The drive from the main road to the marina is steep, narrow and gravel. It has to be entered from just one angle from the main road. Wash outs and cars make walking at night
hazzardous. Remembering to carry a flashlight is a good idea. We have had the boat washed on the outside, the stainless polished and the boat polished.
Charlie removed and sent one anchor chain to be regalvanized. Getting two hundred and fifty feet of 3/8" anchor chain off the boat, into the dingy and taken to a beach where it was
picked up by truck was no small task but both he and Don from Que Sera took their chains in. Somewhere we anchored really messed up our chain. It began rusting, so cleaning and
re-galvanizing will be a big help. Charlie is always careful to rinse the anchor chain with our salt water wash down hose as he brings it aboard. Having the chain locker clean helps to
keep the boat smelling nice. If mud, grass or seaweed is brought aboard, it can smell rotten. They did a nice job on the chain, and before putting it back aboard Charlie painted marks
every fifty feet so he will be able to accurately determine how much chain he is putting out.
We have been kidded about our undersized MPS sail. We were encouraged by Don Babson
from Que Sera to look at a new sail. We took our old MPS to Rolly Tasker Sails to confer with them about a new sail or the possibility of adding a panel (and our S G logo) to our old
sail. They priced both and their sail designer, Ket, was willing to augment the old sail, which
made a lot more sense. After getting it done and seeing it on their floor, we can't wait to fly it and see how it does. Rolly Tasker Sails is a modern, clean and efficient factory which ships
sails all over the world yet gave us very personalized service on our sail and a few minor items we wanted to have made. Beautiful work, reasonable prices, what more can you ask for?
After the arrangements were made and the battery charger was hooked up and working, we packed our bags and set off for the airport at seven thirty the morning of December 18, for
our flight to Bangkok. Our friends, Don and Lois Babson from Que Sera had gone the previous day, for they wanted to visit the factory where their Hans Christian Yacht was built.
When
we arrived in Bangkok we were met at the airport by a car that took
us to our hotel, The Maenarn. There was some mix up in tours
so Charlie and I actually spent the day visiting the markets, shopping
for "stuff" and looking at the big city. We found
a "Hot Mail Cafe" where we collected messages and sent
some. Across the street was a travel agent, so we went in
and booked a tour for Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai with transportation
by longtail boat from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai on the Mae Kok River.
The only night we spent in Bangkok we went to a traditional
Thai dance performance which was beautifully costumed and
performed-and definitely for the tourists.
When we arrived in Chiang Mai we were met by our guide, Pasith Kasuya, or "Peter", as he
had us call him. From the time that Peter met us at the airport in Chiang Mai until we left to fly back to Phuket he was planning and supervising our itinerary. When Peter found that we
were interested in seeing and hearing as much as possible he went out of his way to see that he filled our days. He also found that we did not mind rising early, so it meant we arrived at
the "attractions" well ahead of the bulk of the tourists.
Our
first trip out of Chiang Mai was to WAT PRATHAT DOI SUTHEP,
the temple on top of the mountain where the long flight of steps
is flanked by Naga Serpents. Peter used the frescos depecting
the life and enlightnment of Budda to explain in very simple terms
the Buddist philosophy. In our hotel room there was a Buddist book
along with a Gideon Bible so I had read some of it.
In each temple you remove your shoes before entering. There
are monks and ordinary lay persons praying in most of the
temples and in one Peter had the monk give us a blessing for a good
life and safe journey. One of Peter's favorite saying was,
"They have a good life here." I will say for the
most part people seem happy for they are certainly friendly and
always smiling. In fact one of the slogans of Thailand
isThe Land of Smiles. By our standards most of the
population we saw was in poverty. We saw few beggars and the
service personel do not expect a tip. We were usually charged
a very fair price for service or goods and bargaining is expected
- always.
One of the fun activities in Chiang Mai was the "night market" and another was having a few clothes made. When I went in for a fitting the salesman tried to give me some slacks. I had
ordered a skirt and blouse. Then when I convinced him they were not my slacks he went back and got a dress that was not mine. I realized that he had confused me with another "big
foreign woman" and I couldn't wait to see her.
He then found my dress for the fitting and the other woman came in and I was flattered
because she was not only younger but slimmer. She was a resident school teacher with short hair and she wore glasses, not too bad - all those Americans look alike you know. Charlie had
two pairs of slacks and two white dress shirts made. You order one day, go in for a fitting the same day and the article is ready the next day. My skirt and blouse are Thai silk and will be a
nice momento of our visit to Thailand.
We spent three days in Chiang Mai and it was lovely. Don and Lois shopped and bought
gifts for all the Millennium Odyssey boats to give out on Christmas Day. We thought Charlie was going to play Santa for Genevra, the little girl on Cush, but they had left the
marina for another location.
When
our three days was over in Chiang Mai, Peter picked us up at 0700
for an early departure by mini bus from our hotel. Our first
stop was the elephant training farm. The
morning mists were still rising from the rivers and as we crossed
the narrow swinging suspension bridge the only sounds were those
of nature awakening in the unseasonably cold jungle. Thailand
was experiencing a cold wave which few Thai places are prepared.
The locals are huddled around small fires and obviously very uncomfortable.
Even the hotels are not prepared for cold and we even had a charcoal
burner brought to the floor beside our table where we ate lunch
one day.
Our trip to the elephant training center
was fun and interesting. The "mahout " who guided the elephant we rode spoke some English and we had a good time talking with him as
our elephant BoBo negotiated his way over the well worn jungle trail and down into the river where he decided to move some logs, which was not on the iteniary. The elephants are well
trained but if an elephant decided to change plans I guess he could do just about anything he wanted to. Elephants are still used for much forrest work in Thailand and much of the
smuggling that comes in from Myranmar (Burma) or Laos comes in on the back of an elephant. We were told later that much jade is smuggled over the border this way. We fed
our elephant bananas and sugar cane and watched the mahouts train the young elephants and give them baths in the river.
Peter told us that the center we visited was the best and from the appearance of the grounds and the animals I would have to agree that indeed, it was a well run operation. As we left the
tranquil setting the tour busses began to arrive and we saw again Peter's wisdom in starting early.
We traveled on through the countryside and ended up at the river dock for a departure on our "
long tailed boat" for the journey to Chiang Rai. Peter had brought lunches which had been packed by the hotel that morning and we ate along the river. It was chilly when we left
but when you got into the long tail and started off it got colder and colder. This trip was about three hours. Thailand was experiencing the coldest weather in over twenty five years
so we had a chilly trip. We had not anticipated the cold weather. By the time we arrived at the hotel in Chiang Rai I had put on so many layers that I looked like a refugee from who
knows where. The speed in the long tail boats is fast, the wind was whipping, and we got a little wet from the choppy water. Even so, it was wonderful to be on the river, for we saw
parts of the county we would not have seen if we had gone by car, train or bus. There are villages along the river where life styles have changed little over the years.
Our hotel, The Dusit Island Resort, was right on the river. The rooms were the nicest of the trip north and compare favorably with any first class hotel in the US. Of course it was too
cold to do anything but look at the swimming pool but we enjoyed our stay. We took Peter to the hotel's fine restaurant and he stood up, asked the pianist to accompany him, and sang
"My Way" for us. Peter is a very talanted man and does a fine job of presenting his country to outsiders. He also is very sensitive and took us to meet his parents, who he supports and
for whom he built a new home. We felt priviledged that he was comfortable enough with us to introduce us to his family. He is one of ten children, seven living, and said his mother had
worked so hard all of her life that he wants to provide her with some degree of ease now. The home was neat and clean and many family pictures decorated the walls. Flowers were
planted all around the house and it was located in a grove of fruit trees, a very pleasant setting and one that obviously took a lot of effort on Peter's part to achieve. His sister lives
with the parents and cares for them. His first action when he got home was to report to his parents that he had seen frost and ice on the mountain. It was the first time in his life to see
frost and he was as excited as could be. Peter is thirty-five years old, so you can see how unusual our cold weather was.
While in Chiang Rai we went to the infamous"Golden Triangle"
where opium poppies were the black gold and trade was carried on with yellow gold. Since the borders of Myanmar
(Burma), Thailand and Laos meet it is a prime area for smuggling. Now the "gold" in Golden Triangle is the tourist trade. At the monument built to the king and queen the king even has
a "demonstration plot" showing the opium poppies and how they were once grown on the hillsides. The king of Thailand has worked hard to introduce industry and agriculture to
replace the drug trade. There are many refuges from persecution in other countries living in Thailand which is a peaceful country. The King's projects are impressive as is the fact that
he is a working monarch and much loved by everyone we talked with. Both he and the queen spend much of their time trying to improve the lives of their people. As westerners making
only a brief visit to the country we are impressed with Thailand and would love to visit again. It is a very comfortable place to be. As Peter would often say, "It is very peaceful here."
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January 4, 2000
Happy New Year and Prayers for a peaceful one for all of us.
We leave Thailand tomorrow for Sri Lanka and have mixed emotions about leaving this lovely place. We do have the intense feeling that from here on we are really headed home, and that is a good feeling.
We go to the captain's meeting and flame lighting ceremony today and that will be our last function in Thailand. I must go for now for we must go to check out and add Sandra Cook to
our crew list. She is a young Australian girl who will be riding with us to the Maldives. We look forward to having her aboard.
Until later from a very rushed Sea Gem . . .
Since
our last log tranmission, on December 13, we have been busy.
We brought Sea Gem to Yacht Haven Marina on Phuket Island and arranged
to get some work done. Because our Heart Inverter died, we had to
have a battery charger installed so that we could go away and leave
the boat and still have our freezer hold food. We spend
a good bit of time and energy with refrigeration since it is important
to be able to hold the good food that we obtain, for it is not always
available. Neither Charlie nor I are picky but we know we
must be careful in many parts of the world to buy food with care
and cook it properly. The same cautionary attitude must be
taken with water. We "make water" or desalinate
the sea water when we are at sea or in a very clean place but you
cannot run the watermaker in a marina due to pollution. When
you are in a marina for long enough to need water, you really don't
have a choice about taking on local water.