Boat Maintenance

One thing that never seems to end on boats is maintenance and repairs.  Actually, it doesn't seem to never end ... it just doesn't.  Last week we discovered the anchor windlass was frozen up and just wouldn't budge, so it had to be removed and completely disassembled.  The insides were just a mess of rusted gears so its no wonder it wouldn't move.  Now after a couple days of soaking, scraping and several other methods of cleaning its about ready to be reassembled and remounted back on the bow where it can do what its designed to ... hoist the anchor!  The good news is I know so much more about our windlass now.

Back on "Whisper"

In case you haven't been keeping up with us on Facebook, we are back on the boat in Virginia.  We got back in July and have been busy with a lot of maintenance on the boat that was long overdue.  We were hauled out last week at Krentz's Marine Railway where we got the boat scraped and repainted and a new cutlass bearing installed.  They also compounded and waxed the hull so "Whisper" is looking pretty good now.  The photo above is right before we went back in the water so you can see what she looks like out of the water.  That's a 6 foot keel and a massive skeg-hung rudder.

We still have so more maintenance like fuel polishing, oil change, fuel filter change and water pump impeller inspection but we should be sailing soon.

The weather here has been not so nice.  First, it was really hot for a couple weeks running and now the temperatures have moderated but the air quality is terrible due to a fire in the Dismal Swamp which must be a over a hundred miles away.

Flooding at Home Last Week

Here are some photos of the flooding on our property last week.  We were very lucky since there were bad mudslides only a few miles away and about a dozen people were killed.

Visit to Koh Lanta

A couple weeks ago, we took a little day trip to the island of Koh Lanta which is just south of where we live in Krabi.  Koh Lanta is part of Krabi Province and probably the biggest tourist area.  There are actually two islands, Koh Lanta Noi the north island and Koh Lanta Yai the south island.  There is very little development and no accommodations  on the north island, but you have to pass through it to get to the south island which is much bigger and where all the resorts and beaches are located.  It takes about two hours to drive to the Koh Lanta Yai from our house which includes waiting for the two ferries that you need to take.  Once we arrived it was pretty much a sightseeing drive down the main road that runs the length of the island which is about 30 kilometers.  The lower half is less developed but well on it way; however, we still managed to enjoy the scenery and a typical Thai lunch at a roadside restaurant.  At the very end of the island, we found one of the prettiest beach where we took a brief walk and stuck our toes in the very warm water.  The picture above is from that beach which is appropriately called "Last Beach" or Hat Mai Phai.

Watching Field Hockey

Saturday we went to Newport News to watch Skidmore College play in the NCAA semi finals.  My old college roommate's daughter is a freshman on the team and has been a starter all season.  Her name is Kelly and she is #9 in the photo.  They played Bowdoin and unfortunately lost, but it was a lot of fun to watch and see my old roommate Larry and his wife Mary.  They live a small town in the Adirondacks in upstate New York and love skiing but also sail.  Hopefully, we can get them on our boat, either here in the US or in Thailand one day.

Today, we are headed back to the YMCA for a workout and then we'll start getting ready for a few days in Fredericksburg for Thanksgiving.  We're looking forward to seeing my brother Mike and his two dogs Pete and Liz.  Its the first time we will have actually seen the dogs in person and should be fun.

Starting to turn cold!

I think, no I know, winter is on the way!  Last night we had two heaters going and this morning it was 68F in the cabin.  That's fine but it was only about 40F outside and we know it will only get worse.  The forecast for the next few days shows highs of only the upper 50's, and after that who knows.  The good news is in about two months we will be back in Thailand and out of the cold.

In the meantime, we still haven't decided what to do with the boat while we are gone.  The choices are to leave it in the water here at the marina again or to pull it just before we leave and leave it on the hard for six months.  As with everything with a boat, there are trade-offs with both options.

Today, we are back on the boat after a trip to West Virginia last week to visit Dusty's sister Sandy and all the family up there.  We stayed at the lodge at Tygart Lake State Park which was very nice and not too far away.  The choices for lodging are pretty scarce in that part of the state so we felt lucky.  The area has been hit very hard by the recession and a lot of businesses that we in operation a year or so ago when were last up have now closed.  There is a lot of natural beauty but its a tough place to work and live.

Update time

Well as many of you already know, we have been back aboard "Whisper" since the 1st of September.  Unfortunately, its just Dusty and I sans Chewy and Poco.  We had to leave the birds in Thailand with our friends since the rules to bring the back into the U.S. are so stringent.  At a cost of about $1,000 per bird, we could have brought them back but they would have had to spend the first 30 days in quarantine in one of only three facilities ... Miami, New York or Los Angles, so we decided it was best for all that they stay behind.  We miss the terribly but they are in good hands and doing fine.

We are here through the holiday but will be going back to Krabi on January 18.  Right now it seems like a long time but I'm sure the time will fly.  Its hard to believe we already been here almost two months.

Wat Tham Seua

A couple weeks ago Dusty and I finally made it to the top of Wat Tham Seua, the famous Buddhist monastery and temple in Krabi. Most of the monastery is at the bottom of the mountain or karst as they are called here including the caves, temples, housing and administrative buildings. But at the top of the karst is a group of statues and shrines that are just magnificent, and to get there you have to climb 1,237 steep steps. Definitely not for the faint of heart or anyone out of shape. It took us about an hour and a half with plenty of stops for water and rest ... remember its still in the mid-80's to 90 every day and very humid. As you can see from these photos, the view from up there is pretty spectacular. In the first photo you are looking out toward Krabi Town and the ocean. You can see some of the resort islands including the famous Phi Phi Island in the distance. In the second photo, our house is about two miles away and if it wasn't for the karst on the right side in the second picture you would be able to see it, but it's hidden from view unfortunately. We are in that little valley you see behind the three Buddha statues.

A Fish Pedicure?

A couple days ago we went to a festival down in Krabi Town, and one of the businesses that had a booth was doing "fish pedicures". The way it works is you put your feet in this tank of fish for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, and the fish clean the dead skin and other junk off your feet. The fish are around an inch long and are a type of carp I think. They don't have teeth so there is no biting to worry about. They are suckers and they produce just a tingling sort of feeling. It was very relaxing and after 15 minutes my feet never felt so clean, even the calluses from my running were gone! I highly recommend it if you ever get a chance to get one. I saw on the internet where some specialty shops in the US have been doing it for a couple years and the going price was $35 for 15 minutes. We paid $1.85!

Sunday we started out for Wat Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple) but decided to stop first at Phanom Bencha Mountain Resort. It's a private resort just outside Khao Phanom Bencha National Park and not far from us. The resort was so interesting and beautiful we ended up spending a lot of time walking around the grounds, and never got to Wat Tham Seua. But there is always tomorrow when you live here and are retired. We are going to try and get to the wat later this week. The picture you see is one of several ponds, all connected by a mountain stream, and the restaurant is on the left. In the center is a small island and while we were there, a rather large python could be seen in one of the trees. While we were watching it, a water monitor lizard dropped from the tree and into the water then swam right over to us. I think it was very relieved to escape the python. There are more pictures of the resort on our Facebook site.

Our resident tree frog ("bpaat" in Thai) Francoise, has been pretty active lately. He has moved off the outside window frame and now seems to like being just inside the window. That's fine with us but we had to put a stopper in the window so it doesn't get slammed shut by the wind when it kicks up like it can when a monsoon storm blows through. We've seen many a geko get squashed in the windows that way and we'd hate to see that happen to Francoise.

We're Legal!

We've all been driving around Krabi without Thai licenses and on Wednesday we finally went and took the tests. Fortunately, we all pasted but it wasn't easy. In Thailand you need a doctor's medical certificate saying you are basically healthy just to take the tests, and we had gotten them about a month ago. Well, they are only good for 30 days so we had to get on with it. There are some ways to just exchange a foreign license for a Thai license but we weren't able to swing that so it was take the test or continue to drive illegally. We were all nervous about the test because it's not easy and it had been a long, long time since any of us and taken a driving test. The written part was in the morning and consisted of 30 questions of which you had to get 23 or more correct. We did get an English version, but the translations were not the best and the questions were tricky. Dusty and I flunked the first time through, but unknown to us going in, they give you a second chance and we both passed. Athan was luckier and pasted on the first try but just barely with 23. Next came the driving part which was in the afternoon. The test had three parts. First, you pulled up to a curb. Sounds simple but the front tires had to be on this 6" wide line that was perpendicular to the curb and the left side tires (they drive on the left here like in Great Britain) had to be on a yellow line that's 25 cm (about 10 inches) from the curb. Next, you drive up this lane marked with poles on each side for about 5 car lengths, stop and back back out. Dusty messed this one up and hit the last pole, but they gave her a re-do and she did fine. Then finally, you have to parallel park. Again, not so hard since we've been doing it all our life except everything is reversed. Your car steering wheel is on the right and you are parting on the left. But we had all practiced and did fine. It was an entire day at the DMV and a bit stressful, even for Sakorn who had to watch all of us hoping we didn't screw up too bad, but in the end we were all kind of proud of ourselves.

Francoise and Tabkaak

This is the latest addition to our family here in Thap Prik. It's a little tree frog of some sort that we named "Francoise". Being a frog, we figured a French name was in order. He moved in almost a week ago and spends the day where you see him, which is on our front porch on the window frame. He just sits there all day, then a night he leaves but is back in the morning. I guess he goes looking for bugs for food, something there is no shortage of here. The other day he didn't come home for two days and we thought we'd lost him but he finally came back. I guess he know he has a good thing here.

Today, we took a ride up to one of the less developed beaches and had a nice walk looking for shells and such. It is call Tabkaak Beach and the view was pretty spectacular. The beach is on Phang Nga Bay, which is the big bay between Krabi on the mainland and the island of Phuket to the west. The bay is just loaded with the karsts you see in the photo, which are the same sort of rock formations as the ones next to our house, except these of course are in the water. The beach is one of many in Krabi Providence, and was about a half hour drive from home.

Mangosteens are here!

In case you thought all we had in Thailand was snakes, I thought I'd post something about one of our unusual fruits. This is the Mangosteen, or Mangkut in Thai. Southern Thailand is the home of the Mangosteen, and its so delicious its considered the "Queen of Tropical Fruits". We have several of the trees on our property and they are producing faster than we can eat them right now. As you can see, they have a dark-red or purple skin and white fruit segments which has a sweet, slightly tart flavor. The trees start producing in May and continue through most of the rainy season, so we will be having them for a while. They are suppose to be very good for you health-wise in that they contain a very potent antioxidant. But until a few years ago you could not get them in the U.S. due to import restrictions. Now, the ban was lifted recently and I read where they have sold in gourmet shops in New York for $45 a pound. Maybe we should load up our suitcases when we come back next month!

Meet our latest visitor!

A couple days ago a Monocled Cobra showed up on the carport. Fortunately, we saw it in time and it was a small one. Cobras, as most people know, are very poisonous and dangerous. But like most snakes they are also very shy and non aggressive, so we had little problem convincing him to leave the area. Now we are just hoping, since he was a young one, that he doesn't have any siblings hanging around!

On a less exciting note, we finally got a car last week. Its a little red 2004 Honda Jazz that we picked up from the owner of a small resort of Koh Jum. We've been driving around a

bit getting use to driving on the left and having the steering wheel on the right. We haven't been too far since we didn't have insurance until yesterday, and we still don't have driver's licenses. We had heard we would get a pass on getting the Thai driver's license and not have to take a test, but that's not the case. We have to take a written test, in English at least, and a driving test with parallel parking! The parallel parking will be the tricky part since its on the left of course. We've been practicing and will give it a try next week.

Khao Phanom Bencha

We finally made it to Khao Phanom Bencha National Park last weekend and it was really good to get out of Thap Prik and see some of the gorgeous areas Thailand has to offer. The park is 50 square kilometers of forest and jungle surrounding the highest peak in Krabi, Khao Phanon Bencha. One of the big attraction of the park are the numerous waterfalls. The picture you see is of Haui To Waterfall, which has 11 tiers and at some spots falls over 70 meters down the rock face. We had a great time climbing to the top following a well marked trail. From the parking lot, the trip took no more than an hour and during the entire hike we were the only ones on the trail. Even though we were maybe just half a mile from the parking lot, as soon as you step off onto the trail you were in the jungle and it felt like it. In fact, they warn you not to leave the trails because it is easy to get lost very quickly. About a month ago, a British tourist strayed off the trail and wasn't found until almost 24 hours later. Obviously, he spent the night in the jungle. Something I wouldn't want to do without a knowledgeable guide and a good tent.

We hiked to a second smaller waterfall as well on a trail not so well marked, but decided to pass on another hike on a longer Nature Trail. That trail was overgrown, and without long pants and boots we weren't dressed for it. Although we didn't see any snakes (they are all down at our house!) we know they are out there waiting for us. All in all, it was a great day.

They also had some big trees ....

Guess what ..... more snakes!!

It was a very exciting day today because we finally got to go to Khao Phanom Bencha, but I'll have to save that story for another day because the excitement really started when we got back. Our dear friend the Golden Tree Snake is back. I had just sat down in the living room to rest after our hiking trip at Phanom Bencha and out of the corner of my eye I see this snake moving across the window sill by the front door ... and he's INSIDE. He had been sitting on a table next to the window and I guess decided it was time to move on. After yelling for my able assistant, Dusty, we set about trying to figure out a way to get the door open so that he could make his exit. With a bit of finesse we managed and he took off out the front door and across the yard to Athan and Sakorn's garden. Good riddance we thought.

But its not over. Within 15 minutes, I went into the bedroom where Dusty was curled up on the bed surfing on her laptop. I plopped down next to her hoping to finally catch a quick nap, but I look over and coming down the window is another Golden Tree Snake but at least 50% bigger. This time he was OUTSIDE thank God! We rushed outside to check him out and he was headed into the air conditioning unit. After a couple quick raps on the housing he came out and took off for the bushes.

Its about 6:30 in the evening now and we are hoping that's it for today. We need to get some dinner and its hard when you are looking over your shoulder all the time waiting to see something move!

Phanom Bencha was great. Pictures and stuff tomorrow, assuming we survive the night.

More snakes!!

This is the Golden Tree Snake and they are found in many parts of Southeast Asia but are very common in the Krabi area. This morning Dusty notice that one had spent the night between the window screen and the window wrapped around one of the frame supports. They are great climbers and can actually flatten themselves out and "fly" sort of like flying squirrels do. When we opened the window (from the outside!) to release him back into his more natural habitat, we got to see him fly. Indeed, instead of just dropping down to the ground, he flung himself (or herself?) out at a 45 degree angle and sailed out onto the lawn where he took off for the bushes. They are mildly poisonous but mostly to things they catch. Their fangs are in the back of their month and angled back so it would be hard for one to bite you unless you stuck your finger down its throat! Since he was sort of trapped between the screen and window and no threat to us, we had a good time observing and looking him up on the internet to figure out what he was before sending him on his way.

Blue Pearl has been sold!

Well, as some of you already know, we finally sold the Blue Pearl. Actually, settlement was several weeks ago now but with us being in Thailand and the boat in Virginia it took some time to get the money moved around. We were sad to see her go but we sure didn't like owning two boats! It was a great little boat and just right for us except a little too small for living aboard for more than a month at a time. Now we can just worry about Whisper which we are looking forward to getting back to before the summer is over. Our friends back at the marina tell us she is fine but I keep thinking about the stuff that needs to be done before next winter. Once we get back, its got to be haul and the bottom done. Then while its out there are other projects I want to take care of like making sure all the thru hulls are in good working order and maybe removing the ones in the head that we won't need anymore once the composting head installation is finished. Hopefully, we can get all that done in short order and get on with some sailing before the season is over. Then there is the question, what do we do for the winter? Leave it a Olverson's again, take it south down the ICW or ... we'll have to just wait and see what in store for us. Ironically, with only one boat you have more options which is a good thing.

We'd kill for a good burger or dog right now!

This past weekend our yacht club back in Virginia had its first function of the season, and this is a picture from the chow line. The food is usually pretty good at these affairs and I'll bet that burger was yummy. We've really been missing our American foods lately. I did manage to get a pizza for my birthday and it was o.k., but not what we were use to back home. There are a couple places not to far away where you can get Western food but since we still have no wheels, that's not an option right now. Hopefully, that won't last much longer though. Our highest priority now is to get a car and our driver's licenses so we can get some independence back. You can't believe how hard it is to not have a car for over two months!

Bangkok is burning!

Yesterday and last night Bangkok was indeed burning. This is a picture of Central World, the largest shopping center in Thailand and the second largest in Southeast Asia. It was burning most of yesterday and as of last night on the verge of collapse. From the information I've been able to gather from various internet sources (the government has taken over the TV stations here), there has been some spread of the rioting and destruction into the northern providences where the Red Shirts have a lot of support.

I don't begin to really understand the political situation here but I do believe there is a lot of pent up frustration and disillusionment with the status quo. As in a lot of countries (the US included) there is a growing gap between the rich and the poor, and I suspect this may be the underlining problem. In this day and age of cell phones, internet forums, Twitter, etc., information is out there for everyone and as we know ... information is power now days. Where will this all end? Everyone has an opinion, but nobody really knows. We are entering uncharted territory and big changes are always right around the corner it seems. What's happen here in Thailand reminds me of a book I read last summer titled .."The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us And What We Can Do About It". Stand by for more surprises.