tacking when needed. It was a nice sail and we dropped the sails only a couple of hundred metres from the anchorage.

Soon after we anchored Gerry, Donna and their guest Dave came to visit us. We had not seen Scot Free II since Christmas. We had a good beer session and lot to talk about. In the evening all the sailors met at the jetty to find a restaurant for dinner.

20-26, March In Ao Chalong

While others stayed in Patong we motored to Ao Chalong to check in to the country since officially we arrived from India. On the way we lost the auto-pilot and I tried to repair it. In the process I blew a fuse and we lost all instruments. We set up backup chartplotter but we did not have a depth sounder. This is a usuful device in Ao Chalong since there are many shallow patches here. Eventually I managed to replace the fuse (which I had to find first) and we got chartplotter and sonar back. Other instruments were still down. I fixed them later when I reconnected power cables to the auto-pilot. At the first opportunity I am going to provide separate power to the chartplotter and the sonar to eliminate possibility of one fuse taking everything down.

We stayed in Ao Chalong  a few days as we met many other sailors here and we had good time with them. We also visited Judy and Mark in Boat Lagoon. Their boat is being renovated and it already looks great. We also bought needed supplies.

27 – March, 2009 From Ao Chalong to Ko Yao Yai (07.53.394N, 98.35.262E)

During our stay in Ao Chalong we considered our options in regard to what to do next. We could join the East Malaysia Rally and this was a strong possibility for a while. Judy provided us with some contacts with other sailors that knew the region. After reading their emails and web sites, and looking at our needs we decided not to sail to Borneo. We went back to the original plan of travelling within the region with frequent visits to the yacht and some sailing to keep it in good shape.

Once we made our decision not to join the rally we could now use better the visa in Thailand. Instead of hurrying to Rebak Marina we could stay here for another three weeks. We joined Aquarius (Richard and Gloria) and Hybrasail (Brian and Ann) to sail again around the wonderful islands between Phi Phi and Phuket.

Yesterday we moved a mile or so within the Ao Chang bay. With others we went on the beach. A restaurant with tables on the sand served us good dinner.

Today we motor-sailed to Kho Yao Yai island and anchored in the south bay. It was low tide when we arrived there. Brian and Ann tried to visit a village there but they could not find a place to land the dinghy as the coral was blocking the beach.

28 – March, 2009 To Ko Dam Khwan (Chicken Head Island – 07.57.500N, 98.48.411E)

We anchored in the bay between three islands. As two and a half months ago we found the place beautiful. Since we arrived at the high tide we could not see the reef around the island. In the afternoon we re-anchored as we thought we were much too close to the rocks.

29-March

We decided to stay here one more night as it is really pretty place. Amazingly very few yachts stop here although we had some joining us today.

Anchorage was quite thus I went up the mast and changed the anchor light. We now have the brightest light in the bay. I also spent some time fixing the HF radio. When the radio was installed the electrician left cables between the radio and the tuner hanging loose near the stern. The cables have always been in the way to access the autopilot’s computer and the steering. Since they were just hanging and the connection of four little wires not secured, two of the wires broke. I tried to fix it by creating a bypass as I did not want to destroy the connector for which I did not have a spare. This worked for a while but then failed. I replaced the connector with other type of clip connectors and tested the radio. It worked fine. I then decided to solve the problem with the loose cables and to secure the connectors with the tape. After I have done that I turned the radio on and... it came only for a few seconds then died. There was a short somewhere! I undid the tape and the connectors and inserted not only electrical tape between the clips but also additional thick isolators I made of a hose. I then covered the lot with the tape.

Changing a fuse in the Icom-803 radio is not easy! The radio is installed under the navigation table together with other devices. There are also plenty of cables there. I took photos of all connections and then removed the radio. It took some time as not all cables were easy to disconnect. Eventually I had the radio on the table. Another 16 screws undone and I found the fuse. It was blow! – what a relief! I changed the fuse and with some adventures with the screws (one fell inside the radio and I had to fetch it – twice!) I had the radio back in its place. Photos were very useful! The radio works fine now.

We spent lots of time on the beach in the water. The days are hot and we have thunderstorms every day. So far they stayed away from us although the rain washes the boat often.

30-March – 02-April, 2009 Railey Beach

Our second visit to this beautiful place took us to the Diamond Cave, backpackers beach and Krabi town.

The cave was not that interesting although it had some pretty features. It is only a few minutes’ walk from the beach. On the way there we discovered cooking classes place. Tina and Gloria went there for the next afternoon to learn Thai kitchen secrets. They returned with good food for Richard and me.

In the backpackers part of the beach we had full body massages and watched some film crew making a movie. We found a different place for the massages than on the previous occasion. This time my massage was not without the pain. I hope it was good for me.

A helicopter landed on the beach in the morning. We thought there was an accident and a mountain climber got hurt. Fortunately it was not the case. A filming crew arrived. They closed part of the mountain, set generators, lights and cameras. We do not really know if it was some sort of documentary or maybe a story movie they were filming.

On the second day we boarded the Hybraesail and went to Krabi town. Craig and Sara from the other catamaran joined us. The trip took about an hour and we sailed over some rather shallow patches. Our yacht would not have made it to the town at this time, maybe at higher tide but even then it would be rather stressful. On the Hybraesail we felt a bit like tourists although not completely as we tried as much as we could help Brian and Ann to sail the yacht.

The yacht was anchored near a pier with steps. We have not gone to the town however but up the river in the dinghies. There is a cave there that was interesting to see. It was damaged during the earth quake that caused tsunami. We enjoyed walking in the cave and finding the features of interest.

The town is nice and we could buy some needed supplies, like petrol, drinks and vegies.

On April 2 we raised the anchor and moved to the bay about five miles west. We just made it before the rain. We saw dark clouds following us and catching up with the yacht. We felt cold gusts of wind just as we were about to drop the anchor. As soon as the anchor was secure wind of 25-30 knots hit us and the rain started. We had a good shower in the rain while watching the anchor. It set well and we did not drag. We also set some buckets to catch the water.

After about three hours the rain stopped and we went on the beach to have a barbeque. It was a nice and pleasant evening.

13-19 April, 2009 Ao Chalong to Rebak Marina – Malaysia

We sailed, or rather motored, to Langkawi visiting some places on the way. The highlights were Ko Lanta and Bunting Islands. We anchored at Ko Lanta on the eastern site of the island, opposite a little village. The village is very clean and looks really nice. We walked the streets filled up with little shops and some restaurants. We had dinner in a restaurant with a view on the bay. The food was good, service outstanding and prices very affordable. We also enjoyed good beer at the end of the day.

We came to Ko Lanta from Phiphi Island. The bay there was still busy with tourists. Despite all commerce and noise the island retains its charm if one looks for it. We met the crew of two other yachts there. They were on the way to visit Thailand.

From Ko Lanta we sailed to Ko Petra. We chose a route outside shallow waters and that added some distance to our trip. Aquarius went directly to the island. We later discovered that Navionics charts are not correct. C-Map used by Richard show good depth waters and that is what he experienced. We bought Navionics charts just before we left Darwin.  I wonder what we paid for!

Our visit to Ko Petra was not the first one. We anchored there last December. This time the western side of the island was really rocky. Swell from the SW was creating rather unpleasant waves. We decided to risk anchoring on the eastern side. The swell was not present there but we could be exposed to some NE weather during the night. As it turned out we had a strong storm that night but it came from SW! We were very lucky! The wind was strong and lightings were very close to us. One hit the top of a hill on the island. We would be in much worse conditions if we anchored on the western side.

From Ko Petra we motored to Bunting Islands. On the way we caught two(!) fish. We stayed near the main island for two days as we really liked it. The anchorage was nice although a bit noisy during the day as many tourists were arriving for snorkelling.

From Bunting Islands we motored to Rebak Marina. It was our first entry to the port and – except for very poor quality VHF communications – we managed very well. It seems the marina staff has very weak VHF radio and they can be only contacted by yachts that are really close to the marina.

We are now berthed safely with access to the local resort facilities. Those include a swimming pool, gym, restaurants, etc. There is a ferry from the Rebak Island to the main island. An enterprising local businessman rents cars to yachties for just 40 Ringgits a day! We used one to go to offices to check in to the country.

This really ends our sailing season. We plan to stay in the marina for at least a month. During that time we want to work through our list of things to do on the boat. They include servicing the devices, antifouling the bottom and possibly introducing some improvements, such as separate cabling for the chart plotter and the sonar. In the breaks between the works we intend to travel around the region visiting places, such as Cambodia, Laos, India, etc.

Our land trips in Indochina during the rain season 2009
(texts are "raw" - I typed it using a little stick to tap the screen of handheld computer)

25-May-2009

We woke up early. Although we were already packed there were still things we had to do. Tina tidied the cabin and sprayed with cockroach chemical. She then found time for her morning exercises. I removed air-conditioning and installed dehumidifier. After showers we collected immigration forms from Noel and left yacht key in the marina office. We were on the ferry ten minutes before departure.
The start was rather not very promising. The ferry engines stalled before we left. Fortunately the driver managed to restart them quickly.
On the main island a taxi waited for us. It took us to the ferry terminal in Kuah. There we bought the tickets. It seems we were lucky as the ferry was nearly full.
Tina dropped a parcel for Katanne, while I filled in departure forms. When she returned I bought a new battery for my watch. After a snack from a bakery we went to the ferry. Immigration procedure was quick. Initially we wanted to take any free seat. However, we were told to find a seat with the same numbers as on the tickets. We had a bit of a problem with our luggage as there is no space allocated for it. A man in a row in front of us told us we could get only 15 day visa for Thailand. This proved to be correct.
After the arrival in Satun we went through a health check due to swine flu. Immigration procedure was short and quick. There was no room for negotiations in regard to the length of stay - 15 days it is!
Through Noel we arranged a car to take us to the train station in Hat Yai. The driver was not there. We waited a few minutes before he showed up. This cost him 100 Baht as he did not argue when I said we were prepared to pay 700.
The car trip was uneventful. I managed to have a nap.
At the station we met some other people from the ferry. Following their advice we upgraded to the first class. Finding an ATM that would not charge extra fees was not easy. Eventually I just paid the fees; there is a financial crisis after all!
A big storm came just as we put our luggage in a store room. We were well prepared with an umbrella and poncho. In a nearby shopping center we ate lunch. We met the people from the station again. After the meals we still had a plenty of time to the train departure. We walked the streets looking for a place to spend the time. We found a massage place! An hour later, relaxed and refreshed we hurried up to the station. Store room where we left our baggage has a sign it closes at 18:30. We were there at 18:10 and it was closing! We just managed to get our bags.
The train was already at the platform. We boarded the car with our compartment with two beds. Soon we had people offering us dinner and beers. We ordered both.
First day of our land trip comes to the end. It has been rather busy although slow day. Things were happening all the time but gradually. We now have to decide how to use the 15 days of visa we got. This is a nuisance.

26-05-2009

The night on the train passed rather well. We had a problem with air-conditioning until we worked out how to control it by vents.
The train arrived one hour late. We decided to carry on to Chiang Mai due to the visa restrictions. At the station we bought tickets for the night train to Chiang Mai. This time we could not get the first class thus we settled for the second.
Since we had about seven hours to spare we went to see Grand Palace and a temple. Getting there was to be easy but we got lost. Taxi solved the problem. We encountered many people telling us to do something and - thanks to Tina - we ignored them. It was a VERY good move. In most cases they lied! This is really a big problem for this country. I hope the government will wake up one day and deal with the swindlers. We also met helpful people, especially at the station, which makes rather difficult to decide when to ignore a stranger who offers help.
Grand is really grand. The buildings are impressive. We spent a couple of hours there.
After the palace we went to have lunch in a nearby restaurant. The food was good and we enjoyed the pleasant environment.
Tina called and booked a hotel room in Chiang Mai - SK Guesthouse. It went rather smoothly and that made us worried.
After lunch we went to see Reclining Budda. On the way we had to fend off swindlers who again lied about the opening hours of the temple. We do not really know why all of them tried to direct us to another temple. Reclining Budda is just a huge kitsch! Paintings on the walls are more interesting.
We walked back to the station looking for things we needed. We found a 30mm socket to tighten keel bolts. We will use next time the yacht is out of the water. We also got yet one more power socket converter.
At the station we had showers and that refreshed us for the next night of travel on the train.
We found the second class rather pleasant, even - in some ways - better than the first class. We will see what we think about that in the morning.
As soon as we boarded the train we were offered drinks and food. We ordered dinners and beers. The food was the same as in the first class - same menu. If we could avoid eating we probably would.
After dinner a man started making beds. He was very efficient and soon the whole car was ready for the sleep. Everyone had his own private area behind a curtain. Upper bed is rather narrow and seems to be short. I fitted just right but I am short. of Smiling Budda Palace of Reclining Budda

27-05-2009

We did not sleep too well. We do not really know why. The train car was not too noisy, air conditioning worked fine and the beds were not too bad. We are planning a quiet, relaxing day.
On the train we were served breakfast we ordered yesterday. It was a chicken soup with plenty of rice. Nothing special but we will not be hungry for a while.
When we arrived in Chiang Mai the hotel car was waiting for us. We were taken to the hotel with a young couple of backpackers. In the hotel we had to wait for the room as it was still early. After a cup of tea and looking through the trips brochures we booked a three day, two night trip to the jungle. The trip will start tomorrow or the day after, depending on the number of people in the group.
The hotel room is next to the swimming pool. We may have some noise in the evening.
It appears we worried about the booking via phone for no reason.
After some rest in the room we went for a walk around the town. The hotel is located in the old part that is surrounded by ruins of walls that protected the town in the past. Walking and knowing where we were proved rather difficult. We got lost and we were not the only ones. We met quite a few others with maps in their hands and no idea where they were. Fortunately the area is not too large thus finding the way out was not difficult.
We stopped for lunch at a place that sold noodles that Tina likes. The food was good. We returned to the hotel stopping for beers in a nice bar.
In the room we rediscovered TV and watched some extended version of "Lord of the ring" movie. Later we went to visit a temple where, according to the hotel owner was to be some ceremony. It was not easy to find the right temple as there are so many of them. Once we had it in sight we knew it was the right one. It is a large and old square-like, pyramid. On each side there are monuments of Budda, located high within the pyramid. Next to the pyramid there is a large new temple. We saw young students being taught by a monk inside the temple. Outside we saw people preparing chairs, tables, little altars and modern broadcast systems. Young soldiers seated around visibly waiting for something. Just as we were ready to leave the temple grounds the soldiers formed a column and started moving to the front of the temple. They pretended to carry something on their shoulders and they were directed what to do from the broadcasting speakers. It looked like a rehearsal.
We left the temple to walk outside the old town to night markets. We were told we could find there good traditional Thai food. The walk was rather long and we had to fend off frequent harassments from all sorts of transport owners, from tuk-tuk to taxis.
The markets did not disappoint us. We had good meals. I ordered a duck and it was delicious. Tina had some vegetables and huge prawns. We shared the dishes as all were really good.
We walked back to the hotel and practically collapsed on beds, although Tina still had some energy for a swim.

28-05-2009

We slept well in nicely cool room. Tina woke up earlier than me and brought tea to the room. This woke me up and I had to participate in plans for today. We decided to visit another temple (I am getting a bit templed-out). This time we will travel in "truck" as the temple is about 15 kms away on a top of a high mountain.
The "truck" is a pickup car with seats on the back. The trip took about half an hour. Since the temple is about 1200 metres above sea level the air is a bit cooler there. The temple is pretty and many tourists visit it. This does not seem to bother local believers as they walk around with flowers in their hands.
We took an elevator to the top, although there are steps to walk. The view from the temple supposed to be good but we had some mist in the air.
We told the driver to come back after two hours. That's too much time. We finished in a half an hour. The rest of the time we spent in a café drinking very, very sweet drinks.
We came back to the hotel only for a while. Around the corner we found a massage place ran by blind people. We asked for one hour massages. It was a different experience than other massages. Instead of scrubbing they used pressure that sometimes was painful. I doubt we would go there again, unless for a good cause.
Next to the massage place there is an Italian restaurant. We had our lunch there. Food was good but the servings rather small. We had to order deserts, too. :-)
In the evening we had dinner in an Indian restaurant. The food was good.

29-31 - May-2009

The tour was to begin at 9:30. As usual we were on time. The guide was late. We spent most of the day collecting other members (two more) and getting needed supplies, including some for the guide's family. The whole process was rather annoying. It seemed we were wasting time.
Out group was small - just four Nada, an Australian, and Joshua from San Francisco. Nada was on an exploring trip for some girls she looks after through a charity organization. She struggled a bit during the trip but she managed to finish it in good spirits. Joshua is about 30 and he probably would prefer a bit younger company. He had a guitar with him and it was a very good icebreaker with locals, especially children.
Eventually we were taken to a village in the mountains. Lunch of rice we had on a bench near a house of Chinese people who settled here after civil war. We were invited to see the house. It was just one room under roof with kitchen, living and bedroom. Next room was for animals.
From the village we were taken to visit two temples built on the highest mountain in the range - 4100m above sea level. The temples are very pretty. One was built for the king and the other for the queen - for 60th birthdays.
We returned to the village and started a walk through the jungle. Although we had not seen any wild life the walk was nice with some very pretty views.
After about two hours of walking we reached a beautifully located campsite. There were two huts near a creak. We immediately went for a swim. The guide and a few more helpers prepared dinner. We were offered some beers and soft drinks. Next day we would be asked to pay for them. The dinner was basic.
After the meal we sat around the fire. The men that helped the guide went out with a torch and they soon returned with a dead snake. They cooked it in the fire and ate it. We were offered some but refused.
We slept practically on the floor. Each of us had four blankets - three on the floor and one to cover ourselves. I found a leech next to my bed. Later I discovered it fed on me and left me with a wound that bled into my cloth.
No one slept well. My ankle got swollen and I had to take some pain tablets. I'm glad I had as it was a hard day. We started walking at 9:30 and finished at 16:30. On the way we saw rice fields and a few waterfalls. At two of the waterfalls we went swimming. This was nice and refreshing.
The walk ended in a village where Karen People live. We could see how they live and we played with children. Compulsory selling of some locally made products also took place. Dinner again was rather basic. A storm came soon after dinner thus everybody went to sleep. We had a large room with plenty of blankets. The beds were not as hard this time.
Next morning everyone woke up with aching muscles - a result of the previous day walk. After breakfast we said Goodbye to the villagers and one of the guides. We had about two hours of walk before we were taken by car to an elephant riding place. The elephant we were on seemed to be very hungry. It constantly requested bananas which we bought three times at different stops. Generally the ride was rather boring. The magnificent animals were directed by shouts and strikes of little metal hook. One of the animals got upset about something and it was rather severely beaten. It was very upsetting and I regretted we went for the ride.
Next activity was the highlight of the tour - water rafting on a bamboo logs. It was magic!
We returned to the hotel at about four in heavy rain. The guide's wife who drove the car again stopped to attend their own needs. I found that so enjoying that I would not recommend this particular tour to anybody.
We rested most of the afternoon. After we had dinner we still felt tired thus we returned to the hotel and soon were asleep.

01 - 06 - 2009

We started planning our next trip as soon as we had breakfast. June, the hotel owner, gave us some advice in regard to the Northern region. He offered us a transport to Chiang Rai with some sightseeing. We decided however to go on our own.
Decision made, we headed to a massage place. This time we ordered two hour massages. We were the only customers and the owners prepared the place when we waited. They turn on some music, lighted candles and some aroma sticks. Each of the employees turned towards a little altar and said a short prayer.
Then they proceeded to work on us. Two hours later we left the place fully relaxed. After lunch we continued planning the next few days.

02 - Jun - 2009

After breakfast we took a tuk-tuk to the bus station. Our destination - Sukhothai, an old capital.
The bus trip took five and a half hours. On arrival we broke our rule (again) not to accept any offers from strangers. We were approached by someone soliciting for J J Guesthouse. We checked in the Lonely Planet book and the guesthouse was listed there. We went there. The guesthouse is pleasant and clean. We got a room without air-conditioning as we did not use the one in Chiang Mai hotel. The room is fine. We actually went to other places we considered and we thought we got a good deal.
We had lunch at Dream Café as recommended by the Lonely Planet. The food was fine and the restaurant is nice. I believe however that we paid more there than we would have paid somewhere else.
For dinner Tina is aiming for night stall markets. I guess I have no choice.
We ended up eating in Poo restaurant. Food at the markets was not very appealing.

03 - Jun - 2009

Well, I got a stomach bug! I do not know from where but it spoiled our trip to the Old. After breakfast we hired a tuk-tuk to take us to the Old and around. We thought we had a good deal for 500 Baht.
The driver showed us the most interesting places. He waited at each of them when we walked through the places (mostly half ruins).
The Old is a set of temples. We could not see any traces of palaces or other buildings.
There are five different locations that can be visited. Each costs 100 Baht to enter. It is possible to buy a ticket for all places for 350 Baht. However, two places were free today (possibly because of the low season). I guess that was the reason they did not sell me the general ticket at the first gate.
The inner city has quite a few temples (wats). The main one is called Mahathat. It is very impressive. The whole area is very nice and really looked after. We enjoyed the park, water, islands and very few tourists.
Other interesting wat is outside the inner city. It is a Budda on a hill. The walk is not very long but it is a climb, about 200m higher.
The driver took us to more places outside the city and all of them were interesting. I however had to pass on the last one and the museum due to my stomach problem. Tina was very impressed with the museum.
Tuk-tuk took us back to the hotel right for lunch. I ate hoping my stomach will improve soon.
We spent the afternoon in the hotel. There is a pool and we went for a swim. Dinner we had in the hotel, too. We checked out before going back to the room as tomorrow we have an early start before 6AM. We have booked a tuk-tuk to take us to the bus station. It will be a ten hour trip to Chiang Rai. City City City

04 - Jun - 2009

J J Guesthouse was a good place to stay. Tina did not like the mattress as it was rather hard. We also decided we needed an air-conditioning next time.
Tuk-tuk waited for us at the hotel entrance. We arrived at the bus station about 20 minutes before the scheduled departure. Ticket counter was just being cleaned. There were no shops or stalls open as yet thus we could not buy breakfast.
The bus left ten minutes later than scheduled. It also collected school children and people going to work on the way thus stopping often.
We arrived on Chiangrai after about eight hour’s trip. We called Jansom House hotel from the bus and booked a room. The main request was for air conditioning. The woman that answered the call did not speak good English and we were not really sure we actually booked the room.
When we arrived in Chiangrai we discovered that the bus station had been moved and it is farther from the town now. We took tuk-tuk to the hotel. The woman that took the booking welcomed us in Thai way. She volunteered to show us a couple of rooms. We chose one on the second floor as it looked better. For the first time in our trip we were asked to pay before moving into the room. Additionally, she asked us to add 200 Baht as a bond.
We went around the town to find a tour for tomorrow. Eventually we settled on hiring a car with a driver. We were told the driver would take us to the places we were interested to see or visit. We paid 2000 Baht for the hire.
For dinner we went to a restaurant on the main street. We ordered western food this time: rib steak and marinated ribs. Both were gooood!
After a few bottles of beer we went back to the hotel to rest.

05 - Jun - 2009

We had a good night sleep in air conditioned room. The hotel has a sign "Free breakfast". In reality they offer coffee and a toast. We went next door to have a proper meal. In the hotel we wanted to have coffee but the driver has arrived thus we started our tour of the region.
The driver took us to the Longneck village first. We were taken aback by the cost (300 B/person) to enter the little area that had three villages, each for a different tribe.
Two of the villages offered a couple of minutes of dance and music. Bored, unhappy women and a couple of old men played some rather uncoordinated notes and moved around pretending to dance.
After the dance they watched us carefully when we dropped some money into a very well placed offering box. Longneck village did not offer any dances. They, like other villages, had many stalls with supposedly local products. I called them "third world supermarket". Tina bought a scarf there.
The driver took us next to Mao Salong place. This is a large village people. We would not know however they were Chinese if we were not told so. We walked along the shops looking for anything special but to no avail. We were coming back to car when we met the driver in a shop with tea. We ended up trying and then buying some local tea.
The road to and from the village is very pretty. We had overcast and rain however thus we enjoyed very little of the views.
We were driven to Mao Soi where we had lunch in Chinese restaurant. They did not sell beer but after we asked they simply went next door and bought one for us. This was the cheapest beer we ever had in Thailand! The food was good, too.
Visit to Golden Triangle was just an opportunity for a few photos. Old temple in Chiang Saen, well it’s old.
We returned to the hotel at about four. In our view the trip was not worth the money we paid. Generally, we will leave Chiangrai rather disappointed. Maybe, if we had better weather and more time?
In the hotel we had a surprise. The room was made up! This happened for the first time, even though we stayed for more than one night in other hotels, too.
The dinner we had in a pizza restaurant. We went there because it was full with the local people. They are right - the food is good. of Chinese

06 - Jun - 2009

After breakfast we walked to the bus station. We took a "town bus" to Chiang Khong. The bus is very basic but the trip was less than three hours. On the way we passed some villages that look clean and tidy.
In Chiang Khong we took a tuk-tuk to a guesthouse Reuan Thai Sophaphan which we found in the guide. The guesthouse is located on the river. It has lots of charm and character. Our room however is very basic - bathroom but no air conditioning or TV. We can go outside the room and sit on a veranda overlooking the river. The owner is a very chatty woman that tries to sell anything to us.
We went for a walk along the main street. The town is pleasant although there is not much to see. Bars, restaurants and massage places are a plenty. We booked a slow boat trip on the Mekong for tomorrow. We will therefore leave Thailand then, one day before the expiring of our visas.
We had lunch in a small, one-person bar with wi-fi. The woman took our order then disappeared in the kitchen. In the meantime other customers had to wait for the service. All took some time but the food was good.
We found ATM that accepted our card and got some cash for Laos. We were told we could use Thai Baht in Laos.

07 - Jun 2009 River

We woke up early, too early for the hotel service. We had to wait before they came to serve breakfast. We got fried eggs, fruit, one glass of horrible fruit juice and no bread. No wonder, we were the only customers.
A driver to take us to the ferry across the Mekong arrived half an hour early. He claimed I told him to be in the hotel at eight. It did not matter. We were ready to go. The half an hour we spent waiting in the travel agent's office.
The agent provided us with forms to apply for Laos’s visas. We also had to prepare $31.oo each for the visas.
Border crossing was one of the most unusual ever. We were checked out by Thai Immigration on a bank river. From there we took long, narrow boat, called a ferry by the locals, to cross the river. There is just a piece of concrete road where the "ferries" land. It is rather impossible to board or get off without wetting one's feet.
Checking in to Laos was easy and without any complications. We had all the documents, forms, photos and money. The agent told us we would get 15-day visas. We got 30-day.
All the time we had a guide to tell us what to do and where to go. There was also a truck bus that took us to the barge jetty. The guide provided us with the boat tickets and then started hard sell of a hotel for the night and exchange of moneys. We booked the guesthouse after checking it in the Lonely Planet. The price was the same. We also exchanged 2000 Baht to 440,000.oo Kip. We did not believe Laos’s people would not accept Baht any more, but we know we will spend the money anyway. The exchange rate seemed to be fine.
We boarded the boat when there were only a few people on it. We managed to get two of only 10 soft seats. Hard, timber seats are very, very narrow. I would have real trouble to be comfortable.
The boat left after 11 AM more than an hour after we boarded it. During that time more and more passengers boarded the boat. Eventually it was nearly full. Most of the passengers are young backpackers. There a few locals and us.
The boat motored down stream with current. We had crossed quite a few rapids. The views are getting better with time. It is a pity it rained as the boat had to be covered.
Most of the passengers did not pay too much attention to the views. Uncomfortable seats made them assuming all sorts of positions. Some found the floor the best option.
There was a little bar on the boat (we were told there was none). The captain's wife sold some snacks, cold beer (Beerlao) and freshly made sandwiches. We tried the beer and it tasted good.
The boat stopped a few times to let some local people to disembark. At the first stop children with baskets of snacks, fruit and beer came to the boat. Their prices were half of those on the boat. This inevitably led to some verbal quarrel between the captain's wife and children. Beer seemed to be the main product of contention.
Bank of the river are hilly with some places showing even rocks. The hills are often covered by the jungle - pretty!
When we arrived at our destination about two dozens of local men waited for us. Since our bags were stored somewhere on the boat only a few people left the boat. The crew did not seem to be interested in getting the bags out. A local man came on board and said everybody should leave and wait for the bags to be unloaded. As a result the men who were waiting on the bank entered the boat and soon started coming out with the bags. Amazingly, two men came together with our bag. It is a mystery how they knew the bags belonged together. When we tried to claim our bags the men would not put them down. Fortunately we met the owner of the guesthouse where we had our room booked. He spoke English and - I presume - told the men they would not be paid. One surrendered the bag immediately. The other did it about 10 metres further.
We walked to the guesthouse with its staff. It was just a short distance as the guesthouse is practically the first from the boat stop.
We found the rooms clean, tidy and spacious. There were a few broken things, like toilet seat cover or a tap but otherwise we were happy. The town runs on electricity generated locally. The generators are turned off at 11PM. At night a torch becomes very useful. River

Since the river trip took two hours shorter than we were told it would take, we still had daylight to see the town. It seems to be typical one-stop, backpacker’s town. The main street is full of guesthouses, shops and restaurants. The street was tidy and clean. We liked it as it had a character.
After beers in one of the restaurants we went for dinner in Indian restaurant. It proved to be a popular choice as we met there many other fellow boat travelers. The food was good.
Soon after dinner we were back in the room and ready to sleep.

08 - Jun - 2009

In the morning we were intercepted by the owner at the entrance to the guesthouse. He offered us breakfast at his restaurant. We stayed. The breakfast was standard eggs and jam. The restaurant had also prepared sandwiches for lunch on the boat.
When we asked for the bill the owner charged us for the room. That's how we found out we overpaid by booking through the guide. There are so many guesthouses and hotels in the town that it is better to find the place after arrival.
After breakfast we went to the boat station and boarded the boat. This one has many soft seats and looks better. We even found life jackets on the seats.
The boat was full again. The boat left at about 9:30. We expected a shorter than yesterday's trip but it was longer. We arrived at Luang Prabang at 17:30. The boat made a number of stops on the way. It looks then if one wants to get on the boat then he just waves his shirt towards a boat. We saw that the captain ignored one group of people waving from the bank. It was possibly a bad place to get the boat to the shore. At one of the stops a large number of teak planks loaded, one at the time.
The views along the river are pretty. It is however difficult to enjoy them when the body starts aching despite soft seats. This is not only my old body that feels that way. Young backpackers ended up on the floor, often spreading on each other (no complains from anyone) and trying to sleep.
When we arrived some people from guesthouses waited for us hoping to get some business. We chose Villa Sokxai. After checking the room we took it. We want to have a rest break here thus we needed the room with air-conditioning, TV and access to tea in the morning. The guesthouse provides all that and is located in the right part of the town. The cost is $US20 per day including breakfast.
We had dinner in a restaurant where we could have some wine (nice break from beer) and access to wi-fi. It looks we will enjoy wine more here as it is much cheaper than in Thailand or Malaysia.

09 - Jun - 2009

After a good night sleep we had breakfast and then headed to explore the town. The main street has a nice, quiet atmosphere. Shops, bars, guesthouses and travel agencies are everywhere. We enquired about some tours and transport options around Luang Prabang as well as other places. We will begin exploring around the region tomorrow.
Some restaurants offer free wi-fi connections to the internet. We stopped at one for drinks and to check our mailboxes. As an exchange counter was there too we exchanged some Thai Bahts fir Lao Kips. The counter offered much better rate than shops or restaurants.
We tried to visit the National located in the king's palace but it was closed. It seems that June is the month for maintenance and renovations.
I bought a SIM card for the cell phone hoping to get access to the internet. We even walked to the local carrier's office to setup the connection. So far we had no success. Sometimes it takes a day or two for the carrier to activate data connection. I will see!
For lunch we had some soups. They were good and very, very cheap.
The afternoon we spent back in the hotel room. Museum

07 - Jun 2009

We woke up early, too early for the hotel service. We had to wait before they came to serve breakfast. We got fried eggs, fruit, one glass of horrible fruit juice and no bread. No wonder, we were the only customers.

A driver to take us to the ferry across the Mekong River arrived half an hour early. He claimed I told him to be in the hotel at eight. It did not matter. We were ready to go. The half an hour we spent waiting in the travel agent's office.

The agent provided us with forms to apply for Laos visas. We also had to prepare $31.oo each for the visas.

Border crossing was one of the most unusual ever. We were checked out by Thai Immigration on a bank river. From there we took long, narrow boat, called a ferry by the locals, to cross the river. There is just a piece of concrete road where the "ferries" land. It is rather impossible to board or get off without wetting one's feet.

Checking in to Laos was easy and without any complications. We had all the documents, forms, photos and money. The agent told us we would get 15-day visas. We got 30-day.

All the time we had a guide to tell us what to do and where to go. There was also a truck bus that took us to the barge jetty. The guide provided us with the boat tickets and then started hard sell of a hotel for the night and exchange of moneys. We booked the guesthouse after checking it in the Lonely Planet. The price was the same. We also exchanged 2000 Baht to 440,000.oo Kip. We did not believe Laos people would not accept Baht any more, but we know we will spend the money anyway. The exchange rate seemed to be fine.

We boarded the boat when there were only a few people on it. We managed to get two of only 10 soft seats. Hard, timber seats are very, very narrow. I would have real trouble to be comfortable.

The boat left after 11 AM more than an hour after we boarded it. During that time more and more passengers boarded the boat. Eventually it was nearly full. Most of the passengers are young backpackers. There a few locals and us.

The boat motored down stream with current. We had crossed quite a few rapids. The views are getting better with time. It is a pity it rained as the boat had to be covered.

Most of the passengers did not pay too much attention to the views. Uncomfortable seats made them assuming all sorts of positions. Some found the floor the best option.

There was a little bar on the boat (we were told there was none). The captain's wife sold some snacks, cold beer (Beerlao) and freshly made sandwiches. We tried the beer and it tasted good.

The boat stopped a few times to let some local people to disembark. At the first stop children with baskets of snacks, fruit and beer came to the boat. Their prices were half of those on the boat. This inevitably led to some verbal quarrel between the captain's wife and children. Beer seemed to be the main product of contention.

Bank of the river are hilly with some places showing even rocks. The hills are often covered by the jungle - pretty!

When we arrived at our destination about two dozens of local men waited for us. Since our bags were stored somewhere on the boat only a few people left the boat. The crew did not seem to be interested in getting the bags out. A local man came on board and said everybody should leave and wait for the bags to be unloaded. As a result the men who were waiting on the bank entered the boat and soon started coming out with the bags. Amazingly, two men came together with our bag. It is a mystery how they knew the bags belonged together. When we tried to claim our bags the men would not put them down. Fortunately we met the owner of the guesthouse where we had our room booked. He spoke English and - I presume - told the men they would not be paid. One surrendered the bag immediately. The other did it about 10 metres further.

We walked to the guesthouse with the its' staff. It was just a short distance as the guesthouse is practically the first from the boat stop.

We found the rooms clean, tidy and spacious. There were a few broken things, like toilet seat cover or a tap but otherwise we were happy. The town runs on electricity generated locally. The generators are turned off at 11PM. At night a torch becomes very useful.

Since the river trip took two hours shorter than we were told it would take, we still had daylight to see the town. It seems to be typical one-stop, backpacker’s town. The main street is full of guesthouses, shops and restaurants. The street was tidy and clean. We liked it as it had a character.

After beers in one of the restaurants we went for dinner in Indian restaurant. It proved to be a popular choice as we met there many other fellow boat travelers. The food was good.

Soon after dinner we were back in the room and ready to sleep.

08 - Jun - 2009

In the morning we were intercepted by the owner at the entrance to the guesthouse. He offered us breakfast at his restaurant. We stayed. The breakfast was standard eggs and jam. The restaurant had also prepared sandwiches for lunch on the boat.

When we asked for the bill the owner charged us for the room. That's how we found out we overpaid by booking through the guide. There are so many guesthouses and hotels in the town that it is better to find the place after arrival.

After breakfast we went to the boat station and boarded the boat. This one has many soft seats and looks better. We even found life jackets on the seats.

The boat was full again. The boat left at about 9:30. We expected a shorter than yesterday's trip but it was longer. We arrived at Luang Prabang at 17:30. The boat made a number of stops on the way. It looks then if one wants to get on the boat then he just waves his shirt towards a boat. We saw that the captain ignored one group of people waving from the bank. It was possibly a bad place to get the boat to the shore. At one of the stops a large number of teak planks loaded, one at the time.

The views along the river are pretty. It is however difficult to enjoy them when the body starts aching despite soft seats. This is not only my old body that feels that way. Young backpackers ended up on the floor, often spreading on each other (no complains from anyone) and trying to sleep.

When we arrived some people from guesthouses waited for us hoping to get some business. We chose Villa Sokxai. After checking the room we took it. We want to have a rest break here thus we needed the room with air-conditioning, TV and access to tea in the morning. The guesthouse provides all that and is located in the right part of the town. The cost is $US20 per day including breakfast.

We had dinner in a restaurant where we could have some wine (nice break from beer) and access to wi-fi. It looks we will enjoy wine more here as it is much cheaper than in Thailand or Malaysia.

09 - Jun - 2009

After a good night sleep we had breakfast and then headed to explore the town. The main street has a nice, quiet atmosphere. Shops, bars, guesthouses and travel agencies are everywhere. We enquired about some tours and transport options around Luang Prabang as well as other places. We will begin exploring around the region tomorrow.

Some restaurants offer free wi-fi connections to the internet. We stopped at one for drinks and to check our mailboxes. As an exchange counter was there too we exchanged some Thai Baht for Lao Kips. The counter offered much better rate than shops or restaurants.

We tried to visit the National Museum located in the king's palace but it was closed. It seems that June is the month for maintenance and renovations.

I bought a SIM card for the cell phone hoping to get access to the internet. We even walked to the local carrier's office to setup the connection. So far we had no success. Sometimes it takes a day or two for the carrier to activate data connection. I will see!

For lunch we had some soups. They were good and very, very cheap.

The afternoon we spent back in the hotel room.

We had a bit unusual dinner. The restaurant had tables with clay pots in the middle. The pots are filled with burning coals and a dish is put on the top of it. We then could cook our meal using fresh ingredients. We actually did not cook ourselves as the waitress did it for us.

10 -Jun - 2009

I did not feel well in the morning - stomach problem again. We decided we would stay in town for the day. Tina went to a cooking class. I had time to update our website. I also visited the cooking class and tasted the food. I hope for more of it in the future!

Since I took antibiotic to cure my stomach, I feel fine.

11 - Jun - 2009

In the morning we booked a trip to the waterfall. One cannot walk through the town without being offered a ride there. We decided to see it in the afternoon.

We also booked a minivan to Phansavan in two days (to see Plain of Jars). We were assured the minivan was air-conditioned.

The trip to the waterfall was good. It is in a national park about 30 kms from the town. The park looks after moon bears. They live in south Asia and are on the list of endangered species. There is a fenced off area with viewing platforms where we could stand and watch the bears.

There is a number of small pools and waterfalls in the park. We had a swim in cool water under one of them. Just as a storm sounded the first thunder, we started a walk to the top of the waterfall. It turned up the path led us to the top of the waterfall on the top of the one we could see from the bottom thus much higher. Walking up was not too difficult but back down proved to be a challenge. The rain and mud made the path slippery. We also decided to walk a loop and the other side of the loop was much more stepper than the one we took first.

We made it safely and enjoyed it a lot. A swim in the pool washed away mud and sweat. We saw people playing in the pool between the lower and higher waterfalls. The only way there was however marked as dangerous thus we did not go there.

In the minivan we met a young Thai-English couple. They live in England. He used to be a teacher but for the last few years he's been working in the restaurant they established. The business is successful but they plan to sell it in a few years and move in to Thailand. Maybe we will visit their restaurant once we reach Europe?

In the evening we started feeling our legs. For dinner we just went across the road from the hotel. It is an interesting restaurant set in garden. The waiters lighted candles everywhere and it feels like in a jungle, well nearly. We asked for a bottle of wine but... it was not chilled. We ended up buying by glass as that one was from the fridge.

12 - Jun - 2009

Next to the guesthouse is big hill with a temple on the top. At night the temple is illuminated. Tina spotted it on the first day in Luang Prabang. Today we climbed the hill. There are 328 steps to reach the top. We entered from the south and left on the north-west side. Half way the hill (I thought this was the top) we paid entrance fee to the temple. On the way we saw the "foot print of Budda". The temple is a small structure with usual Budda statue. Next to the temple we found a wreck of a modern gun. It was probably there to protect the town during the Vietnam war.

After visiting the temple we stopped at a café for drinks. We could also check our emails as the café offers wi-fi to the clients.

We followed the drinks with a walk to the part of the town we have not seen as yet. This is an upmarket part with nice hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and buildings. There are also two old temples, one on UN heritage list. We browsed them but by now we lost interest in temples. There are everywhere and many.

In the evening we went to the night market. The main street was partially closed foe the tables and stalls. Food, but mostly local products are for sale there. We bought some presents. The market stalls spread over large area. Most of them offer however very similar choice.

For dinner we went to a restaurant recommended to us by the couple we met on the minivan yesterday. We met them there. Tina could enjoy conversion about food again. The food was ok but nothing special. We were a bit disappointed with my choice of seafood.

13 - Jun - 2009

This morning we packed our bags and checked out from the hotel. A minivan collected us for the trip to Phonsavan. The driver drove through the town adding more passengers. The last stop was at the minibus depot where the last passengers filled up the minivan. After some paper work we started, or what we thought. There was one more stop - at the petrol station. One day people in Laos will discover that clients do not want to participate in maintenance or preparations of the buses.

When we booked the minivan trip we specifically asked if the minivan was air conditioned. The agent called to check and she assured us it was. Well, it was not. After we left the town it did not matter, however. Open windows kept everyone cool. The road soon took us up in the mountains and it became even too cold.

The van was packed with the passengers to the last available seat. There were even two people sitting next to the driver. Leg room in vans is also limited thus the trip was not comfortable. Fortunately the driver stopped for short breaks every 90 minutes. We could stretch our legs and buy snacks.

The road was winding through the mountains and it had plenty of sharp curves. The driver drove the van as if it were a racing car. On some curves the tires stretched making us rather uneasy. Overtaking was even more of an adventure. The driver managed that without seeing much ahead. Needless to say, we were happy when we arrived to Phonsavan after about seven hours.

As usual, local enterprising people waited for us. Some offered places in guesthouses; others tours to the Plain of Jars. We checked a nearby hotel (called Nice ...) and checked in there. The room was basic but it was clean and with the private bathroom. We also had a TV. There was no air conditioning but at over 1000 metres above sea level we did not need one.

After showers we went to book a tour to the Plain of Jars. We teamed up with other people from the minivan thus making a group of seven. That gave us some bargaining power. A man showed up at the hotel with some offers. We did not like them and he was not ready to negotiate. We split up and did some checking. As a result we booked the tour with a nearby travel agency. The man became very angry and exchanged some words with the travel agent. We later found out that the man acted for other agencies. Well, this time he lost his commission.

In the evening we went for dinner to the most crowded restaurant. It was a good choice as the food was excellent and the service too.

14 - Jun - 2009

Shortly after we woke up electricity went down. We were told we would not have any till the evening. We were happy to leave the town. The minivan arrived on time but... there were some formalities to attend thus we had to wait. In the meantime we booked places on the bus to Vientiane next day.

The first stop was at the Information Center where we could read a bit about the history of the Plain of Jars and the region. An instrument caught my eye. It is called "mouth organ" and it is used only at funerals. It looked interesting and I would have liked to hear it. Nobody was dead however.

Our tour took us to three different sites with stone jars. Although each site is different the jars are the same. Nevertheless visiting just one site would not be satisfying. The most intriguing thing about the jars is their purpose. Nobody really knows.

We had some luck with our guide. He was a young man with good enough English. He tried to show us as much as possible while not pushing us to hurry. It was excellent.

We visited a couple of villages of interest. One produced local whiskey and the other silk fabrics.

We also saw a wreck of what the locals call "Russian tank". I believe it is an armored vehicle. Apparently it was destroyed by an American bomb with two Vietnamese soldiers losing their lives.

We also visited an old capital of the province. It was destroyed during the war to such a degree that the authorities moved to Phonsavan. A Budda statue - called "lucky" - survived the destruction of the town.

By accident - we had a flat tire - we went to ox fight in a Hmong tribe village. The fights are organized only every few weeks. We happened to be at the right time for it. The fights are bloodless. Owners of the oxes pull them by the rings in the noses till they lock the horns. At that point fighting instincts of the animals take over and they start to push each other. Eventually one of the oxes gives up and runs away. This is when the public gets involved. Heavily breathing animal just wants to get away and runs in random direction. People then run away from it. There were some close calls, all welcomed with loud laughter.

It was a good tour and we returned to the guesthouse tired and happy.

There was no electricity and it would remain that way till next morning. We had cold showers. For dinner we chose a Chinese restaurant. The owners set a light using car battery and an inverter. We could see but in the kitchen they had candles only. Perhaps that was the reason I did not like the food. Actually I would not recommend this restaurant.

We had early night.

15 - Jun - 2009

We got electricity early in the morning. It was good to have a hot shower.

Bus trip to Vientiane took nearly ten hours. The bus had air conditioning but the driver tended to have it off rather too often. As usual the bus stopped for anybody who waved it. One passenger had a few bags of agricultural produce with her. All of it was loaded, transported and unloaded. It was unusual but also nice as people were very helpful with handling of the bags - all with smiles.

We also had a driver who most of the time remembered he provided transport to people not potatoes.

Our first impressions of Vientiane are not good. It looks like a large and messy town. The bus station is away from the city center thus we had to take a tuk-tuk.

In the afternoon we walked around the older part of the town. We checked what tours we could book from here. We also wanted to find Laos Airlines office as we intended to fly from Pakse to Siem Reap.

After talking to a Tourist Office clerk and a couple of other travel agencies we booked two tours in the hotel where we were staying. The first tour would go to the archeological site - Wat Phou. The second one is a trip to a few waterfalls and tribe villages. We also found Laos Airline office but it was closed on Sunday.

Opposite the office there is a very nice café shop serving good coffee.

22 - Jun - 2009

We delayed the tour to Wat Phou by an hour as we wanted to buy plane tickets to Siem Reap. The office opens at 8 AM. Since we were there 10 minutes early we went to the café for breakfast. The first employee of the airlines arrived at about 8:15. We gave him 10 minutes to turn on computers and prepare to work. Well that was not enough. We still had to wait for another employee who spoke English. We bought the tickets to take a flight on Thursday.

The minibus took us to a ferry on the Mekong River. The ferry is a set of three boats with the middle one larger then the side ones. Drivers of the ferries are very skilled in maneuvering them. A few traders travel on the ferry there and back selling mostly food.

The Wat Phou is a large place with ruins of ancient temples and other buildings. It was great to visit it.

On the way back we stopped for lunch at a nicely located restaurant on the Mekong River. The food however did not match the location.

23 - Jun - 2009

We had an early start today. The same minibus with the same crew collected us at the hotel. The first stop was at a village where blacksmiths make knives. We watched them heating up the iron and then hitting with hammers.

Along the road we saw many people selling fruits and other agricultural produce. Pineapples seemed to be most common.

Our next stop was at a household that grows coffee beans and tea leaves. We were given a tour through the plantation and informed how coffee and tea are produced. Both processes are more complicated than I ever thought. We tried some tea and bought coffee.

The next stop was at waterfalls Tad Fane. We could see two very high waterfalls from a viewing point in a resort. The waterfalls are very impressive. The resort looked very interesting too.
We discovered later that all waterfalls we visited had at least one place to stay. Some of the places looked very good.

The next waterfall we saw was Tad Nyuenag. We walked from the top of the waterfall to its bottom. At some point we were in the mist created by the falling water. At the top there are bridges joining islands and banks of the creek. It is a pleasant place to visit and walk through.

The last waterfall we visited was Tad Lo. It is located lower than other ones and it is also different. In the distance we could see higher waterfalls and then at the bottom more gradually falling water. There is a very nice resort at the waterfall. We stopped there for beer and to watch the distant waterfalls. Additional attractions were two elephants and an otter. The elephants were not chained and they could move freely along the creek. The otter was at the reception of the resort and it was very playful. We encountered this animal so close for the first time in our lives.

After visiting a couple of more tribal villages we returned to hotel late in the afternoon.

We booked in the Mali Namphu Guesthouse in the centre. The place was recommended to us by a fellow traveler. The room looks fine. We have air conditioning and hot shower with good water pressure.

It looks that Vientiane restaurants as well as accommodation are dearer than in the other towns. We had dinner in a nearby restaurant and the food was good.

16 - Jun - 2009

Breakfast served by the hotel was good. After eating we went to explore the town. We began by visiting a nearby wat (buddist temple). This is the only temple that was not destroyed by invaders from North. It is a museum now and it is interesting.

We went to see another wat nearby. This one is also a museum with sculptures of Budda. Totally boring.

By now we had had enough of temples thus we just wondered around the town. We just confirmed we were not impressed with the town.

In the afternoon we had a two hour massage. It was different that massages we had before. This time the masseur used hot towels and hot balls of fabrics. It was pleasant and relaxing.

After the massages I went to internet café while Tina decided to explore the area. She found a wine shop. We had there not only wine but also European cold meats - just wonderful! We needed no dinner after that.

Tomorrow we intend to leave Vientiane.

17 - Jun - 2009

We said Goodbye to Vientiane and two men we met recently. The men live in Cambodia in Phnom Penh. They invited us for lunch when we are there.

We hired tuk-tuk to go to the bus station. It was raining heavily. The driver had to stop on the way to put on a rain coat. We arrived just in time. Our bags where transferred from tuk-tuk to the bus before we even got off. The delay to leave the tuk-tuk was caused by the fact that we had to walk knee deep in water - just like landing a dinghy on a beach.

The bus left the station a minute after we had boarded it. It then stopped just few hundred metres from the bus station! No passenger got off or on. Instead the traders came. They were selling mostly food and employed rather aggressive tactics. One trader came with chuing gum. He went quickly through the bus putting gum packets on the passengers’ laps. He then walked back and asked for money. The main goal of this tactic was to eliminate the competition. Other traders trying to sell the gum had to face clients with the product. At some point selling became more aggressive. Tina had two packets of gum she did not want when a woman came and threw (!) one more packet. She then demanded a payment. Tina returned the packet but the woman threw it again and again! She gave up after four attempts!

Other food the traders brought was local stuff such as boiled eggs on a stick, barbeque chicken or frog, etc. We did buy two bottles of water.

The bus eventually started moving although the first few kilometres were very slow. The road is still being built and the driver had to negotiate many potholes and little creaks that rain had been creating.

Bus had many stops before it arrived in Takheak. Some unusual stops included: let traders on at the beginning of a town and then let them off at the end, cows on the road, let passengers to go to a toilet in the bush, and to pray at one of many small altars.

After six and a half hours we reached out destination. We teamed up with the only other tourist on the bus and hired a tuk-tuk to the guesthouse. Tina inspected the guesthouse and we checked in. The room has everything we need, including a little fridge and air conditioning. The guesthouse is located centrally. Later we discovered better looking hotel but we did not checked the rooms.

Our accidental companion - Peter from Holland - also checked in to the same guesthouse. He soon found a tuk-tuk driver to take him to the Budda Cave next day. We decided to do more exploring before committing. After long walk we found a Tourist Office and booked a tour to the caves as well as to the Budda Cave.

Since we had fridge in the room we bought some wine in a shop near the ferry landing. The ferry takes passengers across the Mekong River to Thailand. The shop charged us in Thai Baht.

We had dinner in the Inthira Hotel. This is one of the better looking ones and it offers free wi-fi internet connection. Food and service were also good.

18 - Jun - 2009

Our guide came to our room to ask us what we eat. He wanted to make sure we ate Lao food. We said we did and... maybe we should not have.

We had a good breakfast at the Inthira Hotel which seems to be very popular with locals. The tuk-tuk with the guide arrived on time. First we went to the guide's house where we collected his sister. She just wanted to go for a ride. Then the driver discovered he forgot his cigarettes thus he had to find a place to buy them. After all that we were on the way.

The first cave - Elephant Cave - required us to cross a little creek. As probably all caves here, this one was used as a temple. The guide told us that some festivities last even a week on meadows in the front of the cave. We wanted to see the elephant apparently formed by the rock corrosion. The guide told us we would have to walk farther inside the cave and we needed a torch. The annoying part was that before we crossed the creek he stopped me bringing the torch! Anyway, it looked like going farther into the cave could be dangerous so we just left.

The second cave was already flooded thus we could see the entrance only. 200 hundred metres walk to the cave was however nice.

A local market was nearby and the guide bought some food for lunch. Interesting one was a bag of very small shrimps. He explained the shrimps are eaten whole then offered them to us. We preferred fruit. The guide and the driver ate the shrimps during the tour. I noticed the sister of the guide did not eat them.

After we visited one more cave converted into a temple we went to another market for "picnic lunch". We sat on a raised floor under the cover near a stall where our food was prepared. When the food was ready all five of us sat around the plates and ate with our hands. After a while I was mercifully given a fork. The food was good. It included eggs, salad and barbeque fish.

The last cave to see was the famous Budda Cave. It was discovered only a few years ago. It is a very nice cave. The altar inside is also somehow different and nicer than in other places. We left some money on the donations plate and the man put a bit of string on our wrists for good luck. This was the only cave we thought was worthwhile to visit today.

The guide felt a bit bad about the tour thus he added a visit to "stupa" south of the town. Stupa was built about 1500 years ago. In a temple next to it we had an opportunity to talk to a monk with the guide as the translator. Again we were given straps of strings for good luck.

We felt the tour was not really that good. The highlight was a visit to the Budda Cave. The other interesting part was the landscape. The mountains here are stunningly beautiful. In the dry season trekking must be great.

We had dinner with Peter. He lives permanently in Phom Phen. Tomorrow he will cross the border to Thailand. We will go farther south hoping to have a couple of relaxing days.

19 - Jun - 2009

Our guide told us we could catch a bus to Savannakhet at 9:15. Following that we left the guesthouse after eight thirty. At the bus station we found out the first bus to Savannakhet would leave at 10:30. We had time to explore the station.

Three hour trip was just usual. The interesting part was loading a motorcycle on the bus. They found some room for it at the entrance thus the passengers had to go around it.

We chose a guesthouse from the Lonely Planet. Tuk-tuk driver stopped right at the door. I went to check the room. It was not like anything described in the book. We decided to find something else. Another tuk-tuk took us to a large hotel in clearly communist architecture building. Inside however we found very nice rooms with everything we needed, well nearly as there was only one TV channel in English. The owner did not mind lowering the price of the room when we asked for it.

After showers we found a Post Office as we wanted to mail some things we bought as presents. The cost to mail a 3.75 kg parcel was $92.oo! We decided to carry the presents in our bags.

Walking the streets of the old part of the town is pleasant. It can however be done in a couple of hours. We had a very good meal at a nearby restaurant. We will most likely go to Pakse tomorrow. We intend to make up our minds after dinner.

20 - Jun - 2009

We wanted to go to Pakse today but this time Tina got a stomach bug. We decided to stay one day longer in Savannakhet. The hotel room is nice and the service is good.

Most of the time we spent in the room watching TV. I went out for lunch and brought some dry food for Tina.

For dinner we went to the same Chinese restaurant as for lunch day earlier. This time we spotted non-Asians there. We did not spend too much time in the restaurant as Tina wanted to head back to the hotel.

21 - Jun - 2009

We checked out from the hotel early and went to the bus station. We boarded the most creeping bus ever. It was at least 50 years old. The seats were stack next to each other tightly giving very little leg room. They went also very narrow. Back supports were fixed. Since there were only few passengers we occupied one seat each.

The driver had a little altar in the middle of the windscreen. The engine was covered with a carpet although this did not prevent loud noise from it. There was no air conditioning but the windows could be opened. Tina tried to open the window next to her but it wouldn't lock in place. One of the bus crew came to help. He used a string to fix the window.

It was not a comfortable trip of over six hours. We covered 240 kms during that time.

The good things about the bus: clean, good views and feeling of being back in the past.

Pakse is a very spread town. We tried Hotel Pakse first. The room however was smelly and expensive. We went around the corner to Sala Champa Hotel. The first room in the main villa was expensive, large and uninviting. We were then taken to cheaper and much nicer room in the new building. We checked in for three nights.

In the afternoon we walked around the older part of the town. We checked what tours we could book from here. We also wanted to find Laos Airlines office as we intended to fly from Pakse to Siem Reap.

After talking to a Tourist Office clerk and a couple of other travel agencies we booked two tours in the hotel where we were staying. The first tour would go to the archeological site - Wat Phou. The second one is a trip to a few waterfalls and tribe villages. We also found Laos Airline office but it was closed on Sunday.

Opposite the office there is a very nice café shop serving good coffee.

22 - Jun - 2009

We delayed the tour to Wat Phou by an hour as we wanted to buy plane tickets to Siem Reap. The office opens at 8 AM. Since we were there 10 minutes early we went to the café for breakfast. The first employee of the airlines arrived at about 8:15. We gave him 10 minutes to turn on computers and prepare to work. Well that was not enough. We still had to wait for another employee who spoke English. We bought the tickets to take a flight on Thursday.

The minibus took us to a ferry on the Mekong River. The ferry is a set of three boats with the middle one larger then the side ones. Drivers of the ferries are very skilled in maneuvering them. A few traders travel on the ferry there and back selling mostly food.

The Wat Phou is a large place with ruins of ancient temples and other buildings. It was great to visit it.

On the way back we stopped for lunch at a nicely located restaurant on the Mekong River. The food however did not match the location.

23 - Jun - 2009

We had an early start today. The same minibus with the same crew collected us at the hotel. The first stop was at a village where blacksmiths make knives. We watched them heating up the iron and then hitting with hammers.

Along the road we saw many people selling fruits and other agricultural produce. Pineapples seemed to be most common.

Our next stop was at a household that grows coffee beans and tea leaves. We were given a tour through the plantation and informed how coffee and tea are produced. Both processes are more complicated than I ever thought. We tried some tea and bought coffee.

The next stop was at waterfalls Tad Fane. We could see two very high waterfalls from a viewing point in a resort. The waterfalls are very impressive. The resort looked very interesting too.
We discovered later that all waterfalls we visited had at least one place to stay. Some of the places looked very good.

The next waterfall we saw was Tad Nyuenag. We walked from the top of the waterfall to its bottom. At some point we were in the mist created by the falling water. At the top there are bridges joining islands and banks of the creek. It is a pleasant place to visit and walk through.

The last waterfall we visited was Tad Lo. It is located lower than other ones and it is also different. In the distance we could see higher waterfalls and then at the bottom more gradually falling water. There is a very nice resort at the waterfall. We stopped there for beer and to watch the distant waterfalls. Additional attractions were two elephants and an otter. The elephants were not chained and they could move freely along the creek. The otter was at the reception of the resort and it was very playful. We encountered this animal so close for the first time in our lives.

After visiting a couple of more tribal villages we returned to hotel late in the afternoon.

24 - Jun - 2009

Rest day. The main activities: walking, massages and dinner on a roof of a hotel.

25 - Jun - 2009

We left Laos. After breakfast we went to the airport in a tuk-tuk. Checking out was simple and easy. Small airport offered a few shops and a restaurant serving good coffee.

There were few passengers only and we were told the airport would close in July. We did not ask for how long.

The plane arrived from Luang Prabang on time and it left for Siem Reap 10 minutes early. It was a smaller type of a plane but it still was half empty. Most passengers were backpackers.

On arrival in Cambodia we applied for visas. The procedure was simple and fast. We were well prepared having forms and photographs ready. After visas were issued we could go through the immigration. There we were photographed and let go.

Our bags were already waiting for us. We still had customs forms but nobody to collect them. Someone showed us a pile of forms on a desk. We added our forms to the pile. Everything was over in just a few minutes.

Since we booked a hotel via internet, a driver with a sign was waiting for us. He took us to his vehicle. This was a motor bike with a four seat attachment pulled behind. They seem to be popular here.

The hotel is really a guesthouse named "Two Dragons". We got a room with two double beds, air conditioning, TV and free access to wireless internet network. We can also have tea and water any time. The location of the guesthouse is not ideal as it is on a side dirt street. We have however shops and restaurants nearby.

Late in the afternoon we traveled to the Angkor area to buy tickets and watch the sunset. The driver took us to a temple on a hill as from there we could see not only the sunset but also the Angkor Wat in the right light. We enjoyed the walk uphill and then exploring the temple. Walking was not easy however, as there were crowds of people everywhere.

26 - Jun - 2009

With a guide we started our visit to the Angkor. It was rather exhaustive day. We visited three sites. The guide gave us good information and tips for more exploring.

The Angkor area is really wonderful. I decided not to write about it as there are much better descriptions in books and on the internet.

27 - Jun - 2009

With the same driver of the tuk-tuk we visited two sites located about 60 kms from Siem Reap. The first one - Kbal Spean - is in the jungle. 1.5kms walk is pleasant and rewarding. After we had seen the carvings we enjoyed very refreshing shower under a waterfall.

The second site - Banteay Srei - has a small temple. It is well preserved.

On the way back we stopped at a "Bad Luck" temple. It is sort of "more of the same" but still interesting. We were also constantly harassed by children selling anything they thought a tourist may want or need to buy. On the top of the temple there was a man voluntary providing information. At the end he asked for a tip.

We returned to the hotel just in time as a storm arrived.

28 - Jun - 2009

We went to see more temples.

29 - Jun - 2009

In the morning we went to the museum. We wanted to walk there as there was a park on the way and the distance was short. Our regular driver offered to drive us there for free. We said we preferred to walk. He then told us he would get one liter of petrol free from the museum`s owner. We let him to drive us to the museum. We walked back.

The museum was interesting though expensive in Cambodia terms. We had lunch in a Chinese restaurant in the museum complex. Food was good but servings small.

In the afternoon we went to the center of the town. This is backpackers’ area. There are markets, many guesthouses and even more restaurants. First we explored the streets and lanes and then we had our drinks and dinner.

Later we had really great massages.

30 - Jun - 2009

Our next destination was Battambang, We chose to get there by a boat.

This meant we had early start as a car arrived to collect us at 6AM. It was rather strange affair as the driver stopped just around the corner then turned back! We were transferred to a minibus. Collection of other passengers continued till all seats were filled, plus two! They know how to squeeze a buck or two.

Before going to the boat we were offered bread and cheese from a friendly restaurant selected by the driver. Not bad breakfast for a dollar.

The boat was moored at a bank of a river. It was a very narrow boat with hard seats alongside. It was also filled with passengers to the last available place. When the minibus arrived some men offered to carry our bags. Of course they demanded money later. One angry backpacker refused to pay and ... was not bothered any more.

The boat trip was a good experience although a bit painful. The boat was simply not comfortable enough for a seven hours journey. The main attractions were floating villages. On the river banks there were huts built on pontoons. The pontoons were made of bamboo with barrels or anything that can float. We took plenty of photos.

Huts and houses on pontoons are not only for accommodation. There are also shops, restaurants, workshops and even a church. Water levels change here by a few metres every year. Having floating home makes sense.

We decided to stay in Royal Hotel. A minibus took us to the hotel. Tina checked the rooms and chose a really nice one. We had everything we required.

We explored some streets around the hotel and identified restaurants for drinks and meals. One was a disappointment. Looked good but we found it without character and rather small. After a beer we left to look for more pleasant environment. It was a restaurant just a few metres away. The owner lived in Sydney for three years thus spoke good English. The meals were good and so was wine.

01 - Jul - 2009

The morning began rather bad. We had another unfortunate choice this time selecting a restaurant to have breakfast. We ordered just omelets. We waited nearly an hour for those omelets!

The rest of the day was much better. We hired two motor bikes with drivers. They took us to places that most tourists do not see. Motor bikes can go where cars or even tuk-tuks can't. We drove on country dirt roads through real Cambodia villages. We know now how rice paper, noodles, wine and sticky rice cakes are made.

We also visited ruins of the Ek Phom temple. They are not very impressive and we had to pay to see them. After Siem Reap those ruins can be missed.

For lunch the drivers took us to a restaurant on a bank of a river. It was basic meal but it was nice to rest in a hammock.

Last attraction was a ride on a bamboo train. It is rather very clever vehicle. It can be assembled or disassembled in a minute. Platform is put on a top of two axis with wheels. The engine goes on the top of the platform. A belt is used to connect the wheels to the engine. That's it!

The ride was a pleasant experience.

We returned to the hotel just in time before the usual afternoon storm.

We had dinner in a restaurant recommended by the Lonely Planet guide book. The food was good but the service just funny. It seemed all employees were interested in a wrestling competition shown on TV. It was very difficult to get their attention.

02 - Jul - 2009

We went on one more tour on motor bikes. This time we visited "Killing Cave". It is actually a set of three caves where Khmer Rouge buried or rather thrown in bodies of their victims. We saw only one cave inside. It has been converted into a Buddhist shrine. Only two glass boxes remind about the past. They are filled with human bones.

On the top on the mountain there is a modern temple and two artillery guns. The walk up the mountain was not easy, at least not for me.

The second destination was another mountain with a temple on the top. The temple is about one thousand years old. To see it we had to walk up very steep stairs. The temple was just like other ones. Views of the plains around were worth the effort.

We returned to the hotel a bit dirty as the roads were dusty.

3 - July - 2009

Most of the day we spent on the bus to Phnom Penh. It was an old vehicle but it had working air conditioning and soft seats. Including the stops the bus needed six hours to cover the distance. We stopped at a few towns on the way and were surprised no one tried to sell anything to us.

That had changed in Phnom Penh. Large number of tuk-tuk's drivers wanted to drive us to the hotel. The one that got us, started by asking us about our plans for the next day and beyond. He wanted to make sure we would stay with him forever. We had no fixed plans and he eventually gave up.

As it turned out the hotel we found in the guide book was closed. After checking a couple more we agreed to go to the hotel recommended by the driver. The hotel was nice and we checked in. It is also located close to the museum and other interesting places.

We had enough time in the afternoon to explore some streets around the hotel. Phnom Penh seems to be rather dirty and annoying. Rubbish on the streets is everywhere. Tuk-tuk drivers camp on every corner and near all hotels. They offer their services rather aggressively, first by offering a ride to anywhere then by trying to start a conversation. The most common ideas are questions about nationality ("where are you from?"), visit plans ("where are you going?") and possible places to visit ("going to killing fields?"). In a restaurant we were also approached by many beggars, some of them children.

We hoped David and Vic, we met in Laos, would help us to cope with the town. They had been living here for years.

04 - July - 2009

In the morning we wanted to visit the royal palace. After facing the crowd of tuk-tuk drivers and kids selling drinks we found the entrance to the palace. There we were turned back as Tina had her shoulders exposed!

We went to the museum instead. It was interesting with many exhibits. I felt however that I needed more information about them. The most annoying was that we were offered by local women little flowers on a stick quite a few times (practically in every room). The trick is that then you are asked to put them in front of a Buddha together with money, thus one parts with both flowers and the money. On the top of that there are "contribution" boxes on every corner. This is insane!

We had lunch in the Riverfront Mekong Restaurant. The restaurant screens a 40 minutes video about recent Cambodian history. It was worthwhile to watch.

After watching the video we went for a walk around the town following the Lonely Planet route. Despite rain we enjoyed the walk. There are many very nice colonial buildings on the way. Even the ones that needed renovation looked good. Large boulevards are pleasant to walk, too. Crossing them is however a completely different matter.

We finished the day with dinner at a nearby restaurant with limited choice and kitchen on the street. The meals were good.

05 - July - 2009

We moved to a guesthouse around the corner. The hotel we had been staying till now had previous reservations. The new place is as good and even cheaper. We also have a good view of the park in front of the National Museum.

Later in the morning David arrived and we went to his house. David did not drive himself. He hired a driver.

The road to the house was in rather bad state and very busy. David had time to show us various places and tell us a bit about them. The house is outside Phnom Penh in a village. It is a very big house. We met there Vic, his brother with his wife and a couple of students. Not all lived in the house but stayed for a night or two.

After very good tasting lunch we sat on the bank of the river and enjoyed the views. David showed us his latest edition of poems. We asked him to sign one of the books for us.

On the way back David told us more about Phnom Penh giving us ideas for more exploring walks. One of them we implemented immediately by going to a restaurant on the Riverfront. The restaurant was used by foreign journalists before Khmer Rouge took power. We had drinks initially but later we returned to have dinner. It is not a cheap restaurant but certainly it has a pleasant atmosphere. Crowds of backpackers testify to that.

06 - July - 2009

We went to the "Killing Fields". This is the trip that every tuk-tuk driver wants to sell. Our driver took us to the place where people were executed and buried. A big stupa marks it. Inside the stupa bones of the victims are kept. The place is quite and sober.

The next stop was a museum in a former high school converted to prison by Khmer Rouge. Photographs of the victims show people of every age, from babies to old. The victims included also Khmer Rouge. The regime became so paranoid about resistance that eventually turned on its own.

The whole experience was sad and unpleasant but one has to go through it so the victims are not forgotten.

In the afternoon we decided to have haircuts. They included head massages making us feel better and wanting more. We obeyed the desires and full body massages.

When we returned to the hotel I was invited to have some beer with the owner of the hotel and his friends. Although only one of them spoke English it was good to sit with them and drink beer. We sat in front of the hotel and soon another guest from Australia joint us. It was the first and the only time when I did not pay for beer in Cambodia.

07 - July - 2009

Our flight from Phnom Penh to Kuala Lumpur was late in the afternoon. We had time for a walk visiting streets we had not seen before. On one of them we found a shop where Tina's bag could be fixed. It was a Friends shop where young street children are trained to have skills to work. They fixed the bag. In the meantime Tina tried hard to buy something but to no avail.

We visited the king's palace, eventually! It was not great but it was not a waste of time.

We ended our stay in Cambodia with massages.

Tuk-tuk drove us to the airport. I must mention that riding a tuk-tuk in Phnom Penh is an experience in itself. Traffic on the roads is chaotic. Often vehicles go against the flow. Others joining the main street must push in or they would never move. Drivers use the horns often thus the noise is nearly constant. It was not easy to sit and being without control in such circumstances.

Leaving Cambodia was easy. Well it would be if I packed properly. I had a bottle of wine in my backpack. This is not allowed any more. Security guard turned me back. I had to pay for a box and a glad wrapping of the box to take that bottle with us. Next time we will buy wine at the airport as security does not worry about that.

The flight was uneventful. We got 90 day visas on arrival. Entering Malaysia is easy and a pleasure. Why other countries cannot be the same?

We checked in to Tune Hotel at the airport. The first room had air conditioning broken thus we were moved to another. We were not impressed with the hotel. The room was tiny. We had no TV, just bed with two foot space around it. We felt claustrophobic. In future we will avoid this hotel chain.

08 – July – 2009

We are back on the boat! Everything seems to be fine. We need some rest now, although Tina is reading the guides again!

BORNEO TRIP

05 - August , 2009

A strong wind blew at night. It affected our headsail which unfurled a bit. In the end it was good it happened. We could fix it and not worry about it when we are away from the yacht. Initially we wanted to catch a 10:30 ferry, but since we were ready earlier and air-conditioning was off, we decided to leave at 9:30.

Flights to Kuala Lumpur and Kuching were uneventful.

Kuching airport surprised me. It is large and modern. We had to go through immigration that provided us with two month visas. Taxi ride to the pre-booked guesthouse also revealed modern town. Houses in some suburbs were huge.

All that contributed to our disappointment with the guesthouse room. It was rather small and with window facing a tiny backyard. Fortunately it had air conditioning.

We checked in for one night only with intention to find some other hotel. In evening we walked around the old town but we could not find hotel room as all hotels were booked out!

The walk revealed more contrasts and contradictions in the town. Modern mixes here with old and rich with poor. Hawkers’ meals are ridiculously cheap and some restaurants equally ridiculously expensive. Modern cars ride good roads but many do not follow the rules. It is not difficult to see vehicles moving against the traffic or parked in such a way that pedestrians must enter the road to pass them. Unfortunately rubbish is cleared from main tourist areas. Other places are often covered with litter.

06 - August, 2009

We had a day of reconnaissance. We found large shopping centres around the old town and many restaurants. Visits to museums provided us with historical and cultural backgrounds of people living here. Islamic Museum was interesting, too. I noticed that it attempted to reply to perceived views of Islam as well as stereotypes. The texts however seemed to be too defensive leaving expression of religion under siege.

We had good dinner in a restaurant on the waterfront. Earlier we crossed the river to see if the other side was also interesting. We walked to the old fort but it was closed as we arrived too late. The fort is next to the huge parliament house that is still being built. The building dominates the town and it does look grand and impressive.

07 - August, 2009

We had early start as we had to catch a seven o'clock bus to Bako. The bus arrived on time and 45 minutes later we were at the entrance to the national park. A boat took us and other seven people to the park. It was about 15 minutes ride in calm seas. Landing was wet. We had our crocs on thus we had no problem. Others had to remove their walking shoes. We agreed we would take the same boat back at three in the afternoon.
There is a bistro in the park and we had our breakfast there. After registering with the park office for the walk we followed the chosen trail. It was 5.8 kms walk in the jungle. We had to climb up, sometimes on ladders or steps. It was hard, especially as it was also hot. The park information stated it was 3.5 hours trail. We needed that time!

The walk was nice but we did not see too much wildlife. The only attraction was seeing proboscis monkeys on a couple occasions. Views from the lookouts were either covered by trees or not good because of haze. We enjoyed however the walk as it was a good exercise.

Return trip was a bit of a disaster. The bus left just as we were disembarking the boat. We had to wait for the next one for over an hour. It made us even more tired.

In the evening we went to a restaurant to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The food and wine were fine.

08 - August, 2009

We had a day of shopping. Tina needed new hiking shoes and we tried to find some good ones. We did not come across any specialized camping shops, however. We found hiking shoes in a general shoe shop but they did not have the right size.  A sports shop had hiking sneakers and we bought them. Tina will have two weeks to test them before we climb Mt Kinabalu.

We changed our booking to climb the mountain as we thought we found a better place to stay near the park. We will find out when we get there.

While we were sitting in a coffee shop, we witnessed a fight between two gangs of teenagers. It looked the fighting started in a shopping centre. It then moved on to the street. Security guards from the centre followed the youth. They carried sticks in their hands and one had a baseball bat. The youth scattered but soon returned. Groups of them moved along the streets and they all looked agitated. After rather long time police arrived. That seemed to have an effect as the boys dispersed. One policeman had a machine gun. Others had long bamboo sticks. The action moved out of our sight and we did not see anything else. The owner of the place where we stayed told us the street fights were rather common here.

Later in the afternoon we collected our luggage from the guesthouse and took a taxi to the airport. After rather not too good dinner at the domestic terminal we boarded the plane. An hour later we arrived in Miri. We stayed in Miri Hotel. The best of its days the hotel had some time ago. It is however located very well in the centre of the town. Well, it did not really matter to us. Early in the morning we would fly to Bario.

09 - August, 2009

The plane was a small twelve sitter. Only a couple of seats were not taken. We sat close to the pilots' cabin and watched them flicking the switches, turning knobs and checking the instruments. It all looked very complicated and it probably was.

The flight lasted about thirty minutes. Initially we could not see much due to haze around Miri. Apparently the haze is a constant problem in this region, mostly because of bush burning.

After about 20 minutes the air became clearer and we could see the land. The plane flew over mountains covered with jungle. There were also dirt roads on many ridges. Closer to Bario the plane flew in a valley with mountains on both sides.

Landing was perfect.

The airport is just a short runway and a small building. Bario, although called town, is a small village. It is located in a valley. We saw only small creek but I am sure it would be a river in wet season. There were only dirt roads there.

Owner of the lodge where we booked a room waited for us. He packed his double cabin pickup truck with us and other villagers. We heard chirping noises from one of the cartons. Someone brought chickens on the plane.

The owner drove the truck slowly as the road was full of holes. He delivered the villagers first and then bought petrol for the truck. There was no petrol station, of course, but a barrel with fuel next to a minimarket. We used the opportunity to buy some drinks. There were no fridges in the shop thus we preferred some local drinks. My lemon and beer mixture was very refreshing.

The lodge was a nice timber building surrounded by a garden. It looked inviting. Inside it was also tastefully decorated with mixture of pictures, tribal clothes and products on the walls. There was a lounge area with seats and coffee table as well as tea making facilitates. Dining table was next to the lounge. There was drinking water provided at all times. Further back there were doors to bathrooms. Everything looked really nice although very basic. Bedrooms were upstairs. We had three beds made of framed mattresses on the floor. Only a shelf was provided for our things.

The electricity in the lodge was provided by a generator. It made some noise but, since it was located away from the main building, it was not annoying.

We had a very tasty and plentiful lunch. Two other guests, mother with her adult daughter from US, joined us. They had just returned from a two day trek to a tribal village. Their guide would meet us in the evening to discuss our plans.

After afternoon nap we went for one hour walk to the nearest village. It was a good exercise and the heat was mostly gone by then. We were about one thousand metres above the sea level. It was drier there and cooler. There were only natural noises: birds, some wind and buzzing occasional mosquito, and no cars or motor bikes. In the evening we would hear the generator.

10 - August, 2009

The guide did not come yesterday. He phoned he felt tired. He would see us this morning.

After breakfast we said Goodbye to Sarah and Kathy as they finished their visit in Bario. The owner - Douglas - drove us to the market place. We accessed internet from a place ran by Millie, Douglas's wife. The connection was very slow and we just managed to email payment details for the Mt Kinabalu climb next week.

The guide waited for us while we were fiddling with the computer. He offered us a three-four hour walk today then two day trek to a traditional tribal village tomorrow. We accepted both offers.

The guide - Lian - took us to a nearby village with a longhouse. This timber structure could house thirty families. Development and modernization left only ten families living in the longhouse. Along the length of the building there was a common terrace. Here the people met to socialize. The second, sort of, layer of the house was used for bedrooms and the third for cooking. We walked along the terrace while Lian would stop from time to time to tell us about the present and past inhabitants of the house. At each door to private parts of the house the owners hung photographs of their families. There were people in traditional costumes, groups of school children, war photographs and many more. Lian pointed out those most interesting. A young girl - she is a law professor today. She is not the favorite of the government as she fights for the land rights of the tribal people. A dignitary in uniform is a minister in the government. There were also doctors, priest and some others.

Lian took us to the part of the house where the owners prepare their meals. Gas cookers and open fire places were the two ways the kitchens were equipped. Again it was an open area thus the cooks could easily talk to each other while preparing the meals.

We had not seen many people there, just two older women and a carpenter working on the roof. Lian told us others were working in the rice fields. The visit to the longhouse would not be even fractionally as interesting without the guide.

From the house Lian took us to a primitive village in the jungle. Tribal nomadic people lived there. We were just late to see them. They left the village and moved on to the next location. One of the huts had still smoke coming out from the fire place.

We then went to see a waterfall in the jungle. On the way Lian showed us plants used for eating and healing. We also spent some time to watch a couple of birds. Initially we could only hear them. With patience and a pair of binoculars we eventually spotted them. Lian then pulled out a book from his bag and showed us the picture of the bird we had just seen. He would do the same to show us other birds and animals.

The waterfall was nearly dry. Well, the walk was nice.

We returned to the market place where Douglas waited for us with his car. We returned to the lodge very tired mostly because of the noon heat. We hope to start early tomorrow to avoid the hottest part of the day.

We were the only guests in the lodge that day. No drinks, no other guests, no TV... We were in bed early.

11 - August, 2009

There was a storm at night. We worried the trek would be muddy and full of leeches. It was not the case. The rain hardly reached the ground in the jungle. It was also local thus we walked through large dry parts.

Our guide, Lian, arrived at about eight. He wanted just a cup of coffee before setting off. In the meantime Douglas brought to us lunch boxes. We were ready.

The walk took about four hours. It was not difficult as the trek was mostly wide and rather flat. We had not seen any wildlife worthy to mention. We met however a couple of other tourists walking in opposite direction. They cheered us up saying we were already half way to the village. It was a nice exaggeration.

The other walkers we met were Indonesians going back to their country. They most likely worked in Sarawak illegally.

The lodge was a friendly but very basic (primitive?). We got a room with a double bed. Afternoon nap exposed our tired bodies to timber supports under the mattress.

Later in the afternoon Lian took us for a short walk to a stone construction. The construction is very old and nobody really knows who built it. There are a few more of them in the area as well as in... Wales. The mystery of the construction extends to the purpose of it as well as to the way it was built without heavy machinery.

Lian decided to go fishing. We met a young Italian couple in the lodge and their guide. The guide caught a big fish in a nearby creek. Lian wanted to catch one too. Well, he is still there with the rod - anything can happen.

...

Lian got a nice fish! Actually half a dozen of them! Awesome! I ate three, including the largest.

The dinner was a real treat in the lodge. Suepang, the owner, cooked a soup, chicken curry, wild boar stir fry with pineapples and fish. All came with "the best rice in the world". What a feast after chicken wings (for lunch and dinner) in the La Plateau lodge in Bario.

12 - August, 2009

I had a bad night as the bed was very uncomfortable. At 6:30, just as the daylight started to come out, a drum and then bell woke up us. It was the local elder calling all 30 inhabitants to attend a church service. After the service people went to work in the rice fields. It was time to plant rice and every hand was welcome, including guest workers from Indonesia.

We had sweet breakfast: pancakes and donuts. Shortly after the breakfast Lian guided us back to Bario. On the way - as usually - he stopped to point out plants used for eating or healing. He would also name every bird we could hear. Lian knows everything about the jungle.

The walk back took us 3.5 hours thus we were in the lodge well before chicken wings lunch. Tina used time and me to do the washing as we were running out of clean cloth.

We got a surprise for dinner. Instead of chicken wings we got wild boar stir fry.

13 - August, 2009

This has been a day of a 40 minutes flight as it took most of it. We had our breakfast and Douglas took us to the airport early as we had to adjust to his schedule of deliveries. The airport staff checked us in for 10:20 flight. We left Bario after midday, waiting for the plane in small building together with other passengers.

On arrival in Miri we called Park Hotel and booked a room. Taxi delivered us to the hotel. Just as we were checking in we were asked to pay a deposit twice the price of the room. Tina decided on principle that we must not pay. We walked to another hotel. Well, we ended up in the Miri Hotel, the same one we used four days ago.

Since we had some time we walked through the town. We did not find anything of interest thus we made some shopping and returned to the hotel. It was nice to be back in comfortable bed, in cool room and drink cold beer.

We felt tired thus we went to sleep without dinner.

14 - August, 2009

After breakfast we got a taxi to the airport and then plane to Mulu. The flight took 25 minutes. We were taken to the park by a truck. We paid for a few hundred metres trip 10 RM.

At the park reception we got keys to our room in a longhouse. We also booked for walks to caves in the afternoon as well as day and night canopy tours. The girl at the reception was very helpful.

Our room was not ready and we waited in the only cafeteria in the park. We would have most of our meals there.

The room had four beds, air conditioning and bathroom with two showers. We were not sure if the room was for us only but nobody turned up for the first night.

After lunch we went to visit Langs and Deer caves. It was a 40-50 minutes walk on wooden path. Storm had arrived before we started the walk. We had to use our ponchos.
The Langs cave is pretty. The walk inside is about few hundred metres and there are interesting structures to see.

Deer Cave is different than the Langs Cave. For start it is huge, apparently the largest in the world. Inside we walked 800 metres one way. There are no structures like in Langs Cave. Instead there are bats and their dropping with associated smell. According to the guide about 2-3 million bats live there. They eat 15 tones of insects every night - I love that!

After visiting the caves we returned to a little building with viewing seats. The seats are provided for tourists wanting to watch bats leaving the Deer Cave for the night's work of eating insects. We waited for a while but increasing rain forced us to abandon the place and return to the room.

Dinner is cafeteria was good.

15 - August, 2009

Electricity was switched off sometime during the night. It did not matter to us as the room stayed cool till morning. After breakfast we started a walk to Windy Cave. We could hire a boat that would take us on a half an hour river trip ending at the cave. The walk sounded however much better. This was proven right as we really enjoyed walking through the jungle listening to its sounds. The path is all the way man made of concrete and wood.

Before we reached the Windy Cave we had to climb a cliff, stairs provided. Somewhere half way from the top of the mountain the trek goes through a cave-tunnel called Moonmilk. There are lights installed in the cave but half of them do not work. Tina had her torch and it made the passage easy. We came out on the other side of the mountain. From there we still had to go down to the river level and then back up to the Windy Cave entrance.

The cave can be visited with a guide only. We had 10:30 time slot allocated to us. Because so many tourists turned up at the entrance the guide started the tour 15 minutes earlier. The cave is a wonder. Some structures, especially at the end of the cave, are amazing. It was a great reward for our walk although we thought the group was too large for the tour.

From the Windy Cave we walked further up the river to a station where all tourist groups meet. From here tourists can go to see Windy and Clear Water caves as well as continue towards Camp 5 and then on to Pinnacles or Hunters treks.

We went to see Clear Water Cave. It is not as pretty as other caves we had seen. The main attraction is a walk along the creek.

After visiting the cave we had some snacks to restore our energy levels. There is a small area where people can swim in the creek. We refreshed ourselves in clear and cool water.

On the way back we stopped at the Windy Cave. There was nobody there. We sat down and enjoyed the sounds. It was beautiful.

The whole trip took most of the day thus after late, light lunch we went back to the room and rested.

16 - August, 2009

Early start today, we went for 7AM canopy walk. Hanging bridges between trees were a bit wobbly but not dangerous. We enjoyed the walk. We even saw some small monkeys.

After the canopy walk we had quick breakfast as we were told we had to move to another room. That arrangement was from the time of the booking the accommodation. The park was nearly fully booked and we were told that after two nights in one room we would have to move to another for one night. The fourth night we would sleep again in the room firstly allocated to us thus two relocations.

I went to the park headquarters to inquire where we had to move. A few probing questions made the girl behind the counter think. If both rooms were the same then maybe it was possible to leave us in the original room and send newcomers to the other room? Eureka! We did not have to move!

In the evening we were to go for a night wildlife walk. We did not go as it rained all afternoon.

For dinner we braved the wet and went outside the park to a nearby restaurant. It served expensive but cold beer. The food however was lousy. We will not be coming back there.

17 - August, 2009

After late breakfast we decided to go to a waterfall described in one of the brochures. The texts advise to take water and snacks for 4-5 hours return trip. We also had to register with the security. While doing that the security officer asked when we would be back. We said in about five hours. He was surprised as he thought the trek would take less than an hour one way. He was right. It took us less than 90 minutes return to walk to the waterfall and a sign forbidding going any further. The waterfall and the creek were also disappointing.

Later in the afternoon we intended to go for a bird watch walk. It rained heavily again thus we did not go. It looks there is a pattern in every day weather - fine in the morning, storms in the afternoon and evening.

18 - August, 2009

We had to check out from the room by 10AM. Since the flight to Kota Kinabalu was at 15:40 we had time for one more walk. The park headquarters have a storage room and we put our suitcases there. We wanted to explore some wooden paths we saw during the previous walks. The first one was just about 50 metres from the longhouse where we stayed. It took us to the Windy Cave trek in about 20 minutes. We retraced the trek back and then followed the path to Deer Cave. There was another path to the right which we were told was build for bird watching. We wondered why there was a gate to the path. Since it was not locked we went in. In just about a minute we knew the reason for the gate. The path ended with a tower that was higher than the trees. On the top of the tower there was a viewing platform. We could not climb the tower as another gate at the bottom was locked fast.

We decided to walk to the Deer Cave and then return.

When we reached the entrance to the path leading to the cave we discovered there was one more path behind the toilets. We followed it. Soon we were at a helicopter pad. The path however continued on the other side of the pad. We went there. On the way we met some local women who told us the path led to Royal Mulu Resort. Well, great! We'll go there and have some cold beer.

The path ended after about 30 minutes of walk with... a locked gate! Thick chain with large lock was most certainly saying to us: "go back!" We did.

On the way there and back we came across an animal that looked like a tiny squirrel. We saw it a day earlier and then again when walking in opposite direction. It obviously considered the path as its own territory. We also saw a snake that crossed our path. It was dark green nearly gray on the top with yellow belly. There were also birds and some beautiful butterflies.

Cafeteria in the park is in the same building as the hostel. Toilets have also showers, well men's toilets do. Females' toilet has a shower but it did not work. We refreshed ourselves before having lunch. Our stay in this really beautiful, well organized park was over. We collected our bags and left. At the exit/entrance we were lucky to get transport to the airport without waiting.

In Miri we had to get off the plane and have our passports stamped by the Sarawak immigration. Strange process but Sarawak is a state in Malaysia with its own government.

In Kota Kinabalu we went through immigration again. This time it was Sabah official that stamped our passports.

We booked a room in one of the hostels that also offered free transport from the airport. They did not come to collect us. We had to hire a taxi. It was actually good that they did not come for us to the airport. The hostel and the room were bad. It was however too late to look for another place. We would have to stay there for two nights if they provided transport from the airport (or pay for it anyway).

Our room had air conditioning, one double bed and one bunk bed. That was it. No other furniture in the room but rather dirty walls. The pillows were smelly. We just could not wait to get out from there.

Before dinner we went through town looking for another hotel room. It was not easy to find something good for a reasonable price. We nearly gave up for the evening when we came across 1 City Hotel. It satisfied our requirements and we booked there for the next two nights.

Kota Kinabalu looks like a modern town. We walked on the waterfront with many restaurants and large markets. A seafood restaurant was packed with customers. At the entrance there were glass tanks with various types of fish or shell fish. One could select a lobster or a fish and it would be prepared for eating according to displayed recipe.

19 - August, 2009

In the morning we checked out from the horror hostel. Downstairs there is a café with tributes to Australian soldiers from WWII. They serve very good local coffee. Tina also had her breakfast there as she would not touch anything in the hostel (breakfast, two toasts with jam, were included in the room price; I had them early as I wanted to get access to the only computer with internet connection).

We checked in to the 1 City Hotel although we were too early to move in to the room. The hotel happily offered to look after our bags. We went to arrange a climb permit for Mt Kinabalu. We found the office of the only company that runs the park headquarters. They had our booking and collected from us signed climb permit. The girl behind the counter told us they had not charged us for the climbing package and asked for our credit card. We paid for the package.

For lunch we met Doug and Margaret from the yacht Tonic. They stayed in the local marina after finishing East Malaysia Rally. After lunch we made arrangements for the evening.  Doug and Margaret went back to the marina while we went to the hotel to move in to the room. What a difference ten dollars can make! We had clean room with bathroom, TV and wireless internet access. The shower in the bathroom was a real treat. The water pressure was excellent and one could feel like under a waterfall. The only difference was that waterfalls do not have hot water. We refreshed ourselves before going to the marina for drinks on Tonic. It was a good, enjoyable evening.

20 - August, 2009

We visited the Sabah Museum in the morning. Since we were trying to prepare to climb the Mt Kinabalu we walked to the museum. It was not too hard but the heat was tiring.

The museum was not too interesting. Traditional village nearby was a total disappointment. We returned to the city by bus.

After lunch we checked our bank accounts and we discovered that we were charged for the Mt Kinabalu climb twice. We went back to the office and explained the situation. They requested a proof from us they charged twice!! We provided it by printing the bank statement in internet café as they would not let us use their computer.

It took at least an hour for them to check their computer records. They also made a few long calls to - I presume - head office. Eventually they accepted they stuffed up and assured us we would be repaid but not for the bank charges we had already incurred. Additionally it would take up to two months for them to make the repayment. I insisted they would give us in writing that we were to get the repayment. We will now have to watch our account for that. What a nuisance!

It rained in the afternoon thus we enjoyed watching some rather old movies on TV.

21 - August, 2009

We packed our bags and checked out from the hotel. On the way to the bus station we bought some Chinese food for lunch. At the station we caught a bus that was about to leave for Park Kinabalu. It was a rather old vehicle but it had working air conditioning. On ne side of the bus air vents were leaking water, probably from the air conditioning. It was lots of water and people got wet.

The driver stopped right at the Kinabalu Rose Chalet where we booked a room. After inspecting the rooms we decided to upgrade to a larger room. We had a balcony with a view on the mountain. It would show and hide in the clouds. Gees, it looked mighty high! Very intimidating!

We went to the park headquarters to make sure we would know what to do in two days when our turn to climb would come. We also had a very good lunch in a restaurant. After the meal we intended to go for a walk but it started raining. Instead of walking we took a taxi back to the hotel.

The air was fresh and cool. The hotel is about 1500 metres above the sea level. No need for air conditioning here.

The hotel has a restaurant and we had our dinner there.

22 - August, 2009

The temperature dropped a lot during the night. We used two blankets. It was a real pleasure to be able to sleep in cool room without the air conditioning.

In the morning we went back to the park to arrange a guide for the climb, we as were told to do a day earlier. Another girl, another story - we would have to arrange the guide just before the climb starts next morning.

We decided to have a light walk in the park. We went in to the forest for about an hour before the track ended up at the restaurant we had lunch yesterday. We went in for drinks.

Finding Botanic Garden was not easy and... not really necessary. One has to buy a ticket to enter it. Going there is not different to a jungle walk, except there are no labels on some trees or bushes in the jungle.

We left the garden disappointed. We continued trekking for another hour or so, it would be shorter but we came across a broken bridge and were forced to find a detour.

Taxi took us back to the hotel where we had lunch. Afternoon we spent relaxing and packing for the climb. The mountain looked at us from the above till clouds hid it from our view. It meant we would walk in such a cloud tomorrow.

A storm developed and it rained heavily. Waterfalls appeared on the mountain. We may walk in the mud tomorrow.

23 - August, 2009

We went to the park after light breakfast as we did not want to walk with full stomachs. In the park we paid for the guide and transport to the gate where the Summit Trail begins. The guide came to us in just a few minutes. He was a man in his fifties. His English was rather difficult to understand as he had some speech impairment. He found a car to take us to the gate where the Summit Trail begins. In the meantime we collected our picnic lunches, included in our tour package.

We started the walk at about 8:30. Our goal was to reach the overnight accommodation before afternoon rain. The walk took us four and a half hours. Four hours and 28 minutes of that was going up. The trail is physically very demanding. There are many steps and they are not easy to walk due to varying length and height. Sometimes one has to step up with the same leg for long periods of time. Eventually the leg gets tired and the rhythm has to be disturbed. Higher steps require more effort thus exhausting the energy faster. Some parts of the trail - and they are rather long - are very steep. One raises the head to see if there is any relief ahead but there usually is none. Higher parts of the trail require walking on rather large rocks. Here one has to look constantly for the ways to find the best path. Uneven steps do not allow developing a steady walking rhythm that would help one's heart. Every 900 or so metres there are shelters where the climbers can rest. There are also toilets nearby. It took us about one hour to walk from shelter to shelter. Of course we rested a lot between them, too.

We were tired reaching Laban Ratu. We had our picnic lunch in the only restaurant there. In the meantime the guide brought us the key to the lodge room and arranged to meet us there at 2AM for the climb to the summit. We got a room with two bunk beds for four people. There was enough space for one person between the beds. We received no towels. At 3300 metres above the sea level temperatures drop rather low. There was no heating. Showers were a disgrace, same goes for toilets. We did get two more people in our room. All that for 160 Ringgits per night per person!

We had a rest on the beds till dinner.  Our package included buffet dinner, supper and breakfast in the restaurant. The restaurant is located about five minutes downhill walk from the lodge where we stayed. We had to collect our bones and walk down to the restaurant. We had good dinner enjoying the sunset.

Supper is served from 2AM to 3:30AM before the summit climb begins. Since our lodge was located higher on the trail we asked for a takeaway supper. The restaurant staff was a bit confused with our request although the guide actually told us to do that. Eventually we got lunch boxes with some bread, cheese, jam and tea bags.

Back in the room we met our cohabitants. Jason was a young Newzealander. He was suffering altitude sickness. He soldiered on anyway.

Jo was a middle aged English woman. She entered the room, said "Hello", went to bed and switched off. She also suffered from altitude sickness. Her case was however much more serious than Jason's. She would not climb the mountain. We both felt very mild effects of the altitude. Tina had some headache but not too bad. I felt dizzy a couple times but nothing else. I guess it helped we arrived to the park two days earlier.

All of us tried to catch some sleep before 2AM wakeup call.

 24 - August

Everybody was awake much earlier.

We ate some of our supper but drinking tea was the most important as it warmed us. The guide came to the lodge and we started the walk at 2:30AM. We reached the summit at about 5:40. Again the walk was very demanding and in dark. It included some parts where we had to use ropes to move up and later down. The first part of the trail is very steep. We were taking off warm clothes after the first hundred or so metres. Later with temperature dropping due to the altitude we had to put on the cloth again. After the first 90 minutes or so the trail became less steep but we had to walk on bare rocks. They were slippery in some places thus we had to choose each step carefully in the torch light.

At some point I started to feel very exhausted. I had to rest a lot breathing deep. I did not know if this was because of the thinner air or some stomach problem. I felt really bad and I thought about turning back a few times. The summit still looked far and high. I decided to slow down and move by very small steps only. That helped. About 20 minutes before reaching the summit we had to climb steep rocks again. Eventually we made it!

At the summit we took a compulsory photo and waited for the sunrise together with dozens of others that made it. We still saw lights lower on the mountain as more tried to get to the top.

Well, clouds spoiled our plans - we did not see the sunrise. After that little disappointment we started walking down. In the daylight we could see the mountains and towns below. The landscape was pretty.

Walking down was not easy. It was however faster than going up. We returned to the lodge by 7:30. After packing our bags and a short rest, we had breakfast in the restaurant. Our guide joined us after collected something from the kitchen. He carried a plastic bag attached to his backpack all the way down. The second walk for the day we started at about 9. We felt really tired and if it was possible to stay in Laban Ratu for another night we probably would.

Going down was not much easier. The steps were often too high for a normal step thus we had to lower the body to make it. We felt our muscles getting exercise. Soon we were wearing T-shirts only.
Half the way down we had rain that converted the trail into a muddy path. We finished at one in the afternoon. Was it worth it? Right now I would say no, but in a few days I may change my mind. One day we will have a good story to tell our grandchildren.

25 - August, 2009 

We woke up still feeling pain of our muscles. After breakfast we checked out from the hotel and went on the road to catch a bus to Sandakan. It arrived on time. It was also nearly full. Later the driver stopped to pick up more passengers. Children were requested to vacate their seats and sit on their parents laps.

About 80 kms from Sandakan we had a police check. The bus was stopped and a policeman entered it. He asked for identity documents. It looked he was looking for any illegal immigrants.

After four and a half hours the bus pulled out at the station in Sandakan. From there we took a taxi to the centre of the town. We asked the driver to take us to a hotel, any he would think was fine. He stopped at a backpackers' hostel! We walked across the road and checked in a hotel there. It was fine.

After lunch in the hotel restaurant we went to see the town. The older centre is rather small and one can walk all the streets in an hour or so. Waterfront restaurant offered good views but... no gin and tonic or coffee. We visited markets. The main trade was food and drinks. We liked the fish although we did not eat any as it was still too early for dinner.
The town has a pleasant character although some parts are not far from slums look. People greeted us many times, waving their hands in friendly gestures. We enjoyed the walk despite aching legs.


26 - August, 2009 

In the morning we went to see Agnes Keith's Home. The famous author lived here before and after WWII, being a Japanese prisoner during the war. She and her family survived with Agnes writing her diary on pieces of paper and hiding them from the guards. Later she would use her notes to write a book.

The house is not the original one as it was built after the war. Furniture and other exhibits are also not from the house Agnes lived. The most interesting is information provided in form of texts associated with photographs.

It was a nice couple of hours. The only issue was that to get there and back we had walk upstairs. Our legs still hurt with every effort.

We checked out from the hotel and waited for prearranged transport to a resort in the jungle on Kinabatangan River. It was a minibus with a suicidal driver. He drove like there would not be tomorrow. During just three hours of driving he managed to create at least two dangerous and really close to a disaster situations. We were relieved when we arrived at a village from where we were taken by a boat to other side of the river.

The resort was pretty basic but satisfactory. We had a cabin with two single beds and our own bathroom. There was no hot water but we were back at nearly sea level thus cold shower was not a problem. It was usually a great relief.

After an hour of rest we went for the first river cruise. Only in the first hour we spotted an orangutan, watched a couple of proboscis tribes on trees and followed a herd of elephants. Watching the elephants was really exciting. At some point a big animal moved quickly towards tourists standing on the bank. They ran back to the boats. One guide stayed in place and faced the elephant. It stopped just less than a metre from the guide. The guide's head was at a level of the elephant's legs as the bank was rather steep. The elephant stopped and... kicked dirt towards the man. It did it two times and each time its aim was good. The guide came back covered in dirt. The animal withdrew satisfied.

Some elephants were in the water and they did not care much about boats surrounding them or flashes from the cameras. One washed itself by turning in the water while boats with tourists were not more than just a few metres away. We had very eventful evening and we hoped for more in the next day and a half in the jungle.

27 - August, 2009 

Early wake up call as we went on a river cruise. This time we went up the river. Again we were lucky to see more wildlife. Orangutan on a tree was not concerned with boats on the river thus we could watch it for a while. It was surrounded by small monkeys on lower branches and it look like a king with his court.

The other less usual animal here was a crocodile. It was in the water swimming along the bank. It submerged when we got too close for its comfort.

After breakfast we went for a jungle walk to Lake Oxford. It was a three hours return walk. The lake is really a billabong, a part of old river that is now separated from it. It was as usually nice to walk in the shade of the trees. The only excitement was provided by leeches that chose me as a donor. This time however I did not donate any blood as I discovered them before they managed to install themselves on me.

An Italian couple and us were the only customers for lunch. Most of the visitors come here for just one night. All river cruises and walks take people to the same places. Someone coming for one night misses a walk to the lake only. We preferred two nights as that gave us a choice of what doing when. We could also do river cruises again as the jungle changes all the time.

The resort staff prepared lunch for the four of us on a jetty near the river. Instead of a buffet style we had waiters to serve the dishes. We thought it was a nice touch.

Later in the afternoon next lot of tourists arrived. They were late for some reason thus the afternoon river cruise was delayed to accommodate them. This time the cruise was less interesting than a day before. We saw just monkeys in the same places as yesterday. No other animals were there. 

28 - August, 2009

Not very exciting day - we packed our bags and left the resort. The same driver as two days earlier drove us to the main road between Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu. There we were lucky to catch a bus to KK nearly immediately. We arrived at the hotel at the same time as the Italian couple who left the resort with us and took a flight from Sandakan.29 - August, 2009

In the morning we had a good breakfast in a café that served excellent coffee. We then took a boat to the Manukan Island. It is about 20 minutes ride from the ferry jetty to the island. The island is a popular destination for tourists and boats travel there and back very often.

On the island we found a 1500 metres trail and we walked it. It is an easy and nice walk that ends at a Sunset Point. The way back is the same.

We had a swim in the ocean on the main beach. After showers we wanted just to sit in a shade. The Italian – Alex - whom we met in Kinabatangan was also there. We talked for a while about the travels. The island provided us with plenty of shade and breeze. We never felt hot which was rather pleasant.

After lunch we took a boat back to KK.

In the evening we had seafood dinner at the markets. We bought a large fish and two large prawns. The food was ok but not too special.

30 - August, 2009

At 5 AM we had showers and went down to check out from the hotel. Our trip to Borneo had come to end. Taxi waited for us. We went through airport formalities quickly. Three hours later we landed in Penang.

After we checked in to one more hotel we went for a walk. Penang , or rather Georgetown, has not changed since we visited it a year ago. It is still lovely to walk the streets despite lack of pedestrian paths and occasional sewage smell. The marina was half empty. We counted only 11 yachts. The surge was still there as well as foul smell of dirty water.

We returned to the hotel rather tired. On the way back we did not neglect to purchase drinks as we had a fridge in the room.

31/08 - 02/09/2009 In Penang

The main reason we stopped in Penang was that Tina wanted to have some medical checkups. She succeeded partially. A machine was out of service and half of the needed tests could not be executed. She will have them done in Sydney.

We walked a lot in Penang although it is rather difficult there. There are very few pedestrian paths or street crossings. One has to challenge the traffic often. The town is however nice and we enjoyed the walks.

Last day we spent shopping. We now have a new computer and plenty of shirts and shorts.

Well, this finishes our SE Asia / Borneo trips. We intend to stay in the marina till November when we will go to Australia for four weeks. Unless something changes we will not travel in the region this year. Preparations for crossing Indian Ocean will now be the most important task.

This is the beginning of the 2010 season. We actually started it on December 1, 2009.

01 – December, 2009 – Kuah, Langkawi, Malaysia

We were to leave the marina yesterday but we did not realised how much work was needed to prepare the yacht for sailing again. It took us till well after lunch before we were satisfied we were ready. By then we were happy to rest and have a swim.

Today we left the comforts and safety of the marina. The wind was from ENE and about 15-18 knots. Since we were going to Kuah thus East we did not bother to set the sails.

On the way we went through a channel created by military ships that arrived here for a Langkawi International Maritime and Air Show. It was interesting to sail between the grey, rather spooky looking ships. One looked like a tank. There were no windows, just steel. The other used its horn when we were passing it. I waved at the ship although I have no idea if anyone paid any attention to our little boat.

It took us less than three hours to reach the anchorage in Kuah. The wind was not as strong there as it was in the channel. We anchored among other yachts, recognising some of them.

After we dropped the dinghy in the water and installed the outboard we discovered that the outboard engine would not start. It even spilled some fuel. We lifted it back to the boat and started looking for the leak. It appeared there was no leak but the fuel was coming out from the exhaust. I changed the spark but that did not help. We disassembled the engine bolt by bolt looking for the reason of the problem. Eventually, we found out that the valve in the carburetor was covered with salt. Of course, the Indian Navy in Andamans wetted the outboard and they did not clear the carburetor.

We cleaned the valve and assembled the engine. It started. We had the transport to the shore.

While we were working on the outboard Fatty came along to say hello and offered some ferry us ashore if we could not fix the engine. He also told us about Cafe Amanda where we could listen to some music and access internet.

We went ashore in our dinghy and visited stalls put up there for the carnival associated with the show. We had very nice dinner there. At Amanda's we met a couple of sailors and enjoyed some good coffee. By then we were also tired. We went back to the yacht and to bed. At midnight we were woken up by fireworks.

02 – December, 2009 – Kuah

We went to the ferry terminal to hire a car. The prices doubled since last year! We were told school holidays were to blame. We had no choice but to take what was on offer – an old, well battered car. It went however well and it had working air-conditioning.

We spent most of the day shopping for season supplies. Langkawi is the best place to buy cheap wine and generally any alkohol. We bought enough to last us four-five months. It involved a couple of dinghy trips and again rearranging the storage on the boat.

In the afternoon Mark and Judy on Windbird arrived. They anchored nearby. We went together to have dinner. Just after we finished we met other sailors we met last year. There were four couples and each one had different plans for the season. In a way it was rather sad to say goodbye to some of them. We may never see them again.

03 – December, 2009 Kuah

We hired the car for one day only but it meant 24 hours. In the morning we took Mark and went to shop again. This time we bought diesel and petrol as well as some meat. We managed to unload the shopping and return the car on time.

Can Kata anchored near us yesterday. Today they invited us for sundowners. We will visit them before going our for diner.

Outboard is still adjusting to the new season. This time we had to replace the propeller. Last year some mechanic in Thailand fixed the propeller temporary till we could get a new one. Since the fix worked well we did not change the propeller but kept the new one as a spare. The outboard has a new propeller now.
 

04 – 05 December, 2009 Kuah

We finished shopping by buying spare parts for the outboard. It was rather amazing to see the owner of little workshop to be able to find everything we asked for. He even took a part from a brand new engine to satisfy our needs!

The last day we spent checking out of Malaysia. This was a short, painless process.

Later we said our goodbyes to the friends and other sailors. 

06-07 – December, 2009 Ko Tarutao (06.41.857N, 099.38.358E)

We had good sailing most of the day. Only last ten miles we had to motor. This was good as we needed to recharge the batteries.

There are four moorings in the Ao Pente (bay) and we picked one.

Later we landed on the island to explore the resort. It looked nice but rather empty. We had time to walk up the hill to a view point. It was a short walk and the views were spectacular. We could see Shirena and other yacht that joined us later.

On the way back to the yacht we stopped in a restaurant hoping for a can of beer. They had the beer but it was warm. We decided to have a drink on the yacht.

Next day we spent doing small jobs. It took us most of the day. In the afternoon Mark and Judy on Windbird arrived. They also had a good sail from Kuah. We intend to sail with them till New Year.

08 – December, 2009 Ko Kradan ( 07.18.809N, 99.14.951E)

We had early start for about 45 miles sail. Initially we had very good 15-18 knots wind. Later the wind died and we again motored last few miles. We had opportunity to test the spinnaker. It survived the storage very well. We discovered however that some steel needed cleaning.

At the island we anchored near a beach. We tried to find a path from the beach to the restaurant to have dinner there. We found a restaurant but it was not the one we were told about. After checking the second beach we gave up and had dinner on the boat.

09 – December, 2009 Ko Muk (07.22.485N, 99.17.128E)

In the morning we continued with some small jobs. Later I went into water to clean the water line. In the process I discovered that the bottom of the boat was covered with some slime. A sponge easily removed the slime. I had to use the diving snorkel to reach the keel and around. The job is not finished as yet as I got a bit exhausted with the work under water.

I also had to replace one of the anodes on the saildrive as the old one was virtually used up. I guess that was a result of our long stay in marina with steel boats all around.

Mark and Judy left the anchorage before lunch. We finished with the diving by about lunch time. After lunch and some rest we tried to lift the anchor. It was locked. I was diving again. The diving snorkel could not however provide me with enough air at the depth of 10 metres where the anchor was. I discovered that the anchor caught a rock under a coral but I could not work on freeing it. I had to go to the surface for air.

We decided we needed a diver with a tank. We locked the boat and were about to leave for the resort in search of a diver, when a large catamaran anchored in the bay. I decided to ask them if they had diving equipment. There were a few people on the cat and they spoke Spanish. I explained our situation. They said they had no diving equipment but they would come to help.

They came in their dinghy in the next five minutes. One of them jumped into the water and dived. He was there long enough for me to start worrying about him. When he came back he said I could raise the anchor! The man is a deep water diver and 10 metres is something like two for me.

The men told us we anchored about 2-300 metres too far to find the track to the restaurant. The main reason was that a sandy beach that use to be there disappeared. We anchored at the second beach which is now the only one.

With this good luck in solving the problem we left the anchorage and joined Windbird at the Ko Muk. Shortly after we were anchored we went to see the hong. The access is wide enough for the dinghy but the outboard cannot be used. I swam and pulled the dinghy. The tunnel is not too long and the hong is spectacular. There is even a small beach and we all had a swim in very refreshing water.

It had been a very eventful day.

10 – December, 2009, Ko Lanta (07.29.640N, 099.04.334E)

I dived again in the morning to finish cleaning the bottom of the yacht. Later we went on the beach where Tina had a swim and a run. Refreshed we raised the anchor and motored to the new anchorage at Ko Lanta. Windbird also sailed with us.

During the trip we tried to run the watermaker. We installed a scooper for the salt water intake hoping this will let us to make water when motoring. Unfortunately, we still get air into the system. We will have to slow down to 3.5 knots when making water. Painful.

We anchored at a large beach with a resort and restaurants. We will eat out tonight.

We also can access the internet from the boat. I hope this will let me update our website.

 

11-12 – December, 2009 Ko Lanta

We had a very nice dinner last night. The restaurant “Same Same but Different” has a pleasant atmosphere, good service and excellent food. We enjoyed the delayed birthday dinner for Tina. The dinghy was beached just next to the restaurant and a waiter came to help launching it after we finished.

Next day we went ashore to see the local village. In a shop we bought new SIM card for the phone. After some tests the phone started working and we could even access Internet.

We walked uphill to a restaurant for lunch. It was Indian food but not the best. On the way back we stopped at a bar on the beach to have beer. It was again a nice bar with good service.

The rest of the day we spent on the yacht working on small jobs.

Wind started to build up during the day and at night it became very strong.

Next morning we raised the anchor without even knowing that the wind was over thirty knots. It looked that the island created the bullets and we would be out of the strong wind as soon as we sail away from it. This was not the case. The wind stayed in 28-30 knots range for quite some time. We had headsail only and the yacht moved fast. Fortunately there was not enough fetch for the waves to become too big. With time the wind weakened and we could set the main sail with a reef. We arrived to Phi Phi island in no time.

13-14 December, 2009 Phi Phi (07.44.703N, 98.45.679E)

Our fourth visit to the island was again a good experience. The original plan to stay for one night was changed to two nights. We went ashore to the Monkey Beach and watched... monkeys. Tina, Judy and Mark went snorkelling.

Next day Tina and I went to the main village and we had massages. Wonderful! Later Judy and Mark joined us for dinner. They had to wait for higher tide as the beach on this side of the village dries out quite a lot at the low tide. The outboard cannot be used for the last 100 metres. Later one has to jump into the water and pull the boat. Nevertheless we enjoyed the visit.

14-16 – December, 2009 Ao Chalong (07.49.230N, 98.21.468E)

Sailing to Ao Chalong was great. We had good 15 knots wind and sailed all the way. Since we arrived at ebbing tide we were careful in the bay as it has many shallows. We anchored in about 5 metres of water. Remembering that last year the immigration had a lunch break in the middle of the day we waited till three before going ashore to check-in to the country. That was a mistake. The working hours changed to 9AM to 3PM. We were to late and we were told to come next day.

We went to car rental company and booked a car for the next day.

Next morning at 9AM we arrived at the Immigration Office. A Swedish sailor was already there anxious to check out. Nine o'clock passed but nobody opened the office. Twenty minutes later we were told that the officials will arrive at ten! Swede was furious as he had to return rented car by ten. He would have to pay for extra day.

We went to a canvas repair shop and left our bimini for some fixing. In the meantime Mark and Judy collected the car and arrived at the Immigration Office. We decided to check in next day.

The rest of the day was rather tiring as we went to a few places to buy different parts and things needed on the boat. For lunch we stopped at a restaurant near Boat Lagoon marina. The food was excellent! In the evening we had just some wine as we were not hungry.

A storm arrived during the night and it rained heavily. We discovered a tiny leak in the aft cabin hatch.

Next morning we ran the watermaker as our forward tank was empty. Filling it up took six hours. In the meantime we had to find out more about the leak. Eventually, we decided it came from screws keeping the dodger. We removed all the screws, cleaned the stainless steel holders, put plenty of silicon and screwed them back. We will see the result during the next rain.

We also managed to partition the fridge using a cut to size plastic box. We hope this will let us organise the fridge more efficiently.

After the watermaker finished its job we went ashore to check in to Thailand, have lunch, send Christmas cards, buy soft drinks and medicines needed for the first aid kit. On the way back we also collected the laundry. Near the jetty we stopped in a bar for beers. The bar is popular with the sailors as it has a character and good service. We sat in a shade with some breeze providing relief from the heat. We both dream about cooler climate.

17 – December, 2009 – still in Ao Chalong

Late in the morning we went to see a dentist for check ups. Everything was fine but... I was told I should have some preventative work done. It would require additional appointment next day. We decided to stay one day longer at the anchorage.

In the afternoon we went to the shopping centre and purchased more food.

Weather forecast for the night was strong winds. There was wind but not as strong as expected. We had a good night sleep.

18 – December, 2009 – East-North of Ao Chalong

After my dentist appointment and lunch we raised the anchor and moved the yacht about a mile to a bay that is more protected from the easterly winds. We stayed in the bay during the previous season and we liked it. Since the low tide was late in the afternoon we could not go ashore as landing the dinghy is rather impossible due to coral heads everywhere.

The night was bad. The bay is so well protected from the wind that tidal currents turned the yacht beam to the swell. It was just very small swell but it rocked the yacht a lot.

19 – December, 2009 – Ao Naiharn

As soon as we had the daylight we raised the anchor. We decided to go to the Western part of the Phuket Island. Only after we left the bay we discovered that the wind was about 20 knots. Because it was low tide and there are shallows in the bay we used the engine only. At some point the depth was less than four metres and the forward sonar was showing shallow water ahead. We turned back and tried again more to the East of the original route. This time we had enough water.

The wind outside the bay was blowing 22-25 knots, we set the headsail and turned the engine off. Sailing was good although the waves a bit too short and annoying. Nevertheless we moved swiftly and soon we entered the Ao Naiharn.

There were probably 40-60 yachts anchored in the bay. We found a place somewhere in the middle of the beach in about 14-15 metres.

Soon Caroline from Wild Card visited us and invited for sundowners on their yacht.

It was only nine in the morning when we anchored. We had busy morning doing some small jobs on the yacht. After lunch we went on the beach and we had a swim. It was beautiful! The water was clear and not too warm.

Tina remembered there were showers somewhere on the beach and we went looking for them. We found a place that charged for showers and we paid to use them. Well, there was no shower but a large bucket of water and a scooper. We were amused with this arrangement but we washed away the salt from our skins.

After early dinner we returned to the yacht just in time to prepare for the visit on the Wild Card. It was a pleasant evening talking to Fatty and Caroline.

20 – December, 2009

The night was comfortable.

We had to run watermaker as our forward tank was getting empty. The batteries also needed recharging as the freezer ran 36 hours non-stop to achieve required temperature after we restocked it the other day.

While watermaker and the generator were doing their jobs we changed a bolt holding the arch. We discovered some time ago, when trying to tighten the bolt, that it had lost its thread. Since we managed to purchase the spare we could replace the faulty one. This task removed one of the oldest items on my “to do” list. I now have only one more maintenance job of greasing the furler left. 

The evening we spent on a catamaran Truest Passion meeting other sailors from thre Sail Indonesia Rally.

21-23 December, 2009 Naiharn Beach

We are in the holiday mood. We meet other sailors for sundowners, go to the beach for a swim, eat out and mostly rest.

Weather is still windy. It makes the yacht cooler and pleasant. At night we even have to use a sheet to cover ourselves. The forecast is for lighter winds on Christmas Day and a couple of days after. We may move to other bay by then.

02-15 – January, 2010 Passage from Phuket to Uligan in Maldives

The passage took us 13 days and two hours. We had all sorts of weather on the way. The passage supposed to be one of the best in the world but we experienced very little of that.

The first three days were the worst. During that time we had no wind, a bit of wind and then a couple of storms. Near Nicobar Islands we were caught in weak winds and strong current against us. It took hours to make the way between the islands. Somehow there was always a thought in the head that the islands are inhabited with stone age people who kill anybody that dares to enter their territory.

Shortly after we passed the Nicobar Islands we were faced with a wall of clouds. Literally it was a wall. It came from the west where we were heading. There was no way we could avoid it. As soon as the clouds took us under their cover we got strong wind and rain. After about fifteen minutes the wind weakened and it looked we had all of it behind us. Well, it was not the case. Soon, much stronger wind came. It was over 30 knots. We sailed with just the main with two reefs. The yacht handled it very well. The problem was that the wind was slowly changing direction pushing us... towards Nicobars! We tacked and added reefed headsail. Despite heavy rain and strong wind we actually enjoyed the sailing. The boat was on course and pretty stable.

After the storm we discovered our only one and a half years old headsail had some fabric torn away. We had to drop it and use the spare headsail. The other problem was that we lost tuner on our HF radio. It took two days to find out that a connection was broken due to rather lousy materials that were used for it. The connection is made using computer-like plastic connectors. Those connectors are designed to be inside the computers. The tuner is a separate unit from the radio and the connector is exposed. Two wires broke and a fuse was blown. We used satellite phone to send emails when the radio did not work. With the connection fixed we regained ability to participate in the sailors’ network as well as to send the emails and receive the weather reports.

Near Sri Lanka we discovered that the second headsail had some reap off fabric. This became a serious issue. We could be forced to sail on headsail only! After inspection we discovered the damage was not too bad. UV protection fabric was torn on the seams. The sail itself was fine. We used some patches from the repair kit and we hoped they would keep us going to at least Oman where we may have a chance to fix both sails. We were also offered help from other sailors who carry sawing machines on their boats. We may even try to have the repairs done in Uligan.

We passed Sri Lanka at night. This was rather interesting experience. We had supper in light winds and there was hardly any ship around. Two hours later we were in the middle of dozens of fishing boats. They just arrived from nowhere!

We sailed in weak winds in nearly flat waters. The yacht just glided over the water without making any noise. It was dark and magical, but... there were nets in the water. We went over at least two of them  but were not stopped by them. On the way to go over (unknowingly) the third one, we were faced with a fishing boat that stopped in front of us and turned their lights on us. We changed the course and dropped the headsail to slow down. The fishermen approached us and starting talking. They were very friendly. They showed us we were heading for their net and showed the way around it. After a short chat with plenty of jokes and laughs we were again on our way. By then we started to understand how the fishermen work. They come to the area, drop their net and float around. Knowing that helped us to go through the rest of the area without going over a net.

We were nearly out of the fishing ring of boats when a huge tanker crossed about 80-100 metres in front of us. It was to be farther away according to our AIS but... there are fishing boats they had to negotiate thus they did not keep course. I wonder how many nets or even boats are lost here as it was also very busy shipping lane. We encountered many ships there.

Shortly after we passed most of the fishing boats a storm hit us. It was thunderstorm with plenty of lighting, rain and no wind. One lighting hit the ocean just about 300 metres from us. In the heavy rain we worried the big ships would not see our little yacht.

For the next few days we had very weak wind or none at all. We used the engine to go forward. Would we have enough diesel to reach Uligan? We tried to save as much fuel as possible by setting the sails each time there was a remote chance for some extra speed. We were making good progress.

Sailing during that time was really nice. Sometimes we had just enough wind for the yacht to move in very, glass like waters. It usually happened at night and Shirena looked like a ghost moving on the water without making any splashes. The boat was steady and we could enjoy good meals as Tina had no difficulties to cook. Nights were comfortable, too.

A couple of days before we reached Uligan it looked we could arrive in the late afternoon on 14^th.  We had little wind but there was a good, positive current with us. Unfortunately, that changed about 120 miles from the destination. The current became negative and the wind was gone. We decided we would sail one more night. This required us slowing down to about 3.5 knots. Initially it was easy till... the wind picked up. It quickly became 12-15 knots. We left just a little bit of the headsail but we still were going too fast. Additionally, the current again became positive but it was too late for us to reach Uligan before night fall! After a few attempts to slow down the yacht we decided just to add some more miles. We changed the course and sailed away from the entry waypoint. When we turned back we had current pretty much neutral and arrival time – 8AM.

Finding a place to anchor was not easy. The bottom is covered by coral. It took us 20-30 minutes before we found a sand patch for the anchor. There were four more yachts in the anchorage by midday. The place looks very nice. We are still to be checked in to the country. We intend to stay here 7-10 days.

16-22 – January, 2010 Ulingan, Maldives (04.04.721N, 72.55.273E)

Local Coast Guard arrived to the yacht to check us in. They were very friendly and efficient. In about 30 minutes we were cleared. We can stay in Uligan for three days initially. Local agent can extend the stay for us by 15 days. We intend to use this opportunity.

Last night was quite and we slept well.

After recharging our batteries we went ashore. Uligan is a small village. There are building works going on near the village. It will be a new resort for tourists. A little harbour is also being built. A clearing in the reef has been created to allow boats enter the harbour. We took our dinghy there. In the harbour we could leave the dinghy near steps that make landing easy and safe.

As soon as we entered the village we were met by the local agent who offered all sorts of services. Firstly, he could extend our stay by 15 days for $20.oo plus $10.oo on check out. He also took us to his little shop where we were offered free drinks and filled in forms for staying longer. The agent also supplies diesel. We wrote a letter to customs asking for permission to receive the fuel. We left our jerry cans with the agent to fill in.

We walked around the village meeting people who smiled and sometimes talked to us. There are two more shops in the village with basic supplies. We bought some drinks in one of them. Fatty, who came with us, wanted to buy an ice cream but he had no luck.

We returned to the yacht and had some sundowners with Carolyn and Fatty.

Next day the agent delivered diesel. In addition to our four jerry cans he brought four more to top up the tank. We returned the jerry cans later that morning and left our cloth for washing. Other sailors told us we would have an “island hopping trip” tomorrow. The trip was organised by the agent of course.

A hired boat collected all sailors going for the trip in the morning. The boat took us to a nearby island where we visited a school and walked around. The village was spotlessly clean.

From the village we went to another island with a larger town of about 5000 people. There we saw fishermen delivering their catch. It was mostly tuna. The agent took us to a restaurant where we had lunch. The restaurant offered us “private” rooms where only four people could eat. The rooms were in a traditional hut and very pleasant. The food was basic but tasty and plenty of it. Everybody enjoyed it.

After lunch we saw many school children going home or to school. Some were accompanied by their mothers. All were very happy and cheerfully greeted us. In the town we also went to a couple of shops where some made purchases of fruit and vegetables. Fatty got his ice cream, too!

From the island we were taken to a snorkelling site. The coral was fine and there was some fish, but it was nothing special. The second spot was completely wrong. The coral was badly damaged and there was little fish. We had better place to snorkel near our anchored yacht.

The trip was however interesting and everybody enjoyed it.

Next day we started with the job of making water. The watermaker had to run for six hours to fill up the tank that was empty. Our tank indicator is definitely faulty!

While making water, Tina did some washing and backed bread. We also checked the headsail as one of the patches we put in was ungluing. It was not serious and we fixed it. I topped up the engine with oil and cleaned salt water filter. Boombrake required some attention and it got it.

In the afternoon we went ashore to collect the laundry as well as check if we could buy some soft drinks for the next passage. The agent’s office was closed. We had a short walk watching and being watched by people who were sitting outside their homes. At one end of the village we saw about 50-60 boys and men playing soccer. The field was dusty and sand was everywhere. It did not bother the players.

We returned to the yacht after checking some soft drinks in a shop. We were not sure we would buy any as they seemed to be rather very sweet.

Next morning five new yachts arrived to the anchorage and more were coming later. The bay was filling up. We went ashore to collect the laundry. After we had come back to the yacht we went snorkelling. We thought coral and fish just next to us was the best. We saw plenty of fish, including large sea eel.