L A N G K A W I ….we have arrived!!!

 

We are finally at our goal destination and boy it feels good!

To celebrate our arrival the Harbour Master put on a fantastic laser light and  fireworks show and we celebrated by breaking out the BBQ and  fixing in position at long last.

 

Its been 220 days since we left Fremantle

We have travelled 3184.50 nautical miles

Used 443 litres of diesel

Spent $ *@#+^% getting here…far too much!

We have laughed and cried,  panicked  and relaxed, and tested ourselves. But on the whole it’s been a good trip this far.

Christmas will be spent at Rebak Marina which is attached to Rebak Island Resort http://www.rebakmarina.com/

So for the Christmas week we will enjoy all the luxuries the resort has to offer, Christmas lunch at the restaurant with the other yachties, some good happy hours and lots of catching up with people we have met along the way. We found a  Cold Storage supermarket in Penang that catered for a western style Christmas so  we have a fridge full of Christmas goodies and treats to chomp our way through. Better still is that Langkawi is a duty free port so the liquor cabinet is full again. It’s looking like it will be a good week despite the fact we are missing friends and family at this time of year.

We have has a good time travelling the west coast of Malaysia despite the lack of wind until our sail from Penang to Langkawi when we had a good 18/20 knots on the nose which shook all the cobwebs out of the boat and us.

As we approached Penang a rather large bridge appeared that was not marked on charts or on Navionics or in any info we had collected. My friend Mr Google helped out and we were safe to pass underneath the 30m clearance. If I remember rightly it is the largest span bridge built in SE Asia at 24km long. It really is quite spectacular, once you realise its ok to pass under !

We anchored off Georgetown in the “junk anchorage” for a few days. From here we explored the old town, went up to the top of Penang Hill by the funicular railway and enjoyed some local food. To access town from the anchorage we took the dinghy to Chews jetty & tied up there. There was always something to see as we walked along this busy jetty that families have made their homes for many years. The smells were also quite…different… my nose certainly suffered a little on these walks!! There is still a lot for us to explore here but here are a few pictures from around town….

The Blacksmith, how he works in the heat up here is amazing.

Some old bikes

In between selling his pork chops this man was fanned by his daughter (?) and even that he found very tiring…it’s the heat that does it!

Some wonderful old houses and street art on every corner

Tying up the dinghy and hoping it will be there when we return

The walk along the jetty and some very grand stainless work

Enjoying coffee and a chat. Check out the haircut!

We the motored round to the very new Straits Quay Marina for a couple of days. We needed fresh water and the boat needed a hose down. This was a great place to stop. Clean, good security, washing machine. It’s a short bus ride into town, or a bike ride. Tesco is 5 mins walk and Cold Storage 15 mins walk. We will go back there as we still have more exploring and shopping to do in Penang.

We left there early morning prepared for a long day of motoring the 55nm to Langkawi but we were nicely surprised to have a breeze despite it being slightly on the nose.

I think we have decided that for now we will make our base between Penang, Langkawi and Thailand, by that I mean for the next year. There is so much to see and do up here, by sea and by land and we are in no rush to head off anywhere in particular, unless of course someone comes up with a better plan.

We are looking forward to Ben & Kate arriving mid January and there is a chance that my dear friend Carey maybe venturing out to Thailand in May so that on its own is a very good reason to hang around.

We spotted this rather large monitor lizard swimming around the marina in Kuah. I guess we won’t be jumping in the water for a swim here.

To all our yachtie followers we hope in 2014  the winds will always be from behind,  blow you gently along to discover wonderful new anchorages and meet interesting new friends. Sail safely.

To all our land followers we hope 2014 brings you joy and happiness in everything you do. Live, love, laugh.

I’ll be posting Christmas pictures from Rebak soon.

***MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE ***

Malacca or Melaka ?

 

As far as I could find out Melaka is Malay for Malacca so now we know!

We left the boat at Admiral Marina for a few days and took the bus journey into Melaka to have a look around.

Our first bus took us from Admiral Marina into Port Dickson bus terminal about 15 mins drive. There we changed onto the bus going to Seremban bus station an hours drive then we caught an express coach to Melaka bus station another hours drive. The first two buses were your normal local bus stopping every few minutes to let people on and off. They are always interesting to travel on as you pass through local villages and towns. The locals sometimes stare at you in amazement to see a westerner on their local bus and often they want to chat to you and find out where you are from and most importantly do you like Malaysia. Everyone is always friendly and helpful. The express coach was a little more luxurious with reclining seats, footrests  and air conditioning that was so cold I got goose bumps! Mental note to take a sweater next time. The bus trip cost the 2 of us MYR 21.00 ($7) one way!

Once we arrived at Melaka we found our way into the old city which was granted Unesco World Heritage Site status in 2008. We had booked into  The Wayfarer Guest House for 2 nights. The guesthouse was beautiful. It was thought to be an old rubber trading shophouse built on the river bank.

A family had bought it, renovated and turned it into their home and guesthouse. We were on the second floor in a large room with queen bed and ensuite bathroom. The bed was comfy and the  linen crispy white cotton. The fan and aircon kept the room cool and we had tea and coffee making facilities plus the use of the family kitchen if we wanted. Satisfied we had made a good choice and after a cup of tea we headed out the door to explore.

Melaka was originally just a small fishing village but because  of  its location, halfway  between China and India,  it soon attracted merchants from all over and became a major trading port. A Hindu prince was the first to stop here on his way to the spice islands, followed by the Chinese, Portuguese and Dutch. This all makes the mixture of architecture very interesting and the different cultures means there is a wide and varied choice of some very delicious food to try.

We spent the next 2 days just walking around looking at beautiful old buildings, visiting museums, hunting around in junk shops, visiting different temples, eating beautiful food.  The old part, Chinatown is hanging in there but of course there are your gaudy trinket type tourist shops popping up along with new buildings being constructed on the riverfront.

We took atrip up the river and passed under some very pretty bridges as well as many large monitor lizards that live in the rivers up here.

They seem to be putting a lot of money into the town and hopefully the new will blend with the old without too much damage, as it is the old that this town is all about.  At the end of the second day I was quite foot weary and I treated myself to a foot massage. Jerry treated himself to a back and shoulder massage.

It was a great couple of days and we can highly recommend a trip here. Make it midweek, weekends are too busy. You will not be disappointed.

On the road again…

Or really I should say on the sea again but it just doesn’t sound “in tune”
However after 6 1/2 weeks of being a ‘marina rat’ (someone who lives on board yacht in marina & doesn’t go out sailing), we have finally left Danga Bay behind and started our trip north along the east Malaysian coast to hopefully arrive at Langkawi for Christmas.
Talking of marina rats there were a few of the rodent type that found there way onto yachts in the marina. Apart from giving you the creeps at night as they scurry across your chest in bed they also do an awful lot of damage as they gnaw their way through not just your food but the boat wiring, rubber seals and wood. They are not the kind of furry animal you want onboard so we are now stocked with allsorts devices to deter them or get rid of them if they do venture onto TToo. Jerry reckons I will nag them off.... hahaha, he is so funny!!
It was an interesting time in Danga Bay. Because it is so cheap and very central to major airports yachties seem to choose this marina as a base and leave their boats here while they take a trip home or just enjoy some inland travel for a change. It is also a good base to do any major repairs as the facilities ashore for finding engine bits & pieces are amazing. So we met and made lots of new friends and also gained a lot of information for cruising in this area.

It was also very busy at weekends with locals coming down to have dinner or just look at the yachts in the marina and have their photos taken. They were always interested to know where you are from, how long it took to sail here and what life onboard a yacht is like. This couple even asked if they could have some wedding photos taken beside our yacht. Unfortunately I was in the middle of doing the washing on the jetty and Jerry & I didn’t have time to dress for the occasion!

For us we spent our time fixing up broken bits & pieces, renewing exhaust, sewing new canvas. On the social side we had lots of happy hours at the 2 for 1 bar in the marina, cheap meals out and several visits to Singapore to stay with Peter and enjoy his company while we had the chance.


We also flew home for a very brief visit as Jerry had a medical appointment to attend and also Ben & Kate had their official engagement party. Unfortunately it was only a brief visit and consequently we did not get to see all of our friends but there is always next time OR you could always visit us!!

The weather at the moment is in the change of season from the SW Monsoon to the NE monsoon. We are also nearing towards the end of the Sumatra season, or so I believe. Strong winds that just appear from nowhere (technically from Sumatra), you get about 30 mins warning, if you are lucky, and then winds that can reach 40+ knots hit you with torrential rain, thunder and lightening. Sounds awful doesn’t it! Well so far we have been lucky. Lots of rain, thunder, and lightening that sends me into a real “oh my god, this is it, death by lightening” frenzy! I really don’t think I will ever get used to that. The lack of wind has meant that since leaving Danga Bay we have had to motor/motor sail to where we are now. But it has been very pleasant with flat calm seas and lots to look at  as we head up alongside the very busy shipping channel of the Malacca Straits, dodge numerous fishing farms and nets, and enjoy looking at the very different architecture of the buildings ashore.

We are now sat very comfortably in what can only be described as pure luxury, that is after Danga Bay, at Admiral Marina just south of Port Dickson. It is extremely clean, Jerry even jumped over the side to clean the hull. Very quiet, no noise from, building sites, dredges or bands at night. It is also attached to a luxury resort so we have full use of all facilities including a very nice swimming pool that because it has a lot of trees around it can be quite cool when one puts the big toe in to test out the water. But it has proved to be a good way to cool the body down and escape the heat for a few hours a day. Of course all this comes at a price and unlike Danga Bay at $33 per week this one is $140, so we wont be here too long.

Tomorrow we head inland by local bus to the historical town of Melaka for 3 days of sightseeing. Note the difference in spelling Malacca Straits/Melaka City. Not sure why but if I can find out I shall let you know.
Today we are heading into Port Dickson for the day.
Despite a long break in Blogs we hope you haven’t given up checking as now we are on the move again I will be posting more regularly again.