Monthly Archives: July 2008

Philippines

Tara Island

July 14th: 7:30pm Kota Kinabalu

Hi Everyone,

  We stopped at Tara Island shortly after we had left Romblon.  It was one of my favorites.  It inspired me to paint!  I have to admit that most of our stops are running together in my mind.  They were all pretty similar to me so I am sure they are impossible for you to distinguish.  But the images are pretty so I am send on some photos.  I am send the emails I can do quickly.  The remainder of the Puerto Galera Adventure, Romblon, Illultuk Bay:Safari Park, Coron Town and Puerto Princessa were multi-day stops so it will take me longer to write about them.  In the meantime, more island photos.

clip_image002  My interpretation of Tara Island.  There were kids playing, dogs playing, men in bancas, women and babies scavenging from the surf.    There was no wifi, cell phone service or the obnoxious blaring kareoke (which I still can’t spell.)  It was just charming.

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clip_image012 clip_image014  Surly the gods live behind those clouds!

clip_image016  When you see how the clouds, lightning, stars, and sea appear in such vast space it’s easy to understand why all of the early myths explaining creation and nature were imagined. 

Malaysia

Hello from Kota Kinabalu

Hi Everyone,

July 13, Sunday 2:17 pm

   Randal and I arrived in KK yesterday afternoon about 3:30pm.  Our last 4 or 5 days of cruising have been pretty rolling and our speed averaged maybe 5.2 knots.  55 mile days took almost 10 hours!  Even though you mostly sit, it’s tiring especially when we are underway just past 6 am each day to get to our anchorages in enough light to see if there are any reefs we need to avoid.  Some anchorages were nearly as rolling as the trip itself and some were perfect, with no one there but us.  Randal could shower on the swim platform and not embarrrass himself or anyone else. That was Teluk Lung where we put the dingh down and explored and snorkeled and had a wonderful dinner of salmon patties and fried pototoes! 

   Now we are Kota Kinabalu where you can’t hang your laundry out to dry on the boat and there are pages of rules about everything.  It is lovely and means to stay that way, hence the rules.  Everyone is friendly and helpful.  A kind Irishman named Brian led Randal and me to the free shuttle bus and then showed us the local mall.  We were there yesterday to get money and today after we made the required visit to immigration.  Immigration was very helpful and informal. 

   Now back at the boat, Randal’s computer seems to have crashed and the main saloon AC won’t work.  Our other electronics, bow thruster, anchor light and flood lights seem to be on the fritz.  Just part of cruising apparently.

   The wifi here is free but seems slow at times.  I will try to do photos when I can.  Who could believe I would miss the Subic Bay wifi??!!!

   Today we took a taxi from the yacht club to Immigration.  Our driver going out was an elderly Chinese man.  Our driver coming back was an elderly Muslim man.  That apparently is KK.  And both drove on the left side of the street with the steering wheel on the right side of the car. 

   So we have gone from anchorages where we were the only noise and light for miles to being in an upscale, modern, city. 

Oh, and thank goodness the Sox are doing well.  Last I knew they were 4 games out! Go Sox!!

Ru
Uncategorized

Hello from Puerto Princessa

Hi Everyone,

  Happy 4th of July.  7:15 am

  We are anchored at Puerto Princessa midway down the east side of Palawan Island.  We have officially checked out of the Philippines and will be on our way to Kota Kinabalu in Malayasia.  It will take several cruising days and anchorages.  We have learned much about anchorages and anchoring and pearl farming!  We had to zig zag our way through hundreds and hundreds of rows of pearl farms on our way through the Dumaran Strait.  Long story that will be easier to understand when I can ever send photos. 

  The Yacht Club here is very small and very friendly.  Met two other cruising couples who have just come from Indonesia where we are heading.  They gave us helpful information.

   Today we will finish gathering supplies and are hoping to purchase cell phones that will allow us to use them with our computers to have wifi in Malaysia and Indonesia.  That would be great.  Apparently loading the program onto the computer is a nightmare.  We’ll see.

  We stopped at several anchorages on our way to PP; places that no one goes other then the yachtie we just met.  Just us, a few fishermen in bancas, some small huts on shore and all the stars in the universe.  Except for Orion’s Belt that can’t be seen in this latatude.  At least I can’t find it.  It would be over our house in Roanoke some point every night. 

  Puerto Princessa has about 120,000 people!  There are coffee shops, book stores, a large supermarket with no recognizeable cookies.  Very big, but our trike driver takes us where we need to go.  Very helpful too.

   Actually my only concern is for my Red Sox.  Carol keeps me posted daily and perhaps gettin Sox scores from a New Yorker is not so good.  But no gloating from her; the Yanks are doing worse.  One day she followed the Sox and the Rays for me so I would really know what was happening.  Not sure what we will do without our daily text chats!  We will have phones again; new sim cards in Malayasia will mean a new phone number.  Technology is great!

  So that’s it.  Hope I can send this if I am still connected.

From Puerto Princessa

Ruth Johnson on DoraMac