With being so busy, we knew Wednesday was a public holiday, which is why we only splashed on Thursday, but we hadn’t actually realised the significance of the holiday; it was “Isakha Puja” or the “Day of Vesak”, also known as “Buddha Jayanti”, “Buddha Puṇṇamā” or “Buddha Day”, commemorating the birth of the Buddha, his attainment of enlightenment, and his passing away, in Theravada, Tibetan and Navayana Buddhism. It is traditionally observed by Buddhists and Hindus in South and Southeast Asia, as well as in Tibet and Mongolia. However, in The East Asian tradition, a celebration of Buddha’s birthday typically occurs around the traditional timing of Vesak, but the awakening and death are celebrated as separate holidays which occur at other times in the calendar, as “Bodhi Day” and “Nibbãna Day”, respectively.
Observances on “Isakha Puja” include meditation, observing the “Eight Precepts”, eating vegetarian food, giving to charity and "bathing" the Buddha, where the “Eight Precepts” are to refrain from killing living beings, stealing and damaging speech and to abstain from intoxicating drinks or drugs, sexual activities, from eating after midday, from entertainment such as dancing, singing, music, watching shows, as well as wearing garlands, perfumes, cosmetics, and personal adornments and to abstain from using luxurious seats and beds. We both would certainly be able to adhere to all eight, except abstaining from luxurious seats and beds, although on the day, being in the apartment, we would have almost been fully compliant; unfortunately we ate after midday, unless the time was based on UTC. Regardless, neither of us has the temperament to ever be considered a Buddhist. It’s one thing we love about being in Thailand; the people are so calm and you get a sense of peacefulness just being in their presence.
Yesterday, after enjoying a night in our own beds and rain overnight to cool the temperatures, being our first morning back onboard, Roy cooked up a storm in the galley for breakfast. Of course, the first order of the day was to get feedback from Keenan on the COVID-19 situation in the Cadman Jr household. Unfortunately matters had worsened, as Brooke’s dad had developed a fever and his oxygen levels were dropping, but the direction Keenan received from the Emergency Room was to keep him at home to convalesce and to continue to treat his symptoms, unless his oxygen levels dropped further and he developed breathing problems. A followup video call this morning indicated that the situation was in flux, but that Keenan, Brooke and all the grandchildren had been tested again and were awaiting the results. A particularly worrying aspect for us, though, is that, since Keenan is the only vaccinated person in the household, he is the one undertaking the direct care. We certainly hope and pray his double jab of the Pfizer vaccine works!
With not much else to do, but wait it out, we got on with our day; Roy took our latest load of laundry to the laundry service and collected our previous one and Elaine eventually got around to completing the ironing of Roy’s shirts, a job she hates more than washing pots, neither of which she ever did during our landlubber life, thanks to a “wash, starch and iron” laundry service and a dishwasher. In fact, she hates the ironing so much that one of the shirts had last been worn by Roy in Australia in 2019 and another one in Rebak Island Resort & Marina, Malaysia, a year ago. It clearly was time to do the ironing!
A light lunch was enjoyed at the Hardstand Café before taking a wander around the various chandleries in search of a few last minute items we still need. Then, besides Roy continuing his research efforts into a lithium battery solution, it was Elaine’s turn to just potter around and also enjoy a chat to her folks in Ireland.
On the COVID-19 situation in Thailand, it was confirmed that the number of recoveries yesterday, in this latest wave of the outbreak, 4,044, exceeded the number of new confirmed cases again and that there were now 29 provinces around Thailand in which no one was infected with COVID-19. Unfortunately Phuket Island is not yet one of them, but daily cases are in single digits and, on some days, there are no new cases at all on the island, putting the plans on track to open up Phuket Island to foreigners, who are fully vaccinated and test negative on arrival to ensure they are indeed COVID-19-Free. At least Thailand seems to be heading in the right direction now as apposed to Malaysia, who’s new cases are in excess of 9000 per day and, on a per capita basis, is now considered to be worse than India. It appears we departed at exactly the right time!
Today we enjoyed a lazy morning, although Elaine thoroughly enjoyed being able to do her stretch exercises on deck again. Roy also enjoyed a chat to Craig, off Il Sogno, but his continued research has revealed a few limitations of our existing battery charger and inverter, complicating a lithium solution somewhat, as we definitely do not want the expense of replacing these very expensive pieces of equipment.
Lunch was another selection of our favourite Thai dishes from the little permanent food stall not far from the marina, before we were both in need of a nap. Although we both slept like logs last night, it seems everything had simply caught up with us.
Feeling a little refreshed after our nap, Roy removed the rain water from the engine compartments, which had somehow accumulated while we were on the hard, presumably due to the angle at which Paw Paw was sitting. Elaine caught up with her blogs and completed a few menial tasks.
After another squall passed through, we enjoyed the cooled temperatures on the foredeck before dinner and half a movie sealed the day.
After our phone call, Roy returned to Paw Paw to check on progress and to oversee a few remaining tasks, including the rubber trim re-fit after the gelcoat repairs and the application of the Propspeed on the propellers, since we’ve had a bad experience in the past where it wasn’t applied correctly, rendering it completely ineffective. The same situation pertained to the attachment of the saildrive boots. With everything completed by lunchtime, the only item remaining on the To Do List was to settle all the invoices, with the exception of the apartment. Paw Paw was ready to be splashed!
Elaine entertained herself by continuing her efforts on our latest video, and, once the afternoon squall had passed over, we both returned to Paw Paw to commence our tidying up and cleaning efforts. These continued for most of the day yesterday, but, by the time we called it a day, she was looking very smart indeed with her new navy blue bottom and shining topsides.
Another delicious lunch was enjoyed at Dean and Deluca. Elaine has definitely acquired a taste for the Thai cuisine, while Roy opted for a smoked duck and cherry tomatoes pizza; very unlike him, but a change is as good as a holiday!
On a brighter note, we’re happy to report that the hole in Elaine’s leg, from her allergic reaction to an insect bite, is healing nicely and we received a video of William enjoying his surprise birthday gift; a motorbike. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!
Today was “Splash Day”, so we were up early to have breakfast and get ready. While Elaine packed up the apartment, Roy returned to Paw Paw to disconnect the shore power and water, as well as to get the docklines and fenders out. By 0920, Paw Paw was lifted off the chokes for a few last minute antifouling touch-ups and by 1000, knee deep in water this time, due to the very high spring tide, which resulted in the floating docks being higher than the boardwalk, we boarded Paw Paw while she sat over the launch bay and, within minutes, we were safely on our dock, where we’ll remain for the next week. It was all over in a flash and in the nick of time too, as another nasty squall came over just as we’d completed our dinghy ride to the apartment to collect the last of our belongings and stowed everything back on Paw Paw. All that was left was to re-dress Elaine’s wound, since it had got soaked as we waded through the water, enjoy a morning coffee and settle back into our sailing lifestyle; Paw Paw’s 10th birthday overhaul and facelift was complete! Roy did, however, have a “Mr Bean in Love Actually” moment when he stopped by Dean and Deluca, on his way back from settling the apartment bill, to get us a takeaway baked delight; carefully wrapped in decorative paper and sealed, then placed in a decorative bag, then placed in another paper carry bag. They were delicious nonetheless and were thoroughly enjoyed with our coffee for a job well done!
Back at the apartment, Elaine occupied herself by starting our next video, while Roy pottered around. Our day ended with our monthly Zoom family get-together, which is a great way for our family to stay connected, given that we’re scattered all over the world and it’s always lovely to catch up with everyone.
Today we collected our hired car and set off to Makro, a store we’re somewhat familiar with and one that was recommended to us by more than one cruising friend, especially for the bulk items. Fortunately we found a lot more than we expected, which would have made our trip to Tesco’s much easier, although that turned out to be a complete waste of time, as they hardly had any products we would buy; we couldn’t even get decent meat. Fortunately, there are plenty of other supermarkets on the island, so we shouldn’t have a problem; we have to make a second trip for all our fresh produce regardless.
Unfortunately, we also had to return to the Bangkok Hospital Phuket, since an insect bite of some sort, which Elaine got a week ago, became infected and, no matter what she’s tried, it just got worse. Turns out she had an allergic reaction to whatever bit her and, being immunocompromised, was the perfect recipe. After an excruciatingly painful episode of having to have the wound cleaned out, before it was dressed, we left the hospital with antibiotics, topical antibiotic cream, saline solution and a set of instructions on how to care for and dress the wound moving forward; not exactly what we wanted to be dealing with right now, but, at least, she should be on the mend in a day or two.
However, our day only got worse and ended with very upsetting and worrying news pertaining to Keenan and the family in Arizona. Although Keenan had successfully completed his training in Atlanta, he returned home after his in-laws had moved into the house temporarily while their existing home is being sold, to build a new one, but both had contracted COVID-19 unknowingly before moving in. All our “babies” are now isolating in a COVID-19 infected household; the worst kind of news to hear in these times and there’s absolutely nothing anyone can do about it, except pray and watch it play out, since Keenan is the only vaccinated person in the house.
And on the subject of vaccinations, besides reports of only the Chinese Coronavac being made available to foreign workers and retirees in Thailand, which excludes us as tourists, China has, however, been proactive in ensuring that, not only are their citizens within China being vaccinated, but also all their citizens outside the country, working through the Embassies and Health Services of over 120 foreign countries to provide vaccines to their citizens living abroad and here we are, citizens of the wealthiest nations in the world and we can’t get a vaccine anywhere, with one of us immunocompromised and the other over 60 years old, although we’re still expected to complete our US tax returns and pay taxes every year, even though we haven’t lived in the country since 2014.
Of the 6 million doses of Coronavac Thailand has received from China thus far, 500,000 of those doses were donated by the Chinese government, on the understanding that Chinese nationals based in the Kingdom would be the first overseas citizens to receive the inoculation as part of what Beijing has termed their “Spring Sprout” program.
It is estimated that 150,000 Chinese citizens currently live in Thailand, the highest number of any nationality who are not from the neighbouring countries of Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Malaysia. There are also approximately 200,000 foreigners from Australia, Europe, the US , the UK and Japan residing in Thailand, who are mainly professionals and retirees, but currently their only access to a different COVID-19 vaccine is by returning to their home country. Comments like: “I am happy and proud to be able to get a vaccine on Day 1 organised by my government” and “I am grateful for my country and the embassy, and people who help to make it happen, from airline staff who fly the vaccines here to Thai medical workers”, makes us shake our heads and wonder, especially since our Embassies have been completely useless when we’ve desperately needed their assistance on more than one occasion in dealing with the fallout we’ve been exposed to with this pandemic.
Regardless, we aren’t going to change the situation and have to just keep doing what we’ve been doing for the past 18 months, but, more importantly, pray that our loved ones in Arizona come through this latest circumstance unscathed.
However, Mother Nature brought plenty of wind and rain this afternoon, a fallout of the hurricane expected to develop in the Bay of Bengal, forcing the workers to erect plastic around Paw Paw to protect the antifouling until it had dried. It seems, regardless of which hemisphere we are in, when our antifouling reaches end-of-life around April / May timeframe, we have to contend with rain when we’re on the hard; this is now the third such occurrence, after weeks of sweltering sunshine.
Roy also undertook a few tasks on Paw Paw this morning before the workmen arrived, including permanently wiring up our spare windlass controller, cleaning the bridle, replacing the seat on Elaine’s head (aka toilet) and refurbishing her old seat for his head. Unfortunately the plastic replacements Roy had purchased in Malaysia for his head, were very poor quality and the chandlery here only had one coated wooden seat in stock.
While out and about around the marina and boatyard, though, we noticed a rather unusual looking little truck during our first week here, which was being used to collect the garbage. However, it wasn’t until our outing in Old Town Phuket yesterday, that we noticed a few more of these, but brightly coloured and carry passengers; a wonderful reminder of the “buses” in American Samoa and Samoa. Then during our tour around the Thai Hua Museum, we noticed a historical reference to these “trucks” and that sent Elaine on another research mission.
On Phuket Island, the “songthaews”, as they are called in Thai or “Po Tongs” in Hokkien Chinese, meaning “two rows”, are named as such because of the fixed benches along the sides of a converted pick-up truck or lorry on which passengers sit. In some vehicles a third bench is put down the middle of the seating area. A roof is fitted over the rear of the vehicle, to which curtains and plastic sheeting is attached to keep the rain out and some have roofs high enough to accommodate standing passengers, but, more typically, standing passengers occupy a platform attached to the rear.
In other parts of Thailand, like Chiang Mai, locals call these vehicles “rot si daeng” or “rot daeng” which literally means "car red"; a reference to the most common coloured paint used to decorate the “songthaews”.
Not only are they a cheap and convenient way to travel, they can be a lot of fun, similar to our experiences in the South Pacific. Besides their cheerful appearances with the bright colours of paint used, they provide a great opportunity to enjoy the scenery, you get plenty of the fresh air and you obtain a wonderful insight into local life. As we learnt, however, you definitely cannot be in a hurry to get somewhere and use this mode of transportation because, along the route, besides picking up other passengers going in the same direction, the driver will almost always stop to pick up a friend or a relative or goods requiring delivery. In Samoa we happen to hop on one that had a number of villagers doing their Saturday morning shopping before returning home, the latter our destination. Unfortunately with COVID-19 it is too risky for us to enjoy an outing on one of these, but hopefully soon, if we all get vaccinated as planned.
The history of these iconic “buses” on Phuket Island date back to 1947 - 1967, when a large number of Phuketians experienced significant increases in their incomes as a result of the island’s tin mining industry, and as a result, out went the animal drawn carts and in came motorised vehicles.
There were a number of obstacles, however, in that the infrastructure was inadequate for the new modes of transportation, resulting in Kosimby Na Ranong, the Governor of Phuket at the time, asking for assistance from the tin mining businesses to help develop the roads. This also created the opportunity for shipments coming from Penang to be brought to Phuket by medium sized trucks, the vehicle which was then subsequently modified to create the “songthaews”.
While we’ve spent the past fortnight primarily experiencing the culinary delights of the Thai culture and today was no different, having enjoyed a freshly prepared lunch at the Kaeng Liang restaurant in Thalong Street, following a mid-morning coffee and, you guessed it, accompanied by a baked treat, at the Campus Coffee Roaster, we also had the opportunity to enjoy some history of Phuket and delve a little deeper into the Buddhist aspects.
The quaint, colourful historic “shop-houses” of Old Town Phuket, however, were the first scenes to grab our attention, many beautifully decorated and providing an array of services from clothing stores, to cafés, restaurants, guest houses and hotels. Similar to China Town in Singapore and Georgetown on Penang Island, Malaysia, these homes are passed down through the generations and are traditionally associated with the Hokkien Chinese, who migrated from the southern provinces of China and to Phuket during the 19th century.
Testament to this migration were the numerous historic mansions scattered around the town, as well as the Thai Hua Museum, depicting the history of the Chinese people in Phuket, who came to work in the tin mines, as well as the merchants and others who built Phuket into a powerful trading center. However, this building was originally the first Chinese Language School in Phuket, established by the Chinese Hokkien and opened in 1934. It is a beautiful, classic "Sino-Portuguese" styled building, blending European styles with Chinese touches. In 2008 it received a citation from the Association of Siamese Architects for outstanding conservation of architectural arts.
The galleries of the current day museum covers various aspects of the Thai-Chinese culture, including the beliefs, lifestyles and art, as well as the history of the Chinese Thai Hua language school.
During our walking tour we also experienced the splendid “Wat Mongkol Nimit” or “Wat Putta Mongkon” temple complex, built in 1880. It is actually called “Wat Klang” by the locals, though, due to its location in the heart of Old Town Phuket, where “klang” means “middle”. The Thai word “mongkol”, however, means “auspicious”. It is believed that the importance of this temple to the local Buddhist community, is not merely its proximity, but the positive synonyms associated with the word “auspicious”, such as “advantageous”, “promising”, “optimistic”, “bright”, “opportune” and “fortunate”, to name but a few.
The monastery compound comprises the actual temple, a colonial building used by the monks for studies and living, and a “Chedi”.
Although this is not the first Buddhist temple complex we have visited, after visiting the Kek Lok Si temple on Penang Island and this complex today, Elaine was inspired to undertake a bit more research, in an attempt to understand the various buildings we’ve seen within these complexes. So, within the Thai context:
A “Wat” is a temple complex, consisting of several buildings like a “Chedi”, a “Bot” and a “Viharn”, which are erected first, within an enclosed wall. Then, depending on the financial means and the number of monks, other structures like a “Sala”, a Mondop” and living quarters for the monks may be built. On many temple complexes schools are also found, especially in rural areas.
The “Bot” or “Ordination Hall” is the main prayer room and one of the most important structures of the “Wat”, as this is where the monks are ordained, as well as being used for other important temple rituals. It is a rectangular shaped building with the main entrance facing east and a gilded sitting Buddha image, on a richly decorated pedestal, across from the main entrance. It is surrounded by eight boundary stones called “Sima”, which are placed outside the “Bot” in a rectangular shape. The “Bot” always has to be surrounded by eight “Sima” stones, marking the sacred area of the “Bot”. A ninth “Sima” stone is buried under the location of the main Buddha image inside the “Bot”.
“Chofah” adorn the ends of the roof of most temples in Thailand. Shaped like a slender bird, “Chofah” represent “Garuda”, a large bird like creature from Buddhist and Hindu mythology.
The “Dhamma Wheel”, also called “Dhammachakra” or “The Wheel of Law”, symbolises the “Dhamma”, the Buddha’s teachings. The wheel is often seen in temples, sometimes accompanied by two deer, representative of the fact that, after reaching enlightenment, the Buddha held a first sermon at the Deer Park in Sarnath, thus setting in motion the “Dhamma Wheel”.
The “Naga” is a large mythological snake, often depicted with multiple heads. These are often found protecting Buddhist temples, their bodies extending over the balustrades of the stairs that lead to the temple. This was very evident at the Big Buddha we visited during our first week on Phuket Island. This represents the Buddha, after reaching enlightenment, who was meditating under a Bodhi tree when a violent storm with torrential rain broke out. “Mucalinda” appeared and sheltered the Buddha with its hoods from the rain.
The “Chinthe”, is the term given to the creature resembling a lion, sometimes seen at the entrance of temples in Thailand, believed to be the guardians of Buddhist temples.
A “Viharn”, the “Assembly Hall”, will often look like the “Bot”, but it is not surrounded by “Sima” stones. Several Buddhist ceremonies take place here involving both the monks and lay people. In the early days of Buddhism, “Viharns” were built to provide shelter for travelling monks during the rainy season.
The “Chedi” is the most important and sacred structure of the “Wat”, originally containing relics of the Buddha, but later they were also used to enshrine the remains of Kings or very important monks. Sharing its cultural heritage with the “Stupas” in India and the “Chörtens” in Tibet, they are found in various shapes and variations, but typically, they have a conical shape. The most used “Chedi” style in Thailand is the bell-shaped form.
A “Prang” is a tower with a broad base getting narrower towards the top and an entrance on one side. “Prangs” originate from the “Khmer” architecture, with the oldest ones in Thailand inspired by “Angkor Wat” in Cambodia and can be seen in the central and northeastern parts of Thailand.
The “Mondop” is usually a square or cubical-shaped pavilion with a spired roof, used either as a place to store scriptures or objects used in temple ceremonies.
The “Ho Trai” is the library of the “Wat” where the Buddhist scriptures are kept. These can be found in many different architectural styles and sizes, although traditionally, a “Ho Trai” was a wooden building on stilts, over a pond, to keep the scriptures safe from all kinds of insects, given that Buddhist scriptures were originally written on dried palm leaves. In northern Thailand, however, the structure is often a high brick building with a wooden structure on top of it.
A “Sala” is an open rectangular shaped pavilion, used to provide shelter and for resting. Traditionally, it was used to provide shelter for passing travellers. “Salas”, however, can be found outside of the “Wat” too, often along roads and canals, where they are used as a bus stop or waiting rooms for passengers of river boats.
The “Kuti” is the living quarters for the monks living in the “Wat”. Traditionally these structures were very small detached building on stilts, but nowadays, it is a small room in an apartment building.
Many “Wats” in Thailand have a crematorium too. Contrary to western cultures, most Buddhists get cremated. After death, the relatives bring the body of the deceased to the temple, where the monks perform Buddhist rites, usually within a few days following the death.
Hopefully the next time we visit a Buddhist temple complex, we’ll be slightly more knowledgeable, but, on reflection, during our visit today to the “Wat”, we did see the “Bot”, although we couldn’t go inside due to the COVID-19 restrictions, which was a real shame, as we understand there is a beautiful gold gilded seated Buddha.
We definitely noticed the “Chofah” adorning the ends of the roof, but, unfortunately, we didn’t know to look for the “Sima” stones, a “Dhamma Wheel”, or the “Chinthe”. We did, however, see the “Kuti” and had the good fortune of seeing the “Chedi”, the most important and sacred structure of the “Wat”, although we had absolutely no idea what we were actually looking at, at the time, until Elaine completed this research and, due to this ignorance too, we didn’t notice a “Prang”, a “Mondop”, a “Ho Trai”, a “Sala” nor a crematorium. Regardless, it was a beautiful “Wat” and there was plenty to enjoy.
Of course, we had to top off a wonderful outing with the purchase of freshly baked doughnuts to enjoy back at the apartment with a nice cuppa.
Roy also took a walk to collect our laundry and hand in the next load, as well as to purchase our lunchtime “dinner” from the little roadside restaurant, which is fast becoming a favourite, given the delicious Thai food, which is freshly prepared while you wait. In fact, the food is so good, he returned again today, this time selecting a few different dishes, like pineapple fried rice, prawns in a tamarind sauce, stir-fried vegetables and Tom Yum soup, to name a few.
By late afternoon, though, we were both bored out of our minds, so Roy’s comment of: “I feel like something nice to eat”, resulted in us settling down in the comfy seats on the patio of the 9th Degree Restaurant and Wine Bar and enjoying an afternoon tea with a baked delight, all beautifully presented.
It’s fair to say, however, that neither of us are ready for life on land and this interlude has definitely been the acid test! While life in the apartment has been far better than trying to live onboard while on the hard, it’s just not our “cup of tea”! It hasn’t helped matters that the apartment is made for very small people, as everything is very low to the ground, including the sofa, the chairs and the bed; we feel like giants living here. Even the kitchen and bathroom countertops don’t even come as high as the top of Elaine’s thigh, so getting “in and out” or “on and off” everything is killing her knees and back, but her thigh muscles are certainly getting a really good workout. The toilet is the worst; albeit a western toilet, it is so low!
It also hasn’t helped that Thailand’s third wave started just before our arrival and, as the days have progressed, with the constant stream of new COVID-19 cases across the country, new lockdown measures have been introduced, as would be expected. However, this has scuttled our plans of whiling away our days at the resort pool, sipping cocktails, but all public pools are now closed or enjoying a sundowner at one of the bars, but all alcohol sales are band, except as a takeaway, but it’s band as part of in-dining too and, with so many of the restaurants now closed as well, it’s left slim pickings. Instead, we’re now counting the days until we’re splashed and can be back out at anchor to sail around, swim, snorkel, paddleboard, take walks on the beach, see the sunrises and sunsets, fall asleep under a magnificent starry sky and hopefully see some sea-life as well.
Lockdown obviously has not just presented an inconvenience for us, even the festivities and traditional ceremonies associated with the rice-planting season in Thailand, has been impacted; two unique royal ceremonies, the Royal Cultivating Ceremony and the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, which usually start in May to mark the official opening of the season and to underline the importance of farmers and the rice culture in Thai life, were cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation. Although, of course, all this pales into insignificance as people all around the world continue to loose their lives and livelihoods to this pandemic.
Back in our world, a movie was supposed to wrap up our day, but neither of us could keep our eyes open, not from doing anything strenuous during the day, but rather from sheer boredom. We weren’t even halfway through the performance, when we called it a day, so that was the end of that!
Today we woke to a video and a photograph, both of William; the former thanking us for the Happy Birthday message we’d sent him and the latter of his graduation from kindergarten. Where have the years gone! It just doesn’t seem that long ago that Elaine attended Capri’s kindergarten graduation ceremony!
To pass her day, Elaine completed her preparation work for our next website article and started cataloguing all our new photographs, as well as completed a number of general administration tasks. A chat to her sister in Ireland helped pass some of the time and preceded a light dinner, following which we watched the rest of our movie from last night.
Roy spent his day researching options available for possibly replacing Paw Paw’s house batteries with a lithium solution, something we had planned to undertake in Malaysia, as well as fumigated Paw Paw’s interior.
A perusal of Paw Paw this evening indicated that all the gelcoat work had been completed and what an excellent job they’ve done; the topsides look like new again. Also all the keelboats have been resealed, but additional drying time was still required.
Elaine, on the other hand, enjoyed a lovely long chat to Maria off Cattiva, by which time Roy had returned. After breakfast, donning our swimsuits, we set off to Coco’s Pool & Café to enjoy a lazy day at the pool. There was just one tiny, insignificant, little detail; due to the continuing increase of COVID-19 cases in Thailand, further lockdown measures had come into effect, which, you guessed it, included all public swimming pools being closed. At this stage we’ve given up on trying to enjoy a swim altogether, anywhere!
Shortly thereafter, a message arrived from our agent, informing us that no one can get into Phuket Province now without being fully vaccinated or having a negative PCR test, so it seems a decision has been made for us; we won’t be leaving Phuket Island and the immediate surroundings once we’re splashed, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since, yesterday, announcements were also made confirming that everyone on Phuket Island, including all foreigners, will be vaccinated before 1st July 2021, so that this tourist destination can be opened up to fully vaccinated travellers.
We also enjoyed a nice long chat to Keenan again who was still in Atlanta for his training, although the family had returned home to Arizona.
Other activities have included morning walks through the residential neighbourhood of the Boat Lagoon Resort and Marina, enjoying all the spring flowers in bloom, which is a kaleidoscope of colour and it has been interesting to see the array of huge homes nestled behind all the tropical vegetation. After our walk yesterday, we stopped for a cooked breakfast at the Hardstand Café and then Elaine continued her efforts on our latest video, “Magnolious Malaysia - Our Unexpected Return to Penang Island”, which she eventually completed today and which completed the Malaysian series. With time to spare, she uploaded all the videos she’s created these past few weeks. Enjoy!
Yesterday afternoon Roy returned to Paw Paw again to check on progress, to discover two very clean and sanded saildrives and propellers, gelcoat work progressing on the topsides and the sealant removed from all the keel bolts, ready to be replaced. The workmen are definitely no slouches! On his return walk, however, he noticed most of the restaurants in the complex were closed and no one was serving alcohol; it was strictly takeaways only. Regardless, reading about the latest COVID-19 situation in Malaysia, with cases increasing dramatically, ICU beds at capacity, field hospitals having to be built and, in some areas, shipping containers being converted into hospital wards, as more cases of the South African and Indian variants have been detected, being in Thailand is proving to be the better option after all, even if we’re back in lockdown.
This morning, after Roy had enjoyed a video call with the grandsons earlier, when Elaine surfaced, it was her turn, specifically to wish William a very Happy Birthday, following a video we’d sent him of us singing Happy Birthday to him. Having Brayden ask if we could send him a video too, was just the cutest, but having William thank us for his video, but misunderstanding our birthday message and thinking we were going to be at his birthday party, was heartbreaking, especially seeing the disappointment and sadness written all over his little face, when we explained that we were still “locked up”. It didn’t preclude him from responding, though, with: “Grandma, I love you”, which had Elaine doing everything in her power not to crumble into a heap of tears. The rainy day, reflected the tears she wanted to shed, nonetheless!
Of course, having a rainy day when Paw Paw was ready to have the antifouling applied was not what we wanted and just so typical! We’ve had sweltering heat and sunny skies for weeks and now when we need it, we get rain instead.
Another perusal of Paw Paw this evening indicated that the gelcoat repairs had continued, but, unfortunately, rain had prevented anything else from progressing.
To break up our day, we returned to the Hardstand Café to enjoy their special as a midday “dinner”; a Thai lamb curry. Delicious!
Our day was wrapped up with a nice long chat to Elaine’s folks in Ireland.
It’s fair to say, however, that dealing with this pandemic and the endless lockdowns is hard enough on a day to day basis, but on special days like today, being William’s birthday, it is difficult to hold back the tears, especially when it’s been 2 1/2 years since Elaine last hugged and kissed him and this is the second birthday that has come and gone without us being with him to celebrate. Worst of all, we have absolutely no idea how many more years will pass before we can see our loved ones again.
Happy Birthday sweetheart. Grandma and Grandpa love and miss you loads!
