tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89579643919378920172024-03-27T16:38:04.848+10:00http://sailbirds.blogspot.comA travel blog detailing our sailing adventure and everything else in between.Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.comBlogger172125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-52848059329922770312014-09-27T20:41:00.001+10:002014-09-27T20:41:17.659+10:00Anima Sold - Link to new owners blog<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I've been meaning to write this post for... hmm... a year now! Oh my gosh - life with a baby means things get crazy. But enough about me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A Russian couple bought Anima and they have so far sailed her up the Red Sea into the Meditteranean and are currently in Spain. Here is a link to their blog if you want to see what our boat is up to these days. Everything they write is in Russian - so fire up google translate or just look at the pictures. <a href="http://www.alexdem.ru/">http://www.alexdem.ru</a></span><br />
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<br />Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-47415385626592306022012-09-24T10:49:00.004+10:002012-09-29T17:58:41.548+10:00Land Ahoy - How we're readjusting to life off Anima<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In the weeks leading up to our departure Rene
discovered problems with the cockpit roof he built 5 years ago (when we
first moved aboard). He worked insanely hard to replace it, making it
stronger and better this time around. Because I flew home first, there are no photos of the new cockpit to share but I'm assured it looks even better than the first one. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We bid farewell to Anima, leaving her in 5 star comfort at Rebak Island Marina. Moving off involved sending twelve 20Kg boxes to our family and friends in Australia and taking 40Kg excess luggage each for our flights. My fellow plane travellers found it quite bizarre that I had a sewing machine with me! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Upon arriving home, I noticed how clean the air is here compared to SE Asia, how little rubbish there is and how many thousands more solar panels there are now!!! In the two years we were away from Brisbane, everyone must have gone solar mad. Almost every second house now has between 8 and 20 solar panels. We also noticed that everyone drives nice cars and has smart phones too. We are a bit behind in this regard as I have been using my old cheap Nokia phone and driving </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">my old trusty (though a little more rusty) car
- Boxy. My sister had her for the first year we were away and my
brother had her for the second! I love driving and have enjoyed the fast
freedom of having 4 wheels again. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We moved in with my best friend in Brisbane, renting her tiny spare room. Jacqui is astounded that we can fit most of our stuff into this small room - for us, it's huge! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I enjoyed eating lots of fresh dairy though was initially a little confused about the whole 'Permeate Free' campaign that is playing out with various milk brands. Fresh fruit and vegetables also tasted better - especially salad ingredients like Avocados, rocket lettuce and tomatoes. When we arrived it was the middle of winter - a novelty again after having spent the last 24 months in the tropics. I dusted off my warm clothes and had to do some serious self-control to be able to turn off the water in the shower. After not having lived with a shower for SO long, this was probably the most luxurious thing I relished in back on land. Luckily there were no water restrictions or I would have been causing a miniature drought!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Pretty quickly the differences became normal and we started working, working, working. Rene jumped right back into his job as a Software Developer, proudly wearing his $100 Thailand suit into the city each day. I have been working as a supply and relief teacher in schools around South Brisbane. Each school is very different and I've (mostly) enjoyed seeing how they run, meeting different colleagues, teaching a variety of subjects and meeting hundreds of students. So far I've taught: English, Maths, Sport, Science, Art, Film & TV, Media, Learning Support, Study of Society, Ancient History, SOSE and Dance. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Working has been better than we'd both been dreading. It's stimulating to feel useful in the world, to be involved with a wider range of people and to be making money rather than spending it for a change! But when things are difficult or stressful, it's easy to reminisce about our cruising days and only remember the good times, not the difficult or stressful ones! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz59HHPEmoaYN8MH57Y4okLpVc8boozYU7bIIdygC-0WsyTJtDK-0xJxHq1RGFwnTt5QfYbYSmcNJjgxSNCWBUXsAb3rS4sCQEcyOt22rfpc4UhnonpUhDm6Vibt5KvAYpj5GkVepMqKNf/s1600/IMG_9038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz59HHPEmoaYN8MH57Y4okLpVc8boozYU7bIIdygC-0WsyTJtDK-0xJxHq1RGFwnTt5QfYbYSmcNJjgxSNCWBUXsAb3rS4sCQEcyOt22rfpc4UhnonpUhDm6Vibt5KvAYpj5GkVepMqKNf/s320/IMG_9038.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing in Northern NSW</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Readjusting to land life hasn't been too difficult, especially once we accustomed to the high price of petrol and food (no more eating out every day). There was one instance though which I deem story-worthy. I call it 'The Washing Machine Disaster'. This incident reminded me of when we first moved aboard Anima (then Anhinga). Rene was enjoying the view from the top of the mast (unbeknownst to me) while I was doing the washing up inside. The sink hole in our boat is much smaller than in a normal house and it wasn't draining. I used the manual pump to force the grey water (complete with tuna-tin oil and beetroot juice) offboard. Not realising my own strength (or the age of the rubber pump), it burst, flooding the bilge area with both the gross sink water and the brown river water. Yes, the river water was gushing in, quickly filling up the small area. I was calling out to Rene while trying to mop up the water with towels. The water didn't recede, in fact it only increased! I was so green at living onboard that I didn't yet know about seacocks. Rene eventually came down from the mast to a flooding galley and panicked Cerae. He quickly solved the problem by closing the seacock and then we had a long afternoon of cleaning up the smelly, oily, purple-brown mess. If Rene hadn't been onboard, Anima could have sunk! In the recent washing machine version, Rene pulled out the lint cleaning pipes of the front-loading washing machine that we're currently living with. I then put on a load of washing after he'd said it was right to go and went back upstairs only to be shocked when the landlord came knocking on the door saying the whole downstairs area was flooded! The clean-up was easier in this scenario and there was no danger of the house sinking as a result - but the feeling of making a stupid mistake was the same. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Living on land is definitely easier than on the water but we still miss the freedom of cruising. To cope with water-nostalgia, I bought a small kayak when it was on a half-price sale. My dream of owning a kayak, finally came true! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm7QbSF23E_Agyk9vTb8JGgwcUqEZE33d6t-glyt5ZJqn1C8jRgYkLgbGhc2W0jcjajGk1a8II6oZloDDqO6wyrrmsG-ThpjvymLzURQZWD5gIhq_3MlfIHN9xplOlJTLX6P7WZE1hU-gN/s400/IMG_9548.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Our adventures on the water are definately not over yet. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The best part about being home is seeing our family and friends who we'd missed so dearly while away. Our friends who'd had babies just as we were leaving are now chasing around little toddlers! Time passed quickly while we were away. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><br /></span>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-67239604758226310342012-08-14T13:27:00.003+10:002012-09-24T09:49:59.311+10:00A Detailed Website About Anima<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
For a detailed explanation (with lots of photos) of Anima, go to <a href="http://www.anima.limorph.com/" target="_blank">www.anima.limorph.com</a></div>
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Rene and I made to showcase her in detail so check it out!<br />
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<span style="color: magenta;">Please note - I have fixed the above link. Thanks to the kind crew from Marianne (currently in Sri Lanka) for alerting me to it!! </span></div>
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More posts to come regarding settling into life on land after 5 years on a boat. Stay tuned! </div>
Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-66174427028782563152012-06-09T15:37:00.003+10:002012-06-18T18:32:41.861+10:00Anima For SALE<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
It's finally official. Anima is on the market and up for sale. She has been a fantastic home and adventure for us both over the past 5 years. </div>
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Don't worry, as our blog has always said <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #6b55aa; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20px;"><i>We are travellers on a life adventure. Currently sailing on our yacht, Anima, to follow our dreams and make new ones...</i></span></div>
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We are simply taking a break from cruising to do the 'normal' land-based life for a few years before heading back out on the water again in future.<br />
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Please spread the word and help us sell our beloved Anima. Thank you for all of your support!<br />
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Follow these links to read her stats and see her inside and out:<br />
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Yacht Broker Charters - <a href="http://www.yachtbroker-charters.com/YBC%20monos%20page.htm" target="_blank">website</a> / <a href="http://yachtbroker-charters.blogspot.com/2012/06/monohull-kingfisher-40-steel-long.html" target="_blank">blog</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1983/Kingfisher--2483347/Malaysia" target="_blank">YachtWorld.com</a><br />
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<a href="http://yachthub.com/list/yachts-for-sale/used/sail-monohulls/colin-childs-kingfisher/115021" target="_blank">YachtHub.com </a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmLHANxzc281fK54HhUp02G5T_Um_R4A20qUx_KPudjEJA4MTcWE7w4K2MgTQ_5K83IL308RxKy1nNcYupaZfUSRTlLQ1Bi3lsTu6TziGI-6iJZ0LCSEeNXDXOkkAq_sLa_lWa3_6yQkX/s1600/IMG_8575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmLHANxzc281fK54HhUp02G5T_Um_R4A20qUx_KPudjEJA4MTcWE7w4K2MgTQ_5K83IL308RxKy1nNcYupaZfUSRTlLQ1Bi3lsTu6TziGI-6iJZ0LCSEeNXDXOkkAq_sLa_lWa3_6yQkX/s640/IMG_8575.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima berthed at Rebak Marina, Langkawi</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-28582208816088838472012-06-09T15:26:00.000+10:002012-06-10T18:32:00.562+10:00Videos of Anima<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I finally got around to editing and uploading some of the videos I've taken of Anima throughout our 2 years cruising. Enjoy!! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Anima sailing with Dolphins. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Anima under full sail. A lazy, lovely day. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A montage of Anima sailing/motoring. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Anima sailing/motoring in moderate weather. </span></div>
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<br />Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-52837807686471955952012-05-31T19:10:00.002+10:002012-06-01T17:35:07.804+10:00Life at Rebak Island Marina, Langkawi<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">I've
been so busy with life lately that I haven't had the time to update
sailbirds. I know it's very hard to believe – it's not
like I'm working full time or racing around after kids... just busy
with the boat and life. I'll tell some of the stories here... oh
dear, there's so much to catch up on... where to even begin? </span>
</div>
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane leads the way on our adventurous walk around Rebak.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Anima
is now safe and snug in Rebak Island Marina. It's by far the best
marina we've ever stayed in - the best part being, yachties have
almost free reign of the 5 star resort facilities. The marina is
based on a tiny island just off the south of Langkawi island. A
small ferry zips back and forth 10 times daily to Langkawi with resort
guests, staff and yachties onboard. The only other thing on the
island is the aforementioned Taj resort. Consequentially, it's very
peaceful over here. We're surrounded by forested hills bursting with
local birds, monkeys, monitor lizards and mosquitoes. The latter is
controlled by bi-weekly 'fogging' with some kind of
petrochemical-based spray which is pumped through the resort, marina
and hard-stand. This fog is thick and nasty. Our strategy is
lock-down inside the boat – all dorades, hatches and portholes shut
tight to minimise exposure to this unknown chemical. It does work to reduce the mosquito population though - perhaps it's a necessary evil. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZelqISBDJuHt1jY70kya-hxrvXjDk0HM1x9Arc1aTgBkHg3N6L19h5hui1_JEnbmqmtTDn2gBukjDNi1j7228qqSB6os1nFi2PfiMMabatjANC2IIJLt1uXXpU4w_zInee957KFLfABv/s1600/IMG_8244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZelqISBDJuHt1jY70kya-hxrvXjDk0HM1x9Arc1aTgBkHg3N6L19h5hui1_JEnbmqmtTDn2gBukjDNi1j7228qqSB6os1nFi2PfiMMabatjANC2IIJLt1uXXpU4w_zInee957KFLfABv/s400/IMG_8244.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosquito fogging. Pretty scary huh?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">It's
the south-west monsoon season now, so frequent strong squalls pass
by. Being tied up in a protected marina is so nice when the wind
howls past, making our rigging sing. It's also nice to be connected
to shore power. Laptops, stereo, vacuum cleaner, lights, fridge and
the stereo can all stay on for extended periods. Best of all, the
hired air-conditioner (only 50RM/month) can cool us down as can the
240V fan. Relief from the extreme humidity is very sweet. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7Ss1Ktx_dfMWhBTztAF5TwpzGxxJeQYG7q9ogvEBmckktwwfWrhD9gwxuc-ItXJSk9OVTJkFV8O-UMiY0PqTkJ4rsospT-4E15MN7mmFLaOZd-m5bGbk1lArQX_AZIHhxMJ-O2yg55Mf/s1600/IMG_8316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7Ss1Ktx_dfMWhBTztAF5TwpzGxxJeQYG7q9ogvEBmckktwwfWrhD9gwxuc-ItXJSk9OVTJkFV8O-UMiY0PqTkJ4rsospT-4E15MN7mmFLaOZd-m5bGbk1lArQX_AZIHhxMJ-O2yg55Mf/s640/IMG_8316.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pool. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">There's
so much to love about being here. The pool, fringed with flowering
frangipani trees and reclining chairs waited on by a happy guy who
gives you fresh towels, fruit skewers (sometimes) and magazines! The beach bar
where yachties and resort guests meet for happy hour half-price
drinks. The games area inside the resort where one can play anything
from Scrabble to Carrom (Rene is undefeated so far with the latter).
The twisting paths to walk and explore (more on this to come). Best of all, the
SY69 building to escape the sun and do yoga every morning. What a
place to practice yoga in! Surrounded by water features home to
colourful Carp and vibrant tropical plants, I've been able to immerse
myself deeper than ever into my Ashtanga yoga Mysore practice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">All
of this is still over half the price of marina's in Australia!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydNognSE4aRksUgViqqyVLA6raIB0Esza3MrhklHuNmXRk09NiZ8jW85L8ag4s-Qu2NV58fzinQy_XJz3sANlKzbzQNpFvD9sIGcInTXqw589a3VRSqMtUKSBai1Cm7SedU7J4VqvKCnf/s1600/IMG_8437.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhydNognSE4aRksUgViqqyVLA6raIB0Esza3MrhklHuNmXRk09NiZ8jW85L8ag4s-Qu2NV58fzinQy_XJz3sANlKzbzQNpFvD9sIGcInTXqw589a3VRSqMtUKSBai1Cm7SedU7J4VqvKCnf/s320/IMG_8437.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoga bliss.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">After being here for a month, I decided to explore more of the island by foot. The lovely Jane (from South Africa) was our guide as she had taken one of the more adventurous walks last year. It took her a while to recall where the track started as the jungle seemed inpenetrable and we had to brave a large tribe of monkeys and killer ants! Just as we were about to give up, there it was - marked with arrows. We scaled a slippery track through the jungle, up a hill and down the other side to the beach. Previously Jane had been able to walk along said beach back to the resort. We had judged the tide wrong however and had to tackle the forest once more. It was really fun to walk along, covered in sweat (thanks to the extreme humidity) pushing through, under and around lush jungle. We got lost a few more times, probably due to concentrating on our chats more than the path. Annoyingly I skidded down the bank at the end and twisted my knee but it only took 2 days to heal. </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6s-2PB5Niso8w3blzDkv286UznvNk2ZGZZCKyXZDaBGZEaKHeCWvJHrlNqGOS9onoOwuSsbImVFPznFj9QeKwdQfxsAPMdLeNP_i5Xfhgg0-D6os7URYASpFb73Q1lVQZvf3rb_qk4Fy/s1600/IMG_8522.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp6s-2PB5Niso8w3blzDkv286UznvNk2ZGZZCKyXZDaBGZEaKHeCWvJHrlNqGOS9onoOwuSsbImVFPznFj9QeKwdQfxsAPMdLeNP_i5Xfhgg0-D6os7URYASpFb73Q1lVQZvf3rb_qk4Fy/s320/IMG_8522.JPG" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The other side of the island.
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Last
week I turned 31. Unable to celebrate with family/friends from home,
instead I communicated to them online and had a very relaxing day by
the pool. The marina staff gave me the most decadent birthday cake
I've ever had. Unfortunately Rene was unable to partake in any so I
shared it with the other yachties at the weekly Friday night BBQ. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWhTZ3d-uoyZt8LbgUJxpUPCUKGbP1hsu8yRlCKbTQdqf80uKwbN9BZmUH1pCMdO-_EnLFjUwt3jugSHhsWYFgM1NTPfcPVBSHU1UVj9o6VFBUhNt2Vy-xkaN_Ve6cKJcqcwt21bFFZdl/s1600/IMG_8330.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWhTZ3d-uoyZt8LbgUJxpUPCUKGbP1hsu8yRlCKbTQdqf80uKwbN9BZmUH1pCMdO-_EnLFjUwt3jugSHhsWYFgM1NTPfcPVBSHU1UVj9o6VFBUhNt2Vy-xkaN_Ve6cKJcqcwt21bFFZdl/s400/IMG_8330.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What an amazing birthday cake! Thanks Rebak!
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFYBB_oxMlTWyY9r_LriWwDsAb6FpCuXcU_T8q72iI8kz8xWllKfhKpzpuP3egdQmpj7rtAMDn_BJIgXiH5tYZ0ofQjzXamGwx2J40sJjD7RHVDgkuo5MsoWVmW8klY37vu6NyhXjwogo/s1600/IMG_8419.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFYBB_oxMlTWyY9r_LriWwDsAb6FpCuXcU_T8q72iI8kz8xWllKfhKpzpuP3egdQmpj7rtAMDn_BJIgXiH5tYZ0ofQjzXamGwx2J40sJjD7RHVDgkuo5MsoWVmW8klY37vu6NyhXjwogo/s640/IMG_8419.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friday night BBQ just getting started.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Rene
has not been in the best of health. He experienced pains in his
stomach for 4 days before having it checked out at a Doctor in Kuah.
Initially we thought it was a kidney infection but the blood test
results (which we only received 2 weeks after the initial test thanks
to a dodgy receptionist) showed Rene had Pancreatitis! He rushed to a
medical centre on mainland Malaysia for a CT scan which thankfully
showed no damage. Being young and fit probably saved his life. What
will continue to do so is a complete change of diet. No more fatty
foods or alcohol for Rene! We discovered that Doctors here in
Malaysia only issue half-dose, half-strength antibiotics. Supposedly
because the people are smaller (not really the case when obesity is a
rising issue as is Diabetes). </span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Anima
has sucked most of our spare time (sadly, we barely ever swim in the
pool). I've spent days cleaning and scrubbing the decks and topsides.
A stubborn oily black substance sticks to our beautiful new paintwork
and makes Anima look old and dirty! If a Scientist could invent some
kind of preventative measure for this black stuff, they would be rich
as currently the only way to prevent it is to cover the boat in
canvas, something we can't afford to do right now. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Anima has also
been very thoroughly cleaned and scrubbed inside. All of her walls
inside are sparkling clean. All her wooden trim is polished and
shining. <i>Everything</i> is clean. More boxes have been packed and sent
home and more stuff we don't need has been given away or sold. Rene
has cleaned and polished the engine and bilges. He's treated a rust
patch that was under the floorboards of the head and some tiny spots
that appeared on deck. I prepared and then he painted the remaining
mint-green non-skid areas on the foredeck. I cut to size the wood
lino and Rene glued them all on for the galley and companionway
floorboards. Phew! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">We're gearing up to officially put Anima on the market.
This week involves meeting with the Langkawi-based brokers and I've been
working on our own sale website too. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFo9mmyrpA3Yz9AdCyQW_ePGnKbVYLGNcVi9zXtfi0gEFCUsTyE_ESMptzzCZBKfIf6YABuVzfZhlYRTacE-yalWtWhGFc4nrJk-IE5LhnJ9vjbqmnfxHXSg92sOIDITeAE_rOiU2u2NTF/s1600/IMG_8480.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFo9mmyrpA3Yz9AdCyQW_ePGnKbVYLGNcVi9zXtfi0gEFCUsTyE_ESMptzzCZBKfIf6YABuVzfZhlYRTacE-yalWtWhGFc4nrJk-IE5LhnJ9vjbqmnfxHXSg92sOIDITeAE_rOiU2u2NTF/s320/IMG_8480.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last rusty spot!! Mid-treatment. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPmbKXtR_MpC_JObLGpSrdPZzH79RI7_Fub45vJ5ZBbpU6BtU4d60C5VlnbG-YH50iexAV8abrLJYpittyka_lLbX0FG4VJl0ot0oqHXHbKxJfO0KsXjoSQsxXmq9hp0qNwTudimJqww-/s1600/IMG_8504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNPmbKXtR_MpC_JObLGpSrdPZzH79RI7_Fub45vJ5ZBbpU6BtU4d60C5VlnbG-YH50iexAV8abrLJYpittyka_lLbX0FG4VJl0ot0oqHXHbKxJfO0KsXjoSQsxXmq9hp0qNwTudimJqww-/s320/IMG_8504.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Measuring and cutting the new "wood" flooring. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Each
week we hire a car, drive across the island to Kuah and try to get
all the things on our list. As we get to know the area more, it opens
up to us and we find where to get things. The hire cars are complete
bombs for 40RM, yesterday however we had to take a 50RM car and what
a difference 10 Ringgit makes! We flew along in a shiny, tiny new car
with working air-conditioning and gearbox. Each week I take the ferry
across to Langasuka where a local Chinese man holds a veggie stall
for the yachties. It's a little more expensive than the local
markets, but the food is of a far better quality. I've been enjoying
Australian Avocados (paying the same price I would back home for
them) and big, sweet mangoes among other things.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdk_QZddDrRKfU1pBLCA_XKv-ccPECILOPhqddYF-WtgAwlqPqVbv-_wNtOH_ero3CPHMu_dbTqK7mdAQz3CdLxQt7CucnnVfrnJf8osrwBUhF6nybIQyF3d154CkugsdeuYHd9qQjyeW0/s1600/IMG_8440.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdk_QZddDrRKfU1pBLCA_XKv-ccPECILOPhqddYF-WtgAwlqPqVbv-_wNtOH_ero3CPHMu_dbTqK7mdAQz3CdLxQt7CucnnVfrnJf8osrwBUhF6nybIQyF3d154CkugsdeuYHd9qQjyeW0/s400/IMG_8440.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene pushing 60Kg's of our stuff along to send home.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
I know there is so much more that has happened and I could write this for many more hours. I'll finish with this cute photo. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7bIygqdDJGBJtO4wOfKjVNdAOpPRhEFAKfeSbNUHVBY8Qe8pzRDRt-zI3T3aOSjL_e65AeYCrVQMgZGQV000Y8_a2Mc5Ik5P1o8OWYPQK47NQSzaeE9QmjiR5YvbAPhN23b_LBBoBghE/s1600/JOV.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7bIygqdDJGBJtO4wOfKjVNdAOpPRhEFAKfeSbNUHVBY8Qe8pzRDRt-zI3T3aOSjL_e65AeYCrVQMgZGQV000Y8_a2Mc5Ik5P1o8OWYPQK47NQSzaeE9QmjiR5YvbAPhN23b_LBBoBghE/s640/JOV.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newlyweds from Indonesia with us. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rene was working out on the pontoon when he saw these two getting glamour-shots done near the marina for their wedding album. Rene being Rene offered them our boat as a location. They climbed up and stood on the bowsprit and giggled a lot. Her dress was amazing! They wanted this photo and I want the camera that took it!! Anima looks even better now - finally, no stuff on deck.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-59379518924700977962012-05-04T18:04:00.000+10:002012-05-06T14:20:26.649+10:00Langkawi Life<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
As we will be living in Langkawi for the next few months (unless our plans change) I have decided to blog about the work we do on Anima, the things I see here that are different or interesting and the thoughts I have about life and everything. My writing may not always be in chronological order but will instead highlight the most noteworthy aspects of our lives over here. I guess this is kind of a record of what we're doing and also a way for me to reflect on things. It's just as much for me as it is for anyone who reads it. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Arriving back in Malaysia meant a chance to refill our diesel tank at the incredibly cheap price of 60centsAUD per litre (when I was in Primary school I remember petrol costing that much in Australia. Last time we refilled in Oz it was close to $2AUD per litre!!). It's the cheapest price we've encountered, anywhere. It's only <i>this</i> cheap if you take your jerry cans to the petrol station manually as the marina-style pumps are more expensive. We hired a cheap car and Rene did the fuel run out to one of the petrol stations in Kuah. Last time we had no problems but this time he had to fill each jerry can at a different pump and pay for each one at a time. One of the attendants asked him if he was going to Thailand with all of his cheap fuel (everyone fills up in Malaysia first) but Rene shocked him by saying no, we're staying here and he loves Langkawi (all said in Malaysian). It's always amazing how much the locals appreciate it when you speak their tongue. We've been practicing more with a CD that came with our phrase book. Rene is by far the better Malay speaker than I! </div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Before we fly home in August we need to send a lot of our belongings there by post. You can do it 20 kilograms at a time for 82.50RM a pop (just under $30AUD) and it takes 3 months to arrive by sea. The post office here requires that boxes be covered in paper and tied up with string! Finding suitable boxes has proved a sometimes difficult endeavour. Some places have asked for payment for the boxes they have sitting in their rubbish waiting to be burnt! Some good boxes we collected were ruined in a tropical downpour while walking back to the boat. Weighing the boxes is also tricky. Bass harbour has been quite unsettled with the frequent south westerly winds blowing up, resulting in boats dragging, waves crashing over our bows and a very rocky boat at times! Our digital scales don't like the movement and give varying weight measurements depending upon which way we're rocking! It worked out fine three times out of four. Rene had to cut open one box to remove an extra 5 kilos!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_NxbtZDooLkWXEJW2n7DaSq4aWzgNfo0c7ll1LnDbwl_WPDUcnPUN5w1WRmhE0B0ecX5_QzU7BKpleEvNPkCxFelvKUQ4eDcjayUrmP1WtSKvC1JVzwYs221jmDj7a8h_YmDnZ-Oydsl/s400/P4300535.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Navigating incomplete paths with boxes in tow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Rene has installed LED lights on the stern that were broken. He has also replaced an energy-sucking light in the engine room with a strip of LED's. Most recently, he has been cleaning up the engine, making it shine and maintaining it too.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Initially we started out anchored at Telaga harbour. It's nice over there under the tall cliffs with a view to the ocean. Said ocean brings quite a ground swell into the man-made harbour at this time of year however. We enjoyed catching up with Dale from Freeform here and walking the beach at dusk. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
En-route to Kuah, we stopped at the "Fjord" anchorage which was picturesque as usual. By chance we shared the anchorage with our Indonesia rally friends <i>Freycinet</i> and <i>Our Odyssey</i>. As we are all Australians, we did what Aussies do best and had a BBQ. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6s8khU6JGTPqv8QkCdrbt3An9zmJUKRaF1n0esCyahpClfCUBHCI9wiH4lxAv-4SM7KP7YhB5mJP6kEEY5ShU5r8ONMJ2QpLEK0Shs4uGO9A3DVMO3U-ch0DJVQJWGBj4XTBGj3wBo-1/s640/IMG_8083.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima dwarfed by the mountains at the 'Fjord' anchorage, Langkawi.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Rene and I left Anima anchored in the fjord and took the dinghy across to the Dayang Bunting lake. On the way, we beached the dinghy at a point where the rock wall looked quite low. We climbed up amongst what looked to be a run-down viewing platform (only the cement stumps remained) and found ourselves looking down at the lake! It turns out that this point we climbed over is called the 'Miracle Spot' as it is such a small piece of earth stopping the sea from entering the fresh-water lake. Next we went to the rundown jetty which protrudes out from Pulau Dayang Bunting. Ren did a tricky manouvre to tie up the dinghy so it wouldn't get damaged by the prolific oysters and we walked in through the forest to the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrR4M9aBP3vQwqRTwj_6_Fh3UBLvJB32Wl0JuE4KLcTlESCc8XUBb1wTlU8Ck-bw_VTTjOkl00owf0_ZMLMTLINXvk6ok80zSSS0UV_bE29K3qWapkAFZS333HLBmchlH9e_nipFjzh6Uy/s1600/Dayang+Bunting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrR4M9aBP3vQwqRTwj_6_Fh3UBLvJB32Wl0JuE4KLcTlESCc8XUBb1wTlU8Ck-bw_VTTjOkl00owf0_ZMLMTLINXvk6ok80zSSS0UV_bE29K3qWapkAFZS333HLBmchlH9e_nipFjzh6Uy/s200/Dayang+Bunting.jpg" width="166" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>'According to a local legend, it began when a male elf named Mat Teja fell in love, at the first sight, with Dayang, a female elf. Mat Tega won her heart, by rubbing a mermaid's tear drop on his face. Their romantic and intimate relationship became complete with Dayang's pregnancy. Dayang then decided to retire at Tasik Dayang Beranak (Maiden Giving Birth Lake). Nine months later, Dayang gave birth to a child but unfortunately, the child died after seven days. Saddened by the event, Dayang decided to bury her baby in the lake. After the incident, the lake was known as Tasik Dayang Bunting (Pregnant Maiden Lake), as a way for the locals to pay their condolences to the couple.'</i></span><br />
<br />
Apparently women wishing to conceive visit this lake to bathe and take a sip of the water. Monkeys were everywhere and a health sign said to be extra careful of the water so I definitely didn't drink any. Rene dove right in and swam about like a seal in the dark water. I gathered my courage and swam too, after the monkeys had all climbed nearby trees. It was lovely. We were the only ones there because we'd timed our arrival to be in the late afternoon, after all the tourists had gone. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4eINwkcjT9OtylPyIxJtk00pMiCbSkIUZDlqvLj_qAezvz6wq3xthsYOGxt57ezqsjX0vu8gWA6CaX7cUOzzwXuG-VsaSAd3FGGRJnEoVMvJlg4Z8SALXcb4HkPrHGwNMdTqcmPZXEBl/s400/IMG_8097.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene swims at the lake of the Pregnant Maiden. </td></tr>
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Eventually we made the trip up to Kuah and anchored next to our friends Tasha D.M in Bass Harbour. As usual we had fun times with them :)</div>
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Rene used his Mum's recipe to bake Anzac biscuits on Anzac Day. They were perfect and he is now chief Anzac biscuit maker as my last two attempts were dismal. The most recent batch was fed to the fish - they were that bad!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnyWBsJb9pbwf2efsWG0807Vv_aGWtfhIuLypwwsFOXw-bJFx7DRBCzy1lxk-6jVMYAF0AfGk0KK2L7EK-KBobMxvEiQkDX9ZaWU4d-isSpZYeqsXGkIGF34k9ec0R7RZlW5gXLZHlBA3/s1600/IMG_8143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnyWBsJb9pbwf2efsWG0807Vv_aGWtfhIuLypwwsFOXw-bJFx7DRBCzy1lxk-6jVMYAF0AfGk0KK2L7EK-KBobMxvEiQkDX9ZaWU4d-isSpZYeqsXGkIGF34k9ec0R7RZlW5gXLZHlBA3/s400/IMG_8143.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy Anzacs Rene! How very Australian.</td></tr>
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I sewed a wind catcher in an attempt to combat the humidity and heat of the tropics by enticing some breeze into our home. Tasha leant me their one for ideas on technique and then I used an old Spinnaker to make my own version. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgMtMwyfXGRB1M_nlEPKSMns-mROHbi5LBOYQAlTL13PoZ_mjtorYZFnYQlN_VDCPhTdy2pzDjjwEkDhwcDioaznh7Ysd3PfJ2uKZUPjLRKTUZFc_D7Ujc4ROROsR37E6jl_M_F7_nBBb/s1600/IMG_8167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgMtMwyfXGRB1M_nlEPKSMns-mROHbi5LBOYQAlTL13PoZ_mjtorYZFnYQlN_VDCPhTdy2pzDjjwEkDhwcDioaznh7Ysd3PfJ2uKZUPjLRKTUZFc_D7Ujc4ROROsR37E6jl_M_F7_nBBb/s400/IMG_8167.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My hand-made wind scoop made from recycling part of an old Spinnaker. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We hired a car for a day and drove to Rebak, taking the ferry across to the island which houses a resort and marina. Rene looked quite unusual (as usual!) walking around the island - laptop in one hand, wireless internet dongle in the other - looking for good signal. We're contemplating staying here for a bit but need there to be decent internet reception. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimy-QGFUWgaBGCZiimCnNbhGxtG06lj_CR7Tz2WTUl7LAoMSqGEPpLe7NINexwVV950MdDvwh1Wme7f_JyF3c28Rxv5MnoE792GQphWT6jPxVcqo3aWa_6aLuP5t0PwXB8-iSuDRf7eop6/s1600/IMG_8180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimy-QGFUWgaBGCZiimCnNbhGxtG06lj_CR7Tz2WTUl7LAoMSqGEPpLe7NINexwVV950MdDvwh1Wme7f_JyF3c28Rxv5MnoE792GQphWT6jPxVcqo3aWa_6aLuP5t0PwXB8-iSuDRf7eop6/s400/IMG_8180.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene searching for wifi hotspots.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I wonder if some people wonder about what it's like to live in a Muslim country as a non-Muslim? To be honest, I often forget that where I am is majority Muslim because we spend so much of our time in our boat. Five times a day we hear the call to prayer floating out over the town. Some people find this annoying. I like it! The sounds are often quite musical and (now that my iPod is broken) I enjoy having some music to listen to, if only for a few minutes at a time. When on land, the call to prayer is louder but contrary to my assumptions, it doesn't change people's behavior in an obvious way. No one suddenly drops to the ground to postulate themselves. People don't close shop to pray. Life continues as per usual. Maybe the locals do what I do when they hear the prayer and use it as a reminder to be mindful. Rather than pray to Allah though, I reflect on being in the moment. I remind myself to live in the present, be grateful for what I have now and concentrate on breathing. It's nice to have such a connection to spirituality in our daily lives. Apart from the prayers, the only other major differences are food and dress. Meat from pigs is not widely available as it's not Halal. Most of the women dress very conservatively, they don't show any skin but for their face (their hair is covered with a veil as is their neck). I try my best to not dress disrespectfully but my gosh it's hard when the temperature is always 30degrees+++ and humidity is near 100. </span>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-91102245241306430422012-04-22T13:03:00.000+10:002012-04-23T15:37:37.226+10:00Tsunami Watch, Songkran and leaving Thailand<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The anchorage outside
Yacht Haven marina proved very calm and comfortable so we stayed a few days. I
finished my TESOL course and Rene finished reading </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Calculus I </i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">by Paul Dawkins (he’s now well into </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Calculus II</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">). </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The wind
picked up a little late one afternoon, prompting us to make use of its power
and sail out (a quick look on the GRIBS showed this was the only decent wind
for days to come). The conditions were lovely as we slowly sailed out, and
rather than anchor we decided to make use of the full moon and sail into the
night for a few hours in order to make more use of this wind.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">With lightning flashing we pulled into
Ko Nakha Yai and anchored off the north eastern beach next to two other yachts
(08’03.36N 98’28.23E).</span><br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat improvements.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">We sailed out early
using a little more wind until it died off by lunchtime allowing us to anchor
at Ko Rang Yai (07’57.46N 98’27.18E). After a couple of hours the wind had come
up again, from a different direction, as always up here in this season. The
wind does a 360’ spin almost every day. So we sailed further south making it
just under 10 miles off Chalong before we were forced to use the engine to make
it into Panwa Bali beach before sundown. U.S. Warship 102 was anchored off the
Phuket port and Rene reminded me of his father, as he gleefully sailed straight
towards it, claiming he wanted to see her up close. I knew (from previous
experience with warships) that he wouldn’t get too close before they got
nervous. Pretty soon a large, smelly army green barge was heading us off,
forcing us to change course. It was then (with the binoculars) that I was able
to read a sign on the bows of the ship claiming it a prohibited area. Standing
above the sign was an armed guard! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7ULK-fdJYGe4q4JSuiDbtl5C1tffDSR0SLzAU6LThfLLLioV7Pmf8ccTXWc8i6cxtWO55shHBCVsn9dtmWkX_WkM9-HEy5SxujT3Xyx8L8IGkfmmFMSQ6xZUex9PuMCXI2-msDrovJyv/s1600/IMG_7137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf7ULK-fdJYGe4q4JSuiDbtl5C1tffDSR0SLzAU6LThfLLLioV7Pmf8ccTXWc8i6cxtWO55shHBCVsn9dtmWkX_WkM9-HEy5SxujT3Xyx8L8IGkfmmFMSQ6xZUex9PuMCXI2-msDrovJyv/s400/IMG_7137.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Captain Rene</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It was a long weekend
so we decided to stay at Panwa Bali for a few days before nipping across to the
main (much busier) Chalong harbour. We started work on a website (still in
progress) to sell Anima and had lunches ashore each day at one of the beachside
restaurants. So relaxing! For Easter I baked hot cross buns. Rene had eaten our
chocolate supplies days earlier but we did manage to find one small square each
stashed at the bottom of the fridge.
I started drawing again and am loving it!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClWiYXAyH1NYMeGa7NAANu-OFt_18yFIULDPvWG_UC7damdpIa9eyMioH3Md3uyq79ds-AnSYPyqbBGwz1t2lpDX1VASYI2D-eojxLgT_qqRrPW3SCX_BFF8uZaAw8LMwm1IULaXsl7gG/s1600/IMG_7142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhClWiYXAyH1NYMeGa7NAANu-OFt_18yFIULDPvWG_UC7damdpIa9eyMioH3Md3uyq79ds-AnSYPyqbBGwz1t2lpDX1VASYI2D-eojxLgT_qqRrPW3SCX_BFF8uZaAw8LMwm1IULaXsl7gG/s320/IMG_7142.JPG" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Easter!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYzN9BhN_zB0wP0hlMo6liDtRqzozrmviimjNfHDxITE9wECLXedbuEyG1x8cYjDhce6Ku_kNFIn36jLoLM_DDdQueNkSggzwg0QFs-_hlF921mXuZe2ln1YwT0I3t2yQRwHlT6sB6WAI/s1600/IMG_7183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYzN9BhN_zB0wP0hlMo6liDtRqzozrmviimjNfHDxITE9wECLXedbuEyG1x8cYjDhce6Ku_kNFIn36jLoLM_DDdQueNkSggzwg0QFs-_hlF921mXuZe2ln1YwT0I3t2yQRwHlT6sB6WAI/s400/IMG_7183.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panwa Bali beach, Phuket</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">We decided to check
out of Thailand a couple of days prior to their 4-day Songkran (Thailand New
Years) holiday. Before doing so we hired a hot pink scooter and used it to do shopping
trips to Phuket town for groceries and sarongs. We also had some fun touring
around looking for Spirit Houses for me to photograph. The Thai’s believe that helpful spirits will be attracted to the small spirit house which they almost all have in their yard/property. </span><br />
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<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_iPbg9TUekR44jC01uhOgSNGv2iELGEFA_jFhkGVFPwt-JE9VMhQXiqyhdxYoEZHox9P_g9Fp2SxZUKMIrzJGs9JSUqmG4FOthfC31yLBxqHUwlZ3NZmP4nssmtedMypmgMiDVmP-GrU/s400/IMG_7287.JPG" width="223" /> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoXit7OqMaoXYenMtVvDprggfjTsHi2-jByBDk3XBzqH2Im78SWBHu57n6rk9rN3KbWFdyponw72MLF0JPY4Wwt5K7nxKtrglhyAmXRIQm4KDvRsDdppj52n2hm1zNImLyQESwCu94ayKP/s640/IMG_7370.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large trees are adorned with multi-coloured fabric. So beautiful. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I had a fantastic
Ashtanga yoga practice at <a href="http://www.ganeshayogaphuket.com/" target="_blank">Ganesha Yoga</a>. It has been nearly 9 months since my
last class and I soaked it up, having a really deep and amazing time. The
teacher, Julie, helped me do my first headstand and I did all of the back bends
without pain or tightness for once. I pretty much floated out of the class. I
can’t wait to be able to attend a regular class again. I LOVE IT! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejdWzkENxd6hSZiaMlesDzLLb7CxFk-_roE2r3xJIJxDFHVCLvyezXIrBF8KO2Q1iHd82kN1bvLXz0rH7AAzGBOj_8PY4dKWGeKakz3U2fmN2iZQM6DhDGjimCNNqiC-tg-VM7KtXMC_d/s1600/IMG_7419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhejdWzkENxd6hSZiaMlesDzLLb7CxFk-_roE2r3xJIJxDFHVCLvyezXIrBF8KO2Q1iHd82kN1bvLXz0rH7AAzGBOj_8PY4dKWGeKakz3U2fmN2iZQM6DhDGjimCNNqiC-tg-VM7KtXMC_d/s400/IMG_7419.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the oar - how ingenious!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">On the 11<sup>th</sup>
we zipped in to shore with the sole purpose of checking out early in order to
have enough daylight to sail to Phi Phi Don. Fate had other plans. Rene had to
wait for May, the woman who hired us the scooter. Because of this, I wandered
down the street taking more photos when Dale from Freeform saw me and started
chatting. We all ended up sitting in a café chatting for hours so by the time
we went to check out, they had shut for lunch! Going with the flow, we used the
hour to buy another 6 drums of drinking water (as usual, using much gesturing
to communicate our request) which Rene zipped out to Anima while I took more
photos and tried on dresses at a cute second-hand store. Eventually we were
able to check out and sail out of Chalong (checking out cost 500Baht) in the
afternoon. The wind was good so instead of anchoring at our usual Panwa Beach,
we headed out thinking we’d anchor off the nearby island of Ko Mai Thon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UtWu3fsdQ0A3bkkomUgxbL5SrLkTVWQiKRpavDtQX37pDNrbFuE7fouu4etuC5yBXjoXmnKJcwcylqRWfWd3m89A0_qBbs1WUiRhWxb52IaxCD-U7sLQKCpGLfhnJ0hecJsmZTOwEI-h/s1600/IMG_7353.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UtWu3fsdQ0A3bkkomUgxbL5SrLkTVWQiKRpavDtQX37pDNrbFuE7fouu4etuC5yBXjoXmnKJcwcylqRWfWd3m89A0_qBbs1WUiRhWxb52IaxCD-U7sLQKCpGLfhnJ0hecJsmZTOwEI-h/s320/IMG_7353.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The long dinghy trip to the jetty in Chalong.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUf8RtjPkkbdthoO9nwefPV0zIkoJB9Z61XI1F0v__SdJlUjOhzzZeIdME9ZMi7OyJFuP2O6BT1TA1PARSlPQSJNHre99pm2BzHaimrjbF5DIDhV8enFIR7afmXdoCYo3QF_2I9l9yg5w/s1600/P4090125.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFUf8RtjPkkbdthoO9nwefPV0zIkoJB9Z61XI1F0v__SdJlUjOhzzZeIdME9ZMi7OyJFuP2O6BT1TA1PARSlPQSJNHre99pm2BzHaimrjbF5DIDhV8enFIR7afmXdoCYo3QF_2I9l9yg5w/s400/P4090125.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tying up the dinghy at Chalong.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">We never made it
there however as a Tsunami warning was issued at around 16:15 due to an 8.7 earthquake
off Banda Aceh, near Sumatra. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">My worst fear. Coming
true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">My recurring
nightmare. Becoming reality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Luckily we were
already sailing in deep water but we changed course and sailed to an even
deeper area of 40+ metres to be safer. With images and stories from the 2004
tsunami playing in our minds, we quickly readied ourselves and our boat for the
impending disaster. Everything was lashed on deck, all hatches and windows shut
tight. Life jackets and safety lines on. Everything secured below. Extra life
jackets out to throw to drowning people after the wave. Grab bag (containing
passports, a hard drive of photos, a torch, hats and medical gear) packed in a
waterproof bag.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshWKBMHV-lSN3HP7132UTHaOtjFlK6fY1ZbapknQrSMDc2aSlZgYdiBJE2eM75oF6hl3J_GJBvTRpFl7ssE83Zln5rgSMBDxAL4q3G2L6RpeZbtWGdbgMt5FuWjz31IwBs-4gsqUBlfd-/s1600/P4110136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjshWKBMHV-lSN3HP7132UTHaOtjFlK6fY1ZbapknQrSMDc2aSlZgYdiBJE2eM75oF6hl3J_GJBvTRpFl7ssE83Zln5rgSMBDxAL4q3G2L6RpeZbtWGdbgMt5FuWjz31IwBs-4gsqUBlfd-/s320/P4110136.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailbirds ready for the tsunami that wasn't.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">My heart was beating in
my ears, making it difficult to think beyond getting ready. My hands were
shaking and I couldn’t hold a conversation or thought beyond the fear of a
massive tidal wave wreaking destruction. The radio reports were few a far
between, and mostly from yachties calling one another with information from
text messages they were receiving from abroad. Our phone remained silent but my
panic-stricken FaceBook update received good luck messages from friends/family
around the globe. Looking behind us I could see dozens of local fishing and
cargo boats all doing what we were – getting the hell out of shallow Chalong! The
repeated message was to get out of shallow water into somewhere at least 12
metres deep. There was only one SAY-CURE-E-TAY message from the Thai authorities –
though much radio content was in Thai which we can’t understand beyond a few
simple phrases. I found the International Tsunami watch website and used it for
my information, finding that the impact time for Phuket was forecast to be
18:12. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy18Pwma-cXYy486MObSk4gZMmfSuq8HBwhDHTU7pxig1qESUe1krFJEN_aQPpkoCNg9EDshXpjtLkuAqCNwMw8dAl1NT8tktaPeZB9t-DtZTgvhViSt3usH0y39gZ03aj_D3wKJz5uYff/s1600/P4110135.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy18Pwma-cXYy486MObSk4gZMmfSuq8HBwhDHTU7pxig1qESUe1krFJEN_aQPpkoCNg9EDshXpjtLkuAqCNwMw8dAl1NT8tktaPeZB9t-DtZTgvhViSt3usH0y39gZ03aj_D3wKJz5uYff/s320/P4110135.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking out for the tsunami.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Nothing happened. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">We sat together in
the cockpit staring out to sea but nothing came. I concentrated on breathing to
quell my fears. News came of an aftershock so we stayed hove to in deep water
waiting and hoping that nothing would happen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">It didn’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I could relax again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">By now it was dark
and the wind was still up so we sailed in to anchor off Ko Racha Yai (07’36.34N
98’22.69E) in 20 metres, just in case. Soon after anchoring the tsunami alarm
echoed out over the small island, followed by a message repeated in many
different languages, the gist of which was – it’s now safe to return to lower
ground. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">That night was a
stormy one, resulting in us getting up frequently to check on the anchor and
make adjustments. Due to lack of sleep and the build up to the non-tsunami we
were both pretty exhausted. We ended up setting out PhiPhiLe much later in the
day than we wanted to. It meant that we had to approach an unfamiliar anchorage
at night, with only the frequent flashes of lightning and our feeble torch
beams to show us in. Luckily we also had a track on OpenCpn to follow (thanks S.Y.
Narid!) and we collected a mooring without any real trouble (07’40.78N 98’45.79E). </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8052go_wSdCDcmntnBqt0iDoT4mWMmObAhf1hsr9mXFT3bKOiDW5U4BBAVwdqGeN95U6DORAOdcrp8JppnJZAXNqlBT9qGcAP2nKzcBxOQiUF0uIZX2RIxlvUMLsVu1bb_A0WABrTZdlG/s320/IMG_7450.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="303" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset views at sea near Phi Phi Le.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">This island was made very famous in 2000 when Leonardo DiCaprio starred in <i>The Beach</i> which was filmed here. It is
pretty nice but the film makers certainly worked their magic making this small
bay look like a large lagoon. Due to its fame, this island is swamped with
thousands of tourists daily so we woke early and ventured ashore with our cups
of tea in the dinghy. By the time we left at 8am, there were over a dozen
longtail boats along the once-isolated beach. Next stop was Tonsai on PhiPhi
Don, just a few miles north. We anchored pretty far out because the bay is so
full of tourist boats on moorings (07’43.73N 98’46.26E). Today was the first
day of Songkran and we hoped to see some of the action. We saw a lot more than
we’d even dreamed of! </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGyZSQOVwAPBqkBmWoVLkNJIBU3hXHuWiAbm1Ux7vOTNTOBzKZ5GsYt78XDCBwex8fdU8zEeihyphenhyphenBaZX6bCFIfasDB59u5QmeseM3j_L3HJc-SGSi30daeDs_PVQ9XsGxFtYBpNB5YoUQF/s1600/IMG_7480.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPGyZSQOVwAPBqkBmWoVLkNJIBU3hXHuWiAbm1Ux7vOTNTOBzKZ5GsYt78XDCBwex8fdU8zEeihyphenhyphenBaZX6bCFIfasDB59u5QmeseM3j_L3HJc-SGSi30daeDs_PVQ9XsGxFtYBpNB5YoUQF/s640/IMG_7480.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima anchored at 'The Beach' on Phi Phi Le</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqsxwHu82u1T_2x7vT-BsDTslJy4Tf7V_muHHpT1TzSUQGJdsDDHhztwfpeWZQ7ebzNB4-qRv-ZA_HK5BkMDGZ08lVow-HsYvku1LfK3EICpXjvCRcALPaERnnXtrw3rudbc_ECyrlvl5/s1600/IMG_7471.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqsxwHu82u1T_2x7vT-BsDTslJy4Tf7V_muHHpT1TzSUQGJdsDDHhztwfpeWZQ7ebzNB4-qRv-ZA_HK5BkMDGZ08lVow-HsYvku1LfK3EICpXjvCRcALPaERnnXtrw3rudbc_ECyrlvl5/s640/IMG_7471.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Phi Phi Le</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwlzeLQRGMaq-lNvSRrR7Pf7BuSyXX4wUslcs2LsPUS44CIneWz-ou2Sh-v1Q62WRZzFz5aCwxhPyoaiHYP7XdLYg-Yv_2K6qgPaZEDNt-TTT3r9j9xiYNfNmn0UxC6NvgSGArwhEMm30/s1600/IMG_7662.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwlzeLQRGMaq-lNvSRrR7Pf7BuSyXX4wUslcs2LsPUS44CIneWz-ou2Sh-v1Q62WRZzFz5aCwxhPyoaiHYP7XdLYg-Yv_2K6qgPaZEDNt-TTT3r9j9xiYNfNmn0UxC6NvgSGArwhEMm30/s640/IMG_7662.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The greeting cat on Phi Phi Don.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Songkran was
traditionally celebrated by gently pouring water over Buddha statues and visiting elders
to pay respects. These days it has become a day of water fights.
Within minutes of arriving ashore, we were both completely drenched thanks to a
large group of Thai guys with a hose, some buckets and water guns. Our walk
through the small town resulted in more soakings and Rene started getting in on
the action too. He used our two small water bottles to throw water at people
wielding water guns or buckets and hoses. In addition to having water poured/shot
at/thrown over us, some Thai’s took pleasure in wiping white paste (made from
talcum powder mixed with water) over our cheeks and faces. After an hour of so of this,
we walked back to where our dinghy was moored to recollect ourselves and get a
bite to eat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaImz2jtUPHVkJK1wPQE1dzOh_z0hNuD3YC4ETAk3NRP-gof31uQjCHhUgIZf-rgyUkwiiNgjdgQBCZAOPFxJSX8YYha0sVc7TtCJAkfNx4fKZA_0-_oVjfa4rOpN9DYO4JVVZ8pRfyqzZ/s1600/IMG_7764.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaImz2jtUPHVkJK1wPQE1dzOh_z0hNuD3YC4ETAk3NRP-gof31uQjCHhUgIZf-rgyUkwiiNgjdgQBCZAOPFxJSX8YYha0sVc7TtCJAkfNx4fKZA_0-_oVjfa4rOpN9DYO4JVVZ8pRfyqzZ/s320/IMG_7764.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Songkran victims.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Rene gathered more
artillery, finding a stash of used 1.5litre water bottles behind the beachside
restaurant. I grabbed my waterproof camera and tried (in vain) to coax the
water from my ears. We ventured back in and this time found a massive street
party complete with pumping music and everyone spraying water over everyone
else! A middle-aged Thai man took great pleasure in repeatedly pouring buckets
of water over my head while I danced to the beats and tentatively threw in some
of my own water over the crowds. Rene was loving it. I let him continue on and
retreated to a nearby bar to sip a coconut and watch the action, dripping in my
seat. I was a little concerned by the amount of alcohol being consumed and by
the drunken state of a lot of the partying people. One man came up to me while
I was standing under my sun umbrella, using it as a bit of a water shield, and
spoke to me with such a drunken slur that I couldn’t make sense of him at all.
Another man dropped his beer bottle so it smashed – pretty stupid when most of
the crowd are dancing bare feet. Apart from a few minor incidences like these,
the festival was amazing. Everyone was going off! We ended up on the beach
where Rene continued to have impromptu water fights with passers by before playing
a very civilised game of chess at a bar with some English lads. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7ngkkPrnFCiVkNO8cYXzRUpEqt9d80FE_loFCXkWCLRS476uvq9Ygrz8LQIVZXRMN8R3pEBnfG-rbkD4OKpolielobKXMKEmp1sHI64GkWrU6TJNneuGphPxwF2arf_V02XFLOMTWmjU/s1600/P4130289.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV7ngkkPrnFCiVkNO8cYXzRUpEqt9d80FE_loFCXkWCLRS476uvq9Ygrz8LQIVZXRMN8R3pEBnfG-rbkD4OKpolielobKXMKEmp1sHI64GkWrU6TJNneuGphPxwF2arf_V02XFLOMTWmjU/s320/P4130289.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene loving Songkran.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWYt6NoZ0tjv3anf9IG02B1a54y4yBeRXJGAcIJ_fIilkMXt3PqoxcwrzNdvRUutR8HoZiCPYjHGuRSAat3t5Nx7FzaEZM2KWMpYIctBezffQrILqA4q6PcInnPuP5PrRtgHQ4z-dFh5h/s1600/IMG_7820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWYt6NoZ0tjv3anf9IG02B1a54y4yBeRXJGAcIJ_fIilkMXt3PqoxcwrzNdvRUutR8HoZiCPYjHGuRSAat3t5Nx7FzaEZM2KWMpYIctBezffQrILqA4q6PcInnPuP5PrRtgHQ4z-dFh5h/s640/IMG_7820.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Looking out at the Tonsai anchorage on Phi Phi Don.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">We had such a good
time on PhiPhi Don. So good that we ended up staying for a few more days. We
walked around the little village enjoying the vibe. There are no cars or
motorbikes – only bicycles and feet. We went out dancing and were amazed at the
insane fire-twirling they do every night here. So much fun :) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjji3BkdHTwVGpL1qVrjOVj0DsVa4rzLTfqxAz57IFCNkgNoGQVqcGmSGaOPxREL3p4yW4o4cq9GPjmh7Pcpcnsw882FZIaxef-hcT3t9kRoCTo6UcWbzP2A5TtSkhkl-W1_7Sy4F7faUZ/s1600/Ren+dance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjji3BkdHTwVGpL1qVrjOVj0DsVa4rzLTfqxAz57IFCNkgNoGQVqcGmSGaOPxREL3p4yW4o4cq9GPjmh7Pcpcnsw882FZIaxef-hcT3t9kRoCTo6UcWbzP2A5TtSkhkl-W1_7Sy4F7faUZ/s400/Ren+dance.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Rene dancing the night away</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboFks1g3cia6L1SCKG-9t3PLe4L2zQNkgrztZ-1p4gOsB4YdylhZ-I60QHqynsim2etbSlx1iYSYarvMZvPkHjNBRWuLS70p1MiQ1BXLfbxI0kVU8ahIxvmTMOYuM5w8p1Doc2TDOEkTc/s1600/fire+twirls2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboFks1g3cia6L1SCKG-9t3PLe4L2zQNkgrztZ-1p4gOsB4YdylhZ-I60QHqynsim2etbSlx1iYSYarvMZvPkHjNBRWuLS70p1MiQ1BXLfbxI0kVU8ahIxvmTMOYuM5w8p1Doc2TDOEkTc/s400/fire+twirls2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Amazing fire-twirling displays on Phi Phi Don.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Eventually we had to leave Phi Phi Don. We set sail (and motor) for</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"> Ko Rok Nok (07’12.87N
99’04.04E). It was an uneventful trip until we approached the moorings between Rok Nok and Rok Rai. All of the moorings in deep water were already taken so we went to investigate some that were over shallower water (obvious due to the colour of the water). They turned out to be too shallow however! We had to do the old fast-as-possible reverse seconds before hitting a shallow bommie. We anchored in 10 metres on sand instead. Rok Nok is very pretty and also sports an interesting shrine full of carved phallus'. One of the things I love about visiting remote islands is adding to the shrines, rock towers or object collections. This was no exception. On Phi Phi Don Rene had found a rock floating (yes - floating!) and had picked it up. I used this rock to carve a phallus which we added to the shrine. Ah, the crazy things we do! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYs7-Ug26kSdbFzWId_DdhTodSDPzOJnQ3kFDU-0IxBRraIoxDxh9mBndGSYwUHcgqz8DoU3afkg-Jdyc0nEaAcOCGR1sQ-OXPyz3NOF2nKsmLZU4t0vZmiL4YPaAtvIpgRl1kSvR-_5L/s1600/IMG_7861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYs7-Ug26kSdbFzWId_DdhTodSDPzOJnQ3kFDU-0IxBRraIoxDxh9mBndGSYwUHcgqz8DoU3afkg-Jdyc0nEaAcOCGR1sQ-OXPyz3NOF2nKsmLZU4t0vZmiL4YPaAtvIpgRl1kSvR-_5L/s640/IMG_7861.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Phallus shrine on Rok Nok.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We stayed here for a couple of days to enjoy the serenity and natural beauty. Unlike some travellers I know, I cannot help but to notice when things aren't right (environmentally). One afternoon we went exploring by dinghy - just a little farther than the main white-sandy beach. It looked like an untouched rocky shoreline until Rene noticed that the large black rocks weren't in fact rocks at all. (Please note, environmental rant follows):</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZRUrU_8z5dA9GuHpWe4_Jv9R_wLWItCAzO4rzadPMpZA-Qa2_LyY4ivuNXoTYjc5YQFHNiGF2UfrAauDE8DlX-6h1_1Dp7RASp5Dvljv1GJtF6ydF9_wsDTK7PMf51-70-3HsRhtVpsq/s1600/IMG_7994.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ZRUrU_8z5dA9GuHpWe4_Jv9R_wLWItCAzO4rzadPMpZA-Qa2_LyY4ivuNXoTYjc5YQFHNiGF2UfrAauDE8DlX-6h1_1Dp7RASp5Dvljv1GJtF6ydF9_wsDTK7PMf51-70-3HsRhtVpsq/s640/IMG_7994.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah. What a lovely clean, untouched island.... </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The large rocks were in fact dozens of large black garbage bags. Each full of rubbish. How did they get all the way out here? This island is miles from any major civilisation. The explanation we settled upon was that a tour boat must have dumped them either directly on the shore or out at sea for them to wash up here. We'd seen a tour boat overflowing with bags exactly like this collected from Phi Phi Le. It lay on a mooring (stinking the area) on Phi Phi Don for days. We hoped it was going to be taken to a land burial site but now we think they probably just dump it at sea. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiSelyUxTK_Hke8ejuu6rDmT1EpJBRCS5EjeyEVXp2NsnrUTp1_kwlHdH1fOiphibwwxFcDlSIfzpLx7BAQaFEA6btYgGA8EDUItvlN7Qrn1LPnzbQfYoaBZ9f87otDvCjqT-ym_LjtYk/s1600/IMG_7989.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiSelyUxTK_Hke8ejuu6rDmT1EpJBRCS5EjeyEVXp2NsnrUTp1_kwlHdH1fOiphibwwxFcDlSIfzpLx7BAQaFEA6btYgGA8EDUItvlN7Qrn1LPnzbQfYoaBZ9f87otDvCjqT-ym_LjtYk/s640/IMG_7989.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Until you look closer. Why do people throw their rubbish into the sea???</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Thailand
is fantastic. The people are lovely. The environment is stunning. But -
if things continue this way, will it affect their tourism? They rely
upon tourists for their economy. I hope they sort out something soon. It
breaks my heart to see pollution on a daily basis. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmj8Kcm-B1Y2DKkWC1k1kcJouhxd4b14gO3PmO_XMCiX0Po8Mptlf2yvp4qb2PwSrmfC_R7Sy-ypZVgkTgO4rsi7W06dTzKP4tBBDJhSXNeEGeEc9kXYckq1cAMkkin9AdeUtT8FZZYzVA/s1600/IMG_7305.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmj8Kcm-B1Y2DKkWC1k1kcJouhxd4b14gO3PmO_XMCiX0Po8Mptlf2yvp4qb2PwSrmfC_R7Sy-ypZVgkTgO4rsi7W06dTzKP4tBBDJhSXNeEGeEc9kXYckq1cAMkkin9AdeUtT8FZZYzVA/s640/IMG_7305.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burning rubbish - plastic included. sigh. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The other problem we've seen far too often is the burning of plastics. It happens everywhere (right through Indonesia, Malaysia and here in Thailand). Often the deadly smoke is so thick that it's inescapable. </span><br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh rain-water anyone? Maybe not!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> I'll finish off my environmental rant with a little story about water. The tap water in Thailand is undrinkable (even the locals don't drink it) so we decided to try catching some of the frequent tropical storm rain water. The water is caught on our cockpit roof and is fed down to either a bucket or the boat's water tanks with a food-grade hose. We filled a large white bucket one night and thought that the water looked a little odd by torch light. The next morning we could see that the water was black. Stained with diesel particulates and pollution. We left the bucket on deck for a week or two, hoping that the particulates would gradually settle and form a slick at the bottom of the bucket, allowing us to use the clear water for laundry. The water didn't clear. It actually stained the bucket! We now filter the rain water before drinking it and try to avoid the areas where the rain is black. I wonder what this is doing to the environment? How is it affecting the soil? The sea? The ecosystem? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Our final stop in Thailand was at Ko Phetra (07’02.27N
99’28.25E). We stopped here because Rene recalled someone telling him it was worth a visit. It was OK but not the most amazing anchorage, though a small pod of dolphins did greet us as we arrived (not a common sight around here). We did our laundry here using the rainwater we'd collected in the morning storms (it was clear of pollution!). By dinghy we explored the whole western coast of the island finding many interesting crooks and nooks and caves which were inaccessible. The swell was rolling in and bouncing off the rocks. We were most amazed by an electricity cable which was visible high along the cliff face, strung up with bits of rope from trees far above. Following the cable, we found a tiny house all alone made on the rocks. This island is the biggest Swallow nest collection point in the area and so this house must belong to the swallow nest people. What a life!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTbinfCs40haxbedG2ZNS_1NTjuSr9coC6y0xB3MNOce7ElaWOOcVr2E7yc2qQUwYF0XT-QRdZIfaBp0UBsEfhAYfRB0Jy9wJMw402zmteaaM_-uMu5VHC5ROFtgVb3SqgUhMvpxGfn60/s1600/Swallow+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTbinfCs40haxbedG2ZNS_1NTjuSr9coC6y0xB3MNOce7ElaWOOcVr2E7yc2qQUwYF0XT-QRdZIfaBp0UBsEfhAYfRB0Jy9wJMw402zmteaaM_-uMu5VHC5ROFtgVb3SqgUhMvpxGfn60/s640/Swallow+house.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Swallow house on Ko Phetra.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">After a terrible night's sleep on a lee shore, we set out for Langkawi at dawn. The wind was (of course) almost always on our nose so we motored for most of the 44 miles in an uncomfortable sea. The past two months have been truly amazing for us. We're so grateful for being able to have experienced this. To have been able to live. More adventures await!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKKmRuFzio4IRHJfsizSvFJ-fUH7uiR6UjFkZ-CT3HR1WslwMeGPBW1ZJ-lTNfycL6L8mSC54n-QYo3SdfsmWY-xCFlkTD-byzzjd-xuV7BLzlTcp-72MptdPiu7G9X5Gy160ufvH1L_e/s1600/rainbowsail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKKmRuFzio4IRHJfsizSvFJ-fUH7uiR6UjFkZ-CT3HR1WslwMeGPBW1ZJ-lTNfycL6L8mSC54n-QYo3SdfsmWY-xCFlkTD-byzzjd-xuV7BLzlTcp-72MptdPiu7G9X5Gy160ufvH1L_e/s640/rainbowsail.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Sailing towards the rainbow!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUV2qtoztjDq2XpnhJAneJw2EO-nSQn_DbafLn-LIp3CPabDFK9OVplIE8b2QTBaVeI10vc0jzn8VmyLXDI6L-8gBUAH8AEF_FApUM3PC3zw0tpFy4xLNf5e8qHHsTDuk6wJySg8LXFK0N/s1600/Rain+watching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUV2qtoztjDq2XpnhJAneJw2EO-nSQn_DbafLn-LIp3CPabDFK9OVplIE8b2QTBaVeI10vc0jzn8VmyLXDI6L-8gBUAH8AEF_FApUM3PC3zw0tpFy4xLNf5e8qHHsTDuk6wJySg8LXFK0N/s640/Rain+watching.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Watching rain fall as we leave Thailand.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-64985689715524337492012-04-02T21:10:00.002+10:002012-04-22T13:56:53.770+10:00Great Sailing in Thailand<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We've had some fantastic sails lately. Rene has been <i>loving</i> it and I've enjoyed much of it too. The clear, salty air cools off and sometimes even manages to dry the sheen of ever-present sweat. Did I mention that it is really hot here?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-F9W-0aArfl1OWfq9a06pI5FFNXHUYN7cwJtVK7TILtGVlzdWLvlkc4wl3b0c1-ulchPQj2pi1uqRVo2Azr9_8Tuw4qRjaiFarylA27HK3KVMvXYfceSRh4fdc_cEl_rnAhqx96dg3ONI/s1600/IMG_6272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-F9W-0aArfl1OWfq9a06pI5FFNXHUYN7cwJtVK7TILtGVlzdWLvlkc4wl3b0c1-ulchPQj2pi1uqRVo2Azr9_8Tuw4qRjaiFarylA27HK3KVMvXYfceSRh4fdc_cEl_rnAhqx96dg3ONI/s640/IMG_6272.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima sailing with everything up.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> We've been trying to make the most of our last month here in Thailand. But, as always on a boat, we've been doing our share of chores too. It's not all coconuts and suntans! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNscLUuC-4fvc_nl6Avlb8EDDBOe63qGwZFLqXOCG8_V6wMMy3JHX45V5bFgdZ4UIfiRgJFhqv8i3D2fzmSf2qCkRYzRO4XlhqlVZ6BFbs9L9FOqwQNQg1R-hlaHMeWjyaVobQ6KXsy6Hc/s1600/Peter+and+Pauline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNscLUuC-4fvc_nl6Avlb8EDDBOe63qGwZFLqXOCG8_V6wMMy3JHX45V5bFgdZ4UIfiRgJFhqv8i3D2fzmSf2qCkRYzRO4XlhqlVZ6BFbs9L9FOqwQNQg1R-hlaHMeWjyaVobQ6KXsy6Hc/s400/Peter+and+Pauline.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pauline, Peter and Rene sailing on Anima, Chalong bay.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">At Panwa Bali near Chalong, we met two Aussies at lunch in the beachside restaurant. This little establishment has the sand as its floor and served me the most delicious coconut I've ever ever had. I've decided coconuts are my new wine. Anyway, Rene was chatting to Peter throughout lunch and discovered it was his birthday. He decided (spur of the moment) to offer Peter and Pauline a sail around the bay onboard Anima. They jumped at the chance and seemed to love it because in return, they shouted us lunch at their hotel the next day. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhit6qJUww6aFkxYP6UMeXziwW7qqUUiSq_ckuj2qD5Lr-B9_b92ddLWNb_gpzeNIP-5W2WKcvxxGMcVYe7c7cs32c0_60tTl3YIBoZ2lsUSc71XHkWGlZJA69DFf6PtJXZaOZ5nZUv6SUE/s1600/cloud+19+lunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhit6qJUww6aFkxYP6UMeXziwW7qqUUiSq_ckuj2qD5Lr-B9_b92ddLWNb_gpzeNIP-5W2WKcvxxGMcVYe7c7cs32c0_60tTl3YIBoZ2lsUSc71XHkWGlZJA69DFf6PtJXZaOZ5nZUv6SUE/s640/cloud+19+lunch.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunchtime view at Cloud 19, Panwa Bali, Phuket. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Some places we've been lately.... </span><br />
<div style="color: magenta;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Aquarium - 7'48.35N 98'23.88E</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This looked better from afar. In close, all of the boats (mostly charterers) were on moorings leaving very limited space to anchor. We ended up anchoring on the far outer edge, away from the fish farm and the moorings and spent a rolly evening. A huge storm blew in with such thick, frequent sparks of lightning - it was really quite exhilerating. As usual, the accompanying rain allowed us to 'shower' on deck. Ah, fun and free times out on the water!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNh_LkEmwgKdTp3vNtI2RnZDFrpRoYnnVK9iV2M8IX3pht_ltQDKAgbmtWBBO_UP8HUv6aEOyIBKQAXbtdu6RKfjg4kl49khiDB1vqIskmlFz07p3Z0Nj8SNpF0JtMN2h7GKyhGN5YdxHU/s1600/lightning.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNh_LkEmwgKdTp3vNtI2RnZDFrpRoYnnVK9iV2M8IX3pht_ltQDKAgbmtWBBO_UP8HUv6aEOyIBKQAXbtdu6RKfjg4kl49khiDB1vqIskmlFz07p3Z0Nj8SNpF0JtMN2h7GKyhGN5YdxHU/s400/lightning.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much lightning!!</td></tr>
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<div style="color: magenta;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ko Siray - 7'52.54N 98'26.50E </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rene wanted us to stop here for 3 reasons. Namely, it looked like a close spot to access Phuket town (this turned out not to be the case). Secondly, he said that he like the name (how sweet). Thirdly, he wanted to get off the beaten track and try out an anchorage not recommended in the cruising guidebook,</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">'Sail Thailand',</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> we've been relying on. Ren went ashore here, negotiated with a local guy to borrow a motorbike and did a shopping trip at Supercheap to stock up on veggies and fruit. I stayed on Anima and completed yet another TESOL unit (only a couple left now). There were so many boats speeding by that I felt seasick from the motion. I retreated to the cockpit and sat in the sweltering heat watching an endless stream of muck and rubbish float by with the tide. Not an amazing anchorage, we don't recommend it. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ko Siray turned out to be a beach-side refuelling area for the super fast speed boats (some people call them the 'James Bond' boats). We awoke to the terrible stench of petrol and got out of there quickly! Motoring (for once) the 5 miles to Ko Rang Yai - the place I chose out of the guidebook! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div style="color: magenta;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ko Rang Yai - 7'57.13N 98'26.80E </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This island was a very pleasant surprise. It's quite a tight anchorage (we had to wait for a catamaran to leave) off a white sandy beach. Despite its location close to Phuket town, it was really low key. Ashore, most of the beach was under-developed. The developed area consisted of a few beach chairs (for hire), some open air restaurants (closed) and some very cute beach bungalows (rented out by a large group of young Thai's). We like it so much that we planned on staying, that is until we received this text message from Nick and Jan on Yawarra 2. "Test driving mango yoghurt ice cream 4 lunch. Mmmm! Wish u were here!"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The lure of ice-cream was too strong. We hadn't planned on sailing any further north. We should have waited for the wind to pick up, but in our eagerness, we set out early (pretty much within 30 minutes of that text message) and then spent hours in the doldrums. Eventually we sailed at a decent speed and anchored off another sandy island for the night. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhppPIC4b2d7DKh6RU0Phada_9ueQ8vybhoacp85hOxRQFbLIn8s4WBrJvIqCtZeCPCW8tCC1O4GyzsdnHpgoS5tKjcbJJ-C9yBXRqGZlft27wxjP6j6HnsqYr3R6yaCchnObzAJSthMzY/s1600/KoRangYai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhppPIC4b2d7DKh6RU0Phada_9ueQ8vybhoacp85hOxRQFbLIn8s4WBrJvIqCtZeCPCW8tCC1O4GyzsdnHpgoS5tKjcbJJ-C9yBXRqGZlft27wxjP6j6HnsqYr3R6yaCchnObzAJSthMzY/s400/KoRangYai.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene and Anima at Ko Rang Yai</td></tr>
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<div style="color: magenta;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ko Nakha Yai - 08'02.63N 98'28.44E</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Here, we walked the long sandy beach trying to admire the natural beauty rather than focus upon the piles of rubbish along the shore. Tourist boats frequent this spot, so we had to listen to the not-so-dulcet tones of jet ski's until they all roared off in motorboats back to their hotels. Due to tourism, there is a small development here - a few shanty-style shacks, some poultry and some locals selling the usual fare (massages, cocktails/beer, jet-ski rides or beach chairs). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnwR6Bbv9KxAjk1w0bsqWHps1EZv8oHOolMzz5PKdNAFNPlP5H_bjQp937hHBvG77TH8RLc2M02sNaLGB4N9-rf4NlUoPrDmqEDyMSkXe6zOUQl_izUnIqt_lPnjQXE30bOQmpuLfPfJa/s1600/crabs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnwR6Bbv9KxAjk1w0bsqWHps1EZv8oHOolMzz5PKdNAFNPlP5H_bjQp937hHBvG77TH8RLc2M02sNaLGB4N9-rf4NlUoPrDmqEDyMSkXe6zOUQl_izUnIqt_lPnjQXE30bOQmpuLfPfJa/s640/crabs.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermit crabs on Ko Nakha Yai.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Spurred by thoughts of ice-cold ice-cream, we sailed on. Helped dramatically by a brisk breeze which had us clipping along at a nice 7.5 knots. I yelped a couple of times when Anima heeled over sharply while I was at the helm. Mostly though, it was fun! We sailed all the way up to Yacht Haven marina where we were happy to find our rellies, Nick and Jan. They shared a most delicious, freshly made peaches and cream batch of wow! It was amazing. Such a novelty to have real ice-cream on-board a boat! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbFJnVFxYNhLUBdfvgvRz3wiTisVTOM0ZKfeqZHwVOd7VZmg_wuwnEUO4l4szF6P1l_935cftgoKPB7sNuWZbX7rC2HTm0GbotPeb4vCz5dQcpt0vrbEtHNmUAFsG98FE8W70RYHiaW8N/s1600/jan+ice+cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbFJnVFxYNhLUBdfvgvRz3wiTisVTOM0ZKfeqZHwVOd7VZmg_wuwnEUO4l4szF6P1l_935cftgoKPB7sNuWZbX7rC2HTm0GbotPeb4vCz5dQcpt0vrbEtHNmUAFsG98FE8W70RYHiaW8N/s320/jan+ice+cream.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ICE CREAM!!!!! Thanks for sharing Y2!!</td></tr>
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</span>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-1094236437650870622012-03-20T21:04:00.002+10:002012-03-23T13:19:05.056+10:00Happy Days in the Similans<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Initially we were in two minds as to whether we should make the trip further north-west to see this small group of islands. The forecast strong easterly winds which we'd hoped to sail there with, eased off and became light northerlies. Rene was hoping to sail everywhere in an effort to conserve diesel but we bit the bullet and motored the whole 47 miles from the airport anchorage on Phuket across to the Similan island group. The trip was easy. Anima is motoring really well and having no problems. Rene stayed on deck, adjusting our course occasionally and keeping a lookout for fishing vessels/traps/etc. I remained inside (hiding from the sun) and managed to complete (almost) two units for my TESOL course. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPIbZw0bjN2vqCSaD3heca8u794W6LxdxKEITEOwcLUgzwPsrTzzby_beEPke5MpPsu-uO_aoRpLj_vV3HMxDF7VjDd1JIl34tQTVJ7gCnWCSCGaG87F3_xPsxiNzha8cnHDuw0meDYEAn/s640/IMG_5966.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Similans - Anima is anchored far right.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Upon arriving I took the helm and Rene went to the bow to hook the mooring line. He collected the thick line and pulled up a massive yellow buoy. As we swung around to lie with the current, I decided that we were too far out and we let go to move to another free mooring. This buoy was red and the line more suitable to our size, but minutes after turning off the engine, a large dive boat came and collected the mooring just metres from ours. The two boats swung close together and after a strange discussion with one of their crew, we decided to move again, it would have been dangerous to stay so close, let alone the complete lack of privacy (tourists were taking photos of us from the top deck). </span> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Our third attempt at mooring was the best by far. It's away from all of the others which are frequented by large dive boats and is in about 5 metres. We swam around the boat in amazingly clear water. The national park guys saw us pretty quickly. Charging 900 baht for our 2 day visit, which turned out to be 5 days after purchasing the ticket. Below us sat strange sculptures secured to the seabed. We think they are to ward of bad spirits – this spot certainly has a positive vibe! We found out later, from a British diver who helpfully interjected while we fruitlessly quizzed some friendly local Eco-tourism students, that the seabed sculptures are a memento for the '04 tsunami whilst also providing something interesting to look at. </span> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw19UNoohbgn1bPCM2eoTiZvMgyuwtzBTelDddzsYs_Fdo2du1t8BPRrA-A72W-sJvC_x3fUQ2AgiARvsISQiiKyJ1DohjViHZ0RZm_gfuitmHL3fwK-ZsNhguIixuJYrs0rI8CweNq64g/s1600/P3150641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw19UNoohbgn1bPCM2eoTiZvMgyuwtzBTelDddzsYs_Fdo2du1t8BPRrA-A72W-sJvC_x3fUQ2AgiARvsISQiiKyJ1DohjViHZ0RZm_gfuitmHL3fwK-ZsNhguIixuJYrs0rI8CweNq64g/s400/P3150641.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsunami mementos secured to the sea under our boat. </td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Wow. I am so so glad that we decided to come here - It's gorgeous!! Ironically, it's the first place we've come to (since Indonesia and our favourite islands such as Lady Musgrave, Lizard and Great Keppel along the QLD coast) that is perhaps comparable! Of course everywhere is different and has its own positives/negatives. The Similans main positive is its incredibly clear water. So clear that it is akin to looking through blue/aqua tinted glass. So clear that swimming here is pretty sensational. </span> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhBF2V4Eurkixso7quuXn8jGCUSXgHr-xLpGJ0n3iUpvKrv49Gm8Ido8p_9lvYppvZsqHNt4QcY60gSAtEsXufXb7J_kNQrDVkZ-R9_f15HtX7zgguSxXUfIdQgljnta_T1Kr1XK203n1/s1600/IMG_5867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxhBF2V4Eurkixso7quuXn8jGCUSXgHr-xLpGJ0n3iUpvKrv49Gm8Ido8p_9lvYppvZsqHNt4QcY60gSAtEsXufXb7J_kNQrDVkZ-R9_f15HtX7zgguSxXUfIdQgljnta_T1Kr1XK203n1/s400/IMG_5867.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clear water! Yeah!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" style="color: magenta; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Happy Days </span> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWtXL0ATltaF8-TeCKBWmCdVf0z18-zExknLKiln9QZbhh0b9PEmHP0YBDYb8mj-7xOGVIygphcVuil5zDB7-ZbaUCCmMa5AXOrqmZSL7wcLU49PPfd9ZcoKBfxN9hMxGyaUaLUysyAsh/s1600/IMG_5924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWtXL0ATltaF8-TeCKBWmCdVf0z18-zExknLKiln9QZbhh0b9PEmHP0YBDYb8mj-7xOGVIygphcVuil5zDB7-ZbaUCCmMa5AXOrqmZSL7wcLU49PPfd9ZcoKBfxN9hMxGyaUaLUysyAsh/s400/IMG_5924.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock-hopping view.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">It began with an attempt at doing yoga on the boat (a lost cause when there's any motion. Which there always seems to be). Rene couldn't wait to get in the water and jumped off within minutes of eating breakfast. He towed the dinghy (with me sitting in it) toward the large boulder-covered coastline of the small island we are next to. Rock hopping was fun as always! The water is just so clear that I could watch fish swimming around the rocks when 10 metres above the water. After some rock-hopping Rene was eager to be towed along (with me driving the dinghy and him holding a rope in the water). I took photos of the beautiful rocks while he frolicked about in the water. We stopped by a beach and swam with schools of unafraid fish. Boat-loads of tourists soon pushed us on and we continued to explore by dinghy around the whole island. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhBYCcq9xDXIZBl5o9GRCl9NKprEI1MgEmBVnyVurNdCKqoPPsogYihusvoWwf3PFYS3bmlaqnwo2Bn0ISpyF9Oxp-J-eJlR2F_xWqwPi8wzSo9mcQBhQ80MKCPzNpgHCt2dwqbzz0LUg/s1600/IMG_5956.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGhBYCcq9xDXIZBl5o9GRCl9NKprEI1MgEmBVnyVurNdCKqoPPsogYihusvoWwf3PFYS3bmlaqnwo2Bn0ISpyF9Oxp-J-eJlR2F_xWqwPi8wzSo9mcQBhQ80MKCPzNpgHCt2dwqbzz0LUg/s640/IMG_5956.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Towing Rene around with the dinghy. Can you see him?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Large swells rolled in from the Indian ocean and created strange overfalls which sometimes seemed about to suck us down into the rocks. Watching boulders pass by below in the clear water is a new experience. We kept exploring and discovered a small beach after navigating a particularly interesting area of overfalls. Rene checked it out and then waded in with the dinghy and me to the beach, positioning it carefully through the rocks and avoiding the swell surge by seconds! What a lovely, secluded spot! The jungle sprawls down the mountainside and nestles in over clusters of large granite boulders, providing shade and intimacy with nature. The usual empty water bottles, old buoys, rope and Styrofoam were washed up above the waterline and someone had helpfully left a cache of new drinking water bottles tucked into one of the thick tree branches, presumably for stranded fishermen.</span></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTB3xvSSSGGMgTT-pqaEGqbcnWzQ6Tg4FquQaU1_eAc9A5o3lIN6MjcSR8QkVIsUp1tHOdHJXU6uom2TrRO2vdxGdCKrrqUt3221-XLo4I58RkFblNaGXdkKxcP09fwReVLwCX1XUPIUK/s1600/IMG_5992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTB3xvSSSGGMgTT-pqaEGqbcnWzQ6Tg4FquQaU1_eAc9A5o3lIN6MjcSR8QkVIsUp1tHOdHJXU6uom2TrRO2vdxGdCKrrqUt3221-XLo4I58RkFblNaGXdkKxcP09fwReVLwCX1XUPIUK/s640/IMG_5992.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful little secluded bay - just for us!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsSgXZ9pIt05g3at1HbKi1u79vKNhIqXaca2pj4KUGJQaiBQyjI4BnBLLFhf1Ugsbg_rLhnf_maF7ANL5AmxwtKPHjn-KzIPkY2aLa8e8EAnw0k2i8etaL4FoXNl1neouqYvwy4SSCfaI/s1600/IMG_6007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgsSgXZ9pIt05g3at1HbKi1u79vKNhIqXaca2pj4KUGJQaiBQyjI4BnBLLFhf1Ugsbg_rLhnf_maF7ANL5AmxwtKPHjn-KzIPkY2aLa8e8EAnw0k2i8etaL4FoXNl1neouqYvwy4SSCfaI/s640/IMG_6007.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are often more common than shells on beaches here. </td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">On the way back to Anima I towed Rene again and he saw brilliant blue fish darting about near the drop-off. Later that afternoon we swam again, this time just off Anima. The only other boats were a long way away so we shrugged off our togs for a skinny dip. Within a minute of floating free, I spied a dive boat making fast towards us. We both giggled so much (I kept taking water in my snorkel) and I only just clipped my bikini top on as the boat came past, so close that the people on board could take photos of us, wave and shout encouragement! Ah, fun times. </span> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="color: magenta; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">The Perfect morning and the Box Jellyfish</span></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">We awoke at dawn today with the plan of going ashore to do yoga/kung fu. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to get any yoga done on the boat. It's always so rolly! The wind was up a little bit from the north west and Anima was having a hard time trying to decide whether to face the wind or the current. We took our dinghy to the leeward side of the island and were the first footprints on the sand. To escape the sun, I suggested we walk across the island to the western side where it would be shady. Along the forest track we came upon a sign for the lookout, only a 330m walk. 'Let's go!'. The track led us steeply up through dense jungle. The path was moist but firm mud and knotted ropes helped our progress up the more challenging inclines. Slow-moving, hungry, gigantic mosquitoes began their attack and my skin became tattooed with shadows of their deaths. A jovial Thai family was already near the top. We overtook them for the last part of the path which goes inside some rocks and up a particularly steep bank to arrive on top of a large boulder. Views of the sea and surrounding islands greeted our sweaty selves. The older members of the family had to be cajoled by a happy young man to continue to the top. They laughed a lot and it was a big accomplishment for two of them (slightly older) to make it. </span> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk9VLyZZkgtqpMGoMUMzoZsBzjtNetPFDNsJqiN_GdNSgq86SepKHqe5dzWk_0aP_2slj_slILE75NXvfe6hIF6fZEtEOqstB12ULcxbc_WRsEVXkx1IZA5mkzjwtT-MUZTr5xLRNjVUWr/s640/P3160018.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailbirds atop the lookout on Ko Miang. Anima is down there, above and to the right of Rene's head. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">We eventually made it to the western beach. I did the standing poses for Ashtanga (getting covered in sand) and Rene did Kung Fu stretches but couldn't calm his mind. We are both a bit out of practice. </span> </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">A walk through the shaded area was relaxing and we filled out a questionnaire for tourist development on the island before having a swim and snorkel and then heading back to the boat. Coffee and banana pancakes never tasted so good! But beyond the taste, I realised that I miss the ritual of this special breakfast. To us, pancakes are a breakfast to be <i>shared</i> with family and friends. A long, drawn out ritual of sharing, enjoying rich foods and talking about everything/anything. Our flights are booked for returning home. We leave Malaysia in August this year. Before then we have some more cruising to do but also more boat work as we prepare Anima to go on the market. Owning and living on Anima has been an amazing, life-changing experience. Through this I've finally figured out what I want in my life. It's not just travel, it's family that makes me happy. The time for another chapter to begin approaches. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_nmZCaIl8O3czGWmnEhBIOILMzSjPx-rPNI3B-g3x8E_4xP_db1Y9r5QT57bu2QzIABeweQtxeVt0ShxGvlfErSG7iWumhLzPlIl2bgsCGkdK7U6rPcL7OfAF4UGE8pE8SDXnMTDmO7BC/s400/P3150670.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the clear waters here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">We snorkelled around the boulders that afternoon. With clear water and blue skies, I began to relax. I started to feel safe in the water and thought to myself, 'you can just enjoy it Cerae, there are no dangers here!'. My new found water relaxation lasted all of 30 seconds. I looked up (my version of snorkelling is to constantly scan the water around me for jellyfish) and there. Right where I was about to swim, was a box jellyfish. Yep. The most deadly of them all! I quickly swam backwards and Rene, not understanding my shouts and gestures swam directly toward the stinger! Luckily he managed to avoid getting stung and saw it too – confirming my prognosis that it was a box jelly of about 40cm long. I didn't swim again after that. Preferring to chill out on some boulders. To watch the sunset with red wine and freshly baked bread. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2mOe_P4WwgyWh5OzNNslCdQrqBF2AtEXX9_dVIIVFcTq8E25SOXCZePHrzFJeqrQfRaeMTMqLQGA04oYEnXFzXb1xTys9fWwOTeZ8bJgKhYYZLbUEGr6L1bn-IHOxOKCij7IW-3MB71k/s1600/IMG_6124.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2mOe_P4WwgyWh5OzNNslCdQrqBF2AtEXX9_dVIIVFcTq8E25SOXCZePHrzFJeqrQfRaeMTMqLQGA04oYEnXFzXb1xTys9fWwOTeZ8bJgKhYYZLbUEGr6L1bn-IHOxOKCij7IW-3MB71k/s400/IMG_6124.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange sunset sundowners. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: magenta;"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Sail Rock</span></div></div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">A storm greeted us this morning bringing wind and a hint of rain. We are both absorbed in the book 'Four Corners' by Kira Salik . It's a true story about the author's solo journeys into dangerous places in search of herself. When a large dive boat took up the tiny dinghy mooring just metres from us, I decided it was time to move on and check out the other anchorage here, on the north of Ko Similan. My jellyfish scare yesterday has unfortunately damaged my confidence in the water again. I really should have bought a full-body stinger suit while we were in QLD, I might then enjoy myself in the water! </span> </div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">The coral here is all very dead-looking. I'm not sure why, has it been bleached by the sun? Damaged by fishing? Smashed in the 2004 tsunami? Crushed by boats' anchors? </span> </div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">There are plenty of colourful fish to see but I realised that the joy for me when snorkelling, is to see the coral gardens, not the fish. Rene is loving it though. He is almost becoming part-fish for the amount of time he spends beneath the surface. The clear water is what he loves, amazing that it's so rare. When you imagine cruising, you picture yachts at anchor off idyllic atolls in perfectly clear water. We've only had that a few times. Perhaps it's more like this vision in the Pacific? </span> </div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PjopLba2PT2cg7EMI-XdzafbOqMaLy1Y7sSo3O4GFR4nbmWn0yRCtGppKcOcyReqtldgzxusVB5JbDPTyE2kT7MsoWuDGs2pu9kGZwxiyufqVM9V3JCzse9u_HoPbETHqmItyRafVL_B/s1600/P3160030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PjopLba2PT2cg7EMI-XdzafbOqMaLy1Y7sSo3O4GFR4nbmWn0yRCtGppKcOcyReqtldgzxusVB5JbDPTyE2kT7MsoWuDGs2pu9kGZwxiyufqVM9V3JCzse9u_HoPbETHqmItyRafVL_B/s400/P3160030.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene snorkels over some semi-living reef.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">We went ashore in the afternoon and climbed up through picturesque large boulders and tropical forest to reach 'Sail Rock', a lookout of sorts. Throughout the day, we'd seen hundreds of tourists taking turns to get photographed with their arms in the air standing on the edge of this rock. We timed our arrival to be there with minimal other foreigners and instead found some locals sitting up on the rock. They were a group of university students who were all studying tourism (or Eco tourism, environmental management and sustainable tourism – areas I find incredibly interesting and important – <i><span style="font-weight: normal;">why didn't I study this at uni?</span></i>). We'd completed a questionnaire the day before with one of the girls but this afternoon on Sail Rock we mainly chatted to A (not sure how to spell his name but it sounded like the letter 'A'), Billy and their lecturer. Not having travelled here with a tour-guide, we overwhelmed these students with questions about tourism in Thailand. How do they regulate the protection zones for fishing? What has happened to the coral? Are there any turtles here? What's it like living in a country that has so much tourism? Is tourism having a negative effect on the environment? Etc. They answered as much as they could with limited English and I tried (failed) to learn some Thai words for things like sunset. After the overwhelming capitalism of Patong Beach and a number of other high-tourism areas we'd been to, it was extremely refreshing to engage in natural conversation with locals, without having a commercial relationship. It is something we'd been missing from our previous trip to northern Thailand in 2003. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9JJA2EbGLGYpgghGPDjmrunrQWryksfMIdK4QJm38t4iq7J4nYIYCSOPqxSBhgcFCHAS8xOo70t3R65v4TgFHgfS_zExk9uclRX_35Fqdt9fcPXA7TUXlouM7Hw6INimWcPPmiIOH0JJ/s1600/IMG_6233.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9JJA2EbGLGYpgghGPDjmrunrQWryksfMIdK4QJm38t4iq7J4nYIYCSOPqxSBhgcFCHAS8xOo70t3R65v4TgFHgfS_zExk9uclRX_35Fqdt9fcPXA7TUXlouM7Hw6INimWcPPmiIOH0JJ/s640/IMG_6233.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chatting to locals atop Sail Rock on Ko Similan </td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">I'm not sure how informed these students are but they told us that the coral used to be flourishing, alive and well only 2 years ago, even more so 10 years ago. Now it's dead. They blamed global warming. I wonder if this is true? </span> </div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">The students were critical of the hundreds of sticks which have been wedged up under the rocks by tourists. They explained that tour guides make up stories about it having a spiritual significance or simply encourage their customers to add to the sticks so that they feel involved, more than simply an observer. It isn't natural. It isn't traditional. It has been artificially created for foreigners who find it humorous that the sticks are 'holding up' the rocks (as one American we spoke to explained). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGgqubj0Ndr5NbTLhQ6SksO0jhupGoLctCpi3Tqhu6YquQG59JGBI54pWsRIeZVmcwqHCRLkp85ITLaw36_2X1BVcCUok0btMSP91nPgtpyM_B5gZHmVmKgcbRGO_iZhKLs4FR5OhNFFC/s1600/IMG_6222.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinGgqubj0Ndr5NbTLhQ6SksO0jhupGoLctCpi3Tqhu6YquQG59JGBI54pWsRIeZVmcwqHCRLkp85ITLaw36_2X1BVcCUok0btMSP91nPgtpyM_B5gZHmVmKgcbRGO_iZhKLs4FR5OhNFFC/s400/IMG_6222.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tourist sticks. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: magenta;"> <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Island #9 </span> </div></div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">We are relaxing into a slow kind of existence. I slip between feeling at peace and feeling guilty for not doing enough. </span> </div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">We visit Willow for morning tea and I like their perspective on our plans of selling Anima. They said we have learnt so much about yachts, cruising, weather etc. etc. that we will come back to it much more informed than when we began. </span> </div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">In an effort to escape the swell (which constantly rocks us side to side) we move half a mile to island #9 where there are half a dozen moorings set within a small boulder-fringed bay. We snorkel here and the coral is a little less dead, though nothing like the gardens we saw through Indonesia and Queensland. From his free-diving, Rene sees that the coral is covered in algae – the plot thickens. </span> </div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-mb5VffAvUPld4FjkX5ealEIBqPKZjWsEzsecMxHfv1HPG5iZP2PJm897qEt3GKtrewJJ9gKq1tRyRUNda62fPmyC2hFre1FWVPI2lVBkk77LxxmeycQXU12G1vUJPMxB8BdW5cHIIN0/s1600/IMG_6053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0mERSUVdPo_IpE0a4zWTcsF-yxCnt0Ycu7jtYYSkFQCH_uU422sRzT2AykbrB2QL6O30zrCJYpyyD78O4qNvmjaorw-9kRwuVAnl08gZq0xPXL945udbGkisefUaB3OpR6L_7-dEoSil/s1600/P3190106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0mERSUVdPo_IpE0a4zWTcsF-yxCnt0Ycu7jtYYSkFQCH_uU422sRzT2AykbrB2QL6O30zrCJYpyyD78O4qNvmjaorw-9kRwuVAnl08gZq0xPXL945udbGkisefUaB3OpR6L_7-dEoSil/s400/P3190106.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coral not doing so well but still plenty of fish. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">As the sun starts to 'go to bed' (as Thai students put it) we take the dinghy toward the boulders, looking for the perfect jetty-esque one to safely climb onto – none of them can beat our 'jetty-rock' that we found at the previous anchorage, but some of them seem OK. Our first attempt is pretty funny. The strategy is to motor towards the boulder, throwing the anchor out at just the right moment, then quickly climb up the rock and bring a stern line. Push the dinghy out so it doesn't hit the rock and tie the stern line to anything available. We successfully pull this off without a scratch on the dinghy, and Rene cracks open our shared beer can as we wander towards the edge of the boulder, expecting to be able to continue our adventure. Instead we greet a sheer drop-off to water. The next boulder is 3 metres away! The dinghy process is reversed and then repeated on a different rock. Some great exploring to do here. Wedged in amongst the large rocks are the ubiquitous plastic water bottles. Hundreds of them. There is sadly a lot of rubbish out here in the ocean. Too much. Willow had told us how they witnessed (three times) the large dive boats (which rely upon the natural beauty of this place) throwing plastic bag-fulls of rubbish off their boats into the sea as they approached the harbour. I have trouble understanding these boat operators' lack of concern. Recently I read an <a href="http://mashable.com/2012/03/07/plastic-eating-fungi/" target="_blank">article</a> about how some university students in America have discovered a fungus (from the Amazon jungle) which eats plastic. I hope someone can successfully turn this into a weapon in the war against trash! </span></div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoLdm1Hh4eBe7qwzLpv-3gmuRjhKrhqO0cgse3jHfO4vdjjr6MrVTQbkGXGiI64AbYtYrNCQFdw6m3mcx578OIAU7wkd8vYuw5PQ8U5B_QFIRB_myXqB9dQAdNwVl8XGqb0I0R38MZB3h/s400/P3180081.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock-hopping in the Similans at dusk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Willow had also told us of how, in the Surins (a similar group of islands north of the Similans) their mooring had broken at 3am and they had only narrowly avoided being stuck on the coral. All night I imagine our mooring breaking, misinterpreting Rene's assessment. He had dived down and inspected it : “It's good enough for at least one night” meant to me “it will barely hold one night”. The moorings here are constructed thus: a thick rope is tied through a hole in a large piece of coral, insulated with a plastic sheath so as to stop coral chafing. This is not always very successfully achieved however, as the plastic tube isn't always long enough and slips down the rope, allowing it to chafe. We've seen a few old moorings that must have broken as we snorkel, as well as a few red and yellow buoys washed onto the beach or rocks, identical to the ones we tie to! So Rene always inspects the line now before we settle in.</span></div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-mb5VffAvUPld4FjkX5ealEIBqPKZjWsEzsecMxHfv1HPG5iZP2PJm897qEt3GKtrewJJ9gKq1tRyRUNda62fPmyC2hFre1FWVPI2lVBkk77LxxmeycQXU12G1vUJPMxB8BdW5cHIIN0/s640/IMG_6053.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima secured to our favourite mooring here.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Last day here</span></div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Rene snorkelled for hours taking photos and videos of the colourful fish. He even spied a turtle! The first sighting (from memory) since Australia. I'm so relieved that there is at least one turtle still alive up here. I hope it eats that Box jellyfish for me. </span> </div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">We sailed slowly back down to Ko Miang in the afternoon of our last day here in the Similans. I was impatient to get there as the wind and a small swell was coming in from the north west, meaning that there would only be one area protected. The last 20 minutes felt like a race, with dive boats and us competing for a mooring. We made it – just – and collected our mooring from a few days earlier. Strangely, it felt like coming 'home' to 'our mooring'. Jumping in for one last swim, Rene scraped the growth off our depth sounder and wind vane paddle. A large swarm of tropical fish – parrots, angels, triggers, coralfish and others - gathered behind, eating all of the scraps of coral and weed as soon as it was cut free. </span> </div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Our last night here was a fitful sleep as we rolled about with the swell. We left at first light, motoring out of this peaceful pocket of beautiful islands as the sun crept above the clouds. </span> </div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" lang="en-AU" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Almost week has passed since we left for the Similans. It is the furthest north and west that we will sail, this time. We're both glad that we decided to visit these beautiful islands. Such a magic spot. I hope that the tourism students do have some input into sustainably managing tourism here. There are already problems with the coral dying and with too many people zooming in and out each day, leaving rubbish in their wake. I hope that the Similans will only improve so that the next time we visit, we will be even more amazed. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gfhO8Z7JZSKMkwakfYKBcawjDmf2oRhnzly18a8i9Nrjn_6hcNChpeUxXVwub5Ei-AaMgs8pb-xwMoTESdMdKbJmsgEwYFWXO7_aNFlEpdmOsahrGA768-suo87bUeUFYSx9UU-C0_8Q/s1600/IMG_6220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4gfhO8Z7JZSKMkwakfYKBcawjDmf2oRhnzly18a8i9Nrjn_6hcNChpeUxXVwub5Ei-AaMgs8pb-xwMoTESdMdKbJmsgEwYFWXO7_aNFlEpdmOsahrGA768-suo87bUeUFYSx9UU-C0_8Q/s640/IMG_6220.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Similan Islands 2012</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"> </span> </div>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-8278077260103509252012-03-12T20:06:00.003+10:002012-03-13T19:32:21.164+10:00Taking it slow in Thailand<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rene has decided that he loves riding motorbikes/scooters. He hired one for three days in Chalong and delighted in zipping about on it. He will definitely go for his license when we're back in Australia after getting a taste for it over here where a normal car license suffices. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2UB3up64bn_-_spMX062JbmicsMxjsGhDCV6Xr9c9prk_ewmRoLdlTnL9-OQuPCTUJdxJw6eaCli43oeP8fXvji6FrP3v-UtOx80RObONbsC3rufEm3TQDTWwTs-LZ1RFVElgRoTSD1A/s1600/IMG_8748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2UB3up64bn_-_spMX062JbmicsMxjsGhDCV6Xr9c9prk_ewmRoLdlTnL9-OQuPCTUJdxJw6eaCli43oeP8fXvji6FrP3v-UtOx80RObONbsC3rufEm3TQDTWwTs-LZ1RFVElgRoTSD1A/s400/IMG_8748.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look closely at Rene's face - he's loving it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">After the whirlwind of happiness having our good friend Jacqui here, we had to face the reality of cruising alone again. Lots of chores to do. Many loads of laundry (done at the local laundromat and then hung on the boat to dry), big trips to various supermarkets to stock up on fresh food and snacks again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rene insisted that we take a little time out to go on a date up to the big Buddha. This statue is huge, visible from both sides of Phuket for miles. We took our bike up the steep, winding track and enjoyed the serenity at the top of the hill. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFqzOV7RMj4pRQMs62IA3Nn6X2VDihbcI0xY7KVuiGqByPmnPCCHUjvEKCVYKveTyV-pPeGmwfGeZlqHvnYdDKx9t2Zt-y2lJvWvKdRYo6zIAgBbQPYcIiVaC3NFWM61ovQHPyTcjtShg/s1600/IMG_5344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFqzOV7RMj4pRQMs62IA3Nn6X2VDihbcI0xY7KVuiGqByPmnPCCHUjvEKCVYKveTyV-pPeGmwfGeZlqHvnYdDKx9t2Zt-y2lJvWvKdRYo6zIAgBbQPYcIiVaC3NFWM61ovQHPyTcjtShg/s400/IMG_5344.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Big Buddha's view of Chalong harbour.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Before leaving Chalong, we had the onerous task of filling our water tanks. Unlike Malaysia, the water here in Thailand is not potable. Everyone drinks treated, bottled water, even the locals. We arranged with the local water guy to buy 20 drums of water (at 12cents per 20 gallon drum). Then we moved Anima over to the public jetty and tied up. Rene zipped into the water man and got a lift back with him and all of the water drums. As we filled up, lots of curious Thai's wandered over to look at us. I guess most yachts have water makers these days so we're a bit of a novelty. The public jetty was very rusty and the wind changed just after we'd tied up, pushing us against the large, black rubber fender things it has along the edge. As tour boats continued to zoom in and out of the bay, we bounced back and forth and each tried to keep Anima from getting a nasty black mark on her new paintwork! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpJh1GhqAPjzEaJn3gkqqyeBk7hWY68LwyAz3qwsxgyWqlJ1LLu0eBv-iIxagCS1z_IE0lB_JlStF1DvpO6EL7pNzz6uLgRpi8I5obkAC6B5ah-J3UPJ0Ec_gpxHY7QXeykoE3zGFRF5X/s1600/P3040548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXpJh1GhqAPjzEaJn3gkqqyeBk7hWY68LwyAz3qwsxgyWqlJ1LLu0eBv-iIxagCS1z_IE0lB_JlStF1DvpO6EL7pNzz6uLgRpi8I5obkAC6B5ah-J3UPJ0Ec_gpxHY7QXeykoE3zGFRF5X/s400/P3040548.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima tied up at the public jetty in Chalong.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiaP_MrrD-nyHoWsdVgsTbSWEFytjDSxrL4jcscMRc36cT2cBEwp8QoywNP7spfH2RolUxwMlVtIrMZ0onSFAQdcASBUAzJs2GvAkwkeY1RS8JFtEpR6As4pysk5zs_IHsznv-gYTSNMs/s1600/P3040549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiaP_MrrD-nyHoWsdVgsTbSWEFytjDSxrL4jcscMRc36cT2cBEwp8QoywNP7spfH2RolUxwMlVtIrMZ0onSFAQdcASBUAzJs2GvAkwkeY1RS8JFtEpR6As4pysk5zs_IHsznv-gYTSNMs/s320/P3040549.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This old cleat needs some serious TLC.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Panwa Beach (meet-up beach)</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Just across to the north east of Chalong harbour is a beach anchorage that many favour instead of the busy main anchorage. Just how many favour it we didn't realise until arriving and spending a few days catching up with old cruising friends in between pottering away at boat jobs. We caught up with Dale and Sophia from Freeform, Chris and Julie from Lady Bubbly, Kellie, Youngie and Indi from Molonga, Lady Kay and Tasha D.M. We did lots of little boat jobs that I won't bore you with here. There will be plenty of that to come! We ate at the little beach restaurant a few times here and had some fun making mazes for Indi and playing night boules with Kellie. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisRGLnfxqf49K-GNMeulnYeUoQngOccdlPaaEsK-MRbAdz3yJvFynCCHMM4M4Ca9hHkFGfZAyJ1_CUig5hOvz_TDEZKBcXBSQkNxfdAbMhozQnQ9SYS3CtmxWSFk2YhbhT7KVI18K2rYep/s640/IMG_5377.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="356" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buddha at sunset from Panwa beach.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ko Racha Yai </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Time flies. Nearly a week flew by at Panwa beach before we realised it and decided to head off. We sailed south to this island the day after we were battered with strong south westerlies. We collected a mooring and bounced about like crazy as the wind continued to channel in from the west. We knew it was going to switch to the east though, we just hoped it would switch a little quicker! The beach is nice here, though a lot of rubbish was coming in with the tide from who knows where! Africa? India? Could have been a cruise ship even. We ate dinner at a local restaurant, sharing a meal and watching local life. The most fun aspect of this anchorage was the floating jetty which became a fun ride to be on as the waves crashed in!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHL9Cg_HMlbUhn8roZfnUfIfL6Bq6ua-ySzbFHCjmZzcxXK1a2Ijx7mlPPq3QmCl-Q24ccCAmypC97_JNr2DN7fNPnObe9h2M4_WlJsTHeByRFoXEGR35im72p7O03PE97oz70hKMEGII/s1600/P3090556.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHL9Cg_HMlbUhn8roZfnUfIfL6Bq6ua-ySzbFHCjmZzcxXK1a2Ijx7mlPPq3QmCl-Q24ccCAmypC97_JNr2DN7fNPnObe9h2M4_WlJsTHeByRFoXEGR35im72p7O03PE97oz70hKMEGII/s400/P3090556.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ko Racha Yoi - clear waters of the Indian Ocean. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Patong (not again!)</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">With strong easterly winds honking, we left our mooring under sail. Racha is nice but so busy with tourist boats (as usual around here). As we sailed along, I realised that I was relaxed - in conditions that used to scare me, I was relaxed!! We passed Molonga who were heading to where we'd departed from. Check out the figurehead!! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDevXYD9aO88_TpbqioT2T9TcF2b7ouVuhEvaky5roUDHqLMNyQ26NzaPJiGKImsiBXu7ah6-HqfOeiXzllj38AitgpY7DMr4FvlPOEKXUpk8f9Y6jEHdASwf6dSqToyAALspIqjSFoC7W/s400/IMG_5390.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molonga sails past as we head opposite directions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My new-found bravado melted when we tacked across Patong bay, heeling over quite dramatically as we encountered a strong gust of wind. I screamed and my body filled with adrenaline!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rene kindly offered to do the shopping chore so that I could do some TESOL study. He found the local wet markets and enjoyed the experience. We had dinner out in Patong that night and set off a lantern, after making a special wish! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiso1qa0D-Nbwj-G5jMQuPeH0Y8sS7RhsU70fB2JWLC9jy_bXKIxM4Dh-4qqNVq2e8lZv_cwq_ssOr8kkpW-_in7rEQUFPCamfd_G4gOSuY39WRB177g4VuxhzsS3NzSAC3HKrRnm_ENPpC/s1600/IMG_5461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiso1qa0D-Nbwj-G5jMQuPeH0Y8sS7RhsU70fB2JWLC9jy_bXKIxM4Dh-4qqNVq2e8lZv_cwq_ssOr8kkpW-_in7rEQUFPCamfd_G4gOSuY39WRB177g4VuxhzsS3NzSAC3HKrRnm_ENPpC/s400/IMG_5461.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We wish....... oh, sorry - that's a secret!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">As I write this, we are slowly drifting north toward tonight's destination of the 'airport' anchorage. We must be getting close as I can hear the planes taking off every now and then. The wind mysteriously disappeared as we left Patong but we didn't have far to go, so we have just floated along in light winds. Rene is studying maths. I've been studying English! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Tomorrow we plan to sail west across the sea to the Similans. A small group of rocks and islands that are supposedly the clearest water around. There are only a few spots to moor and the anchorages are quite deep (I read 35 metres today!). So I'm a little apprehensive about it but keen to check out a beautiful spot too. Wish us luck! I'll hopefully nab lots of pretty photos while we're there. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dK5tc4NMfxf-jTcc6Kg6pX10RsZIB3aF9drbd7YgA2qLSraZZYSn6LNprjLHRJebglDEiHPoUj-7LSKhf-sN_qoKBKIPzXhczuFWoMUV13JWCmspEaJCYgXnpCeQ7W8KNiZaegOaS_i7/s400/IMG_5813.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhilerating photography!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Well. We didn't sail to the Similans today. There was no wind when we woke up so we delayed our departure. Instead we walked the beach here and decided it's probably the best we've seen in Thailand so far. For the first time we also saw locals enjoying the beach rather than just tourists. The serenity of this place is interrupted regularly by planes arriving and departing. We're right next to Phuket's International airport! I had a great adrenaline rush perched on the sand directly below where the planes fly in to land. It feels as though they're going to land on your head! The water here is crystal clear so we had a swim until the sea lice annoyed me too much. We were going to sail further north this afternoon but our dinghy started deflating so Rene has spent a few hours assessing the problem and regluing the rubber. We still might head to the Similans tomorrow.... we'll see! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHFtunRgo43Fcsg8LhyphenhyphenfMTl5Bnfsl-x19XjRN6mZW6zd06tB1XByt-GZUIeFymuM0EuN6jzfvsAOJb0JF-7XHzXQkjk5_RcKzAogLaspBirAVVU_slQMoRv5VnIU2PyFcRQdC2vOBijrr/s640/IMG_5833.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="358" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thailand's best kept secret.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-4094704396438060702012-03-05T02:16:00.002+10:002012-03-05T12:35:19.597+10:00Cruising Thailand with Jacqui<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="color: magenta;"><br />
<div class="western" style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Our lovely friend Jacqui flew here to see us. She nearly didn't make it because Australian Air crashed (financially) just 2 days before she was due to fly! Jac spent an agonising 4 days waiting to see if she could still visit and ended up having to buy another ticket. </span> </div><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<div class="western" style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
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<div class="western" style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;">Jacqui's prior experience of being onboard Anima for a night was not pretty. It was years ago now, in the usually peaceful anchorage of Deanbilla Bay on Stradbroke Island. Within 15 minutes of being onboard, Jac was very sick and had to be ferried back to land! We were a bit nervous about trying to ensure that every anchorage we stayed in was flat calm so she wouldn't get sick. We waited for her in Chalong which is mostly calm (apart from the wake of tour boats) and spent a couple of days on the west coast in Nai Harn. </span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEfS0mVzLr7HBkMi2aFyiuIpiuwUzWZ_1SzFLnRwYSSDGHwBvCZBeUTJIC_xX-FisNDxLrZBI5yGkn_kNQucwXxMNs1Bs2zTvFPrrErQ6cY7ptyN5FQuYowVbdMWg4bv0chChA9qk5Pmu/s1600/IMG_3559.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEfS0mVzLr7HBkMi2aFyiuIpiuwUzWZ_1SzFLnRwYSSDGHwBvCZBeUTJIC_xX-FisNDxLrZBI5yGkn_kNQucwXxMNs1Bs2zTvFPrrErQ6cY7ptyN5FQuYowVbdMWg4bv0chChA9qk5Pmu/s400/IMG_3559.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hanging out in Chalong</td></tr>
</tbody> </table><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The day of Jacqui's arrival, we hired a motorbike and drove up the Phuket town, to visit the locals cheap supermarket 'Supercheap'. Rene encouraged me to wear long pants on the bike to prevent cuts/grazes if we were unlucky to be in an accident but I stripped them off down to my shorts after about 40 minutes of travel as I was burning up!! We eventually found Supercheap and I (grumpy from the heat) had to negotiate another new shopping centre where it's difficult to find items we consider normal. There is no cooling system and the centre is basically a huge shed so it's insanely hot inside. Eventually we collected almost all the items we wanted and were pleasantly surprised at the checkout - this place really is cheap! A whole trolley full of groceries came to 700baht ($23AUD)! Transporting all of our spoils home on a bike was another challenge. I ended up carrying a crammed-full silk bag in each arm whilst simultaneously somehow managing to hold onto Rene! </span></span></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Groceries were ferried back to the boat and more were bought at another, more Western supermarket. All of this was instantly forgotten when Jacqui arrived - how amazing to see her here in Thailand!!</span></span></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;">Jac braved her seasickness to stay onboard Anima with us. We slept at Chalong the first night, to ease into it. I'd bought strong Stugeron tablets in Langkawi which I think helped her out. </span></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: black;">Next day, we set out into Phang Nga Bay toward the islands and adventure! </span></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhey_YtgHXZFCO28n5InRWAPfRmquKacA5tZbsG1FkZ3uj1YYnWJ0Qlmy44HzKDvZZM2VftzUe29D4-4Dqxyi1T_3ef4hB47AIOyF_nH65Vc3SiXwPU0K_e5ux_t6dt9rQPqRRbK_V28qHL/s1600/IMG_3679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhey_YtgHXZFCO28n5InRWAPfRmquKacA5tZbsG1FkZ3uj1YYnWJ0Qlmy44HzKDvZZM2VftzUe29D4-4Dqxyi1T_3ef4hB47AIOyF_nH65Vc3SiXwPU0K_e5ux_t6dt9rQPqRRbK_V28qHL/s400/IMG_3679.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steering us along in calm waters</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxM9Dn4NwFEqm53XVmR6FXlJPIqXdMe7Tzr0YZGckjzQcdjQYob9DlX-pMvzCrNYle3u0CW6J33lPrfeTQMwLYig7FJSTfmV7RYcP690JSy3EhchieD-REBJg7VEMC6N3o4Iqqq4Udtng9/s1600/IMG_3821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgOx3LKe3M2yEr4PO4BfIY63I4ABZp-e-uSqFLvTsFXyRIAF6OAd899Bov40CbK0v0C7q7QlT4Yf2WeaWhlEkqAJezvjLMor3ha167y2VYAeH-8hYshpQGeyQ4TY_Ym0A040z8DGX4qAn/s1600/IMG_3847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="color: magenta;"><b>Ao Labu</b> 8°01.70N 98°33.73E</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJILXMoKpTCc2X0q5G1O_H5CbI-2M0N5cuk8ZeLyBg0RPALILuv14WhYjTDluoatV3qcajKd-ewjQBiiBCPJipI78V2ahZsao8lmBSzZgdggCXEmi2uru3JKk0WQn7mb-t2HFkKNmKPv50/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJILXMoKpTCc2X0q5G1O_H5CbI-2M0N5cuk8ZeLyBg0RPALILuv14WhYjTDluoatV3qcajKd-ewjQBiiBCPJipI78V2ahZsao8lmBSzZgdggCXEmi2uru3JKk0WQn7mb-t2HFkKNmKPv50/s400/IMG_3622.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Locals sell us prawns.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We chose this anchorage because we'd read that it was very sheltered and we wanted Jacqui's first night out of civilisation to be a calm one. The wind was on our nose for most of the journey (it seems to almost always be these days!) so we motored in and anchored in the early afternoon. A local longtail boat motored up to us offering prawns and fish. We normally refuse such business due to Rene's crustacean allergy but with another person onboard we bargained for about a dozen prawns (paying about $3.30AUD). We were a little nervous about the lack of refrigeration on the little fishing boat and so ate them with some trepidation. We were of course, all good and they were quite tasty!<br />
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The afternoon slipped away with card games, music and homemade experimental cocktails (thanks to Rene). </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Jac and Rene strung up some shade cloth over the hammock and we each spent some time there relaxing it up!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNauJhDV44bi4ClWoV8xsAwEbp-N4fuq5ytljAE-SQmLKfXXEYo3ZhMenSPbj-wM29M7Jsry6lf0erVvGNBsLW8FtZLPVQEVdR7XAYNXPEOrH5ZFltVbqFm-7Tgy9v5BEoiKB768dCQFEZ/s400/IMG_3640.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shady hammock on a boat = pretty awesome.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="color: magenta; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><b>Koh Phanak</b> 8°11.32N 98°29.16E</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This island was Jac's first hong experience. We waited for the majority of the tourist boats to depart before heading into a cave we'd seen them kayaking in and out of. It was spring tides so the current was really ripping out, so much so that we were unable to make much progress into the cave. Rene was rowing like a champion, until he broke our wooden oar!! Worried we would damage the dinghy on the oyster-covered rock walls, we decided to try again later. I'm glad we did because the entrance dried out within 30 minutes and we would have been stuck inside a pitch-black, bat-filled cave until the water returned! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxM9Dn4NwFEqm53XVmR6FXlJPIqXdMe7Tzr0YZGckjzQcdjQYob9DlX-pMvzCrNYle3u0CW6J33lPrfeTQMwLYig7FJSTfmV7RYcP690JSy3EhchieD-REBJg7VEMC6N3o4Iqqq4Udtng9/s320/IMG_3821.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="258" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima rests at Koh Phanak, viewed from inside a hong cave.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Not to worry, there was plenty more island to explore. We took the dinghy along the awe-inspiring edge of Ko Phanak, often motoring right under huge overhangs of limestone formed into stalactite-ish shapes. Due to the falling tide, we were able to beach the dinghy underneath an overhang so Rene could climb up into a cave. A tourist-filled speed boat zooming past created such a wave that the dinghy was swamped (with me in it squealing of course!). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEgOx3LKe3M2yEr4PO4BfIY63I4ABZp-e-uSqFLvTsFXyRIAF6OAd899Bov40CbK0v0C7q7QlT4Yf2WeaWhlEkqAJezvjLMor3ha167y2VYAeH-8hYshpQGeyQ4TY_Ym0A040z8DGX4qAn/s640/IMG_3847.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Incredible overhangs along Koh Phanak.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The dinghy adventure continued - so much to explore here on Phanak! We saw a hong that was only accessible by kayak and another that was open as though Anima could fit (Rene was keen to anchor there until we scraped the bottom with the dinghy - very shallow and filled with rocks). <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJt8Ac7GPusPtE5XbKLbsavMTZRjitl4gYmPdbzFv7NZx48Ken4nb_stNa5H2HbeUOw2kIKlQDc2h_EbAIDhhbCSl3dVXpXCdLjKv8XUjMb7o0h_u6gHSrISBy8piENQL14dp-vju6ulZT/s1600/IMG_3919.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJt8Ac7GPusPtE5XbKLbsavMTZRjitl4gYmPdbzFv7NZx48Ken4nb_stNa5H2HbeUOw2kIKlQDc2h_EbAIDhhbCSl3dVXpXCdLjKv8XUjMb7o0h_u6gHSrISBy8piENQL14dp-vju6ulZT/s1600/IMG_3919.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jac and I exploring the hongs on Koh Phanak via dinghy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Probably the most exciting part of our adventure was finding a small deserted beach which invited exploration with a handmade bamboo ladder leading up to a cave just above the sand line. Rene anchored the dinghy ashore and we timidly entered the darkness, Dolphin torch in my hand. This is what is so amazing about cruising away from the masses and organised tours. A place that is probably overrun with tourists by day, is seemingly unexplored by the afternoon. We get to experience things as though they are a real adventure. This cave really was exciting. We really were all a bit adrenaline-filled as we gingerly walked into the depths of the unknown. Rene did his usual crazy jumping dance when a cricket jumped on his leg. We found a glittering mass of rock which looked like a Dragon's lair and we were all a bit relieved upon seeing daylight again at the entrance! Probably the most worrying thought was that this was a Swallows nest cave that was guarded by a gun-carrying guardian! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMgRXWVMOeJZDmZnT0efg_Bgp1H7pyfr-i1mTxvw1Euw3aV1x3-pqicNEWxNW5-O1-Rf8N9G98HoJtpn2_6DqQSBE6IEZ9L7x7zb5Kmy0xUDPi4plZ_cSTt2SYTsSEefc2XsfzPSlXTWB/s1600/IMG_3954.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMgRXWVMOeJZDmZnT0efg_Bgp1H7pyfr-i1mTxvw1Euw3aV1x3-pqicNEWxNW5-O1-Rf8N9G98HoJtpn2_6DqQSBE6IEZ9L7x7zb5Kmy0xUDPi4plZ_cSTt2SYTsSEefc2XsfzPSlXTWB/s320/IMG_3954.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much to see!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CvGdjWSVCR4flqT_sWeEv1t1WUEJq7SpAtiXSgU-3rRYZMEfD8NNLV_lmD-uS_nMllxdnCd8x8R_CfOkduyexVm-11sgsv-6ILV5w9XUGO2lfQMW6gmBbI6SYqNkFJa_eVoGG5LqQZJA/s1600/IMG_3952.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3CvGdjWSVCR4flqT_sWeEv1t1WUEJq7SpAtiXSgU-3rRYZMEfD8NNLV_lmD-uS_nMllxdnCd8x8R_CfOkduyexVm-11sgsv-6ILV5w9XUGO2lfQMW6gmBbI6SYqNkFJa_eVoGG5LqQZJA/s320/IMG_3952.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jac the intrepid explorer, about to set off into a cave!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3IrOGlwgKlWg6wl6erxNI6Kr3LqkwQDsInjebK0GTnYkkTWLVNcCDdD3OCQnLuktzn4TXhX-ooiFyNJ570IcclSaBxucr1Yxbzoi-3Zst-6VjwmR9JC_rq-JZWOFIx6ef2H_lfizDLiz/s640/IMG_3776.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima anchored at Koh Phanak</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="color: magenta;"><b>Koh Hong Island group</b> 8°13.76N 98°29.98E</div>These islands were spectacular. We motored up between a few of them and had breathtaking views of sheer limestone cliffs covered in untouched jungle. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvhNx3ItLR_x9Ak_LTYyWldz7zY0F4S1L-uHwUzblIZG5cD4SFqTQ1eH6bSdVYpKGzJ-DBycs5JGM8MdEUl6fmf8VqkjQZOMZFEVz446mh_cGnvjlMmS5Fq0KJoITxBkGCLlGhS4K6_UT/s640/IMG_4274.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima at Koh Hong, the famous 'James Bond' island in the distance. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>As we motored from Phanak to the Koh Hong group, I said to Rene 'Don't you think we should pull in the swimming ropes?'. He replied with 'No, they're floating ropes so our prop is fine'. I let it rest rather than pester him and then, while anchoring, the rope was mangled into our propeller and Ren paid the price of laziness by having to dive under to free it!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiee1IUYyvVY1DfU4crygndD3pTANlTuvsWLoXeGQzPyPdwOt2RH3PIZCXMsS3phtK_iB5EcOjkLUx5RPe55RSReK0liBCfO6z-NFHu_UlLlKceVG56X_TvQ0Zr9TDAM_Mxrco3aVo9d1C8/s1600/IMG_4019.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="179" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I told you so Rene!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Eager to explore, we decided not to wait for the hoards to disperse, instead taking our dinghy in to explore the hongs and islands of this wondrous place. Before leaving, a local boat stopped by and we had to pay 600baht each to be in the national park - a price well worth it. The tourists were all being shown around the island on kayaks, each with their own Thai man doing the work. We were stared at for being different and often 'blanked' when we smiled or said hello. Not to worry, we made our own fun and took turns with the kayak paddle to gently manoeuvre through this paradise. Rene climbed up into a crevice again, which a family of French travellers (swimming off a motorboat) found most entertaining. One very extroverted woman called out loudly that Rene was not impressing anyone with his antics (strange comment, because he wasn't doing it for anyone but himself). After he safely landed back in the dinghy (sustaining a minor scratch from an overhanging rock) we chatted to this vocal woman. My favourite part of the conversation went like this:</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Us: We sailed here from Australia. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">French woman: Catamaran?</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Us: Non</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">French woman: Oh, Au Revoir!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4KI0cFDPqrInOhIN1w2rXx1sgh_eyldS2gl12GAxQlOQuvfaeloNnnn3agVWNINBfki6tB8JDCYmqn2sDsxq8wjX6vJDIFDh3rUlpzwuxA8KWOiHqSY0MCQuTlnPXXn422VlUdOyyyWQl/s400/IMG_4043.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tourists suddenly fill this small cave.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP84RF7Gom44XoK8PLo4VDktHmW2DU0rI8NVJrH0WL6hBA5LJXbof9YUwc8S30rcTpdiy_woyU8ps8Q99V4vxYteiXuzA9XcWyxFqCjSQnlp0eRkpPIq4wdYkWs1iKrAMeUD2EdRgZK-Y2/s640/IMG_4154.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old friends together again :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="color: magenta;"><b>Pan Yi - Floating Village</b> 8°19.93N 98°30.28E</div>We travelled here thinking that we'd be able to show Jacqui some traditional culture. With memories of magical village visits we did throughout Indonesia, Pan Yi was an absolute disappointment. The village itself is about 50% large restaurants, made especially for the hoards of tourists (I read on this <a href="http://www.svocelot.com/Cruise_Info/Indian/Thai_Cruising.htm#NaiHarn" target="_blank">cruisers' blog</a> that the village receives around 3000 tourists daily). We'd read that there was a cave with ancient paintings and another long cave nearby. Trying to escape the constant wake from speedboats and longtails zooming back and forth (the anchorage is in the middle of a tour-boat highway), we set out in our dinghy to find said caves. It was a long journey in the hot sun and we never did find any caves. Instead, we found a long mangrove-filled bay and more tall limestone islands. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAIpW2StLePQdcgyZERXXYHPOvlfUcMk9q2F25sdYMldjWOtKG52-4ec55itjmd4rfocu69K0JiQ6fhz_VapVcnNKyZqybCye-PR42YiGbocqaknv5No-gTEX9BC-8RWIjs56djT2Vdov/s1600/IMG_8836.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAIpW2StLePQdcgyZERXXYHPOvlfUcMk9q2F25sdYMldjWOtKG52-4ec55itjmd4rfocu69K0JiQ6fhz_VapVcnNKyZqybCye-PR42YiGbocqaknv5No-gTEX9BC-8RWIjs56djT2Vdov/s640/IMG_8836.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pan Yi floating village - much better viewed from afar. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Hot and bothered from our unsuccessful cave hunt, we went into the village for lunch. The food was terrible. Our fruit smoothies were so salty I nearly gagged and Jacqui's curried prawns were so hot they were inedible. For the worst meal I've had in Thailand we had to fork out 1080baht - more than our whole trolley full of shopping cost us! We'd intended to stay the night at this anchorage but made a snap decision to leave and take the last of the outgoing tide to somewhere nicer. We're so glad we did!<br />
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<div style="color: magenta;"><b>Kudu Yai - The Cathedral</b> 8°11.81N 98°38.03E</div>We anchored here just on dusk and had the most welcome arrival a yachtie could ask for. As we motored past one of the two other yachts already anchored, one of them called out an invitation to come aboard for a music jam! A fun night ensued, complete with some singalongs. <br />
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The next morning we did our usual routine of setting out in the dinghy to explore. This time we were very rewarded. Kudu Yai is gorgeous!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihh6s8EzwRDPS-lQ_YZhNiu26dbqvNsERpEVDm4nHZn3Ixa4b90ie6AKGGMNzCu8Ic6rJUl1ocyWGj_QuTTGE2tq2gMq9vewRBK5IkuKGZr_LoDcHzd4wuNgOLFO1uisX3scjYlV3hseYh/s1600/IMG_4440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihh6s8EzwRDPS-lQ_YZhNiu26dbqvNsERpEVDm4nHZn3Ixa4b90ie6AKGGMNzCu8Ic6rJUl1ocyWGj_QuTTGE2tq2gMq9vewRBK5IkuKGZr_LoDcHzd4wuNgOLFO1uisX3scjYlV3hseYh/s400/IMG_4440.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun times in a perfect place.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We found interesting caves and a gorgeous bay/hong where I actually braved the potential jellyfish and took a little dip. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHP0WijF6XyLKgB2FvFaZwgYZ-VD656RflPxNB_RGrFn9tXh6F2657Xlv8nH8WBkxd7DrOV-t_5QtZKr1jUz4C6O15wk6GIOBj99vLEJqN6mFIRKrah1a15blLf8Zlzu6r5nJdiH9zp4J5/s1600/IMG_4658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHP0WijF6XyLKgB2FvFaZwgYZ-VD656RflPxNB_RGrFn9tXh6F2657Xlv8nH8WBkxd7DrOV-t_5QtZKr1jUz4C6O15wk6GIOBj99vLEJqN6mFIRKrah1a15blLf8Zlzu6r5nJdiH9zp4J5/s640/IMG_4658.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could life get any better?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Koh Hong, Krabi</b> 8°04.60N 98°40.85E </span> <br />
Next stop was another island called Koh Hong - though this was very different to the last ones. We took up a mooring for the first time and, due to the clear water and white sandy beaches, were excited to go ashore for snorkeling and beach time. We packed up all of the necessary equipment for such pursuits and sped ashore. Our thoughts of swimming and snorkeling were dashed when we started pushing through hundreds of small, bright purple jellyfish. We asked a local whether they were dangerous and he gestured that they stung and itched. I was pretty much freaked out by now, imagining we were surrounded by a swarm of baby Box Jellyfish. Rene decided to test their stinging quality by exposing his pinkie finger to them and suffered only a minor irritation. This didn't do anything to convince me of their safety. I leaped from the dinghy as it touched the sand (like a Gazelle) and sprung up the beach to safety. As I ran along the sand, I didn't notice the hundreds of jellyfish washed up on the beach until I stood on one and it squished up over my foot, stinging me!!!! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcQnJ0EhHEpG55TQYym1brgbjpSCF8tzb7NQQUy7HrysW0qSw4ZfZG5ddkK0EE5imFgg4WK2xG2laJGPO6CYxbZ7PyimmBNcxRPQhZCFrj3ATSYk9tacz0-OuSXb44QnpvDva-iQloADe/s1600/IMG_4737.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHcQnJ0EhHEpG55TQYym1brgbjpSCF8tzb7NQQUy7HrysW0qSw4ZfZG5ddkK0EE5imFgg4WK2xG2laJGPO6CYxbZ7PyimmBNcxRPQhZCFrj3ATSYk9tacz0-OuSXb44QnpvDva-iQloADe/s400/IMG_4737.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photographing jellyfish proves difficult!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After all this excitement, we had a very relaxed afternoon chilling on the beach listening to some tunes and drinking some wine. I watched the tourists having to brave the jellyfish as they all returned to their tour boats and took a walk around the area. As usual, the large blue signs warning of tsunami danger and informing of the evacuation route were very present. I climbed up one of the evacuation routes and felt safe until a swarm of mosquitos chased me back to the beach. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGV8PkURUgHMNcxD5VkG1_7B-VulUPOL_f4rVfx36ldBwx3VSAMctw9R_6sgo549GM3cbuZwUd_QX4U-U0xlgpQ-3Nz1ZGMmwjCoYKIkXFvLK1BWqYTfIWWm0nz4AefP1qE4LAaDBpkqv/s1600/IMG_4723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGV8PkURUgHMNcxD5VkG1_7B-VulUPOL_f4rVfx36ldBwx3VSAMctw9R_6sgo549GM3cbuZwUd_QX4U-U0xlgpQ-3Nz1ZGMmwjCoYKIkXFvLK1BWqYTfIWWm0nz4AefP1qE4LAaDBpkqv/s400/IMG_4723.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Constant reminders.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> We spent the next morning exploring by dinghy, taking photos of crazy-looking jellyfish and enjoying the serenity. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPipY7bHr31EJ2b0IMFrcGNAHr8OngTJHhZTtpHA8zuEkkfW9rGHDTReoBpz_4lCI979e2OODqhUZU8_ocS5-Hv1sGGno4mcck5c49fdpTEBPov1VCBuvMtJcnxVMifz0tn3VnMJHUXh9/s1600/IMG_4762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPipY7bHr31EJ2b0IMFrcGNAHr8OngTJHhZTtpHA8zuEkkfW9rGHDTReoBpz_4lCI979e2OODqhUZU8_ocS5-Hv1sGGno4mcck5c49fdpTEBPov1VCBuvMtJcnxVMifz0tn3VnMJHUXh9/s400/IMG_4762.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many jellyfish in Thailand waters! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: magenta;"><b>Railay Beach, Krabi</b> 8°00.68N 98°49.99E </div>After anchoring here we went ashore (Rene swam through a cave and then I towed him in). We drank delicious watermelon juice and had a brief swim (until Jac was stung by something). Very cute monkeys came to say hello and then we enjoyed beers on the beach at sunset before a nice meal at a beach-side restaurant. The phosphoresence in the water here was totally out of this world! Each boat that moved through the water had its own glowing path. Rene jumped in from the bowsprit and swam around in a mass of glowing, swirling bubbly bliss. I tried but failed to capture the magic of this with my cameras - you just have to be there to see it. This was our last night out in the bay - next morning we sailed and then motored all of the way back to Chalong. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0S7IK4FRB71FAnKKEqTB6M40KL3MvnAjdaqiO9sqaaM1q69BQoOzgvlgu89vzQg1QNK8TXqdt1Cp-VmDAaz2eonbczdk6aqm9aqWZNWeZSF8N21YNAlSUubopkEodGdso3JmQkFq3Xdl4/s1600/IMG_4816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0S7IK4FRB71FAnKKEqTB6M40KL3MvnAjdaqiO9sqaaM1q69BQoOzgvlgu89vzQg1QNK8TXqdt1Cp-VmDAaz2eonbczdk6aqm9aqWZNWeZSF8N21YNAlSUubopkEodGdso3JmQkFq3Xdl4/s640/IMG_4816.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Railay Beach, Thailand 2012</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtN8JLsGnpOtxT8RAg5ARPJyOCo2oihbo_G1wmtiNkb98e2ESvHhjGgofQI1iu18ne2kVUvdUDgML5J3ndNxpb-Pgjg_vIvXudMqO-8hvdB6ZrqrpX42072B9sOgZEq8Mq5tSsLnxsV6WE/s1600/IMG_5200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtN8JLsGnpOtxT8RAg5ARPJyOCo2oihbo_G1wmtiNkb98e2ESvHhjGgofQI1iu18ne2kVUvdUDgML5J3ndNxpb-Pgjg_vIvXudMqO-8hvdB6ZrqrpX42072B9sOgZEq8Mq5tSsLnxsV6WE/s400/IMG_5200.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset from Railay beach. Anima is just left and below the sun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="color: magenta;">Chalong - Patong Beach - </div>After spending 8 days onboard Anima, Jacqui wanted to treat us all to some luxury. She booked us into a hotel in Patong called 'Tropica Gardens'. Rene and I busily prepared Anima to be without us for 2 nights and then we hitched a ride ashore with Pangkor friends Tasha and Willow. The Taxi's here all charge ridiculous prices so we walked in the heat until we found a local bus. For 30 baht each we took a bus to Phuket and then for another 25 baht each another bus to Patong. The taxis wanted to charge us 600-800 baht!! <br />
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The bus was actually good as Jacqui got to see much more of Thailand and experience a bit of local culture. We checked in and enjoyed swimming, airconditioning and showers! Such luxury!!<br />
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That night we ventured down the infamous Bangla road for some excitement. We went along to one of the "sexy" shows and were all a little damaged from the experience. The show was very far from being sexy. We were lured in by street peddlers all offering free entry - all we had to do was buy a drink. A lady led us down the street, past hundreds of other bars and thousands of tourists into the gogo club. We looked at the drinks menu and balked - 1200 baht for one drink!! No thanks! We went to leave and they dropped the price to 500baht each. Jac saw on the line-up of performances that some were going to involve animals... she said no thanks and we left. They followed us out into the street and offered entry (a beer) at 200 baht each. We finally succumbed and went in. The raised centre stage contained about 3 poles which bored-looking semi-naked Thai women half-heartedly danced near. They weren't sexy at all. For about 30 minutes different pairs of girls went out on stage and half danced around in skimpy clothing which was gradually removed. We couldn't believe how bored they looked. One of the women from the Audience (we guess she was either Australian or Russian) asked to get up with the dancers and she was the best performer we saw the entire night. She had obviously been to a few pole-dancing lessons!<br />
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The dancing finished and the vagina performers began. Now, stop reading if you're squimish... this is all a bit intense.<br />
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For the next 30 or so minutes largish, older Thai women came out on stage and either took things out, put things in or shot things out of their vaginas. It was not sexy at all, just clinical and wrong. We saw eggs, ping-pong balls, strings, needles on strings, bananas, horns and blow darts. The push was for us to keep spending money. They wanted tips and for us to buy more drinks. They short-changed us until Rene insisted upon getting the right change (the woman claimed it was for a tip!).<br />
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We were all relieved to get out when the dancing started up again. We figured out that the performers all looked so bored because they were bored. They repeat the same show each hour all night, every night.<br />
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We all felt a bit damaged after this and walked around aimlessly for a bit. We ate Italian pizza and talked it all out... where does this whole ping-pong act come from? (I heard it's from the Vietnam war??) Why is it so popular? I'd like to know. I never want to see that kind of thing again. It was not artistic at all. It was just desperately sad. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sDxOJnTHlIdvUSR95ST6_YsNtmPJoU3H9AkXNRBkzj7_1kpIWRG2f1dQXT7-krFJQ_462v1azm4qc18x3E5dkMNWwSlG00C3GWHdnvPDoBGnlUCxEkwHOJ7cpP8RpV4JvFZeMv39K0ZO/s1600/IMG_5286.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sDxOJnTHlIdvUSR95ST6_YsNtmPJoU3H9AkXNRBkzj7_1kpIWRG2f1dQXT7-krFJQ_462v1azm4qc18x3E5dkMNWwSlG00C3GWHdnvPDoBGnlUCxEkwHOJ7cpP8RpV4JvFZeMv39K0ZO/s640/IMG_5286.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crazy chaos of Bangla Road. </td></tr>
</tbody> </table>Patong is a crazy place. Street sellers call out in fake Australian accents to try and lure us in to buy their overpriced, cheaply made, fake handbags, sunglasses and shoes. Yes, there are a lot of Aussies there. There are even more single, older blokes who seem to spend all day/night sitting at various bars with young Thai girls. I guess this place is living proof that sex sells. Big time. <br />
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Rene bought a hand-tailored suit (his first ever), but only after checking with about 10 sellers (there are probably about 30 or more stores offering this same service/product) for the best price. I had an experience at a beauty salon where they offered leg waxing. The women really didn't know what they were doing. It took over an hour with two women trying - and failing - to do such a simple task. Ah well. They got some of the hair off anyway. I think Jacqui and Rene had a better time - they each had an hour-long Thai massage. After being cracked, twisted and walked upon Jacqui asked her masseus how long she'd studied for to get the job. The answer is a little worrying, to be a Thai massage therapist you need to attend a week-long course. That's all. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOXg6OSLiMokmMVfS2iOT_Zf8Hvfd_RJNDvpO-A2my7BqnEhNXD13fhxiF4ziL3vMvz05DHJqOXFx23sRyxdo_xq2hvmGjOYU9kN6-hILP1aYHwk92rEoyjVqsSNuqj_BVsS1i34XrERk/s1600/IMG_5304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYOXg6OSLiMokmMVfS2iOT_Zf8Hvfd_RJNDvpO-A2my7BqnEhNXD13fhxiF4ziL3vMvz05DHJqOXFx23sRyxdo_xq2hvmGjOYU9kN6-hILP1aYHwk92rEoyjVqsSNuqj_BVsS1i34XrERk/s320/IMG_5304.JPG" width="173" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jac and Ren get Thai massages.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Probably the best part about Patong was seeing some awesome live Rumba Flamenco music that made us dance. Also the pool at our accommodation was lovely and funnily enough (showing our nerdy/country ways here) we all had far more fun playing cards by the pool than being out in the craziness of the bar scene.<br />
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All good things come to an end - it was time to leave. We all parted ways on the beach-side road. Jac back to Australia and us back to Chalong. Thank you so much for visiting Jacqui!! We had a brilliant time travelling with you :) xoxo<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cocktails and live Rumba music was a highlight in Patong.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-58916193488835370352012-02-24T14:06:00.005+10:002012-03-05T00:20:44.524+10:00Cruising Langkawi to Au Chalong, Thailand!<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Checking out of Langkawi was painless and free. Customs, Immigration and the Harbour Master (all with their own forms and official stamps) were all in the same building at the ferry terminal in Kuah. We sailed (yes, we had enough wind to sail the whole way!) straight over to Telaga harbour and our anchor held on the second attempt. Another big night of celebratory drinks - this time onboard Tasha D.M - friends we made on the hardstand in Pangkor. We awoke with big plans of doing the skyrail but they melted away in a blur of chores like doing the washing and plotting our course. Our last job was to fill up with water - surprisingly, despite all of the pollution in the sea, the tap water in Malaysia is drinkable, though preferably filtered. Telaga marina (which was affected in the 2004 Tsunami) let us tie up for 2 hours to fill up our tanks and wash our decks (for 30RM). A puff of wind and we were off! It's pretty humid here and we were pretty hot and sweaty from all of our efforts so we enjoyed the refreshing local isotonic drink as we sailed along. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvmts9jr6eWGvocCR3md5APStJsxj8cT5PhEoLUBtNpuelDrAX8Igg6IUvEyvIfRvO-VFmRgKkBWUepyb46wIl1o9bIDNEho8LOMpv_icXz0gimpKaNNe-oXsD2CwpTKGN1K9U_1veJrg/s1600/IMG_3166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvmts9jr6eWGvocCR3md5APStJsxj8cT5PhEoLUBtNpuelDrAX8Igg6IUvEyvIfRvO-VFmRgKkBWUepyb46wIl1o9bIDNEho8LOMpv_icXz0gimpKaNNe-oXsD2CwpTKGN1K9U_1veJrg/s320/IMG_3166.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe we should ask for sponsorship?</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Coming from Australia, where it is impossible to see another country from our shores, it seemed so novel to us to be able to see Thailand from Langkawi. Within five hours, we were anchored on the West coast of Tarutao island. About 60 or so local fishing boats were at work or anchored all around us and I was (of course, being miss scaredy cat) a bit nervous that they would come and do something horrible to us. Of course we were perfectly safe - they were all too busy making their lives as fishermen to be bothered with us! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuVk4CMPChleAeqtnjh3ptkC5OnvklVkx3nPqmZizFa98ScsTzhiN6FDBhp658LXaB8qFK_pbJV8VygcMQSLnvDgEUOhxROxDUKNeVYegJjEa113tSCTAp80aoh8Rez5XPNRgKbNaPJKF/s1600/IMG_3209.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfuVk4CMPChleAeqtnjh3ptkC5OnvklVkx3nPqmZizFa98ScsTzhiN6FDBhp658LXaB8qFK_pbJV8VygcMQSLnvDgEUOhxROxDUKNeVYegJjEa113tSCTAp80aoh8Rez5XPNRgKbNaPJKF/s640/IMG_3209.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing flag poles are so numerous we have to swerve around them sometimes. </td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">After a rolly night's sleep, we set off just before dawn and had to manoeuvre through countless tiny sticks sporting different coloured flags supported on various bottles or bits of Styrofoam. We're not sure if they mark nets or crab pots but there are millions of these all around here. The Thais certainly work the water like a farm and are much more present on the sea than in Malaysia. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWhkoLmGFLsMjSZ5_ogOCsMCoXaAJ6p1pGspjqXqMKTNfCLcmOljIX_n9kSJZ6LntSS9C48rem2iw024Si5hrBl8BpLURNWtWXexYe8Wd2EPv3hgJFzZ4_RVUH-sM0DOSeqEFylntB9qR/s1600/IMG_3214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWhkoLmGFLsMjSZ5_ogOCsMCoXaAJ6p1pGspjqXqMKTNfCLcmOljIX_n9kSJZ6LntSS9C48rem2iw024Si5hrBl8BpLURNWtWXexYe8Wd2EPv3hgJFzZ4_RVUH-sM0DOSeqEFylntB9qR/s640/IMG_3214.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longtail boats abound here. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>We motored and tried to sail for nearly 50 miles to reach the famous Emerald Cave at Koh Muk island. This place is incredible! We anchored in a small bay with one other boat and encountered our first naked bottom. Just as we were approaching the anchorage, a woman (in her late 50s or so) on the only other yacht here (we think they were either European or Brazilian), turned her back to us, dropped her undies and bared her bum! We don't think she meant to be rude as she then pulled on her bikini bottoms but it was a big shock after having spent nearly half a year in a Muslim country where nudity is not acceptable! The tide was right for us to explore the cave so we took our dinghy around to the entrance marked by floating buoys. It was after 5pm so there were no tourist boats here and we had the cave all to ourselves. Glowing aqua water greeted us upon our entry to the cave. The air cooled and smelt slightly musty. The water roared and moaned as it slapped and eased over the limestone rocks. We set out towards the darkness, Rene using an oar to pull us along. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqV77d1WpdfqxzwrF6hW6M0sUELHqSKHMUNLc6X34WhgVQ-5Wkveo9ikGD8WTAVL1HGqjBR1vk0wi9FsyiTk2vOgJ5y4g1xnPkz4aTt7nnd3ISzfG5bPhrs6s4O_HycxBeZIF2FX-7m449/s1600/IMG_3262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqV77d1WpdfqxzwrF6hW6M0sUELHqSKHMUNLc6X34WhgVQ-5Wkveo9ikGD8WTAVL1HGqjBR1vk0wi9FsyiTk2vOgJ5y4g1xnPkz4aTt7nnd3ISzfG5bPhrs6s4O_HycxBeZIF2FX-7m449/s400/IMG_3262.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glowing emerald water inside the cave.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The roaring grew in ferocity and I felt sure we were about to be swamped by a tsunami but then we rounded the corner and floated out into a tiny paradise. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHWStJPSqW-q0Y3wPW5uJ7AFScWYt0sGkMAPKP2iKyTukTMmOa8JPqrNw_kYoNM36iM0IM2Ano5YKJXFWR4wgHzgDaUcpxqLTzpnmPH-l_P_SH1w9rGqwZO4OXDeN6MkY61uvZrSDY0s_/s1600/IMG_3301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHWStJPSqW-q0Y3wPW5uJ7AFScWYt0sGkMAPKP2iKyTukTMmOa8JPqrNw_kYoNM36iM0IM2Ano5YKJXFWR4wgHzgDaUcpxqLTzpnmPH-l_P_SH1w9rGqwZO4OXDeN6MkY61uvZrSDY0s_/s640/IMG_3301.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just perfect. Emerald Cave all to ourselves.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A white sandy beach with clear aqua water sits at the base of this beautiful 'hong' (Thai for 'room'). Steep vertical cliffs rise to the sky and are painted with many varieties of flora. Cicadas began their slow afternoon song and we relished in this amazing place. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrn7MLSjbpRU5JMuLXeL3QHCTZSDWAVGuSBA7VR78Af1Reb0FtCWkC3YTqCmyBgkOWnRI8G4ua8_qi2o_egzzo5wwGsHKyC2Oj_ftCPXNNRtfo9mAdA6vvv2MoM_3gBX-inT5fbDSHbiBF/s1600/IMG_3292.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrn7MLSjbpRU5JMuLXeL3QHCTZSDWAVGuSBA7VR78Af1Reb0FtCWkC3YTqCmyBgkOWnRI8G4ua8_qi2o_egzzo5wwGsHKyC2Oj_ftCPXNNRtfo9mAdA6vvv2MoM_3gBX-inT5fbDSHbiBF/s640/IMG_3292.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailbirds inside the magical Emerald Cave at Koh Muk </td></tr>
</tbody></table> That night Rene played his guitar late into the night and we relaxed at anchor, a cool breeze keeping the mosquitoes and humidity at bay. I was met with more naked bodies the next morning on the charter boat anchored right next to us! We explored the cave again but this time experienced what it's like for people travelling the normal way - through tours. We arrived on our own but within minutes, the peaceful hong was filled with people all wearing bright orange life vests, posing for photographs and talking loudly in a mix of Russian, German, English and more we didn't recognise. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emerald Cave, Koh Muk. The best cave we've ever been in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vKkbOlW6HPKnxOH4iFWV9yas8vwc8km4MNv-E84k9XVSWDxYYXeDC0AWf1nBNU0RX7_mCZyd9lFyWxQgJL7hjZmw6PJzEHc5Lns98iVw1a2WBSvDRKS1pwDs6SNvjgCDrgXp3spyRATx/s1600/IMG_3376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vKkbOlW6HPKnxOH4iFWV9yas8vwc8km4MNv-E84k9XVSWDxYYXeDC0AWf1nBNU0RX7_mCZyd9lFyWxQgJL7hjZmw6PJzEHc5Lns98iVw1a2WBSvDRKS1pwDs6SNvjgCDrgXp3spyRATx/s400/IMG_3376.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very different when a load of tourists arrives!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>When the third group of tourists arrived to spoil the peace we decided to set off and motored 15 miles to Ko Lanta. Here we were able to buy local SIM cards for our unlocked phones and sample our first Thai food for this visit. Gosh it's delicious!! We ate at a fun restaurant called 'The Drunken Sailor' while lazing in hammocks! BLISS!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8oLiQcl2JNrkkuVkcdKp-auRnRfzXk6tUslp6D8Mp5UEZyLfrBqim0zoWAm2cEaVvBtXKRTrA771BgWh0sMFerMxEScdL432Yxoz_Igv-Ix4PnC3xchO51GvAb6Goq_7VUEGOlgs_Arj/s1600/IMG_3456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8oLiQcl2JNrkkuVkcdKp-auRnRfzXk6tUslp6D8Mp5UEZyLfrBqim0zoWAm2cEaVvBtXKRTrA771BgWh0sMFerMxEScdL432Yxoz_Igv-Ix4PnC3xchO51GvAb6Goq_7VUEGOlgs_Arj/s400/IMG_3456.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious Thai food eaten in hammocks in the shade = bliss!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xiq3hEx0T1sw66wzkhAb0fxEpWUDvkDXWPaDMl258Kv_Z9BQNlb5_2Mbc_WNDdUM4_AFGYB0pofTKKOFtouSDzHCslizXZ_UgTfUCNNgtN3OBAkBdG1NN8hAog9YTydIAmJOfM0QIP6e/s1600/IMG_3414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xiq3hEx0T1sw66wzkhAb0fxEpWUDvkDXWPaDMl258Kv_Z9BQNlb5_2Mbc_WNDdUM4_AFGYB0pofTKKOFtouSDzHCslizXZ_UgTfUCNNgtN3OBAkBdG1NN8hAog9YTydIAmJOfM0QIP6e/s320/IMG_3414.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The jellyfish here are huge and purple/pink! This one is as large as my torso.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Next stop was Phi Phi Don where we met with some cruising friends we met in Indonesia. We had an all-afternoon BBQ onboard Anima and went ashore to the extremely touristy shore late that afternoon. This place was completely wiped out in the 2004 tsunami and I couldn't help but feel a sense of devastation, despite there being little evidence of the destruction. Signs informing us of the nearest evacuation point are clearly displayed at every corner. The small town has no cars or motorbikes, locals instead push large carts around and actually say 'beep beep' out aloud to get tourists to move out of the way! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6xwljTIg-66a-DDlBo8LCFxsp1y_eMsbnN-KVonEbfimhrDzX8Y8MlrzsEbbokglWVFnwws90KE3fK1-2m7Cd_dbNx9r5_hkXzGesft2vo-igjU1141OLflemw5s69rAyUm6SFtxQ8yi/s1600/IMG_3553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6xwljTIg-66a-DDlBo8LCFxsp1y_eMsbnN-KVonEbfimhrDzX8Y8MlrzsEbbokglWVFnwws90KE3fK1-2m7Cd_dbNx9r5_hkXzGesft2vo-igjU1141OLflemw5s69rAyUm6SFtxQ8yi/s400/IMG_3553.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tsunami warning sign at Phi Phi Don.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: magenta;"><b>Ao Chalong</b> 7°49.30N 98°21.24E</div>Early next morning we set out towards Au Chalong, Phuket. This is the main check-in/out port for this part of Thailand and so the anchorage is very busy. We were lucky to find a spot between some moorings for dive boats that wasn't too far from the jetty where yachties tie up to go ashore. There are hundreds of tour boats which zoom in and out of the bay, making it quite rocky at times with their wake. The pier is so long! We tied our dinghy up at either the far end or the middle section and often had issues with our painter getting caught up in other dinghy's propellers. Checking in with Immigration, Customs and the Harbour Master took a while but was easy enough (and free!). Once we'd done the official stuff we went straight to 'The Anchor', a restaurant that we'd been recommended and which absolutely lived up to all our expectations. YUM! Their Chicken Salad is the best I've ever had!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZXCNTKvU4tRPyEEl30o50__dljzHutLqIy_kwFo4plPImSSrt28UYAQ5f4U0qJWGVXBEIxl79zgsOnNR-rSoEH3WbLcuJrlJ9jtftg7gqoBLV2FHlPJCwiFU0HveNR_VfbjLOeRSVZBR/s1600/IMG_3558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaZXCNTKvU4tRPyEEl30o50__dljzHutLqIy_kwFo4plPImSSrt28UYAQ5f4U0qJWGVXBEIxl79zgsOnNR-rSoEH3WbLcuJrlJ9jtftg7gqoBLV2FHlPJCwiFU0HveNR_VfbjLOeRSVZBR/s400/IMG_3558.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious food at 'The Anchor' in Au Chalong, Phuket. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8K1XNL3FbQgM9xk-1pHN4qOW2ZS92GFpTbOqXOoPXgCTfC24GMhYRH5xIcPKRXDNbqfb8ElUNpi3NvIJofLFI5r4DkWiBKForxl5xa43Ko2UNcr35WO5Z3oJYwRQjs0FEg4sXxRabaytc/s1600/IMG_3563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8K1XNL3FbQgM9xk-1pHN4qOW2ZS92GFpTbOqXOoPXgCTfC24GMhYRH5xIcPKRXDNbqfb8ElUNpi3NvIJofLFI5r4DkWiBKForxl5xa43Ko2UNcr35WO5Z3oJYwRQjs0FEg4sXxRabaytc/s400/IMG_3563.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another day, another delicious meal at 'The Anchor'!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, here we are in Thailand!! We're so incredibly grateful to be able to do this!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvarfKww8VqVOdTlPnj5kvBJKkSOnP0unPe2p3Le7wDL_Zy_I9oF5B7-50Eb8JJccxDr398J1B4zfAfbk8ekp6V-ND4KPy3I926zBBWZw8g0LrDZVhEZA_PNSS1vv4HNkzjcpRnqmJzxXf/s1600/P2200360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvarfKww8VqVOdTlPnj5kvBJKkSOnP0unPe2p3Le7wDL_Zy_I9oF5B7-50Eb8JJccxDr398J1B4zfAfbk8ekp6V-ND4KPy3I926zBBWZw8g0LrDZVhEZA_PNSS1vv4HNkzjcpRnqmJzxXf/s400/P2200360.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nai Harn tree. Probably a variation on a spirit house. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBPhznsoyci_jXMHgeJKFYQaAOZbUujK990jqUkQf7qlVtUjKv4I7ysAgNHUn4qpFjV1dHZzD7BtAaiRATWEdo0-A80V7c5JcAWZDhJzd8ZQbCmOVNc95UJrYFABNRk4RY_elkdJH_Kjv/s1600/P2200357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div style="color: magenta;"><b>Nai Harn</b> 7°46.49N 98°17.71E</div>After a couple of days in Au Chalong, we zipped across to the West Coast (only 1.5 hours!) to anchor in the bay everyone talks about, Nai Harn. <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">We tried anchoring here to see if it would be calm enough for Jacqui's visit. It's not. We rocked and rolled for the first 24 hours and then it flattened out just before we needed to head back to Chalong.</span></span> Here we got boaty jobs completed and I did more of the TESOL course (I'm halfway now!). <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The water is clear and there's a good swimming beach, albeit very crowded with tourists, many of whom choose to bare their breasts and bums for the sun to scorch. I was (as usual over here) the most covered woman by far, wearing what is often normal on an Australian beach (rashie and board shorts). Here, the norm is a g-string bikini or nothing at all!! </span></span>Ashore we went for a swim (of course, as soon as I was brave enough to get in, Rene saw a Scorpion fish and a jellyfish!). We shared a nice Thai green curry at a place overlooking the anchorage and enjoyed the breeze.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRBPhznsoyci_jXMHgeJKFYQaAOZbUujK990jqUkQf7qlVtUjKv4I7ysAgNHUn4qpFjV1dHZzD7BtAaiRATWEdo0-A80V7c5JcAWZDhJzd8ZQbCmOVNc95UJrYFABNRk4RY_elkdJH_Kjv/s640/P2200357.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thai curry views at Nai Harn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-15789248643969125782012-02-10T19:38:00.001+10:002012-02-10T20:08:40.577+10:00Penang to Langkawi<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The outgoing tide was with us from early morning so we left Penang at dawn. We'd planned to leave at 6.30am (the sun doesn't rise here until at least 7.30) but things took longer and then, there was so much junk caught around our anchor chain, that it took even longer to leave. Rene said he even had Christmas lights wrapped around the chain, along with the usual rubbish and seaweed. We made good speeds though so the delayed start wasn't an issue. The journey north was pretty straightforward - though quite lumpy for much of it. We needed to reach our destination (Langkawi) by nightfall (7.30pm) and so had to motor a little more than if we'd not had the deadline in order to make 58 miles. We did manage to sail for a couple of hours though which was lovely! </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjU6eui2JGomQwMDZFuFc1rEtYOvX2J1hrd9tCng26aad9XSVpot_BIpgsl_l02Im7OtYTMLnSH2pYld7zSJfO12ubECMzBVG4QLTbvDcNXTmHrlQIFj-bL64iMVP4499sx4pXcRBVNs5/s1600/IMG_2786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBjU6eui2JGomQwMDZFuFc1rEtYOvX2J1hrd9tCng26aad9XSVpot_BIpgsl_l02Im7OtYTMLnSH2pYld7zSJfO12ubECMzBVG4QLTbvDcNXTmHrlQIFj-bL64iMVP4499sx4pXcRBVNs5/s400/IMG_2786.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With this view, I found it incredibly difficult to concentrate on my TESOL course!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We took turns on deck (though Rene did more). He finished reading 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins while I struggled through more TESOL material. I'm finding my motivation levels dropping daily to complete this course as there's so much more exciting things to be looking at and thinking about than English grammar! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU_QX-XLUjdcpi5aW8Nmxh72LqT46G0n9Pb_wFaKHE7uoX-I3Qs2jJDzy2bhZZjBaomHshnjIYNyATG5V_uSNsf9XyqMvy4b9WJZKOv7N-xFXeTbcptRc48pgvnueU_-fgJuGiSRid9S1/s1600/IMG_2823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU_QX-XLUjdcpi5aW8Nmxh72LqT46G0n9Pb_wFaKHE7uoX-I3Qs2jJDzy2bhZZjBaomHshnjIYNyATG5V_uSNsf9XyqMvy4b9WJZKOv7N-xFXeTbcptRc48pgvnueU_-fgJuGiSRid9S1/s640/IMG_2823.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeling so grateful for being able to live this right now :<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">By the afternoon, we were motor-sailing closer towards the islands at the south of Langkawi. It was so magical to be gliding into this paradise. I am so grateful that we are able to do this, to sail here and see such beauty, especially after having spent 2 months in a dirty ship yard working. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYc8v_mWuOlRUkE_UllNTZpcA9AsL2cBXIjW48LWmc-UvKGJUeOOj0XMjvACVAH1LpV-3YJ-c2lkZ9kQWBGMKdC-1lUCXA9tQnu9Ls8TTGigYU4Y0tJUMa6oYdzsUO7i9rNqj7ujxXkCP9/s1600/IMG_2876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYc8v_mWuOlRUkE_UllNTZpcA9AsL2cBXIjW48LWmc-UvKGJUeOOj0XMjvACVAH1LpV-3YJ-c2lkZ9kQWBGMKdC-1lUCXA9tQnu9Ls8TTGigYU4Y0tJUMa6oYdzsUO7i9rNqj7ujxXkCP9/s640/IMG_2876.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Motoring through magnificent untouched islands in Langkawi.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We slipped along in between sheer mountainous islands, all of them covered only in forest - no development! Our anchorage for the night was the perfectly scenic channel between Pulau Gubang Darat and Pulau Dayang Bunting (position 06' 11.17N 99' 47.25E). It was just magical - surrounded by islands and nothing else. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_PH-t3Unjd2jSjmyfAS0AZGA6Se5L1wtpQsVUh3WIw_h6WQ2EJkepc4ttICyHwDrLubVqEuyQEjcY4iZI7B00TYNElOtbcpeLWj5EqR1vgIHth0DTBW7n-XZJBBDRnHSZB2KMKXaFyq8/s1600/IMG_2878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_PH-t3Unjd2jSjmyfAS0AZGA6Se5L1wtpQsVUh3WIw_h6WQ2EJkepc4ttICyHwDrLubVqEuyQEjcY4iZI7B00TYNElOtbcpeLWj5EqR1vgIHth0DTBW7n-XZJBBDRnHSZB2KMKXaFyq8/s640/IMG_2878.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our back "verandah" at anchor in southern Langkawi.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I was inspired to cook a delicious home-made pizza (Mum, I really need some recipes for dough as mine was not the success I was dreaming of) while Rene was inspired to remove the safety netting from the port side deck railings. The ropes holding this netting in place was falling apart anyway and we don't need the netting on right now so it made sense and looks so much better!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3Hn_SphS9ghd-diXtaiknlXpKZG5NWM8B0mlLnxuKOiUNfMoc_fwP_niyJcCogWvln9ppHmWAzQB-SHrTItJuk4UFyuj4UU9Us90JjHJk72k3WL0pbNuk82CWyDHxPjba2Ne5rmHM1Mv/s1600/IMG_2951.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr3Hn_SphS9ghd-diXtaiknlXpKZG5NWM8B0mlLnxuKOiUNfMoc_fwP_niyJcCogWvln9ppHmWAzQB-SHrTItJuk4UFyuj4UU9Us90JjHJk72k3WL0pbNuk82CWyDHxPjba2Ne5rmHM1Mv/s640/IMG_2951.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The deck port side, netting removed (don't look too closely at the painting I still need to do!).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-sKnf6m8gneNCDEiAqoGPJ76awPVLsDQCCN_w5Wm7L4iBORW5KVNFU2LTqJUlFsylD2VdqG8PdHKSInPWoQ2EhbGc1XElCG9JlfoVE9c_rGv9T3XJxdafjURobmutn-cCIuj0-RzoOryi/s1600/IMG_2952.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-sKnf6m8gneNCDEiAqoGPJ76awPVLsDQCCN_w5Wm7L4iBORW5KVNFU2LTqJUlFsylD2VdqG8PdHKSInPWoQ2EhbGc1XElCG9JlfoVE9c_rGv9T3XJxdafjURobmutn-cCIuj0-RzoOryi/s640/IMG_2952.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr align="center" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption">The deck starboard side, netting still intact<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmzjadDLim0N22yu29dVmk0ZNmWBqYx8aHWwjLx6fvs7EuJ7sLwynG-H0VniSCxaw3KpbT2Q_NH-3P_B1UcTEmzOFgAZW1qKi8CYEU7X48h05av3IFWEyByYJuPKwuHFVERJUEBgnD1MO/s1600/IMG_2959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmzjadDLim0N22yu29dVmk0ZNmWBqYx8aHWwjLx6fvs7EuJ7sLwynG-H0VniSCxaw3KpbT2Q_NH-3P_B1UcTEmzOFgAZW1qKi8CYEU7X48h05av3IFWEyByYJuPKwuHFVERJUEBgnD1MO/s320/IMG_2959.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene does some boat work in paradise.</td></tr>
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</span></span>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-33155010126604519362012-02-10T18:02:00.001+10:002012-02-10T20:04:10.174+10:00Pangkor to Penang<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Friends on SY Tegan shared their wondrously deadly homemade Baileys into the wee hours of our final morning in the marina. Despite our heavy heads we rushed about doing all the last-minute preparations. Rene finished installing an alternative tackle block for the mainsheet. He also repaired our deflated dinghy and installed the life-raft to the stern. I cleaned and scrubbed like you wouldn't believe! Everything in and out was covered – or embedded with a thick layer of dust (despite all of our efforts to keep it from coming inside). Eventually we were ready to leave. By late afternoon we were anchored in Bogak Bay in the South Western corner of Pangkor Island. Jellyfish the size of Rene drifted by and we enjoyed our first night at anchor in many months. We stayed at 04' 12.47N 100' 33.13E.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLA2qqWgAXXHRo8zNK85Msf7PvzN7PmBHZ5vme-I3hWxEGpGAf9CE_1MV_FFws6DCdWiKudJSs_2P_rU-Mdaw0H_TIW7ZHiuU91i_a9-sVzAPPqTWSGZv43aXf1jUuk5eC3VvJvLXVsV-/s1600/IMG_2763.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLA2qqWgAXXHRo8zNK85Msf7PvzN7PmBHZ5vme-I3hWxEGpGAf9CE_1MV_FFws6DCdWiKudJSs_2P_rU-Mdaw0H_TIW7ZHiuU91i_a9-sVzAPPqTWSGZv43aXf1jUuk5eC3VvJvLXVsV-/s400/IMG_2763.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene's handiwork with the mainsheet </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiramglQANf_nngYkGiMRTGvmijHMXnGnyAZK96X5fYVVpbaxmk59rihn0FFTwSvG5vDCVs4tt6-P_vk90Ui74aIJu58obWHsZm9dAM6RMTsdW1ch3K_FnIYQOyJFFcwuzo1paccHsDvjTF/s1600/IMG_1929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiramglQANf_nngYkGiMRTGvmijHMXnGnyAZK96X5fYVVpbaxmk59rihn0FFTwSvG5vDCVs4tt6-P_vk90Ui74aIJu58obWHsZm9dAM6RMTsdW1ch3K_FnIYQOyJFFcwuzo1paccHsDvjTF/s640/IMG_1929.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima rests at anchor in Pulau Pangkor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Up pre-dawn, we motored out between the main island of Pangkor and a much smaller one (with exclusive resorts) with a nice current helping our passage. The wind picked up enough to help us along and so we sailed or motored at around 6.5 knots. Inspired to cook up some tasty foods now that I was free from constant boat work (for the minute!), I rustled up a yummy breakfast of Pikelets and a healthy potato salad for lunch (see recipes below).</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKTiZL0f_k5zKzYaGXI2TYHou1tmT3HtsDtqAr4GEiV7n73AeUzwAIF29kpYCrokURBZISZ_Me0czphK_v7yw8HPMq48XPEGPuEIuhMfNoViG0juaYmKx67OCWFYa-KYde_Wkz9UAc5y7n/s320/IMG_1947.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="179" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pikelets for breakfast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We anchored out from Pulau Rimau in about 7 metres of rolling swell at 05' 14.59N 100'16.32E. Ren was too nervous about nosing deeper into this small bay in case of a lee shore or uncharted rocks. So we spent a bouncy, but not uncomfortable night – at anchor next to a beautiful jungle-covered island. Again we were accompanied by giant jellies. Today we covered 67 nautical miles. </div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CYseBFyBnuaVexzFgXt9ybHfHw9Mis5y6X9G_iB8tX3SCmnyQejf5svL2ECIJnLnD2w0Z0pAP_Oz4gXV-FuGnoHx2ysQrOenBgLD7HzHABxVWdFbPwOtlBMNcQzS5meyBRk-KA_hOgyl/s1600/IMG_1973.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CYseBFyBnuaVexzFgXt9ybHfHw9Mis5y6X9G_iB8tX3SCmnyQejf5svL2ECIJnLnD2w0Z0pAP_Oz4gXV-FuGnoHx2ysQrOenBgLD7HzHABxVWdFbPwOtlBMNcQzS5meyBRk-KA_hOgyl/s640/IMG_1973.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving the untouched islands, heading for the city of Penang</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We caught the end of the current up through the channel between Penang and mainland Malaysia. An easy trip of only 12 miles by daylight. We anchored at the aptly named 'Junk Anchorage' (05'24.60N 100'20.59E) just out from the Tanjong City Marina. We elected not to stay in the actual marina to save money and because the marina is not in a good state of repair. Due to the <u>constant</u> ferries (who all leave their powerful engines running at the dock), it is almost completely silted up, leaving only a dozen berths deep enough.<br />
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Yawarra 2 was here and we enjoyed catching up with them (as usual!). We stayed for 3 days, paying 5RM each day to tie up our dinghy in one of the unusable berths. I think it's free to tie up at the jetty in the anchorage but we chose to pay so we could see Nick and Jan more often. When we visited Penang back in early January with Ben and Chihiro, we spent a similar amount of time here and left thinking of it as one giant traffic jam. This time we approached it by sea which was far less hassle and bustle. Our accommodation last time was the Red Inn Cabana where we paid about 50RM each night. This time we simply anchored in our own home, for free! </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TzZNSJ9h94ItQzLzXQBOxvlD1GvVrtyAHxrUJRevdJG1OQa9sKshCUntgFKUBm4PcXPQJGy17M8paYCetuJ2VExGpryj4RS1KxjrXBajOMp02FsOFq8ZH4i3hqCc-b3nLq1dSxNnJcP7/s1600/IMG_2731.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TzZNSJ9h94ItQzLzXQBOxvlD1GvVrtyAHxrUJRevdJG1OQa9sKshCUntgFKUBm4PcXPQJGy17M8paYCetuJ2VExGpryj4RS1KxjrXBajOMp02FsOFq8ZH4i3hqCc-b3nLq1dSxNnJcP7/s320/IMG_2731.JPG" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love Indian food!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Nick and Jan are Penang enthusiasts. They love it. We like it a lot more too now, it's just so ALIVE! I still hate the traffic and lack of pedestrian crossings (you have to make a run for it through cars, buses, motorbikes etc. as they race along). However, I LOVE the food here. We had some amazing Indian meals, each for only $2.50 AUD. I love the pokey streets streets of Georgetown... Indian music stores pump out the latest hits and you just feel your body start to dance.... we ended up buying 3 Cd's ($12AUD). Rene went to the 'Chemical Man' to get some hardcore acids (sulphuric, hydrochloric and nitric) for working on the boat. What a place! A small room, packed to the ceiling with all manner of chemicals and related paraphernalia. The shop-owner is about 90 and knows everything about his trade. Ren is amazed that he could simply walk in and buy 1 litre of extremely toxic acids, no questions asked!</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBF7WBxoTieRv0f9cxyvCGKWqn0vKsxhsLNkeMD8v2Ed67a-Q0DWojVUu8KtPVWbwmUYjqq4S6K9TQ5KxAXV_7HzzpResTCBe2FlY4zrV-4ZSw7wTA0JyprqS3xdY30rCjGixIfmAzWcIq/s1600/Liangtraco+SDN.+BHD.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBF7WBxoTieRv0f9cxyvCGKWqn0vKsxhsLNkeMD8v2Ed67a-Q0DWojVUu8KtPVWbwmUYjqq4S6K9TQ5KxAXV_7HzzpResTCBe2FlY4zrV-4ZSw7wTA0JyprqS3xdY30rCjGixIfmAzWcIq/s640/Liangtraco+SDN.+BHD.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liangtraco SDN. BHD. or 'The Chemical Man's shop' </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">Apart from getting our 2 month Thai visas here, we also stopped in Penang to see the Thaipusam celebrations.This festival was AMAZING. Probably my favourite cultural experience in SE Asia so far. The reason was that this celebration is for the Hindus, not for the tourists. I was allowed to be there and take photos but it was for them, not me so it was all the more authentic, alive and mind-blowingly different. I didn't find the piercings to be disgusting - instead I was constantly awed at the dedication and strength the particpants demonstrated. For 48 days prior to Thaipusam, devotees purge themselves of all mental and physical impurities. This means that they only eat one small vegetarian meal each day (24 hours prior, they must fast completely), they abstain from all pleasures (alcohol, sex, bathing in cold water and sleeping on the floor) in order to transcend from desire. </div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF74AAdEr2YhXCxgo3NQh9ynh8a15Qgksv9wYYkqJ-zB5-83SWKwjsCWyo0BcyzE4V-89fEjTy_NqzEfJjHjHKHl0ug4x5UyuSXJWcw7fUlBoGFHgA6Gqv5y56E5faGy36nv-msjgLXjaZ/s1600/IMG_2027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF74AAdEr2YhXCxgo3NQh9ynh8a15Qgksv9wYYkqJ-zB5-83SWKwjsCWyo0BcyzE4V-89fEjTy_NqzEfJjHjHKHl0ug4x5UyuSXJWcw7fUlBoGFHgA6Gqv5y56E5faGy36nv-msjgLXjaZ/s400/IMG_2027.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young men wearing these Kavadi's danced in circles to hypnotic, awesome beats all night long</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLcRFXPw3YPaKDJFNuiajLJQa_5Oorbz-fyV_XPO1EWTnz7NS3Ei3GJ35zoOFVkyiXaq2gDQFNdqVjL-y2NCkFX8i7K0If-UMs1RAF_UeQw4yg19dDtjQJ_rp52Zun4e058YzVGXnxlLQ/s1600/IMG_2096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLcRFXPw3YPaKDJFNuiajLJQa_5Oorbz-fyV_XPO1EWTnz7NS3Ei3GJ35zoOFVkyiXaq2gDQFNdqVjL-y2NCkFX8i7K0If-UMs1RAF_UeQw4yg19dDtjQJ_rp52Zun4e058YzVGXnxlLQ/s400/IMG_2096.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Offerings of coconuts, milk and rice on banana leaves with so much incense</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJKDhZFG0nqikqmuvIA76OrwPRPCbm2W4vQhdB64vkRDlI1gGwIvmYbNri6xJ1q7084H1245xTTN7okQEcVqAxCCBkV7tZm00tU0d3qO_rkOj9tYgz-oYz5HYCxfd-H5w3VEEvuIMh_QE/s1600/IMG_2135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJKDhZFG0nqikqmuvIA76OrwPRPCbm2W4vQhdB64vkRDlI1gGwIvmYbNri6xJ1q7084H1245xTTN7okQEcVqAxCCBkV7tZm00tU0d3qO_rkOj9tYgz-oYz5HYCxfd-H5w3VEEvuIMh_QE/s400/IMG_2135.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two men almost ready, covered in hooks - the live drumming at this point was insane!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WXdvrHTQpQLQWXyB-_rBTFM1N0iC6LrPYAL3K_mLgiV7JPodlo-9pM4YA82_zC0GydDsIpAQEbElp9RCga8FH3CZubRPpmqhGvd_b-4H8-GBvQCC0qL3hfiGf7SLkS_MVXN6n94hEuhl/s1600/IMG_2315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9WXdvrHTQpQLQWXyB-_rBTFM1N0iC6LrPYAL3K_mLgiV7JPodlo-9pM4YA82_zC0GydDsIpAQEbElp9RCga8FH3CZubRPpmqhGvd_b-4H8-GBvQCC0qL3hfiGf7SLkS_MVXN6n94hEuhl/s400/IMG_2315.JPG" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rod in his mouth is actually pierced right through</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesSS3nijNcx7-YwWyrWei8mVT_Yb4LIzmTGh6WXpLhxJfVgOvhNqjjriTV0-fBbi5jpY-VgBHPVsNjWNTXQGLmlekp95s0OLVIKhd_zTOrVdrH9qV3H1j_Smtdn2z77vhpp46s9vEP-2D/s1600/IMG_2362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesSS3nijNcx7-YwWyrWei8mVT_Yb4LIzmTGh6WXpLhxJfVgOvhNqjjriTV0-fBbi5jpY-VgBHPVsNjWNTXQGLmlekp95s0OLVIKhd_zTOrVdrH9qV3H1j_Smtdn2z77vhpp46s9vEP-2D/s400/IMG_2362.JPG" width="343" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heating up the drums to tune them.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoj80paOKqhMTfvbB7WKpbPUVH5W0pcoSWfyMB2c6ePO5TKBazlTUaQxn3-2wIU4GtRE9vgYKMG-tKTL1vROZ-TEgLSW4mS7x9zdxIvVy4GyWOPV-nEHF9hFZugtXDV2Y1LF3XViJ8SElk/s1600/IMG_2419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoj80paOKqhMTfvbB7WKpbPUVH5W0pcoSWfyMB2c6ePO5TKBazlTUaQxn3-2wIU4GtRE9vgYKMG-tKTL1vROZ-TEgLSW4mS7x9zdxIvVy4GyWOPV-nEHF9hFZugtXDV2Y1LF3XViJ8SElk/s320/IMG_2419.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of the piercings</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17OWoBYL3j9R58FxSNrnpLbT1Mekul-g8HEPyD7WF1Wcr3CMtXXrwp8pf1J1wypA0svsFaF9OqgsMFxbHEuvTUkf10PeJnCsDQWGD5WODDvdMEXhcAm2iz_uX5Ds9MsXVPDrc1osmt93K/s1600/IMG_2430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17OWoBYL3j9R58FxSNrnpLbT1Mekul-g8HEPyD7WF1Wcr3CMtXXrwp8pf1J1wypA0svsFaF9OqgsMFxbHEuvTUkf10PeJnCsDQWGD5WODDvdMEXhcAm2iz_uX5Ds9MsXVPDrc1osmt93K/s400/IMG_2430.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just been pierced through his tongue</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmuvIgoaRK7TBr2cjp4XiWXscWAEJN576L4dNFEVBdYo_qeJRe1rYCJTlYeNqF99JIU6ESYKLdhg8yvBIogi3GWPBEyCSIT8y38p2MmmT73vNnTLHqaedHWBpP6QIuvA6BFEnjoN-Ep-Jq/s1600/Skewer+through+mouth.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmuvIgoaRK7TBr2cjp4XiWXscWAEJN576L4dNFEVBdYo_qeJRe1rYCJTlYeNqF99JIU6ESYKLdhg8yvBIogi3GWPBEyCSIT8y38p2MmmT73vNnTLHqaedHWBpP6QIuvA6BFEnjoN-Ep-Jq/s640/Skewer+through+mouth.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We all found it astonishing that there was no blood!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeITh1QiQOhYCYxeAstYNGO8uXuMlpKHDXHq_xZtS4a4wGrYeBFrd6yDppPEnYJOR4TlrLDddsYYgN60jTaNoJ6LyieBRMJd_CchS1H8xmh8fYhVdKXK9FVfc_RxiXLeFkU6U-x34RKQow/s1600/IMG_2478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeITh1QiQOhYCYxeAstYNGO8uXuMlpKHDXHq_xZtS4a4wGrYeBFrd6yDppPEnYJOR4TlrLDddsYYgN60jTaNoJ6LyieBRMJd_CchS1H8xmh8fYhVdKXK9FVfc_RxiXLeFkU6U-x34RKQow/s640/IMG_2478.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gurus with their famous quotes were on display</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppR7tnFFTKtpNS_FWKSokucBaYG6fQ3qDiMXR_RuhcCw1EiiVLLJhjFxoqTfH-ovG-c7XEqX1Cc6LBoey99eOYs2rnDSoE2dO6jo5hT6HNoTurliTyNakJTU3c0bD9sW-n3mXBz_fX1e3/s1600/IMG_2483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppR7tnFFTKtpNS_FWKSokucBaYG6fQ3qDiMXR_RuhcCw1EiiVLLJhjFxoqTfH-ovG-c7XEqX1Cc6LBoey99eOYs2rnDSoE2dO6jo5hT6HNoTurliTyNakJTU3c0bD9sW-n3mXBz_fX1e3/s640/IMG_2483.JPG" width="356" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most attendees carried pails full of milk to pour over the temple.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uFpX_SOxZnmbvNo1qIRF2eBi2fe7Zjg784SpVZsN-OZ1FO8H5HKPw5UCyyj_hikqm6a2T9U5tNkE0Bu5qebQtZDeBrMyVbUFyWlYooXJLE3Ggth20FBBuuhRZY47-IvJow3GX0fLNLHY/s1600/IMG_2505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uFpX_SOxZnmbvNo1qIRF2eBi2fe7Zjg784SpVZsN-OZ1FO8H5HKPw5UCyyj_hikqm6a2T9U5tNkE0Bu5qebQtZDeBrMyVbUFyWlYooXJLE3Ggth20FBBuuhRZY47-IvJow3GX0fLNLHY/s400/IMG_2505.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shrines and street art decorated the streets</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sATUJRkY_rFQdQgFmAcBCOGRMfRXjM2QgnFVYEcUw0VLXqMEKlAe8Zh-3DQGFb7K4pMJ4cWDIKmdxls4nHwNjWwh7V3WAPNbbj5Jd9gCigWTFpRBAS006l35kfQ1Lj_lG0vN6cay9D_C/s1600/IMG_2532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sATUJRkY_rFQdQgFmAcBCOGRMfRXjM2QgnFVYEcUw0VLXqMEKlAe8Zh-3DQGFb7K4pMJ4cWDIKmdxls4nHwNjWwh7V3WAPNbbj5Jd9gCigWTFpRBAS006l35kfQ1Lj_lG0vN6cay9D_C/s640/IMG_2532.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Men bearing hooks pulled forward to increase the tension on the ropes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvXOOUPyZIZ7TPwQ838IjgqpOjE576HGmLxkqhQ5MR_voS32MFPInuop5djix_3QdUpgiQK388rIKUWcMhql9tb-oe2KaEKhK4XcWz-p6x5K0bSm2eCPjRNryrAysBNVPJra2X07i_plc/s1600/IMG_2572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvXOOUPyZIZ7TPwQ838IjgqpOjE576HGmLxkqhQ5MR_voS32MFPInuop5djix_3QdUpgiQK388rIKUWcMhql9tb-oe2KaEKhK4XcWz-p6x5K0bSm2eCPjRNryrAysBNVPJra2X07i_plc/s400/IMG_2572.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best live drumming I've heard in ages </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NBPyGNj0DKX7UbElQEHFeWQPfZsafSETTJzppai3KnPQhdn9gFjBqFH0XcvPk8uVc3igeTC6rT0rmESxqu5_qxadY9F3o1KSlKlK4XSJ4V-5bE4e5WU-u77jh2JFFWtNMAnnl3ojLobk/s1600/IMG_2605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NBPyGNj0DKX7UbElQEHFeWQPfZsafSETTJzppai3KnPQhdn9gFjBqFH0XcvPk8uVc3igeTC6rT0rmESxqu5_qxadY9F3o1KSlKlK4XSJ4V-5bE4e5WU-u77jh2JFFWtNMAnnl3ojLobk/s640/IMG_2605.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crowd culminated at a temple after having walked many miles carrying their pails or piercings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BlvpmWdFO5IV1af5VsxudjpxT0jtc_Ro3J0LgnDT80AYhKF5h_XtbrdGvBJhGFw47BrHFzIzjl9NUDH-gjRM2HAq1MfU_3jygT0kHZ2Gmc9P1CwqdbuW0nEeFuwTRmspqpi0PkuwLKuQ/s1600/P2070103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BlvpmWdFO5IV1af5VsxudjpxT0jtc_Ro3J0LgnDT80AYhKF5h_XtbrdGvBJhGFw47BrHFzIzjl9NUDH-gjRM2HAq1MfU_3jygT0kHZ2Gmc9P1CwqdbuW0nEeFuwTRmspqpi0PkuwLKuQ/s400/P2070103.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This man is covered in piercings yet because he's in a trance, feels no pain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><u><span style="color: magenta;">Recipes</span></u></b></div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: magenta;">Pikelets</span> (thanks for Chihiro for this delicious recipe)</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">1 cup self-raising flour</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">pinch salt</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">¾ cup sour milk* </div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">3 tablespoons sugar (I often reduce this)</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">1 egg</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">1 dessert spoon melted butter / oil</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">* fresh milk soured with 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice </div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Sift dry ingredients, add sugar. Mix to a smooth batter with beaten egg and milk. Add melted butter. Heat and grease pan, drop batter by dessert spoonfuls on to pan, cook until bubbly on top, light brown underneath. Turn, cook other side.<br />
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<div style="color: magenta;">Healthy Potato Salad</div>(I haven't included all measurements because I usually just do it by feel)<br />
Potatoes, washed/peeled, cut into large pieces (usually quarters)<br />
Olive oil<br />
Lemon Juice<br />
1 teaspoon sugar<br />
2 teaspoons sumac (a delicious Middle Eastern spice)<br />
Capsicum, finely diced<br />
Large green or red chillies, seeded and finely chopped<br />
Fresh mint, chopped<br />
Parsley, roughly chopped<br />
Shallots or red onions, finely sliced<br />
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** You can really add whatever you like, the core ingredients are the potatoes, dressing and chillies.<br />
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Steam the potatoes until they're tender but still firm. Drain and let them cool for 10 minutes. Mix the dressing (oil, lemon juice, sugar, sumac, salt and pepper) and pour over the potatoes. Add all the other ingredients, toss lightly and serve. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHKpyYmoFBbHJryoOPy2WcRgK6iigeuJCLoDHao9w1B7r7XzUWsCyZv9qfwVJbW_LEp3xZZqOof4l5wt_FNkQ1Zymz8ohfItxa-YUpHtOKw3KfZU61-AUyzl7NolchTy8fGHCWFwn4MaK/s400/IMG_1949.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potato salad on deck</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-17623753181164308892012-02-02T20:32:00.000+10:002012-02-02T20:32:31.109+10:00SPLASHDOWN!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRjeJ4I01RDqZDksMwmgLuAlRAVpSXXnX7HBbxoijR6L0lIc4vWesFPWvps0zbU54LZnVGdqHGHdSNMBqq0asHke2o_sv_dJ7N9NyTDIryLIjL9nnHvnohdse-0aAtmdaGWOcVMZ9Q1ut/s1600/IMG_1807.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRjeJ4I01RDqZDksMwmgLuAlRAVpSXXnX7HBbxoijR6L0lIc4vWesFPWvps0zbU54LZnVGdqHGHdSNMBqq0asHke2o_sv_dJ7N9NyTDIryLIjL9nnHvnohdse-0aAtmdaGWOcVMZ9Q1ut/s640/IMG_1807.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We're floating again!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We hauled out of the water here in Pangkor Marina intending to do 2 weeks of work on Anima. Now, 2 months later, we're finally done (mostly) and today we splashed back into the water. The marina manager, James, expertly drove us along in the haul-out machine, our engine started first go and we slid into an empty berth no problems! It feels so so good to be on the water again. We're both exhausted but still have lots on our to do list before we can head north to clearer waters. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikC5YIW6LhZd4vUmxm-uBAtnwuLSPjl7zR2icACRshQuZQrYOg03kvSaZ5WceCaR783lqjMuyH69rPRCibAZZFmlzzocELz2OraH3pb_JFH8Nj0PI34gWTyWCLPRE63pFIiBF1z5HCTEjU/s640/IMG_1794.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James steers us on the haul-out machine through the yard</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"></div>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-26700840149141867302012-01-29T17:10:00.005+10:002012-02-02T20:30:45.922+10:00Counting Down to Splashing<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">Jan 28.</span> </div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The sky today is cloudy, grey and threatening rain - not good for painting. Instead, Rene embarked upon reinstalling the aft railings which have been suspended a few inches above deck for the past 2 months. He discovered (of course) that this job was more difficult than expected (why is it never easy on the boat?) because the metal had warped during its time in the air. I reattached dorade vents to the deck and the spray dodger frame before realising there wasn't much else I could do and so retreated inside to continue TESOL. Local workers finally fixed the electricity cable that had fallen from its support and been lying on the ground (often in a puddle of water). They dug a hole for a new pole and then pulled the large cable up using their bare hands (!) in a cherry picker. Ren also reattached the portside winch and painted the last of the topcoat. We didn't quite have enough to paint everything - there are a few spots left around the place that are still waiting for a second coat. They'll have to keep waiting! In the afternoon I started peeling/scraping the old masking tape from the green stripe that has been there for nearly 2 months. Have discovered a new sundowner thanks to another yachtie here - beer on ice! Makes it go further and is more refreshing too. I'll have to make do with my ration of one of these each day for now as we can't afford to drink wine anymore :(</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSWoXaIOKyvytiMaFodcLK8DfkDM9TtrbpNdPOOqXcS2erUh4oeNu_n8Ha_je5za2GSMbjB8b2ZoeK4LQ_lL4mqYL_XzXVIA5Lg5hy9gywGOGE9M-3hbU-utsLzOUQzAZ9l4h6g43wZIm/s1600/P1280215.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGSWoXaIOKyvytiMaFodcLK8DfkDM9TtrbpNdPOOqXcS2erUh4oeNu_n8Ha_je5za2GSMbjB8b2ZoeK4LQ_lL4mqYL_XzXVIA5Lg5hy9gywGOGE9M-3hbU-utsLzOUQzAZ9l4h6g43wZIm/s320/P1280215.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old pole is pushed over, note the wire on the ground</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihABekLXj_5bbToNYGXzOKHmnuSOkD9L_TBzVuzE6nBPJJBVVJwfpRqcRff4Ob0qhaP0IAmerPODQNII1mvBVW1QU9wR-yio0ASRK96dmQkktsD5eDNwlTxL_1FblEYJ9_PSa3bh2K3UXo/s1600/P1280220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihABekLXj_5bbToNYGXzOKHmnuSOkD9L_TBzVuzE6nBPJJBVVJwfpRqcRff4Ob0qhaP0IAmerPODQNII1mvBVW1QU9wR-yio0ASRK96dmQkktsD5eDNwlTxL_1FblEYJ9_PSa3bh2K3UXo/s320/P1280220.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New pole in, wire is pulled up by hand in the cherry picker</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">Jan 29.</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We're booked to splash back in the water on the 2nd of Feb. Can't wait! There's still a lot to do but I think if we keep working we'll be fine. Have been bitten by a few mozzies lately - I really hope they're not disease ridden. Today we worked together at scraping off the old masking tape from the green stripe. It was tedious, soul-destroying work. After a few hours though, it was done (many hands!) and we set about sanding and cleaning it ready for painting. I was cleaning the stripe from above, leaning down and over the edge when I stood up and nearly fell overboard. Luckily I could hold onto a rope and steady myself before tottering inside to collapse on a seat for a while - my head reeling. As usual, my hypochondriac tendencies started to go rife. Rene didn't help - when he finally came inside to get something and saw me lying there he said 'do you need to go to hospital?'. 'I hope not!' was my reply. Looking at the clock I saw it was past 2pm - maybe I'm hungry? I forced myself to make lunch and eat a sandwich. Then I took an iron tablet - we've barely eaten any meat here because I can't bring myself to deal with the way it's sold here. So, while I lay around trying not to panic that I'm dying, Rene got on with the boat work, taping and painting the green stripe. After about an hour, I felt OK again and so ventured back into the heat of Malaysia to continue work. Ren was enjoying painting the green enamel paint (far less toxic than the two pac paint he's been using lately) so I busied myself taping up more areas. Then, a finishing touch - our name sticker is back on the back! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5-X1ApBCP_hQwlSRpe9P3i5TDUlWF_trNalVb1YaKGTxhXGgrl3vLqWzQvbdmTUaumY_sWluOPA3Bvq07YrFbGTNa5PUp-XuYpa1kBlQKYQxyl0KKUr_cjVPiVHsm_kRMG06h_uoVhDI/s320/P1290228.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out the difference in green on our stripe</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxW-VlkvYV8roUtWeqOqoM-jqwaVopcMGlMA_4V1urlBdiwhNdZEasDwJyMQK9eLAlRxdHXK8g2weip1ElPQOFZPR5LTH-03N1PYegUPMeYgBKm4Kp4m3jy_KYd2n8F-o5p2eHpCIZf0v/s320/P1290234.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ren working at making Anima pretty :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiw-Cxg8td0UzdICI1junz15gpF4nh8-VyorKgsqSvBHxqf_tj-Dd22qbfHJ4uQvp7nAVr10RpLJ5eeks9LVezdvusj7BdJ83IxK-D_WIJPdzxxj5AKq_mge8301qUCdvzlkbn98luRKl/s320/P1290241.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting over the non-slip on deck</td></tr>
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<div style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Jan 30. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I scrubbed the deck with turps and then soapy water until my hands bled - literally. ouch! By the end of the day, I had cleaned, taped up and painted 13 non-skid deck sections. Phew! They look great and I'm impressed with how much I achieved in one day - though am not impressed with the blisters and cuts I received as a result. Rene worked on the hull. He sanded all of the little spots that had been exposed to steel by those nasty little barnacles, then he cleaned and painted those spots with Jotamastic before painting half of the hull with antifoul paint. Busy busy busy!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaS3VrkNO6b74LcVPGrKwt9aYZjCKeC7w5W3vexrFb396gWwfnAkClQ_9SdLfDcRduHc89iEpRoJucyDTMI4_i9UMEF8yQBsRS3nU9jaqqXIeoW5BTDMZblLWJ5-Qxlahnhu5ABclHp6-z/s320/P1300245.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene paints the first coat of anti foul - Jotun Sea Guardian 60</td></tr>
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<div style="color: magenta;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Jan 31. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rene concentrated on the hull all day again. Firstly he painted it in antifouling, then painted those spots from yesterday with Safeguard before embarking upon painting a second coat of antifouling. He is still at it now as I quickly type this up at 8.15pm before showering and trying to figure out what to rustle up for another late dinner. I spent hours in town with some other yachties in the car - my last chance - to stock up with food for the coming week/s and sort out other things like getting our new name sticker! When I returned, I pulled off all of the tape from yesterday's sections and then installed the starboard side safety railing. Much cursing was involved at some points when those bloody bolts and nuts just wouldn't cooperate! I succeeded in the end and finished off with doing more hand washing. A new record - I killed 6 mosquitoes who were all biting me while I did this annoying, never ending yet necessary chore. Tomorrow we go up in the haul-out machine so we can paint the bottom and points we're held up with currently. It's all happening finally!!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rene ended up painting into the night. He finally knocked off at 1am. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxYhSuREfpPFdNqrStsfxsG2FkWWs7p0A2cOAlfvMKqeQvNo_7iLVUZKRK6ldxIUzvHlWYoRBmMGMnXgD1jPAJ4WBRXLCpXqHOaPdpONg1Y_BRQ2Ivtv_ogSxU9Pxi0snziFJazL_0qKt/s400/P2010263.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima with the first 2 coats of antifoul on.</td></tr>
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ren working into the night.</td></tr>
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</a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: magenta;">Feb 1.</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Our alarm went off at 5am and Rene got straight into it. He had to paint the final coat of antifoul paint early enough so that it would dry by the time the machine lifted us. I got up early too but instead of launching into work, I did an hour of Ashtanga yoga. It felt soooo good to do the primary series. I should get up that early more often! While Rene concentrated on painting and setting up the anodes, I installed the portside railings and cleaned up all the stuff (ropes, jerries, gas etc.) that was hiding out under our tarpaulin on the ground. A few toads escaped as I scrubbed and hosed for hours. I somehow managed to convince Rene to agree to us chucking out a bunch of stuff that we don't use and which usually lives on deck (clutter!). A lot of it will be recycled by the marina here which is cool. Our air conditioner broke. We were just talking about selling it / giving it away and it started making a very loud shuddering/vibrating noise. As I write this, sweat is sliding off various bits of me and gathering in other parts. Oh yeah, the joy of the tropics! Anima is looking great. The highlight of today was being lifted up onto the haul-out machine. Tomorrow we splash! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhghM9hTANc5rmsWmo_B37JGmNKTKmxyT-esxvcDLdXNLdCME21pGxohVA0tXIJhrMLrCjgAvGoYS9Hdxl8k_gEO1Y_HlGgJf31s5GaYq-UTbJOlE8rkFia9weBrz1b8giNSjJ-VAKj1NPs/s400/P2010276.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our beautiful, multi-coloured home!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6KuAHp4PxDHclGt1uYaNS1V7L-tVLsoHKhfZ1tddu4YMp8M6jKGUrigJy5Igv02N5Wo0jhuRQpdreK0IM4dHvd8lJoj1VE1Jb_PjvwOZvARs7X7OfBAl-hEChH_gYp_oigMG0UJUZKKxD/s640/IMG_1785.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima sitting in the Pangkor haul-out machine</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQY56oTJTeh8twKmCRsxGgmfX7xHAmbqUZlrW1w7TwnqqXU2PhqJ-eoCfDT2q9LQszW8PbqIWD8j5vg0os_b5NjZLhgZIbCM7TeMxoecEJo8hsHUEQzAHNevMNlmrATlTMzK4QxYyvWVTI/s640/IMG_1781.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Job nearly done!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_FZ4Prqkd1Ra0C5UYYQAChvTApCdg8_gloZX9ch5IBxWZ6rnE_cjH3Al7ziXOcH85R1jYp4U67zRSYwxBHOMVFP65jR-jYMl7H7DdRFKSM5rHWr4Ugwo7zA3AMAnyFw5wV_HTcIf3x7Y/s320/P2010332.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene happy that he only has a little more painting to do!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-72444661189659587632012-01-24T16:31:00.000+10:002012-01-24T16:31:47.137+10:00Cerae's Special Egg Burger Recipe<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I've been perfecting this recipe over the last year or so. We are mostly vegetarian and so eat a lot of eggs for protein and energy. This burger is so delicious that I want to share it with you all. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This recipe is designed to be read from the bottom up, as it lists all of the ingredients in the order they're layered into the burger. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSXREdxoGuLmBI_PUx70bJ5MTEf41ZyAgCzMgj2I47-KYS0T-1vzEAtRyVSbuIRN6q27TudPgw9O-5jR5anKYQXqhkG6FYK2cFPcyg3gubkc5fhdHVVBgZYFGXU8OwVG_242Knd3i7nbR/s1600/IMG_1765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSXREdxoGuLmBI_PUx70bJ5MTEf41ZyAgCzMgj2I47-KYS0T-1vzEAtRyVSbuIRN6q27TudPgw9O-5jR5anKYQXqhkG6FYK2cFPcyg3gubkc5fhdHVVBgZYFGXU8OwVG_242Knd3i7nbR/s320/IMG_1765.JPG" width="277" /></a>Toasted bun / bread top</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Traditional Mustard Pickles</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Sliced cucumber</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Sliced tomato</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Sliced cheese</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Tomato sauce or salt and pepper (or both if you really want)</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Fried egg/s - done until the white is solid but the yolk is still runny</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Avocado</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Mayonnaise</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Toasted bun /bread bottom</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I hope you like it as much as we do!! </div>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-42450232734675460162012-01-23T20:49:00.067+10:002012-01-28T00:11:21.440+10:00Will This Haul-out Ever END?<div style="color: magenta; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Jan 20.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Rene paints topcoat on the forward section of deck. I tape up more areas for him to paint around. Rene nearly passes out from the heat of working in the sun on deck. I feed him lots of water, 100plus and food. I get a ride in Tasha's car to check out getting a new name sticker made. Rene sands back the Penguard and the cockpit. He has to rewire the sander and gives himself an electric shock. Handwashing. After sunset (7.30pm) we walk over to Annwn to have catch-up beers. They generously give us a Bintang all the way from Indonesia and it tastes like good times. Lightning flashes all night.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6pbrhDhuRsCLj4Dq2NNhXzQL-x9kBcnzZ_QDtb4oc27popC5XcHWOh_BgRo-Ln5Gl24DvCCkKghlPqc-tA7PpCXh75SffylsOQctnnVhUrjWtOvNMalnazTqCW4PrQrF8CpLln5wIcLj/s320/IMG_1727.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="272" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ren's bandages from wearing the gas mask so much.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TN3xIRSY9ZZ9xHKtWv_T-eYFSDpB1cP2gqXpBGfjEVSevGmYe0y9HznU7Hend66QQXjrMQoDIRwY_bGWpVV0m-H6ZVJF6r4bYhgPXAmxXt9Zx1YZ11duVSu5SpZyU40fLfqqj0codNuR/s320/P1190152.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="273" /></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #073763;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ren painting topcoat</td></tr>
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Jan 21.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We get up before sunrise (doesn't really rise above the mountain before 7.20) and tape up the holes on the topsides that Rene made when grinding away the rust / old paint. I feel depressed about how long we've been here and how it feels as though we'll never finish but help him anyway. We use some left-over Kossan Kofill filler that our friends from Tasha D.M left behind when they splashed back in the water. It turned out to be a great solution! Rene filled up the worst of the holes and sanded them back ready for priming tomorrow. I wrote lists, tidied up, tried to get rid of useless stuff and painted the inside of the dorade vents bright red. I managed to also paint my hair - I'll have to cut the top off now! Rene painted some more Penguard and then some topcoat in the late afternoon. I worked on my TESOL course but am not enjoying it - I'm finding the coursework very tedious and not very helpful. I managed to procrastinate a lot by reading friends blogs and helping Rene.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjinjJ15CjX19BLkaZ6GFM4Thffip28pzeMHhusaHGDXuc9d6rLD2FySZveR0IcLU1nbcPgzXX6G_xOXsD9Z80rZPlMNKM9jv7A0c3VC0k9Y6rKFZNV6WS9oboE99dd8g2XHownuhnmYH/s1600/IMG_1745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxjinjJ15CjX19BLkaZ6GFM4Thffip28pzeMHhusaHGDXuc9d6rLD2FySZveR0IcLU1nbcPgzXX6G_xOXsD9Z80rZPlMNKM9jv7A0c3VC0k9Y6rKFZNV6WS9oboE99dd8g2XHownuhnmYH/s320/IMG_1745.JPG" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magic stuff</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Rn76DrAyGtFWFhEARxDAswcm1yhjXcTRYqV5tCxMtK5juaCetKvxrjhEB0ctiJBA7tm5bmVpFfEINMIlTCmELdBpXtvz2v3w-KlQvxbQkcEWn-n_d6yWo5lFQKDaSnP-w76MP51nXTkU/s1600/IMG_1747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Rn76DrAyGtFWFhEARxDAswcm1yhjXcTRYqV5tCxMtK5juaCetKvxrjhEB0ctiJBA7tm5bmVpFfEINMIlTCmELdBpXtvz2v3w-KlQvxbQkcEWn-n_d6yWo5lFQKDaSnP-w76MP51nXTkU/s320/IMG_1747.JPG" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #073763;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ren applies Kofill</td></tr>
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Jan 22. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoupoSDXSReFqCEO6ANBsmMkbGyHS1x9ufkrvmU9071VRz4IB-YyGzwokLDLNTsCns_YiY-OsAXC6FFGERxPHGPUMyDk_u4sw8Y3oKYp_khxtO7KjgtgsIn38RxHlVS70qcsuAIhDPAqL/s1600/IMG_1741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAoupoSDXSReFqCEO6ANBsmMkbGyHS1x9ufkrvmU9071VRz4IB-YyGzwokLDLNTsCns_YiY-OsAXC6FFGERxPHGPUMyDk_u4sw8Y3oKYp_khxtO7KjgtgsIn38RxHlVS70qcsuAIhDPAqL/s200/IMG_1741.JPG" width="169" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My glamorous laundry</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Heavy rain lashed at Anima all night and then continued well into today. Not good weather for painting. Rene had a terrible time trying to remove the masking tape we'd applied yesterday to mark the areas he needed to fill in. I looked up solvents for masking tape and discovered WD-40 and Acetone are commonly used. Ren stuck with it for hours and eventually removed enough so he could sand back the surface to a smooth finish. He <i>really</i> regrets surrounding the areas with masking tape as it was extremely frustrating to remove it all afterwards. I shared a car trip to Giant and Tesco with some other yachties to stock up on groceries. We are eating in a lot more often here because the marina is quite a distance from any good, affordable restaurants. I painted the second coat of red enamel paint inside the dorade vents - it is a real pleasure to paint such a rich, bright colour. I also was finally able to start the process of reinstalling deck stuff. Today it was the rope spool that lives under the bench at the stern. Rene painted the last of the Penguard and is disappointed that we didn't order more earlier on as he would have liked to build up more layers. More handwashing at sunset before a cold beer while we looked over our progress.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vRkCQpSH8-v11tEoemndKda4XVZE8-fK_fkYiBQdwDfKRgcORoK25SJEY9GQduPvrm76_bAw5pDjMYhdJTEMzP7Qn4HZfKevk7Zw8gwznrDFDKrnfyzA-pFSG-yK0v87bAoF4S8LgWnf/s1600/P1220161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vRkCQpSH8-v11tEoemndKda4XVZE8-fK_fkYiBQdwDfKRgcORoK25SJEY9GQduPvrm76_bAw5pDjMYhdJTEMzP7Qn4HZfKevk7Zw8gwznrDFDKrnfyzA-pFSG-yK0v87bAoF4S8LgWnf/s320/P1220161.JPG" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The re-installed rope spool</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXcVfKVDAMBqAB1HAbm_2uZbkXMmESR9IB31wjBAK6iy1CVpQwUJt5eMAglhlShH2jhexuFJqXqrtTOrqfK1CLVOEwdANzL2V6Idniwn2GuOqZXJnxzuaN6oPPmhiKnaaL9TEwdI050an3/s320/P1210156.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="279" /></td></tr>
<tr style="color: #073763;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly painted dorades</td></tr>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Jan 23.</span><br />
Kung Hei Fat Choi!!! or Happy New Year! Today is the Chinese New Year and is now the year of the Dragon. We heard fireworks throughout the night and things in the shipyard were pretty quiet during the day. Rene painted the second coat of Hardtop on deck - a big moment!! It took ages of course - he painted all day and only managed to do half of the deck. I finished another TESOL unit - this time on the future tense. Once the paint had dried, I was able to embark upon the process of removing the tape I'd layed down along the edges of all of the areas requiring Hardtop. As with all boat work, this task is seemingly simple in theory yet laborious and difficult in reality. The tape only sometimes lifts up in one piece, often it tears into tiny fragments which have to be painstakingly picked by hand. The most annoying part is that it has left a sticky residue that I'm hoping will wipe off with thinners. If not, it's going to add days to our time here. Rene kept at painting until dark. I made the most amazing burgers for lunch. I'm so impressed with how tasty they are (it's a recipe I've been perfecting for over a year now) that I'm going to share it in a <a href="http://sailbirds.blogspot.com/2012/01/ceraes-special-egg-burger-recipe.html" target="_blank">separate post</a>. After sundown we visited Annwn who had invited us over to help them drink a bottle of Champagne they'd hidden away in a locker. I'm always happy to help!! We had a nice evening chatting under their red lantern lights before heading back through the yard to Anima.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robyn and Wal from Annwn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Year mandarins from the marina.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Jan 24.</span><br />
I continued to work at removing the tape from areas on deck that have been painted. In particular, I was finally able to cut free the tape from the butterfly hatch glass panes. They've been covered since we arrived and are finally pretty much completed. Ren moved the huge old air conditioner (bought in JB) to said butterfly hatch and then we had to deal with the rust spots that had been hiding out under it all this time. I helped out sanding and identifying rust spots until Ren<br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ren painting and painting and painting topcoat</td></tr>
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<span style="color: magenta;">Jan 25.</span><br />
Ren started today by applying a second coat of Jotamastic to the areas that received a first coat yesterday. He then lightly sanded and cleaned the port side topside before we worked together to tape a new waterline. After our experiences cruising through Indonesia and getting the topsides all dirty with slime, we're lifting the waterline up by about 2 inches. The stern was a little tricky to measure - the old waterline (that we stuffed up last time) was too low and we had to figure out a new one. I worked at cleaning the tacky stuff (left after removing the tape) off the back deck using a variety of products. I tried Kerosene, Turpentine, Eucalyptus Oil and Citronella Oil. The most effective are Kero and Turps - though the turps keeps on disintegrating my gloves so I'm a little worried about the toxicity. More hand washing. More TESOL work. More painting. I kept working till late tonight - we've run out of alcohol and it's my ritual (while on the hardstand) to have a drink at the end of the day. Eventually I realised we had some rum in a hip flask stashed away. It's empty now too. I wish alcohol was more affordable in Malaysia!!<br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working at removing the stickiness</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ren taping up our new waterline</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: magenta;">Jan 26.</span><br />
Happy Australia Day! It didn't feel like a typical 'Straya Day' as I stepped around deflated Chinese Lanterns that had fallen in the boat yard. We had to keep working on the boat - no time for lazing around drinking and playing backyard cricket!! I borrowed Tasha's car and did a Tesco / Post Office run before embarking upon taping up the green non-slip sections on the aft deck. It took ages!! By the end of the day I was finally able to paint in these areas. We're using Emerclad that came with the boat. When I opened it, there was an old paint scooper (rusty tin) and block of wood inside! Whoever used it last, did not pack away properly. Rene painted topcoat all day. He did the final coat on most of the top decks, including the cockpit which now looks very nice and shiny! After sundown, we joined the other yachties at the boat shed for a BBQ. I was most impressed with Mary's meat pies which she miraculously baked in her Weber BBQ!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting new non-slip green paint on the aft deck</td></tr>
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary with her homemade meat pies!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Progress shot. She's starting to come together finally!</td></tr>
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<div style="color: magenta;">Jan 27.</div>I got up early and only did a few sun salutes before starting work on deck. Now that the topcoat is finally done, today I had to remove all of the masking tape that I'd previously stuck down to protect anything not requiring topcoat. We have learnt that masking tape is not friendly. If it isn't removed within 2 days, it can behave in one of two evil ways: firstly, it can leave all of its stickiness on deck which needs to be removed with lots of elbow grease and thinners; secondly, it can dry onto the deck so that it needs to be painstakingly scraped off with a Stanley knife and my fingers. I did the latter for 12 hours today. My fingers ache. My brain feels weird. What a strange thing to think about all day!<br />
Rene painted all day. He firstly did a few touch-ups on deck and then continued with the topsides. We're exhausted. I'm worried about the Emerclad paint I applied yesterday - it was quite sticky and tacky and hasn't quite set yet. I hope it does soon. All of this working in the sun means I'm getting my "tan", my freckles are all getting quite dark!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stubborn tape and my trusty tool today</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working in the early morning, coffee by my side</td></tr>
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailbirds getting there slowly</td></tr>
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Check out my freckles!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-81586265545567789282012-01-19T23:16:00.001+10:002012-01-19T23:18:36.859+10:00Old and New Friends on Pangkor Island<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Old friends from our early BrisVegas days travelled past and stayed on Pangkor Island while new friends from the Indonesia rally cruised up to anchor on Pangkor Island - both on the same day!! It was raining so we took the ferry across the Pangkor Island and hired a motorbike for 30RM (he asked for 40RM, Rene said 30RM and he said 'OK', how easy was that bargaining?). The west side of Pangkor Island is beautiful. We zoomed along the hilly road, fringed by sweet-smelling jungle and breathed in the natural beauty. If only I could bottle the smell of a rainforest! It's the best smell in the world... well, one of them. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQ8haLQgXgqcvRzah6bijmFLjnPMVKAPJ_2Zg7K8dkkBBdyg7KsTSMCAxKujYuWawVHO0d2KCb1nefseuJ5UlptEPOETthVg8tPTZ8lr18-YASl2mzgRujPBGpvxfubfH-K6QzgOeMnx5/s1600/IMG_6952.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQ8haLQgXgqcvRzah6bijmFLjnPMVKAPJ_2Zg7K8dkkBBdyg7KsTSMCAxKujYuWawVHO0d2KCb1nefseuJ5UlptEPOETthVg8tPTZ8lr18-YASl2mzgRujPBGpvxfubfH-K6QzgOeMnx5/s400/IMG_6952.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biking along quiet, jungle-fringed roads = bliss</td></tr>
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storm RiderZ - the bikie gang unite!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Our friends Amie and Linc were staying in a guesthouse which we located easily. They also hired a bike and we rode about the island as the bike gang, Storm Riderz! We hope to reunite again for more biking adventures!! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMj2pu2V8RADCYPBAjqbD2zm9E2NNZpuIgzueLHnz-bXYqlDz_sRwq-6Hv2UvgU82WBW9iLn4NVNAIxGqmJoasZUpiXm7b_dou8rQ4wNU4u68_plXlV8I_oY-5Fa3jFe2B7loT_iZEyZv/s1600/PIC_0242.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMj2pu2V8RADCYPBAjqbD2zm9E2NNZpuIgzueLHnz-bXYqlDz_sRwq-6Hv2UvgU82WBW9iLn4NVNAIxGqmJoasZUpiXm7b_dou8rQ4wNU4u68_plXlV8I_oY-5Fa3jFe2B7loT_iZEyZv/s320/PIC_0242.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailbirds swim with old friend, Amie </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Coral Beach was lovely for our first Malaysian swim (no pollution for once) while the waterfall had warning signs about the hazards of swimming there (possibly due to the monkeys?). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVIsKQQpV_K0vle9v1gr_gFl2dPCCZIJrCjkUh9a2pAPtAe2dFDEqVWupNXbFAvFO24YfyFdoKMlFWJjPWnhrzK4uzF2L-IelMevrE3MVT1BPDbJxfOBUGRCgjWEv7sve7r3Gd1LetmxF/s1600/IMG_1631.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVIsKQQpV_K0vle9v1gr_gFl2dPCCZIJrCjkUh9a2pAPtAe2dFDEqVWupNXbFAvFO24YfyFdoKMlFWJjPWnhrzK4uzF2L-IelMevrE3MVT1BPDbJxfOBUGRCgjWEv7sve7r3Gd1LetmxF/s640/IMG_1631.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clean water and white sands at Coral Beach, Pangkor Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gdQ_WprDBy6PQR0mtPa9clSUb8o3wFo19rSGYYuV0Bb1C3Z21KcqD9mw7xX5FEhQCZS6SgVmroFLsCCk4BohrVlDfA1p8z7CLJdTUYaj3GvklcOJZC-dRCskoIuRqwg_c0nO-ZlRKn6S/s1600/IMG_1671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9gdQ_WprDBy6PQR0mtPa9clSUb8o3wFo19rSGYYuV0Bb1C3Z21KcqD9mw7xX5FEhQCZS6SgVmroFLsCCk4BohrVlDfA1p8z7CLJdTUYaj3GvklcOJZC-dRCskoIuRqwg_c0nO-ZlRKn6S/s400/IMG_1671.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luckily the warning sign was also in English..</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We met with the Molonga crew on a different beach and shared ice-creams at a semi-deserted resort bar. Fun times! We hope to cruise in Thailand with these lovely folk in the near future. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyw7KqPfzxvQwwHTa7w80CQhyphenhyphenYshBlX6_bcOjNbSfpJOSnwdL6Ucahk2wNPPTzS2B15FfgihiG4QMNA2fBOiAw8UTDNlRa-L2f5ylZmrrPiM_V0Q2ollFxWmEOdncYGKXb_RNawSAX__N/s1600/IMG_1667.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfyw7KqPfzxvQwwHTa7w80CQhyphenhyphenYshBlX6_bcOjNbSfpJOSnwdL6Ucahk2wNPPTzS2B15FfgihiG4QMNA2fBOiAw8UTDNlRa-L2f5ylZmrrPiM_V0Q2ollFxWmEOdncYGKXb_RNawSAX__N/s640/IMG_1667.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molonga arrives on Pangkor!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IbDNsOTJCmPVrzaKVKIDiVoBUBcxSXJu8om59nJV_Bzrdrw1cCGqNa-hwdLD5i0skd9xzI3EeCNz1iGy7qE7-XW53rhuaPkSxUduWsUtrXYmaZRW4bN_8XyM060lciH0PdstaDaTlwdm/s1600/IMG_1642.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2IbDNsOTJCmPVrzaKVKIDiVoBUBcxSXJu8om59nJV_Bzrdrw1cCGqNa-hwdLD5i0skd9xzI3EeCNz1iGy7qE7-XW53rhuaPkSxUduWsUtrXYmaZRW4bN_8XyM060lciH0PdstaDaTlwdm/s400/IMG_1642.JPG" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common thing, cats begging while you eat </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
Amie takes (probably) even more photos than me so I love to hang out with her because we snap away like crazy!! This often results in some fun, terrible, amazing, embarrassing and beautiful shots. I love the pink wall shot (below) that her camera snapped of us. It automatically took it when it detected smiles!! We wish Anima was in the water so we could take these awesome friends out for a sail... not to be this time, but definitely next! </span><br />
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<img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOmyKVc2SM-yKekD8MRdAVyqeE1PPtiaWSV_McSlKQS8iaYodfrNkNArIckW_Dga8NAnfo43DYGrVGs-uSGy-qK18xEiL5CHW8RPt9aO5xX4jwax5Bu6Ka6yuSpJd_LJp_7TlHq_4ofe-R/s640/IMG_7020.JPG" width="640" /><br />
</span>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-27216503318398739892012-01-19T23:15:00.002+10:002012-01-20T15:39:55.159+10:00The Long Haul (out) Continued<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We returned to work on Anima (after spending a full-on week travelling with relatives through Malaysia overland) refreshed and full of renewed enthusiasm - <i>we will get this done!</i> Rene arrived before me as I had a job interview in Singapore. While he worked in the hot sun sanding the decks, I caught up with friends and made new ones. My interview went well - the strangest part for me was having to perform it barefoot! The preschool doesn't allow anyone to wear their outside shoes inside!<br />
<br />
***After a month of trying to get an answer from the school's HR department regarding my payment package, I sent an email with an ultimatum: let me know your answer by Friday or I'll have to look elsewhere. The answer came back within a few hours. The job is on hold. I would have loved to have tried out being a preschool teacher, especially because the class size was only 8 children (very different to the 6 x 25-30 per day that I had in Australia).<br />
I'm disappointed that I was led to believe the job was mine for so long. I could have saved money and not flown to Singapore for the interview. Now we are back to square one - sort of - trying to figure out our next move. More on that later. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I took the overnight bus from Singapore to Lumut and despite being woken countless times with lights on, random stops and too-cold aircon, I arrived in one piece. I set straight to work with Rene on the boat for a few days. We hit a new milestone when instead of painting Jotamastic 87 over bare steel, we moved on to the second coat - Penguard. This 2 part paint is toxic stuff. I felt my eyelashes curling from the fumes and after a few attempts at helping, Rene decided that it was too dangerous for me. He insisted on doing it all himself to save me from damaging my ovaries with the toxicity!! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKdfUrC6O4tdjASWeCdUbeH3lxLQBIT2-Ne0kUPa_QidrfTcSmUXr83sImSadUdvJ-pPj72bff81jh1ZoyYph2VUV6834Y-_yExQWfd865RSh91sHawnAS1HnJWoXEm2KXf49-WNW9xS19/s320/P1190146.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene painting and painting and painting</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My job became chief taper. I've used up over a dozen rolls of masking tape so far, taping off the edges of paint areas, taping over things that don't require paint, re-taping these things after it rains and the tape glue disintegrates. Rene has been working like a demon, often until 8pm to try and get Anima painted so we can move on. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvCZEvYF-QFFLVTYfgtp5f1NYzceahXaDzysUP_5HcXo-rGJVriphM_zPyveUF8W4tr0edsRLCaMxoGhTap9Jqoui5AiwcrSdmuL2IjURQzpDdPTQlBnfjqSpMpkHmae7pTBRllD5j2gp/s1600/IMG_1724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvCZEvYF-QFFLVTYfgtp5f1NYzceahXaDzysUP_5HcXo-rGJVriphM_zPyveUF8W4tr0edsRLCaMxoGhTap9Jqoui5AiwcrSdmuL2IjURQzpDdPTQlBnfjqSpMpkHmae7pTBRllD5j2gp/s400/IMG_1724.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So much taping!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">We worked full-time for a week on Anima and progressed from sanding / painting over bare steel with Jotamastic 87, to painting the second coat of Penguard - and, in some areas, the final coat of Hardtop A.S. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbW7vJGj5oH1olCxiNIYoiV_8i6YFmDr6pnhrtvNKWSEbmwai6FS8rAvOY2X1r4NMxJHzhb2hPeRXqhRvPxudEXQbicjFe9bff5iW_Y84e1Qj13Vf7O-JwEp4rwJvzPa_WDXRx2W25Q1i/s1600/P1150138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbW7vJGj5oH1olCxiNIYoiV_8i6YFmDr6pnhrtvNKWSEbmwai6FS8rAvOY2X1r4NMxJHzhb2hPeRXqhRvPxudEXQbicjFe9bff5iW_Y84e1Qj13Vf7O-JwEp4rwJvzPa_WDXRx2W25Q1i/s320/P1150138.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene goes a little troppo.. paint fumes?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="color: magenta;">Rene: </span><br />
Dealing with the rust spots has been a little bit like shaking dandruff from the hair - no matter how hard you try, there's always a few more. For the major spots, ie at least 2 cm x 1cm and deep, we used a technique handed down by my dad - a kind of 'band-aid' of tissue, soaked in pool acid (HCl or Hydrocloric Acid) with plastic to keep the fumes from evaporating, and tape on the edges to hold it in place. Left overnight, this will eat away at the rust significantly, cleaning out the small pores that are so hard to get at.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PnSoZIQzThX5_a7-oensRKpsTgX9VHvOszBeTHF22DZp3B0S5XAn7MeEB3aW9TB6zaNaznalPF9c4otBteICFNTgDiD6oKUe7km9GsaMePg7l-erfU3imKvOoAEeBM2-AJQcLVz2Ml6K/s1600/IMG_1613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8PnSoZIQzThX5_a7-oensRKpsTgX9VHvOszBeTHF22DZp3B0S5XAn7MeEB3aW9TB6zaNaznalPF9c4otBteICFNTgDiD6oKUe7km9GsaMePg7l-erfU3imKvOoAEeBM2-AJQcLVz2Ml6K/s320/IMG_1613.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cheeky rust spot </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTwXJM98ssw2K53MOWbctbA_nnL89aa8caIQsOY_LO30kUzQrO_E6Idrz8HAhBhmC6zZGXSRNubKO7Hfh03hXPTTrS-kIfHgv8LdlaKvWYLJDIkoncm0Lkl2nBjnlBRtfCTJD3udkomdO/s1600/IMG_1630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTwXJM98ssw2K53MOWbctbA_nnL89aa8caIQsOY_LO30kUzQrO_E6Idrz8HAhBhmC6zZGXSRNubKO7Hfh03hXPTTrS-kIfHgv8LdlaKvWYLJDIkoncm0Lkl2nBjnlBRtfCTJD3udkomdO/s320/IMG_1630.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene inspects his rust-removal acid technique</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The work continues! So much still to do but we're getting excited about sailing to Thailand next to enjoy Anima for a little before getting serious with work / life etc.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfC_hmmNDKaAnWyPPUhy5HEKULdUR2PiquQXnnRFkZ_5V6fK08F3V92SoN6XUisxOFu8sKppv98cfvZL7xmY50fD-EkCp-Z1xMO-qc7fseHY4oWN4a5HTpzglmvLBuIlrIDuWLkWBCFzn/s1600/PC290099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfC_hmmNDKaAnWyPPUhy5HEKULdUR2PiquQXnnRFkZ_5V6fK08F3V92SoN6XUisxOFu8sKppv98cfvZL7xmY50fD-EkCp-Z1xMO-qc7fseHY4oWN4a5HTpzglmvLBuIlrIDuWLkWBCFzn/s640/PC290099.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima waiting to return to the water</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-91380252744708853492012-01-15T21:11:00.004+10:002012-01-17T16:40:16.156+10:00Whirlwind Malaysia Adventure<div class="western" style="color: magenta; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Kuala Lumpur</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Our friendly hardstand neighbours, Des and Marilyn from Tasha D.M again offered to drive us into Lumut to catch our bus. Travelling with Sri Maju bus, the trip to Kuala Lumpur was smooth. Rene continued to work on learning Linear Algebra while I took the opportunity to sleep and look out the window at Malaysia. It's a beautiful country - if you shut your eyes while driving past the thousands of acres of Palm Oil plantations.<br />
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</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">As our bus inched along in a traffic jam, I started getting a feel for KL – the capital of Malaysia. What I noticed was different to the smaller towns we’ve visited was the higher number of homeless men sleeping, sprawled out over benches throughout the city. I also noticed a lot more rubbish and LOTS more people. We arrived at a bus station somewhere and bumbled our way along trying to navigate the complicated train, LRT and Monorail lines. They don’t all match up and the tickets are not always transferable. I leveled up with my navigation skills and found the way to our hostel, the Matahari Lodge, near Pasar Seni station. We only got lost once. The hostel was welcoming and had a great little balcony lined with bamboo plants. Ben and Chihiro soon arrived along with one of Chihiro’s old school friends, Akame. She lives in KL and took us out to an up-market restaurant and performance venue. We were the first to arrive and dug into the wide selection of local and western foods available in buffet style. Rene and I gorged ourselves on lasagna – a deliciousness of cheesy wonder we’ve not been able to eat for over a year!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UEwTiX8IvlFD1dSDohCfLOPh7WSgKZ_SgpNUNzamV2yAvkHQdfemXqtATFD6D_irAEmFAuXiAh_wWVIuuQPNRLCmBhsGEENfG-YbtYH11Y4u8oynV7g8isBXVU2F2V6ubEw5sgpQx82V/s1600/IMG_0609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-UEwTiX8IvlFD1dSDohCfLOPh7WSgKZ_SgpNUNzamV2yAvkHQdfemXqtATFD6D_irAEmFAuXiAh_wWVIuuQPNRLCmBhsGEENfG-YbtYH11Y4u8oynV7g8isBXVU2F2V6ubEw5sgpQx82V/s400/IMG_0609.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian-Malay Dancing</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPry_cJRXUBxWOWVuOfuobBEs1hAjywOQbkScKJ6aNJlZEbpFiAHuv5QDlYy2urYexbtNUJvoG3i082ea5fHp7PoHjjl0oVXk4SRvfuXHMkSODTVYMGKMOIxmv6REu2-qu1pvePiSiVADc/s1600/IMG_0646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPry_cJRXUBxWOWVuOfuobBEs1hAjywOQbkScKJ6aNJlZEbpFiAHuv5QDlYy2urYexbtNUJvoG3i082ea5fHp7PoHjjl0oVXk4SRvfuXHMkSODTVYMGKMOIxmv6REu2-qu1pvePiSiVADc/s400/IMG_0646.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indigenous Malay performance</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The performances were professional and well costumed, the MC was a very flamboyant gay man with an interesting way of pronouncing some English words. ‘Selamat Datang, Welcome, ladies and gentmen’. Both Rene and Ben thought he said ‘men’s testicles’ but Rene asked and he actually said ‘men tease the girls’. I had fun taking photos with my new camera, enjoying the 14x zoom and rapid shutter speed. The performances displayed dances and costume from each district and cultural group. I loved the Indian dances and the Dayaks who wore feathered head pieces and fur, reminiscent of Native Americans. One of these performers demonstrated shooting a blow dart to pop balloons. The MC asked for a volunteer to have a go at shooting with the blow dart and I looked over to Rene who was already on his way up on stage. He never lets an opportunity to perform pass by! Ben, Rene and Chihiro all ended up on stage with some other volunteers to learn some dances and try out a bamboo jumping technique.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKekISM5tgJ1S4k8bI12HzczL99BcmGlJ7A9LpjjKUYqyRpyTSkszGJKKLoc2x4qz15fEE1cDBd6AED0ifx1z8xB2IV4AQh7UJkAV4VtBVXVuOoQe66Afay58gFJdfR0QDgJYYoVOuqXPT/s1600/IMG_0670.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKekISM5tgJ1S4k8bI12HzczL99BcmGlJ7A9LpjjKUYqyRpyTSkszGJKKLoc2x4qz15fEE1cDBd6AED0ifx1z8xB2IV4AQh7UJkAV4VtBVXVuOoQe66Afay58gFJdfR0QDgJYYoVOuqXPT/s640/IMG_0670.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben, Chihiro and Rene learn some traditional dance moves on stage.</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Full of food and with the song ‘Malaysia, the heart of Asia’ in our heads, we walked out towards the Petronas Twin Towers – formerly the tallest buildings in the Southern Hemisphere (Taiwan has now taken the lead). These towers are pretty spectacular – I ended up with a sore neck from staring up so much. Inside them is big-name brands and we looked around a little before heading back home using the LRT system which is a monorail over the city!</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mhd39q2rNxojLekB4CpnZfJOrEhPcJeRaud2xzkh1ttWOKcv8g6ZPHfpJk5jKve2lEjlWOEXWLCiCvdiSpXOkQBJwAAbPeZHHLSWidYHrifl8FPkH2L95d22OVdaZsimUQaMThn0xTGZ/s1600/IMG_0706.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5mhd39q2rNxojLekB4CpnZfJOrEhPcJeRaud2xzkh1ttWOKcv8g6ZPHfpJk5jKve2lEjlWOEXWLCiCvdiSpXOkQBJwAAbPeZHHLSWidYHrifl8FPkH2L95d22OVdaZsimUQaMThn0xTGZ/s400/IMG_0706.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kuala Lumpur - Us posing in front of the Petronas Towers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>All too soon it was time to wake up and take another train, this time to Batu Caves. These caves are special for Hindus, so are decorated with colourful statues of various gods and their mythology. The most spectacular being a giant aqua monkey opening its heart to reveal Sita and Rama inside – and an even larger golden Buddha, nearly as tall as the mountain. We walked up, behind this golden wonder, scaling the steep stairs to reach a large limestone cave above. The air was deliciously cool – a welcome reprieve from the oppressive heat and humidity of KL. More statues decorated nooks and crannies of the cave, devotees were blessed by Swami’s – some having their heads painted gold beforehand. Monkeys ran about fighting over food and water dripped into people’s eyes as they looked up to see the cave ceiling. Pretty magical.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3THTuaBYmh_boqPDMYx4mxKWK7pYAeplBBN806Cd6WrdVnRxIjx4hIt3BgSdIiHOt-39nAJRUCefmQVrZlCdEjG2WcfmF0DSeziw8URaQ5q46X4KoVcCMe7xH2QsIgiafleK7ZZt2JiTP/s1600/IMG_0770.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3THTuaBYmh_boqPDMYx4mxKWK7pYAeplBBN806Cd6WrdVnRxIjx4hIt3BgSdIiHOt-39nAJRUCefmQVrZlCdEjG2WcfmF0DSeziw8URaQ5q46X4KoVcCMe7xH2QsIgiafleK7ZZt2JiTP/s400/IMG_0770.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batu cave floor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_pB-Bc18f4iJLNcHUmSi8h1NwOcr66J_H7mH12cvrcu0W36DUoIj2hiOm_Y4VJ9JQ-wqvZ6VTmLDb4gtfIbRLMlAWHrG-G9GHrMPdq7uT-vTa7-zNeATm2mOOgkVDe_0QC4wQspS0fi-/s1600/IMG_0751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_pB-Bc18f4iJLNcHUmSi8h1NwOcr66J_H7mH12cvrcu0W36DUoIj2hiOm_Y4VJ9JQ-wqvZ6VTmLDb4gtfIbRLMlAWHrG-G9GHrMPdq7uT-vTa7-zNeATm2mOOgkVDe_0QC4wQspS0fi-/s400/IMG_0751.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batu Cave - outside</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19ODzHzuCXizdBVscxhBjBdYSU4L0TZrUdrAK1X3ynmAMXg64u86orMBfuWPuvQwwNxSEm1tz0_2ZO6cceYTmx5H0ZYw6AafacEBJjTzFr7uQA7Ft4Dx8jRUaPvfrl-Zd7Ul_4hUbrxLx/s1600/P1020104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19ODzHzuCXizdBVscxhBjBdYSU4L0TZrUdrAK1X3ynmAMXg64u86orMBfuWPuvQwwNxSEm1tz0_2ZO6cceYTmx5H0ZYw6AafacEBJjTzFr7uQA7Ft4Dx8jRUaPvfrl-Zd7Ul_4hUbrxLx/s400/P1020104.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you spot Rama and Sita inside his heart?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0O1G0wBfRqv5YDzrOZQ_uOIIEha6nhnLPdHYN5WZXFuZPwjkY40gxzq2HAP2MuUOuqWmPbDICw2e7c8du0_uFD_h5bcmqavyPjNPKF8rBxFZznY_EoCBAeh1N9RBv33ur7lXUsL8_46f/s1600/IMG_0817.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0O1G0wBfRqv5YDzrOZQ_uOIIEha6nhnLPdHYN5WZXFuZPwjkY40gxzq2HAP2MuUOuqWmPbDICw2e7c8du0_uFD_h5bcmqavyPjNPKF8rBxFZznY_EoCBAeh1N9RBv33ur7lXUsL8_46f/s640/IMG_0817.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batu Cave - inside</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Back on the ground again, we introduced Ben and Chihiro to fresh Coconut juice and Roti Canai before heading back to our wonderfully located hostel for a nap! </div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The afternoon saw us braving the sweat-inducing heat to explore Chinatown. Chihiro wanted to visit a particular restaurant advertised in a tourism magazine and Ben tried his hardest to find it. This usually easy task (in Australia) is incredibly difficult in the ever-evolving KL – a city with only the occasional street sign and maps that become outdated within months of being published! He persisted nonetheless and we stumbled upon some cool sights.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEkI12Mz9aelT3roPV5qav-qbnvNvgWs0P55r-CRzFJycAkroMntpUb8leobEUbKJQuBMvZjLJE0pugbE7OJmW5opcnqe-S-000cXwK9JHA0NaxocG13wblmbCC07BuP4Pgiew0OUAaQI/s1600/IMG_0862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEkI12Mz9aelT3roPV5qav-qbnvNvgWs0P55r-CRzFJycAkroMntpUb8leobEUbKJQuBMvZjLJE0pugbE7OJmW5opcnqe-S-000cXwK9JHA0NaxocG13wblmbCC07BuP4Pgiew0OUAaQI/s640/IMG_0862.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful floating incense coils discovered in a random Chinese temple - KL</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">KL is crazy - Cars, taxis, busses motorbikes and pedestrians all swarm along in a chaotic rush. In order to cross the road one must make a desperate dash. Getting off the train means pressing against all of the people rushing in while taking care to avoid the large gap down to the tracks below. We saw an accident outside of the restaurant where a motorbike was struck by a car. There was no blood but he was very shaken (I reckon in shock) and the car driver was irate!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsjcn6wFHR_H-cXqzZmvRGbLaonih2GtynHVdbiq6HePorBBKr6ppInymmtgdJtS9zIbt6VNuExDw1h8BrvXO9bATHsItonkyfaxq6N7e-0C0Hcb6BfqNKYGCyUct6_k9ioxhvEPr1CNX/s1600/IMG_0585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLsjcn6wFHR_H-cXqzZmvRGbLaonih2GtynHVdbiq6HePorBBKr6ppInymmtgdJtS9zIbt6VNuExDw1h8BrvXO9bATHsItonkyfaxq6N7e-0C0Hcb6BfqNKYGCyUct6_k9ioxhvEPr1CNX/s400/IMG_0585.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">KL accident - the roads here are dangerous!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table> The rest of the week we spent travelling with Ben and Chihiro passed in a blur of go gogogogogoogogogo! We visited KL, Malacca and Penang all in 6 days. We visited so many temples and historic sights. We ate sooo much delicious food. We walked a lot and I took over 1000 photos. Rather than explain our journey, I've decided to simply tell it through photos (with captioning). For my Facebook friends, some of these images are repeats to the album 'Whirlwind Malaysia Adventure' but I've tried to include different ones too. Enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYRl-Ba5orWUiLfwP5bDC3VBHIys1hy9VqftEUU8QNbhcxVi2assghqEPv8Joc-Hs7QuYkCS9TISaGlcvq045WepcT-qnc-SDdH9sJ_c0k7cfvqZOgRAJjXUX-qv582q8plptNe3wwjM4/s1600/IMG_0987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqYRl-Ba5orWUiLfwP5bDC3VBHIys1hy9VqftEUU8QNbhcxVi2assghqEPv8Joc-Hs7QuYkCS9TISaGlcvq045WepcT-qnc-SDdH9sJ_c0k7cfvqZOgRAJjXUX-qv582q8plptNe3wwjM4/s640/IMG_0987.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool temple scultpure</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6naaHXQitRKZTyeyRsYNerITjpzc4rmiPVt-1UNTv97EPnCkUSpOR4xFRJzTbad0i6kRwXWBpQpVZE7trQGWommk-4we3iv5m8ISLKZKAPwz4I2Ik6cKHXnR0oK6GjG7usD170ilu2Cq/s1600/IMG_1031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs6naaHXQitRKZTyeyRsYNerITjpzc4rmiPVt-1UNTv97EPnCkUSpOR4xFRJzTbad0i6kRwXWBpQpVZE7trQGWommk-4we3iv5m8ISLKZKAPwz4I2Ik6cKHXnR0oK6GjG7usD170ilu2Cq/s640/IMG_1031.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buddha salutes the sun!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vzK_OkE0iBZiqX1rmYOpLst2-97gdw_hkowCPnhyphenhyphen_qs6AL9BDHGrLd8brdvuJ6S7njyLuw4oZ7rM0S_J-WWI6bHuFCh8dMfCGZCTYEXkNwreiFuwsOtExAMYLpa8bN9Y3Wg8nBHthwdW/s1600/IMG_1015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vzK_OkE0iBZiqX1rmYOpLst2-97gdw_hkowCPnhyphenhyphen_qs6AL9BDHGrLd8brdvuJ6S7njyLuw4oZ7rM0S_J-WWI6bHuFCh8dMfCGZCTYEXkNwreiFuwsOtExAMYLpa8bN9Y3Wg8nBHthwdW/s640/IMG_1015.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Something about this photo is awe-inspiring</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zROsFfpaHYaqgW7lv0MXPZ73oIwBx1RLFwmq3B0ou88ma-_HgdnWvNAtfnCosNpZWOf7aNiLPRYYinivRxv6VuHcX0Sb1RnU_7gBkXCuaVotWtIrZ9qSpDhNyW_SRUK5IjpFN5L71_wt/s1600/IMG_1033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zROsFfpaHYaqgW7lv0MXPZ73oIwBx1RLFwmq3B0ou88ma-_HgdnWvNAtfnCosNpZWOf7aNiLPRYYinivRxv6VuHcX0Sb1RnU_7gBkXCuaVotWtIrZ9qSpDhNyW_SRUK5IjpFN5L71_wt/s640/IMG_1033.JPG" width="356" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful. Simple. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBDdrAJXjyhQOSYheR2m-5xEcrM0FbgVYxBMNUpCMIflap8lZfQOA7veJPhuJOpC18bLQOWa5X-1MRULGPEnuZDEGSXgMRDOQksYMeDn2NmrC42r9COhfMb7fEqgjQ5iuofJzLJ-FdC4h/s1600/IMG_1057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdBDdrAJXjyhQOSYheR2m-5xEcrM0FbgVYxBMNUpCMIflap8lZfQOA7veJPhuJOpC18bLQOWa5X-1MRULGPEnuZDEGSXgMRDOQksYMeDn2NmrC42r9COhfMb7fEqgjQ5iuofJzLJ-FdC4h/s640/IMG_1057.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Year's resolution - donate to friendly street-beggars who are selling something </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DXO9o0NtDXxcfNS_x1erk9UFfJNKHrQqRp2dxm0XskNTaX3IOQWMe8gsAFGOTqrFrAV7oKEGv-DJ4DrCpJ16pnbfDLsLqfIJYUGMAHAafx7SkCMHAgZQTl8DTDoD502k9euFKraJhu04/s1600/IMG_0904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DXO9o0NtDXxcfNS_x1erk9UFfJNKHrQqRp2dxm0XskNTaX3IOQWMe8gsAFGOTqrFrAV7oKEGv-DJ4DrCpJ16pnbfDLsLqfIJYUGMAHAafx7SkCMHAgZQTl8DTDoD502k9euFKraJhu04/s320/IMG_0904.JPG" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brothers having their feet cleaned by fish.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_-KCckIa27qwCegQz-0QibNNj5ptaLl12dvyT2E-J-_9v3jziPEWVFuFtbTEt2ZKhKDiY4NgndqWD23Ajfv8UdoXZBIImigww9xv1olXoWUp8R_ADfiwxopgfTe6lUcU91epDNuDs4Rb/s1600/IMG_0913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_-KCckIa27qwCegQz-0QibNNj5ptaLl12dvyT2E-J-_9v3jziPEWVFuFtbTEt2ZKhKDiY4NgndqWD23Ajfv8UdoXZBIImigww9xv1olXoWUp8R_ADfiwxopgfTe6lUcU91epDNuDs4Rb/s320/IMG_0913.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I much preferred reflexology foot massage to fish eating!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBQt3zN1I9IV9Ri9JAECNrAs1wiujSfOda2fYCHR6RjHPcnSgQCpxiEbRt6oY4vg9T8sa4QOH85_kIyxWoX1zHMJsJ7FXehtjrbYgWnvOBKDFRCnafvQ3Dfjf1xpJhU4rfek0YxElLhaV/s1600/IMG_0943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBQt3zN1I9IV9Ri9JAECNrAs1wiujSfOda2fYCHR6RjHPcnSgQCpxiEbRt6oY4vg9T8sa4QOH85_kIyxWoX1zHMJsJ7FXehtjrbYgWnvOBKDFRCnafvQ3Dfjf1xpJhU4rfek0YxElLhaV/s400/IMG_0943.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small balcony towards the top, middle of this image is the Matahari Lodge where we stayed in KL. Busy busy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZr52LUknTNSzYkTB-atfAiAO5X_ItlXprsZxNJT0l2nQqyN-W_r-usPrXW9lkDaEv7BVCakA9tLeoS-GuMseRt6_RmIW3wPn0FGm8kJqMSvMh8sAlQVSz6CRDzKPyJ4QUdvJYjR6olwC/s1600/IMG_0952.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZr52LUknTNSzYkTB-atfAiAO5X_ItlXprsZxNJT0l2nQqyN-W_r-usPrXW9lkDaEv7BVCakA9tLeoS-GuMseRt6_RmIW3wPn0FGm8kJqMSvMh8sAlQVSz6CRDzKPyJ4QUdvJYjR6olwC/s400/IMG_0952.JPG" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guesthouse in Malacca</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-Pz7tgW4R1pi3Y6EusFFRi9VXivM6YPhdato0ygE7LeKy4SsMOVqlcC2SsghfHClraDq32himnY4iJW1FrR7nRSWQhzQerBBvECddLMU5-6FP5ID3kPtv54GuG7CJaGQHThZ8dMTsl68/s1600/IMG_1004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-Pz7tgW4R1pi3Y6EusFFRi9VXivM6YPhdato0ygE7LeKy4SsMOVqlcC2SsghfHClraDq32himnY4iJW1FrR7nRSWQhzQerBBvECddLMU5-6FP5ID3kPtv54GuG7CJaGQHThZ8dMTsl68/s640/IMG_1004.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The oldest stool in the oldest Chinese temple in Malacca</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZKW3QD9BTVDV9fUVIFnBngNvFi0w5Isrmr1CgJmSXQBkdnynfgw8eWO5I3P4pCDy_R4HVlwcWYdUwXpuRZFTRVGE-iJ2H72wkIzA_qnxwwf771mLgzPoAYu03EQZj4JfDwMJaQlTAu7r/s1600/IMG_1052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZKW3QD9BTVDV9fUVIFnBngNvFi0w5Isrmr1CgJmSXQBkdnynfgw8eWO5I3P4pCDy_R4HVlwcWYdUwXpuRZFTRVGE-iJ2H72wkIzA_qnxwwf771mLgzPoAYu03EQZj4JfDwMJaQlTAu7r/s400/IMG_1052.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben was always captain navigator!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1G_kRGEmr0IhojTALlbXeZHglY1x4UblscD9qySF1Jv-2lcwwUhhajWSQpvbljCvPRvLprF4JfX1JGbyI6gAlLSvHTh_K2rLkBkIoAeXPzk90fRlCyDdkA2DzZgSHy4bVx8FLuZHG8YQ/s1600/IMG_1085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1G_kRGEmr0IhojTALlbXeZHglY1x4UblscD9qySF1Jv-2lcwwUhhajWSQpvbljCvPRvLprF4JfX1JGbyI6gAlLSvHTh_K2rLkBkIoAeXPzk90fRlCyDdkA2DzZgSHy4bVx8FLuZHG8YQ/s640/IMG_1085.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cool architecture in the old Portugese district, Melacca</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQolutfO0IjOdsUUqqnKBR8xm2rTEDj98xm0C2ekiQJBDjhckCfxmwdoBdcevXE2_P_zJuiv-vSfDfuxnBgMxUEVyhkhA7vpycZzcpY6q6_jZ3U7R7bRrNIh3bhQwffgEz4zgoKdzwEaLS/s1600/IMG_1120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQolutfO0IjOdsUUqqnKBR8xm2rTEDj98xm0C2ekiQJBDjhckCfxmwdoBdcevXE2_P_zJuiv-vSfDfuxnBgMxUEVyhkhA7vpycZzcpY6q6_jZ3U7R7bRrNIh3bhQwffgEz4zgoKdzwEaLS/s640/IMG_1120.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset over the Malacca Straits viewed from the old fort</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCqkWyeWmKJQZgdnbgkQm6IoHtPV0RI1ibsZn3sSuXGzJ2VjNDrqvurndKwtZUDtEH2BtweAexmoQIipc8u2Tf7grdZKTjQ8CCzWRHiBrmmjxS448tL9QZqFjht8cklwO7N5DptfwosIw/s1600/IMG_1186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPCqkWyeWmKJQZgdnbgkQm6IoHtPV0RI1ibsZn3sSuXGzJ2VjNDrqvurndKwtZUDtEH2BtweAexmoQIipc8u2Tf7grdZKTjQ8CCzWRHiBrmmjxS448tL9QZqFjht8cklwO7N5DptfwosIw/s320/IMG_1186.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chihiro loves cute cafes and coffee</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggR__fTvVpogHnpXxKtyfluHAytE_vuyubbJ9-Mqkst3C5t1qvswSb9SsCcRWckLTIwWUo2L4dNUDCZWH4g_8oh5dlo3cVmld3u8aX_MO1As4Ts0au1gMcUPJXQy36BFsgkfbW95yRa3rU/s1600/IMG_1169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggR__fTvVpogHnpXxKtyfluHAytE_vuyubbJ9-Mqkst3C5t1qvswSb9SsCcRWckLTIwWUo2L4dNUDCZWH4g_8oh5dlo3cVmld3u8aX_MO1As4Ts0au1gMcUPJXQy36BFsgkfbW95yRa3rU/s320/IMG_1169.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailbirds find a birdy boat!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBI01ViTecNEE7ooTmgvmVn9fPVC2JoIrenfGgHoGXph2-FCHCyVfNgtx78eKIsRc57VUamQ-7YFBzgUd2-gwBekPM5K512clHxGfJxh6gnT5D0rF82CURe1unYsB6mSX-6zgjj9_IYmzn/s1600/IMG_1172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBI01ViTecNEE7ooTmgvmVn9fPVC2JoIrenfGgHoGXph2-FCHCyVfNgtx78eKIsRc57VUamQ-7YFBzgUd2-gwBekPM5K512clHxGfJxh6gnT5D0rF82CURe1unYsB6mSX-6zgjj9_IYmzn/s400/IMG_1172.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Asleep on the job - a common sight here.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjxvQHAJS8MbatEjeMajFk9OIihy66fgcy59Y16lyd-5yKLLYCk_farqRXn4n3TdtUwFcdvHSyLl0AjXzkwxxyfNk-vxuZV2y8mz4hNk_dJk_jE7WOUGrYNpGG7XfeZDFpXWqQAur4RDY/s1600/IMG_1100.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRjxvQHAJS8MbatEjeMajFk9OIihy66fgcy59Y16lyd-5yKLLYCk_farqRXn4n3TdtUwFcdvHSyLl0AjXzkwxxyfNk-vxuZV2y8mz4hNk_dJk_jE7WOUGrYNpGG7XfeZDFpXWqQAur4RDY/s400/IMG_1100.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating in Malacca is serious business!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBppUo1YPNWB9h5npRYPOk8ujSt9-FntOpP6jOp85Eg7an59V3Cn1-u7TBsr_0hnFnzO2As727M1DOxMwzbsxPsM_jGfIwhIin8RtkBFo3LHAsSxIaVvYQDyZmGdIhagcUpP_14dXrs6D/s1600/P1040293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwBppUo1YPNWB9h5npRYPOk8ujSt9-FntOpP6jOp85Eg7an59V3Cn1-u7TBsr_0hnFnzO2As727M1DOxMwzbsxPsM_jGfIwhIin8RtkBFo3LHAsSxIaVvYQDyZmGdIhagcUpP_14dXrs6D/s400/P1040293.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on the water in Malacca listening to Reggae </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Gwxf7d9In9OK0Wua06LRgLtkcxUq17aALKFmnWSus5h1eKfQzTrRXWl4OW5f0xX35XtPPy7QuQqk02TrH4tnXsNfGjw4_Z0MuzEex_P24wLL2ZkuP8qdIv-zLmGBosRyN7pHAXZHKE-c/s1600/IMG_1205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Gwxf7d9In9OK0Wua06LRgLtkcxUq17aALKFmnWSus5h1eKfQzTrRXWl4OW5f0xX35XtPPy7QuQqk02TrH4tnXsNfGjw4_Z0MuzEex_P24wLL2ZkuP8qdIv-zLmGBosRyN7pHAXZHKE-c/s640/IMG_1205.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After an all-night bus trip to Penang, we arrived early morning in darkness.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwlmYvymS2kVXoVKaLGknuS1A_mVEydJV8s3sw-7P8_nx-Xw1wWT5j0nq3zbZzj5Y1tCYTT1UFbbrwVR2kGpVV4lwCAZRAVk4jAiSr828S9v7UhsDaGpAaMhFd5bWMWxxD7FIXI2WV1yR/s1600/IMG_1370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwlmYvymS2kVXoVKaLGknuS1A_mVEydJV8s3sw-7P8_nx-Xw1wWT5j0nq3zbZzj5Y1tCYTT1UFbbrwVR2kGpVV4lwCAZRAVk4jAiSr828S9v7UhsDaGpAaMhFd5bWMWxxD7FIXI2WV1yR/s400/IMG_1370.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Celebrating good times at a Hawkers Market</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsI_5a2lwbPPu4tmkt4fy5he4iro-dtzGFDtBDahrS17dc6f1oaE1DJxrc-EaeT6RrnktkpqAs8Fne_oXbDcU0oGFV30DRu7uymxcrRx30f0kIyFmXMmYj7fI8WAiq9DBkT8APdAw6n8Q_/s1600/IMG_1363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsI_5a2lwbPPu4tmkt4fy5he4iro-dtzGFDtBDahrS17dc6f1oaE1DJxrc-EaeT6RrnktkpqAs8Fne_oXbDcU0oGFV30DRu7uymxcrRx30f0kIyFmXMmYj7fI8WAiq9DBkT8APdAw6n8Q_/s320/IMG_1363.JPG" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene was obsessed that we go here because of their promise 'where the enjoy never ends'. It wasn't enjoyable though, just a loud, smoky arcade-game level with shopping levels below. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYU1-cZA8ndv78kUmsETESZuHhXV2nTW5NpUIak8ccIzWtNOZmsDf8Fmdf1VTMs5IaCnyf3Rv3T-T2S7w-_n0Gyx4cYqEdGfmvPEpIwutD4S-dIN7eLKgsbK1LRQyCdLHtK-muA6iEeZG/s1600/IMG_1349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYU1-cZA8ndv78kUmsETESZuHhXV2nTW5NpUIak8ccIzWtNOZmsDf8Fmdf1VTMs5IaCnyf3Rv3T-T2S7w-_n0Gyx4cYqEdGfmvPEpIwutD4S-dIN7eLKgsbK1LRQyCdLHtK-muA6iEeZG/s640/IMG_1349.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lucky shot - the clouds looked amazing just as I was passing under this cool dragon-topped entranceway.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaMrj-vd8Gkd8c-2xZCCLLP5k6cBtShpB-xNg7-19uoI53OsYVbZ27blMTH4lZWzSCdrF4ABGzhIQJoUuA6raSPdv4QbJ5CVNcGUR8uB7AYkI0JfKxRywLwxKuVT-Sv8tG29R6G8g4YmU/s1600/IMG_1330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaMrj-vd8Gkd8c-2xZCCLLP5k6cBtShpB-xNg7-19uoI53OsYVbZ27blMTH4lZWzSCdrF4ABGzhIQJoUuA6raSPdv4QbJ5CVNcGUR8uB7AYkI0JfKxRywLwxKuVT-Sv8tG29R6G8g4YmU/s640/IMG_1330.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another temple (left) and another cafe (right). I liked the cafe more :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmcECeqmvYfNGdg1atnqAGPpEEEh5xkhyphenhyphenQxi9krO6C1F5F9iNfIixetOTA0-5fiR6Cw9tiCgzXWuhs8lSIoHRBg02qA7xzgTVApGGGKvqPcufZCEtDQv9CTxNZNW82YU0ANwhAmEd6h7P/s1600/IMG_1261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmcECeqmvYfNGdg1atnqAGPpEEEh5xkhyphenhyphenQxi9krO6C1F5F9iNfIixetOTA0-5fiR6Cw9tiCgzXWuhs8lSIoHRBg02qA7xzgTVApGGGKvqPcufZCEtDQv9CTxNZNW82YU0ANwhAmEd6h7P/s400/IMG_1261.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By freeing this bird, I released one of my worries. Trying out a traditional practice. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDmhvXm-ZgMdxzg1fKB5w5T-rTJxgv03tpbSexpFsBbH_gx02Joh5XWBPqxX69bk-iKzpX-w8DzZqGDV4HITv8dFCDKn1_E9QEz8u9k0g491Rtup0O58PAzwthyX-RYUHe-ARIPwVyQHu/s1600/IMG_1243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDmhvXm-ZgMdxzg1fKB5w5T-rTJxgv03tpbSexpFsBbH_gx02Joh5XWBPqxX69bk-iKzpX-w8DzZqGDV4HITv8dFCDKn1_E9QEz8u9k0g491Rtup0O58PAzwthyX-RYUHe-ARIPwVyQHu/s640/IMG_1243.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It seems the more incense burnt, the better. Check out the furnace of incense to the right!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4b6OvmFzn6KODK8-MgVQ2MlmCGAdNsa2OeghgOPDftJZUvvqifg3dfKpSvyZQd9Rs-0zxqm2CthGk9P2nIaVJJ_BsJZRVvEFPjDtfHw7a83LBNxxyXJj7vIvX4ABzCjhh2vFFP9aonsL4/s1600/IMG_1392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4b6OvmFzn6KODK8-MgVQ2MlmCGAdNsa2OeghgOPDftJZUvvqifg3dfKpSvyZQd9Rs-0zxqm2CthGk9P2nIaVJJ_BsJZRVvEFPjDtfHw7a83LBNxxyXJj7vIvX4ABzCjhh2vFFP9aonsL4/s640/IMG_1392.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Serenity at the floating mosque, Penang.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0i3SEWBZMzDpXWSjcpFvJAk-3ORt_U4ALc0BQQs1JOTPKuKGFsroJ7M9jgaG1PIu83TuWH66Qs6-B3iFWK6EYSM9JDtcGvr4fb1-PvJFzVXmxHJwrIQeJyo9-7OLGFInGYPezEvwfrkS/s1600/IMG_1445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY0i3SEWBZMzDpXWSjcpFvJAk-3ORt_U4ALc0BQQs1JOTPKuKGFsroJ7M9jgaG1PIu83TuWH66Qs6-B3iFWK6EYSM9JDtcGvr4fb1-PvJFzVXmxHJwrIQeJyo9-7OLGFInGYPezEvwfrkS/s640/IMG_1445.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A nice moment at the beach on Penang Island</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-t58YoxC3Z8UjLjP8F15CF4PHzoNVYuawNBSAra7G7c05xWqqy5EWINbTklWLphJdBuR8gAX-3VArgkj3JNHs-M000WMuNVrcif79YJCc_U_CNMrR6DFFnK0upgTaN-3sDYJwua3HU94/s1600/P1060432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-t58YoxC3Z8UjLjP8F15CF4PHzoNVYuawNBSAra7G7c05xWqqy5EWINbTklWLphJdBuR8gAX-3VArgkj3JNHs-M000WMuNVrcif79YJCc_U_CNMrR6DFFnK0upgTaN-3sDYJwua3HU94/s400/P1060432.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where the forest meets the sea = my bliss </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8fk2SeqY_vIsPstHKSfuVu2_Sqhd8SVxe1mfQc5eohnHoPbpHyLgKSTzkM66a7a13zJ12x52I6D99NyCiQWobqY1E6SjiZnfPz_K7aqdHJt57NlyV3bpHb-tJy7hTkGLHhFgqGITCUGr/s1600/P1060549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8fk2SeqY_vIsPstHKSfuVu2_Sqhd8SVxe1mfQc5eohnHoPbpHyLgKSTzkM66a7a13zJ12x52I6D99NyCiQWobqY1E6SjiZnfPz_K7aqdHJt57NlyV3bpHb-tJy7hTkGLHhFgqGITCUGr/s400/P1060549.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brothers unite after a hard day at the wheel in Penang</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Wow - what a week of travel through this crazy country called Malaysia. It was so good to catch up with some relatives and to escape the monotony of boat work. Thanks for visiting Ben and Chihiro!!</div>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-74916056021244991222012-01-13T15:04:00.000+10:002012-01-13T15:04:07.798+10:00Christmas in Langkawi, Malaysia<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The prospect of celebrating Christmas in the shipyard sent me to tears every time I contemplated it. Without the available funds to fly home to be with family, we instead opted for the next best thing - to take public transport up to Langkawi Island where Nick and Jan from Yawarra 2 are anchored. The trip up took 9.5 hours in a car, two buses, a taxi and a ferry. Malaysians get one day off for Christmas because it fell on a Sunday so everything was full-on busy. Some buses were full and we ended up waiting for long periods but it all worked out in the end and it was fantastic to meet up with family here. We celebrated with sunset drinks onboard Yawarra II in the beautiful Kuah anchorage. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ggnrSQbRq9s/Tv22G9niMZI/AAAAAAAABk0/A0OnS9vx8rY/s1600/IMG_0247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ggnrSQbRq9s/Tv22G9niMZI/AAAAAAAABk0/A0OnS9vx8rY/s640/IMG_0247.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick arrives to collect us from the beach in Langkawi</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Christmas Eve was fun with Nick and Jan hiring a tiny car (for only 40RM) so they could fill up their diesel jerry's and we could see some of the island. We explored winding roads and popped into places that caught our eye. The Galleria Perdana was incredible. It showcases the gifts, awards and souvenirs received by the fourth Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad from world leaders during his tenure. The gallery/museum is huge and we could have easily spent an entire day there. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXSMpdrhNXN7JkioQrLmatif5dXgurcjvCra0fpE08olxFXditKRQNdOqkHSobQ4lpIQUi57undk7j1CvsrWMW0zWzzhXODHIJ4E1KV5bL8JuXjjkoE0R55D0sgdMNkVEeKdjNlPOUTfl/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXSMpdrhNXN7JkioQrLmatif5dXgurcjvCra0fpE08olxFXditKRQNdOqkHSobQ4lpIQUi57undk7j1CvsrWMW0zWzzhXODHIJ4E1KV5bL8JuXjjkoE0R55D0sgdMNkVEeKdjNlPOUTfl/s400/IMG_0311.JPG" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stunning ceilings in the Galleria Perdana</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">We also really enjoyed the craft and arts centre where we were lucky enough to observe glass blowers making sculptures and a Batik painter at work. The glass blowers worked together almost as if performing a dance as they moved to and fro from the glowing hot furnace wielding molten glass tipped steel rods. They all wore thongs or sandles which shocked us and upon asking about it, one of them explained that the molten glass just burns right through shoes so it makes no difference! The Batik painter was a soulful guy who said that the (gorgeous) images he painted were all stored in his mind. I envy the dreams he must have.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW61W2KGDXv4PkKsOWuhopCROoM9CSXYKWoti5Wp3kDy4fRn2zvw7NjoQruRYhYOIcRxSzrhgiECvUjmnA7plu7N5jRF7z-wv5wshVev7oUo4yYifPcb10NhJlqyhIAY_0HJtsw5U6AKJa/s1600/IMG_0356.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW61W2KGDXv4PkKsOWuhopCROoM9CSXYKWoti5Wp3kDy4fRn2zvw7NjoQruRYhYOIcRxSzrhgiECvUjmnA7plu7N5jRF7z-wv5wshVev7oUo4yYifPcb10NhJlqyhIAY_0HJtsw5U6AKJa/s640/IMG_0356.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amazing local Batik artist shows us his techniques</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFi5KzkWlvXUX_vjGbLPc5oLSMZXXurkCEMpy1_rDmoaupfkFTI2BliQlJZnNYHgrmZN7Cqr3G21uTQJ6yERI71hdKIn7FNiaeVpyMZScXbsq3PTQtby2wRzZQoBUVzodkfhYCxgHZyMR/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfFi5KzkWlvXUX_vjGbLPc5oLSMZXXurkCEMpy1_rDmoaupfkFTI2BliQlJZnNYHgrmZN7Cqr3G21uTQJ6yERI71hdKIn7FNiaeVpyMZScXbsq3PTQtby2wRzZQoBUVzodkfhYCxgHZyMR/s400/IMG_0373.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly made glass swan. He made it look so easy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">About 30 yachties gathered together onboard Sunflower for a Christmas Eve party. Rene and I were definitely the youngest attendants and kept being reminded so by people saying 'oh, don't worry about it, you're so young!'. We are the age of most yachties children and to them, we must seem so young and youthful. To us, we are getting older by the minute and need to start getting serious! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC85PrYnW2eXTUB8c-IX2JJaCM1xJ69gIACb2KbgKgoY-bGl10Fr2e-pfkwiqGkZhaQcfEGDKVtDezwLsZXYFTn_tWDi8ICjfSNA1ygrAUU_GySAeuQ74TXft38uUKojVonhfeA4GfPuE/s1600/IMG_0406.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTC85PrYnW2eXTUB8c-IX2JJaCM1xJ69gIACb2KbgKgoY-bGl10Fr2e-pfkwiqGkZhaQcfEGDKVtDezwLsZXYFTn_tWDi8ICjfSNA1ygrAUU_GySAeuQ74TXft38uUKojVonhfeA4GfPuE/s640/IMG_0406.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Eve party onboard Sunflower (currently for sale)</td></tr>
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<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Christmas day was fun. I upheld the Mitchell tradition of eating croissants filled with fresh mango and smoked chicken while drinking champagne for breakfast. Nick and Jan kindly gave us some Rum, chocolate and a glass rooster (our Chinese birth year symbol). Some other yachties came over for a big Christmas feast (complete with turkey and trimmings) and we all ate and drank far too much (always the sign of a good Christmas!). I only felt homesick a few times - so the strategy of getting away from boatwork to relax with family was a success! </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2j-qifmCNYvTpG68kZpBsGQYSleZf06QfF4vY6WMY9zsFU1ho-JolnGASmkwkjOyj_cGjyjCwQa52Q-2BVEFHY0zYQ8gullhDl6fdrXLy6zkppmI8qFZBOgVOj7lykZZYust9Qhj1xVnB/s1600/IMG_0424.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2j-qifmCNYvTpG68kZpBsGQYSleZf06QfF4vY6WMY9zsFU1ho-JolnGASmkwkjOyj_cGjyjCwQa52Q-2BVEFHY0zYQ8gullhDl6fdrXLy6zkppmI8qFZBOgVOj7lykZZYust9Qhj1xVnB/s400/IMG_0424.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Merry Christmas!! Champers for breakfast :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfU1GqqC7OzstZN2FKNdST_AipQBQPcwttJwnG5UeOzDKwKCYmjSEVbilKKldH0z473YUq6mME4W3JEfSyEeEsqHiAdxCk1We8ZO7gtZ-LjuKklLUXIEZizBlRCYfGyL7j_YS8mQODQSM/s1600/IMG_0438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfU1GqqC7OzstZN2FKNdST_AipQBQPcwttJwnG5UeOzDKwKCYmjSEVbilKKldH0z473YUq6mME4W3JEfSyEeEsqHiAdxCk1We8ZO7gtZ-LjuKklLUXIEZizBlRCYfGyL7j_YS8mQODQSM/s400/IMG_0438.JPG" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nick, Rene and Jan on Yawarra 2's back deck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The buses back to Lumut were all fully booked for Boxing Day so we spent an extra day onboard Yawarra relaxing. I learnt how to play Backgammon and Rene learnt how to do Sudoku. A special connection was rekindled when Rene met some yachties who had cruised with his parents many years ago. Ginseng pulled out their guestbook and Rene got to see photos of his younger self (and parents). Looking through the book, we were struck by the difference in the cruising community now. Twenty years ago there were far more young people. Now, there are barely any. We've met about 4 boats during 5 years owned by people under the age of 50. Us sailbirds are definitely a minority!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGNrZqYEEqDlJei2wySHUeqSWTQWhElpwgZOPETIMnlgV87-fawlBiwNRqbLP9yijmKe6DoLq2scf7JuIxyaH4Vae4wBwn2jiwUtAvR2E6N1jdp9kA_Ej3KaDU6Rw4V1wDjvQ01kw785-/s1600/IMG_0525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGNrZqYEEqDlJei2wySHUeqSWTQWhElpwgZOPETIMnlgV87-fawlBiwNRqbLP9yijmKe6DoLq2scf7JuIxyaH4Vae4wBwn2jiwUtAvR2E6N1jdp9kA_Ej3KaDU6Rw4V1wDjvQ01kw785-/s320/IMG_0525.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene reminisces about his childhood </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Langkawi is a beautiful part of Malaysia and we're so glad that we made the big overland trip to visit relatives for Christmas. We're very grateful to Nick and Jan from Yawarra 2 for being such generous hosts and doing their best to ensure we had a special time. Thanks guys! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy98qCYxzVLqyVPivaSH4LlVJBQt_TwUCQLTcGrNejC-lkPxllUUS-7p3rOiEh-dRv2O1bEMtiPJ06yJtNXZuydyUWw9uhSyryKdCPdYQAQ2rb5UU0J6a1-FRtRSYh6X3t-DpU-8Jw7ZX/s1600/IMG_0546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBy98qCYxzVLqyVPivaSH4LlVJBQt_TwUCQLTcGrNejC-lkPxllUUS-7p3rOiEh-dRv2O1bEMtiPJ06yJtNXZuydyUWw9uhSyryKdCPdYQAQ2rb5UU0J6a1-FRtRSYh6X3t-DpU-8Jw7ZX/s640/IMG_0546.JPG" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beautiful Boxing Day sunset in Langkawi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-74541197090071793312011-12-17T20:13:00.033+10:002011-12-30T15:37:42.048+10:00The Long Haul (out) - Week 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The Sick Day</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">We both woke up feeling so sore and tired. Rene: 'I wish it was raining so we could have a day off!'. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I brewed us strong coffee and started getting ready to go on deck with the angle grinder until Rene ordered me to have a 'sick day' due to my ladder-falling injuries from yesterday. I tried to argue that I need to keep working as we've already been here for one week and want to be somewhere nicer but was right, I don't need to worsen my already sore muscles. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Rene did some more diagnostic tests on the existing paint using the Jotun #17 thinners. He was quite worried about it and emailed the Jotun guy in Penang with example photos showing the problems. It seems that whoever painted Anima last, did a really bad job. The paint is cracked right through the first few layers and in some areas, is really gluggy and not quite hard. He thinks that the past painters didn't mix the hardener correctly and now we're having to deal with the consequences. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SqRuJO1JbECC1z5fn9haixH0nAEcEthxNhz00QjxIZAivolC6HYFXo0H6ZToPawZLTu8sLrZXP2x6CVqP1l3_4m7XmMFatedFezok0rhpXCIDrR3_CwoENsYlK1IRKg5Q_xKk3KEp0NP/s1600/j_1_topsides_2nd+and+3rd+layer+from+top+smudging+after+10+to+20+rubs+with+thinner+17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4SqRuJO1JbECC1z5fn9haixH0nAEcEthxNhz00QjxIZAivolC6HYFXo0H6ZToPawZLTu8sLrZXP2x6CVqP1l3_4m7XmMFatedFezok0rhpXCIDrR3_CwoENsYlK1IRKg5Q_xKk3KEp0NP/s640/j_1_topsides_2nd+and+3rd+layer+from+top+smudging+after+10+to+20+rubs+with+thinner+17.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The sanded topsides after being wiped with thinners. See all of the cracks? Very BAD!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">The Jotun man said to do a test section of paint over the problem areas - we'd already done that and it was OK so, around midday Rene fired up the orbital sander and angle grinder and set to work again. I had to drill extra holes in all of the sanding disks as they are the wrong type for the sander - but, being Malaysia - it's all they have. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I busied myself trying to work on the next unit for my TESOL course. It's on the present tense and MY GOSH why did they have to make it so complicated! Ergh! My dreams of finishing the unit off today are long gone - this will take me ages to finish. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9-i90NMoaZ5SlCYg1T9MWiyi9x5JvYAGhuk7ES2tvtK-D7ViDUNCMjf65bcTsniRwLn8f0H44XlrxJZX9KPLssGARJ2Y1o2KJenq-U4N246fzaZIediQNz8wRIPitG854ynUySFZyQCa/s1600/IMG_0221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9-i90NMoaZ5SlCYg1T9MWiyi9x5JvYAGhuk7ES2tvtK-D7ViDUNCMjf65bcTsniRwLn8f0H44XlrxJZX9KPLssGARJ2Y1o2KJenq-U4N246fzaZIediQNz8wRIPitG854ynUySFZyQCa/s320/IMG_0221.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first batch of Christmas Macaroons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I got into the Christmas spirit and baked some Macaroons. Rene's mum usually does a huge batch of these and I was really missing them. My attempt are much smaller than hers probably because the eggs here are really strange and runny. They taste good though! If I could find fruit mince, I would also attempt to bake fruit mince pies which my Mum baked today. I'm lucky that I still had the ingredients for Macaroons stashed away in the freezer! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Rene continued to sand the topsides for hours. </span><br />
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<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene sanding the portside topside. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The Black Capricorn Day</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Today began with some sad news. A friend from an Australian yacht currently in Thailand passed away before he achieved his dream of a circumnavigation. Our thoughts are with Daphne and her family. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">We gathered more advice about the paint (the saga continues) and realised how big this job is becoming. Rene's perfectionist qualities are definitely coming out in force. Today I had to put my foot down when he said that he was going to reorder different paint (again) and paint our topsides with a matt finish until we can afford to sandblast the whole lot (apparently in 5 years). Noooooooo! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I pointed out that the boat next to us has used the exact same paint as that which we plan to use and he is steel and he looks fine - great even! Rene went and chatted to Sven next door and eventually conceded that it was all OK. Phew! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">He sanded the rest of the port and starboard sides and now just needs to do the stern and awkward bits.. oh and the decks too. I sanded by hand and felt pretty miserable for it. There's just barely any progress to be seen when slowly chipping away at something so large! I had a go with the orbital sander and enjoyed its speed but not its dust. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">After lunch I set to work inside on my TESOL unit - I'm currently tackling present tense and am finding it difficult to remember all of the rules that I usually just apply without even realising!! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">A storm blew up this afternoon, forcing Rene to finish at 5 for once rather than 7 (when the sun sets here). He was really happy about it! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlWWkJVwskv-ArxLaOel4kQj06OJcVjdkei6gMLRK6qbBIgJA_L1wjJmYJoDlMV7Gx6OiGJwaxZprdSVt0v3dM4UhefC-jigcLtALGr6Qy9ALIvXNbUinyJdGjy_CYgtwbs8ESEIQVHjX/s1600/PC200078.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlWWkJVwskv-ArxLaOel4kQj06OJcVjdkei6gMLRK6qbBIgJA_L1wjJmYJoDlMV7Gx6OiGJwaxZprdSVt0v3dM4UhefC-jigcLtALGr6Qy9ALIvXNbUinyJdGjy_CYgtwbs8ESEIQVHjX/s640/PC200078.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quickly painting Jotamastic 87 over exposed steel patches as stormy clouds threaten from the East!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The Blur of Days</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">I've lost track now of how many days (between 2-4) that we've just been heads down, bums up (literally). I've been sanding and sanding and mixing Jotamastic 87 and painting - all while looking at the looming clouds which every day have dropped a massive storm upon us! We have made some progress - though not enough to be back in the water anytime soon. The topsides are sanded now and all of the rust spots have been ground back, sanded, gouged, cleaned and painted. The deck is slowly getting done too - though progress is incredibly slow due to the thousands of tiny specks of rust that are embedded into the paintwork and need to be painstakingly removed - one - by - one. I've been using the orbital sander, angle grinder, sand paper by hand, rust buster (acid) and files. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vWIEeeFTFG3pkxMZkQhYu02n5fyWVRIUDTfPa7iurej-38nQApNCC4LI461xoHDL-0AMa3AFIEJK_-D8sCK3FAcjwv1-AEx6-nW9EjCCbt0M-pfT6D8wRtNK9ZoLW-X2Nigh2FbnLgDV/s1600/PC180072.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vWIEeeFTFG3pkxMZkQhYu02n5fyWVRIUDTfPa7iurej-38nQApNCC4LI461xoHDL-0AMa3AFIEJK_-D8sCK3FAcjwv1-AEx6-nW9EjCCbt0M-pfT6D8wRtNK9ZoLW-X2Nigh2FbnLgDV/s400/PC180072.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene angle-grinding rust away from the winch holder. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVgb4zdwIwj_oBCHII4zrkJGgaAo5DmJEVvDCrN_oLJ9AF3IJWWMqaOcv2ugniCJBKYqN0PAV0GDhspx3gKXaOiEpgRiT2amwXSuKWu91dXobXp_8GBOT8gxXLbT2e8FNUyHFJ0q66dJ0/s1600/PC210084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsVgb4zdwIwj_oBCHII4zrkJGgaAo5DmJEVvDCrN_oLJ9AF3IJWWMqaOcv2ugniCJBKYqN0PAV0GDhspx3gKXaOiEpgRiT2amwXSuKWu91dXobXp_8GBOT8gxXLbT2e8FNUyHFJ0q66dJ0/s400/PC210084.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rust busting the deck. Notice the difference? </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">For the most part - I've been OK.. today though I had a bit of a tantrum and got too angry and I shouldn't have let the anger get to me like that. I've managed to only cry when I think about home so I'm trying not to so much (but that's really hard). Oh dear - change the subject!! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;">Ummmm... Oh! I booked bus tickets to head outta here just before Christmas. We're going to celebrate with family - Nick and Jan are in Langkawi</span><br />
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<div style="color: magenta; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The Slow Progress Day</div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The clouds loomed low and grey all day today causing us to cast nervous glances skyward, hoping the heavens wouldn't drop their load just yet. Rene and I both set to work hand-sanding in the tight, awkward areas of the deck that power tools can't reach. I continued to rust bust but Rene asked me to hold off on that job in case he inadvertently creates more mess to clean up with the angle grinder. After lunch I got to work inside on my verb tenses for the first time in many days. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfI6-74Yoyog2PWp65PYglZkZ1b2nuJGaBhbi1XHxHRzQRGv6fvJj2nj_9UkaGe05X142udER8vnUdkDSEPufGeiJwTu0HyxIWbgD5BTN4fmxsIh4Pq24J2Cd3OnBYJdQVEMaKBRZt5VIF/s1600/PC210089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfI6-74Yoyog2PWp65PYglZkZ1b2nuJGaBhbi1XHxHRzQRGv6fvJj2nj_9UkaGe05X142udER8vnUdkDSEPufGeiJwTu0HyxIWbgD5BTN4fmxsIh4Pq24J2Cd3OnBYJdQVEMaKBRZt5VIF/s400/PC210089.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand-sanding is excruciatingly slow! </td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"> </span>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8957964391937892017.post-52525866808522551592011-12-11T18:49:00.009+10:002011-12-16T12:38:00.394+10:00The Long Haul (out)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There's too much to say and most of you are probably not that interested in the exciting details of boat maintenance so I will try to simply summarise each day (well, I'll endeavour to!). </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Out of The Water</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rene spent the morning unbolting the stanchion posts. He accidentally dropped the starboard side traveller overboard and despite diving in the 4.5 metre deep water repeatedly, he couldn't locate it! I discovered the downside to this marina - it's remoteness. Just before booking a taxi, some of our neighbours offered me a lift with them. Trying to locate my short list of groceries within the huge Tesco took hours! By the time I returned, Rene had already taken Anima out of the water! The system they use here is fantastic and really easy. It's like a forklift / boat trailer with airbags along the forks which the boat motors into, and is then lifted up out of the water. Anima was deposited right in the far back corner (we're going to get fit here just walking to the shower block!) because the staff were worried about us angle grinding steel dust over the other boats. The marina staff allowed us to use the water pressure wash to clean our ropes. Their system is quite slow however as the water used to feed the pressure wash comes from a large drum which slowly fills with a hose. The pressure washer inevitably uses water at a faster rate than it being filled and the generator which runs it needs to be turned off at the switchboard. Our dinghy had to be quickly rowed over and pulled up onto land as the leak she developed in Belitung has reformed. We ate out at the local cheap food place and had a terrible meal cooked by two friendly teenagers. Rene enjoyed the dessert of something involving shaved ice, red beans and sugar called 'Cendol'. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1FI1ewGwKy7rklKbL8w8WSeb6s_kXUaazbdoDcpvQj2a8w_GuhRqdBTH_1NLcDrLhgugsmbS-6vbF-ASUntPDU1FSo111Vp1Y_FTUU272LYFi8-J8n6Bpm-W79V-B2FE2Xdc7U-oLCte/s1600/PC080001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1FI1ewGwKy7rklKbL8w8WSeb6s_kXUaazbdoDcpvQj2a8w_GuhRqdBTH_1NLcDrLhgugsmbS-6vbF-ASUntPDU1FSo111Vp1Y_FTUU272LYFi8-J8n6Bpm-W79V-B2FE2Xdc7U-oLCte/s400/PC080001.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anima hauled out in Pangkor Island Marina, Malaysia</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The First Day Sanding </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We spent more hours cleaning Anima's decks of stuff. It frustrates me how much we seem to carry! Water jerry cans, ropes, fuel, bits of wood and plastic... so much stuff! A heavy rain shower slowed progress for a few hours. I went inside and draped drop sheets over stuff in preparation for the mess of dust that is to come. Rene unbolted the stern railings and lifted the entire structure up about 5 inches using the Mizzen halyards. We have discovered some unwanted guests who have been hiding out in the wood... I first saw them in Townsville and thought they were mites. Now we're worried that they're actually little termites! We're contemplating getting rid of most of the wood in that area in case it's damaged. Need to do more research. The forklift machine thingo eventually let us free but only after the marina staff spent hours welding up metal frames to hold us in place. Rene was humoured and horrified that the large power-line nearby has fallen from its pole and is lying in a puddle. After the rain, it was lying in a very big puddle! The seller from Penang who we've been emailing hundreds of times arrived with our Jotun paint. He was very knowledgeable and friendly and even climbed up on deck to inspect some areas we're worried about. Lunchtime break involved playing <i>Mancala</i> and decorating our little Christmas tree. Everything eventually dried off and we were able to begin sanding. I had the disheartening job of sanding by hand. Progress was hard to see! Rene however, had a go with the angle grinder and was able to sand back a substantial area. We have to remove the entire topcoat of paint. We have a long way to go!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BIR752DMOP8Wst-okLYNn-sb4rUx5-DTCkpot3cdpNyNbWd58XELAQ9IyEuZrTeGAFobjfGj8HqLqs6qtnxH8FNYXLDDtIPYtYjBk0i1g5MgbAYhSI_QumtitjD-KoZL0GTP0oBn6qWL/s1600/PC090017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BIR752DMOP8Wst-okLYNn-sb4rUx5-DTCkpot3cdpNyNbWd58XELAQ9IyEuZrTeGAFobjfGj8HqLqs6qtnxH8FNYXLDDtIPYtYjBk0i1g5MgbAYhSI_QumtitjD-KoZL0GTP0oBn6qWL/s400/PC090017.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene angle-grinding the top layer of paint from our decks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: magenta;">The Strobe Effect Lightning</span></div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">A sunny morning greeted us bright and early. We both set to work sanding: Rene on the angle grinder and me on the sander. After about an hour of sweating it with the sander, I looked over to Rene working and watched him clear an area the same size as what I'd just done in about 5 minutes. That's when I decided that the sander wasn't the tool for me and moved to hand sanding again. Sitting on deck in the humidity and hot sunlight, sanding away at paint that didn't seem to budge is not exactly my definition of a good time. However, I persisted at it through the sweat and tears until my hands were hurting and stomach grumbling. </div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">We took a break together and started a game of <i>Upwords</i> (I bought the set in town for $5AUD and it's a total fake but still mostly works). Rene is insisting that we play a game together every day so that we get to have fun as a couple rather than just working all of the time. Boat ownership means A LOT of work. I reckon way more than house ownership (but I'm not an expert at that just yet). Anyway. After lunch Rene kept at it with the angle grinder and I had the job of finding more sanding disks. Some friendly yachties just happened to drive up to me as I walked through the yard and offered me the use of their hire car to get to the hardware! I was a little apprehensive having not driven in Asia before and having seen how the Malaysians drive (no indicating, changing lanes or simply driving in the middle or wrong lane). But it was totally fine, fun in fact! I love driving! I miss my car! The best part of the trip was driving past a strip of street vendors all selling Durian fruits. Even with all of the windows closed, their awfully sweet and sickly smell seeps in somehow! </div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i>'I think it's going to rain Rene, look at those clouds!'. 'No it won't , the wind is coming from the opposite direction'. 'Yeah but the wind changes direction 360 here!'. 'It's not going to rain, you always say it will!'</i>. At 1700 hours Rene finally switched off the angle grinder and we swept the decks again until I started forming blisters! The clouds continued to build and we continued to have the same discussion. </div><div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJ30HmOz4aTy-VjfEEjhyphenhyphenolUS1wSdYXC8BSvy16QnuBBiNq7cDo4Ncnl4r7bGba8NSUlvEgoPom93dPJObKklin98sPQ7_17HQbZ5oWN0nMwM9K2EuLz3SLcwpOkzrZi0i1zOKufh9gqe/s1600/PC100022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJ30HmOz4aTy-VjfEEjhyphenhyphenolUS1wSdYXC8BSvy16QnuBBiNq7cDo4Ncnl4r7bGba8NSUlvEgoPom93dPJObKklin98sPQ7_17HQbZ5oWN0nMwM9K2EuLz3SLcwpOkzrZi0i1zOKufh9gqe/s400/PC100022.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rene after many hours of angle grinding</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>We cleaned the areas of steel exposed by the grinding with Jotun Thinner no.17 and I mixed up the Jotamastic 87 paint. After painting for about 15 minutes, the clouds behind us really started going black and the atmosphere got a little hazy, reminding us of 'the Nothing' from 'Never Ending Story'. Rene finally agreed that it might rain and set up a tarp but then had second thoughts when the sun came out from behind a cloud and took it down again, saying yet again that it was going to remain fine. Three minutes later, he changed his mind again when the wind turned from the direction of 'the Nothing' and thunder started rolling! I kept painting while he rigged up the tarp, anchoring it to the scaffolding. It was getting dark now and the mosquitoes were biting. I downed a beer on the go to keep up the energy levels and we kept going. Rene took over painting the topsides and I quickly threw everything inside that was going to get wet. I couldn't even see Rene, he was swamped by the tarp which was pressed over him in the building winds. He stopped then after getting some paint in his eye and we had to let the mixed paint go to waste. The wind was really building up, lightning and thunder rolled around us in a constant dance and we stood on the ground looking up at Anima, wondering if she'd fall over.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sdieuAjJn0qVRfu6gd1Y_cwUXZtoj2ld-F-2cZbcr1g0EekViqDDyj_HjZSS9SYLvaRkDkYZ_KHpLa5JZDJkyDU5SLfysCj6tbRbSjXXBMKaBLsfUgjiaZpOKbWGCeOpZgPhjIPfjbzl/s1600/night+yard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sdieuAjJn0qVRfu6gd1Y_cwUXZtoj2ld-F-2cZbcr1g0EekViqDDyj_HjZSS9SYLvaRkDkYZ_KHpLa5JZDJkyDU5SLfysCj6tbRbSjXXBMKaBLsfUgjiaZpOKbWGCeOpZgPhjIPfjbzl/s640/night+yard.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The slipway by night - imagine it being lit with lots of lighting! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>I felt as though we were in a movie as the lightning flashed so often it was like a strobe effect. As the wind whipped about us, we spoke of how this trip has taught us so much about ourselves and of what we value/want from life. </div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">Cleaned of paint using the showers (simple but OK, a shower head in the same cubicle as the toilet), we met with our friends from Narid to catch up and have a meal together. We ate at the little local restaurant set above the sea shore that sells Satay. Ordering was made interesting due to a large language gap but the food was delicious and very cheap (dinner for 4 with drinks cost us $8AUD). The atmosphere there was really fun too as the staff kept giggling and laughing and joking around. Rene ordered us all a 'Tea Tadic' and I delighted at watching them prepare this frothy beverage. They pour milky tea from one container to another in wide, dramatic arcs (the more risky the move, the better reaction) to froth it up into a drink like a tea cappuccino! </div><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;">The night ended with a late nightcap on board Narid. The rain continued. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8fZEpOIkE8aLE8hrhVo5ZTEpou8vdKtQ5f8IEV_fSVAeKdahAcnSDCRaEsRty9Kp17ODYfq3Z_xspPewXEmetHJMZ80iSwupKmksJJOmEL26hG96kG49JQwb___fIw5M04uGYLyxsIuL/s1600/tea+tadic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8fZEpOIkE8aLE8hrhVo5ZTEpou8vdKtQ5f8IEV_fSVAeKdahAcnSDCRaEsRty9Kp17ODYfq3Z_xspPewXEmetHJMZ80iSwupKmksJJOmEL26hG96kG49JQwb___fIw5M04uGYLyxsIuL/s400/tea+tadic.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Tea Tadic being made</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: magenta;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Rainy Day #1</span></div><div class="western" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I started the day by checking online for the weather forecast. It didn't look good. Rain, thunderstorms and showers ahead for the next 7 days. Bummer! Oh well, I needed to take a break from </span>hand-sanding anyway - to avoid further developing the blisters which tried to form on my hands. Instead, I cleaned up a lot inside. There was a lot of dust that had somehow snuck its way inside after yesterday's sand-a-thon. Tools and sails and ropes were shoved all over the place and it took quite a while to set everything straight again. I rang Maxis (our Malaysian Internet provider) to try and sort out the issue we're having with our broadband. It took many attempts to even explain the problem fully as the staff seem to be more keen to pass us off than help. I was hung up on and Rene was told that the system was down! It's still not fixed. In the afternoon I did some more pressure-washing to clean off all our sheet ropes. So much mould, salt and dirt comes out of them that it's actually quite a satisfying job. The other yachties here probably think I'm crazy but I don't mind. The pressure hose is beast that is quite unwieldy. Rene spent the day sanding and preparing for tomorrow when he hopes to borrow a welding kit. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhnoEO3-jhsQ3VAdxR3UCCKQ-OGYNOcbAr7u-zs5udySrsbyVoi7_cGPHZwn1D52phCwQ64NuzXPMT1FrdKPErhyJoxeMdRA-KqcqL-TT_L4D-EKQ76Ba9ZufNWMAdWVRs2tZECYwEweh/s1600/PC080013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhnoEO3-jhsQ3VAdxR3UCCKQ-OGYNOcbAr7u-zs5udySrsbyVoi7_cGPHZwn1D52phCwQ64NuzXPMT1FrdKPErhyJoxeMdRA-KqcqL-TT_L4D-EKQ76Ba9ZufNWMAdWVRs2tZECYwEweh/s320/PC080013.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pressure washing the Spinnaker halyard.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The Welding Experiment</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rene was so excited about getting to practice welding for such a bargain price. To hire the welding kit is 50RM (about $17AUD) for the day. He wanted to weld some steel to the stanchion post supports so they don't wobble so much and he also wanted to weld up a hole in the hull made by removing the broken speed log. It started well and he was having fun melting steel into blobs that he could (somewhat) control. But then things got tricky when he tried to weld up the hole in the hull. It required him to weld upside-down (a complicated procedure even for experienced welders) and he had only welded once before today. It was a low moment for Ren when he discovered that instead of filling the hole, he actually made it bigger! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXMlag6OOhVzwWz3z__A24JlyYL71l6qeMXmyp8qM4HSp6i0CSRSmWZmAcXLQaSklclKpzrO9eSyUdklmK86YY6U1PwaVu5VNcVc8P9Wwo_mioHqtfewAncHCzIoyvv9ieAbMU0wkpQ4n/s1600/ren+welding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXMlag6OOhVzwWz3z__A24JlyYL71l6qeMXmyp8qM4HSp6i0CSRSmWZmAcXLQaSklclKpzrO9eSyUdklmK86YY6U1PwaVu5VNcVc8P9Wwo_mioHqtfewAncHCzIoyvv9ieAbMU0wkpQ4n/s400/ren+welding.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rene hard at work welding</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-K5C1PDALdRZ1lmuFeyqF8IZjsQ-h_S1mm2HhgYqiY0q2cprPJnthg47vLJ3v8FN3PGfwOXpwbA2jA_G0L95ZlXbFbH19Mh5fiZcfAJNK3-Ade_bhSBAzi8q7sVFbAbR7WvF5km2e6C_/s1600/the+weld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-K5C1PDALdRZ1lmuFeyqF8IZjsQ-h_S1mm2HhgYqiY0q2cprPJnthg47vLJ3v8FN3PGfwOXpwbA2jA_G0L95ZlXbFbH19Mh5fiZcfAJNK3-Ade_bhSBAzi8q7sVFbAbR7WvF5km2e6C_/s320/the+weld.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The aftermath of the welding</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hdR0s8A3schRca0MCggoqD2AruuRRDg97aEaDoMC5XnslDbxPQpLhlEctpxAfXCBlI0DVSJbmpP5J1j1CCfBns_YtPp3x77wj_PVgAYsPxkxg_urUhepxsBWj8e7gF1mRyHrYQCnXG6k/s1600/Rene%2527s+bad+weld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hdR0s8A3schRca0MCggoqD2AruuRRDg97aEaDoMC5XnslDbxPQpLhlEctpxAfXCBlI0DVSJbmpP5J1j1CCfBns_YtPp3x77wj_PVgAYsPxkxg_urUhepxsBWj8e7gF1mRyHrYQCnXG6k/s320/Rene%2527s+bad+weld.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The welding mistake</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I had some pretty low moments too today. The worst of it was while Rene was welding, I had to sit inside the engine room making sure it didn't catch on fire. The room filled with toxic smoke and heat. I donned a safety mask but couldn't bear wearing it for long because the rubber stung my face so badly (and left a nasty rash). I am feeling very over owning a boat. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34sPBFvsQ6dSJg1pwO_fZ-8ideIa_yrJ8aIC3AqpBUr5EfvD6H59xUw0nwL5Lzc7YgbxHiDKFQiGyzpYNmY3pFK_GkyyCPq8ekYRZ_porjOUzje608ugXgAzqQn5HPouGAqMYY9OH2z_Z/s1600/cerae+upset+in+mask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34sPBFvsQ6dSJg1pwO_fZ-8ideIa_yrJ8aIC3AqpBUr5EfvD6H59xUw0nwL5Lzc7YgbxHiDKFQiGyzpYNmY3pFK_GkyyCPq8ekYRZ_porjOUzje608ugXgAzqQn5HPouGAqMYY9OH2z_Z/s320/cerae+upset+in+mask.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A low moment on this journey</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">A lovely couple from Tasha D.M let us carpool with them in their hired car. We bought more tools and stuff from various hardware stores and I bought more food with them from Tesco's. There was so much traffic along the main road that I couldn't cross it by foot to buy bananas from a local stall holder without risking death. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfy6hc3IikI8s4UolZoFu9SW-eUgu0fiQkg-Ae7x_duhcXB44YFHXKCdo0_CqHU1MiYaY-PR_Pm_Pz7eLKlIpg0xmt07xfcDHdssA10zytyOAIJw2jq0s7EHBaGxXZ5GggO2EysPEQkI38/s1600/taped+window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfy6hc3IikI8s4UolZoFu9SW-eUgu0fiQkg-Ae7x_duhcXB44YFHXKCdo0_CqHU1MiYaY-PR_Pm_Pz7eLKlIpg0xmt07xfcDHdssA10zytyOAIJw2jq0s7EHBaGxXZ5GggO2EysPEQkI38/s320/taped+window.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Porthole window all covered up</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The Depressed Day</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Today I cried a lot. I've been really struggling with homesickness lately and big salty tears just swell up and fall from my eyes as soon as I start thinking about anything from home (I even cried one day when I cracked open an egg and it was really runny and gross, I remembered how nice eggs are back home and it set me off). I'm really missing all of the wonderful Christmas foods and all of the fun holiday times with family and friends. It doesn't help that we're doing hard physical work here in Malaysia with only a few people to talk to, a crap Internet connection and locals who drive by really slowly staring at me (like I'm in a zoo!). Rene worked at grinding back the areas he welded on the port side and I worked at sanding back the dorade vents ready for re-painting. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8J-R-sz0MXUVT1hkzCFPEz1mK0oerql2taR-8BOE-K2-6JQ9m4DlBPWgvl6DVfA39g6snPD-2Mwfy2wKmnZx4Ijay1IH5JEfw5VLM1KIVVZ2e_BOfCh1Rvl_zyXl9js5LeeW3NPEQkJtH/s1600/old+dorade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8J-R-sz0MXUVT1hkzCFPEz1mK0oerql2taR-8BOE-K2-6JQ9m4DlBPWgvl6DVfA39g6snPD-2Mwfy2wKmnZx4Ijay1IH5JEfw5VLM1KIVVZ2e_BOfCh1Rvl_zyXl9js5LeeW3NPEQkJtH/s320/old+dorade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">An example of how old & sun-damaged the dorade vents are!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79Q-S0cE6c5vIDklv3i5Zj223o-JcPzGhVNTIQ6f9aDPw8_LAip-lI0wIgE28CTOBHdIBtasKY-nVxxT5pOho7DCCUL-JIyVU7Nx4eT6j3uPYznDT5eKQpE_PQEpugQj6PBjHwbrkE5GE/s1600/painted+dorades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79Q-S0cE6c5vIDklv3i5Zj223o-JcPzGhVNTIQ6f9aDPw8_LAip-lI0wIgE28CTOBHdIBtasKY-nVxxT5pOho7DCCUL-JIyVU7Nx4eT6j3uPYznDT5eKQpE_PQEpugQj6PBjHwbrkE5GE/s400/painted+dorades.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Some of the Dorade vents with their first coat of new paint</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We found out that Rene didn't get the Sydney job. We both felt pretty rejected about that as we'd been getting excited about the idea of moving back to Australia. We had more big discussions about what our options are and made a few more beginnings of decisions. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We had drinks under another boat with two other couples who've been here a while. They are both fitting new engines into their yachts and had plenty of tales to tell. It was really good to get away from Anima and all the work and decisions she involves to have a few drinks and eat Malaysian snacks.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">The New Job Offers and The Welding</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I started today feeling better and then even better when I checked my email and saw that I had a potential job offer working in Singapore as a preschool teacher. I rang the school and had a very informal interview at the conclusion of which, I was offered a job! I went back to my email and saw that I had one from Education QLD asking me to give them my return date to work! Suddenly I was met with yet another decision!! To accept the Singapore job or to work back in QLD? I'm pretty terrible at making decisions, so I put it out there on Facebook and got some great advice from friends and family which helped a lot. My decision at the moment is to accept the Singapore job if it pays well. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXXvfDAYPMekbqMMxTcShmo4vwfZ4S9Ysv8bAWmbu4edN98qaRRfIb0MPrZf1ylOsY3E8Cd53RQope17up0MyGz4VBxHr0qlAJsvJpzyaVOOjBmDBbxKW07V49o2p_Tkk1h1shsVUNIgt/s1600/worker+welders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXXvfDAYPMekbqMMxTcShmo4vwfZ4S9Ysv8bAWmbu4edN98qaRRfIb0MPrZf1ylOsY3E8Cd53RQope17up0MyGz4VBxHr0qlAJsvJpzyaVOOjBmDBbxKW07V49o2p_Tkk1h1shsVUNIgt/s400/worker+welders.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Local welders under Anima </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQ8-a9fsjhloWKA2z6v9gbmt9-Cv0tPw4xY5OaWGMXL_ljsjIefS0rD2jz8yMAMUbhPuS3MSdAJWrxcy3wzFjEuL0Rl70S5IqPmEmdl0YVQNkA_C26pBeQa6cTE7YMTs-oWndklqxDVZJ/s1600/air+vent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQ8-a9fsjhloWKA2z6v9gbmt9-Cv0tPw4xY5OaWGMXL_ljsjIefS0rD2jz8yMAMUbhPuS3MSdAJWrxcy3wzFjEuL0Rl70S5IqPmEmdl0YVQNkA_C26pBeQa6cTE7YMTs-oWndklqxDVZJ/s400/air+vent.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Extraction hose to help reduce toxic fumes from the welding.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We hired some local welders to fix up the hole. Three guys cut away more steel and tacked a replacement sheet of metal in place. They took the whole day to fix Rene's welding hole with much driving off in motorbikes/trucks to fetch bits and pieces. The welding they did seems really good and we had them weld it from inside as well as out so it's very strong and won't ever leak. While they worked, I busied myself taping up the windows and portholes some more and also sanded back more dorade vents. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Rene started sanding the top sides by hand, using a hand sander in each palm. After 3 hours of this, I asked him how long he thought the job would take. He thought for a few minutes and then said '3 weeks sanding at this rate and I will have done the top sides'. After a few more hours, he went out shopping to buy an orbital sander but came back with a borrowed one instead. It was much faster and he sanded for hours more until it was dark and the mosquitos started biting. We ate out again at the Satay place - so cheap and yummy (and no doubt loaded with saturated fats!). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhmyp_E4H01DMAisI29zvOhIcURjfjrnsVgl00DHf7INLOptjjdfmmk92lRuePm5Uwpl561EGGerSe8CF4rz9UCNEnKVqxnD3mV1Vm9mL8wuP667CwSSRpACbF4LqzqpzDj1Gkhp5yAB4/s1600/satay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhmyp_E4H01DMAisI29zvOhIcURjfjrnsVgl00DHf7INLOptjjdfmmk92lRuePm5Uwpl561EGGerSe8CF4rz9UCNEnKVqxnD3mV1Vm9mL8wuP667CwSSRpACbF4LqzqpzDj1Gkhp5yAB4/s400/satay.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Satay = YUM!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">One Week Here Today</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;"></span>We set the alarm for 6am but it was still dark until nearly 7! We both got out on deck to sand back the starboard side welds before they develop rust. It put me in a bit of a grumpy mood to be in the sun, hand-sanding for hours! Ren went on a mission to buy his own orbital sander and some other hardware things while I stayed and finished off the sanding, cleaning and painting. In addition to the welds, I also painted over some steel exposed on the topsides, the keel and two more dorade boxes. Such a sweaty job! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The afternoon involved making a big healthy tabouli salad and cooling down a little when the paint dried enough for me to turn on the air-conditioner again! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Yet again, I had to clean up - organising and putting away almost all of the tools which were scattered around the place. I have been feeding Rene up on lots of snack foods which are quite cheap here and sometimes interesting to experiment with. The packaging for some biscuits ('Calcium Crackers') made me laugh in its explanation of Whole Grain Cereal (see pic below). </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCc0U1nwDDKpwo2uh5uPebfz9y8eQiGz2s_-fqwH6tdnYh-nqnKAvK5boyC29sc6YiEcnEsbneknWM7Jo0mDcpQ_e-ri3MvLN8HQt2EkYbpjpX4GM6oi0o4dv1hY16I1kntucoPeA34Y52/s1600/endosperm+and+germ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCc0U1nwDDKpwo2uh5uPebfz9y8eQiGz2s_-fqwH6tdnYh-nqnKAvK5boyC29sc6YiEcnEsbneknWM7Jo0mDcpQ_e-ri3MvLN8HQt2EkYbpjpX4GM6oi0o4dv1hY16I1kntucoPeA34Y52/s400/endosperm+and+germ.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Worrying packaging - my food contains 'Endosperm And Germ'!!! </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I didn't laugh when, on my way down the rickety wooden ladder, I fell and landed on my shoulder and head! I'm OK and didn't break anything but have some big bruises and scrapes on my leg (which much have tried to grape onto the ladder as I fell) and a really sore shoulder. I asked for a better (metal) ladder and the marina staff delivered one almost immediately. It is much more sturdy! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-M_vZLS6W4L6CKFiCozi5yE2D2OvakgBm7xUXY1yp7-YW-iNcNFtV6iLpMoUMHQ5zSfvv7WTp6gfD8tAqgy8z0LPfzhX1ZdTYnzzZ-7R12kG0KBRz8zn04iNDsA6bWnt_HqjxXUgVdp2/s1600/wooden+ladder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-M_vZLS6W4L6CKFiCozi5yE2D2OvakgBm7xUXY1yp7-YW-iNcNFtV6iLpMoUMHQ5zSfvv7WTp6gfD8tAqgy8z0LPfzhX1ZdTYnzzZ-7R12kG0KBRz8zn04iNDsA6bWnt_HqjxXUgVdp2/s400/wooden+ladder.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The rickety wooden ladder</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Despite my injuries, I pushed on until late today. I pressure-washed more ropes, sanded more dorade vents and taped up more windows. Rene used his new orbital sander to sand back about 2 metres of the topsides. We're both exhausted. One week here already and so much more still to do! At the moment it feels as though we'll be stuck here forever. </span><br />
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</span>Ceraehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14990647207564819787noreply@blogger.com0