LAOS - Monday 28 June to Friday 2 July – Vang Vieng to Pakse

Monday 28 June – Vang Vieng
Happy Anniversary to us – 35 years!!
Well we didn’t sleep too badly despite the noise from the island. It poured rain all night and looks as though it has set in for the day. We are watching the river flow by and a fisherman upstream with a net at the end of some bamboo poles standing in the river fishing. Decided the river was far too muddy to do the tubing (floating down the river with the current in a rubber tractor tube past lots of bars). Our guesthouse owner found a snake in his house eating a frog. He took the snake out and then took the frog out. We talked to an Aussie who said he had been to Angkor Wat and it was just a bunch of old buildings way past their used by date!!! Philistine!!!! A young Brit we met said he had been working at the bucket bar and three Irish lads came in. The young Brit had contracted red eye (conjunctivitus) so instead of shaking hands they were all touching elbows. He was looking the worse for wear and really needed to get out but was having trouble leaving! We went for a meal then decided to see what the Bucket Bar was about. The buckets were free for an hour – they held about 1 – 1½ litres of lao whiskey and coke, fresh lime with a straw. Everyone drinks from a plastic bucket – sat around on a built up platform watching the soccer, listening to the very loud music and chatting to our young Brit and Irish friends. Our bucket lasted us the entire time we were there so it was a cheap night. When we left our young Brit friend was up dancing and looked as though he was going to be stuck for another day – hope he gets out soon! Poured rain on the way back across the little bridge to our room.

Tuesday 29 June – Vang Vieng to Vientiane
Happy Birthday Yvette
Left in sprinkling rain after admiring the wonderful view from our room again. Took a tuk tuk to the bus station. The bus left at 7am and was pretty old but we had the windows open and it was only 30,000 kip each - $4.40. The tuk tuk cost 20,000 kip to go 3km. From Vang Vieng to Vientiane was around 170km. It started off a little bit windy and a couple of the locals had to get out their barf bags. The bus was only half full. The terrain then went flat with lots of rice paddies. They have a kind of tractor thing with long handles which they walk behind to plough with and on the road they put a cart behind to sit on and steer via the long handles. There were lots of little towns and villages along the way. There are a couple of major roads but when you get off them everything is dirt. All the houses in the villages have swept dirt around them, not grass. We arrived at Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, at about 11am. Took us a while to find a guest house but found a very nice room for 90,000 kip ($13). You really notice the French influence here – baguettes the principal sandwich and bread. The old French houses, some in a state of disrepair look great. There are lots of Wats (Buddhist temple complexes). A long avenue much like the Champes Elysees with an Oriental Arch de Triumphe at one end and the Presidential Palace at the other. The place was ransacked and basically destroyed in 1828 so the majority of the place was built after this period. There are a lot of huge expensive buildings and a lot of building going on. We walked around for the afternoon and had dinner and an early night.

Wednesday 30 June – Vientiane to Tha Khaek
Left our guesthouse early and walked back to the bus station and caught a local bus to the main bus station. Got there at 7.30 - an air/con bus – and got our seats and our baguettes and the bus left at 8am sharp and drove around the corner and stopped for 20 minutes while all sorts of people got on trying to flog off food. The bus was chock a block full. The scenery is very rural with lots of villages along the way and rice paddies – lots of rice paddies. They throw the seeds into one or two paddies and they sprout very thickly. When this has grown enough they pick it and put into little bunches and then plant it one plant at a time. Very labour intensive. A lady had a chicken under her coat and took it out to feed it. People kept getting on and the bus got quite crowded with kids doubling up and then a couple of stools appeared in the aisle. One lady was nursing her baby and one lady was nursing her dog! After about 3 hours there was the obligatory loo stop – ladies behind a big tree and men along the edge of the road. Just as we were coming into the bus station we saw two buses which had had a head on collision - where both drivers had been was all smashed in and the whole left hand side of both buses had been sideswiped. Confirmed our plan to sit on the right hand side – seats 11 and 12 looked good! Arrived at 2pm and took a tuk tuk to the Travel Lodge Guesthouse as recommended by Lonely Plant but were not impressed at the bare cement floor and inflated price so walked to the tourist office and then found a good big room at Pouhkanna guesthouse. There was one thing about Labuan Prabang we didn’t mention and that was all the street venders cooking chickens – whole chooks, bits of chooks etc – you would hardly credit there would be enough chooks in the country to keep up this supply!!!!

Thursday 1 July – Tha Khaek
Happy Birthday Jeremy
Woke to pouring rain but it was nice to be able to sleep in. Had a slow start to the day (much needed). We found Tha Khaek to be a lovely laid back town. We walked along the Mekong River admiring the decaying French buildings. The water fountain in the middle of town didn’t work and the town just had a lovely feel about it. We only saw one other white person through the day. We went to the markets and walked back out to the bus station to check the times. It was a lovely walk through the country and the people were really friendly. The people don’t seem to care if you buy anything or stay at accommodation – if you do, you do but they don’t seem to care. Walked for miles and went back to the river for a beer. Peter got a beer out of the fridge and rattled around but couldn’t get the girl to wake up so put it back and went down the road to where the proprietor was awake!! We could see Thailand across the river and it looked more affluent but having said that there is certainly some money in town. There are a lot of beautiful big houses – some huge and Government buildings and the vehicles are new Lexus and Toyoto diesel 4 wheel drives. Saw the World Vision office and it wasn’t too shabby either – three storeys. We ate the most delicious dinner at our guesthouse restaurant – best since we have been in Laos – served by three of the loveliest young girls. They could only bring one thing at a time. First the beer, then the glasses and finally the bucket of ice – yes ice. They drink their beer with ice and its really nice. This service could take 5 or 10 minutes but no-one minds – there is plenty of time. There were two other pairs of backpackers in and then 4 NZ/Aussie blokes turned up who clear unexploded ordinance in Laos and Cambodia so the power grid can go through. For the adventurous here there are caves and waterfalls and treks but we just had the loveliest day. Fell asleep to the sounds of very loud very bad karaoke!!

Friday 2 July – Tha Khaek to Pakse
Had our morning tea & coffee with our trusty little kettle – what a good buy that has been. We walked to the bus station leaving at 7 and got there around 7.40 in time to catch the 8.30 bus to Pakse. We stuffed around for a bit and next thing the bus started up so we dived on and our 8.30 bus left at 5 to 8! And holy moly this bus driver was in a hurry! He turned the air con off we think so he could go faster and passed everything in sight blowing his horn all the while. Two other backpackers were on the left front seat behind the driver – we were glad we weren’t there! The conductor was putting luggage in and hadn’t even closed the luggage door when the bus took off and he had to run to jump in the door. The first loo stop was a quick dive in the bushes – we presume everyone made it back on the bus. Second stop no time for modesty – quick dive into the bushes and the horn is blowing to get back on. This driver was in such a hurry! Apart from that the scenery was fantastic – so rurally rustic. The bus was supposed to stop at a big town Savahnakat but he offloaded those people going there onto an already overcrowded troop carrier truck – we were pleased we weren’t going there. The area was quite populated with villages all along the road. Houses range from opulent to lovely to wooden to huts – the whole spectrum. Australia and Japan seem to have put quite a bit of money into this country. The countryside is flat with loads of rice paddies, some in use, some overgrown. The middle part seemed to be in drought as there wasn’t much water around and then there was heaps of water. It is weird seeing so many water buffalo. We don’t know what their use is (food??!!) as they are not used in the fields – they use the hand push tractor things. There have been wandering cows, pigs, goats, turkeys, geese – a real rural menagerie. Most of the chooks seem to be on sticks in the market! (cooked). For a while we could hear chickens chirping on the bus – a man had three in a little cage. The bus driver slowed down when he nearly hit a cow! No it was because the speed limit went to 30 kph! We were supposed to go to the Pakse bus station but we pulled up and the driver told us and the other European couple this was our stop so we grabbed all our things and got off into a waiting tuk tuk which had two monks and two European girls already in. The other girl went to climb in next to the monk and a look of horror crossed his face. We had to stop her and sit her on the opposite side – women are not allowed to touch monks. On a bus a monk will sit on the back seat so we are not allowed to sit there. Anyway they threw our backpacks in on top of us and off we went about 6k to the centre of town. We found a place to stay close to the river – it was pretty basic and the mattress was lumpy. Ate at the Indian restaurant – very good food.

LAOS - Monday 21 June to Sunday 27 June

Monday 21 June - Chiang Mai
Very sore muscles - a day of recuperation, computer work and trudging to the bus station to buy a ticket for tomorrow. You should always buy your tickets from the source. One of the guys had a lower bunk on the train and paid 881 baht - going rate - but the lady in the top bunk which should have been cheaper booked through an agent and paid 1400 baht!!! Back at the guesthouse Tawan gave us a sour mango which you dip in salt. We asked Noi to prepare us three dishes of her choice and we had the most beautiful meal - it was a wonderful evening.

Tuesday 22 June - Chiang Mai to Huay Xia, Laos
We got up at 4.35 and headed about 4km to the bus station - we got there at 6.15 and the bus left at 6.30. It took 6 1/2 hours and was quite a comfortable ride - second class bus with aircon and it was 211 baht each ($7). The scenery was mountainous at first and so green then it went into a valley full of rice paddies and most of the buildings were made of wood. Very picturesque! We arrived at Chiang Khong on the Thai border and walked the 1 1/2 km to Immigration and got stamped out of Thailand, walked down to the river bank and clambered aboard a long skinny boat and crossed the Mekong River to Laos. For our Thailand leg we spent on transport/accommodation/trekking $200/$59/$93 respectively. How much you spend after that is up to you!
LAOS
The long skinny boat rammed into the mud bank to stop and we clambered off onto a grassy bank. As we headed up to immigration we were called over by a man who sat us down to fill in our visa appliction and etry form. He then proceeded to tell us if we wanted to take the slow boat tomorrow we should put our names on the list to book so they would know whether to put on a big boat or a little boat or maybe we would end up sitting on plastic chairs. Of course you had to pay him the money up front. We declined and proceeded up and there was the real visa and Immigration offices. We couldnt help but think this chap couldnt be operating without collusion from Immigration. Our 30 day visa was US$30 and we were stamped in for a month. We walked along the main drag and found one of the guesthouses we had got of travelfish but fortunately for us it was booked out so we walked further up the road and came to our second choice - the Aramid Guesthouse which comprised lots of rattan bungalows with a lovely garden and verandah at the front of each one. Mr Sing, who has travelled in Australia, was extremely welcoming and very informative. He told us to go directly to the boat tomorrow to buy the ticket, the price of which is set at 200,000 kip by the Government ($29 each that is for 2 days of travel). We looked around the small town. The wat would have been interesting but there were so many steps - I might have been able to get up but I would never have made it down again - muscles in the tops of the legs are painful! We had dinner at Mr Sings and had a beer on our verandah and went to bed. The room was ok - clean, lino a bit shabby but shuttered, netted windows to let the breeze through and a fan. What more could you want - 300 baht ($10).

Wednesday 23 June - Huay Zia to Pak Beng by slow boat
We are a little confused as to which currency to use. They accept US$, baht and their own kip. There is 6,800 kip to AUS$1 or 1 baht = 255 kip. So we changed some more baht into kip as we had to pay for the boat in kip - 400,000! Mrs Sing cooked our breadfast and prepared baquettes for our lunch. We got to the boat early to get a good seat. We had our cushions we had bought at the market in Chiang Mai. We paid, got our tickets and there was only one other couple on the boat at 8.45. The middle of the boat had wooden benches with backs and a table so we grabbed one of these. Up the back they had benches and up the front soft seats but they were internal facing. People started to straggle on and 10am came when the boat was supposed to leave and people were still staggering on at 10.50! Have no idea when they thought it was leaving but it finally left at 11 and we still had both sides of the table to ourselves! The Mekong is a very muddy river - appears to be quite shallow - lots of rocks and sandbanks and rapids. The boats are around 110 ft long and 12 ft wide - steel outer. The river flows fast and there are whirlpools and eddies and rapids around the rocks and the sandbanks. the scenery is so green. We have seen people fishing with nets like huge butterfly nets with two bamboo rods and people sifting in the river - possibly for gems. The boat pulled in to a few villages to drop people off - they fend this huge boat off the rocks with a bamboo pole. One chap had to leap off on to the rocks and the boat reversed straight out. There are not a lot of villages and it is very isolated, the rocks are very slatey. We arrived at Pak Beng around 5pm. We pulled in between other long boats and Peter and Ben jumped off and headed up into the village to secure our accommodation. Mr Sing had recommeded we stay at Mosnsavhan with Mr. Tip. I got Peter's and my bag. We had to jump off onto rocks and up a steep rock slope to the road. It was pretty dicey. The town was spread out along one long road and our lovely, spacious clean modern room was just up from the boats and across from the restaurants (200 baht - $7). did I mention that they drive on the right in Laos. There was no footpath. We dumped our bags and went for a walk along the road. The people were very friendly and one family had a tiny baby monkey and let us take photos of it. Back to our room for a shower - didnt know how to turn the hot water off so had a hot shower! Went across the road to the Indian restaurant with a lovely view of the Mekong but the food was a bit bland. Lovely night's sleep.

Thursday 24 June - Pak Beng to Luang Prabang
Had breakfast on the verandah watching the village wake and people coming back from the morning market. Mr Tip prepared a baguette for our lunch and we went to the boat early to get a good seat. But it was a different boat and it was bench seats with a plank back - bit of a difference from yesterday but up the back were four sets of padded seats like arline seats so we snaffled those. Ben and Joanna got one and the next two lots of people then the rest had the benches. Quite a few people went forward and sat on the floor and others found comfort on the large bags of rice! The jungle passing by was very thick. There were a few villages - rattan walls. Then we passed a backhoe up the side of a mountain and he waved the arm of the backhoe wwas waving at us!! Such a kak! We couldnt believe we were going down the Mekong - who would have thought it!! Steep mountains where crops are planted. We saw three elephants just getting out of the river and goats and buffalo and cows. The buffalo are either dark or a kind of pinky white. Didnt see any other wildlife or birdlife. We arrived at 5.30 and walked across a gangplank and up a road behind the King's Palace. We didnt find the guesthouse we were looking for but found one mentioned in the Lonely Planet so went there. We walked up the alleyway through the market and had a meal there and then went to the walking street where all sorts of ethnic and other things were on sale. Hard to resist but we did.

Friday 25 June - Luang Prabang
Did a walking tour of the town which has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site. I'm not sure it deserves the tag but it was a nice enough town. We walked up to the top of Pu Si via steps. it was a lovely walk though it cost 20,000 kip ($2.90) each to go. There were lots of buddhas and even Buddha's footprint (going on the footprint he was rather huge). Then we went to the Palace and that cost 30,000 kip each ($4.41). By Australian standards that is cheap - the cost of a meat pie but by Lao standards it is expensive - two meat pies equals a night's accommodation!! The King and his family in 19777 were sent to labour in the fields and it is believed they probably died of malaria and malnutrition. In the palace there were lots of gifts from countries around the world including Australia dating around 1968. Laos it turns out was the most bombed country in the whole Vietnam war. The Ho Chi Minh trail whence Vietnam's supplies came ran down Laos so the US totally bombed it and many villages and towns were apparently wiped off the map. There's also interesting reading about the US and the 'Secret Army' but I will leave you to research that if you are interested. We walked all around the town then ate at the market and walked the street market again.

Saturday 26 June - Luang Prabang
We decided to hire push bikes to go a bit further afield and when we got them I thought my brakes were a bit dodgy and took a while to grip but foolishly I thought it would be ok. we rode out to the bus station and booked our seats on the express bus, not the VIP bus and the ticket seller assured us we had good seats - we were seats 1 and 2 as no one else had booked. We rode around, went up to what we thought was a wat but turned out be be their crematorium so we made a hasty exit, rode out of town and through a village on rough dirt roads trying to find the river, then rode back the way we came. Saw a cement fence which was made with donations from Australia and the US. We went in and the hill was quite steep so walked up and came to a gold Stupa which apparently is the only one of its kind in the world as you can go in it and it has seven stories. We didnt get in as it was closed for lunch but we did sit and talk to the young monk (he was 25) and his younger novice (15). It was very interesting and we talked for about half an hour. then we went to ride down the hill which as I said was very steep. My brakes immediately failed and the bike was increasing in speed alarmingly. The split second decision was get off so I tried to drop the bike and next thing I knew I was upside down flat on my back on the cement with a very anxious Peter kneeling over me. Managed to hold my head up so I didnt crack my skull - yep no helmets!! Anyway, I had a few bits of skin off and am a bit sore but ok. Fortunately I had my western shorts and trekking shirt on (not the thin stuff from here). Given the terrain and circumstances I was extremely lucky (I thought of you at the time Jean!!). We went back to the guesthouse had a quiet lay down then swapped the bike and went off again to finish our ride. There is another small river which runs through town and it is extremely picturesque. The French influence is evident in a lot of the buildings and they make very good baguettes!

Sunday 27 June - Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng
We caught a tuk tuk to the bus station at 7am. The bus turned out to be both express (95,000 kip ($14 each) and VIP (125,000 kip with a lunch and a water bottle). We had the front seat upstairs above the driver with the huge window in front of us - fantastic view!! It is drive on the right here so we were sitting on the left - middle of the road - we did dodge the trucks a couple of times!! The countryside is amazing - total mountains, green jungle, a few villages perched along the road but not too many. The fronts of the houses are on the flat and the backs on stilts. We were all given barf bags and quite a few of the locals used them. It was a very windy road - lots of hair pin bends so it was quite a slow trip. It took seven hours. At one point when we came to a bit of straight road the bus stopped and everyone got off the bus and disappeared into the bushes to go to the loo! Aftter a few hours the terrain turned to valleys with lots of rice paddies - very labour intensive. Everything is so beautifully green and the countryside is amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. We took a tuk tuk to town and walked around to find a guest house. Ended up at a room which overlooks the river - about 6m up and has a lovely verandah. The room is very ordinary and there is an island just across the river which wasnt there five years ago - it was made by the build up of silt plus a little help from the locals and now it is the nightclub island. so the beat and noise from the bars was pretty loud!! Apparently there is also a pizza place here which serves up happy mushrooms - heard a young welsh lad last night saying he was high for six hours!! to each their own! The photo in the Lonely Planet shows our view without the island so its pretty incredible. Had a pretty crappy dinner - apart from the baguettes we havent found any good Lao food.

Monday 28 June - Vang Vieng
Happy Anniversary to us - 35 years!! Charlie is two weeks old
Well we didnt sleep too badly despite the noise from the island. It poured rain all night. Watched a fisherman upstream with a net at the end of some bamboo poles standing in the river fishing. We were going to do the tubing today but the river is so brown and dirty that we didnt do it. We are currently considering a change in our plans but will let you know more next week.

Take care all and happy trails

Love

Dell and Peter

OVERLAND TRIP 12 June- 21 June - Rebak Marina to Chiang Mai

ITS A GIRL!!!!!
Saturday 12 June - Rebak - Alor Setar Malaysia
We left extremely early - caught the 7.30am ferry from Rebak to Langkawi Island. The sea otters put on a little display before we left. We had prebooked a taxi and it was waiting for us to take us the 20 mins to Kuah Jetty. We arrived at 8.05am and the ferry to Kuala Kedah left at 8.30. We managed to catch it and had seats right up the back but at least they were on the aisle. It is quite claustrophobic to sit near the windows as they are at eye level and in this case were painted so you couldnt see out. We snuck out the back door where the smokers stand and found some stairs up to the top. There were no cushions on the stainless steel bar seats and it was windy up there but it was a beautiful day and we could see everything so we stayed up there for the 1 1/4 hr journey. At Kuala Kedah we caught a local bus about 20 mins to Alor Setar where we located the train station and collected our tickets which I had booked on the internet a few days previous. We wandered around the town - a man there told me he didnt like Brisbane as it was too hot (we were melting!) - had lunch at a local eatery and went back to the station around 2.30 when there was a rainfall which cooled the incessant heat. The train came in at 4.50pm. We wondered if it was the right one as we were in carriage 10 but there were only two carriages - the second carriage was number 10! There were 3 girls sitting on my side and two lads on Peter's side and I wondered how we were all goint to fit in the beds! The 3 girls moved - they had just been looking for unoccupied space and the lads got off a few stations down the track. The train stopped at the border and we all got off to check out of Malaysia and into Thailand. We learnt that you dont leave any blanks on the entry form! We had to put an address in Thailand and as we hadnt booked anywhere we left it blank - No! In the end we wrote guesthouses and that kept Immigration happy enough to give us a 15 day visa. They came round and put the beds down around 9pm. Peter had one bottom bed and I had the other across the aisle. The bottom bunks are wider than the top ones and obviously easier to get into and have a beautiful big window with curtains. Each bunk has its own curtain so it is pretty private Slept quite well and the train is rather soothing.

Sunday 13 June - Alor Setar - Kanchanaburi
Contractions!!
Awoke at 6.30 to some wonderful views going past. The bed was really comfortable and the whole train is extremely clean, plenty of space and an all round lovely experience. This is a second class train. Had a text from Amy that contractions had started and it is the 13th. Jessie was born on the 13th (July).

ITS A GIRL!!! - Charlie Ruby Black was born at 11.06am weighing in at 8 lb 9 oz and is as fair as Jessie was dark. She is absolutely beautiful. Family all well. Congratulations Amy, Pete and Jessie!

We arrived at Nakhon Pathom at around 9.30am - the conductor came to tell us it was our stop - just one stop short of Bangkok. We went to look at the huge pagoda in the middle of the town and walked through the grounds and came out the other side to wait for the bus. The lady at the stall there was very helpful and told us we had to catch a No. 81. It was a two hour trip to Kanchanaburi and the bus was quite pleasant - local bus with open windows. We arrived about 1.15 and found the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) and got a coloured map then we humped our packs a couple of kms to where all the guest houses are. We had kind of chosen one on travelfish.org so went to check out the Green View Guest House. It was off the main drag about 250m up a lane with lovely gardens - a lovely bar/restaurant - not really used. We found a lady there named Glam who didnt speak English and asked to see the room. We chose a fan room as we like to have fresh air. The room was basic - holes in the lino but the toilet and bathroom were clean so we took it. The bed was like a brick - no give whatsoever but very good for Peter's back - not so great for Dell but the room was 250 baht a night ($9). We walked down the lane and went to a lovely little restaurant and had the best meal!

Monday 14 June - Kanchanaburi
Had a bit of a late start and wentto the Bridge over the River Kwai and walked across it. Apparently the River wasnt always called Kwai but when the movie came out and people wanted to see the Bridge over the River Kwai they just changed the name of the river!! Then we went to the War Museum and then to the War Cemetery which as always is so very well kept by the Cwlth War Graves Commission. Its all too sad to walk all the way through so made it a quick visit and headed to the train and bus stations to get info for travelling on. The day wore on and we didnt make it to the two other places we wanted to go to. In retrospect we should have hired a scooter but it is a learning experience. We ate at our little restaurant again and learnt that Australia had been womped by Germany in the soccer. We thought of you Brett!!! Had a couple of beers with Glam then had an early night.

Tuesday 15 June - Kanchanaburi
We wanted to catch the 5.57am train to Nam Tok so we got up at 4.20am and were at the station by 5.20. We were the only ones there. There were three carriages on a track further over with no engine. A huge family came running in at 6am and got on to the three carriages. So we got on too. About 6.20 the train came in and then backed up and picked up our carriages and off we went. The seats were wooden and all the windows were wide open and hardly anyone else in the carriage so we were able to run from side to side to see the view. This part of the track is part of the Thai-Burma railway (Death railway) built at great human cost during the second world war. It ran along the river for a bit and over a viaduct and the view was lovely. Just as we were coming in to Nam Tok we saw an elephant. We then jumped into the back of a troop carrier ute and were taken to the main road. There was an a/c bus there so we tried to buy a ticket but were told that we would have to catch an orange one so the lady sold us a ticket for 100 baht and we went across the road to see the waterfall and when we came back the lady said we were supposed to be on the a/c bus and gave us our money back and sent us off to find a red bus. We had to stop on the way where the bus went through a checkpoint and all the Asians had to show ID - this is the road to Burma. This is a local fan bus which has all the windows open and cost 50 baht! The conductress told us where to get off and we walked through a military gate towards the Hellfire Pass museum at 10.30am. This was set up by the Australian Government and consists of the museum and the 4km walk. The railway between Nam Tok and Burma was ripped up but they have made 4km of it into a walking track. The viaducts are gone so it was a bit uppy and downy and rough in places and we only saw one snake!! A bit about the railway. It was 415km long and took 20 mths to build through jungle and mountains. The Bridge over the River Kwai was just one of over 400 wooden/steel bridges/viaducts built along this track. Every part of it was built by hand - 60,000 allies and 270,000 Asian labourers. Every rock carried up 7m in some cases to form an embankment was carried by hand. Passes had to be dynamited out. The men worked in extreme heat and in the monsoon rain all day and everything mud. We walked the 4km track (8km return) and the stones were very sharp - the men working on this railway had no shoes - they had rotted. We had excellent audio headphones to walk the track which explained events etc and they gave us a walkie talkie so they could make sure we were ok! It was all free. 12,399 allies and around 90,000 Asians died in the making of this railroad. It is hard to believe any of them survived given the conditions, lack of food, illness - every tropical disease you could think of, mosquitoes, lice, bedbugs and the absolute cruelty they were subjected to. It was a very humbling experience to walk in their footsteps. It is an excellent memorial. It would be a very moving place to spend Anzac Day. We walked back to the road and just missed a bus at 2pm. Caught the next one at 3.15 (they run half hourly!)

Wednesday 16 June - Kanchanaburi - on the train
Happy Birthday Suzanne
Caught the 7.30 local train to Bangkok. Local people jump on the buses and trains to sell food. They had chicken and curry in little bowls made of plaited banana leaves. Railway men have little red and green flags on the platform and all wear very military looking uniforms. We arrived at Thonburi station around 10.30 and caught a taxi to the main railway station. We had no trouble getting our sleeper train ticket - 881 baht each ($30). A girl took us to what was purported to be the TAT and wanted to sell us all sorts of 'good deals' We knew she was on the take but found out later that she was not the TAT. Walked around but could only find ironmongery shops so sat in the station for a while. Found a restaurant across the road that sold a litre of beer for 120 baht ($4) so whiled the time away till the train left at 6.10pm.

Thursday 17 June - on train - Chiang Mai
Slept quite well on the train and the terrain has gotten hilly though it is very dry. Arrived at Chiang Mai at 7.45am and walked 2km to town. Thought we were in the old town and were looking for a guest house we saw on the internet when we turned up a little laneway that looked promising. There were a few guest houses including the Tawan which had gorgeous gardens and advertised 100 - 250 baht. We asked what 250 baht would buy and Mai showed us a lovely little room with fan, bathroom and tv done up like a bamboo cabin on the outside and it was certainly full of character so we were sold. A 100 baht room would buy a single bedroom, with no facilities. Walked all around thinking we were in the old town and Peter was having trouble working out where we were on the map. Stopped at a few Wats then went for lunch at a lovely Chinese man's eatery - he had greeted us earlier in the day. They put the hose on the roof to cool the place down and all the water had gathered in a plastic awning which suddenly gave way and soaked us! The Chinaman though it was extremely funny and it did cool us down - in fact I think I will wet my hat in future as it cools the body! Anyway he felt bad so ran next door and grabbed us a decent map and we finally worked out where we were. Went to the TAT and got good info. Peter lost a second filling! We walked to the old town and found the guest house we had been heading for and we were so pleased we stayed where we did. Came back to our guesthouse and the owner - Tawan - was watering the gardens. I cant describe to you what an oasis it is in a busy city! Its just beautiful. Had dinner here - three lovely courses between us for $4.30 then Peter went to the dentist just down the end of the lane and had a tooth pulled and a temporary filling put in all for around $65. I sat in the garden enjoying the ambience!

Friday 18 June - Chiang Mai
Walked to the local market and bought a shirt and what we thought was a sausage on a stick but it was a rice sausage - very tasty! We walked halfway around the old town which has a moat all the way around and then cut through and looked at a lot of Wats. Met a young Thai who said he lives in Sydney and works in the ANZ bank. He wanted to take us for a drive to meet his paretns but we declined. Saw the ruins of the oldest Wat. Generally just a day of sight seeing and preparing for our trek tomorrow. We have chosen the two day, one night one for 1,400 baht pp ($47 each).

Saturday 19 June - Chiang Mai - Lahu Hill Tribe
We were picked up at 9.30am and got in a troop carrier with five people already in and then we collected another five people so we were packed in like sardines. We drove to a local market where the guide purchased food for our meals and then we were off to the one hour elephant ride. There were seats for two people with a mahout on each elephant. It was a fantastic experience once we realised that they actually are very sure footed and not likely to roll down the slope with us attached! We went up and down some steep slopes and down to the river so they could have a drink. When we got back our lunch was awaiting us and then we started on our trek. The trek was to the Lahu Hill tribe - hill being the operative word but as the day progressed it became abundently clear that these people did not live on a hill but on a very high mountain!!! Our guide was very informative and showed us a leaf which is used in the dying of clothes. Our group comprised two Danish girls, one English girl (working in Aus), one Italian bloke, a young Canadian couple, two German girls, a Mexican bloke and a slightly older Thai man. The walk commenced pleasantly enough and we were all enjoying the countryside and a small waterfall. Then it started going up and up and up relentlessly. It was the hardest walk I have ever been on. I had walking poles but we decided we probably wouldnt need them - big mistake. Peter reminded me of our inspirational couple Lou and Ann off Serannity who are in their 70's. That helped for a little while but my legs had turned to jelly. One of the German girls declared herself an asthmatic (she wasnt), one asked me if child birth was this bad (I actually had to think about that one!) and the English girl was also struggling. Peter had to give me a shove a couple of times as my legs just wouldnt carry me. We finally made it to the 1,100m to our bamboo thatched hut where we all collapsed on the verandah - I wasnt the last one up by the way! The ridiculous thing about it was that all the way up we were walking past planted wild rice and maize. These people work these incredibly steep slopes and go up and down all day! After a little bit of recovery time we all had a cold shower and started to meld as a group. Terrible experiences do bring you closer together!!! Our hut comprised a sleeping room - dormitary - with mattresses on the floor, another room with a fire in the middle of the floor which was where we sat on the floor and had the most lovely meal prepared by our guide. To the other side of this room was a small bedroom and kitchen. The view up there was totally amazing and we began to appreciate our surroundings. Had a wonderful evening with one of the guides entertaining us with his guitar and singing. Slept really well till early morning when the Thai and the Italian's snoring woke me up!!

Sunday 20 June - Lahu Hill Tribe - Chiang Mai
We awoke at 6 and 6.30 and had one of the four pineapples Tawan insisted we bring. The Thai guy also got up early but the young ones slept till they were woken for breakfast at 8am. Meanwhile we had gone for a walk through the village. One lady came out of the tiniest hut - clothes all clean and tidy looking as though they had just been ironed. There is no electricity and everything is by candlelight. A chang beer can with a candle and the ends cut off a plastic bottle make great candle holders! Four of our group were doing the three day trek so eight of us set off down with a different guide who wasnt quite so aware of the stragglers out the back. One thing about stragglers is that the leaders stop to wait so get a rest but by the time the stragglers catch up they are ready to move on so the stragglers dont actually get a break!!! Peter cut me and the German girl a long bamboo pole which helped immensely in getting down. Of course it was as steep down as it was to get up (different path) so down down down we went till we came to a waterfall. The others all had a dip under the waterfall, Peter had a paddle and I dipped my feet till I got stung by two bees - one on each arm at the same spot - talk about collusion!!! We set off again on quite a pleasant walk (much like we had all imagined the trek would be!) until we came to the river. The water wasnt very high but we got in the big blow up boats with the two Danish girls and a guide out the back and off we went. It was so much fun. We were going over rocks and bumping into rocks - all diving to the left and jumping up and down to get it off and then the command 'on the job' and off we go again. Went down backwards over a few rapids. Then the other boat caught up with us and there was a bit of splashing etc. Came to the bamboo rafts so the three of us girls piled on. They are about 8m long and 1 1/2m wide and Peter was at the front poling us down the placid part of the river. Only problem was the raft didnt exactly float and we were sitting in 6 - 8 inches of water! It was so funny. We had a bit of a shower, changed and had lunch then they piled 14 of us into a slightly bigger troop carrier - sardines again and drove about two hours back to our guest house where we were given our old room back. We had left our stuff in a storeroom here. All in all it was a fantastic experience. Peter absolutely loved it. I think I would have been better on a one day trek but I am so pleased I did it. Would I do it again - at this stage no, but the mind is a funny thing and we will look back and think what a wonderful time we had!! No it was a fantastic experience! At 6pm we headed for the walking street (only half a block from our guest house) for the Sunday night markets. They close off the entire street (and others) in the old part of town. Everything was half price and less than the prices we paid in Phuket (especially the gypsy village Debbie) so if you are into shopping it is worth coming here just for the market. Unfortunately, we are on a budget and weight limit but I would definitely come back just for the market.

Monday 21 June - Chiang Mai
Very sore muscles!!! A day of recuperation, computer work and working out the bus to take towards Laos tomorrow. The border crossing is in the golden triangle. We have had a fantastic time so far. We have walked more in the last few days than we have in the last twelve months! I think a nice massage this evening will go down a treat.

Hope you are all in good health. Miss you all. To Rosie, we will be home to see you soon. And we really really look forward to seeing our two granchildren.

Much love

Happy wandering

Dell and Peter

WEEK 18: 5 June – 11 June - Rebak Marina, Langkawi, Malaysia

Congratulations to Patrick and Dianne on the birth of their first grandchild!

Got the word that our nephew Jeremy was stuck in Kuala Lumpar with passport problems and were hopeful that he might make it to visit us but unfortunately Immigration had other plans and he was unable to come. Peter started antifouling the boat as soon as it dried off. We antifouled, ate at the restaurant, had a few storms and on Sunday it was pretty windy but at 9.30 up we went in the travel lift and in we went. Wasn’t too bad as we went in frontwards and Dell released the lines and off we went. A staff member and Peter off Two Up helped with our lines. Saw the otters just before we put the boat back in the water. One actually jumped out and stood on a wall right in front of us – didn’t have the camera!! By 11am it was blowing like mad and raining and a huge storm came in that evening so we were pleased to be back in the water. Two Up got hit by lightning in Telaga the day after Anzac day. They had 6 small holes in the hull and it destroyed all their electrics and electronics. So they are working on fixing it. Had a couple of rainy days and a couple of days when we went to the lovely resort pool. Kristie and Cilantro came into the marina for two days. Last night, coming back from dinner, we saw a long skinny tree snake on the path.

Well our backpacks are packed and we are booked on the sleeper train for tomorrow. We catch the resort ferry, then a taxi, then a big ferry to Kuala Kedah on the Malaysian mainland, then local bus to Alor Star then the train to Thailand.

Future blogs will be done from internet cafes so may be a while in coming but we will try really hard to stay in touch. Still anxiously awaiting second grandchild!!!!!

Best wishes and may you always have a foot under your keel! (thats good Fritz!!!)

Love
Dell and Peter

WEEK 17: 29 May – 4 June – Singa Besar to Rebak Marina

DAY 113 – Saturday 29 May – Singa Besar, Langkawi, Malaysia
Happy Birthday Bill – sorry we missed it – hope you had a wonderful day
It was such a lovely place we decided to stay a day. Went to shore in the afternoon. There was an awful lot of rubbish on the beach and there obviously used to be facilities but they were all in ruin. We could see some monkeys and there was supposed to be a walk right across the island. We went through some muddy bits in our thongs – got stuck a few times! Walked along a bush track till we came to a gate and a wall and there was a billabong and saw a huge water monitor. Peter saw another one crashing through the bush. Apparently there are supposed to be deer and pigs there as well but we didn’t see any. The track didn’t seem to go anywhere after that so we went back to the boat for a lovely sunset.

DAY 115 – Sunday 30 May – Singa Besar to Kuah
We left at 8am and motored to Kuah dodging a few nets. We arrived about 10 and there was Kristie so we anchored beside them. We went to shore to check into Malaysia. We then did some shopping and back to the boat. Kristie called by about 3 and came aboard and at 6 we went ashore to the Indian restaurant and had a lovely meal.
Miles: 9 Total: 6,837

DAY 115 – Monday 31 May – Kuah
Went to shore to buy some backpacks. Started to pour rain about 11 and even though we had umbrellas we got soaked and our shoes got soaked. Took ages to find a backpack each. Each one seemed to have one thing missing so it was a bit of a compromise in the end. We bought the antifoul for the boat and took it all back. Got a text that Cilantro was on the way down. Dell went for a haircut and Peter went to buy some fresh fruit and then Cilantro came in so we adjourned to Kristie for a chatchup and sundowners and then we and Cilantro went ashore for dinner. We went to the Asian restaurant across the road which we had heard good things about and the meal was lovely.

DAY 116 – Tuesday 1 June – Kuah to Rebak Marina
Left at 7.30 and motored to Telaga to get some diesel. We could see storms threatening all around and rain was heading towards Telaga. We were there at 11.30 with a slight sprinkle of rain. When we left at 12.30 and looked back it was raining quite heavily. Had a bit of a sail on the way to Rebak. Called in and were allocated a berth and by 2pm we were in and tied up. Greg from Wind Chimes came to help with our lines and there is always a marina worker to help as well so it is not so stressful! We had a real shower then went to the restaurant for dinner. But the menu had changed. We were informed by another yachtie that it was a huge improvement but we didn’t thinks so. It is more expensive and mostly western meals – only a few Malaysian dishes
Miles: 25 Total: 6,842

We will be here now for three months at least so there will be no more sailing news for a while.

DAY 117 – Wednesday 2 June – Rebak Marina
Happy Birthday Judy
A day of catching up with chores – heaps of washing, accepting quote from Mr Samaran, getting electricity put on at home, cleaning and stowing Zed. Peter saw five large otters when he came back from the shower. We have heaps of food in the fridge and freezer we have to use up so we ate on board.

DAY 118 – Thursday 3 June – on the hard - Rebak Marina
Saw a boat hauled out of the water yesterday and the woman was so stressed and shaking and Dell though that’s how I get so told Peter to get someone else to do it! We were supposed to get hauled out at 9.30 but at 9 it poured down rain so they called us on the radio and said 10am. Greg from Wind Chimes came round to help so Dell stayed on shore to hold the line to keep the bow in then off they went. Peter had to reverse in then they threw them lines to hold the boat steady. They send a diver down to make sure that the straps are in the right place. He just has goggles and flippers. They washed off the bottom of the boat and removed the barnacles and had us on the hard by 12.30. We spent the afternoon scraping and cleaning and chatting to other people on the hard. The monkeys came down in the late afternoon and we watched two climb the ladder on to a boat and have a look around and climb down again. For the first time we closed our boat down against intruders – not people – monkeys!!! Ate at the restaurant with beach House and it was a lovely night.

DAY 119 – Friday 4 June – on the hard - Rebak Marina
Happy Birthday Jean E
We got up reasonably early and commenced cleaning the boat and scraping and washing etc in preparation for painting. One of the chaps in a boat on the side near the jungle awoke to a monkey tail hanging through the hatch above his bed! Luckily we are on the water side of the hard. We ate at the restaurant with a few other cruisers and met Rick off Hard Yakka. Dell actually has printed stuff off his blog on land travel so its interesting to meet people who have given us helpful information. During the day Dell watched the monkeys come down at lunch time into the bin and one big one went into the workmen’s place and got on top of the cupboard trying to open it and then got down in front of it and tried to open it but luckily it was padlocked. A storm came up through the night and it rained solidly all night.


Finally up to date with this!! Hope you are all well. Still anxiously awaiting baby news!!

Best wishes

Dell and Peter

WEEK 16: 22 May – 28 May –Phi Phi Don to Singa Besar, Langkawi

DAY 106 Saturday 22 May –Phi Phi Don to Ko Ngai
07°24.561N 99°12.927E
Departed Phi Phi Don at 8.15 in the rain. Noticed Whitby Lass nearby so motored over to say hullo. They were just heading up to Thailand. We had a little bit of wind at first and then of course on the nose! The swell was 1 – 1 ½ metres and we had forgotten what those conditions are like and we reflected on how lucky we all were with the weather when Debbie and Phil were here. It was overcast all day and because of the swell Koh Lanta wasn’t an option so kept going. Ko Muk would not have been any good either – that’s where we went for the Emerald Cave with Debbie and Phil so we pulled around behind Koh Ngai and anchored quite a distance from the beach in 11m. It is a beautiful beach with a few discrete resorts and lots of palm trees – very pretty and more importantly – no swell! Still a bit overcast but a lovely evening. Watched a longtail put out a net which went for at least a mile. Quiet evening watching the lights on the shore.
Miles: 34 Total: 6,765

DAY 107 – Sunday 23 May – Koh Ngai
Woke to a beautiful day so decided to stay. Went to shore and went on a long walk along the beach and Peter cleaned the barnacles off Zed. There are a few resorts along the beach. The two furtherst ones were closed and under repair. One good looking one looked as though it just had caretakers and the pool was green. Three of the resorts were open. We went for a swim – the sand was really white and it was a gorgeous spot. Watched the lights again in the evening. We decided the view was better from the boat than it would be from the shore. Another lovely calm night.

DAY 108 – Monday 24 May – Koh Ngai – Tarutao
06°42.520N 99°40.156E
Left at 7am for a very long day of motoring. It was very hot – the sea just a touch swelly but otherwise a lovely day. Peter read and did watch and Dell did logistics puzzles (a little bit hooked!). We came into an anchorage that Peter had chosen at 5.15 at the northern end of Tarutao. There were a lot of small fishing boats on the shore and a big cave where they stored their gear and crabpots. A really lovely calm spot.
Miles: 51 Total: 6,816

DAY 109 – Tuesday 25 May - Tarutao to Ko Lippe
06°29.634N 99°17.743E
We left at 8.15 and grabbed a large buoy off Koh Lippe in the Butangs at 2.20. It was a beautiful day and we could see the beautiful aqua water over the lovely white sand. We went up the channel and I phoned Margaret to see where the little bar they visited was then Henry off the other boat came by and invited us into the bar but we were quite comfortable and stayed on the boat. He told us we had to follow a channel through the reef to get in but as it was getting late we elected not to go. It got quite windy through the night.
Miles: 31 Total: 6,796

DAY 110 – Wednesday 26 May – Ko Lippe
There was a huge swell coming through and it was windy so we couldn’t get off the boat. Thought of leaving but haven’t visited the bar yet!!

DAY 111 – Thursday 27 May – Ko Lippe
Went for a snorkel at 10.30 – the coral was quite good – beautiful yellow and blue hard coral. We snorkelled to the beach and went ashore. There were a lot of people there and it was a bit embarrassing but then a lovely young lady named Emily came down and welcomed us and got us a plate and told us to help ourselves to food. Emily is American and her partner Tom is Thai and they had built four cabins and a bar and were having an end of season party to celebrate their first season of being open. We had green curry and noodles and barbequed wild boar. Emily’s friend Fawny (American) and another American backpacker named Bjorn were there and all the rest were Thais. We left after a couple of hours and had another snorkel though visibility wasn’t great. At 4.30 we went back in and Henry did too and had another free meal. Sat and talked to Emily and the lovely Thai ladies who were related to Tom and had come over from the mainland to prepare the food. Had a lovely evening, then back to the boat.

DAY 112 – Friday – 28 May – Ko Lippe to Singa Besar, Langkawi
06°13.725N 99°44.743E
Went to shore at 9am as we were supposed to meet Henry but he was late so we went for a walk around the island. The vegetation reminded us of New Guinea. Then we came to the walking road which is where all the little tourist shops, restaurants and resorts are – laid back resorts, not flash. It seems to be pretty much closed down for the low season but we would like to come back in the high season. We think it would be a lot of fun and a pretty swinging place! Got back and said farewell to Emily and Fawny and headed off at 10.30. We had been hoping to catch up with Cilantro and Kristie but wouldn’t have made it in time so headed towards Kuah. Motored all the way. The sea was swelly and we pulled in behind an island about 2 hours short of Kuah. It was a lovely spot.
Miles: 32 Total: 6,828


Love and Cheers

Dell and Peter

WEEK 15: 15 May - 21 May -Yacht Haven Marina to Phi Phi Don

DAYS 99 - 101 Saturday 15 May - Monday 17 May - Yacht Haven
We spent these three days mostly on the yacht and dining out in the evening with the gang. We did a water run and filled four jerries. Mr. Oh and Mr. Samaran came out to look at the boat to give a quote for painting her. Lovely evenings, good company.
DAY 102 - Tuesday 18 May - Yacht Haven to Ko Rang Yai
It poured rain as soon as we got up and it looked as though it had set in. Caught two jerries of water for washing. It cleared about 10am so we took our keys back to the marina and called in to say farewell to Whistle. We went aboard and Jean showed us how their work was coming along - seems a way to go yet but it will be good when it is finished - sad to leave them again. We left around 11 and headed to Ko Rang Yai which is not too far from the entrance to Boat Lagoon. It has a lovely white beach with lots of palm trees and is very picturesque. Ate on board.
Miles: 18 Total: 6,688
DAY 103 - Wednesday 19 May - Ko Rang Yai
Did the washing and read and did logics puzzles. It was lovely waking up in paradise. There are so many huge jelly fish around ranging from white through to dark pink. Dell counted 137 in one batch on one side of the boat and Peter had heaps on the other side. Put in all the diesel from the jerries and went to shore about 3.30 and had a swim. Walked along the beach - there is a resort of sorts with a restaurant but we noticed the beer was expensive so we thought the food may be too. Had a quick shower in their open shower and headed back. Dell was up to 12.30am finishing her book. We have discovered the Diana Galbadon Outlander series. It began with the book Cross Stitch - Peter is now reading the fifth in the series and Dell is reading the fourth. Peter wasn't keen to read them at first as it is written in the first tense which he doesn't particularly like but now he can't put them down!! Highly recommend them.
DAY 104 - Thursday 20 May - Ko Rang Yai - Ao Chalong
We left at 8.30 and motored to Ao Chalong arriving at 11.45. We went to shore to go to Tesco's but Peter's back was playing up so Dell left him at the Come On Bar (dangerous I know!!) Dell walked to Tescos in the heat and did the shopping carting back two backpacks full of goodies. Got back 1 ¼ hours later and Peter said I was just in time to save him - the ladies are good fun and really lovely - not too young! And they have really good music. Went to the Tamarind bar for dinner then back to the boat. Slept on the deck under the shade cover.
Miles: 14 Total: 6,702
DAY 105 - Friday 21 May - Ao Chalong to Phi Phi Don
Some days you shouldn't get out of bed but we had to!!!! It started to rain about 4am and we were enjoying the drops on the sunshade and then it got really heavy so we got tarps and put over ourselves but then it got really windy with thunder and lightning and the bedding was getting soaked so moved it downstairs and as Dell was doing this Peter suddenly started the motor. An exhilirating moment coming up!! Looked behind us and we were about 8m off a big yacht called Smoke. Our sunshade had acted like a sail and we dragged anchor through the mud at a great rate of knots! We managed to hold off using the motor and nudged our way forward but dragged back again so nudged our way forward to bring the anchor up. It was very dark, pouring rain, thunder and lightning and we knew there were two small unlit boats to our port side. We could see really clearly when the lightning flashed. We pulled up and reanchored thoroughly soaked. A great start to the day. We went ashore at 10am to check out. Peter checked us out while Dell grabbed a few more things from the shop. We upanchored at 11.15 and headed for Phi Phi Le. It was an uneventful trip but we could see clouds building all around and it was a race to get there before the storm hit. The swell was heading straight for Phi Phi Le so we headed for Phi Phi Don and just rounded the point as the storm hit. We had gusts of 50+ knots which heeled us over, the boom came out of its cradle and a couple of the cable ties on the side canvas broke. You could see the water being whipped up into spray as the gusts came. We anchored in the storm and ended up a bit close to a big boat on a buoy so pulled up and anchored again. Getting heeled at 50+ knots or more - another exhilarating few moments!! When we anchored a big boat who was much further back apparently had put out a heap of rope when he saw the storm coming and when he pulled it in he was right beside us so.............. we upanchored and anchored again (storm finished). The swell coming in to the bay was very bad so we couldn't cook dinner so went to bed hungry!!! Ah well some days are like that!!!!
Miles: 29 total: 6,731
Carol, I think you are having a birthday soon - a special one - if so happy birthday. Also a certain accountant has a special birthday this year. Patrick if we have missed it, hope it was great, if not we hope its a beauty!!! Missing little Rose - hope she is good and anxiously awaiting the birth of our grandchild.

Hope you are all well.
Love and Cheers
Fair winds and calm seas
Dell and Peter
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WEEK 14: 8 May – 14 May –Ko Hong (Krabi) to Yacht Haven Marina

DAY 92- Saturday 8 May - Ko Hong - Koh Pak Bia
Debbie, Phil and Dell took Zed around the island looking at the caves and rock formations and could see heaps of fish. Missed the hong entrance at first as it was low tide and there is actually heaps of coral there which we had not noticed on our last visit. We rowed in and were the only ones in there so it was kind of special though it was quite shallow so we didn’t go too far. Enjoyed the ambiance till another dinghy motored in and as we left a longtail boat went in. We came back to the boat for lunch. It is very hot. Upanchored at 11am and headed around some islands and ended up at Koh Pak Bia. Anchored and Dell, Debbie and Phil took Zed into the beach but it was no good for snorkelling so took Zed and went back around the island to a neighbouring island and had a swim off the sandspit. There was quite a current running and Dell had her back to it trying to feed some bread to some fish when a big pink jellyfish missed her back by about 3 feet and Debbie had a close call with her face and a jellyfish so we decided that was enough swimming and took Zed out around the island back to the boat. It is amazing when you accidentally hit these huge jelly fish with the outboard motor (poor things!) but they kind of get all mooshed up – we do try to avoid them!!
Miles: 3 Total: 6,632

DAY 93 – Sunday 9 May – Koh Pak Bia - Koh Pan Yi (Gypsy village)
Happy Mother’s Day
We headed to Koh Pan Yi and motored without a breath of wind. We arrived around 3pm and went ashore. Walked through the village and Debbie and Phil found it very interesting. There was a game of soccer (mini) going on at the school – they seemed to have two small soccer fields – not bad for a village built on stilts! Did some shopping and ate on board. Had to get out the mosquito coils and nets on the hatches. Next thing we hear bat bat bat as Debbie had spied a bat (or two) flying around the boat.
Miles: 16 Total: 6,648

DAY 94 – Monday 10 May – Koh Pan Yi – Ko Hong (Pha Nang)
Went into the village again and then left at around 11am and headed through the channels to Koh Hong. There was a catamaran and a yacht already anchored so anchored between them and ended up a bit closer to the cat than Dell would like. Went to the hong and motored around in Zed. The tide was a little low to get into the cave hong but the rest of it was beautiful. Went to a little beach for a swim and could see the National Parks blokes sitting in their boat waiting for people to return to their yachts to charge them the fee. They gave up before we got back. Dell was a little worried that we seemed too close to the cat but when we got back it looked fine. A little later Phil pointed out that they were a little close. They had ridden up over their anchor and we were also surrounded by 6 sunsail charter boats so decided to move right out the back. It was initially a little windy but at least that was cool and then it quietened and we had a comfortable night though Debbie and Phil reported mosquitoes on the deck. When we anchored we were quite close to a drink bottle on a rope so Peter pulled it in to move it. Up came a rock and then a fish trap but then he and Debbie couldn’t pull up whatever was attached to that. They moved it a little way away.
Miles: 7 Total: 6,655

DAY 95 – Tuesday 11 May – Koh Hong - Phanak
Went for a motor around the hong at high tide – it is one of the more beautiful islands around. When we upanchored the fishtrap line was wrapped around our anchor chain so Peter had to cut it away. He tried to rejoin the line but couldn’t hold it so unfortunately that fish trap will never be found again! Had a slow motor to Phanak where we had brekky and then jumped in Zed and headed around the island. This is Dell’s favourite and we went under lots of overhangs and went around an inlet which looks like an ancient city. There were a couple of monkeys on the beach but disappeared when we went in. Had a cooling swim but bubbles were coming up from the sand – really weird. Went around to the other side of the island and saw where the tourist sea canoes were going in. The tour guide said we wouldn’t get Zed in but we could walk so we left Zed on a small beach and took our torches and started walking into the cave. These are openings in the cliff you would never notice if the tour boats weren’t there. Luckily it was a sand bottom and we had the torches so walked about 100m in the dark – ducking as the top of the oyster encrusted cave came down and came out into the most amazing hong – there were mangrove trees in the middle but it was sand – obviously at high tide it would be covered. There were little mudskips and we were the only ones in there – couldn’t believe our luck. Spent some time and then walked out again. A wonderful experience. We came back around and the tide had fallen enough for us to find the entrance to “our” hong so went in there and it was deep enough to row around. Came back around to the long cave and the monkeys were on the beach so watched them for a while. It was now one hour after midtide on an ebb tide so decided to have a go at the big scary cave. Peter and Phil did a mighty job rowing against the current and outcoming canoes and the water was shallowing. Cant tell you how pitch black it is in there – we finally got past all the canoes and made it to the end of the tunnel and finally (third time lucky) we could get through to the hong and we were the only ones in there! We knew we wouldn’t have long as the tide was dropping. We rowed into the hong – really big with lots of places for future exploring when we have time. But then we saw the most amazing thing. There was a gathering of monkeys and all the juveniles were swimming in the water – duck diving down and coming up and ducking each other, leaping from the tree into the water and swimming back to do it all again, splashing and playing with each other in the water – it was an awesome experience and something we have never seen before – swimming monkeys!!! Couldn’t stay too long as the tide was going out and the boys had an easier time getting out as we went with the tide. It is so very dark, bats on the ceiling – you can smell them as soon as you enter the cave. Great stalactites which looked like chandeliers and then we were out. Came back to the boat for a well earned beer and lunch and just sat looking at this awesome island.
Miles: 3 Total: 6,658

DAY 96 – Wednesday 12 May – Phanak to Yacht Haven
Upanchored around 11 and motored slowly with no wind to anchor off Yacht Haven marina. Headed for shore and called in to see Whistle Down the Wind on the way. Walked to the little village and then organised a hire car for tomorrow and then had a shower – a real shower albeit with cold water but in this weather that is very welcome. Met Jean and Dave for dinner at a little place called Coconut which just has one lady to do everything – cooking, cleaning, serving etc. Quite a feat.
Miles: 11 Total: 6,669

DAY 97 – Thursday 13 May – Yacht Haven
Picked up the hire car – heaps of room and fantastic air con!! Headed for old Phuket town which was fascinating with lots of wonderful old shops. Good material shops which were cheap without bargaining. Lost Debbie and Phil but found them again in time for lunch. We went to a little local restaurant and had good food. Then we went to the shopping centre so Phil could have his Swensons ice cream Sunday – we all managed to eat a huge ice cream Sunday and very nice it was too! We then headed to the beaches but it was a little late for a swim. Saw people having elephant rides – the elephants walking along the road. Saw a local market so stopped – it had fruit and veg, fish, chicken, clothes and all sorts of things. Headed back to the marina and didn’t have time for a shower as it was straight to happy hour and the barbeque buffet which was expensive but very nice. Geoff from Wavesweeper was there as well so we had quite a table full of people and it was a good night.

DAY 98 – Friday 14 May – Yacht Haven
Debbie and Phil’s last day – where did the time go!!
Headed into town to do some shopping. Dave and Jean came too as they had to collect their anchor chain and someone else’s anchor which had been galvanised. We stopped at a store called Super Cheap which turned out to be a huge warehouse that sold absolutely everything – food, meat, groceries, clothes, shoes, stationery, electrical, furniture – you name it and it was there. We spent an hour and didn’t scratch the surface – no air con in there so it was quite hot. Found the place to get the anchor and the chain – it was the biggest darn anchor – but we managed to get it all in with Dave tucked in the backseat behind the anchor and the chain neatly folded behind the back seat. Went to the supermarket and did some shopping. There was the strangest bug outside the supermarket in the garden (see the photo). We stopped at a temple on the way back which had a big reclining Buddhu on the roof of the building and lots of statues around the place. Then back to the boat for final packing. Debbie and Phil had a shower and we met them at the restaurant for dinner. A storm was threatening so they moved us further into the restaurant under cover and we had a huge meal then at 6.30pm headed to the airport just as it started to rain. Debbie and Phil checked in – the plane had been delayed an hour. All the passengers on their flight had their luggage searched but the Jetstar passengers to Singapore didn’t – odd! We said farewell to Debbie and Phil and headed off. We have had a wonderful time and it is kind of lonely without them! When we went to go out we didn’t have a parking ticket as we weren’t given one when we went in so we had to pull over and try to make them understand we didn’t have one. In the end they issued us with a ticket and took our 40 baht! Slept on the deck but at 4am it bucketed down rain so we had to quickly move inside.


It has been a wonderful few weeks with Debbie and Phil on board and we have thoroughly enjoyed their company. The boat is a little bigger and quieter now they have left and just a little bit lonelier. We want to thank them for all the help with the anchoring etc which saved Peter’s back – happy to report that his back is much better now. We are just waiting to get another quote for getting the boat painted and then we will be on our way back down to Langkawi. We are looking forward to the birth of our new grandchild who is due on 2nd June.

Take care all.

Love and Cheers
Fair winds and calm seas
Dell and Peter

WEEK 13: 1 May – 7 May – Phi Phi Don to Ko Hong (Krabi)

DAY 85 - Saturday 1 May - Phi Phi Don to Ko Muk

Left at 7am and had a good sail with both main and headsail for a little while then of course the wind died and we motored to Ko Muk. We anchored at first but weren’t happy with the holding so upanchored and picked up a buoy in 4m of water. It was a great comparison to when we came up a week or so ago – calm this time. Went to shore but our little restaurant had closed for the season so we went to the resort for dinner. The service was mediocre and the mosquitos savage. It was a lovely still night.
Miles: 38 Total: 6,384

DAY 86 – Sunday 2 May – Ko Muk to Ko Lantra
07°32.147N 99°02.851E
Went to the Emerald Cave at 7.30am. There were only two people in there. The noise was just like the Disneyland Pirates of the Carribean!! – the water hitting little caves and making a very eerie noise. Had a lovely time in there then Phil and Dell swam out then we dinghied around to the other beach and went ashore for a swim. Back to the yacht and we left at about 11.30 and went up the coast to Koh Lanta. We managed to anchor where there were a lot of rocks ashore!! But managed to land the dinghy in a gap in the rocks. Peter can’t walk very far at the moment as he has done his back in and it is very sore. A lovely lady named Oom came to greet us and invite us to her bar. It was an interesting bar on the beach and they had snakes in bottles – not Dell’s favourite. We sat at a table near the beach for dinner. A little girl started doing a dance for us and then got her fire chains out and did that (without the fire – she was only about 3) – she was very good. We had a lovely meal and then one of the men did the fire twirling – it was a wonderful evening and then back to the boat. Debbie and Phil slept on the deck – heard Phil fall out of bed onto the deck sometime through the night!
Miles: 20 Total: 6,404

DAY 87 – Monday 3 May – Koh Lanta – Nth Koh Dam Khwan (Chicken Island)
07°57.575N 98°48.498E
Peter’s back is no better. We thought of staying – it was so calm through the night. Oom had said that this time last year the weather was really bad and surf was breaking on the beach. In the end we decided to go and left at around 9am. Gained an extra knot of speed with the headsail out for a little while then motored taking it in turns between Debbie, Phil and Dell for the watch. There were heaps and heaps of fish traps to look out for. We arrived at Chicken Island at around 3pm. Anchored about 50m away from the reef. Around 4pm Debbie, Phil and Dell went into the island and left Zed there and snorkelled but a longtail who was distracted headed straight for us so much yelling and splashing and he finally noticed us. After that we snorkelled holding on to Zed, The fish were small but a few of them were aggressive – even the little Nemos didn’t back off. The little brown camouflage fish put a fin on a rock on either side of it and sat as still as it could thinking – you cant see me! The coral was very shallow and covered in sand but further out it was much better. Phil wasn’t well and Debbie and Phil slept on the deck again and we had another beautiful night.
Miles: 29 Total: 6,413

DAY 88 – Tuesday 4 May – Nth Koh Dam Kwan
Today is a down day to catch up with ourselves. Dell made muffins and Peter made bread and we are most intrigued to know what all the tour boats are looking at. This is a beautiful spot between four island with sandspits between two of them. The sandspits dry at low tide and you can walk between the two islands. There were so many people there this morning it looked as though they were walking on water! We went to the place where everyone had been snorkelling but the clarity wasn’t very good and all we could figure was that they were feeding the fish there. Saw a longtail with a monkey in a jacket on board.

DAY 89 – Wednesday 5 May – Nth Koh Dam Kwan – Rai Le Beach
We went snorkelling early in the morning but the tide was out and there were so many sea urchins that it was a bit dangerous so we headed back to the boat. Upanchored and went to the southern tip of Krabi where there was supposed to be a cave and a pool. It was a beautiful spot with large karsts rising out of the water and a resort on the beach. Dell, Debbie and Phil went ashore and walked to the cave with all the phallic symbols and had a swim over to an inlet in the rocks but didn’t actually see any cave or pool. I am sure with another visit we will have to explore a little more. We then motored around to the next bay and anchored in 4m and all went ashore. This place is renowned for its rock climbing so D, D & P walked along the beach – lots of backpacking places and came back to where we had left Peter and watched a fellow climbing under an overhang. When he fell the line was taken taut by the trainer on the ground. Deb & Phil found a little local eatery up a lane and the lady produced an old table and some odd chairs to accommodate us. She said it was up to her how hot our food would be and we had the loveliest meal we had had in ages. Went back to the boat as it was threatening rain but nothing came of it but it was shallow on the way back and the motor touched bottom a couple of times.
Miles: 5 Total: 6,418

DAY 90 – Thursday 6 May – Rai Le Beach
Peter stayed on board and D, P & D headed around the headland to the next bay in Zed. There was a special on massages so Debbie and Dell had a pedicure and massage – both for 450 Baht – about $15 (for two). We then walked around town. Taxi prices are ridiculously high but we found a bike taxi would take us to the Wat and wait and bring us back but by this time it was getting a bit late. We also found out the fruit and veggie market was about 5k away but as it was getting late and the water getting a bit rough we headed back to the boat. We all got soaked but arrived safely back. Dell has been driving Zed in Peter’s absence. We decided to eat on board as there was lightning all around and then we had a big storm with heaps of rain and we filled our two jerries and all the buckets in no time. It lasted about ¾ hr and then it was over and gone leaving us refreshed after our shower in the rain on the deck.

DAY 91 – Friday 7 May – Rai Le Beach – Ko Hong
We had a late start trying to decide whether to go round to the bay again or back to find the cave and pool but in the end decided to head for Ko Hong. It took a couple of hours and we picked up our buoy at Ko Hong about 1pm and headed to the beach. Peter and Dell had a swim while Debbie and Phil did the walk and then came back to the beach for a swim. Had a lovely afternoon – there weren’t as many longtails or tourist b oats as last time and in the end it was just us and about five other people. Beautiful calm evening.
Miles: 11 Total: 6,629


Love and Cheers

Fair winds and calm seas

Dell and Peter

WEEK 12: 24 April - 30 April - Ao Chalong to Phi Phi Don Thailand

Congratulations to Jeremy and Claire on their engagement

DAY 78 - Saturday 24 April - Ao Chalong, Thailand
Greg and Chris (Windchimes) went off in their hire car for the day and we commenced cleaning up the boat and trying to rearrange all the stuff we keep on the back bunk to free it up for Debbie and Phil. At the end of the day we were all too tired to go ashore so ate on board.

DAY 79 - Sunday 25 April - ANZAC DAY - Ao Chalong
We went to say hullo to Pam off Helly then joined Greg and Chris ashore for breakfast. Had a beer at the Come On bar and talked to Doug off Helly. Shopping and cleaning then a very pleasant evening spent with Wind Chimes.

DAY 80 - Monday 26 April - Ao Chalong
Debbie and Phil come tonight! Finished tidying the boat (how messy could it be!!) and headed in to collect the hire car from Nina's. It was red but turned out to be a bit smaller than we thought. We went to sort out our internet then to Boat Lagoon to see how work on Neptune II was coming along. Had a chat to Neptune's skipper and he was very impressed with the work being done. Then we headed to Yacht Haven to see David and Jean on Whistle Down the Wind. They have totally pulled their whole dodger off and are working on it. They have done a lot but there is still a lot to go. It poured rain while we were there so they put a tarp over the companionway and we went below for a beer or two. Then we went to the restaurant and then headed to the airport. It was great to catch up with Whistle again. We got to the airport at 7.20 but we were not allowed in and had to wait outside. Debbie and Phil came out at about 8.10pm and we made the long drive back to Ao Chalong. Had dinner at our little restaurant and Debbie ordered a meal which had omitted the word "hot" on the menu! She persevered and with tears rolling down her face she finished it. We then did the long walk along the jetty and clambered on to a boat and then to our dinghy who we have named Zed. For a long time we were trying to think of a clever name for our dinghy and then Peter was looking at it the other night and it has a big Z on the front (Zodiac) so he said Zed and we thought that was pretty clever and it had been staring us in the face all along!

Day 81 - Tuesday 27 April - Ao Chalong
It was a bit of a rocky night but we all survived it. We tied Zed up at the jetty as it is spring tides at the moment and the jetty moves with the tide. We went up to the Big Budhha and then stopped for a meal on the way down. It was really cheap and absolutely lovely - a nice surprise. We then headed to Nai Harn and had a swim and another snack and a walk around. Then we drove over the range (very slowly!) and saw the elephants. Then to Patong Beach where we parked and walked down the road - it was 4pm and just starting to liven up. We went to the Aussie Bar because we knew it had good toilets and noticed a man lying on the floor - he had collapsed and hit his head. Ambulance came and carted him away. Returned to Ao Chalong and went to our little restaurant.

DAY 82 - Wednesday 28 April - Ao Chalong
Happy Birthday Sandra!!
Went to buy another fan for the boat and then to the supermarket to provision then to Patong to the wet market to buy fruit and veggies. They have all kinds of interesting things in there including live toads, and eels (which really looked like snakes) along with the general fish and chickens and gizzards etc. It poured rain which made us pretty happy as Peter had the water catcher up on the boat but when we drove back to Ao Chalong we hadn't had a drop of rain!! Went to our little Tamarind restaurant for dinner. The cat sat behind Debbie on her chair again. We had left Zed tied to the stairs at the jetty and when we got back with our supplies the tide had gone out and Zed didn't quite have enough rope out and was starting to rise at the front so it was as well we got back when we did.

DAY 83 - Thursday 29 April - Ao Chalong - Phi Phi Le
On buoy
The boys did a water run with the jerries and we upanchored around 10am and headed to Phi Phi Le - dead calm and wind on the nose. We got to Phi Phi Le and there was only one buoy we could have and it was occupied. We went in to see if they were staying and they were leaving as soon as they got their motor fixed. So we hung around and as soon as they left we grabbed the buoy. We jumped in the water and there were no fish. So we went for a snorkel over the reef and it was fantastic. There was only one other yacht in the place so it was wonderful to have the place to ourselves.
Miles: 26 Total: 6,329

DAY 84 - Friday 30 April - Phi Phi Le to Phi Phi Don
We started our day early jumping off the back of the boat and there were fish everywhere. Went for a snorkel and then took Zed all around the edges of the rocks. We left at 9.40am just as all the tourist boats were starting to swarm in. Went around Phi Phi Le with Debbie and Phil sitting on the deckchairs. The only thing missing was the Pims! We went past a lovely little beach at Ao Nui with rocks around and noticed a buoy so grabbed it and went ashore and had a snorkel round. There were a few interesting fish but nothing startling so we returned to the boat and had lunch on the way to Hin Klang Reef. We could see a buoy so headed for it. Dell though it was a little close to the reef but we picked it up anyway. Peter did a snorkel round to make sure we wouldn't hit a bommie. We all went for a snorkel from the back of the boat. The coral was hard coral and was spectacular - absolutely beautiful. Like a great big garden. Motored to Phi Phi Don and anchored then it rained so we had a shower on the deck. What an amazing day. Went to shore for dinner and walked around then stopped at a cafe on the way back. Got back to the boat in the dark to find that a huge boat had taken the very small buoy near us and put out lots of line so we were in danger of getting hit. So after the rain we upanchored in the dark and anchored further out.
Miles: 17 Total: 6,346

Sorry this is so late - we seem to have been so busy!! We have really noticed that the high season has finished and the low season has started and even though there are still heaps of tourists it has definitely quietened down.
Love and Cheers
Fair winds and calm seas
Dell and Peter
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