Thailand & Malaysia

October 2006

Mom and Anne’s visit

For many months I had been trying to get my folks to visit us. Finally we had some success, or should I say - 50% success. My mom was coming over to visit us. Dad was not too keen to travel. He had just had a knee replacement operation and a spinal fusion in his neck so was wary about boat life and the associated concerns of living aboard with a gammy knee. Fortunately joining my mom would be our cousin Anne. Our families are very close and Anne and mom made a great traveling team.

With excitement brewing, we made arrangement for their visit. We had not seen any of my family for over a year and we were all very excited, especially the kids who were counting the sleeps down!

On the morning of the 23^rd September, we all headed out to the airport to pick up my mom and Anne. There was much excitement as we milled around the arrivals lounge waiting for them. Then, from around the corner they arrived, pushing their trolleys of, mostly presents! The “Travelling Gigglies”, as they referred to themselves, had arrived at last! The kids ran out to meet them and we all exchanged hugs and kisses. It was fantastic to see them and mom looked so well and happy.

Grabbing the luggage we headed out to the car and back to Yacht Haven, all the time there was no stop chatter and catching up on news from home.

Mom, Anne, B & I

B: By this stage we were old hands at the airport and had been greeted like old friends by the Malaysian Security guard on our return. Our long wait was spiced up by the family reunions at the airport. One Australian couple was thrilled to hug their 30 plus son and then hug and kiss his Thai girlfriend who he then, very belatedly, introduced to them! But my favorite was a smarmy American in his late fifties who was very camp and dragging along a pretty Thai boy in his twenties who looked very nervous. Finally the very elderly parents arrived but their luggage had gone missing and their aging queen son hugged his Dad through the door. Just then a blonde youngster of about 14 squeezed past back into arrivals and the old man tried to shake this youngster’s hand! He looked utterly stunned and obviously thought that this was his sons lover! Poor Grandpa, I suppose the Thai boyfriend was a relief after that. On our side it was wonderful to see Anne and Trudy so full of life and absolutely loving their traveling experience.

R: Back at Shayile we settled into yacht life. We were not keen to do a lot of cruising as the weather was not that good with the monsoons in full swing and I was not too sure how they would handle weather on a yacht. The big thing was just to spend time together, catching up and for mom to spend quality time with the kids and us.

First up was a tour of Phuket Island. We spent the day touring and sight seeing Phuket. Unfortunately the weather was not playing game. It was rather miserable, and continued to be so for the duration of the visit. It was the wet season and the Westerly Monsoons were in full swing. Still we went out and toured the island. The area reminded me of Cape Town and especially Chapmans Peak drive with its cliffs and drop down into the ocean below. Scattered along the coast line was many beaches and coves.

Lunch was a memorable stop as we pulled up at a small road side restaurant overlooking a beautiful beach, just north of Patong. The menu was in Thai and the owner could not speak English. Fortunately sitting next to us was an English guy with his Thai wife and child. He came to our rescue and suggested a number of dishes. We placed a huge order for the table and when it arrived we tucked in. It was Anne and my mom’s first real Thai meal and they thoroughly enjoyed it.

Dan trying to convince Dinny, “It’s ok to eat!”

Later that afternoon we headed for “Charlie’s Spot”. Now Charlie is a legendary figure on Phuket and visitors make special plans to meet him at least once. As we pulled into his bar, he bounded across the car park to greet us. Customer service at its best! As we bailed out the car, he bailed in! On the back seat were some biscuits. You see, Charlie is a Gibbon monkey. Well, he does not know it as he believes he is human! He took up position on the back seat and got busy with the biscuits. Fortunately his “father” came across and pulled him out. We quickly closed the door and went across to the bar area. After making Charlie’s acquaintance, we decided it was time for an elephant ride. Who comes to Thailand and does not do an elephant trek through the forests? Lets remember that these are Asian elephants (Indian) and certainly a lot more docile than our African elephants. They appear smaller and have smaller ears than their African cousins.

Up a platform and onto the elephants we climbed. With a yelp and encouragement from the “jockey”, the elephants set off through the forest. The Travelling gigglies had a blast! Not a comfortable ride by any means but an experience of a life time. We trundled on through the forest, hoping the elephants footing would hold on the slippery slopes. All went well and soon we emerged back at the camp thankful that we had not elected to go on an hour outing! Elephant trekking is a bit like….. You have to do it, but glad when it is over!!

Not a very comfortable ride!

With that we headed back to Yacht Haven, a full day exploring Phuket island behind us.

Our friend Simon had by this stage arrived in Phuket and was keen to see us. That evening he came across to Yacht Haven and we met up again after 8 months. It was fantastic to see Simon again. B and I both enjoy his company and the kids think he’s great! We caught up on a bit of history and then headed out to a local restaurant at Yacht Haven. Being the character he is, Simon had us all in awe of his antics in Thailand, especially his experiences with Thai women. Simon just loves women and had many a story to tell! I was a bit nervous to hear ALL the stories he was keen to relate about his holiday in Thailand, especially with mom and Anne listening in! What would they think?? Anyway, Simon had us all enthralled about life in the fast lane and the parties in Bangkok.

Attempted cruise!

Next day we decided to head out into Phang-Nga Bay and do a bit of cruising. (Simon had gone back to his beach bungalow for a few more days of relax!)

The plan for us was to visit a Hong, (a kind of tunnel that goes in to the side of a cliff and emerges on a beach in the center of the island.) and then to head up to the Sea Gipsy village at the top of Pang-Nga Bay. On the way we would take in many of the islands on route.

The weather was overcast but certainly not threatening. Off we went with high spirits and everyone keen to see a bit of the island scene in Phang-Nga Bay.

That afternoon we stopped and dropped anchor off Koh Phanak Island. We were anchored some 80 meters from the side of sheer cliffs. A magnificent spot and certainly very scenic indeed. The kids and I went exploring looking for the Hong. These things are not easy to find as that are basically a cave hole that disappears into the side of a cliff. No luck from our side and we headed on back to Shayile for dinner and more chattering with mom and Ann. (I still needed to catch up on 18 months of home news!)

That night, the weather turned ugly. The wind picked up and howled down on us. The sea picked up and developed a short chop which was not very comfortable at all. As the night progressed, it got worse. I camped at the GPS watching our position and ensuring we did not start dragging. At one stage I turned on the engines just incase we needed to make a dash. Throughout the night the wind blew and I kept half an eye open on proceedings.

Not the greatest was to be introduced to cruising for mom and Ann! Trust the weather to deteriorate as they came cruising. Next morning the wind settled and we decided to motor sail on up to Koh Phing Kan, otherwise known as James Bond Island. (The location of the film – The man with the golden gun)

We motored around the area checking it out, taking in the scenery. It truly is beautiful up in Pang-Nga Bay. We then headed on up in the direction of the sea gypsies.

Unfortunately our luck ran out again. Soon it was starting to get to shallow for us and I had to turn around. The tides were wrong and secondly I could not locate the channel. We headed back to James Bond Island. On the way we decided to drop anchor again, trying to seek protection from the wind which was now slowly picking up again. With the anchor down, the wind increased in strength. Wind on its own is not that much of a problem, but with us being in a very shallow the waves picked up. Short choppy ones and we slapped about. To add insult to injury, we got ourselves into a “wind over tide” situation. The wind was blowing us in one direction and the tide was pushing us in the opposite direction. Both forces acting against each other and soon we were riding over the anchor! In 25 – 30 knot wind, it was time to move again. I had not picked a good anchor spot and we needed to get out fast! Belinda tried to pull up the anchor but no luck, it would not budge. With the wind gusting 35 knots, the rain pelting down, Belinda at the helm and my heroic mom up front with me, we fought to get the anchor up. Man is Mom amazing! There she was up front in pounding waves, stinging rain and near gale force winds, assisting me with the anchor. Little by little we made progress. Eventually it came free and we yanked it up and on board. With the anchor up, we headed back in the direction we had come. It was nail biting stuff as the tide had gone out and we were, at times, in 1.2 meters of water. With a 1 meter draft, we were cutting it fine and at times I felt Shayile scrape through the mud, giving her best effort to get us out of the bay! Finally the depth gauge went from 1.3 meters to 1.5, to 2 meters and slowly we got into deeper, safer water.

Mom and B sopping wet after the anchor saga!

With cruising conditions not up for it, we made a unilateral decision to get out of Pang-Nga Bay and head back to Yacht Haven. It was not Thailand cruising as it should be and conditions called for Terra Firma. Poor Ann was feeling the effects of the movement of Shayile! We motored on back to Yacht Haven and got there at about 8pm that evening.

Overland trip to Krabi

News plans were kicked into life. We decided that plan B would involve hiring a car and traveling overland around the northern part of Pang-Nga Bay, heading down to Krabi which is on mainland Thailand. (Remembering Phuket is an island, which is joined to the mainland by a bridge)

Simon was not staying too far from us and he too needed to see a bit more of Thailand. A lot more than just beaches, bars and Thai women! He asked if he could join us along with Ta, his traveling Thai lady companion. She was known to us as Simons Tour Guide! This gives raise to an interesting discussion; the Thai prostitution industry. First up, this “industry” is not targeted purely at the foreign tourist. Quite the opposite with Thai men, on average, making use of the services offered sometimes twice a month and the industry as a whole catering for some 70% local men! Foreigners have easy access to this industry and we had yet to see depressed looking tourists in Thailand! But interestingly enough, an extension of bar girl prostitution is the Thai escort. These girls offer an “extended” service and will accompany their client for anything from 1 day to months at time! These girls will move in with a tourist and cater for their every need which includes interpreter, tour guide, friend and prostitute for the duration of the services required. This industry has developed into a “niche” business in Thailand and one that thrives. Everywhere one goes in Phuket, you will see the practice: Thai girls accompanying foreigners everywhere. I’m not saying that some are not genuine cases of relationships in the making, but many of these Thai girls are traveling companions, making good money and keeping a tourist very happy!

Simon and Ta with Dan and Jens

Ta was just one girl. Simon had an attractive traveling companion and friend. We all enjoyed her company and she had a great time whilst with us. It must  remembered that these girls usually do not have a lot of money and spending a week or 2 with a tourist, is a paid holiday at a resort or destination they would not normally be able to afford.

Ta had a fantastic time with us, and Simon spoilt her!    

So with Simon and Ta on board, we all jumped in the hired combi and set off for Krabi, a town on the Thailand West coast, just across Pananga Bay from Phuket. It took us about 3 hours to get to Krabi and, again, we all chatted and caught up on news and events from home. My mom immediately took to Simon and his life stories. His catamaran’s name is Karisma and charisma is something that Simon has a lot of! Mom and Anne, besides the holiday, were certainly on an educational trip with Simon around! It was great and we all got along great. Even Ta, who could not speak English that well, was part of the team.

We arrived in the beach side town of Ao Nang and booked ourselves into the Krabi Beach Resort. Our bungalows were great and soon we were on the beach and exploring the area. That night we went out and ate at one of the many Thai restaurants that lined the beach.

Next morn mom and Ann had a Thai massage and they loved it! We shopped and walked the area taking in the Thai culture and way of life. Ann did some serious bargaining with the shop keepers and came away with many presents and curios to show for it.

B and I also had our first Thai massage, relaxing and de-stressing as our muscles were unknotted and our bones clicked into place! It reminded me that I had to do this more often. Thai massages are everywhere! On the beaches, down every second street and behind restaurants and shops. They are very extremely popular and very cheap. A 2 hour massage costs some 300 Baht (R60)

After 3 nights and 4 days in Ao Nang, it was time to head back to Phuket. Besides taking a few wrong roads, we eventually got back to Phuket. We headed down to Bang Tao and dropped Ta off at the restaurant where she worked. We dropped Simon off in Phuket Town and we headed back to Shayile. A great road trip was had by all.

Back in Yacht Haven

Over the next few days, we got back into the Phuket sight seeing mood. As the weather was unfriendly to say the least, we spent a lot of time touring the island and eating at restaurants. We visited Phromthep Cape, and watched the most wonderful sunset. We visited the Ao Chalong Wat, a wonderful Buddhist temple complex well worth seeing. We visited the Shell museum and even the orchid nursery where Ann bought Piet a few orchids which are in a sealed glass container, ready for transporting anywhere in the world. Just break them open and plant your orchid! Piet had told Ann not to return home without orchids!!

Every day mom and I caught up on ALL the news from home, friends and family. I wanted to hear it all! It was fantastic having her about for our daily chats.

However soon it was departure date and time for mom and Ann to head back to S.A.

2 weeks had flown by all too quickly. Bags were packed with more things that arrived and soon they were lined up alongside Shayile on the walk on in Yacht Haven. We had not done very much cruising at all but it did not matter one bit. The weather was awful for most of the time mom and Ann was with us. Besides that, cruising was not mom’s primary reason to be in Thailand. It was about spending time with us and the kids. The “traveling gigglies” had really had a wonderful time in Thailand, seeing and experiencing a whole new culture and way of life. Saying goodbye to loved ones is never easy. With hugs and kisses, we said our goodbyes and mom and Ann set off though the departure gates at Phuket International Airport on their way back to Durban. The good news for mom and Ann was the seat upgrade they were given in Khula Lumpur for their trip to SA. They were both upgraded to business class and enjoyed all the luxuries of Air Malaysia’s business class trip back to S.A. Their “traveling giggly” label may have given them the ultimate ticket; a comfortable trip home after a great time in Thailand!

With mom and Ann on their way back to S.A., we headed back to Yacht Haven, ready to plan our next few weeks.

B: Trudy and Anne were such good sports plus they hardly ever needed any food. It was my best holiday ever. It was great to just relax and chat although we spent far too many hours in the car but at least we could all chat away. Anne is an excellent traveler and taster of all things local and she quickly saw how wonderful the Buddhist lifestyle is and how relaxed you feel in a low crime country. She’s dying to bring Piet, her husband, back here but as long as he gets a good map and doesn’t need a tour guide. As a grade 3 teacher it was wonderful to have Anne assess how Dan and Jens are doing academically and she passed them both to their next standard. I was thrilled to get all the books and worksheets that she brought to assess if Dan had covered everything. Thank you Anne, we look forward to your next visit.

My mother-in-law is absolutely awesome, she just turned 70 and not only did she help pull up the anchor in 35 knots of wind and driving rain but she laughed the whole time she was doing it! She is so full of energy and fun and managed to give us all our yearly quota of love and hugs while she was here. I was really sad for Daniel and Jenna when their Dinny left. They love her lots and were tearful to see her go. But at least I don’t have to watch her skip and jump down onto the dingy like a spring chicken with the balance of a mountain goat. We are all holding thumbs that she will talk Neville into a return trip, maybe to Malaysia which has better birding opportunities. If he won’t come, we do have a spare cabin which you can move into……..!!

With mom and Anne jetting off to S.Africa, we went ahead with our plans for our trip to Malaysia.

October 2006

The trip to Malaysia

Over Christmas and New Year, Gregg and Cheryl Petzer and their children Luke and Tanna are going to stay with us. Daniel and Luke are best of buddies and both were looking forward to the holiday together. However we needed to organize visas again, which would see us through to mid January 2007. Unfortunately the Thai government had changed the visa regulations and we could only stay in Thailand for 3 months every 6 months. We needed to get a proper 2 month tourist visa outside of Thailand. The plan was to sail down to Malaysia and stay in Langkawi, an island just off mainland Malaysia. We would get visas in Malaysia and then return to Phuket in time to have our next guests on board. Dave and Stephanie, friends from Durban, were going to join us in Thailand for 10 days.

We got ourselves together, checked out of Thailand and left for Malaysia. Langkawi is about 160 miles down the coast and the sailing on this part of the coastline is some of the best cruising grounds in the world with many beautiful islands and places to visit. Our plan was to island hop down the coast, visiting a few places on the way. First stop was Phi Phi Don Island.

Sails up and off we went. Not 10 miles out of Phuket we tangled with a huge squall. With blinding rain and visibility down to 150 meters, we battled on. With the radar not very effective in these weather conditions, I needed to be vigilant for fishing boats and islands!

Slowly the squall passed over us, leaving us soaked but with full water tanks. Within 5 hours we motored into the anchorage at Phi Phi Don.

Phi Phi is reputed to be the most beautiful island in the world. I certainly agree with this; maybe 15 years back. It is now a thriving tourist destination and a “must see” in Thailand. Unfortunately with this come all the tourist traps associated with these popular destinations. The anchorage is full of long tail boats, ferries, speed boats, dive boats and yachts. On land it is a town of restaurants, bars, accommodation and night life. Really an amazing place but perhaps its title as the most beautiful island in the world has slipped a few notches. Unfortunately Phi Phi was devastated by the tsunami in 2005 and is still rebuilding itself, with no planning, the infrastructure required to support the thousands of tourists that flock there each week. Nearby is island of Phi Phi Lay scene of the hit movie “The Beach” starring Leonardo De Caprio.

We dropped anchor and I went ashore to buy some dinner. We were all quite tired and within an hour I was back on Shayile with Thai take away dinner for as all. The anchorage was very rolly and uncomfortable that night. It can only be seen as a short pop in visit and we had no intentions, just yet, of hanging around Phi Phi.

Next morning we upped anchor and sailed south. Next stop was the islands of Rok Nok, about 30 miles down the coast. Rok Nok is made up of 2 islands with a narrow channel of about 50 meters wide separating them. We entered the narrow channel from the north and slowly made our way out the other side and into a sheltered bay. Here we picked up an anchor buoy just off the Eastern Island and settled in for the afternoon. A quick exploration of the islands and a much deserved snorkel trip was had that afternoon. We realized we had not done any snorkeling since Chagos and it was great to be back in the water. Only thing was we were disappointed with what we saw. Perhaps our expectations and memories of Chagos affected our judgment, but, none the less, it was not the most exciting dive. (Later we were to discover that there were better spots to snorkel)

We got back onto Shayile to find that we had been eaten by Sand Flies AGAIN! We were mad. Besides the fact that the islands had a lot of rubbish and bits and pieces lying around, it also had o-see-ems! On went the lotions and that night the scratching started once again.

Early next morning we were out of there not very impressed by Rok Nok, although it is labeled as a premier dive destination spot. We hoped our next visit would be more successful.

The next leg was down to Ko Tarantao. This is a large island just north of Langkawi and very scenic. We sailed down the eastern side, weaving our way between the many islands. The scenery was stunning with natural vegetation surrounding us and no signs of any human habitation. We found ourselves a cozy bay and anchored up for the night. This was the first anchorage all alone, by ourselves, in the wilderness. No other yachts or any villages around. We could make out the lights of the many fishing boats scattered around the bay but still we were alone once again! B and I poured ourselves a few sundowners and the kids settled in with a DVD. Relaxing and catching up on events, B and I chatted on well into the night.

Into Langkawi, Malaysia

Next day we sailed the last 15 miles or so to Langkawi. Langkawi is an island, slightly smaller than Phuket, situated just off the Thailand Malaysian border. It is a duty free island and is known for its cheap booze and electronic equipment. I was in the market for a new computer and needed to check them out.

Talaga Marina was our first port of call in Langkawi. We motored into the anchorage and dropped anchor. Looking around we identified a few familiar faces. A number of yachts from Chagos were in Talaga. Anchored not too far from us was the catamaran Katrina. I had followed Don and Jean Pickers, a South African couple, on their sailing adventures. They wrote regular articles in the SA Sailing magazine and I was very inspired by their adventures and escapades whilst sailing from SA to Thailand. They now do freelance charter work in Malaysia and Thailand on board their catamaran.

We checked in at Telaga, which was great! Like Thailand it was very organized and all a one stop shop! We had no intentions of staying in Langkawi for to long as we needed to get our visas and head back to Thailand. 6 days or so was all we had. The Thailand visas were only obtainable from Penang, an island some 40 miles down the coast and Malaysia’s second biggest port and commercial hub. We decided to leave Shayile at Talaga and catch the ferry down to Penang.

Everything was organized and within 2 days we were at the harbour in Kuah, catching a high speed ferry down to Penang. As we were about to board, we bumped into Jim and Lindy. Lindy was on her way to Penang as well where she was going to catch a connecting flight back to Australia for a few weeks. B and Lindy got chatting and did not stop until we reached Penang!

Penang trip

We arrived in Georgetown, the city on Penang and caught a taxi to our hotel. With every hotel experience, we get very excited about the bed, the bath and the comforts of hotel amenities. Well, true to form, we got the “Murphy” room. No hot water and no air conditioner. (Believe me; you need it in this place!!)

That evening Lindy took us all out to her and Jim’s favorite Georgetown restaurant. What an experience and one I will remember for years. The restaurant itself was Chinese and it can only be described as rustic. At the entrance, (there are no doors) is a huge tree growing up through the roof. The cooking area is at the front door with chefs hard at work at these enormous woks. One chef in particular was unbelievable and we all took turns in watching him cooking. With 3 woks on the go at one time, he cleaned, cooked, tossed the food about, added ingredients and concocted some unbelievable dishes. At the tables, it was basic layout. Plastic chairs with round tables and no table cloths. Within minutes we had ordered our food and drinks and within 10 minutes, the whole lot had arrived! Lindy pulled out a flask of wine and we all settled into a great meal, laughing away at the venue and experiences going on around us. Next day I shot out to the Thailand embassy and did the necessary. We could only pick up the visas next afternoon, so we had a bit of time to look around and shop in Penang.

I needed a new lap top and, as the prices were extremely good, I dually purchased a new Toshiba 80 Gig Lap top complete with cam camera! Skype was next on the agenda! Daniel and Jenna could now use my old lap top for their own use. Theirs has since died!

We also scouted around the many shopping centers for other bits and pieces we needed, amongst them a Game Boy for Daniel. He’s absolutely smitten with computers and anything electronic. Sadly most activities are directed at games and not programming software! Maybe later.

We spent 2 days in Georgetown, whilst we waited for the visas to come through and complete our sightseeing. With the visa in hand, we spent one last night in a rather tatty little hotel. That same evening, was the Hindu religious celebrations of Dheepavali and with a large Hindu following in Penang, festivities were at a high. We caught a taxi into the Hindu section of Georgetown and joined in the celebrations. There were thousands of people milling around, singing, eating and taking in the festivities. It was truly special and after a meal of chicken rotti and cooldrinks, we slowly walked back to our hotel.

Next morning we made our way down to the ferry terminal and caught the express ferry back to Langkawi. At a speed of 35 knots, it certainly made water travel a whole lot faster than the 5 knots we were used to on Shayile!

Back in Langkawi, we hired a car and drove back to Shayile. She was well, all tied up on the walk-on at Talaga. That afternoon, we left the walk-on and went out to the anchorage. Unfortunately it does get a bit pricy in Marinas and anchoring off is free. No contest!

Just above Talaga are some very impressive mountains. Tucked into these mountains and making their way down to the sea are some interesting rivers. An attraction is a place called Seven Wells where there are a number of rapids and slides where one can enjoy a day of swimming and wearing out pants! We walked up to the site and spent most of the day swimming and sliding down the rock slides and rapids. Daniel and Jenna were in their element and did not stop all day. Up and down they went, showing off when ever possible, but thrilled to experience the rides! We also visited a huge waterfall just below the slides before heading on down to the restaurants and souvenir shops at the bottom. Over a quick lunch we watched monkeys stealing coconuts and then sitting in the trees eating them and throwing the husks down on unsuspecting patrons!

Back to Shayile!

Rebak Marina

With a few days left in Langkawi before heading back to Phuket for Dave and Stephanie, we decided to head across to the marina at Rebak, about 6 miles away. Rebak Marina Resort was demolished during the tsunami and had only recently been completed. They were running a special for yachts as they wanted to encourage yachties back to their facilities. We took up the offer and headed across the bay and down to Rebak.

Rebak Marina is situated on an island, off the island of Langkawi. It has a very impressive resort overlooking both the marina and the sea. There are haul out facilities and work can be carried out on yachts. Unfortunately it is not that easy to get into town to buy spares etc and hence, has not really taken off as a marina where yacht maintenance can be carried out easily. Everything has to be ferried across and for this reason it is more popular as a yacht storage facility for long term storage of ones yacht.

The entrance is very narrow, but once inside it is very impressive indeed. We entered Rebak and there laid out in front of us was one of the most impressive marinas I have seen with facilities on the walk-on for some 200 yachts! Unfortunately there were only about 10 yachts there. We motored in and recognized Jim on Moonlighter. He had come in a day or 2 earlier and would remain here whilst Lindy was in Australia. Anchored not too far off was Odyssey with Barry, Estelle and son Ryan on board. We had met them in Nosy Be, Madagascar and had now caught up with them. It was great to see them again and catch up on their travels and adventures.

We settled into Rebak quite easily. At the resort was a great pool for the kids. Off the pool was a great swimming beach. There were bicycles to rent and great walks to go on. We could relax and enjoy the stay! With this in mind, I got hold of Dave, who was due in Phuket in 10 days time and persuaded him to try change his ticket and fly into Langkawi. We would then be able to sail up to Phuket, enjoying the many islands on the way up. He said he would do his best, so we sat tight and relaxed at Rebak, waiting for his reply.

Soon he emailed us to say not possible and that they would be flying into Phuket.

With that we said our goodbyes to all at Rebak and headed back to Talaga for the night.

Next morning we were planning to head back to Phuket. That afternoon, I did a quick email download and discovered an email from Dave explaining that there had been a change of travel plans. They could now fly into Langkawi! I responded with meeting arrangements and our new plans. B and I were stoked as we could now relax in Langkawi for another 10 days or so and, better still, Dave and Stephanie could spend 12 days cruising the islands between Langkawi and Phuket. With that we upped anchor and headed back to Rebak.

Everyone was surprised to see us back so quickly, as we took up our old residence and settled into the life at Rebak!

Whilst waiting for Dave and Stephanie, we chilled out! I did a few maintenance tasks on Shayile, but mostly relaxed. Daniel and Jena found themselves new mates to play with and we hardly saw them most days. They hired bikes and headed off, playing around the resort with their new mates. B and I spent time with the other yachties, especially Ryan and Jim. Often we would have sundowners on Shayile which stretched on well into the night, with B cooking up pasta for everyone! We got to enjoy Rebak and the facilities it had to offer.

Barry, who had spent quite a bit of time at Rebak, was doing work on yachts on the hard. There were a few yachts for sale that had been tsunami damaged or just “forgotten”. One was a Sparkman and Stephens 40 foot Sloop. It needed a lot of work but was going for some R50 000 but we could have negotiated a price of some R35 000.

The possibility of buying it, fixing it up and selling it for a profit was a good one. Barry was excellent with yachts having built Oddesy from scratch. Unfortunately over the weeks we had difficulty in contacting the lawyer in charge of the sale and the opportunity faded away.