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!