In 2008 we will go from here to Vancouver via Langkawi, Singapore, Borneo,
Philippines, Tawian, Japan and Alaska. Aboard now is Scott Piper, Mark
Jones(Capt), Jeff ( mate & engineer) and Tip (advice giver). We have gone
north to Phangnga Bay. I was here in '99 with Gill and the Nances. With the
aid of my old log book and charts we are revisiting the best of the area. We
left the southern tip of Phuket at dawn and beat north into 25kts of
headwind--not fun.
By early morning we were reaching at 10 kts; the high
spires of the islands filling the horizon ahead. These are limestone
monuments that rise 1000 ft or more, often perfect phallic replicas. At Ko
Phrank we sailed under the 385 meter high cliffs and noted a cave entrance
that I had not found in '99. By dingy we entered the cave and soon all
outside light was gone. Canoes from a tour boat paddled by us. Their
flashlights showed us the way as well as the bat colony overhead. We finally
saw sun light from an exit 100 meters ahead. This exit gave us only a few
inches of clearance so we layed on the floor of the dingy as we entered into
an open-top sea chamber, a lagoon surrounded by 1000 ft cliffs of vines and
ferns. A true lost world. Our exploration was short as the tide was rising
and the exit was getting smaller by the minute. Back on the boat we anchored
here for the night. Eagles screamed and wealed in the heights at sunset and
dawn. Truly a great start to our trip back to America.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Jeff's Log ~ Sunday, March 16, 2008 8 11.470N 98 29.197E Panach Bay, Thailand.
This morning, we loaded the dink onto Pipe Dream and left Naihearn Beach. We had to use the engine until we were well east of Phuket Harbor. Then we turned more north and set the sails. I had almost forgotten how good that feels on this boat. Pipe Dream performed beautifully and sailed very fast. We are now anchored in the lee of Ko Pranark which is a limestone island that is 345meters tall. There are caves and passages through caves into very lush jungle type areas where the center of the island has collapsed. I took the dingy into one of those, but I was a little late and the tide was rising quickly. I made it through the cave, and had to push down to get into the center area. There was another small arch of limestone before I got into the real lush area, but I could not take the chance of getting stuck inside, so I stopped and turned around, and went back out the way I came. There were bats in the darkest area of the cave. It was pitch black, and with a light you could see them. They were chattering and some were flying about, and you could definitely smell them.
It is nice having Scott back on board and be sailing again. The girl from Coconut bar that has been cleaning the inside can also cook quite well, and Mark and I thought that a home cooked Thai dinner would be kind of cool for Scott to arrive to. He enjoyed her cooking so much that he asked her to accompany us while we are still in Thai waters to cook and clean. Tip is thrilled to be along, and never stops smiling. She will not sit down to eat with us though. She says “I am working” and never stops until the last crumb is cleaned from everything, dishes, table, stove, and floor. She feeds all of the natural food waste to the crabs, and even makes sure that everything is cut into fish bite size pieces. We are all enjoying the home cooking, and she makes enough to feed a small army. Tonight, I convinced her that soup and two entrees was plenty, and not to make the third. She was happy about being finished early, and went outside to talk on the phone. Thai people are usually happy, as I am sure Clara can attest to.
Scott is very happy with the boat it seems, and has let a few compliments slip out. He is not happy with the paperwork, but it is what it is. Paperwork and I just don’t quite see eye to eye. He hasn’t fired me yet, so I guess it is not that bad.
The scenery here is breathtaking. There are thousands of islands rising from the sea as far as the eye can see. Most are on the small side, but very tall with sheer limestone faces and stalagmites near the water When the sun was setting, the cliffs became very colorful. We saw three eagles soaring above the island as the sun was setting, and we could hear their cries. That was quite cool. After the moon came up, things became very surreal, and I really did thank God that I am able to be here and see this.
It is nice having Scott back on board and be sailing again. The girl from Coconut bar that has been cleaning the inside can also cook quite well, and Mark and I thought that a home cooked Thai dinner would be kind of cool for Scott to arrive to. He enjoyed her cooking so much that he asked her to accompany us while we are still in Thai waters to cook and clean. Tip is thrilled to be along, and never stops smiling. She will not sit down to eat with us though. She says “I am working” and never stops until the last crumb is cleaned from everything, dishes, table, stove, and floor. She feeds all of the natural food waste to the crabs, and even makes sure that everything is cut into fish bite size pieces. We are all enjoying the home cooking, and she makes enough to feed a small army. Tonight, I convinced her that soup and two entrees was plenty, and not to make the third. She was happy about being finished early, and went outside to talk on the phone. Thai people are usually happy, as I am sure Clara can attest to.
Scott is very happy with the boat it seems, and has let a few compliments slip out. He is not happy with the paperwork, but it is what it is. Paperwork and I just don’t quite see eye to eye. He hasn’t fired me yet, so I guess it is not that bad.
The scenery here is breathtaking. There are thousands of islands rising from the sea as far as the eye can see. Most are on the small side, but very tall with sheer limestone faces and stalagmites near the water When the sun was setting, the cliffs became very colorful. We saw three eagles soaring above the island as the sun was setting, and we could hear their cries. That was quite cool. After the moon came up, things became very surreal, and I really did thank God that I am able to be here and see this.
Jeff's Log ~ Friday, March 13, 2008 Back at Naihearn Beach. YEAAAA!
We are free again. Yesterday we left boat lagoon on the high tide and motored back to Naihearn. Keith and his girlfriend Yung came along with Mark and I, just in case there was some breeze to sail on. Unfortunately, when there was breeze, it was right on the nose. We arrived at the anchorage at about 4:30 and set the hook with no trouble. I went for a massage because my hamstrings were so tight they were pulling my back out of whack. I guess that all of the week’s stress ended up there. Big Tip the masseuse worked on just my legs for over an hour before she finally got things untied. I sure did feel much better after that.
Jo, an Australian girl who manages a detail co. took the floor boards for varnish on Saturday afternoon and brought them back finished before we left on Thursday. She kept apologizing for a poor job, but with only a very short time to deal with, I think that they look remarkable. They certainly are shiny and smooth. I did not give them enough time to make them perfect, as the decision to do them was made when the salon air conditioner broke. The gloss on them brightens up the inside of Pipe Dream very nicely.
Little Tip will be cleaning the inside again today to be sure everything is ready for Scott’s arrival at 3:00 on Saturday. Rick put the new stronger snaps on the dodger, and took one of the side curtains to finish repairs. We fit the new cockpit cushions, and he also took them back to his shop for some minor alterations. I gave the cushions a trial sit, and they are very comfortable. Mark finished the stanchions and reinstalled the life-lines. The surveyor e-mailed the boat’s survey to me, and there are just a few items that need to be addressed. I was very happy with that, as she is 13 years old. They did give my performance as a captain-engineer good marks, and that makes all of the hard work worthwhile. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy too.
On Tuesday, I flew to Bangkok to pick up my new passport. This time I flew into the new airport. The place is huge, and quite a piece of architecture. I was lucky, and got a taxi driver that spoke some English. He took me right to the proper entrance, and assisted me with quick access so I did not have to wait in a very long line. He waited for me and I took him to lunch. We went to a gourmet Thai restaurant in the business district. The owner of the restaurant used to cook for the King, so you can just imagine how good the food was. I know I talk about food a lot, but I like to eat, and appreciate good food. The menu had no English, and I asked him to order his three favorites so we could share. We had some slightly spicy fried prawns that he ate shell and all. I just ate a small piece of the shell for the flavor. I am not quite hardy enough to eat the whole thing. They were great though. We also had large chunks of fish that was lightly seared, and then cooked wrapped up in some kind of leaves and baked in the oven. My mouth still waters thinking about that dish! We also had a spicy Tom Yam which is a seafood soup. After all of that, I just could not leave without having dessert. He chose again, and it was very pretty when it got to the table. There was a large ball of shaved ice surrounded by creamy white coconut milk with chunks of fresh coconut, watermelon and mango. Time was running short, so we removed most of the ice, and I thoroughly enjoyed it without the ice.
It was then time to return to the airport and come back to the boat. The spinach pie lunch on the airplane was rather anticlimactic after the lunch I had. I got back to the boat, and we cleaned the bilges and called it quits for the day.
Jo, an Australian girl who manages a detail co. took the floor boards for varnish on Saturday afternoon and brought them back finished before we left on Thursday. She kept apologizing for a poor job, but with only a very short time to deal with, I think that they look remarkable. They certainly are shiny and smooth. I did not give them enough time to make them perfect, as the decision to do them was made when the salon air conditioner broke. The gloss on them brightens up the inside of Pipe Dream very nicely.
Little Tip will be cleaning the inside again today to be sure everything is ready for Scott’s arrival at 3:00 on Saturday. Rick put the new stronger snaps on the dodger, and took one of the side curtains to finish repairs. We fit the new cockpit cushions, and he also took them back to his shop for some minor alterations. I gave the cushions a trial sit, and they are very comfortable. Mark finished the stanchions and reinstalled the life-lines. The surveyor e-mailed the boat’s survey to me, and there are just a few items that need to be addressed. I was very happy with that, as she is 13 years old. They did give my performance as a captain-engineer good marks, and that makes all of the hard work worthwhile. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy too.
On Tuesday, I flew to Bangkok to pick up my new passport. This time I flew into the new airport. The place is huge, and quite a piece of architecture. I was lucky, and got a taxi driver that spoke some English. He took me right to the proper entrance, and assisted me with quick access so I did not have to wait in a very long line. He waited for me and I took him to lunch. We went to a gourmet Thai restaurant in the business district. The owner of the restaurant used to cook for the King, so you can just imagine how good the food was. I know I talk about food a lot, but I like to eat, and appreciate good food. The menu had no English, and I asked him to order his three favorites so we could share. We had some slightly spicy fried prawns that he ate shell and all. I just ate a small piece of the shell for the flavor. I am not quite hardy enough to eat the whole thing. They were great though. We also had large chunks of fish that was lightly seared, and then cooked wrapped up in some kind of leaves and baked in the oven. My mouth still waters thinking about that dish! We also had a spicy Tom Yam which is a seafood soup. After all of that, I just could not leave without having dessert. He chose again, and it was very pretty when it got to the table. There was a large ball of shaved ice surrounded by creamy white coconut milk with chunks of fresh coconut, watermelon and mango. Time was running short, so we removed most of the ice, and I thoroughly enjoyed it without the ice.
It was then time to return to the airport and come back to the boat. The spinach pie lunch on the airplane was rather anticlimactic after the lunch I had. I got back to the boat, and we cleaned the bilges and called it quits for the day.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Jeff's Log ~ Sunday, March 9,2008
Still on the t-head of A dock.
Pipe Dream reminded me that she is still a boat. Things were progressing very nicely, and it was looking like a Monday departure, when the main salon air conditioner decided to send smoke signals. It turned out to be a previous wiring repair that went up in smoke, but the whole port side of the interior had to come apart to get the unit out so that repairs can be done. The a.c. company did not return on Saturday, so I figured that as long as the boat was torn up again, I would really tear it up good. I sent all of the salon floor boards out to get varnished. I thought I would be able to do them, but survey items and the air conditioning will take the remainder of time available.
Mark arrived from Miami last night, and his luggage arrived a few hours later. That was actually all right as it turned out, as we had a nice dinner at a Thai restaurant not fart from the airport. I don’t know what a couple of the dishes were called. I just pointed at pictures, because the menu had no English. The food was really good, and the main course was prawns served on some kale with a sweet sauce. The prawns were the size of my fist and perfectly cooked. I had avoided prawns until now, because they are fresh water creatures. These were farm raised though, and just as white as snow, and delicious.
After returning to the airport, we went to the boat and had to clear a bunk for Mark. We decided that the big front cabin would be easier to clear, so that’s what we did. If anyone saw this boat now, they would never believe that we are sailing in a week. It will be done though, I live for this kind of stress. Tearing a boat up and getting it fixed and back together on a time crunched schedule is exciting, and when done, there is a good feeling of accomplishment. Every now and then, though, things do not happen correctly, and then it bites me in the ass, but that is boating.
Today is my little sister Linda’s birthday. Happy birthday Lil Sister, and many many more!
`The stabilizing clamp that I designed for the backstay radar mount is completed, and made of stainless steel. Nop’s men did a good job on it and polished it so that it looks like chrome. I broke two of the clamping bolts in the trial fit because I did not lube the stainless threads, and they galled when I went to disassemble. Tomorrow I will get some new ones and acorn nuts to make it look nice.
Scott also authorized new LED running lights for the bow. I bought the best I could find. They are called Lopo Lights. They are made in Denmark and waterproof to 50 meters. The bow is under water a lot, but we will have to sink in order to exceed that. Tip the girl from the Coconut bar is returning today to help clean up some more, and polish the stainless once more before we go. She is a very hard worker, and takes extreme pride in her job. If she sees me cleaning anything, she stops me and says “my job”. That certainly makes my job a lot easier.
The cockpit cushions arrived just as I was leaving to meet Mark, and I have not unwrapped them. I specified two inch dense foam, placed in a flexible, sealed pvc envelope with the necessary venting, and grey sunbrella fabric covers. The old cushions were only 1 inch, and not water resistant at all. Whenever it rained, the cushions stayed wet for a day or two. I will unwrap them today to check the fit and make sure that they snap in place. Then I will wrap them back up again until the rest of the work is completed.
Rick is scheduled to be here this afternoon to complete the dodger and change the snaps to push dot snaps which hold more securely than the conventional snaps. Right now, I am trying to stay quiet so Mark can get his much needed sleep. I think I’ll go have a nice Sunday morning breakfast at the bakery.
Pipe Dream reminded me that she is still a boat. Things were progressing very nicely, and it was looking like a Monday departure, when the main salon air conditioner decided to send smoke signals. It turned out to be a previous wiring repair that went up in smoke, but the whole port side of the interior had to come apart to get the unit out so that repairs can be done. The a.c. company did not return on Saturday, so I figured that as long as the boat was torn up again, I would really tear it up good. I sent all of the salon floor boards out to get varnished. I thought I would be able to do them, but survey items and the air conditioning will take the remainder of time available.
Mark arrived from Miami last night, and his luggage arrived a few hours later. That was actually all right as it turned out, as we had a nice dinner at a Thai restaurant not fart from the airport. I don’t know what a couple of the dishes were called. I just pointed at pictures, because the menu had no English. The food was really good, and the main course was prawns served on some kale with a sweet sauce. The prawns were the size of my fist and perfectly cooked. I had avoided prawns until now, because they are fresh water creatures. These were farm raised though, and just as white as snow, and delicious.
After returning to the airport, we went to the boat and had to clear a bunk for Mark. We decided that the big front cabin would be easier to clear, so that’s what we did. If anyone saw this boat now, they would never believe that we are sailing in a week. It will be done though, I live for this kind of stress. Tearing a boat up and getting it fixed and back together on a time crunched schedule is exciting, and when done, there is a good feeling of accomplishment. Every now and then, though, things do not happen correctly, and then it bites me in the ass, but that is boating.
Today is my little sister Linda’s birthday. Happy birthday Lil Sister, and many many more!
`The stabilizing clamp that I designed for the backstay radar mount is completed, and made of stainless steel. Nop’s men did a good job on it and polished it so that it looks like chrome. I broke two of the clamping bolts in the trial fit because I did not lube the stainless threads, and they galled when I went to disassemble. Tomorrow I will get some new ones and acorn nuts to make it look nice.
Scott also authorized new LED running lights for the bow. I bought the best I could find. They are called Lopo Lights. They are made in Denmark and waterproof to 50 meters. The bow is under water a lot, but we will have to sink in order to exceed that. Tip the girl from the Coconut bar is returning today to help clean up some more, and polish the stainless once more before we go. She is a very hard worker, and takes extreme pride in her job. If she sees me cleaning anything, she stops me and says “my job”. That certainly makes my job a lot easier.
The cockpit cushions arrived just as I was leaving to meet Mark, and I have not unwrapped them. I specified two inch dense foam, placed in a flexible, sealed pvc envelope with the necessary venting, and grey sunbrella fabric covers. The old cushions were only 1 inch, and not water resistant at all. Whenever it rained, the cushions stayed wet for a day or two. I will unwrap them today to check the fit and make sure that they snap in place. Then I will wrap them back up again until the rest of the work is completed.
Rick is scheduled to be here this afternoon to complete the dodger and change the snaps to push dot snaps which hold more securely than the conventional snaps. Right now, I am trying to stay quiet so Mark can get his much needed sleep. I think I’ll go have a nice Sunday morning breakfast at the bakery.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Jeff's Log ~ Tuesday, March 4, 2008 Boat Lagoon Marina, slip #A2
I have a little catching up to do. I wrote a page and sent it, but the green little Martians intercepted it and will not release it. The boat is now on the t-head on A dock, where I will stay until we leave on the ninth for Nihearn again. I hired one of the girls from Coconut Bar to come and clean the inside of the boat. If I did that, the rest of my projects will go uncompleted. She is doing a better job than most detailing companies ever thought of, and the interior is looking great. I removed the bent lifeline stanchions and the top section of the steering pedestal for repairs. Nop is going to cut the bent bottoms off of the stanchions and will weld a new straight piece on.
The surveyor came and did the rigging inspection and the machinery, and added a few things to my list to be done. Just what I needed! Actually, I was happy to have a new set of eyes look things over, because I am not perfect, and sometimes, little things go unnoticed or ignored for a while. I would rather fix a small problem now, than have it become a disaster in the middle of the ocean. I completed drawing plans for the clamp that is needed to stabilize the backstay radar mount. I took them to Nop, the stainless guy, and discussed with his engineer. Language is a problem again, and it may take a couple more meetings before the desired results are made clear. I must say that the drawings did turn out nicely. I drew them at true size, so if need be I can cut them apart and have the separate pieces made and welded together. Hopefully, I will get the problem solved tomorrow when Nop and I meet.
I spoke with my good friend Jimmy on the phone, and he is healing nicely. The cast has been removed from his arm, and the doctor is going to release him in another three weeks for his internal injuries. His mood is very good, and he sounds well.
It rained a lot for a few days, and the whole marina just blew up in flowers. The bougainvilleas are incredible, as well as all of the hedges with red and white flowers. The white ones smell like Jasmine, and I love walking through and just taking nice deep breaths of the sweet scents. Tonight, I made the first box of Macaroni and cheese and enjoyed it immensely. It may sound crazy, but that is the one food item that I really get cravings for. Camille and Leslie picked out some nice cracker snacks for me and sent them with Clara along with a book that I’m sure I’ll enjoy. When I get home, I’ll have to give Camille a big hug and buy her a drink and send a hug home with her for Leslie.
The weather here just keeps getting warmer. I put up the new shade awning, and rigged the remains of the old one to cover the salon area. I then took the side curtains which are 70% shade, and put the two of them together to shade the sunny side as much as possible. It turned out ok, and only looks slightly like the Beverly Hillbillies. The air conditioning pumps do not like 50 cycle electricity, and keep dropping out due to heat build up. I have a new pump, but don’t want to sacrifice the time to change it out now. Maybe in a couple of days. The ac does work fine on the generator that is 60 cycles. I don’t want to burn fuel to stay cool at this point, unless it really becomes necessary.
The surveyor came and did the rigging inspection and the machinery, and added a few things to my list to be done. Just what I needed! Actually, I was happy to have a new set of eyes look things over, because I am not perfect, and sometimes, little things go unnoticed or ignored for a while. I would rather fix a small problem now, than have it become a disaster in the middle of the ocean. I completed drawing plans for the clamp that is needed to stabilize the backstay radar mount. I took them to Nop, the stainless guy, and discussed with his engineer. Language is a problem again, and it may take a couple more meetings before the desired results are made clear. I must say that the drawings did turn out nicely. I drew them at true size, so if need be I can cut them apart and have the separate pieces made and welded together. Hopefully, I will get the problem solved tomorrow when Nop and I meet.
I spoke with my good friend Jimmy on the phone, and he is healing nicely. The cast has been removed from his arm, and the doctor is going to release him in another three weeks for his internal injuries. His mood is very good, and he sounds well.
It rained a lot for a few days, and the whole marina just blew up in flowers. The bougainvilleas are incredible, as well as all of the hedges with red and white flowers. The white ones smell like Jasmine, and I love walking through and just taking nice deep breaths of the sweet scents. Tonight, I made the first box of Macaroni and cheese and enjoyed it immensely. It may sound crazy, but that is the one food item that I really get cravings for. Camille and Leslie picked out some nice cracker snacks for me and sent them with Clara along with a book that I’m sure I’ll enjoy. When I get home, I’ll have to give Camille a big hug and buy her a drink and send a hug home with her for Leslie.
The weather here just keeps getting warmer. I put up the new shade awning, and rigged the remains of the old one to cover the salon area. I then took the side curtains which are 70% shade, and put the two of them together to shade the sunny side as much as possible. It turned out ok, and only looks slightly like the Beverly Hillbillies. The air conditioning pumps do not like 50 cycle electricity, and keep dropping out due to heat build up. I have a new pump, but don’t want to sacrifice the time to change it out now. Maybe in a couple of days. The ac does work fine on the generator that is 60 cycles. I don’t want to burn fuel to stay cool at this point, unless it really becomes necessary.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Jeff's Log & Clara's Trip ~ Wednesday, February 27, 2008 (This is a long blog)
Well everyone, Clara has come and gone, and the time spent with her is priceless. Waiting for her at the airport was nerve wracking. The airport here is very secure. They won’t even let you in the building without a pass. Her flight arrived on time, but it was just about an hour later when I saw her face. I don’t really know what I did when I saw her, But she said I was Jumping and smiling. Can you believe that???
Things happened so quick after that, the time is sort of blurred in my mind. We had to stop at boat lagoon so that I could pick up clothes and stuff, and I think we went to coconut bar. I was just amazed that I finally could hug and kiss her that a lot of other stuff just kind of happened with me being oblivious. My friends had a dinner part her first night in town. We were able to spend a wonderful evening chatting and Clara finally met some of the people I’ve been telling her about.
Ood the owner of coconuts put us up in her bungalow for the length of Clara’s stay. Our room had a balcony with a table and chairs overlooking a large coy pond with a nice waterfall, and a large bathroom with a cold shower. The house was built with individual water heaters for every shower. The only problem with that is the amount of amperage needed to power the water heaters. As it turns out, we were only there for three nights, the first, second and the last, so cold showers was really no big deal, as all nights we were pretty exhausted .
Clara could not believe the traffic, and now I’m sure she understands why I don’t want to ride a motorbike. We drove all around the island on Thursday and saw some pretty sights. At the Kata beach overlook, I posed with a sea eagle and Clara could take my picture for a hundred baht. The bird was really pretty, but instead of clipping its wings, it looked like they just ripped the feathers out. We went to the light house up on the cape to watch the sun set. At the lighthouse there was a big Buddha shrine, and people have brought thousands of elephant statues and ringed the entire shrine with elephants. The lighthouse itself is a shrine, and has an elephant on each side. It is covered in gold leaf, and is the fanciest lighthouse that I have ever seen. There had to be two or three thousand people there that afternoon. It was an official Buddhist holiday, so a lot of people were off work. They came by the bus load. The sunset was rather plain, as the western sky was cloudy, so we left before the sun was down. We escaped the parking lot quickly, finished our tour, and headed home. We were going to stop for a drink, but there was no alcohol being sold because of Buddha holiday.
That night on the way to Ood’s bungalow, we stopped to get some take-out food. We went to a place that Tu, our driver, recommended. It was a little neighborhood Thai restaurant, and no one spoke even a hint of English. We ordered some food and sodas to go. I saw the waitress open the sodas, and went to stop her, but she ran in the back and came out with the sodas with ice in a plastic bag with a straw. I had seen that before, but didn’t realize what it was. Clara got a good laugh over that and took pictures of her bag-o-soda. We ended up trading dinners because her chicken was too spicy. That was in a plastic bag too, and rubber banded closed like a goldfish, air and all. The rice was wrapped in a piece of paper. The fried rice was in a Styrofoam container.
We went to Bangkok the third day she was here which was Friday. From the airport, we went straight to the American Embassy to renew my passport. At the American embassy, nobody that has initial contact with people speaks English. We were sent on a wild goose chase, until Clara saw a Gentleman who looked like he spoke English. His name was Philip if I remember correctly, and he escorted us to the proper place. The passport office was closing for lunch when we arrived, so he made a suggestion as to where to go for a bite to eat. I asked if he would accompany us for lunch and he agreed. We went across the busy street and had lunch at a rather classy fast food restaurant and he was very pleasant company. It turns out that he’s from Wisconsin (what are the odds) he and his wife have traveled all over the world for their respective jobs and he told us some great stories of where they have lived and the experiences they have had. After lunch we went to the passport office and took care of that. The 24 hour service is no more because of our wonderful homeland security, so in two weeks I have to fly back to pick up my passport. The airlines must be happy about that.
The rest of the time in Bangkok was a very wonderful vacation. Our room was on the 21st floor of a nice hotel, and the staff could not have been nicer. The pool was on the 14th floor, and there was a small bar there. Our second day Saturday in Bangkok, I slept in a bit, and Clara went for a walk and visited the pool. She made friends with the staff at the pool bar, and we were treated like royalty there from then on. There was a young man named Kai that watched over us and made sure we were comfortable. We even were served alcohol on Election Day, and plenty of peanuts too!
On Saturday afternoon, we took the el train to the MBK shopping mall which is very very large, and went to the sixth floor which is the souvenir floor and shopped a bit. It is like let’s make a deal, and I had a pretty good time trying to get extras thrown in. On the way home, we got off at the right stop, but missed a road that we were supposed to turn down, and ended up walking about sixty two miles to get back, and then took a cab the rest of the way. Just kidding about the sixty two miles, but it was a hike. We knew where we had to go, we just couldn’t get there.
While we were on our hike, there was a man who came up behind us and introduced himself. He was head of security at the US embassy, and wanted to say hello. We walked with him and chatted. Thai people are just so friendly, it’s incredible.
That night we went on a dinner cruise up the river on a large boat. It was really nice with a lot of sushi and sashimi, along with Thai and western food. It was good to have wasabi clear out my nasal passages. We met a couple from England in the minibus on the way to the boat. Ruth and Neal were a lot of fun, and we went out with them to the seedy side of town after the cruise. We fed an elephant and walked through the busiest sleaze district that I ever saw. The streets were lined with vendors, and we did get a few souvenirs.
On Sunday morning we took the Buddha and palace tour. We saw lots and lots of Buddha’s. One was solid gold and weighed 55 tons. One was 46 meters long and covered in gold leaf. Another one was made of solid jade and wore a winter coat. There were many others, and we got bits and pieces of a story that included demons and magic monkeys. Different strokes for different folks, I believe. I was amazed at the ridiculous amounts of money that is spent on Buddha, when the country is so poor. Anyone that knows Clara knows she HATES to walk barefoot… boy was she in for a surprise of a lifetime when just about everywhere we went she had to take off her shoes. I even took some pictures to prove that she did indeed go barefoot.
We spent the last day Monday in Bangkok relaxing at the pool with our friend Kai. He kept running to make sure we had everything that we needed. He does not walk any where. Always at a trot.
Another thing that got my attention was that the flights were an hour long, and we got meals going both ways. Every seat had a pillow when we got on the plane, and there were more than enough flight attendants to see to everyone’s needs. They did not have beer or drinks, but more than enough coffee, tea and juice or water to go around. They had blankets too. Makes me wonder about the airlines in America. When boarding and disembarking, everyone gets the wah and sawadeeka (Thai greeting) from the flight crew.
On her last day here in Thailand we went to the beach for a couple of hours. The water is so clear and the sand so incredibly soft Clara couldn’t get over how beautiful everything was. It was a wonderful way to spend our last few hours together.
I think I’ve about covered it.
Today is Thursday, February 28th and Pipe Dream went back in the water. I have been busy with the surveyor, Pro Yachting, and the seat cushion guy, as well as getting the new shift control installed so that I could run the boat to her slip. Just as the travel lift got to the boat this afternoon, the skies opened up and it poured rain. I had to disconnect the forestay in the rain and was completely soaked. I rode the boat on the travel lift, and we got put back into the water. She fired right up and ran very nicely. I backed out of the haul-out well and when I went to go forward, the feathering prop was a little sluggish. I had thought about that, however, and left some extra room for error. I bounced it in and out of gear a couple of times, and it started working properly. I have a slip for the night, and tomorrow I move to the t-head. It sure does feel good to be on the water again. . Nomow, I have pictures of earth for you, I will send them in the next day or two.
It sure was great having Clara here, and I get all warm and fuzzy feeling when I think about her. That was, without a doubt, the nicest week that I have had since leaving the USA.
To see pictures click on Photobucket top left side of page
Things happened so quick after that, the time is sort of blurred in my mind. We had to stop at boat lagoon so that I could pick up clothes and stuff, and I think we went to coconut bar. I was just amazed that I finally could hug and kiss her that a lot of other stuff just kind of happened with me being oblivious. My friends had a dinner part her first night in town. We were able to spend a wonderful evening chatting and Clara finally met some of the people I’ve been telling her about.
Ood the owner of coconuts put us up in her bungalow for the length of Clara’s stay. Our room had a balcony with a table and chairs overlooking a large coy pond with a nice waterfall, and a large bathroom with a cold shower. The house was built with individual water heaters for every shower. The only problem with that is the amount of amperage needed to power the water heaters. As it turns out, we were only there for three nights, the first, second and the last, so cold showers was really no big deal, as all nights we were pretty exhausted .
Clara could not believe the traffic, and now I’m sure she understands why I don’t want to ride a motorbike. We drove all around the island on Thursday and saw some pretty sights. At the Kata beach overlook, I posed with a sea eagle and Clara could take my picture for a hundred baht. The bird was really pretty, but instead of clipping its wings, it looked like they just ripped the feathers out. We went to the light house up on the cape to watch the sun set. At the lighthouse there was a big Buddha shrine, and people have brought thousands of elephant statues and ringed the entire shrine with elephants. The lighthouse itself is a shrine, and has an elephant on each side. It is covered in gold leaf, and is the fanciest lighthouse that I have ever seen. There had to be two or three thousand people there that afternoon. It was an official Buddhist holiday, so a lot of people were off work. They came by the bus load. The sunset was rather plain, as the western sky was cloudy, so we left before the sun was down. We escaped the parking lot quickly, finished our tour, and headed home. We were going to stop for a drink, but there was no alcohol being sold because of Buddha holiday.
That night on the way to Ood’s bungalow, we stopped to get some take-out food. We went to a place that Tu, our driver, recommended. It was a little neighborhood Thai restaurant, and no one spoke even a hint of English. We ordered some food and sodas to go. I saw the waitress open the sodas, and went to stop her, but she ran in the back and came out with the sodas with ice in a plastic bag with a straw. I had seen that before, but didn’t realize what it was. Clara got a good laugh over that and took pictures of her bag-o-soda. We ended up trading dinners because her chicken was too spicy. That was in a plastic bag too, and rubber banded closed like a goldfish, air and all. The rice was wrapped in a piece of paper. The fried rice was in a Styrofoam container.
We went to Bangkok the third day she was here which was Friday. From the airport, we went straight to the American Embassy to renew my passport. At the American embassy, nobody that has initial contact with people speaks English. We were sent on a wild goose chase, until Clara saw a Gentleman who looked like he spoke English. His name was Philip if I remember correctly, and he escorted us to the proper place. The passport office was closing for lunch when we arrived, so he made a suggestion as to where to go for a bite to eat. I asked if he would accompany us for lunch and he agreed. We went across the busy street and had lunch at a rather classy fast food restaurant and he was very pleasant company. It turns out that he’s from Wisconsin (what are the odds) he and his wife have traveled all over the world for their respective jobs and he told us some great stories of where they have lived and the experiences they have had. After lunch we went to the passport office and took care of that. The 24 hour service is no more because of our wonderful homeland security, so in two weeks I have to fly back to pick up my passport. The airlines must be happy about that.
The rest of the time in Bangkok was a very wonderful vacation. Our room was on the 21st floor of a nice hotel, and the staff could not have been nicer. The pool was on the 14th floor, and there was a small bar there. Our second day Saturday in Bangkok, I slept in a bit, and Clara went for a walk and visited the pool. She made friends with the staff at the pool bar, and we were treated like royalty there from then on. There was a young man named Kai that watched over us and made sure we were comfortable. We even were served alcohol on Election Day, and plenty of peanuts too!
On Saturday afternoon, we took the el train to the MBK shopping mall which is very very large, and went to the sixth floor which is the souvenir floor and shopped a bit. It is like let’s make a deal, and I had a pretty good time trying to get extras thrown in. On the way home, we got off at the right stop, but missed a road that we were supposed to turn down, and ended up walking about sixty two miles to get back, and then took a cab the rest of the way. Just kidding about the sixty two miles, but it was a hike. We knew where we had to go, we just couldn’t get there.
While we were on our hike, there was a man who came up behind us and introduced himself. He was head of security at the US embassy, and wanted to say hello. We walked with him and chatted. Thai people are just so friendly, it’s incredible.
That night we went on a dinner cruise up the river on a large boat. It was really nice with a lot of sushi and sashimi, along with Thai and western food. It was good to have wasabi clear out my nasal passages. We met a couple from England in the minibus on the way to the boat. Ruth and Neal were a lot of fun, and we went out with them to the seedy side of town after the cruise. We fed an elephant and walked through the busiest sleaze district that I ever saw. The streets were lined with vendors, and we did get a few souvenirs.
On Sunday morning we took the Buddha and palace tour. We saw lots and lots of Buddha’s. One was solid gold and weighed 55 tons. One was 46 meters long and covered in gold leaf. Another one was made of solid jade and wore a winter coat. There were many others, and we got bits and pieces of a story that included demons and magic monkeys. Different strokes for different folks, I believe. I was amazed at the ridiculous amounts of money that is spent on Buddha, when the country is so poor. Anyone that knows Clara knows she HATES to walk barefoot… boy was she in for a surprise of a lifetime when just about everywhere we went she had to take off her shoes. I even took some pictures to prove that she did indeed go barefoot.
We spent the last day Monday in Bangkok relaxing at the pool with our friend Kai. He kept running to make sure we had everything that we needed. He does not walk any where. Always at a trot.
Another thing that got my attention was that the flights were an hour long, and we got meals going both ways. Every seat had a pillow when we got on the plane, and there were more than enough flight attendants to see to everyone’s needs. They did not have beer or drinks, but more than enough coffee, tea and juice or water to go around. They had blankets too. Makes me wonder about the airlines in America. When boarding and disembarking, everyone gets the wah and sawadeeka (Thai greeting) from the flight crew.
On her last day here in Thailand we went to the beach for a couple of hours. The water is so clear and the sand so incredibly soft Clara couldn’t get over how beautiful everything was. It was a wonderful way to spend our last few hours together.
I think I’ve about covered it.
Today is Thursday, February 28th and Pipe Dream went back in the water. I have been busy with the surveyor, Pro Yachting, and the seat cushion guy, as well as getting the new shift control installed so that I could run the boat to her slip. Just as the travel lift got to the boat this afternoon, the skies opened up and it poured rain. I had to disconnect the forestay in the rain and was completely soaked. I rode the boat on the travel lift, and we got put back into the water. She fired right up and ran very nicely. I backed out of the haul-out well and when I went to go forward, the feathering prop was a little sluggish. I had thought about that, however, and left some extra room for error. I bounced it in and out of gear a couple of times, and it started working properly. I have a slip for the night, and tomorrow I move to the t-head. It sure does feel good to be on the water again. . Nomow, I have pictures of earth for you, I will send them in the next day or two.
It sure was great having Clara here, and I get all warm and fuzzy feeling when I think about her. That was, without a doubt, the nicest week that I have had since leaving the USA.
To see pictures click on Photobucket top left side of page
Jeff's Log ~ Friday, February 15, 2008 7 57.681N 98 23.287E Boat Lagoon Marina, Phuket, Thailand
It has been a very busy and tiring week. The work on Pipe Dream is being done with great enthusiasm and quality. I think that we have the bow sprit water entry completely solved. The guys made an inverted cone shaped piece to fit inside the bow sprit tube, which we also extended about an inch forward. There is soft rubber on the inside face of the bow sprit collar that now meets the cone that they built. I am going to have a sleeve made to go over the top of everything and clamp on to the sprit and the tube extension. I have the steering pedestal in pieces and am replacing the shifter.
It is now Sunday night, I went to the wet suit manufacturer and the will have my sleeve done on Monday evening. I have a rigger coming on Monday morning to see if he can help me with the backstay radar mount. So far, nobody wants to work on that. I did talk to the stainless steel guy, and he can cut off the bent stanchions and weld new bottoms on. I decided to have the boat buffed and polished while out, and that is coming along nicely. I picked up the new awning while in Chalong, and it is really nice. It now looks like it’s for a yacht, instead of something that was salvaged from the garage. It’s made of white sunbrella, and is reinforced where stresses get put on it. It will be cooler than the old sail cloth awning too.
Today I kind of took it easy. I worked on the generator until the heat came up, and then just took it easy. I’ve only been up and down the ladder four times today, and one of those was to walk away from the boat and go for a walk to relax for a while. I found a little fishing camp where some Thai fishermen were working on their nets. I sat down in the shade of a large tree and just hung out for a while. It was a really nice spot, and I did doze off for a short nap. When I went back to Pipe Dream, the sun was going down and things were cooling off a bit. Where they have buffed the deck house, the sun was glistening off as it set. The boat is going to look like new when they are finished.
THREE MORE DAYS!!!!!! Clara will arrive. I can hardly wait. By the time y’all read this, her visit will have come and gone. I’m all pins and needles with anticipation.
It is now Sunday night, I went to the wet suit manufacturer and the will have my sleeve done on Monday evening. I have a rigger coming on Monday morning to see if he can help me with the backstay radar mount. So far, nobody wants to work on that. I did talk to the stainless steel guy, and he can cut off the bent stanchions and weld new bottoms on. I decided to have the boat buffed and polished while out, and that is coming along nicely. I picked up the new awning while in Chalong, and it is really nice. It now looks like it’s for a yacht, instead of something that was salvaged from the garage. It’s made of white sunbrella, and is reinforced where stresses get put on it. It will be cooler than the old sail cloth awning too.
Today I kind of took it easy. I worked on the generator until the heat came up, and then just took it easy. I’ve only been up and down the ladder four times today, and one of those was to walk away from the boat and go for a walk to relax for a while. I found a little fishing camp where some Thai fishermen were working on their nets. I sat down in the shade of a large tree and just hung out for a while. It was a really nice spot, and I did doze off for a short nap. When I went back to Pipe Dream, the sun was going down and things were cooling off a bit. Where they have buffed the deck house, the sun was glistening off as it set. The boat is going to look like new when they are finished.
THREE MORE DAYS!!!!!! Clara will arrive. I can hardly wait. By the time y’all read this, her visit will have come and gone. I’m all pins and needles with anticipation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
+(2).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
