Tag Archives | Selene

This was my 6th Christmas in the tropics and away from all the traditions that usually marked the season. The holiday takes on different dynamics in the varied places i have been.
In Mexico it is of huge importance but shadowed by the bigger event, th…

With Typhoon Ruth past us and good weather we headed around the tip of Palawan to the small village of El Nino along with our friends on “Lost in Asia”. It is so good to have a buddy boat again. We hit a big squall just as we anchored the first night, the last vestiges of Ruth with torrid rains. the next day was sunny a bright for our rounding of the island. This is a remote area, no one to be seen and the scenery was spectacular.   We made the cut inside the small island at the tip, reminiscent or rounding the tip of Washington State inside Tatoosh Island, it looked worse than it was. Once on the lee side of the island we had calm seas albeit for the huge long slow Northwest swell coming down for Hong Kong.

El Nino is a small remote town which draws some tourist trade. The area is dotted with small picturesque islands all hiding great diving. We enjoyed the village and the girls did some side trips then we anchored off one of the islands and did some diving and exploring. this is one of the most beautiful anchorages i have found as we were directly under a flat volcanic wall topped with palm trees. It also provided excellent protection from the NE winds.

The weather window popped up so off to Coron we went, again the massive although quite passive NW swell made for a rolly trip and a few got sea sick. Once inside the islands the going was smooth, we pulled into Coron Town just before dark. First stop was the famous Coron Hot Springs, one of my fav places. You take a trike ride about 20 minutes over rough road to the salt water hot springs, the driver waits while you soak for 300p (about 8 bucks). I so enjoyed returning to the springs.

As is the perils of my constantly rotating inexperienced crew, the girls got feeling too confined. i had done all i could to make sure they had time to enjoy things they liked but being on a crew does impose some limitations. This has been a repeating situation for which i do not have an answer. Also personalities sometimes clash and i find that once one girl is unhappy it spreads fast, often changing a great crew into an disgruntled one. the net result here was the two girls left the boat rather suddenly leaving me alone for a few weeks. this is not all a bad thing as i enjoy some solitude, such is the game.

i found an intriguing thing happened next, i seemed to suffer from some physical effects, rare for me as i am extremely healthy. In the whole of things this event created some very minor stress, nothing like i dealt with on a daily basis in my former life. i was bewildered by this experience until i realized that my body has gotten used to being euphorically happy for so long that it revolts at anything close to stress, i have just become spoiled i guess.

i left Coron Town and headed to one of my favorite places, Puerto Del Sol. No sooner did it tie to the mooring than old friends appeared with warm greetings. i did my rounds seeing friends again and was instantly invited to a great Solstice Party at Laura’ s Garden. Laura carved out a small oasis from the jungle with outdoor dining amongst the vines and trees. For the party she had a talented drum band perform, one of the best i have ever heard. At her request i had brought my guitar and after the show i played for a small group of remaining locals.

That night i slept like a log under the bright stars, all the physical signs vanished and i was back in euphoria where i belong.

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We are have made the 1500 miles pilgrimage back to the Philippines! As we cross the border the Malaysian Maritime comes on the radio asking our destination, we are glad they are keeping an eye on us. Recently there have been some incidents in the troub…

We arrived in Puerto Princesa on Palawan Island in the tail of a tropical depression causing two days of calm seas and one of confused bumpy seas as the wind shifted. Rain came down in torrents as we entered the quiet reprise of Puerto Princesa.
It was…

jamming with the great Band at Admiralty Marina

With a tear in the eye we left the Land of Smiles for Borneo. The first leg takes us down the famed and all too familiar Melaka Straights, ancient trade route connecting the modern towns of Western Malaysia and the passage of East to West. As is it the ritual, our first Malaysian stop is at Langkawi, where we find our dear friends on the MV Totem, this is a bitter sweet reunion as it will be our last for a long time..

saying good by to the Totem kids, next time i see them they will be all grown up.

Good bys said, waterfalls visited and some quality pool time at Reback Marina and down the path we go. Next stop is my favorite, Penang, and the historic city of George Town. I tell the crew this is m favorite city for sightseeing as it tells of a rich history. Penang has been colonized by the British, populated by those from India and China giving her a diversity found few other places. .

As we pulled into the Straights Quay Marina i hear someone hollering, Hi Brian, it is my cruising friends from Gemini, Craig and Robin. If you go back into the Furthur Adventures you will find a piece on the other Furthur i found in Australia, a bus owned by a dreadlock headed chap named Lucky. These are his parents who we have seen cruising for the last 4 years. Always good to see old friends

i spend the day doing boat maintenance, oil changes and such as the girls explore then we meet for yet another scrumptious feast at one of the famous food courts. Here you can dine a food from every part of Asia. You go from stall to stall ordering dishes and once they arrive the fun begins. the after effect is a large circular table covered with empty plates and three happy travelers.

We walk off some of our gluttony as we pass through small streets lined with interesting people and things. One of the main attractions is the “wall art” one finds scattered about the old part of town. At one stop i find a chap raising money for a boy’s home by playing the most amazing drum set i have ever seen, all assembled from things found in a kitchen. Sitting next to him is guitar made from a tennis racket, i must have given the bizarre axe a look only a guitar player can give as he motioned for me to pick it up. He was playing to recorded music, mostly old rock so just up my alley. We jammed for a while and a sizeable crowd assembled, all dropping silver in the box.

Our next stop was a Chinese temple where dancers performed and then a snake charmer show. The guy had a huge collection of dangerous snakes he played with and even smooched with a few.

Bellies full and sights seen, down the road we go. Melaka Straights is 400 miles of brown water, boring shorelines and annoying fishing boats. The redeeming features are the towns along the way. Next long stop is Port Dickson and Admiralty Marina a so familiar place that when i call on the radio giving the name Furthur, they come back with, “good to have you back Mr. Brian”. A few days rest and that oh so precious pool time and gone again.

As we leave i see the engine temperature rise above normal, something that very rarely happens and is never good. It slowly rises over the next fifteen hour run to overheating as we pull into our next destination.  I check all the usual suspects; coolant, oil, impellor, sea strainer and find nothing wrong. So i call in the Calvary and summons the local Cummins dealer. The next day the owner of the company and a technician show up and go to work. First they redo all the checks i did, expected and find nothing. After going through the entire system they find some old impellor parts in the intake of the after cooler, ah ha we think but a sea trial shows it is not the problem. We also pull and inspect the thermostat and although working replace it with a spare i carried. None of this works.

With nearly 7000 trouble free hours i had planned on getting the heat exchanger inspected at Kota KInabalu as part of maintenance. I suspect it might have needed it sooner as all other options disappear. Just before they remove it, something that will delay our already late departure, the technician summons me to the engine room. He has pulled off the raw water intake hose up stream of the impellor and found another larger wad of impellor blades. How they got up stream baffles us all but another sea trial shows we found the problem, yahooo… You in the states or Australia note this, two top technicians worked 9 hours, that is 18 hours labor. It cost me just under $450 usd. See why i love SE Asia!

junk we pulled out of the cooling system

While in Puteri Marina, very near Singapore, we again meet up with some long lost friends. Ken and Laurie on SV Trim were in our Puddle Jump group in Mexico. For a few months we all nervously prepared for our fist big crossing, the 3000 miles across the Pacific. We became a tight knight group but alas we are scattered around the world now. Ken had been working in Australia for three years but they are back on the water again and headed to Thailand. We spend an evening going over places they should see.

We also had a change of crew in Puteri, one of the girls just did not find boat life to her liking, happens, so she did a mutually agreed upon dismemberment. This left us shorthanded so i emailed past crew member and local gal, Ying, who jumped at the chance to cruise on Furthur again, “how could i refuse?”.

An article in a Chinese newspaper about Ying’s first time on Furthur.. we are famous in many languages now!

So happy crew, cool engine, and away we go to make the four day run to our first stop in Borneo, Miri Marina. Another bitter sweet event as this is where, last year, we picked up an old cruising friend for the reverse ride to Singapore. Jean has now gone to the great ocean in the sky, where i am sure she is sailing on calm seas with favorable winds.  i write this part dead center in the South China Sea after a rainy day and glorious moonlit night followed by a bright sunny, cam seas filled day. Good to be back at sea again.

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As we travel the world and join other cruisers great bonds developed, friendships grow and attachments attach. Since i left the good ol USA, i have been surrounded by fellow cruisers and many have kept in touch. As the paths varied we left many friend…

Again i prepare to leave the Land of Smiles and again it with a heavy heart. This country has spoken to me in ways that i want to tell you. I find myself calling Phuket “home” even though i travel consistently.

On the practical side, this is the best place for boat work this side of the USA. i am consistently pleased with the quality service and the price of work done here. there is an eagerness to please and excel that is refreshing. Here old world pride in work and new world technology have met and live together. Parts are a bit spendy as there is a whopping import duty but the labor rate is good and the work gets done, usually on time and at the estimated cost. I find i trust the workers here and that is so important.

The scenery is unsurpassed, jungles, mountains, amazing small islands that jet out of the sea. You look around and you know you are in Thailand. The boating here is incredible, unlimited anchorages and so much to explore. This area boasts some great diving too.

All adds up to a great place to cruise but it is the Thai people that make it the mystical haven it is. The Land of Smiles is spot on, everyone smiles and expects you too also. The small things make the difference, traffic here can be horrid with a mass construction project smack dab in the middle of the island and the most traveled intersection. Yet no one gets fussed, no blaring horns, no obscene jesters out the window, it all just flows. If you hear a horn it only peeps, saying “hey i am here” not a blare demanding you change your way or telling you off. Cars merge peaceably and with little direction from traffic signs, there is never gridlock, it is amazing. All the things that bring westerners to the point of going postal just do not effect Thais; horrid traffic, shopping malls or supermarkets, torrential rains all just pass on by with a smile.

Thai people bond and bond fast, this week i have run into several friends from past visits, friends made briefly but solidly. Girls from the bars, musicians, boat workers and today a kayak guide all beaming with joy to see me, know my name (something i sadly cannot reciprocate) and show great absolutely genuine pleasure in reuniting. I might have been here to often as even the lady who does the ping pong shows greeted me as an old friend, yikes! Friendship is paramount to the Thai life style, above all else and treasured.

No one likes to celebrate like the Thais. they have four New Year’s celebrations all done to the maximum: Western New Year, Chinese New Year and two Thai events marking the change of seasons. The upcoming event marks the end of the rainy season, it is celebrated by casting decorated small boats lit with candles into the sea, an event that is heartwarming. But nothing on earth is as absurdly fun as Songkran, the water festival celebrating the beginning of the wet season. Everyone and i mean everyone in the country partakes in a twelve hour water fight, huge water cannons, buckets and anything else that moves water is used to douse anyone in range, an absolute hoot! On the more intense level i just participated in the Vegetarian Festival, a weeklong event that takes on many facets. Many Thais forgo sex and other pleasures (forgoing sex here is a big deal believe me) in a Ramadan or Lent type cleansing. Each day the streets are full of processions for the temples, parades with extreme fireworks which actually wind up wounding a few along the way. the most extreme believers mutilate their faces with swords and axes and walk over hot coal, some climb ladders made of blades to show their faith. It is intense and not seen by most tourists.

The majority of Thais are Buddhists and i find that religion compelling, the peace i find in it has been life changing. I love the rituals and attend the temples often. There is a large Muslim minority here as well and all seem to coexist peaceably, it is common to see young girls wearing the Hijab arm and arm with bare headed Thai girls, all just kids giggling away.

One cannot talk of Thailand with knowledge of the King. The King of Thailand is the most loved national ruler on the planet. He is loved universally and without limit. From the old woman sweeping the streets in her cooly hat to the bar girls to the richest land owner he is loved. i have studied the royal family history, it is remarkable. As an American i would not have seen myself interested in a monarchy but this one works. The recent coup and military takeover was supported by the King, believe me it would not have happened without that support. It has been seamless, peaceful and pragmatic, it made the government work where it was failing. I have been embarrassed the US Gov reaction to this internal situation, why on earth would our Secretary of State meddle here, but he has and it is hurtful.

Thai history is intriguing, the Thais have never gone to war, never been colonized and have lived peacefully for centuries. The few coups came and went with no more violence than is seen on the streets of Kansas right now. But it is going back in time where i have become enthralled.  Rama V, the Great, (1868–1910), Chulalongkorn (42 years) is the most loved of all Kings and for good reason. If you recall the splendid musical “The King and I” this is the Prince who was raised partly by Anna the British instructor and renowned abolitionist. Once King, he set out to rid his country of slavery early on but observed the terrible carnage of the American civil war and the sad state of affairs that followed. He meticulously went about a peaceful transition which would provide the slaves a better life not just tossed out into a world of hate. It took him forty years but he did it. By the end of his reign Thailand had no slaves, no one was killed in the transition and the former slaves found a place in the society.  

Always a mariner i became intrigued by the “Father of the Thai Navy” after visiting a monument to him. Prince Chumphon enrolled in the British Naval Academy and severed as an officer in the Royal Navy. Upon returning to his homeland he started the Thai Naval Academy and the Thai Navy. His legacy as a mariner grew from there. Today the academy is going strong and the Thai Navy is a functioning well run entity.

One defining difference between western and Thai culture is the approach to the term” good luck” A westerner, Felange, sees luck as something that happens to them from an exterior source; win the lotto, the coin toss. Here it is an internal thing, good luck means happiness and is self imposed. there are many things we do that bring good luck, make the gong sing at the temple, give to the poor, help someone randomly or be blessed by a monk. the other day i was headed to the doctor, saw a street vender selling good luck flowers and thought, man i need some, so bought the flowers. Doc gave me all good news.

On the practical side of life Thailand is incredible, the cost of living low, service high and it is safe, far safer than what i see in the US. One defining element of a good retirement home is medical care and cost. I had been suffering from a bladder infection so off to the hospital i go, reluctantly for sure. i pulled in the car park and was guided by four parking attendants, wow in a hospital? Upon entering i asked someone who looked official to see a doctor, she escorted me to the registration desk where i met my Customer Service Rep. ya imagine that! He guided me to the waiting room. In a manner of minutes i saw a Urologist, ya again i saw a specialist in a manner of minutes!!! After the consultation i was taken to the lab for urine tests and returned to the Urologist’s office. He explained my ailment clearly and gave me two prescriptions and scheduled a follow up visit. I got the meds paid the bill and was out in an hour and a half, all for $137. The return visit including lab work cost $37. No way could you get this treatment or that cost in the USA.

Food glorious food, as the song goes. Thailand is blessed with scrumptious food at every corner on every street, everywhere you turn. Ranging from western tourist food to local food it is all here. The international community of xpats provide an array of European cuisine, best German food i have ever had. the local food is often copied, but never equaled. And again so cheap, if i spend five bucks for a dinner it is a big night out. Local meals are around $2-3 and top end western food in a very nice place may hit $10. I read more and more about GMO and other horrors of American food but here it is all fresh, grown in someone’s yard and purchased at a public market.

i would be remiss if i did not include the wonders of Thai ladies in this piece. Keeping with my PG rating i will be obscure. Misunderstood by westerners often, loved by the ones who do understand them and cherished, worshipped and revered by those of us who know them well, the ladies of Thailand are world famous for their charm, looks and love. Once experienced no one can forget those enchanting brown eyes.

The kind of things that make Thailand so special cannot be measured in inches or dollars, they are the small things that make you stop in your tracks and go ahh.. and that happens to me daily. A beaming smile from a kid, a grin from an old lady, a bow from a young girl, hearing Papa called out as i walk by, a hug from a friend, the flowers i buy each day for good luck from a street vender, those are the things one can only experience firsthand. These are the things that make each day in Thailand a treasure.

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Five years is a milestone and often the end of cruising or the realization that this is the best lifestyle forever. I fit into the later, after 5 years i have more certainty that this is how i want to live. My trips back to the US have only reconfirmed…