Orchids

JABA
Basil Panakis
Sat 14 Jun 2014 11:00
36:17N 38:46W
 
This is my current position. Just had crackers and the last bit of cheese I bought in the Azores. Accompanied by tea.
The self steering holds OK, it is a bit jittery so I gave it a good dose of WD40. I cannot see it in profile but I guess I moved it a bit up and slightly straightened the other bit by stepping on it. I will have to nurse it back and sort it out in Southampton. I trust I made the right decision. It will still take me a month to get back, 2000NM unless I cut the corner a bit. I checked my water supply, 70 litres left and food for a month or more I reckon. I'll make a decision about stopping at the Azores when I get closer and how the wind is doing if the is a high that I can follow all the back I'll carry on. I have no bread and no fresh food except a cabbage and some onions.
 
I was trying during the night to remember how I got into Orchids and which year. There were a lot of grey areas, I remember in 1989 when we were doing the extension that I asked the builder to build me a base, a wall of couple of feet onto which I put the aluminium green house. So you had to step up and then down into the green house. You really need air space. Some electrician students of mine  wire it to the mains. Proper stuff armor plated cable and water proofed fluorescent lighting. But where did the orchids come from?
In 1995 got myself a ticket without any preparations and flew over to Borneo. I met a couple of German teachers and in the market we saw plenty of orchids, they were into orchids too. So obviously I had orchids. By Kinabalu I saw the smallest orchid a green clump with some white specs, you needed a magnifying glass to see the flowers. The tallest was 30 foot high did see it I just stood under it. The guide though took us to see nepenthes huge ones where a rat can drown. I met and made friend as they wanted to share my guide, whose ancestors were head hunters and the Brits were there in the 1920ies to stop them. Now this bring us to another story, which I will have to remember to tell you next time. Sepilock the Urang Utan sanctuary was next as was Sandakan. I think we had a stop at Poring at the Japanese hot baths. Then I moved to mainland to Kuala Lumpur, now I remember that I bought some orchids and the girl arranged for the cietis (license) to export and import to UK. Then I went to Malacca where I had one of the best meals in my life, actually I ate so much that I suffered that night.
It was in 1996 that I did the Orchid tour in Thailand, by then I was separated and living on my own.
However in early 1990ies in my office I had a dendrobium which I cherished. It had some very delicate flowers thinner then a cigarette paper. It was this plant I saw growing in a ditch up a mountain in Thailand, what a contrast. 
When I sold my collection I was in tears
Jackie I read 3 books, would you believe it? Jackie are you starting my car now and then to give it a turn over?