Yuni Travel Blog – 14
It’s the last two weeks! Even though we have been so many times to Langkawi before, we had not really explored the region very much. Now that the boat is securely moored in the marina, we set out to do some fun things.
Our engine expert/friend Robbie from Sweden has been living in Langkawi for a long time. He used to train jet ski instructors. He kindly invited us to go for jet ski day with him around the beautiful islands. Fab idea! Two days later, we rented 2 jet skis and off we went. The boys thought Robbie was cool, who also looked the smaller version of the movie star Vin Diesel. We kept our triangle formation and drove fast. The Eagle Island was very peaceful in the morning. But as soon as the tourist boats started to arrive, lots of eagles flew out and circled above. In the wild, eagles normally live alone and each has its own territories, but I guess here due to the feeding from the tourist boats, there is plenty of food to go around, the large group of eagles seem to live in peace with each other. Quite cool to see them up close diving into the water around us.
After a while, we headed out from there and drove further. Out of no where, suddenly we saw small dolphins popping out the water maybe 100-200m from us. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The whole 6 months I heard multiple times from Felix where places were we most likely would see dolphins and they never appeared. Yet here we were so near shore, least expected, they popped out of the water right in front of our eyes! I was so excited, fumbled out the water proof camera with my shaking hands. Totally forgot to take a video but was clicking away trying to catch a dolphin on its way up. Unfortunately, my photo skills sucks and never quite got the timing right!
After the dolphins disappeared, we continued to explore the other nearby islands. There were caves exposed during the low tide and we could drive through a couple of them which Robbie knew well. It was amazing. Michael was grumbling and sulking that Felix did not let him drive freely, so we found a calm area where the 2 boys could be together and drove wide and fast to their hearts’ content! The Canyans is the most beautiful group of islands, we cruised around there and were awed by the scenery.
Langkawi is the hometown of Dr Mahathir, the oldest newly elected Prime Minister in Malaysia. We heard many time before that he had an office on the marina and owned the only bakery “The Loaf” which was under renovation. We happened to go to a restaurant next door for lunch the other day and saw a small crowd a people near “The Loaf”. I thought great, the bakery is finally open. As I got close, there he was, Dr. Mahathir sitting on the table eating with some people. No heavy security and I walked past literally a few meters in front of his table. So cool. At 93, he is seen as the saviour of Malaysia for getting rid of the corrupt powerful Najib and everyone in the country is so upbeat about all the changes that are coming, such as chasing back the corruption money and looking for new investments. We even spotted Jo Loh’s USD250mio yacht at the Langkawi navel base to be auctioned off.
We took the opportunity to explore some nice restaurants and new hotels. One of my favourite places is Bon Ton, owned by an Australian who bought some entire heritage houses from Indonesia, had them transported and installed here as B&B with a beautiful restaurant. 30% of the profit from food and the art craft shop goes to cat and dog shelters on the premises. So, some 200 rescued cats (many terribly savaged) roamed around the temple, the garden and the restaurant. One came over to scratch Felix’s leg and meowed for food but got nothing…so I secretly gave her some of my chicken while Felix rolled his eyes.
Then came another highlight for my birthday in Dec. We were invited to the new trendy hotel Dash on the beach and one of the owners gave us a night there as a present. So nice of him. The hotel is really chic with bright colours and beautiful art deco I love. We had a relaxing swim in the pool right on the beach, drank champagne, watched the boat parachutes and the sunset.
Felix had to go to Chong Qing in China for a quick business trip, so we again headed to KL for a few days. Martin played some more tennis while I had a few intensive spa sessions as well as a haircut getting myself cleaned up and ready for the Christmas season.
Now we are all back on the boat packing up. Can’t believe this is it. Tomorrow we will head to Melbourne via Singapore. The sailing trip is over. It has been an short, intensive, challenging yet fun 6 months. We each have something to ponder and say…
Martin: It was an awesome trip. There were many fun moments, such as swimming along side the boat, climbing the rope onto the boat like a pirate, and the night sailing. Home school was actually better than I thought and I enjoyed it most of the time. The time on the boat went faster than anticipated. I do miss home and friends, but it was the best adventure I would never forget. Now, I miss my cabin bed already.
Michael: I did not think very much at the beginning of the trip, but at the end I am sad it is ending. My best moments are learning to dive and seeing turtles around our boat. There were times I really missed our dog Koko and my school friends, then I just have to think about what a good time we are having. It is an unforgettable trip and I am glad to have had it.
Felix: Best time ever as a family. I have not spent such a long time together with my family doing things together pretty much since the time the kids were born. All the hardship of making the trip possible was worth it. The best time for me was the night in the Canyans where we were the only boat under the full moon. My biggest wish is that we can do it again.
Yuni: When we talked about this trip a few years ago, everyone sort of said “really?” and I am just so glad that we made it happen! It took a huge amount of planning and a lot of guts to carry it out. But we did it together as a family. The most fulfilling thing for me is to see Felix’s dream come true and so very proud of the kids who have lived the moment with us and been open-minded to new experiences. Apart from the beautiful places we visited, I really enjoyed meeting people… some like minded and some, well not so like minded but still very interesting and inspiring. Don’t think I would ever be ready to cross oceans, but I do look forward to some new adventures on future boat holidays.
Bye bye boat for now… until next year! To all our family and friends who “watched” us closely in the last 6 months, we wish you and your loved ones all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Waving goodbye from Langkawi 18th December
Yuni Travel Blog – 12
Phuket was simply wonderful. We stayed at the Renaissance, which is directly on the beach. Not only the hotel was beautiful but also the staff were competent and friendly. We chose an upgrade for a suite over a villa with pool…less mosquitos and more private. Kids and we each had a massive big bedroom, and we met in the middle family lounge to eat and chat. We were all very happy to have our own little corner and no one was getting on anyone else’s nerves. With fast and strong wifi, boys were eerily quiet, especially in the evenings playing games on their pcs with their friends across the world.
I could actually dedicate a whole page just on food…but I will go easy here. The hotel had 5 restaurants and all the food were authentic and fantastic. Each morning we looked forward to sitting on the breakfast terrace overlooking the lily pads with water fall and green vegetation. Fishes swam up for bread and birds hung around to steal whatever they can from the tables.
Apart from food and gym (to ease my conscience on the food), can’t say we did very much. Felix and I went around to see another 2 marinas and saw more boats (hehe, what better pass-time can a boatie want?). During the day when the kids are doing schooling, Felix made preparation of his teaching material next year. Martin took the opportunity to take as many photos as he can for his photography subject in school. They happened to be doing colors and shapes. And there is no better place than this beautifully decorated hotel with all sort of exotic colors! We could really say we took a holiday from our holidays!
7 days flew by just like that! It is time to go back. The maintenance crew did a fab job cleaning the boat inside out so it was nice feeling stepping back into the spotless boat. Kids actually said they missed their cabin beds and happy to be home again. All the troubles seemed now like a long time ago and we were happily reconnected to the boat once more. The next morning after breakfast we sailed to Rebak Marina, a short ride but choppy water. I was jolly proud of myself for not feeling a thing. I think the sea leg is now officially here to stay! Rebak is an island only accessible by boat and it has a Taj Resort with nice restaurant and facilities. Unfortunately the wifi was really crap. When it rained which happened to be everyday, the reception became even worse. So, after Martin spent 3 days studying in the resort lobby rather than his “cave” on the boat, we decided to leave and sail around some of the nearby islands in Langkawi.
landing in Langkawi Rebak beach
Langkawi, officially called Jewel of Kedah (the State), and in Malay it means land of brown-red eagles. Though there is only 110k local residents, Langkawi attracts 3mio visitors per year. In 2007, it was accorded World heritage Geopark status by UNESCO for its stunning geological landscapes including caves, stacks, sea-arches, limestone rocks and millions of years old fossils. Langkawi claims to have 99 islands on the Andaman Sea, some big ones with famous resorts and many small ones (just huge rocks with trees uninhibited). They are mostly accessible by boats only which means they are well preserved and full of vegetations and birds.
Sailing through the islands, we are excited to see what surprise holds around each corner. The boys are watching the rock islands and try to see the shapes they take on… a dinosaur, a bun, a whale, a pooping turtle… We found a beautifully protected spot and decided to anchor there for the night. The water was milky green and inviting. We all jumped in the water and swam around the boat. Felix challenged Martin to get on the boat by climbing the anchor ropes. After all, that’s how it is done in the movies… Believe or not, after a few practice tries, Martin actually made it and climbed successfully on the boat. With the sun going down, we toasted him being officially a qualified Pirate! Then Felix made lamb racks on the BBQ while we watched 2 fisherman’s boats skilfully catching fishes. It felt like we were in another world. By nightfall, we were the only boat anchored there. A short thunderstorm came and went. Then the bright full moon lit up the sky! We stepped on the deck and watched the islands and mountains around us. “The moon is like a giant touch light.”said Martin. The whole magical atmosphere brought us back to why we started the trip and how it was like in the early days in Redang. After a round of family games, we all went to bed early and slept with the moonshine through the hatches. Next morning it was just the start of another beautiful sunny day. We saw a crab float on a leaf in the sea. A beautiful little bird landed on our front deck and spent a good few minutes cleaning his colour feathers. Felix and Martin went back into the water to practice more pirate climbing skills while Michael and I tidied up the boat. Then anchor was up and off we went.
With end of November coming up, we are on the last stretch of our sailing sabbatical. Can’t believe we would be leaving the boat in just 3 weeks and head to Australia for Christmas! But before we leave Langkawi, we have a few more fun things planned…
Sign off 26th November
Yuni Travel Blog – Part -11
Well, if you think our sailing trip in the last 3 and half months was full of ups and downs then you have not yet heard what happened in the past 2 weeks… It presented an even more testing moment for all of us.
It started with me messing up the visas then having to re–apply in the Chinese visa office in KL. Despite my effort to be there Monday 9am right on the dot with all the documents from the website, the queue was already snaking 3 times around the corridor. After waiting for an hour in the line, I was told I needed provide kids’ birth certificates in addition (which was never needed anywhere else)! Luckily I did have everything scanned before leaving Switzerland. I rushed back to the hotel, printed everything then rushed to queue up again. But now I was told if I was to visit my mum, I needed a certified copy to prove mother-daughter relationship!!! Ahhhh, I was pretty close to screaming at her. Knowing losing my cool would only make things worse, I bit my tongue and changed application to be a tourist. My god-sent travel agent in Beijing emailed me quickly with a hotel booking as requested. But only to find out now they said Martin’s birth certificate was in German so they couldn’t accept it and I should go to Swiss embassy to have it certified. What!!! Now they really got me pissed off. I loudly protested this was not in line with their website requirements plus Martin’s passport has previous visas entering China. Seeing I was really getting angry, she reluctantly accepted the applications but told me the hefty express fee would not be refundable should Martin’s visa got rejected. I wrote an explanation on the form and took my chances. My prayer was answered and the next day the visas were approved with zero issue. Same night, we flew to Beijing.
Mum is getting frailer. She could hardly walk now and her depression is not much better. I thought the kids might have a better chance than me in getting a smile, but I was wrong. I also had to go settle my mum’s apartment sale. The bureaucratic process was nerve grinding. However, in between fulfilling my mum’s wishes and running around for official documents, I did manage to take the kids to visit the old part of Beijing near Forbidden City and even had Beijing duck! The golden October lived up to its promises. The sky was blue and theautumn leaves were turning various shades of yellow. Since taxis are anyways hard to get these days, we walked whenever we could. Kids were happy to see the places where they used to live, eat and play (when we were in Beijing 2006-2010) and brought back fond memories. If there was one thing more frustrating than the bureaucracy, it was the internet. It was very slow and of course anything that is Google related did not work. We needed VPN to accessWhatsapp, Safari and Martin’s homework, but the VPN was also blocked off on and off. Well, excuses or no excuses, Martin was falling behind for his schoolwork and it was getting on my nerves. I left Beijing more stressed than before I went.
While we were in Beijing, Felix and 4 other yachties were taking the damaged boom and mast off the boat with a crane. Due to no one really knew how the 2 things were originally constructed together, they were dismantling the whole thing dangerously for almost 2 days…blood, sweat and grease all over deck! Finally they were off. Insurance’s response was slow to come and they dragged their feed in sending the inspector over. Not intentionally to add to the workload, all battery bank was also replaced since they were scheduled a few months ago. However, the re-wiring proved to be another challenge. By the time, we arrived back on the boat, the new batteries were not charging properly Felix’s to-do list was getting longer and the stress level too. The insurance inspector said he would not be able to come for at least another week. No point waiting any longer, we set sail from Port Dickson to Penang (the promised land of Malaysia). The boat without boom and mast looked a little strange but we are a good 600-700kgs less, so we were cruising nicely at 8 knots per hour using only engines. The following 2 days of sailing was probably the best I have ever had. The water was mirror flat and the boat was gliding beautifully. And the sunset moments when the whole family sat together on the trampoline made us forget all the headaches for now and treasure what this trip is really all about.
Friday 9am we entered the Penang Strait Quay marina. We were so happy to here again and hoped to stay for 2 weeks. Wasting no time, I did laundry and cleaned the boat. Suddenly at 1pm, the aircon stopped working…Felix took one glance on the cockpit and swore helplessly. The sea water was at 0.7 metre high (our boat has a draw of 1.6m) and we were literally sitting in the silt from the sea!!! That meant aircon was sucking silt into the strainer and got blocked… It also meant for 7 hours a day, we couldn’t use the toilet or aircon. Why didn’t the marina office inform us beforehand? When asked, they simplyshrugged and said the planned dredging had been delayed since Feb. Oh man,here we are having even more work flushing the tubes and cleaning the strainers. Felix was so worried about the further damage the silt might cause our boat, after 2 nights we lifted off anchor again. Well, at least before we left, we managed to have some nice food on the quay and even watched a dog show which made us all missing Koko so much.
Our spirit was dampened by the series of mishaps. The sailing bit now seemed to be a cup of tea. 10 hours of very choppy water and no one complained. Wearrived in Langkawi at our permanent berthing. Martin said it felt like home coming since this was where they started this journey at end of June. Well, despite all the frustrations, we held our nerves and made it here safely as a family. All the sailors in the marina were sympathetic about our bad luck in the last few weeks. It is hard for Felix to admit, but I am just about ready to throw in the towels. With insurance inspection still in the air, more work needed for the wiring of batteries and plenty of maintenance, we decided it was not worth letting the work eat further into our family time together. Better we just fly to Phuket and have a nice relaxing time in the comfort of a resort, at least for a little while. We can always pick up where we left off after recharging our positivities.
The Riz-Carlton in Langkawi
Sign off 7th November
Yuni Travel Blog – Part – 10
The last two days in Singapore were rather special. My dearest friend Zann took me out for a half day Spa at So Sofitel on Sentosa. After a “light” lunch we both fell asleep on the massage table, but it was heavenly relaxing. Afterwards, we went for the water fall pool, then rubbed warm mud treatment all over followed by whirlpool jet massage… I certainly felt a good few years younger!
The last night in Singapore was our 20th wedding anniversary. Joined by a few of our good friends in Singapore, we went to the good old Swiss Club. A quick walk around the pool side and tennis courts brought back such many good memories. Martin even showed our friends the Swiss School, located right next to the Swiss Club. Our dinner at Arbenz was casual and delicious. Felix made a heart felt little speech and I knew, as always, why he has been the one for me since the first day we met. With all the ups and downs, we have been there for each other for 20 years. Love, respect and honesty were what first attracted us to each other and they are still the qualities that keep us together today. All I can say is 20 years have gone past so fast and I am looking forward to our next 20 years together. And thank you to our friends who celebrated with us on such short notice!
Next morning, Felix and 2 crews secured the damaged boom and set sail directly to Port Dickson. For the safety of the family, kids and I went to Malacca by bus. Malacca was established in 1377 by Parameswara when he escaped from Sumatra. On his journey north, he rested in this village under a tree and was amused when his hunting dogs were kicked into the river by a small mouse deer. He loved this unusual village and named it with the name of the tree, Malaka. It became the centre of the Malay world in the 15th and 16th centuries and the most prosperous entrepôt in the Malay Archipelago. During that time, many Arabs, Persians, Gujaratis, Tamils, Bengalis, Japanese, Siamese, Jews and Chinese came here to trade. Under the strong influence of Arab, Persian, and Indian traders, Malacca soon turned into an Islamic sultanate and Parameswara became the Sultan. Since 1511, Malacca fell into the hands ofthe Portuguese, then the Dutch, then the English, and finally, during WWII, theJapanese. Only in 1957 Malacca became free after Malaysia finally achieved its independence. So as walked through the old city routes, we could definitelysee and feel the influences of so many different cultures and ethnic groups. In 2008, Malacca was given the status of world heritage.
2 nights later, we joined Felix again on the boat in Port Dickson. We connected with the German engineer who was recommended to us. He specialises in building Catamarans and has agreed to remove our boom for detailed assessment as soon as he can organise a crane. After all, the boom and the mast weigh somewhat 500-800kgs! On that Same day, Martin’s old classmate Lionel arrived from Zurich with his mum Gitta. Martin was all excited and happy to have such good company. Since we could not sail out, in the next few days, we went swimming in the marina pool, visited the Indian Batu cave and savoured local cuisines. Boys also did jet skiing on the beach. We adults enjoyed ourselves for a wonder day at the Spa in the gorgeous looking Lexis Hisbiscus Resort (which claims the Guinness record for most swimming pools in one resort).
Well, before we know it, the week was over. Gitta and Lionel flew back to CHon Saturday night. I booked to take the boys with me to China, partly to visit my mum while we are in the region and partly to get out of the way when the crane is here lifting the boom and when Felix replaces all batteries on the boat. We drove through the famous KL traffic jam and got ourselves all checked in. Then I made the most shocking discovery upon dropping off our luggage at the airport…all of our visas to China have expired. Well known for my organisational skills, I was so embarrassed and could not believe I did not even think to check the visas all this time!!! Ahhhh… too much holidays and too much relaxation are clearly killing my brain. Yep, I am blaming this one on the boating thing! No choice, cancelled all my appointments in Beijing and booked into a hotel in KL, I then filled in 12 pages of forms downloaded from the Internet hoping to get the visas sorted by Monday.
Sign off 21st October
Yuni Travel Blog – Part – 9
From Sabana Cove to Singapore, it was a good ride. Finally we had the tide to our favour and we were doing between 8-9 knots. The huge container ships on the horizon announced our arrival into Singapore waters. We had to stop the boat in the middle of the sea and wait for our immigration agent to approach. They sure took their sweet time while we rocked in the mid-day heat for almost an hour. When they arrived, we were told to pass our passports into a fish net on the long end of a stick and showed all our faces. All done within a couple of minutes! Off we go further into the Singapore waters. There is always a warm fuzzy feeling in us towards Singapore given we lived there for 2 and half years. From far away we could see the high-rise buildings, airport runway with flights taking off and coming in and of course the famous architecture of Marina Sand…unfortunately all in a bubble of haze. Felix says this is one of the most strenuous stretches for sailing because of endless huge container ships moving or berthed like a maze (see navigation photo below). You do NOT want to get in the way of one of those. When we passed one up close, the ship looked like a city made of steel! Each one of them is gigantic and does not seem to move an inch in the choppy sea.
First we entered Raffles marina, but then due to immigration convenience, we moved and berthed finally at One Degree 15 marina on Sentosa of the southern coast of Singapore. Sentosa, means “peace and tranquillity” in Malay, is war camp base turned into resort island. A true re-branding success! Today, it houses 2 casinos, a Universal Studio theme park, an Adventure Cove Water Park and the world’s 2nd largest Oceanarium plus much more which attracts 20 million visitors per year. ‘ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove, is a waterfront lifestyle destination offering world-class marina facilities replete with a comprehensive range of exclusive club amenities. From the infinity pool, fitness centre, members’ lounge, modern spa, restaurants and bars, to multi-million dollar apartment blocks with spectacular views. No effort has been spared to make the time here an absolute pleasure, of course all at quite a hefty price. We are only staying 2 and half weeks, so let’s enjoy it! Normally our boat is one of the bigger ones with the highest mast in marinas, but here surrounding us are plentiful of huge multi-million dollar super yatchs. Only shame is there are almost no owners on board and they all seem to be left with captains, crew and cleaning teams for the endless maintainence.
The same night we came in, my sister and her 2 daughters arrived from Melbourne Australia. It has been a few very trying months for them due to personal reasons. I was just so happy to have them here, and at least to be able to offer a little help and some comfort. The boys are delighted, not only because they get along super well with the cousins but also they have not had similar age groups companies for a few months. They played cards together, went out for rides together, swam together, and watched movies together. It’s so nice to see how independent and opinionated they have all become. Youth itself has such a shining beauty like no other age group!
Michael had birthday on 29th September. He has always wanted breakfast in bed, and the wish granted! We woke up early to prepare Orio crumble and vanila ice-cream smoothie, pancake with fresh strawberry and cream, plus a mini choclate birthday cake. He stuffed his face and loved it. He was a little sad that he could not invite friends this year, but 6 familiy members singing around the bed and the funny presents made his day.
With all the strange weathers around the region, Singapore is having a mini heat wave. No rain for a whole week and the afternoon heat is hard to take. Still, that did not stop us from spending our day eating good local food and trying out different restaurants. Last Monday was the Chinese moon festival, it was amazing to see the big full moon shining over the marina. While the 4 kids entertained themselves, Felix and I went to the cinema to watch Crazy Rich Asians. I quite liked the movie and thought it did capture a lot of the Asian family culture. And watching it in Singapore while the wedding scene was set in Singapore made it all the more special. In the evenings and weekends, we caught up with lots of friends from our time in Singapore including some of my EMBA classmates. Amazing how 6 years has passed since we moved back to Switzerland.
Remember the damaged boom in my last blog? Well, now that the boat is berthed and the various experts finally got the chance to assess it serverity. It is pretty major! All agree a brand new boom will be needed. Felix was busy digging out old drawings, records and writing to insurance. It is going to be very complicated, as well as time and money consuming. The process is not yet clear and so wait and see. Still, the show must go on! Another few days in Singapore, then girls will return to Australian. For us, next stop Malacca!
Sign off 3rd October
Yuni Travel Blog – Part 8
Felix and Dirk (our hired crew) got up at 4am and started our long journey to Singapore. The first day we made 80 miles which was 12 hours non-stop sailing. Apart from the engine almost got caught in a fisherman’s net, no big drama. I however, after more than a week on land, needed to find my sea legs again. The entire day I was feeling light headed and on the edge. Persuading Felix to anchor early was a good idea. As soon as we stopped in Kemaman bay, I was feeling better. A storm hit that night and the following morning while sailing. The boom ripped open and caused structural damage, for the first time we had a view inside the boom and some flaws became obvious. The joy of owning a boat hey! By the way, you know what “BOAT” stand for? “Break Out Another Thousand”! Well, it’s a major and costly damage, but after some jury-rigging we can still use it so long we use the sails conservatively. Put it on the list and push on. The next day was a short half day to Kuantan with anchorage in the river which faces South China Sea. It is a impressive city (apparently largest in the east coast of Malaysia) with large population and good infrastructure and lots of Chinese and lots of Muslims but not strictly religious like Terengganu.
Christie from Kalou (the boat with the dog Rosie) texted me to say 2 nights after we left Terengganu the boat Vinnie which berthed right next to us was struck by lightening. My god, how lucky we are (well despite the boom)! Our mast, at 28 meters, is normally the highest in most marinas. If we were there, no doubt we’d be hit for sure then we would just have to pack up and finish our sabbatical on land… In the meantime, I read about the monster Typhoon which is about to hit the Philippines and the devastating hurricane that’s heading towards Carolina. Phew, guess at least we are in the “safe” part of the world. Decision of excluding Philippines totally for our 6 months sailing trip was right one!
The next 2 days we went to islands near Tioman. We did not go to the main island because everyone including Felix was telling me how bad it is now with so many years of tourists boom. It is becoming a hippie place with bad services. The islands nearby where we anchored have nice sceneries but not much phone connections for about 2 nights. Can you just imagine the wifi withdrawal symptoms from the kids??? Finally they can spend a bit more time on deck and even noticed the bountiful of little fishes near our boat under the moon light!
On Saturday night, we arrived at Sebu island and anchored in the bay outside Rimba Resort. This is a beautiful tranquil bay with lots of corals. The onshore resort is owned by a South African couple and has a distinctive South African style to it. All the huts are like hunting lodges in the wild. The only drawback for boat owners is the shore is not readily accessible due to long period of low tide with exposed corals so we either had to stay on boat or go on shore for a long time until high tide again. My teenager boy threw a tantrum because we could not get back on the boat. He complained that he had so much homework, which couldn’t be done because of our 2 days of lack wifi and now us stuck on shore for 3 and half hours. He actually accused us of putting his education at risk!!! I seriously did not know I should laugh or cry. What about those hours and hours of playing games on the phone and watching TV series when we had the wifi??? And now this 3 and half of little hours is risking his education? I bit my tongue hard and let it go. Why is it this generation of kids enjoys computer simulated environment more than the beautiful real nature that actually surrounds us? Sigh!!!
Another early morning on Monday, Felix and Dirk set sail at 4am towards Singapore. The sea became rough as soon as we were out of the bay. I lay in bed in the cabin and tried to stay asleep, on and off, till 10am hoping to miss a big chunk of the round journey. The motion was so strong, I started dreaming about been thrown up in the air by strong bolts of wind. The whole day was a bit like sitting on a washing machine. My request of making an anchorage early afternoon was denied, as the anchorage would not have offered much cover. We pushed on. At 4pm we finally arrived at Sebana Cove (just around the corner from Singapore). The last 7 days has been the longest stretch of voyage we have had so far. Felix is jolly proud of the number of miles we have made. Kids were totally unfazed by the rough sea as if they have been living on boat all their life. I must admit I still have my moments. There are the occasional perfect days with perfect conditions (a bit like a lotto ticket though) and I thought I have got this, then came the “normal” conditions which is various degrees of swell, tide against us and wind on the nose…
Here in Sebana Cove we consolidated for couple of days, then tomorrow we sail for another 50+ miles and will enter Raffles Marina in Singapore. This concludes our whole sailing trip of the east coast of Malaysia. What can I say? Never a dull moment! So far, we have experienced a lot out of our day to day environment back home, met a lot people outside our normal circle and humbled by nature and the wild. I am sure it takes time for many things to sink in and all of us, especially the kids, will one day realise these experiences will impact and shape our future.
Sign off 19th September
Yuni Travel Blog – Part 6
Today is already the last day we stay at the Perhentians / Redang bay. Time goes so fast. We all seemed to have settled into a nice daily routine yet there seems to be still so much we haven’t fully discovered. Felix reminded us that we would not be having such crystal clear water until maybe until 3 – 4 months’ time until we reach Thailand from the east coast of Malaysia. It is hard to believe having groups of fishes swimming and jumping about the boat, having turtles diving up and down for air and the softest sand on the beaches only a few hundred metres away are all just daily norm when anchored here. It is truly paradise! During the day, when it gets too hot, water is the easiest refuge. Felix even set up a water hammock with ropes and we just lie on it and chill! Or we simply dived into the water with our masks on and snorkelled around. The vast amount of corals near shore is slowly recovering from the bleaching of last 2 decades. It is sad in a way, but the colourful fishes dashing in and out of the shadows is a proof enough that the damages can be repaired if we could lend nature a helping hand.
Despite we have had our boat for 4 years, we are really very “young” sailors. It is unavoidable to have a steep learning curve like in any profession. We have learned so much from our own mistakes and experiences, yet there is so much more. One can never stop learning. And what better ways than plugging into the yachties community to share and learn! Being the most beautiful bay means lots of sailing boats come and anchor here for a period of time. So each boat takes turn to invite others and “host” sun-downers. Given provisioning boat is a tricky and expensive thing; all the yachties bring their own drinks and nibbles with them when going to such a get-together. All the drinks are in their own cooler boxes with ice and they even collect their own empty cans at the end to take them back. We were genuinely surprised how easy and enjoyable this practice is…so no boat owner needs to put too much preparation work or do any cleaning up. Everyone is clear how to sort out their rubbish and bring them on shore. This made the time together particularly stress free. No surprises that most of the yachties we met are Aussie and Kiwis in this part of the world. It’s been a long time since I divulged into Australian politics with anyone (given I have an Aussie passport) and all the chatting somehow reconnected me with down under all over again (though I can hardly remember the names of last few PMs given they seemed to change faster than I change my cloth)! Some of the yachties also shared their sailing experiences along the coasts of Australia, most mind boggling ones made conquering the sea pale against the battle with wild crocodiles in the waters. Mental note: never go sailing to Kimberley in Australia!!! Another Canadian couple have been sailing across the oceans for 10 years with their longest voyage of 61 days without land.
The most extra ordinary story belongs to Glen, an American who sails a Wharram, i.e. a bare catamaran without engine, all the way from California. He graduated in Chemistry from University of California. Well educated and soft spoken, he realised very early on he neither fit well into the corporate norm nor thrive at the socialising with people. At 27, he built himself a 27ft Wharram and sailed around. He enjoyed the sailing, the solitude and the challenges so much that he, after a few years, went home and sold everything he owned and built another Wharram with 38ft. He sourced the right wood waited a year for them to dry properly before actually building the boat…everything by himself. He is definitely one of those “green” people and actually lives true to his motto. He has 2 solar panels to generate enough power for his mobile phones and GPS. He mainly cooks with a fire stove that uses dried coconut and wood. On top of the Wharram surface, there is no fixed structure so the boat is light but without much comfort. The 2 hulls are used for sleeping and storage. Since there is no engine, the single most important thing he needs is wind. 2 sails are built with maximum shape to increase speed which can achieve a top speed of 15 knots which is very fast! Of course, he has all the time in the world, so waiting for wind poses no issue for a man with no schedule.
We asked him loads of questions and he gave honest answers: with very little savings, he lives on USD1 per day so provisioning from local food is important; yes, he has a lot of time obviously which he uses to read loads of books and learn how to improve his boat by himself; no, he is not scared and in dangerous weather he is totally focused on how to preserve his boat rather than his life; he enjoyed more coastal sailing than in the ocean simply because there is more things to see; yes, it was the right choice for him because he has an intellectual brain and he uses everyday to learn something new; yes, sickness is an issue when sailing alone and he has medicine with him but mostly just wait it out; yes, the boat has been damaged and even almost destroyed at times, and he would just spend the time to repair it with limited resources; yes, he does feel lonely especially last year his father passed away who was the only one that understood him yet he had not spent much time with him because of sailing. Afterward, we talked with the kids again about Glen’s journey. We all have definitely learned something new today, and he and his courage awed us. I can assure you, a Wharram is not for me or any faint hearted. I do however wish the kids are somewhat inspired by the spirit of chasing your dream, believing in yourself and don’t let anyone tell you it is not possible!
Well, our time at the bay is finally coming to an end. Martin has started Photography lesson this semester and he spent the last two evenings running around on shore taking endless artistic pictures for school work. It is nice to see him having so much fun with a camera. Even Michael got interested and was following behind taking his own pictures! Anyway, it’s time to set sail again. Bye bye Redang and thank you for the beautiful memories!
Sign off 28th August
Yuni Travel Blog – Part 5
The week started with a shock… just as we were returning to our boat on the dingy from an early dinner on shore, two instructors from the dive centre rushed to pass us. “What is happening?” we asked. “Someone drowned”, he answered as he continued to run. We offered support, but first dropped the boys back on the boat and than went over to the side beach where more and people are now gathering. An over weight Asian gentleman was lying flat on the sand while the diving instructor was performing CPR… 2 men and 1 woman were huddled around calling in Japanese and crying. After 20 minutes, they gave up with sadness on their faces. The medics came on site and took the guy away. I know we hear about people drowning in the news all the time, but to actually witness someone’s life fades away right in front of our own eyes humbles us all in a total different level. Not only we should respect nature and others around us, but also be reminded ourselves that our own time on earth is so limited. The end will come to us all eventually, for some it comes in the form of sickness, for some in the form of old age and for some (like this gentleman) it came in the form of accidents…whichever form, we can never be or never want to be prepared for it. Back on the boat, we couldn’t help telling each other again how we must truly live our life, do what we enjoy and appreciate what we have and those we love, leaving nothing for regrets.
This week we saw a turtle swimming in the pond in the resort on shore. Clearly, he had lost both of his left limbs… Curious, we asked how he got here? The staff told us they rescued him last fall most likely tangled up in a fishing net, which caused his injury. When they took him out, he was very weak and he could hardly balance himself. They fed him, and guess what? For 3 weeks, he was crapping out rubber bands and plastic at the other end! They kept him for a few months and made sure he has a clean internal system as well as gained back his strength. Then, they released him back to the sea. The turtle went out and quickly turned around and swam back to shore, then again and again. He did not want to go back to the big unknown! The resort (owned by the royal family in Malaysia) has recently got approval to have his permanent home on shore. They found a company who will use 3D printing to attach him with one or two of the missing limbs. How amazing! It also serves a good showcase to tourists why we should keep our ocean clean, especially from plastics! By the way, we are really impressed that in this one of hardest to get to resorts in Malaysia (not even those mega cities in the developed world), they use only paper straws here for serving drinks. Well done!
Our neighbouring boat has a dog, Rosie. Very cute and well behaved. But in Malaysia (majority Muslim) it is hard to have a dog as they are only allowed in very limited places and always leashed. Almost no hotel or restaurants allows a dog in. So, as much as we are all missing Koko, it was definitely the right decision not to have brought him with. Anyway, the boys go over to pat Rosie whenever they have the urge. On the weekend, we went for a jungle walk with them and the dog. Rosie was finally running free. She was zigzagging all over the place and having a face off with the monkeys. The monkeys shrieked loud and wild, rather a scary sight. But Rosie had her fun and just strolled off the road like she owned the jungle.
Also this week kids started home schooling. So far so good. Martin took a few days to get all the right information on ZIS site and communicated with the teachers. Michael has started his German and Math. We all get up around 8am and start working 8.30 till 12.30. It takes some planning and discipline, but it really can be managed, and we have to!
Sign off 21st August
Yuni Travel Blog – Part 4
This has been by the far the best 10 days since the start of our trip. Our intention is to stay around the Perhentians and Redang Island until end of August. The beautiful beaches and crystal clear water have made it easier for us all just relax and chill. In the evenings, it is perfect to just leave the hatches open and fall asleep with the cool breeze and the gentle rocking of the sea.
When we have a few perfect days like that, I start to appreciate what they say about family sailing…it’s all about the life style. Sure, we wake up to the sunrise and step into the morning dew. Observe what is around us: the beaches are quiet and the sea is totally calm. The first cup of coffee is always perfect! Waking up the kids is much harder than we are used to at home. I obviously can’t threaten they’d be missing their buses or late for school. Eventually, often with lots of cajoling, we got everyone around the table and have muesli mixed with raisins and local bananas or home made bread with vegemite (well, Felix would not touch it). Then we talk about what we can do today! I have officially no use for calendars as there are no appointments coming up and no to-do-list as there is just what there is… (of course that does not stop Felix from having one for the boat which never ends ). Mornings while it is still cool we read a lot, do some work and afternoons, go on shore and explore.
Taaras and couple of other resorts on the beach have a lot to offer. We tried Yoga, which was fun, but Felix is not convinced it is thing for him as the basic stretching is already tiring him out. Martin and I would go to the gym then play beach tennis where our competitive streaks surfaced all over again. 3 days ago, we decided to ride the Quad. Oh boy, this thing is completely different from what I thought it would do… The guide took us into the jungle near the beach. The “roads” are very narrow with plenty of rocks and bumps plus low hanging branches. The steering wheel is heavy and brakes, even harder to squeeze. The engine under the seat heated up our bums like buns in an oven. The ride has been slow and bumpy, but we got quite a bit of adrenalin whenever there came a steep hill or a sharp curve. It was actually fun, especially when Martin took over the driving position on our Quad. For someone who has never had any driving experience, I am impressed how well he manoeuvred (intentionally went through the muddy puddles I particularly said no to). He later told me his driving skills benefited from computer games that he had played…well, there is a plus side for the countless wasted hours on gaming, I suppose.
In this part of the world, thunderstorm can be daily event. Clouds build up with the intense heat during the day. In the evenings, thunderstorms strike real fast. From one second to another the wind picks up and whoosh the storm has arrived. We got caught out a couple of times enjoying the after dinner chat on the deck. The next thing I knew cloth on the lines were flying in the air. Lost one of my favourite bikinis…well, mental note: to be replaced at next beach. One particular strong bout of wind (36 knots) blew away 2 of the 3 blades of our wind generator (mental note: for Felix’s to do list). And it was bloody dangerous. With time, we learned to monitor regular weather development on mobile phone charts and have almost perfected our speed of closing down the boat exteriors quickly and orderly. It is such a strange feeling listening to thunderstorms from inside a boat. Everything sounds so much louder. One evening, we had fantastic lightening all around us. It’s a spectacular sight watching the lightening shapes from a dark bay. Martin got out of Canon and waited for the right moment…each time he held up the camera and waited until he could wait no more, he either clicked too early or just when he turned around it came, then it was too late. His face was sure worth a picture…
From Thursday, the boys started their Open Water Diving course and Felix, the Rescue Diving course, all together 4 days. Wow! It is not easy on a boat to get rid all the men for 4 days…
Must not put such opportunity to waste. As quickly as I can, I dived into Spa. Booked myself a 90min massage, a seaweed facial and a ginger body scrub…I was almost exotically edible at the end.
Next week, school starts which means my stress level will rise a few notches. I am curious how both boys will cope with the “home schooling” routine…
Sign off 12th August
Yuni Travel Blog – Part 3
Penang, located at the Malaysian Pennisular’s northwest coast along the Malacca Strait, is one of the most developed and urbanised Malaysian states. We stayed with our friends who has an apartment right on the Straits Quay Marina. Immediately, I fell in love with the sight of a row of coffee houses and the buzzing restaurants…
Only 15min away by car, we came to George Town, now World Heritage, was once the most important port of transportation with its unique history shaped by British colonialism in the early 1800. Today, it is a still a buzy business, leisure and tourists filled centre with beautifully renovated buildings, local food and shops, and 50+ street arts.
Felix called us everyday with an update on the repairs of the boat. I can feel his frustration. All that months and months of preparation still could not combat the odds of the sea. That’s a boat life I suppose. He assured me he was perfectly happy for us to be away during these few days and he has learned heaps about hydraulic, AC pumps, winches and window seals etc. Well, hard work made easier if one is passionate about it. We, in the meantime, hanged out around pools and even had a couple hits of tennis in Penang. I also took the opportunity to re-colour my hair, had manicure and pedicure and not mentioning the endless feasting on local foodJ.
The drive to the north Penang coastal beach was very impressive. I particularly enjoyed the comprehensive Spice Garden, the Monkey Tree restaurant where gives the best sunset spot and the Botanical Mansion for weddings and events. Along the way, we stopped and drank fresh coconut juice… could even have had durian directly off the tree…
5 days later, Felix informed us the boat is ready. Yeah! A few hours later, we are back on the aircon’ed saloon of our boat at Teregganu Marina. Michael teamed up with Felix outside and Martin, with me inside, we cleaned up the boat for half a day. Really happy we all did our parts. It helped a lot to reconnect emotionally with the boat and to feel at home again. After throwing a small sunset party on our boat with the other yachties and a good night sleep, we finally set sail again. Perhentians, here we come!
Can’t believe we are already in August. I heard CH and Europe is record hot, we are actually in the cooler part of the world and we can dip in the sea anytime J. At least 3 turtles came to visit us around the boat this afternoon (and Michael named them Jimmy, Bob and Jeff). They stayed close to the surface and enjoyed watching us with our hoo and ha’s. So cute.
Sign off 5th August
Yuni Travel Blog – Part 2
The sail to Redang started well. Maybe because I have not been on a boat for almost a year, so seasickness came back. Once further out into the sea, we had a fair bit of swell which means the water current moves in all directions. Even lying down flat did not help me. The boat was being rocked all over the place. Despite couple of cat naps, I felt the heaving in my chest. I knew throwing everything in the stomach out would be the only option… All 3 boys are not at all affected (glad the kids don’t have my genes for this). Martin was happily reading inside the saloon while Michi was co-piloting with Felix chatting away. I, on the otherhand, was just trying hard to find a position for less misery. Mid afternoon we finally anchored in Redang. The water is so beautifully green and so incredibly clear. Despite of feeling weak from the seasickness, I jumped in at the first opportunity. The water felt warm and soothing!
Met Ben, Christie and their 8 years old daughter Helena whose catamaran was also in the bay. Felix got to know them on the way down from Tioman. They are an Aussie-NZ family who lived all over the world because his job as a mechanical engineer. After his sister in law passed away with cancer at age of 42, they decided not to wait any further with their dream of sailing. So they have been on the sea since last October doing home schooling. We had dinner together that night and shared lots of experiences. Kids played nicely together. We figured that we will have quite a lot of overlapping routes in the next few months. One thing I have learned in the last few years being on the boat is it is nice to find your own community which you plug in and out so it keeps you connected.
On the Redang beach is a turtle conservatory. They do lots of volunteer work to help increase the existing turtle population including hatching the eggs in the lab instead of leaving them to nature where birds, snakes and lizards have their fill in the sand full of eggs. Once a week, they release some baby turtles to the sea. One tourist that enrolled did not show up, so Michi got the spot. His is a feistily little thing. Once released, he crawled so fast, beating all the rest, towards the sea. Still the chance of survival is not great. We gave him our best wishes to live long and safe.
Swimming near the shore where is sea grass, we could see turtles all the time. They are all loners apparently, making no friends, staying not as a family and mating only after 20-50 years from their birth to maturity. They are not afraid of people. They swam quite happily under us or along us. One gigantic one swam right under my body on its way up to take air…so close I was worried it will touch my chin! Beautiful creatures they are.
Wednesday today…but who is counting when you live on a boat. Felix decided we should go back to Terengganu in the hope of picking up our engineer soon to fix the aircons. The 5 hours sail was easy and smooth. No sea sickness from me J. The marina seems much fuller than last week. We went around the chatted with the Australians, the Englanders and the ones from Hong Kong…each seems to have their boat issues waiting to be fixed here. Boating breaking down seems a part of life of all sailors.
Well, our list of things to be fixed seems to grow longer as well. The engineer is delayed again and can only come next Tuesday. Daily dip in the marina pool was nice and we all seem to be more at ease now with the situation, also our bodies are much more adapted to the heat after 2 weeks here.
To keep the kids more engaged, I decided to hop on the plane tonight with them and head to Penang, one of the best cities to visit in Malaysia. Poor Felix will just have to (actually also happily) stay behind working with the workers.
Sign off 27th July
Yuni Travel Blog – Part 1
13th July 2018
Well, the day has finally come. I was tired. I couldn’t feel the excitement yet because my head was still going through the endless to-do-list… The packing and checking off have finally been completed by 1am. I knew the taxi was booked for 5am. Yet, I couldn’t really go to bed. I sat on the kitchen island and ate a yogurt. Who knows, apart from I surely try hard to eat up whatever leftover there is in the fridge, I might also not be having such a nice Greek yogurt for a while. Milk products are not the highlights for Asian cuisine…
The alarm went off after some broken sleep. The taxi driver was early and eager to help with my luggage…that is until he realised how heavy they were. He politely asked me not to sit with Michael at the back as he needs my weight to balance the car given my extra heavy “stone filled luggages” (according to him) in the boot. Really, me? Light as a feather…clearly he did not think so. I complied and even showed my interest by listening his strong supporting view of Erdgon in Turkey. At the airport, I compensated him with an extra tip and he appreciatively unloaded all my luggages without another complaint. Checking in was a breeze at business counter and I was terribly pleased to be free of those luggages.
Singapore short stay was as organised, easy and wonderful as ever. Girl friends catch up and Asian food overload! No complaints there! I was still very tired after the long flights. But no time to waste. Push on girl! Fight to KL followed by yet another flight to Terengganu. Felix and Martin were waiting for us at the airport. How nice to see their faces after 2 weeks. Surprisingly they were not as tanned as I expected. Maybe due to lots of night sails…
Plan was stay put in the marina for a few days waiting for Robbie who suppose to bring some parts. Alright then…unpack, shower and relax in the aircon’ed boat for a few days. I can do that. Just when I thought the stress is over, the aircon in the master bedroom failed followed by intermittent failure of the other aircon in the saloon. After some intense investigation, Felix concluded that one aircon pump was broken and the other could be due to a blocked pipe. Can’t do anything unless we were out in the clear sea where Felix can dive and try to clean the pipe. Great! Typical! Sleep came early at night but then I woke up just as quickly partly due to jetlag and partly due to the heat… I went to the saloon sofa and read my book. Drifting in and out of sleep feeling hot flushes coming and going…seriously? Now I am getting hot flushes as well? My hair was soaking wet. Am getting irritated. How many hundreds of thousands did we put in this %&*ç boat and I can’t get one working aircon! WTF!!!
You may not know. Terengganu is a very local city in Malaysia. Nothing much in the city and nothing much in the marina. A few restaurants plus a Giant hypermarket. Heat and boredom set in. Kids’ constant phone and iPad usage is getting on my nerves… Had our first fight this morning both with the kids and Felix. We agreed at lunch time that from tomorrow we will start some kind of structure. 4 days have now passed. My body is slowly acclimatising and jetlag I’d getting better. New aircon pumps arrived, but the engineer can only be there week. Decision: tomorrow we set sail anyway. Destination: Pulau Redang also known as Turtle Island. Then come back to marina next week.
The last afternoon we went to Kenyir lake, supposedly the largest man made lake in Asia. It is very serene and beautiful. But like all over in Malaysia, the infrastructure is poor around the area and the so called Resort and Spa seems forever under construction. The people are so poor living around the area, each seems to have a couple of durian to sell at their door front… Well, best heading back to town of Terengganu.
There we had sushi belt, plenty of rice but not a lot of fish. Still, it is already a highlight. Martin desperately needed a haircut, so we sent him into a local barber… Bad idea. The barber knows obviously just one style of haircut and despite me telling him please cut just a little; he shaved off quite a lot on both sides leaving a thick chunk on top. Martin was not pleased and screamed at me coming out. Ah well, I guess it will grow back in no time.
The best part of Terengganu is the China town where there still are lots of old buildings with shop fronts running their business just like the old days. The bakery shop is so super clean one can seriously eat off of the floor. There is the cute Turtle Alley, the Dragon Dance and 2 really traditional half open air Chinese restaurants. The people loved it when the kids or I speak mandarin with them. Felix clearly got some brownie points for being married to a Chinese.
Last night at the marina Duyong. The issue of not having aircon is we have to leave all the hatches open, but then there is the loud engine from oil rigging boats which stay overnight there running the whole night, with their flush lights on attracting loads of mosquitos. Glad to be off finally on Friday morning. Not exactly how I envisaged for the start of our adventure, but I took a big breath and all hands on deck, Yuni sail off… The journey will unfold all by itself.
Sign off 17th July.
Yuni..... 