Sea Bunny world cruise

RIB rescue!

2012-02-17T08:17:00.000+07:00

From Koh Phayam we went to the Surins for a few days. Unfortunately the coral in both the Surins and the Similans has suffered from bleaching over the last couple of years.

The Koh Miang anchorage (taken in 2009)

At anchor off Koh Miang in the Similans we were in the cockpit playing cards, when Susan observed a very smart RIB heading out through the channel between the islands, with the tide and wind, but with no-one on board. Was it was supporting a drift dive? Too fast to have divers attached. We launched our RIB and collected the drifting boat. There was a swimmer, complete with flotation vest, chasing the RIB. He had swum at least 0.4nM (750 m) from the large motor yacht M/Y Amadeus from whence the RIB has escaped but he was losing the race. There were us and one fishing boat on a mooring between him and a 40 nM swim to the mainland! We picked him up and reunited him with the RIB, which had apparently gone adrift during lunch.

In the picture we were on the second mooring from the left, the RIB was further E (right) when picked up and the fishing boat was on the last mooring (no tender) - then nothing till the mainland.

We can only assume and hope that the skipper was not on board Amadeus at the time the boat became detached and that the crew member made the decision himself to try to rescue the RIB in such a potentially suicidal way.

Man cannot live by bread alone - Koh Phayam

2012-02-16T19:14:00.000+07:00

We have been a bit busy planning for our maintenance period in Phuket and hence have not got round to blogging for a while.

We headed up from Nai Yang, via Ban Thap Lamu and the channels inside Koh Ra and Koh Phra Thong (don't try looking for Koh Ra on Maps on an iPad - it apparently doesn't exist but does on Google Earth) to Koh Phayam.

Ko Phayam - main road

Butterfly - Ko Phayam

Koh Phayam is like what Phuket probably was 30 years ago - low key backpacker resorts, good beaches, very relaxed -Lonely Planet says demure.

R had an arguement with a lawn mower at the hairdressers. We found fruit and veg and the cafe beside the library (book swap or loan) took an order for bread.

2 kg loaf

Be warned however, a 2 kg wholemeal loaf cost us THB 600 (GBP 12) and was dense (like R's hot cross buns -have 2 for breakfast and you don't need to eat again all day). R suffered from severe indigestion after two slices of toast. The loaf was quartered, frozen & lasted 2 weeks - so quite economical really!
With no inverter, this was an investment & kept the male of the species happily married to cracker girl!
The b...d word looms so large on Sea Bunny that it is now banned & has to be referred to as fermented wheat.

Some success - and moving. Posted from Nai Yang, Phuket

2012-01-17T08:45:00.000+07:00

The repair on the gen set seems to have worked - hurrah! Now we can move again, clever Richard.
The inverter is a different matter & according to Xantrex is an expensive, in warranty, throw away item. Guess what our valentine day present will be?
With AC power partially restored yesterday we motored up to Nai Yang in a very rolly anchorage as there was a NW swell and an unseasonal westerly wind. In the evening our friends on Cankata organised a dinghy raft up for sundowners. 9 dinghies with 23 people drifted along enjoying the sunset and the camaraderie.
Today we will continue in day hops towards Ko Phayam, just south of the Myanmar border and then to the Surins and Similans.

Run up to Friday 13th - lost bikini top and electric BOAT* issues

2012-01-15T09:47:00.001+07:00

Our genset had been becoming slower and slower to start, with smoke coming out on the inlet manifold. Eventually, on the Tuesday after New Year it failed entirely to start. Richard embarked on a "top end overhaul" to restore compression and get it running again. This was successfully done over a period of about 3 days. Lack of the genset is usually a minor annoyance as we can charge the batteries using the main engine for about an hour a day to supplement solar and wind power. In this mode "mains" AC is produced by an inverter. However, attempting to make bread on two successive days resulted in flat unrisen pieces of dough. Investigation revealed that the inverter, which is only 2 years old,instead of producing 230 volts at 50 Hertz, was producing 225 volts (OK), but at 100Hz.

With the genset working again, and breadmaking restored, we returned to Nai Harn, where the laundry service produces better results than that on offer at Panwa Bali and we can hire a car to go shopping in preparation for a trip to the Surin and Similan islands.

In the windier conditions Susan lost the top of her best bikini from the guard rail.

Unfortunately, the genset had still not finished with us.

The lower hole shouldn't be there!

While running the genset to charge the batteries, the bilge pump suddenly came on. Investigating the source of the water showed a steady stream coming from inside its enclosure. Further investigation showed a spray of water coming from around the cylinder block. Immediate reaction was that R had used the wrong O rings on the water channels when rebuilding the engine. Off came the cylinder head, the O rings were checked and supplemented with a liberal dose of gasket sealant, the head replaced and the genset restarted. The leak was still there. Closer examination revealed that it was coming out in a powerful jet from the bottom of the water jacket of the cylinder block. The engine was stripped for the third time, the hole cleaned up and patched with steel extended epoxy and the engine put back together again. The current situation is that the epoxy has been allowed to set overnight, the valve clearances need to be reset and we will then see if the temporary fix has worked.

Watch this space!

* BOAT = "Bring out another thousand"- expression borrowed from SV Crystal Blues' blog. Unfortunately theirs are Aussie dollars, ours are pounds, although the two move ever closer!

.

New Year celebrations

2012-01-15T09:47:00.000+07:00

After a windy few days at Nai Harn, with swell making getting ashore difficult, Sea Bunny moved back to Panwa Bali for New Year,spent in the company of Neil & Ley. The New Year was seen in on Crystal Blues after dinner on Sea Bunny. We had views of at least three firework displays - fairly low key locally at Panwa Bali, across the bay at Ao Chalong and over the hills at Patong. Earlier in the evening there was a bit of excitement as some idiot let off parachute flares, one of which appeared to land, still burning, on the deck of Daemon. Neil & Richard set off in the dinghy with a fire extinguisher, but it seems that it had actually landed in the water behind the boat, giving the appearance of being on the deck. Jill and Bruce were woken to enjoy th fireworks.

Christmas at Nai Harn

2011-12-27T09:51:00.002+07:00

We left the Rebak "cruisers' retirement village" on Sunday 18/12 via Telaga for check-out, fuel and wine. Despite a fuel booking for 280 litres at 1500 we got to the fuel dock at the appointed time to find the tank was empty. This was actually convenient as we could leave Sea Bunny on the dock while visiting harbourmaster, customs (not there but harbourmaster was moonlighting as customs and gave us our clearance) and immigration. After the formalities we were able to take the RIB over to the wine shop before the tanks were refilled and diesel became available about 1800.

A quick trip up, stopping overnight at Ko Rok, got us to Panwa Bali, opposite Ao Chalong, on Tuesday in time for dinner ashore with Amoenitas. Wednesday entailed a visit across the bay to Ao Chalong to check in. The new computerised system overlaid on top of the paperwork does not yet seem to offer any streamlining of the procedures, stacks of paper being printed out and signed. We still had to provide paper copies of the boat's registration document ans skipper's passport to each of immigration, customs and port control, despite having uploaded it.

Back at Panwa Bali it was easy to get a taxi into the Central Festival shopping centre for last minute Christmas supplies - no tonic though - apparently this shortage is island-wide after the floods north. Too many expats downing their Christmas G&Ts.

After successful emergency troubleshooting on the genset it was a short sail around to Nai Harn to meet up with the advance guard of our Christmas group - MV Mandella II and SV Catcha Star were already anchored in the NE corner of the bay - Catcha Star, with a new paint job, being identified by her status as a "dangerous target" on AIS.

A trip ashore to leave laundry resulted in a partly swamped dinghy on leaving - par for the course here.

There is not the crowded bay chocka full of boats that there was 2 years ago. The Christmas Eve buffet at the Ao Sane restaurant was still very good. The swell had built up on the beach there too, resulting in a slightly wet landing from Mandella II's large "tinny" and a very wet trip back to the boats at the end of the evening - thanks Peter.

After Christmas lunch

Christmas Day dawned with 20-25 knots of offshore wind in the anchorage. The wind generators were working hard! The gustiness caused a modification to the planned mobile lunch (one course on each of several boats) and the group from 5 boats (Mandella II, Catcha Star, Crystal Blues, Sandy and Sea Bunny) congregated on Mandella II at 1200 for the gargantuan Christmas feast, leaving around 1800. On most boats no more food or drink was required until Boxing Day. Phone calls to the UK via Skype were not successful but we got the two boys via mobile.

Boxing Day saw the wind continuing and swell on the main beach preventing a dry landing to collect our laundry, we had to walk round from Ao Sane on the north of the bay - we needed the exercise anyway but failed to realise that we had lost a large dinghy wheel -how careless, now presumably on its way to Sumatra.

"Morning tea", as Australians call a mid-morning coffee break (morning smoko in NZ or elevenses when we were young in the UK) was back on Mandella, with mincepies, cake and stollen. Planned lunch ashore was cancelled due to the wave break on the beach and a scratch lunch was put together.

Boxing Day concluded with talking to our daughter, dinner and admiration of the new sound system on Crystal Blues.

Train Bangkok to Alor Setar for Rebak

2011-12-12T20:02:00.000+07:00

In Chiang Mai we were able to book first class sleepers from Bangkok to Hat Yai. The train apparently splits in Hat Yai with the 1^st class carriage being removed before continuing to Butterworth via Alor Setar.

Beside the track leaving Bangkok there is still extensive flooding with some houses immersed half way up lower floor windows. At one point during the night it sounded as if the train was passing through flood water.

The train stopped for about 10 minutes at Hat Yai Junction while our coach and others were detached. Just enough time to buy a ticket (we were first in the queue and had no difficulty) and find a seat in the 2^nd class coach that was being converted from sleeper to seating. In many ways – for seating - this coach is more comfortable than the 1^st class but, of course, lacks the privacy of a private 2-berth compartment.

At Padang Besar, the border station, we had to get off with our bags to pass through Thai immigration and Malaysian immigration and customs.

The train attendant suggested that we should get off at Arau, the station for Kuala Perlis, where we could get a ferry to Kuah. As we know the Kuala Kedah ferry route we opted to stay on. The attendant may have known something we didn't though as a horde of people, mainly young, got on at Arau, so there was standing room only and we shared our seats. Everyone pealed off at Alor Setar and the station staff called us a taxi for the Kuala Kedah ferry.
After taxi, ferry and taxi we were at the Langasuka jetty in time to catch the 1630 ferry to Rebak and watch the final fly-past of the air show.

Bangkok

2011-12-12T19:48:00.000+07:00

On this trip to Bangkok we decided to stay at a hotel in the Sukumvit area rather than, as previously, in Silom. The Kingston Suites, recommended to us by a couple we met in Chiang Mai, proved to be an excellent choice.

The visit was mainly spent in the nearby shopping malls, of which Bangkok has many! The squalid traffic laden streets, with little pedestrian walk way, contrast violently with the sleek malls and overhead skytrain that whisks you between these malls. The latest shopping experience is Tower 21 which is designed like an airport and each floor is a city - very difficult to navigate the terminals when all you want to buy is a hairbrush because the bobbles have worn off your old one!

Train Chiang Mai to Bangkok

2011-12-12T19:36:00.000+07:00

The “rapid” daytime train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok leaves at 0845. The second class carriage was not crowded although when we booked online it looked as it it would be – we were only given a choice of 5 seats. Light snacks and lunch are served en route free of charge.

The first part of the journey is through hilly country with several rivers following the route. The scenery becomes less interesting as the flat agricultural region is reached but then darkness falls. Approaching Bangkok we could see that there was still flooding, with vehicles driving through water close to the railway. Arrival in Bangkok was at 2215, 1 ¾ hours late. Whether this was due to reduced speeds in the wake of the flooding or just “Thai time” we can’t tell.

Chiang Mai

2011-12-12T19:28:00.000+07:00

Circling the stupa

We were fortunate to be able to share a car hired by a German couple , Wiebke and Fins to go up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthup 16kn west of the city. As it was a holiday weekend (King’s birthday) the wat was very crowded with pilgrims doing three circuits of the central stupa praying for good fortune in the coming year. Unfortunately there was smoke haze over the city so the view was not too good.

Further up the hill at the Phra Tamnak Phu Phing palace we were able to visit the gardens. This is a winter residence for the royal family although one might have expected it to be a summer one to escape from the heat of Bangkok.

Night market set-up

The Sunday night market takes over two intersecting streets in the centre of the walled city and is impressive for its size and speed of setting up.
The OMCTG had selected only 4 wats to visit, of which 3 were open to visitors. In one, chairs were out and there was a service going on – probably prayers for the King.

Visits to “factories” making umbrellas, silk products, lacquerware and leatherware comprised a rapid tour of a workshop area followed by the showroom. Most of the goods are, of course, made elsewhere. A highlight was an Indian salesman trying to convince Susan that a pashmina clearly labelled “viscose/polyester” was made from the cheaper wool from the belly of the goat. The showroom that was impressive was the one selling solid teak and rosewood furniture at very attractive prices that included shipping to

Our hotel ,Villa San Pee Seua, was some way outside town across the river and situated beside it. Scheduled transport was laid on twice daily into town and on a couple of occasions on request. On alternate days the evening transport is by boat. It was a very friendly place.

Chiang Rai environs

2011-12-06T16:45:00.000+07:00

Akha house - Ban Lorcha

On a recommendation we hired a car and driver for our golden triangle day. Starting in the north west at Ban Lorcha hilltribe village of the Akha tribe tourists can visit in a controlled way that actually brings benefit to the villagers in as non-exploitative way as possible. A small entrance fee is charged and a villager is provided as a guide. This ensures that the tourists do not intrude into areas where they are not welcome and lets them visit on the villagers’ terms rather than a commercial tours’. The village has been helped by the PDA, who hope to extend the concept to other villages.

View near Mae Salong

At MaeSalong, which was originally settled by Chinese fleeing the 1949 revolution but from Myanmar - too much fighting to go into, the mountain air was cool and crisp and the veiws are stunning (nasty word).

The Princess Mother, the present King’s mother, who died in 1995, is much revered by Thais for the good works she did, particularly for the hill people of the north. Her home at Doi Tung in the hills is open to the public as are the botanical gardens that surround it.

Thailand foreground, Myanmar left, Laos right

On a hill outside Ban Sop Ruak there is a superb view of the confluence of the Maenam Ruak forming the border between Thailand and Myanmar and the Nam Khong (.Mekong) forming the border between Thailand and Laos and, to the north of the junction between Myanmar and Laos. Casinos have been established in both Laos and Myanmar close to the border here to capture some Thai money. They have also been set up in the border town of Tachilek in

Myanmar

just across the river from Mae Sai.
A very long day back by 1900 hrs, perfect driver - lucky tourists we are!

Chiang Rai

2011-12-06T16:44:00.000+07:00

Figure in Cabbages & Condoms

The Hilltribe Museum established by the PDA(Population and Rural Development Association) contains a chilling history of the opium trade which flourished in the border areas of Thailand, Laos and

Burma

until recently. It makes clear the roles played by the British, French and USA in developing the market, protecting and facilitating the trade. Particularly concerning is the role of the CIA at the time of the conflict in Vietnam and Laos when, through Air

America

, they actually assisted the local warlords in transporting the opium and heroin out of the area.

On the same site is the interestingly named Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant, profits from which support the work of the PDA, which has had a significant impact on population control reducing the average number of children in a Thai family from seven to 2. It has some unusually decorated statues.

Wat Rong Khun

A local bus took us 15km toWat Rong Khun, the White Temple. It is an intriguing modern complex in the making -very shiny like royal icing. The local famous artist is working, rather like Michael Angelo did on the Sistine Chapel, and it is not expected to be complete until 2070! The main temple is highly ornate but with some disturbing representations of lost souls around it. Inside there are stunning murals with very modern themes reflection the battle of good and evil. There are spacecraft, the Twin Towers, “Transformers”, warplanes and George W and Osama Bin Ladin to list but a few!

Public toilets at Wat Rong Khun

The complex also contains what must be one of the the most ornate golden public toilets in the world stunning.

Oub Khum Museum

The Oub Kham Museum houses a collection of artefacts from the Lanna region of North Thailand, NE Burma, NW Laos, southern China and NW Vietnam. The collection has been put together by a private individual to preserve the art and culture of the region. The quality of the exhibits, their preservation and their display rivals and excels the national museums of both Laos and Myanmar. It is absolutely stunning. The Baan SoonTree Hotel just out of town where we stayed is well recommended.

Chiang Khong

2011-12-05T21:41:00.001+07:00

house

Wat Luang

Back in Thailand! Another hotel on the riverfront - the Chiang Khong Teakhouse very peaceful. In the evening feeling now masters of the Lao bbq were able to assist others with its intricities! This place is a friendly frontier town and the OMCTG (O Mighty Chief Tour Guide aka Project Director) went on a wat tour before catching our bus to Chiang Rai.

After Laos the temples here are very well cared for - in fact two of the three we visited are in process of major restoration/repainting. One, Wat Phra Kaew had been completely gutted, most of the images removed and the main Buddha covered in dust sheet. The main temple, Wat Luang, was being painted outside and was locked up.

Bees nests - Wat Sridonchi

The third termple we visited, Wat Sridonchi, had clearly been recently renovated - the murals were pristine and paintwork fresh. Even the bees' nests seemed fresh!

A recurrent theme seemed to be temple guardians comprising one dragon eating another or coiled dragons - neither of which we had noticed before.

Dragon eats dragon - Wat Luang

Coiled dragon - Wat Sridonchi

The Mighty Mekong

2011-12-05T21:41:00.000+07:00

The VIP boat

Collected from our guest house at crack of sparrow fart, 0630 ,our guide took us by tuk-tuk to pick up the 3 Swiss ladies with whom we were to share our jouney upstream on the Mekong, or Nam Khong as it is known in Laos, on the Nagi of the Mekong slow boat. This is VIP in that we have soft seats, taken from a coach, lunches and overnight stay in one of the better hotels in Pak Beng included. Well we were under way by 0650.

Images in the upper cave at Pak Ou

Initially the route is as we took on the book boat. Shortly after Ban San Souk we reach Pak Ou caves. There are two of these, with over 4000 Buddha figures. Very good exercise climbing the hill. Before 1975 the caves received royal protection, with the village of Pak Ou on the other side of the Nam Khong at the confluence of the Nam Ou and the Nam Khong, responsible for looking after the caves. Maintenance appears to have reduced with the loss of royal patronage.

In many places the Nam Khong is narrower than we expected but, even when fairly low, runs fast - we estimated about 4-5 knots of stream against us. The boat was making about 10 knots over the ground which means the downstream trip takes about half as long.

One of the larger riverside villages

We passed numerous small villages perched above the flood level. As the water level drops the newly exposed river banks and sandbanks are planted with crops and in some cases small buildings are constructed on sandbanks.

While the scenery is undoubatbly impressive we were surprised by the lack of undomesticated animal life. We saw maybe 20 birds on the whole trip - no waders or even egrets with the cattle. Allthe animals seen were domesticated -buffalo and other cattle, goats, pigs, dogs and even elephants.

Sticky rice field

Another surprise was how much of the primary forest had obviously been cleared. In some places, especially on the second day, there was extensive cultivation of sticky rice but in many places the forest had been cleared and the land left to regenerate. Apparently, after a crop of sticky rice the land is best left fallow for 10 years or yields reduce, although recent adoption of crop rotation may have improved this. This leaves vast areas of scrub with a few clumps of original forest. In some places, especially along the river, there were patches of clearly replanted timber - we think teak, but these were few. We couldn't ascertain whether the timber had been commercially logged.

A planned visit to a Hmoung village on the second day had to be abandoned to ensure that we arrived in Hual Xia in time to check out of Laos and cross the river into Thailand before the border shut at 1800. As it was we had to pay 10,000 kip (or $1) per person overtime charge as we were after 1600. What a lazy way to spend two days - well recommended.

UXOs, waterfalls and moon bears

2011-11-27T16:31:00.001+07:00

We had learnt that there was an orphanage run by COPE which had a visitor centre similar to the one in Vientiane, which we had failed to visit. The minibus driver we had hired with another couple found the orphanage with no difficulty but no visitor centre. After several false trails were followed we eventually ended up at the visitor centre of UXO LAO, one of the NGOs involved in clearance. A sobering display of the extent of the problem included an opened cluster bomb containing 680 inert bomblets. Apparently some had up to 3000 bomblets. An etimated 30% of all ordinance failed to explode.

Following this the waterfalls are places to chill out.

Tad Sae

Tad Sae is accessible by boat along the Nam Khan - we went as part of our Elephant Village tour. As well as the swimming area it has a multi-stage zip-wire where customers descent on a series of wires, finally crossing the bathing pool. It is also the site of another of the elephant parks.

Tad Kuang Si

Tad Kuang Si is about 25 km from LP by road and much more commercialised with a large area of stalls and restaurants clustered around the entrance. The main cascade is around 100m and very impressive. The river then enters a series of pools, suitable for swimming, which Susan braved. As at Tad Sae the water is a pale turquoise colour, very similar to glacial melt water, presumably because of very fine sediment.

Moon bear at the rescue centre

Within the centre is a well maintained bear rescue centre. It has 23 bears, mostly asiatic black bears (moon bears) which have been rescued from the illegal trade in bear bile (used in Chinese medicine) or donated by people who have misguidedly bought cubs as pets. Unfortunately because of the nature of their capture few of these can be returned to the wild.

The real Laos

2011-11-27T16:22:00.003+07:00

Across the Mekong from Luang Prabang one enters a different world, away from the relative prosperity and, one might say "disney world" of the world heritage site. Although the river is only some 300 m wide the wealth gulf is immense.

We had the privilege of visiting the high school in Chomphet district in the company of a group from "A Helping Hand" charity from the Round Table in Perth, Australia who had donated a library to the school through the locally based NGO Community Learning International (CLI) and attend the basti (animist) celebratry ceremony. Are there really more NGOs''here than in Cambodia?

The new girls'dormitory

CLI had also been responsible for the construction of a 150-bed dormitory for girls from remote hill villages attending the school. Click on the location link to see the exact location of the dormitory (under construction at the time of the image - now completed). The library is the roofed building to the south of the dormitory (click on the location link below and zoom well in on satellite view).

Previous (and still used) boarding accommodation

The girls'"parents are reluctant for them to attend the school because of a lack of chaparones and safe accommodation. The present accommodation is 100 or so very basic huts each with a central fireplace, each housing 2-5 students. You can see the huts to the west of the new dormitory on the location image.The stream that is present the source of water and sanitation is to the west and south of these. This stream dries to a trickle in the dry season.

To supplement the new provision there remains a requirement to provide adequate sanitation, a safe water supply i.e well and food preparation facilities for the boarding students. The school is the only high school in the district. We were told it caters for 2300 students.

Susan's ties of friendship

After the visit the school teachers entertained the group to snacks, various blessings in Lao and the tying of numerous lengths of cotton cord around our wrists - a gesture of friendship

The Book Boat

Another project run by CLI is the "Book Boat" which travels to remote riverside villages to provide reading books to children who otherwise have no or very limited access to reading material. We were able to visit Ban Sansouk village some 15 km away with them.

Avid readers

Some 100 children came to the riverbank to meet the boat and after some games led by a teacher and one of the volunteers the youngest ones were given pictues to colour while the older ones chose a book from the boat and spent an hour or so reading before the sun became too hot and the boat had to leave.

For many of the kids this is the only access they have to reading books. At other villages the organisation leaves a "book bag" containing 100 books so that children can borrow them for a longer period. Bags and/or books to go in them can be purchased at the Luang Prabang library.

Luang Prabang - Elephant Village

2011-11-27T16:11:00.000+07:00

View from Elephant Village

One of the popular tourist attractions in Luang Prabang is an encounter with retired or rescued logging elephants. With the rapid decline in the need for them in the logging industry some are being given a new role in the tourist industry where their work is less arduous. While some of the operations are exploitative others aim to really care for the animals while enabling them to earn their living. The most recommended elephant encounter business near LP is Elephant Village. The village is some 15km from LP on the NamKhan river, with an excellent view across the river to fields and the mountains. Options range from a half-day tour with elephant riding through one to six day "mahout training" packages. We opted for the half-day tour.

Mahout Richard & passenger

This involved an introduction to the work of the village, a 40-minute ride (two customers per elephant rather than the 6-8 we have experienced in India) which took us down a steep slope to the Nam Khan River, about a 200 m walk in the river to an island, where the mahout got off to take photos and there was an opportunity to take his place.

Feeding time

On return to the village the elephants are fed. "Ours" clearly did not like the bananas that were on offer as a addition to the grass that was the bulk of the feed. Apparently the dung is collected and made into paper, the elephants having commenced the pulping process. And we had thought the hand-made paper on offer as notebooks, cards and bags were made from mulberry bark!

A boat trip to a nearby waterfall,.lunch and a short swim in the pool completed the trip.

Luang Prabang

2011-11-27T15:50:00.000+07:00

Luang Prabang - part of which is a World Heritage Site - is a mix of temples that have been renovated, Laos traditional buildings and French colonial period architecture. Buddhism, since the revolution, is making a revival so the temples are not such a hive of local activity as they might be except for tourists.The city is still uniquely divided into villages or Bans. From the temple of each Ban the drums beat at 0400 hrs to wake the faithful and the monks who walk round the ban at 0600hrs collecting alms from the devout.

Recycled flower pots

Recycling has yet to take hold here - except for some of the ordnance dropped by the US (see earlier blog). These flower pots were on the hill overlooking the town.

The river and cargo boat

The city is situated on a peninsular between the Nam Knan and the mighty Mekong. The riverfront is busy with people offering sunset cruises, trips to various waterfalls and to the caves 2 hours upstream and with travel shops offering bus trips around Laos including claims to reach Vientiane in 8 hours. It is more commercialised than we thought it would be with old houses renovated for guest houses, cafés, travel agents or massage use and the neat pavements all built with UNESCO assistance!.

Vat Xiang Thong

The most important temple, Vat Xiang Thong, is typical of Laos temple architecture with its sweeping low eaves. Inside are gold leaf murals on a black background. Only Laos has buddha statues where the arms are held straight down the sides of the body - praying for rain.

Bamboo bridge across the Nam Khan

At the confluence of the rivers at the northern end of town where there is a bamboo bridge over the Nam Khan leading to a small bar overlooking the junction and on to weaving villages.

Evening view from Tha Heua Mae balcony

Our guest house, Tha Heua Mae, overlooks the Mekong, run by Russians and only opened a couple of months ago. We have the front room with a view of the river and there is a balcony for people watching.We breakfast at the Manichan Guest House just around the corner where Peter provides an excellent spread. Both are highly recommended, particularly when combined as for us.

VIP bus Vientiane to Luang Prabang

2011-11-22T10:25:00.000+07:00

From Vientiane to Luang Prabang by road is around 370 km. This took 12 hours with about 2/3 of this is over mountain roads rising to around 1300 m. The 0700 tuk-tuk pick up was punctual and after the town pick ups, the 0800 VIP bus left on time. The bus was comfortable enough with semi-effective airconditioning, passable legroom, reclinable seats and a toilet (which we did not brave). Water, rubbish bags and hand wipes were handed out on departure - very civilised for this park of Asia.
We made one short stop at 1030 and another at 1400 for lunch, which was included in the ticket price (although, not being able to read the ticket, we found this out after ordering) - we chose the noodle soup. Other than a few brief stops to take on or drop off passengers it was then non-stop, arriving at around 2015.

Lunch stop

The scenery initially was flat farmland. Around Vang Vieng, about 1/3 of the way, there were large karst formations - rather like Phang Nga bay except these rose out of the land not the sea. After the lunch stop we rose into the mountains, which were impressive. The road was sealed (mostly) but very winding, passing through several mountain villages. Too bumpy to do suduko! The bamboo houses clung to the edge of the road with vertical drops behind.
While the trip was long we were pleased to have an extremely cautious driver. Up in the mountains there are nearly vertical drops of several hundred metres.The driver was extremely cautious,the sort that you would gladly have a whip round for in the UK, but the guy hardly got a thank you.

Vientiane, Laos

2011-11-22T10:18:00.001+07:00

Patoxai - Victory Gate

Laos' answer to the Arc de Triomph is definately asian style close up and gives a view down the main boulevard to the palace and the river. It was apparently built with American cement donated for the airport runway! The view from the top is good as are the surrounding gardens.

Does this mean you shouldn't share a joint?

Mekong

The water level in the Mekong appears low, unlike the Chao Praya in Bangkok where there is still flooding.

That Luang

A few km outside the city centre is That Luang, the principal stupa in Vientiane, surrounded by cloisters. A solid looking structure with none of the charm of Shwe Dagon, Rangoon. Vientiane suffers greatly in that it has been razed on several occasions in the past and its treasures carted off to Thailand including the green emerald buddha.

We tried to go to the visitor centre at COPE (Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Entreprise) where there is a display covering the bombing of Laos inthe 1970s. Laos is the most heavily bombed per capita country in the world. Over 2 million tones of ordinance was dropped on the country in 580000 missions - with a population of 6.5 million that comes out at around 300 kg for every man, woman and child! The continuing problem of making safe the estimated 8 million bomblets from cluster bombs that remain is immense and the human cost in terms of injuries and fatalities continues. Unfortunately on the day we went - our last in Vientiane - the centre was closed, the staff having gone to a charity bazaar!

Our hotel in Vientiane, the Hotel Beau Rivage, was excellent as was the co-owned Spirit House Restaurant next door.

Langkawi Cable Car - posted from Rebak

2011-11-02T17:25:00.000+07:00

One of Langkawi's tourist attractions is the cable car (actually a gondola) leading to a mountain top overlooking Telaga harbour and the west of Langkawi. Since our first arrival in Langkawi in November 2008 we have made several attempts to go up. These have been thwarted by various impediments - too windy, too misty, Wednesday morning (closed for maintenance) to name a few. It is somewhat reassuring that it is regularly maintained, unlike many things in Malaysia which suffer from a severe lack of maintenance.

Well - we finally made it! We arrived shortly after opening time to find a short queue heading for the turnstiles and the steps up to the departure platform. We bought our tickets and joined the waiting line. What we hadn't appreciated was that the stairs did not lead directly to the gondolas but to a large waiting area through which the queue snaked, controlled by barrier, similar to the queue at an airport immigration area but longer than most except LAX. A visual assessment led to the estimate that there were around 600 people waiting Each gondola took a maximum of 6 and they left at 30 second intervals so we were in for an unanticipated lengthy wait, made longer as the staff were having limited success in ensuring that each car left full - groups wanted to stick together. It was a Saturday and a holiday weekend at that so our timing was particularly poor.

Telaga harbour & anchorage, airport & protective
breakwater & Rebak (top right)

When we eventually got to the top patches of cloud were drifting over the observation platforms, but clearing sufficiently to give us some good views over Telaga, the airport and the north of Rebak.

Aerial walkway

As well as the gondola itself, which is quite impressive, there is a walkway suspended out over a sheer drop of some 500 metres, affording good views of the cliffs.

On descending (no queues) the crowds at the bottom had virtually disappeared!

Inle Lake - Phaung Daw Oo Paya festival - 28 & 29 September

2011-11-02T10:01:00.000+07:00

Our visit to Inle Lake was designed to coincided with the first few days of the Buddhist Phaung Daw Oo Paya festival. Here four Buddha inages, normally housed in the temple of the same name, are ferried by boat around the 100 odd lakeside villages in golden barges shaped like the swan from Burmese mythology. This allows all the locals an opportunity to pay their respects and apply gold leaf to the images.

Young monk gets a snack

On day one we were at Inn Dien village, up a fairly narrow channel from the lake, where the images make their initial stop. There was a huge crowd awaiting the arrival, and a serious party atmosphere. Snacks were on offer catering for all tastes, including deep-fried chicken heads - probably an acquired taste which we didn't try! Actually they are very cheap and give an opportunity for even the poorest to afford to buy.

An escort boat

Soon after 1000 hrs the first of the escorting boats arrived. Each boat was powered by some 30-40 men, some using the traditional scullling technique, some using a more conventional paddling motion. There was some chaos as the boats jockeyed for position, some running aground at a fork in the river. After about 15-20 boats had arrived the barge carrying the images came into sight. For this village a small barge was used because of the narrowness of the river. The barge docked and the images were carried into the local temple. The jolly crowd prevented a good view at this stage.

View from the hill top

Above Inn Dien village is a vast area of ruined stupas and a modern temple and above these a hill with a viewpoint giving an excellent view both of the temples and of the lake. It was a convenient place to wait until it was less crowded to view the Buddhas.

Gold leaf encrusted Buddhas

Later we were able to get a good view of the Buddhas in the temple - at least Richard was able to get close, women not being allowed on to the platform where they are housed. So much gold leaf has been applied over many years that the images look more like golden snowmen than any representation of the Buddha.

Awaiting the Buddhas

On day two the images were brought back down from Inn Dien en route to their next destination and transferred to a larger barge. The crowds to greet them at the transshipment point were, if anything larger than at Inn Dien, most of them in a fleet of boats. All quietly waiting in anticipation of the barge.

The ladies' escort boat

We had an excellent vantage point from a bridge over a branch of the river. Once again there were the escorting boats; this time there was even one crewed by women. Some doing traditional dancing.

The large barge

The images, coming down from Inn Dien are moved onto a much larger barge and continue on their way to the lake and their next destination.
What a barge!

.

Inle Lake trek - 30 September - Posted from Rebak

2011-11-02T08:54:00.000+07:00

Local "car wash"

Back at Nuang Shwe on the mainland after two nights at an hotel over the lake, our last day at the lake was taken up with a guided trek. Starting at 870 m we ascended to our lunch stop at 1420 m, passing through hilly farmland and some forest. For this we had a local guide, who spoke good English, having worked in the hotel industry and also with NGOs following flooding catastophe in the delta.

Lunchtime - time for a siesta

Lunch was taken at a local house, where some delicious noodles were prepared for us and we could rest after the exertions of the climb or slip as it was so muddy!

Cottage industry - sorting tobacco

At the house the main occupation was sorting and drying tobacco leaf for the cigar and cheroot workshops down at the lake villages

View to the lake

A day in peaceful rural surroundings, pleasantly cooler and without temples, stupas or monasteries giving time to reflect on all that we had seen.

Inle Lake - 27 September to 1 October - posted from Rebak

2011-11-02T08:44:00.000+07:00

It is only a short flight from Mandalay to Heho, the airport for Inle Lake but the scenery is quite different as we leave the Ayeyarwady River plain and head into the mountains. Having said that, the plateau around Heho is also quite flat - perhaps the remains of an ancient lake.

Paper making

A visit to an umbrella making workshop is fascinating. The traditional umbrellas are made from handmade paper, using mulberry bark as a raw material. The process differs from tapa making in the South Pacific in that the bark is ground to pulp with water and then placed on a fine mesh to drain and dry, sometimes with the addition of flowers or leaves to create a pattern.

Traditional umbrella nearly finished

The frame of the umbrella, including the spring catch, is made out of wood and bamboo. Rainproof ones are treated with creosote.

Drawing fibres from lotus stem

Weaving is another traditional activity practiced in the villages on the lake. Silk is a common material but the premium products are made from lotus stem. The fibre is labouriously removed from the stem by making cuts at about 1 inch intervals and drawing out about 10 fibres per cut. This is then spun and woven on traditional looms. The asking price for a lotus cloth shirt, which has the texture of coarse linen, was USD 550! Silk was significantly cheaper.

Hydroponic tomatoes

On the lake, crops are grown in floating gardens, mats of compost and fibre anchored to the lake floor by bamboo poles. Tomatoes, cucumbers and squash are among the products. Culture and harvesting are by boat, with the rows of crops set just wide enough to allow passage.

Traditional sculling

The local men have developed a unique form of rowing or sculling using their legs, leaving hands free to handle their nets or tend their crops. Women are not permitted to do this so are confined to rowing only.

8 hoof drive - probably more effective than 4WD here

The local market is held at a different lakeside location, on a 5-day cycle. Goods arrive at the market by bullock cart or by boat. On sale are the necessities of life as well as tourist-oriented souvenirs. Being beside the lake during the rainy season there is also a lot of mud!

Shan women at market

As well as being the local shopping centre the market is an opportunity for a bit of gossip. The girls haven't just washed their hair - this is traditional Shan headgear.

Mandalay - 24 to 27 September - posted from Rebak

2011-10-11T15:09:00.002+07:00

Travel from Bagan to Mandalay was by train. Fortunately we were “Upper Class”, which meant we had large soft seats rather than the wooden ones in "Ordinary Class" essential for a 7-hour journey, except for Susan who always feels travel sick if not facing forward, as all the seats faced aft! When she arrived in Mandaley she was feeling pretty grim. Mostly the scenery consisted of flat farmland interspersed with rural stations filled with people willing to sell food. The open windows provided air conditioning and the restaurant car facilities comprised numerous vendors walking up and down the train selling snacks or more substantial meals. The ladies' skill in balancing a tray of food on their heads while walking down a swaying train was very impressive as we felt nauseous even trying to get to the loo! On arrival at Mandalay trasnsport for the short distance to the hotel was by tuk-tuk. In the evening we walked several blocks to a recommended restaurant, which was very smokey and the food barely eatable but the football was good. The walk there, a few blocks, in the dusk was fairly exciting with numerous cross-roads with traffic from all directions but no traffic lights or, it seemed, traffic rules plus the enevitable pot holes. People was very helpful where there were no street signs and several trishaw drivers monitored our progress awaiting for our custom.

A one-hour river trip took us to Mingun - our transport was a substantial boat, capable of taking 50 or so - just us, our guide and the crew. A relaxing trip on the river.

Mingun Pagoda, unfinished as it was abandoned on the death of king Budawpaya in 1819, would when finished apparently have been the largest in the world rising to 500 feet, three times its present size. The base was only completed by thousands of slaves and prisoners of war. It has subsequently suffered earthquake damage but the climb gave some great Ayeyarwady views.Our guide gave us tree branches to walk on as the ground was so hot. It is a mark of respect to even remove footwear before entering all religious sites in Myanmar so the feet could become quite tender.

Mingun also claims another "world's largest" - a bronze bell weighing about 90 tons. This King Bodawpaya planned to go with his stupa. While it is about one third the size of the world's largest bell in Moscow, it is the largest uncracked bell in the world. For pictures click here - our photos were not suitable.

Back in Mandalay for lunch we were guided in the mystique of Burmese cuisine, rice, curry side dishes of sauces and vegetables. Mostly too spicy and sour for our tastes. We are not lovers of loads peanut oil and mountains of shrimp paste but we always find a part to eat, occassionly only the rice.

It was to be a golden afternoon. At the Mahamuni Paya, also originally built by King Budawpaya, there is a bronze Buddha statue that has, over the years, been so covered by gold leaf applied by devotees that its shape is totally unrecognisable. Only the head is not so covered and is washed every morning by monks.

In keeping with custom only men are permitted to approach it and apply the gold leaf. At the same temple there are several bronze images of mainly Hindu dieties, originally looted from Angkor Wat (Cambodia) but successively looted from other resting places before ending up here.

Continuing the "golden" theme we visited a gold leaf workshop. One ounce of gold is reduced by repeated hammering, between strips of deer skin, to 3600 pieces of gold leaf each 1.5 inches square and apparently about 1 micrometre thick, each selling (we were told) for about 200 kyat (17 pence). With gold at over USD 1600 per ounce the arithmetic doesn't work!

There are streets of crafts in Mandalay include marble working. We admired and opted out of close inspection because of the dust.

The Royal Palace was destroyed during WWII but the main part was rebuilt not particularly well, and apparently using forced labour, in the 1990s for the forthcoming tourist boom of 1996. About the only thing the reconstruction does is give an idea of the scale of the original. The reconstruction itself seems rather a pointless use of resources. The scale is also obvious from the moat and walls. The road trip around the outside its 12 km. Fortunately the "Lion Throne" which was in the palace had been removed to India by the British. and on independence was returned to the national Museum in Yangon.

Another claimed world's record was the "worlds largest book" - The entire Tripitaka are inscribed on 729 marble slabs,. Each in its own stupa in the Kuthodaw Paya. In 1900 a paper edition of the stoneorigional was printedin 38 volumes, each with 400 pages.

It is obligatory to take in the view from Mandalay Hill at sunset which would have been good, if it hadn't been for the smoke haze!

It is expected that a boy will join a monestary for a month at about ten years old and again for a shorter while in his late teens. The parents see this as an honour and a time of great celebration.
In Amapura, briefly the capital before it moved to Mandaley, we visited a monastery housing 1,000 monks. . Rather than all 1000 descending on the local population with their alms bowls each morning the donors for that day come to the monastery and the monks form a queue, collect their food and other donations - toothpaste, soap etc - before eating in the refectory.

Another "world's largest" - the U Bein bridge across Taungthaman Lake- at 1300 yards the longest teak wood bridge with over 1,000 teak posts. Somewhat restored in places with concrete footings but impressive nevertheless. We walked across and took a boat back to savour the ambiance.

After a ferry trip across a tributary of the Ayeyarwady a horse-drawn cart along some pretty rough tracks took us to Ava and Bagaya Kyaung, a old teak wood monastery, where monks were teaching young children in the cool dark interior.

In leafy green Sagaing where even more monasteries abound we visited a nunnery where it was apparent that Buddhist nuns are expected to do much more for themselves than are monks - they were busy preparing breakfast for the next day and are not constrained by the same amount of rules.

The Mustache brothers cabaret show is a Mandalay attraction - at least for foreign visitors. We decided to walk the few blocks to it as taxi drivers were reluctant to take us. Half way a tuk tuk picked us up and promised to bring us back. You have the feeling that the locals know of the preformance in a front room at a certain time of day. There are three brothers, of whom one speaks good English, together with their wives and sisters. The show has an expected dated flavour comprises satire, song and dance and is based on traditional folk opera.

Myanmar style football

A local football game is played by two teams of three players; the objective being to keep the ball in the air, with judges scoring the efforts and a running commentary being made over a PA system. We stopped to watch this one for a few minutes, until trucks got too impatient with the slight obstruction our car caused.

Bagan 21 to 24 September - posted from Rebak, Langkawi

2011-10-08T11:40:00.000+07:00

With around 2600 monuments still standing of the 4400 that were constructed over a 250 year period in the 11^th to 13^th centuries AD it is difficult to do any justice to Bagan in a short blog page. Here are a few images to give a flavour.

View towards the river

Dhammayangi Temple

Gawdawpalin Temple

Thatbyinnyu Temple

Ananda Phaya

The monuments, stupas, temples and monasteries are spread over an area said to be the size of Manhattan Island, surrounded by the vast agricultural area of the ancient flood plain of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy)River. The people are not now allowed to live in the monuments but still graze their cattle around them. In fact the government moved the people from Old Bagan to a peanut field in 1990 which became New Bagan.

Buddha image Ananda Phaya

A severe earthquake in 1976 damaged many of the structures, some of which have been partially restored, several with the help of UNESCO. Nevertheless Bagan has not made it on to the list of World Heritage sites, possibly because some of the restorations not made with UNESCO help were inappropriate in choice of materials or an inaccurate representation of the original. Many of the murals in the temples are very faded and, where they have been restored, photography is not allowed. Many stuccos have been damaged or stolen over the centuries. However, Buddha statues are everywhere, some quite stunning

Our visit crisscrossed the monument area, seeing many of the main sites, as well as local villages and markets. At a lacquer ware workshop we realised that that it is applied in layers up to 14, dried between, then engraved, we lashed out and purchased some coasters for Sea Bunny.

Myoe Daung Monastery, Old Bagan

Cart by stupas (from postcard)

One of the most rememorable and enjoyable forms of transport was a horse-drawn cart that took us on a route past some of the monuments not accessible by car and through small villages with their farms and monasteries.

Tractors are rare

The agriculture is largely carried out without mechanisation, using bullocks to pull ploughs and carts and with most activities done by manual labour.

Sorting plum stones - a year's work

In one farm we saw three women working with a huge pile of what we were told were sour plums. Their task was to extract the stones, which are used in Chinese medicine. While there was a machine to do the removal of much of the flesh, final processing involved passing the stones through a series of sieves of reducing mesh. To process the whole pile would take these women a year, working 8 hours a day.

Yangon 19 to 21 September - posted from Rebak, Langkawi

2011-10-08T10:51:00.000+07:00

On 19 September we flew from Langkawi to KL to Yangon at the start of a 2-week tour of Myanmar (

Burma

This post, and others that will follow, about our trip has had to be delayed until after our return to Malaysia as access to the Blogspot site to upload appears to be blocked in Myanmar. Also blocked was access to our Gmail account using Outlook (but possible by logging in direct) and access to news from the UK Telegraph online site- but the BBC was OK. The blocked sites just show a red banner “Access is Denied”.

One of the first things we noticed at Yangon airport was that most people including officials smiled a lot. This was especially true of the immigration officials - very rare!

Met at the airport by our guide and driven to the Yusana Garden Hotel, public rooms very musty, very dated but the staff very friendly and helpful.

Payphone kiosk - Yangon

Collected, when refreshed the next morning, we went on a short walking tour of the city centre. The two first things that we noticed was that the country has not been taken over by outside clothing influences, the longyi (sarong) is worn by all with either shirt or blouse and that ground tree bark was worn on the face of the women to protect anainst the sun.
There is a noticable amount of old colonial architecture, some restored but much of it very drab and in a poor state of repair like the roads.
Most of the city excaped major structural damage from cyclone Nagis in 2008.

Street sellers abound, including telephone stands consisting of a kiosk or just a table with several telephones connected to a nearby building where, for a fee, you make your call. Mobile telephones are very expensive, apparently about USD 2000 for the phone and USD 500 for the SIM card.

From the centre we went to the Botatung Pagoda, built to contain some strands of the Buddha’s hair. All the internal walls and the stupa are covered in gold leaf. In fact the amount of gold leaf used in

Myanmar

’s pagodas and temples is incredible. The Myanmar peoples prize gold. Gold paint, gold leaf and gold jewellery.

Manual unloading of rice from the delta

At the riverside we noticed that the longtail boats used as cross-river ferries differ from the Thai version by having fixed engines and a rudder, as well as oars for close quarters manoeuvring. There were several small ships used for transport in the delta. Cargo, mostly rice, is offloaded on the backs of workers each carrying a stick that is placed in the counting pile on delivery to the truck. Some of these boats also take passengers on the overnight trip. Each passenger is allocated a marked-out area of deck – no seats. Food is provided from a cooking area at the stern – rather like a street stall

Street amrket scene - trade gives way to traffic

A street market in a narrow road was visited. Some of the sellers place their goods in the centre of the road, with cars and trucks passing over them. The main, Scott’s, covered market was more organised with some 2,000 stalls, with some excellent cane weaving, wood carving and lacquerwork on offer. We decided to postpone any purchases until after visits to Bagan, where lacquerwork is a speciality and to Mandalay which is a centre for wood carving.

Shwe Dagon

A highlight was an evening visit to the Shwe Dagon –the most sacred of all Buddhist sites and visible from all parts of Yangon. The gilded central stupa is spectacular and topped with jewellery donated by the faithful including a 76 carat diamond, all left high and open to the elements. Around this mighty stupa are a facinating assortment of smaller stupa, temples, shrines and pavillions. We sat for some time absorbing the atmosphere and active reverence of the people. The rain cleared in time for us to view the sunset light refracted through the diamond, all colours of the rainbow seen by moving a few inches.

The highlights of the national museum include the gilded Lion Throne from the Mandalay Palace, which survived WWII because the British had removed it to India from where it was returned on independence. It seemed lacking until we realised that a throne in Asia is not a special chair but a raised seating platform. The royal regalia on view, however, does not really live up to its Lonely Planet billing as being more spectacular than the British crown jewels or, indeed, the treasures recovered in Ayutthaya (Thailand). We suspect there must be a lot more that is not on general view.

Our onward trip to Bagan was somewhat longer than expected as a problem with the aircraft led to us boarding and disembarking twice before departing some four hours late on a different aircraft, leading to a late arrival in Bagan.

Back to Bangkok - posted from Yacht Haven, Phuket

2011-08-29T09:55:00.000+07:00

The bus from Ayutthaya to Bangkok is airconditioned and takes about 1 1/2 hours. You end up at the northern bus station from where you must take a tuk-tuk or taxi to the Skytrain station some 2 km away. The tuk-tuk fare for this 2 km is, after haggling, the same as the bus fare for the previous 80 km.
We are in plenty of time to check into the hotel and to get to the Myanmar embassy at 1530 to pick up passports, which we have by 1531. The rest of the day is spent relaxing after the travelling exertions.

Pak Khlong flower market

Our last day was OMCTG's day off and what to visit on our last day is solved by a couple we meet in the Eat Me restaurant where we dined. They suggest the vast weekend market at Chutuchak, followed by the flower market at Pak Khlong.
These suggestions are taken up and despite the size of the place we meet our advisors by chance at one of the coffee houses in Chatuchak market.

Ayutthaya - posted from Yacht Haven, Phuket

2011-08-29T09:50:00.000+07:00

Here the OMCTG (Oh mighty chief tour guide,S,) earned her brownie points. The route from Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya involves two local buses - non-aircon and little legroom - with a lunch stop in Saphanaburi with all staff fussing to ensure that the farangs have eaten and gotton on the right bus even if found in the toilet!. We were fortunate that they were not full so we both had two seats to ourselves - the locals generally seem to prefer not to crowd up against a farang - possibly because we are generally larger! Unfortunately on the way to Kanchanaburi bus station R had lost our new (April) smartphone, which was clipped to his belt. Fortunately it only had the balance of 100 baht phone credit and 5 days data left on the local prepaid SIM card. The password for our email account was rapidly changed. Continuing the losing streak R then managed to leave his sunglasses on the lunch table in Saphanaburi! On arrival at the chaotic bus station in Ayutthaya a tuk-tuk completed the journey to our "homestay" just inside the UNESCO historical park where we walked in the evenings.

Buddhas, Wat Na Phra Man

Tuk- tuk rates are 200 baht an hour, a bicycle 50 baht per day. The park is a fairly compact 7 km around island ( nicknamed the Venice of the east) to the side the town. Between tuk-tuk and shank's pony we covered what the OMCTG considered the main sites starting at one of the buddhist monasteries that is still operating, where there is a large buddha image and some smaller ones covered in gold leaf applied by devotees.

Wat Phra Si Samphet

The ruins of Wat Phra Si Sanphet were next, the audio guide was worth the 100 baht. This temple was adjacent to the royal palace which was the base of the kings of Siam up to the late 18th century, when it was sacked by the Burmese.

The tuk-tuk left us at the museum in the historical park which, as well as many buddha images, has impressive golden objects retrieved from the crypts of some of the temples - after robbers had removed an estimated 75 kg of gold.

Wat Ratchaburana

The main treasures were found in the crypt of Wat Ratchaburani but access is closed off.

Garuda - Wat Ratchaburana

Captured Buddha - Wat Matha That

Wat Matha That's main attraction is a buddha's head totally enclosed in tree roots.
While the ruins are many and impressive in their own way there are few of the impressive bas-reliefs that adorn the temples at Angkor or to a lesser extent Borobudur.
The site is well marked out and has what the other two sites lacked - many signs telling the locals not to climb on their heritage!

Kanchanaburi - Death Railwway and Bridge over the River Kwae

2011-08-29T09:05:00.000+07:00

They used to do this on the Southern Region!

The train arrived in Kanchanaburi about and hour and a half late - as is apparently usual. There seems to be a choice in 3rd class between slightly cushioned seats and wooden benches - we chose the slightly cushioned ones fo the four hour trip particularly as the superb scenery promised by Lonely Planet did not materialise. The route is through flat intensely farmed land - though not a palm oil plantation in sight, light industrial areas and towns. The beautiful mountainous scenery started at Kanchanaburi.

Ploy Guest House pool

At Kanchanaburi we were met by a motorcycle and sidecar from our guesthouse. The Ploy Guesthouse was a very pleasant surprise. Set on the river, the room interiors are decorated in a traditional Thai style, despite being housed in a concrete building. Our fully air-conditioned room had a small garden at the back and a communal garden in front. The shower room was separated from the small garden by a screen door, so one effectively showered in the garden. There is a pleasant bar area and a small swimming pool overlooking the river. A light breakfast is included and there are more substantial options at additional cost. Built and run by a very helpful brother and sister it was superb value. In the evening we ate at the Apple Guesthouse and cookery school - superb.

Hellfire Pass

As we only had one full day in Kanchanaburi and did not want to do most of the activities on the organised tours we got the guesthouse to organise a taxi for us and to explain to the driver (who had little English) what we wanted to do. First we went to Hellfire Pass, about 80 km from Kanchanaburi - the site where the most difficult conditions were met during the construction of the Burma-Siam railway during WWII. The concept of the horrendous conditions endured by the Allied POWs and Asian forced labour in excavating the Hellfire Pass and other cuttings on the route by hand in jungle conditions and on near-starvation diet is almost unimaginable. The museum, established and run by the Office of Australian War Graves has moving descriptions and the audio/ two way radio /2.5 km walk, along the route of the railwaythrough a beautiful valley, brings it all home.

Wampo Viaduct - the train goes very slowly!

After picking us up at the end of the trail our driver took us to Namtok Station - the present end of the line - where we had lunch at a stall before catching the train back towards Kanchanaburi. This is clearly the section Lonely Planet refer to as spectacular. For some of the route the track is high above the river and passes over the sole remaining trestle bridge at the Wampo Viaduct.

The modern bridge

Next to the Bridge on the River Kwae of film fame. This is accessed by a plethora of tourist sprawl and actually in Kanchanaburi town. Although in 1943 is was probably some way outside it. It is still used and there is no fee to walk across.

War cemetery

Our final stop was at the Death Railway Museum - there are two this one is beside one of the war cemeteries in the centre of town and we highly recommend it for more sobering displays.

Off to Bangkok - posted from Yacht Haven, Phuket

2011-08-29T09:02:00.000+07:00

As we are planning a short trip to Myanmar (Burma) in September we had to get visas. This can only be done in person at an embassy and takes 3 days, unless your departure is imminent when it may be possible to pay extra for a same-day service. We therefore had a choice of going up to Bangkok while we are at Yacht Haven or to KL when back in Langkawi. As we prefer Bangkok, we opted to do it there and to bring forward a trip to other sites close to there - Kanchanaburi and Ayutthaya which we had planned as part of a later trip.

Last Sunday therefore saw us on Air Asia to Bangkok and Monday morning, bright and early, at the Visa Section of the Myanmar Embassy. We had read on another traveller's blog that a copy shop 200 m down the road has the forms and will copy your passport and take your photograph in a form that is acceptable. Armed with these we got from about 10th in the queue to third, as those before us had to get the forms and fill them in before being issued with a ticket. After having our departure date checked, as the visa is only valid for entry within 28 days, we were told we could pick our passports up on Wednesday. All very efficient.

Off then to HSBC - "the world's local bank". Despite being the first commercial bank in Thailand HSBC has only one branch. We had hoped that, as HSBC customers in the UK, we would be able to obtain the necessary pristine US dollar notes and pay for them directly from our UK account without incurring a double exchange rate hit. No such luck - we would have to put our card into the ATM - draw out as much in Thai baht as the machinge would give us, take it to the counter and exchange to baht into USD. This we could do at the airport.

Check out of the hotel, Skytrain to the river, river boat up to near the royal palace and tuk-tuk to Thonburi station for a 3rd class train to Kanchanaburi at 1355.

Back to Thailand - posted from Yacht Haven, Phuket

2011-08-29T08:57:00.000+07:00

At the end of July we headed up to Phuket to arrange some woodwork, painting and cleaning.

The trip, via Turatao, Ko Lanta and Phi Phi Don was uneventful - motoring all the way but one 25-knot squall on the way up to Ko Lanta - it was, of course on the nose. A few problems arose with the new electronics but were reasonably easily resolved on arrival. Anchorage notes will appear on the website in the fullness of time (there is a shortage of "Round To-its").

We checked into Ao Chalong - the new marina by the long pier (replacing the one that had been destroyed by weather) looks about a year from completion so there is a choice of taking the dinghy to the beach or using one of the landing stages on the pier used by tour boats. We chose the latter.

After a day organising new phone and data access, we headed up to Yacht Haven at the north of the island. Still no wind but we got the tides right so made good time.

Our chosen contractors - Gig for woodwork and Oh for polishing and a small paint job could start the next week.

Rolly Tasker's sail loft (pictured Dec 2006)

When we were rigging the genoa before departure from Rebak we had noticed several splits. These we had fixed with repair tape but it was clear that it had reached the end of its useful life and would probably not survive a "Sumatran" (SW squall) let alone a trip across the Indian Ocean. We therefore headed to Rolly Tasker's sail loft and commissioned a new one. We were disappointed that the sail (tape-drive cruising laminate) had given up the ghost after only 4 years but Rolly put us right on this - 1-2 years is common for this type of sail. The new one will be polyester!

Another hash - posted from Telaga

2011-07-28T07:25:00.000+07:00

Rebak jam session

After doing two consecutive "hashes" we missed two - the first because Rebak laid on a party to introduce the new manager and the second because the musicians on the yachts were having a "jam" session at the beach bar which was really good.

So last Friday we returned to the Langkawi Beach Hash House Harriers. Having set off at a brisk walk Richard suddenly found himself at the head of the field - the serious runners had all taken a wrong turning and found themselves back at the start after five minutes. R increased his pace to a brisk walk alternating with a slow jog and maintained his lead to the end. The course was shortened for the back of the field so on return to the car park most were already there. As this was our third hash we received our "hash names". We both escaped fairly lightly with names that were not too rude.

Back on the boat the new chart plotter and radar is fitted and working, after R spends 10 days up and down the mast -sore thighs! There are a few queries which may be resolved by a bit of RTFM or may require consultation with Greenham Regis in the UK. Despite being 222 pages long the Raymarine FM, supplied only on CD, appears to fall somewhat short of answering all the queries. So we are about to iron out these gremlims on our way to Phuket Thailand.

Early birthday party - Posted from Rebak

2011-07-08T20:08:00.000+07:00

The Hard Dock Cafe decorated

On Wednesday we had a party to celebrate R's reaching UK State Pension age - a few days early as friends are leaving for Vietnam and New Zealand.

The staff had worked hard

Some 30 yachties gathered in the Hard Dock Cafe at 1900. The staff had decorated the area, put tablecloths and flowers an the tables and laid on two "specials". The theme - dictated by S - was "bunny ears" - most guests complied but R had declared himself exempt, limiting himself to a pink bow tie and a carrot in his breast pocket.

Wow! - What a cake!

After a convivial meal the cake prepared by the resort was cut and bubbly was distributed. Peter from Wave Runner and Jen from Devon Gypsy provided musical entertainment, with lyrics specially written.

R with "Bunnygram"

Finally a "bunnygram" arrived curtesy of Donn.

A great time was had - all thanks to S for organising it all.

A bit of this and that - posted from Rebak

2011-07-08T20:06:00.000+07:00

A quick trip to Penang - down by ferry and back by air - were needed to pick up the rest of Susan's birthday present. Thank goodness this was not diamonds!
The straight ferry would be is fine if you like crowds and Indian train type loos.
The Air Asia return would have been a 35 minute fight but it was delayed 3 hours plus 2 hours to make the airport because of traffic.
We think the more complicated but cheapest route - ferry from Kuah to Kuala Kedah, taxi to Alor Sitar, bus to Butterworth and ferry to Georgetown - is the best. The ferries are hourly, the bus regular and the trip takes about the same as the direct ferry.

Mixtures of old wiring - much will have to go

Back at Rebak the long awaited navigation equipment from the UK had arrived. Stripping out the original and installing the new cabling. Greenham Regis had planned the interconnections but it was still quite complicated wiring it together and finding suitable cable routes (and suitable cable).
Just into the job R found that he had picked up a nasty chest infection and couldn't do much for 10 days. A newly arrived yachtie GP soon sorted him out and saved a trip back to Panang.

What a hash - posted from Rebak

2011-06-12T16:13:00.000+07:00

Being in need of exercise, apart from our regular swimming, we took up a suggestion to go along to one of the meets of the Langkawi Beach Hash House Harriers. For those who have not come across the concept the HHH are active internationally and describe themselves as a "drinking club with a running problem". We found out what that meant on our first outing a couple of weeks ago. After a fairly leisurely walk/jog through the countryside a circle was formed and those who had transgressed the "rules" had to drink a glass of beer while having ice cold water poured over their head. Susan's transgression was having taken a wrong turning, Richard's appeared to be standing next to her. Richard then got another dose as he had difficulty getting the beer down in the alloted time as Susan had added hers to his As "virgins" we also had another dousing. Others got wet for sitting on the "eskie" (Oz for cool box) containing the beer or for carrying on a private conversation. The whole group then repaired to a beach restaurant for fish and chips washed down with more beer and wine.

Last Friday we surprised everyone by turning up again! As it was raining fewer people were "executed". Susan may have thought she would get off lightly by volunteering to be executioner (i.e. the pourer of the iced water), but she was the first. On this event she had led 2 others astray - only one on the first outing.

If (when) we go again we will be "named" - which will entail us giving a potted biography and the group thinking up a suitably rude name by which we will be known for evermore at any HHH we turn up to. 2 people have been named at the events we have been to - one became Diamond Dickie and the other, who admitted that one of his given names was Everard, got that negated despite being accompanied by a 9-month old infant.

UK Trip - Posted from Rebak, Langkawi

2011-06-01T11:22:00.000+07:00

No blog for a while as we've been in the UK for 6 weeks, visiting children, grandchildren, 101 year old Mum X and a few friends! The time fled by, boat parts, of course,were ordered and the weather was warm for the country with only two days rain.

The grandchildren have grown and the dogs have been walked and our eldest son Nik celebrated his 40th birthday. Us oldies have had apps lessons from Joshua aged 11, an update on brownies in the 21 century from Louisa (Nik's wife), and the experience of how to juggle nursery care for two with careers from Catharine and Steve. These memories will be treasured for another year. The photos are developed and placed in the large side wall frame in the galley, so we can smile at them all while cooking.

Most interesting visit has to be the Falkirk Wheel - an aesthetically pleasing and extraordinary sight. It is the only rotating boat lift in the world and links the Forth and Clyde Canal to the Union. The giant wheel rotates through 180 degrees in 5 1/2 minutes, lifting through 24m, and uses only the power to boil 8 kettles of water! An amazing engineering feat.

Langkawi circumnavigation - posted from Bransgore, UK

2011-04-19T13:09:00.000+07:00

Tanjung Rhu Anchorage

After a week or so in Rebak we headed off to cruise the local waters around Langkawi. Previously we had stopped in a couple of anchorages amongst the southern islands of the archipelago either when arriving from the south or heading there.
On these trips we had noted that the coastal scenery rivals most of what we had seen in the rest of Malaysia and is similar toPhang Na Bay in Thailand,
Leaving Rebak we headed first to Telaga for fuel and then clockwise around the island.
First stop was Datai Bay, home to two upmarket resorts and a sandy beach, good for walks. A small island, Pulau Datai, gave shelter from the northeasterly wind.

Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus

The next anchorage, at Tanjung Rhu, was a totally enclosed shallow lagoon, with a couple of semi-permanent yachts in residence and daytime floating seafood restaurants. The dinghy took us to the jetty used by tour boats, from where it is a short walk to some souvenir shops and small restaurants and another sandy beach with upmarket resort. A channel from the lagoon leads to one of the places where tourists go to watch eagle feedingt. Actually the birds are mostly brahminy kites. Although environmentally unsound it has to be admitted that the sight of 15-20 raptors swooping down to snatch the food out of the water is impressive.

Hole in the Wall

It is possible to continue in the dinghy past the eagle feeding about 10 km to the anchorage known as the Hole in the Wall. This was our next stop, although Sea Bunny had to take the long way round. On approach it is easy to see where the name comes from. It is another tourist location with numerous fast boats offering eagle feeding and cave and mangrove tours. We preferred Tanjung Rhu.

Anchorage inside P Gubang Durat

After a short stop in the marina at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club we headed to the southern islands of the archipelago. Avery sheltered anchorage in the channel between Pulau Dayang Bunting and Pulau Gubang Durat allowed us to visit the Lake of the Pregnant Maiden on Pulau Dayang Bunting. We were late in the evening so most of the tourists had gone but the site is very commercialised with pedal boats, kayaks and an enclosed swimming enclosure. Richard had a quick swim in the fresh water.

The Indian Ocean passage - posted from Pulau Intan Besar, Langkawi

2011-03-19T09:09:00.000+07:00

Until recently it was our intention to cross the Indian Ocean to South Africa in 2012. We never intended to take the Red Sea route back to Europe but, if we had, we would now be reconsidering the decision, as are many other yachts.

Favourable conditions in the north Indian Ocean are found in January to March. The cyclone season in the southern Indian Ocean lasts until May, after which conditions become favourable. In the past yachts have been able to wait out this gap in the Chagos Archipelago.

Unfortunately the UK Government has introduced new rules for 2011 which limit stays in Chagos to 28 days, which does not allow sufficient time for the weather systems to change so Chagos becomes impracticable as a stopping point.

An alternative is to sail back down the Malacca Strait to Singapore and then through Indonesia to the Sunda Strait between Sumatra and Java, thence to Rodriguez or Mauritius and on to South Africa. While this route is not much further in terms of overall distance it involves a 3000 nautical mile passage in rough conditions - strong SE trade winds and a SW swell out of the southern ocean. This is a most unattractive prospect.

The Project Director has ruled out the northern Pacific Circuit route, despite the prospect of wintering in Vancouver or Seattle and getting some serious skiing in. Having looked at it the Skipper is not in disagreement with this executive decision.

We have not even considered the Cape Horn route, even though it would mean revisiting New Zealand.

At present, unless the Chagos situation improves, Sea Bunny is residing in Malaysia/Thailand.

Action we have taken to try to get the UK Government to reconsider the Chagos regulations is on our website. Other yachties who are in a similar situation to ours may like to consider taking similar action.

Back in Langkawi - posted from Teluk Datai

2011-03-09T19:16:00.000+07:00

We have returned to Rebak Marina as time before our UK trip does not permit us to go to Phuket for boat work. The sailing instruments returned from repair in the UK, after a near-miss lightning strike in Singapore, have been fitted. This ran into a full day off for Susan's birthday - champagne breakfast in the resort restaurant, relaxation by the pool (plus S doing her aquarobics) - and friends (mostly new to us yachties) for drinks on Sea Bunny in the evening.

Now a romantic two week circumnavigation of Langkawi is in progress. Yesterday (Tuesday) first stop Telaga to top up fuel, then on to Teluk Datai at the north of the island . Ashore for a walk in the late afternoon, after persuading the new outboard puchased in Penang to work. Gathering thunderclouds indicated a return to base and the gusty easterly today had kept us indoors, transfering our CD collection to the new media player.

Tanjong City Marina, Penang - Posted from Rebak, Langkawi

2011-03-03T10:48:00.000+07:00

Since our last visit in November 2008 there have been a few changes at the marina. The finger jetties on the pontoon nearest the ferry terminal have been removed -hurrah! There has been further siltation - see the attached low tide picture. Sea Bunny was on one of the outermost berths, even so was on the mud at low spring tides. Boats passing at speed, particularly the police boats, set up significant surge in the marina - many yachts take up two berths, with lines to the opposite finger to hold them off. We broke an 18 mm nylon mooring warp early one morning and lightly touched the boat next door, another Hallberg Rassy 42! There is still a very noisy disco in the adjacent entertainment complex on Fridays and Saturdays, from 2230 to 0300 hrs.
But wait, where else in the world can you stay for a fiver and walk into a world heritage town!

Georgetown, World Heritage Site - posted from Rebak, Langkawi

2011-03-03T10:37:00.000+07:00

One might ask why the shophouses in the main town on the island of Penang,Georgetown, were left standing so long in a poor state for them to be inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2008. The answer is simply the rent act which did not make it worthwhile for the owners to pull down and rebuilt like in Hong Kong or Singapore. The central part of the town, which is the heritage part, comprises streets with revitilised shop-houses, colonial era government buildings, temples and Chinese clan houses. Some of the buildings have been beautifullly restored but others are in a dire state of repair. Several shophouses have burnt down - could be that there are restrictions on improvements/development making it uneconomic to redevelop with current use.

The Anglican church - St George's - has been beautifully restored, with government money. It reopened on 20 February 2011 after 18 months. It is said to be the only "national" heritage (as opposed to "world" heritage) building in town.

Shophouses are an excellent concept. The ground floor is the shop, set back from the road. The house is above it and extends five feet in front of the shop frontage, the overhang being supported by arches and columns. The idea is that a covered pavement is thereby provided to give shelter from sun and rain for pedestrains. Outside the walkway is the monsoon drain, sometimes covered, sometimes not, sometimes with foot-sized holes for the unwary.

Over the years many of the shops have extended their sales area into the walkway, which also provides an excellent parking area for motorcycles,the asian motor car. Pedestrians have to take to the roads, outside the parked cars.

More Chinese New Year - Penang

2011-02-15T11:01:00.000+07:00

Saturday 12 February was another New Year Celebration, stretching over much of the World Heritage centre of Penang, with multiple stages offering varying types of entertainmant and amplifying the Chinese values of good fortune, emolument and career, longevity, happiness and morality. During the day the Gods and rabbits were mixing with the crowds. The God of Prosperity on the right handing out sweeties.

Earplugs were de rigeur anywhere near the main stage, where excellent juggling, mask changing dance and martial arts displays were performed. There were also lion dances on stilts, chingay (flag juggling) and dragon dances. Unfortunately rain put a slight dampener on proceedings in the evening, we had a grandstand view from the top of a tressle table.

The "Chemical Man" - Penang

2011-02-15T10:45:00.000+07:00

On Friday we paid for our new outboard engine, the old one having succumbed to a severe case of corrosion in its nether regions. We also visited the "Chemical Man" who runs a shop where one can obtain all sorts of chemicals, otherwise difficult to obtain. The gentleman in question is either very very old or grossly affected by his products! As the shop is in the centre of town it is a wonder that it has been allowed to continue to operate. Having seen it we realise that this could be due to a realisation of the involved difficulties on the part of anyone considering shutting it down. It would take months to carry out a risk assessment and more months for an environmental impact assessment. However, we acquired methyl ethyl ketone (epoxy solvent), isoprpyl alcohol (for cleaning before applying sealant) and cloroform (for killing weevils in flour and cereals) - the lesser of two weevils.

Chinese New Year - no smoke without fire - Penang

2011-02-15T10:43:00.000+07:00

The Chinese New Year Celebration last over 15 days. The Hokkien Chinese community celebrated their escape from extermination in ancient China and subservience to the Jade Emperor, by seeking refuge in a sugar plantation and emerged unharmed at midnight on the 8th day of the New Year. The celebration centred on the jetty where the Chew clan live and worked from (traditionally as stevedores). This is the most active (commercialised) of the 5 clan jetties - others appear wealthier though. Vast amounts of food are stacked on tables by the roadside, not for public consumption, but as offerings to the gods. The food is later taken back to homes and coins are tossed to ensure that the gods have had their fill, before the family feast. At each communal shrine bonfires are made with mock money folded into elaborate patterns, paper clothes and other household items, which are later burnt at 0200 hours according to Susan and Elizabeth. The culmination of the evening was an enormous firework and fire cracker display and eventually the burning of a 12-foot high paper replica of the Jade Emperor's palace (costing the same as our new 9.8hp outboard motor!). It is believed that this occured sometime after 0330hours by which time we were all in bed.

Chinese New Year continues - Penang

2011-02-08T16:13:00.000+07:00

We continue to enjoy the extended celebrations surrounding Chinese New Year in Penang. Sunday evening was Öpen House" organised by the Penang State Govenment. This event circulates to a different location within the state of Penang each year. This year it was the turn of Balik Pulau, near the centre of the island. Getting there from the marina in Georgetown involved a bus trip about 1 1/2 hours. We went with a group of other yachties including Elizabeth and Patrick from Labarque.

There were lots of different entertainments ranging from music to Lion Dances - quite spectacular when the lion (two men - like a pantomime horse) leaps between 1 foot square platforms arranged up to 10 feet from the ground, sometimes on two legs - i.e. the back half carrying the front half while jumping.

Jugglers with 20-foot poles with flags throwing them up,catching them on the forehead, bottom jaw or fingertip and then balancing them - also spectacular.

Susan got to learn to play a game of congkak - we have been trying to find the rules for some time.

Free buffet food was available - but queues were also impressive so we opted to buy from the stalls.

The Kek Lok Si Buddhist temple is lit up for the New Year period - reputed to be 200,000 or more lights and over 10,000 lanterns. A one-hour bus trip in very heavy traffic got us there yesterday evening. The Chinese certainly do know how to see in the New Year!

The Year of the Rabbit - Pinang, Malaysia

2011-02-03T16:15:00.001+07:00

So what do you do to celebrate Chinese New Year of the Rabbit? Obviously with a name like Sea Bunny this means another mascot and this blog site. Yesterday, New Years Eve. we rashly went in search of a new 9.8 outboard motor, most of the Chinese shop houses were closed draped in red - fabric, fresh chinese lanterns and refurbished ancestor altars. China was like a ghost town with empty, clean streets and hundreds of lanterns are flying everywhere.

Some places had open house and the one above in an outboard repair place, there were lots of goodies to pop into the stock pot. Last night the sky was littered with fireworks and the sound of fire crackers.