We said goodbye to the last of our sailing friends who were still in Malaysia with us, as they set sail for pastures new or to sail back home. Keenan and family remained safe, although they endured a COVID-19 invested household after the in-laws moved in infected, unknowingly. Our two little men turned 4 and graduated from pre-school, our precious William graduated from Kindergarten before heading to “Big School” and our beautiful granddaughter, Capri, started Middle School. Fortunately most members of our extended families stayed COVID-Free, but a few didn’t dodge the bullet, although they lived to tell the tale, thankfully. Sadly some friends didn’t survive their infection; may they rest in peace. However, we were very appreciative of our agent who was able to arrange our COVID-19 vaccinations, although we anxiously await our second jab.
We enjoyed a fabulous Christmas at the 5-Star E&O Hotel on Penang Island in Malaysia, which included our first “high tea”, an event that was repeated a few months later, as it was simply delicious. A low-key New Year and Chinese New Year rolled by, as well as our birthdays, but the major family event was the surprise celebration for Elaine’s parent’s 60th Wedding Anniversary via a Zoom get-together with the family and special treats delivered to their home to mark the occasion.
Unfortunately, shortly thereafter we were forced to leave Malaysia when the visa amnesty was rescinded, but that opened the opportunity for pastures new as we set sail for Thailand and received a warm welcome from the fishermen at our first anchorage.
After surviving quarantine, we wasted no time in getting some long overdue maintenance work completed on Paw Paw that couldn’t be done in Malaysia and should have been done in Thailand last year had the borders not closed. This included specialised engine maintenance and a haulout to redo the antifouling, before we set about exploring our new world; discovering the Longtails, experiencing our first rides in a Songthaew and a ride in / on a Saleng, the strange looking sidecars attached to the motorbikes which are everywhere, savouring the gastronomic delights, enjoying the tourist attractions, spotting some of the wildlife, appreciating the hospitality extended to us by the manager of the Ao Po Grand Marina, who permitted us to use the swimming pool and frequent the Port of Call restaurant, where we’ve enjoyed the services of the chef who has produced a number of gastronomic feasts for us. We eventually got to visit a Pearl Farm and, by no means least, we’ve enjoyed some fabulous beaches and resorts around Phuket Province and further afield.
To celebrate our day today, Elaine opened her beautiful gift from Roy, which he’d purchased directly from the Pearl Farm we’d visited a few weeks ago, we collected the hired car, ran a few errands which took us to the Boat Lagoon marina, where we enjoyed a morning coffee and shared a baked delight at Dean and Deluca, then after a few more errands, made our way to our chosen restaurant, Little Paris. Our lunch of a Goat Cheese Salad for Elaine and a Platter for Roy as a starter, was followed by our main course of a Duck in Cherry Sauce for Elaine and an Argentinian Steak for Roy. Needless to say we had to skip dessert; we were both bulging by this stage. However, our fun afternoon playing with the elephants at the Phuket Nature Elephant Reserve worked off some of the calories and what a brilliant afternoon it was. For the size of these creatures, they are so gentle, but it was so sad to learn of their abuse and mistreatment by their previous owners, to the point that we cancelled the Elephant Trekking outing we had planned. We were content to have spent a wonderful afternoon in their company, feeding them and getting up close and personal. A highlight of our circumnavigation indeed!
Happy 38th Wedding Anniversary to us. In all, we’ve had another wonderful year together, albeit during the trying times of this relentless pandemic and Elaine’s health.
