1st March - Chalong - Nai Harn

Saturday 1^st March

Last sight of Big Buddha

Yesterday was our checkout day in Chalong.  As always, in Thailand, it took hours.  Literally HOURS, with three different desks, three different slightly grumpy officials wanting copies of: both of our passports, boat registration, in and out documents and a whole lot of other crapola. 

I was very taken with this little shrine when we walked around the back streets near the pier.

Oh dear photo was a dud...never mind, you will have to imagine it!

There are shrines of this ilk everywhere; usually I don’t really notice them any more.  But this one was so nice, with its elephant, its bottled water, its little pink plastic people.

Pete made a major investment.  Or rather, another one, after all of the fees which had to go to Customs, Immigration, Harbour Master.  What did we buy??  A new purple paddle, to replace the lost oar.

Pete seriously negotiating The Price

The night before we left Panwa Beach we went in to shore – carefully, gingerly – to find some food.  And there was Jerry, one lone Thylacine.  The other Thylacine, Suzanne, had stayed on board, so he came with us to have BBQed seafood on the beach.  They were at Nai Harn beach for four weeks in total.  

He said, Well have you found anywhere better??

Actually no…

And it was particularly pretty, embellished with three little colourful fishing boats.

And even better – a boatbird!!*

And a great boatname

Summersalt

We always look at boat names, sometimes with incredulity.  Earthy??? Really – a BOAT named Earthy??  And why would a nice little yacht be named…Three Ships?  Just a bit confusing…

Pete, Zedenka, Jack, bar owner

Last night we had a drink at Pier 93, which very kindly provides the dinghy dock which makes it possible for us to get to shore without mishap.  The owner, a young French bloke, told us that they only run the business between December and April.  The dock is dismantled and the bar closed during cyclone months.  It must all be very quiet at Nai Harn; completely different!

We had dinner at YaYa’s, near the beach – cheap and cheerful – with Zedenka and Jack, from SV Kite (Maine, USA).   They had been on the Indonesian Rally as well but we hadn’t actually seen them since Darwin.  Very good to catch up on more sailing stories.

At 8am we are leaving Nai Harn and heading south, towards Langkawi (Malaysia.)  Our Thai visas have run out.  It will probably take us quite a few days to make our way through the islands and I have no idea whether we will be able to get internet connection or not but…I will try!

* Pete Attenborough Headlam espied this bird flying over the bay, and noticed that it didn’t; come out the other side of the bat so…it had to be ON the boat!

28th February - Panwa Beach (Ao Chalong)

Friday 28^th February

Sharp and pointy rocks on Panwa Beach - my nemesis!

Yesterday was very frustrating.  I managed to get money from the ATM, and a phone card for Pete’s phone, but most of the time it was like one of those dreams where everything is just slightly awry… For example, I wanted to go to Cobra Sports Shop*, which I had been told was about 4km down the road.  On every corner of the busy main street of Chalong there was a taxi stand…which looked like this…

Empty of people!  Empty of taxis, tuktuks, motorbikes...

So I started walking.   A young woman pulled up on her little motorbike and offered me a ride (50 baht.)  I explained that I was looking for a shop, not far away, and opposite the Chalong gym.  Ah yes! She said, with a glad cry, and proceeded to ride…up over the hill to Kata Beach!  I patted her on the shoulder and said, NO, I DON’T want to go to Kata Beach, thank you!  She paid no attention at all and ten minutes later deposited me at a massage parlour, saying, Here is shop, ma’am.  Oh goody. 

Panwa Beach with the tide in...looks much more inviting!

I walked around in a big loop, looking for a camera shop where someone could look at, and possibly revive, my little drowned Nokia.  When I found myself repeating the loop, it was time to go… Into a tuktuk, back to Chalong.  I had a fortifying entrée dish of pad Thai and a large glass of watermelon juice, then made my way along to the pier.  I couldn’t face another long hot wait at an empty taxi stand…and I knew that at the Panwa Beach end of the equation I would have to wait for 5.30, for the tide to come in, so that Pete could come to shore in the dinghy.  I did NOT want to face those fearsome rocks again!

Brainwave – hire a longtail!

My gondolier was a kindly man of few words.  I handed him a card with a photo of 2XS, negotiated a price which made him very happy, and off we went.  Oh bliss to be back on 2XS!

No it’s not Rose’s birthday…she only gets a birthday every four years – a paradox, a paradox, a most ingenious paradox…

But I will be thinking of her all day on the day before and the day after 29^th February.  Rose is two now, and a most excellent, fascinating toddler.  She is a blithe spirit, still totally full of fun and confidence and of her wonderful place in the world and she brings fun, laughter and an element of danger* everywhere she goes.

* In search of an inflatable kayak...mission so far unsuccessful

** danger because – she is intrepid and fearless and has to be watched with eagle eyes!!

27th February - Panwa Beach (Ao Chalong) - coral wounds

Thursday 27^th February

Slightly enhanced but...stunning!

It is pretty here, in this little bay off Ao Chalong.  Panwa Beach might look nice…at high tide… But at low tide it is lethal.  We formed a plan for me to go in, with Pete driving the dinghy in close, and me wading jauntily in the shallows, so that I could find an ATM and a phone top up place.  Bad plan…what could possibly go wrong?  Well what went wrong was I jammed a foot between some coral outcrops and fell in the water…with BOTH of my phones…

Pete with his delicious carrot juice at Koh Yai Yao

My iPhone – precious and dear to my heart – is fine, but my little blue Nokia is deadibones.  I am in Chalong right now, sipping restorative coffee in a nice little café and trying to find a place to get it fixed.  So far I have been told to go:

up the street 200 meres 

down the street 150 metres

up the same street 100 metres

and so on…

Which is why I am sitting in a nice cool café sipping coffee…

Fishing boat #1

As for my own wounds…well my left knee is a sorry sight, and I have quite a few other scrapes.  Coral wounds are nasty; so far all is well.  I had a shower immediately, with lots of soapy water, and then Pete washed my wounds with diluted Dettol.

Fishing boat #2

More re all of this anon!!

26th February - Koh Yao Yai to Ao Chalong (internet connection still weak...)

Wednesday 26^th February

Koh Yao Yai is a predominantly Muslim island.  Our anchorage last night was near a large jetty, obviously used to transport workers from the island to various resorts hither and yon. 

We went in to shore to have a look, hoping to find a shop where we could top up our phone credit.  The nearest shop, according to a slightly obscure map near the ferry terminal, seemed to be about fifteen kilometres away so…we just wandered along the beach a bit.  It was all very low-key, low budget – a complete contrast to Santhiya, the fabulous resort just along the way.

After buying some barbequed chicken from a most delightful, smiling woman, we were back on 2XS in time to see….sunset!

We are now back under the watchful eye of the Big Buddha, in a little bay off the big bay, Ao Chalong.  We are in time to check out of Thailand, at the office on the long pier, in the next day or two – all on track, thus far…

Last time we were here Pete was so sick he could barely lift his head; this time he is just fine, thank heavens.