We have spent our time at the Rebak Marina working on the boat and spending time with friends who are here working on their boats. Most everyone is also waiting for the unsettled weather to end and for the northeast monsoon (the dry season) to settle in before moving north to Thailand. We have had late afternoon and evening squalls almost every day, typically with plenty of lightening and strong wind gusts. The forecast is more of the same as the southwest (rainy) monsoon lingers.
The big issue on Sabbatical III is the water maker, which is still inoperative. I have been communicating with a technician in Spain and have made some progress. We have ruled out the water maker pumps as a source of the problem and are now focusing on the logic board that regulates the process and monitors water pressure and the like. I may need some parts sent to me from Europe to get the water maker working again. Langkawi is a good place for that as it is a duty-free island with an international airport. I have already received a box of parts from the US (for an unrelated issue) that arrived quickly and without trouble.  Maintaining and fixing one’s boat is really a big part of cruising and my repair skills are not nearly as good as many other sailors.
Later today we are flying to KL (Kuala Lumpur) in order to catch an early morning flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We found a great deal on Air Asia, which flies out of Langkawi. We will spend 3 or 4 days in the Siem Reap area (where Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are located) and then take a boat down river  to Phnom Penh, spend a few days there, and then return. All of our friends who spent the wet monsoon season in Malaysia have done similar “land†trips up to Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar while waiting for the sailing season to begin, and they all speak glowingly of their experiences.
This is a photo taken at the Halloween party. Laura and I came as “Floridians†with big glasses. Drew from “Revelation†is Lance Armstrong (note the syringes in his arm), and his wife Lili came as the “galley winch†(that’s a winch handle on her head). It was a great party. It was held in the open pavilion adjacent to the marina and organized by Rebak resort. All the waiters and cooks were dressed as ghouls and the like, the desserts were served out of caskets, and the table clothes and decorations were all appropriately themed. The food was great and there was live music and dancing. We ate char kway teow, our favorite noodle dish from Penang, skewered prawns, barbecued lamb, and ABC (mixed fruit ice). We also won the prize for best dancing couple which entitled us to a free meal at the resort restaurant.
We will try to send reports from Cambodia.
M.
Comments are closed.