The Phuket "Vortex"... leaving Thailand

We decided back in March that we would remain in Thailand for the SW monsoon season to rest, work on boat projects, and travel, which we did. Still it was a longer stay than we would have liked and we couldn't have done it without the A/C. But we needed to time our next passage with the NE Monsoon so we stayed put on the north side of Phuket Island for 10 months. Roger spent much of this time working on a plan that would get us up to the Med with a convoy and security on board at a reasonable cost. Shipping the boat by sea was way too expensive, shipping by land was wrought with problems with Saudi Arabian customs, and neither of us really wanted to sail around South Africa... notoriously and accurately called the "Cape of Storms". Our "Plan B" if we couldn't sail up through the Red Sea, was to head back around Singapore and up through the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan and then Japan. We'd spend a season there and then sail to Alaska, down the west coast of the US, Mexico and then cross the South Pacific bound for New Zealand. Plan B eliminated the possibility of our completing a circumnavigation, which we'd both like to do. It also eliminated our dreams of sailing the Turkish coast for Roger, and in Greece, Malta and Italy for Sher. When it looked as if our "Head to the Med through the Red 2015" convoy wasn't coming together cost-effectively, we were faced with making a choice... South Africa, Japan, or possibly head to Singapore to find work for a year or two and fill up the cruising kitty.

We discussed the pros and cons of each option... weighing costs, timelines, highlights and lowlights of each. We just could not come to a decision. I was leaning towards heading west to complete our circumnavigation and was trying to work up a hearty enthusiasm for the lemurs of Madagascar and the elies and wildlife parks of South Africa, but Roger wasn't leaning at all... or would lean one way and then another. We missed two deadlines we set for our decision making and just when it really, REALLY came down to the wire, we had a breakthrough...

Roger found a website for an association of maritime security companies. They listed contact info and summaries for all their members (about 150 in all) and he painstakingly went through almost all (at least up to the P's or S's) and sent dozens of emails off in hopes of finding a workable solution. It paid off! We had 6 or 7 companies that were very interested in working with us, at more reasonable prices below our pain threshold. One of these turned out to be just the right solution. The company owners made a trip to Phuket to visit with us for a few days and to discuss the plans. The energy was great, the price was reasonable and the contract and details just needed to be sorted out. All of that still took another two months, but the Universe was telling us to hang in there and not give up. :) We'll be documenting our trip and post details for others who might be interested once we complete the journey and are up in the Med.

The NE monsoon this year was very late in coming. Roger was diligently watching the weather forecasts for a good window to leave Phuket and start our passage over to Sri Lanka. We had hoped to leave the Yacht Haven Marina by mid-December, but cyclones pounded through the Philippines one after another and kept the weather unsettled. WOW, are we glad we decided not to head up that way to Japan. We would have been smack in the middle of those cyclones and would have gotten hammered!

Phuket was bound and determined to hold us in its vortex, but we finally pulled ourselves out of the marina and sailed around to Ao Chalong to check out and then Nai Harn for a few last-minute tasks and provisions (Nai Harn grilled chicken... yeah baby!) We sold our A/C to a yacht spending another year in SE Asia and delivered it to them in the bay by dinghy. Then off we went, finally, destined for points west.... new cultures, new cuisine, new landscape,  and who knows what else!

With Equanimity and Joy

Joy!

What the well dressed dinghy will wear...
"Joy", our trusty and mature dinghy, has been getting spruced up recently with a bit of fiberglass reinforcement on her hull, rub rail re-glued (twice - don't ask), and she's even had a wardrobe update today. Joy is now sporting her new protective chaps, custom designed, fitted and sewn by Roger. We can now go for a "Joy ride" in even more comfort and style!

With only a few more weeks here in Thailand before we sail off into the sunset, we're busy with boat projects, preparing for the passage and are ready for great new adventures!

With Equanimity and well-dressed Joy

Best Thailand Souvenir - Latex Mattresses from Pattani

Our latex foam mattresses on board were ready for replacement and we thought that Thailand, one of the biggest producers of latex rubber, would be the perfect place to get them. As we explored options in Phuket, it became apparent that prices were set for the tourist trade and not cost-effective at all for the custom shapes/sizes we needed. After a bit of research online, we found a factory in Pattani, on the east coast of Southern Thailand. We had a good feeling when emailing with them and decided to make a road trip out of it so we could select and cut our mattresses on site. 7 hours of driving and a slow, stressful, complex detour through the center of Trang (we missed the bypass road exit) we arrived and despite having a map, we couldn't find the PATEX factory. No one spoke English and Boonthan didn't mention in time that in their region phones and internet need to be registered locally or they won't work. This is due to the unrest in the area of Southern Thailand and Northern Malaysia. A faction of the population are wanting independence and have set off car bombs and even bombed schools. In fact, people in Pattani will not answer their mobile phones unless it is someone they know for fear of it setting off a bomb somewhere. The factory had been a target in the past. So we finally found someone at the post office who spoke English and called him for us. He retrieved us and brought us back to a place we passed but which had no signs whatsoever. A tiring start, but once we arrived, it was great! This is a factory and not a retail shop, so the fact that they allowed us to come visit and worked with us directly was really kind and we all enjoyed it. :)

We tested out various combinations of foam density and the PATEX team carried large sheets of foam into the meeting room and stacked them on the floor for us... that and a variety of pillows as well. Three of the pillows came back to the hotel that evening with us for test-driving, something that amused the hotel staff as they saw me entering with arms full of pillows.

Boonthan and his wife Pornpoon, owners of the factory (originally opened in 1955 by his father) are such lovely people... their hospitality was so gracious and we enjoyed being with them.

We replaced all of our mattresses and made two trips to Pattani. We worked with the PATEX team to measure and cut all the complex angles and sizes one needs on a yacht, and they custom-sewed covers to our sizes. We would highly recommend PATEX foam to anyone, and especially to cruisers heading into Malaysia or Thailand. Thanks Boonthan!  http://www.PATEXfoam.com 

with Equanimity and Joy!

P.S. Okay, so really the very best souvenir would be an elephant, but since Equanimity is not of Ark proportions, we had to leave all the lovely Elies at the Elephant Nature Park, north of Chiang Mai

A Taste of Thailand - Bangkok

We took the sleeper train from Chiang Mai arriving in Bangkok in the morning, and had to weave through the offers for taxis, which were actually tuk-tuks at inflated prices. There were a few people meeting the train that told us what the actual taxi fare should be, so we forged ahead to the taxi line and insisted on one with a functioning meter. The guesthouse was the least expensive we had on this trip and the least inspiring as well. We walked around the Khao San Rd area, which was just a touristy street and meandered around the neighborhood after lunch.

Lucky Bhudda

The following day we set out to visit the Royal Palace. We walked along and a man standing by a scooter started talking to us. We read about it and knew about it... AND we still got caught up in one of the top Bangkok scams. He said it was much better to go to the Palace and the amulet market in the afternoon and that we should go see the Standing Buddha and the Lucky Buddha with a tuk-tuk (a lady driver just happened to walk over as he was showing us on a map). Supposedly, the government was supplementing tuk-tuks with petrol since it was a holiday weekend. Duh! But I suppose it is all part of the Bangkok experience, and I love riding in the tuk-tuks, so I enjoyed the experience more than I might have otherwise. Hours and hours later, after the two Wats and several gemstone and silk retailers, we finally were dropped off at our restaurant for a late lunch. We were on our way again at 4PM, which was pretty late to see more sights. 

We did manage to squeak in a visit to the incredible Wat Pho, directly across from the Palace. It was opened until 6:30PM. It was simply magnificent! This was the most impressive Wat in all of its intricate splendor that we had seen so far. There was amazing mosaic work of tile and mirrors of all color along with the gold, all of which glittered and danced in the late afternoon sun. 

The reclining Buddha was huge and quite impressive with mother-of-pearl inlays in the feet.

The following day we set out to visit the Royal Palace again, but this time we were determined not to be deterred! As we neared the Palace, a man called out and came over to tell us that the palace was closed in the morning to foreign tourists and that we should go see the Standing Buddha and the Lucky Buddha then come back in the afternoon. After indicating that we had done this route/scam the previous day, he ushered us to continue to the main entrance of the palace... :)

The Royal Palace is splendid, but the crowds, the cost and heat were as well. Also, many of the buildings were closed as it was a holiday weekend (Queen Sirikit's 82nd birthday) so we felt a little let down by the experience. The "Emerald Buddha", which is actually made of jade, was smaller-than-life and you couldn't get a good view of it perched high on its gilded platform.

The administrative buildings were also opulent and with topiary trees out front had somewhat of a Disney look.

One of the most impressive parts of the wat at the palace was the intricate and plentiful murals which decorated the walls... they were simply beautiful, portraying images of the gods as well as stories of war, love and life.

We left the palace, grabbed a bite of lunch then concluded our Bangkok stay with a little water-taxi ride... a mere $2 total round trip. 

We had a wonderful trip and experience, but were now ready to head back home to our own boat and bed!

A Taste of Thailand - Mae Hong Son Loop and Piak Private Tour

Rice Fields and Hills in Pai

We set off for a week-long journey, exploring the Mae Hong Son loop which covers the northern and northwestern parts of Thailand, close to the Myanmar (Burma) border. We stopped at the Morkfa Waterfall along the way to Pai. The road was very curvy as we entered into the jungle and hills. We were below the trees mostly so we only caught glimpses of valleys and hills. Our hosts from Chiang Mai have friends with a guesthouse in Pai, so we followed instructions to find (eventually) the Piranha Fish Camp. Yep, it's a catch and release place with ponds that have piranhas and other fish in there. We are told that this variety of piranha is vegetarian, but we weren't going to test out that theory. 

 



We toured Pai and stopped at a great viewpoint on the way back just beyond the Chinese village. For our 20 baht/pp entrance fee, we were served Chinese tea and a local banana.

 

We decided that Pai was sufficiently explored in a day and pushed on towards Mae Hong Son. Our first point of interest was the Tam Lod Caves. Not well signed, or at least not in English, we wound our way through a small village and narrowing roads into the bush. At the point when we were sure we were lost and needed to turn back, a sign appeared and we found ourselves near the caves. 

We arrived in Mae Hong Son and tried to find one of Lonely Planet's recommended guesthouses, unsuccessfully. Their directions said to take a left at the northern-most traffic light and the follow the signs... what signs? We continued through town and found a place with little bungalows that looked nice. There was nothing positive to say about the bed, except that it was beautifully adorned with Thai silk elephant motif runner and pillows. It was as hard as the concrete floors, if not harder! 

Piak Private Tours

Planting Chili

By far, the highlight of our trip was our 2-day overnight tour with Piak. We called this local tour guide in Mae Sariang who got rave reviews in Trip Advisor to see whether we might organize a day trip or an overnight trip walking in the area and visiting local hill tribes. So much of that is touristy and focused on getting you to buy stuff that we wanted to make sure we could have a less intrusive and more authentic experience. The trip was fantastic! We trekked in the jungle and to a lovely 3-tier waterfall, we had lunch with the local shaman/farmer at his house, then more trekking and helping to plant little chilies on a very, VERY steep hillside, the first day.  

Shaman Home Lunch

 The Shaman's home was a single room built off the ground. One removes shoes and climbs a ladder to access the low-roof, no-window room. The cooking area is set off to one side and there were a variety of pots, for rice, veggies (which we picked along the way there) and an area above to smoke meats and such. At the time of our visit, there were two rats drying... happily, they were not on the lunch menu!

Piak's Mother-in-Law

We spent the first night at Piak's wife's village, a White Karen hill tribe. Upon our arrival, we were ushered into his sister's home for a warm reception and dinner, which was yummy. We then headed to Piak's Mother-in-Law, where we would spend the night. We awoke at 4am to the shrill sounds of the rooster. Loud though he was, he did seem to come equipped with a snooze button, because we were able to sleep on and off until morning. 

We had tea and brekky, which consisted of rice, fish mashed with unknown stuff, boiled green veggies of some green and stalky variety, and hard boiled eggs. It was rainy and the trek would have been slippery and dangerous, so we opted to stay inside and visit. Piak made coffee from his own home grown beans, which was delicious. Several people came over to visit and when the rain stopped, Roger brought out his computer to show pictures of the boat and our travels. It was lovely being able to share both ways... each of us curious about the other.

Dinner at Piak's Sister's House

Piak took us on a short walk around the property, introducing us to various fruits and plants, some of which were edible, some used for medicinal purposes and some for dyes. We munched on star fruit, saw avocados, ate more bananas and marveled at the huge bamboo groves. 

We visited a handful of other households, each with a warm reception, then made our way back to Mae Sariang late in the afternoon.

It was an amazing experience. These beautiful and gentle people have so little by western standards, but are so rich and have such abundance in many ways... with what is basic and important. They have plenty of water and fresh delicious foods, they weave their own clothing and build their own homes, they have a caring community with relatives and friends close by. They have smiles on their faces and warmth in their hearts and hearths. Our lives are so very different than theirs, but we had a sense of comfort and wished we could have spent more time there.

A Taste of Thailand - Elephants, yippee!

The moment I was waiting for with great anticipation... our visit to the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary located a couple of hours north of Chiang Mai in the bush. I booked us for an overnight stay and I'm so glad I did. During the day, many people were there, but after the day visitors left, there were only 16 people (not including staff and volunteers) who stayed on. This allowed us to get an early start the second morning and we walked with the herd and watched them frolic in the river.

We were also able to hike up into the bush and see several of the elephants in their natural jungle environment, which was breathtaking! It was a lovely time there with plenty of "hands on" (literally) elephant time.
We fed them, bathed them in the river, petted them, hugged them, etc. It is simply magical to hold an elephant trunk or have one suction-cup your knee. There are 39 elephants at the park and all but a few were rescued from being abused, retired without care or orphaned. No riding, no tricks and no show here... simply elephants being natural and happy elephants. We learned about the practice of "breaking" the elephant as training to prepare them for working and it was heart wrenching. This is why you do not want to support elephants in the tourist trade. Most of the elephants are mistreated in one way or another. Do not engage in elephant tourism. Instead, visit and support a real sanctuary like the Elephant Nature Park. I think we took about 15 GB of photos and videos of these wonderful, intelligent and gentle beings.

With Elephants, Equanimity and Joy!

Beyond Phuket... A Taste of Thailand - Chiang Mai

Wat Bubparam

Phuket may be an international destination for those seeking a beach paradise and respite from the chill of winter, but it isn't quite the authentic Thai culture and experience we were anticipating. So after spending months in and around Phuket Island, we ventured inland to Chiang Mai and the surrounds in northern Thailand, followed by a short visit to Bangkok on the return trip.

Chiang Mai is the second largest city in Thailand after Bangkok, but it feels more quaint. The old city is surrounded by a moat, and we stayed just outside the east side. Just a quick scamper across the traffic on the roads either side of the moat and we were at the local market, an assortment of restaurants and many lovely temples well within walking distance.

Mr Egg and Tuk-Tuk at Wat Champoo

We hired Mr. Egg and his "tuk-tuk" (sort of a motor-scooter-like taxi for two plus driver, think motorized rickshaw) to see some of the local temples, or "wats" as well as the requisite handicraft centers. Despite the fact that it was a tourist attraction, we were delighted with our visit to the Thai Silk Village. We saw the silk worms in action, munching voraciously on mulberry leaves, saw them spinning cocoons, and then learned about the entire silk-making process. Their retail shop had hundreds of luscious fabrics and 24-hour custom tailoring. We had shirts made which are exquisite. Hmmm... but when will we have an opportunity to wear beautiful dressy silk shirts?

Wat Phra Singh

We spent several days exploring locally, including visits to the major temples, the three cultural museums, the Saturday and Sunday walking street markets, getting a massage, and then headed to the Elephant Nature Park for a two-day adventure! See Beyond Phuket... A Taste of Thailand - part II: Elephants, yippee!

Wat Chedi Luang

with Equanimity and Joy

SW monsoon season at Yacht Haven Marina

It's been a while since we last posted on our blog, and we haven't been out sailing either. We decided to spend the SW monsoon season on the north side of Phuket Island at the Yacht Haven marina in Thailand. Unlike the southern regions of Phuket, the north side isn't a real tourist destination and the marina is in a fairly remote location. That's not a bad thing though, as we wanted our time here to be restful. It does mean that we need to rent a car to do provisioning or get anywhere. While we have EQ at the marina, we're enjoying some time with friends and some land travel... we have already been to the US and AU, and are heading to Chiang Mai and surrounds in northern Thailand next week. We hope to visit Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar before we head out for the next leg of our sailing adventures.

Yacht Haven marina sunset

Poolside fun with friends in Ao Po, Phuket, Thailand

Pretty soon we'll need to get on some boat projects and start preparing for our next sailing adventures! We'll post more when we are on our way again... zoom!

with Equanimity and Joy

Hello Kitty!

We visited the Tiger Kingdom in Phuket, where one gets to spend a bit of time with some of their tigers. These big kitties have been raised in captivity and are used to human contact... they are also very well fed, minimizing their interest in contemplating visitors as dinner. It was an amazing experience. We spent time with the smallest tiger cubs (about 4 months old) and then with the really big guys.

You can't imagine how BIG these guys are... and my, what sharp teeth they have! Good we stayed at the end that doesn't bite. Although truth be told, he was yawning not roaring. :)

 The smallest cubs were simply adorable. Yes, I'm allergic to cats, but couldn't help myself. Luckily (and happily) I really didn't have any adverse reaction... just a wee sniffle.

Hello Kitty!!! Well, aren't YOU just the sweetest little one?

It was simply a purrrrrfect visit at the Tiger Kingdom!


with Equanimity and Joy

Into Thailand and the Phuket area

With great anticipation, and with lovely friends from Singapore along as "crew cadets", we made our way from Langkawi, Malaysia into the waters of Thailand. We meandered up to Phuket, taking our time along the way, arriving five days later. As we got closer to Phuket, Ko Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh, we got a taste of what visiting the area was like in the high, high season. Tourists and tour boats everywhere! This is, of course, because the Phuket area is notoriously famous for its beautiful beaches, stunning limestone cliff islands and balmy weather. We picked up a mooring in Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh island, where they filmed the movie "The Beach" (we'll need to rent that sometime). Very stunning! They also filmed one of the James Bond movies at an island in north Phang Nga bay close to where we anchored, and although it has a proper Thai name (Ko Phing Kan), it is referred to simply as "James Bond" island.

We made our way to Ao (bay) Chalong, just south of Phuket town on the SE side of Phuket island, and after checking in with the authorities and enjoying our first Thai meal and traditional massage in Thailand, headed out to some of the islands for snorkelling and later kayaking. What great fun that was! How cool to kayak under stalactites and bats hanging from the ceiling! In some places we could paddle through a cave from the outside into an inner pool, and then another cave into another inner pool, and yet again. So there we where, sitting in our kayaks in the middle of the island surrounded by 200 foot vertical walls. Amazing places.

We found a few spots to anchor that were more isolated and enjoyed that time just relaxing as well. Phuket is crazy. Some expat locals we know say there is Phuket, and then there is the rest of Thailand. Picture a very big speed boat with 900 hp outboards and a 20 year old Thai driver loaded with tourists zooming in and out of the bays. And not just one, but an endless stream of them all day. But about 5:00 they all go home and peace and the subtle beauty returns.

Next, we're going to head up the west coast of Phuket island where all the beautiful beaches and resorts are. But more importantly, we're getting out of Dodge! We'll head up to the Burma border area where the tourists thin out and find some fisherman to buy more prawns from. Yum! Reportedly there are several quiet and lovely little islands and bays to see up the west coast of Thailand on the edge of the Andaman Sea. From there, we'll go out to the Surin and Similan islands offshore for some diving.

OK, that's the news from EQ, where the Winds are fair, the seas following, and the crew content.

With Equanimity and Joy