However, after breakfast, while Elaine tried to restore some order to Paw Paw again, Roy started the diesel runs, making four dinghy trips in all with the jerry cans to fill both tanks. By then it was lunchtime, but we were both too exhausted to eat, so, instead, we enjoyed an early afternoon nap. Clearly the fatigue associated with our 2nd jab, compounded by our late night, was taking its toll.
Feeling a little more refreshed after our naps, though, Roy then dinghied ashore again, this time to top up our provisions to get us through the next week ahead of our monthly shop when we’re back in Ao Po. Fortunately we’d received word from Richard, off Charon, that the hired car had been serviced and detailed, putting our minds at rest about using it again.
Our day wrapped up with the usual sanitation exercise and stowing our purchases, while enjoying another beautiful sunset, something Chalong Bay has no shortage of.
We were, however, also feeling a little more grateful for everything that was going well in our lives, regardless of Elaine’s health still hanging in the balance, after Roy bumped into our floating village neighbour on his return from the grocery store and having to help the badly injured cruiser onto the dinghy dock. It transpired that a car had collided with him and his wife while on their scooter, putting her in the hospital with head injuries and scratching him up very badly. This incident, hot on the heals of the sad news we’d received out of Malaysia about the cruiser who had passed away after getting serious ill, thousands of miles away from home, while marooned in Pangkor due to the pandemic, made us realise matters could be a lot worse!
Yesterday, after a good night’s sleep, we enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning under sunny skies and calm winds; the perfect opportunity to enjoy a cooked breakfast in the cockpit before weighing anchor and heading back to Panwa Bali.
After anchoring in our usual spot, we dinghied ashore to enjoy a coffee at My Beach Resort, then enjoyed a swim from the beach. We’d no sooner returned to Paw Paw when Elaine settled down to enjoy a nice long chat to her mom, hearing all about her birthday surprises, while Roy tackled another yacht task; repairing the generator compartment cooling vent that had decided to detach itself mysteriously. It’s fair to say, that it feels like we’re trying to, not only prevent ourselves from falling apart in this gruelling climate, but also trying to prevent Paw Paw too from falling apart around our ears. Everyday it appears there’s something that needs repaired, or worse, that needs a repair redone because of sub-standard materials we’ve sourced unknowingly. The good news is that work is progressing to plan on the lithium batteries, at least.
Then, too tired to be bothered with cooking, we opted for a takeaway dinner from At The Beach Restaurant and Bar, which was delicious as usual, following which Elaine’s sister called from Ireland and another very long chat ensued. It was well after 2100 before we said our goodbyes, Elaine hopped in the shower and climbed straight into bed, exhausted from her hours of chinwagging.
This morning, following another check of the weather and the visual evidence of the clouds starting to build again, we decided it was time to return to the Ao Po anchorage. So, after breakfast, we weighed anchored and followed our well established route back to Ao Po, using the time to complete a few chores along the way. We did, however, take a last opportunity for a plunge in the sea before we left, while Roy cleaned Paw Paw’s bottom again. We’d also thought it would be nice to snorkel off the reef close to where Paw Paw was anchored, but along came a fishing boat, trawling a net, scooping up what little fish were left; so much for that bright idea!
However, during our outings in Chalong Bay, we were also able to see many of the preparations underway for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. Also known as the “Nine Emperor Gods” Festival, this colourful event takes place once a year, during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar and celebrates the belief within the Chinese community that abstinence from meat and various “stimulants” will help one obtain good health and peace of mind.
The “stimulants” essentially equate to ten principles to be observed; wear white clothes, do not eat meat or products from animals, keep your body clean, do not drink alcohol, do not lie, cheat or steal, abstain from sexual activities, do not eat food with a strong smell like garlic, wash and stow cooking utensils separately from those used in while celebrating, mourners should not attend the festival and women in menstruation or pregnancy should not attend the festival either.
Leading up to the festival, we’ve seen yellow Chinese flags appear along the roadsides and intersections, especially near the various Chinese temples and, on our visit to the Village Market, the entire entrance and inner sections of the mall were decorated with plants and various nature themes.
Apparently the main festival event starts with worshipers, all dressed in white or yellow, gathering at the Jui Tui Shrine in Phuket Town for the first event marking the ceremony’s opening; the rising of the giant bamboo pole, meant to invite divinities down to earth. This is then followed by a week of devotees wearing bright and very ornate outfits, taking part in parades, lighting firecrackers, piercing their bodies and eating vegetarian food, all with an intent of paying respect to their ancestors.
This festival, however, differs from the same Chinese event in other parts of SE Asia, in that devotees will not only follow the ten principles to cleanse their spirit, but they inflict all kinds of tortures on themselves, believed to bring back luck to the community. These acts include fire-walking, body piercings, puncturing one’s cheek with sharp items, including knives and skewers, amongst others, believing that the Chinese gods will protect them from harm, resulting in little blood or scarring, the latter of which has become more spectacular and daring, often gruesome, with each subsequent year’s event, none of which, of course, is for the faint-hearted, including ourselves. We skipped a similar event on Penang Island, Malaysia, celebrated by the Indian communities there.
While the origins of this festival are unclear, it is commonly believed to have been brought to the island by a wandering Chinese opera group that fell ill from a malaria epidemic.
After one of the performers was sent to China to invite the “Nine Emperor Gods”, known as the “Kiu Ong Lah” to Phuket Island, the Chinese followed the tradition of the ten principles to ensure the purification of the mind and body, following which the opera group made a complete recovery, ceasing the epidemic. Since then, the Chinese people of the island have continued to celebrate this event through the festival, honouring the gods and expressing the people's happiness at surviving what was, in the 19th century, a fatal illness. Elaine’s says she’ll rather take a pill! Much easier and far less painful by the sounds of it!
