This was to be a pitstop to drop off our garbage, replenish our fruit and vegetables and enjoy a meal at the marina restaurant. However, two unforeseen events materialised; after staying onboard for an hour or two to observe how we sat at anchor relative to the other yachts with the current, tide change and wind, we were ready to dinghy ashore when a number of thunderstorms passed over, packing winds of 30-33 Kts, accompanied a deluge of rain.
By the time the storms had subsided, it was too late to replenish our supplies and it was more prudent for one of us to remain onboard, given the unpredictable weather. So, change of plan, dispose of our garbage and get takeaways for dinner. There was just one small snag with the latter; there wasn’t a restaurant to be found anywhere in the marina.
After querying a few cruisers, Roy was then pointed in the direction of the “best, more expensive restaurant”, located outside the marina complex and a fair walk to get to. It wasn’t long, though, before he discovered that the only choices available were beef burgers and various pizzas, with steak, lamb chops and kebabs as the additional option for in-house dining. Guess it had to be a burger each, as we’d made pizzas onboard the night before; not Elaine’s favourite meal, but “beggars can’t be choosers”! However, we were rewarded with a stunning sunset, our first since leaving the Langkawi archipelago in Malaysia.
Elaine, in the interim, had enjoyed a nice long chat to her folks in Ireland, not realising just how far Roy had to walk to get something for dinner. On hindsight, cooking onboard would have been a far easier option. Roy did get the opportunity, though, to chat to Richard, off Charon, after spotting him on the dock and got the scoop on the services available in the nearby village, albeit it limited, including laundry facilities, car hire, fruit stalls, the grocery store, etc.
This morning, Roy was up early to combine his exercise walk with a walk to the village, in search of fresh produce and the services Richard had mentioned. Not realising just how far this walk was too, he opted for a return ride in a “songthaew”, the only excitement for the day, but not before he’d purchased mangoes pineapples, pawpaws, passion fruit, bananas, apples and fresh prawns, the latter for another Thai Pad dinner, all at a ridiculously low price.
By the time Roy returned, Elaine had surfaced, but it wasn’t long before we both returned to bed for a late morning nap. At least Elaine had an excuse being a Sunday and her usual medication “off day”, but clearly the heat, combined with a slightly more active lifestyle, compared to sitting in a marina for months on end, has left it’s mark as well. We did, however, manage one or two chores today, including untangling our davit lines that get twisted from time to time and, after Roy’s reconnaissance, we decided to explore the little town near the Ao Po marina first, before deciding which of these two marinas we’ll use as our base moving forward.
