Phuket
7.58N 98.23E 3rd March, 2012 Phuket is lovely; no wonder people come here and just do
not carry on. After the filth of all the Muslim countries with sewage
running down the streets (even in Market places), piles of rubbish 10ft high in
the streets and dust everywhere, this is like Milton
Keynes. We are in a v/nice marina with several OK restaurants,
and one shocker, together with lots of mending chaps who really seem to know
what they’re doing and don’t charge an arm and a
leg. The supermarkets are vast, even C managed to find some
outsize knickers, and I’ve got loads of bits for the boat. They all seem to have
an MK food outlet with a wok on the table where you cook your own stuff and
drink the soup afterwards. Fridge
is bust again and C still refuses to accept we need a new one. We also met a
nice guy who turned out to have met Troubadour (Stuart & Annabel Ingram)
many years ago in Panama. I’ve hired a bicycle; C says she might even give it a
try. K We anchored off a pretty island on the way from Langkawi
and the sea was warm and blue and you could see the bottom.
Bliss. Clearing in at Phuket was the usual stress. People had
told us ‘You just clear in at the end of the jetty in Ao Chalong’. Which jetty?
There are 2. Where can you park the dinghy? Ah; beside the slippery steps with
no handholds. Anyway only about an hour and 3 photocopies of passports and boat
papers later all was done. We had delicious tom yum goong and singha beer and
felt better. The marina here has a really nice and almost empty
swimming pool so it is no problem spending a couple of weeks here while we have
a new sprayhood and bimini made. We have even sussed the local bus to Tesco
which is an adventure in itself. One of the good things about the rally last summer is
that we keep meeting boats we know which is really nice. The people here meet
for drinks every day but bizarrely have chosen some concrete steps in the middle
of the boatyard and bring your own beer! I do prefer a nice bar with happy hour
cocktails. When the canvas is done we will head out to some pretty
anchorages. C |