However, nothing was going to dampen our cheery disposition and not wanting to spend another hot, humid, soggy day on Paw Paw, we collected all our electronic devices, Elaine’s almond milk for her coffee and headed ashore to enjoy the day in the coolness of the Port of Call restaurant. With not a single other soul around, our “private” chef also prepared a lunchtime feast for us. Delicious and beautifully presented as always!
On our return to Paw Paw in the late afternoon we happened to bump into a Dutch cruising couple off one of the other yachts that has been in the anchorage with us for weeks. After introductions and a nice chat to them on the dock, we were back onboard just in time for Elaine to enjoy a good “chinwag” with her sister in Ireland. It was long after dark before the video call ended, so a light dinner and a documentary on the most successful Formula One driver in history, Michael Schumacher, completed the day.
While we have both always been Schumacher fans, we were very upset at the news of his freak accident in December 2013, just as we were getting ready to start our chapter as full-time cruisers and commence our circumnavigation. While his accident illustrated how a single event can change one’s life and that of one’s loved ones forever, listening to the accounts of his determination, tenacity, commitment and will to succeed, certainly resonated with us in our attempts to complete what we started in 2014, given our own turn of events. That said, what he invested in order to achieve his goals, was not only astonishing, but a tremendous testament to the human spirit.
Today it was all the fishermen in their very noisy longtails which woke us early; they were all clearly out and about, given that the good weather had eventually returned. That was our cue to weigh anchor and set sail for the beaches in the south while exploring a few more anchorages along the way which would be suitable for the NE Monsoon season.
It was mid-morning by the time we dropped the hook in Ao Yon anchorage. After a coffee aboard, we beached the dinghy, enjoyed a walk on the beach, then found the side road that took us to street level on the hill.
Our reconnaissance revealed a number of unexpected establishments, including a lovely resort, restaurants and various services like laundry, a convenience store and car hire. Getting back down the hill to the beach, we settled for a light lunch at the Rim Lay restaurant. Sitting inside to be separated from the other guests, we enjoyed another delicious gastronomic experience, although Roy’s mouth was on fire after his spicy tuna salad.
However, before we dinghied ashore, we had a rather strange visitor off our stern, who arrived on a paddleboard; a tour guide wanting to know if we were prepared to charter Paw Paw because he had: “a lot of customers, but no one will let me use their boat”. Umm, let’s see; we’re in the middle of a relentless pandemic and cruisers are being asked to have their homes filled with potentially covid-infected strangers, all in the name of fun! How Roy remained so polite was beyond Elaine, but the paddleboard tour operator was soon on his way!
