Ko Phi Phi Don, Krabi Province, Thailand

Ko Muk was another place where we would have liked to go diving, but Christi still had some congestion and a cough, so we decided to skip diving. Other than diving, laying out at the beach and going to the cave, there isn’t much to do at Ko Muk. Besides, we really needed to get some money. We pulled up anchor this morning at 0945, bound for Ko Phi Phi Don (pronounced Pee Pee — the “h” is silent. No laughing, this is a serious name!). The ride was short, taking only 5 hours.

We are happy to report it was pleasant and very smooth on the way there, though Eric needed to be vigilant about avoiding the fishing lines. There were small islands all along the way, making for a scenic drive. The bad news is that Eric turned on our spare auto pilot to give it some exercise and it did not work. That is probably not a good thing.

From the distance, the Phi Phi islands looks similar to Langkawi, with tall vertical cliffs jutting up out of the water, except these islands have more unique shapes in the peaks of the cliffs. Phi Phi Don is in the first picture, actually two separate islands connected by a small isthmus of sand between them. Next to Phi Phi Don is the smaller Phi Phi Lee, the second picture, and there are a few tiny rock islands near the larger Phi Phi islands.

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We pulled into Ton Sai bay on the southern end of the isthmus at about 1500 (3:00 pm). There were tons of Continue reading

Chores, Errands and The Kilim Karst Geoforest Park

Yesterday was chore and errand day. The first task of the day was to get fuel. We pulled out of the slip and moved the very short distance to the fuel dock. Eric had asked them twice if they had enough fuel, 3,400 liters, and both times they reassured us they did. They didn’t. As we were getting close to the 3,000 mark, the fuel pump ran dry. Eric asked if they had any more. “No more”. Eric asked when they were getting more. “Don’t know”. Allrighty then. We were disappointed to find out Continue reading

Tour of Langkawi – The South Road to Kuah

Yesterday, Bob and Nancy told us we had to come out this morning to see the Chinese grocer. He comes at 1030 every Friday, and it is something the boaters all look forward to each week. In Islam, the Sabbath is on Fridays, and most businesses are closed, including all the grocery stores. There is an enterprising Chinese man who brings groceries out to the boaters on Fridays.

This morning we had a hard time getting up. We finally rolled out of bed at 1015. We quickly made ourselves presentable and went out to the parking lot next to the marina office, where a small crowd was standing around and waiting. A mini-van pulled up a few minutes later and Continue reading

Welcome to Langkawi Island, Kedah, Malaysia

06-21.9N by 99-41.0E – At about 2330 (11:30 pm) last night, the wind picked up to 15 to 20 knots right on the nose. An hour later, our nice, flat seas were replaced with lumpy and uncomfortable head seas. Oh well. All good things must come to an end. Our speed immediately dropped by a full knot. Eric was seasick shortly thereafter. His body does not like head seas at all. Christi took over watch for the rest of the night. The two of us are a mess lately!

By dawn (0730 out here), we had gotten close enough to Langkawi island to be in more protected waters. At about 1000 we approached our destination, Telagga Harbour, on the northwest side of the island. The island is beautiful from the distance — tall mountains with sheer cliffs and thick foliage. The cliffs rise dramatically out of the sea. There is a nice lighthouse at the entranceway into the channel to the marina. Two small islands filled with evergreens create an anchorage area to the left of the channel. As we continued up the channel towards the marina, we noticed Continue reading