Melaka, Malaysia - November 2009

Local Transport

Two full day sails and we have arrived at Melaka. The marina is brand new, in fact, not even open yet but we are welcome. I think this is somewhere we are going to enjoy. It is a 15 minute walk to town or Chinatown. The place reeks of history and is a mixture of both old and new architecture. It also has a mixture of culture, each distinctly separate but seemingly in harmony. I find talking to taxi drivers a great way to gain insights into the culture and politics of an area.

Sadly we say goodbye to Dave who needs to get back to Australia where new job opportunities await his attention. We hope he and Anne will come and join us again next year.

While here we have time to start researching for a good haulout facility. We find that the one on the top of the list, while having impressive pamphlets doesn’t actually exist yet!!! Friends at another yard are not getting the service they were promised. And our other option is Langkawi, which is rumoured to be full. So it looks like we can’t haul out until next year.

With that decision made we relax and enjoy the opportunity to slow down a bit. Daryl decides to get some long overdue dentistry done. With bridging involved we know we will be here for a few weeks. I am happy to begin the Christmas shopping and the big air conditioned malls are soooo comfortable.

We took a bus to Kuala Lumpur, two hours drive away, for all of $4 each staying a couple of nights at a nice hotel in the centre of town. On the way I asked Daryl what he was looking forward to – watching TY – poor deprived man. We’ve become right yuppies, taking the laptop along, so we don’t miss out on any internet opportunities.

Water Islands........................................ Leaving Melacca

Time soon passes filled with café lunches, wandering the night markets, high teas, museums, mosques and churches and $1 DVDS to watch. By now it is the wet season and Melaka seems to be in a storm belt. Outings are planned around dodging the thunder and lightening storms with some inevitable cancellations.

Daryl is very pleased with the dentistry results and gone is his toothless grin. The cost was also a fraction of the cost in NZ. Prescription glasses are something else that seems very cheap. I got some single vision prescription lenses and a frame of my choice for $40.

We decided that the safest option for leaving the boat was to sail back to Puteri Harbour. This was done simply enough and we are currently securely tied up in a berth that will be ours for the next three months.

The marina boat is taking us to Danga Bay in Johor Baru on Saturday. It travels at 24 knots so the 5 miles is covered in less than 15 minutes. It beats taking our dinghy!!!

On Monday we are going to pop back to Singapore for the night as we have heard that the Christmas lights in Orchard Rd are a sight to be seen.

There’s only one more week of sight seeing, shopping and boat preparation before we wing our way back to NZ on Dec. 10th.

Johore Baru, Malaysia - November 2009

It is great to be in Malaysia – the end of one adventure and the beginning of another. We have joined the Sail Malaysia rally but we’re not sure how far we will follow it for. So, on a rally means more…….. free tee-shirts, souvenirs, dinners, shows, tours and socializing. The first week was a whirlwind of organised and voluntary activities. Fantastic to be able to visit a mall with a well stocked supermarket. And the shopping….. I’m going to love this place. In general things are so cheap.


New Govt. office at Puteri................................... Some people like local food ????



Danga Bay welcome dinner .................................I do not know her


Some of the local dancers that entertained us.


Puteri Marina is luxury living at a budget price. Air conditioning, a hose at our doorstep, plug in power and wifi internet - all luxuries we no longer take for granted. The only down side to this marina is that it is in a very new development and is quite isolated by its distance from shops, restaurants etc. The staff however bend over backwards to bridge this gap. We have been amazed at their willingness to shuttle folk to wherever they need to be.



Puteri Marina.............................................. Yes We think Cool Bananas suits this marina


Home for Cool Bananas....................................... Time to relax after the checkin

A group of us got a bus over to Singapore for a night. Wow, an hour down the road and we’re in another country. High on Daryl list of ‘must do’s was Lim Sim Square, seven floors of wall to wall electronics. It’s not often Daryl is keener than me to go shopping!!!! The coffee time discussion was lively and well over my head most of the time. Under the table were bags bulging with boxes of various sizes and shapes. The group then split, some heading for the marine stores while others of us devised our own cultural tour – Raffles, museums and general wandering to enjoy the architecture.

Singapore -Highrise garden


Merlion protecting Singapore harbour (I think they will have to move it again)


The famous Raffles Hotel .........................When in Singapore You must have a Singapore sling

We took a cruise up the river and wandered Little India and Chinatown. We were planning to go to the night safari but we were so tired we opted for a local bar and a complimentary Singapore sling instead.

City life is great but we were ready to sail back down the waterway, under the causeway and head up the west coast of Malaysia. First stop Melaka.

Belitung, Indonesia - October 2009

We arrived in Belitung in the late afternoon on the final day of the rally activities. The organisers greeted us with great warmth and hospitality showering us with bags of goodies and hand painted local hats (see equator party photos). This island was like no other in Indonesia. The water was clear and the granite rock formations on the beaches were beautiful.

Beach at Belitung.......................................................... Swimming Indonesian style

Within a short time David had befriended a tourist police officer, Augustian Khadafi, who was committed to giving us a memorable time while we were in Belitung. It seems the island had many tourist police officers whose primary role was to look after the tourists. For us, this encompassed all aspects of our stay almost to the point of him pushing our trolley around the supermarket. He would stop traffic to allow us to cross the road, making us feel like royalty. Luckily Daryl was able to get all the official checking out and refueling done within a few hours so Augustian was out to show us a good time. Funny how, because we are westerners, he perceived that KFC (which he referred to as Kalifornian Fried Chicken) would be our lunch preference!! He kept saying they were only a small town because they only had one KFC and it was obviously an establishment that only the wealthier could afford to eat at.

We got taken to his home to meet (and have our photos taken with) his wife and baby. We visited his place of work and got introduced proudly to his colleagues and met the ‘big’ boss. We saw all the local sights and much more.

Visit to Augustian's home.................................................Visit to the Chief of Police's office

Outside Augustian's house

In return we gave Augustian and his brother their first inflatable dinghy ride and their first time on a yacht. They seemed overwhelmed by our lifestyle and seemed petrified and excited at the same time when in the dinghy. They went home sporting new sail Indonesia tee shirts and big smiles on their faces.

We all agreed that Belitung was a great stop and one we would like to revisit in the future.

With the final check out of Indonesia completed it only remained to motor sail the remaining 500 miles to Malaysia. This was done with ease and included dodging the thunderstorms, fishtraps, unlit fishermen in canoes and curious squid boats.

We crossed the equator once more and so it was necessary to pop another bubbly to share with Neptune.

For me, anxiety grew as we neared the shipping lanes of the Singapore Straits.

Equator crossing...............................................................Equator hat party

On the last day we set off early morning and when we got to the edge of the Straits it was like waiting to cross a laned highway. When the closer lanes cleared the three yachts set off together and we soon got into the rhythm of dodging between the ships. The currents were against us so progress seemed slow but…… we made it …..over to the other side where we counted more than 100 anchored ships of different shapes and sizes. We wove our way through them and off up the channel between Singapore and Malaysia.

Different regions- different strokes.........................David as we come across the straits


Towing 'Morning Star up the river between Singapore and Malaysia

It was then we got a call from one of the other boats, ‘Morning Star’ to say that his motor had just broken down. So ‘Cool Bananas’ did a swift about turn, pulled out the tow ropes and David got to practice his skills from his days in the Melbourne Water Police. All went smoothly and we were impressed with the way she towed, especially as we were running on only one motor ourselves. All arrived safely into the new luxurious Puteri Marina in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

In Malaysia looking back towards Singapore

Kalimantan, South Borneo, Indonesia - October 2009

Our sail from Bali was a mixed bag. We were expecting a slow motor sail. Day One was true to form. On Day Two the wind picked up and so did our average speed, with talk of an early arrival. But in the distance was the low rumble of a squall that gradually surrounded us. In the following five hours we progressed very little but steered the yacht to keep ourselves as comfortable as possible. Once out the other side we were windless again. Kumai river entrance was finally in our sights and luck was with us that the tides were in our favour to sail the 16 kms straight up to the town.

Shopping..................................................................Traditional boat

Kumai was a quaint little port with a friendly feel. Before long we had booked a river boat for three days to take us,, along withToshio and Syuri from ‘Wanderlust’,into the rainforest. The little klotok had three crew – a captain, a cook and a guide. I don’t think I’ve ever been so pampered in all my life. And the food they produced from their tiny kitchen was out of this world. With all our basic needs taken care of we were free to make the most of the time in the Tanjung Puting National Park. The river was lined with pandanus palms beyond which proboscis and macaques monkeys were regularly seen.

Our klotok river boat ..............................................Heading up river

Heading towards Camp Leakey-lunch time..............Local boat

With our guides at Camp Leakey..................................Princess and baby chatting with Daryl

When an abandoned nest of an orangutan was spotted, anticipation grew. By lunch time we arrived at Camp Leakey, the main orangutan feeding station and research centre. At 2pm each day camp rangers feed any orangutans that come. When no orangutans come to the feeding the staff is pleased as this means the orangutans are getting enough to eat by themselves. Although we too should be pleased, the truth is we would have been disappointed. Luckily for us October is not a plentiful time for fruit so there were orangutans to be seen. We spent time at the information centre learning about the devastating impact of mining, palm oil plantations, fires and forestry are having on the orangutans’ habitat. The commitment of rangers and volunteers is impressive but change is frustratingly slow. Walks in the rainforest revealed wild orangutans, hornbill birds, gibbon monkeys, wild boars, the giant Bornean butterfly, storkbilled kingfisher, tarantula nests (luckily they only come out at night) porcupine nests, a beehive destroyed by sun bears and clouded leopard footprints.

Gibbon monkey........................................................................Macaque monkey

The first night we shared a drinks and a meal on our friends’ (Threeships) klotok, while our living area on the upper deck was transformed into our sleeping area. We slept on mattresses, shrouded in mosquito nets, nodding off to the many sounds of the rainforest. We were pleased we had opted to have our second night in an ecolodge. A private shower, flushing toilet, an air conditioned room and a comfortable bed saw us bright eyed and bushy tailed for the third day.

Laurel at the Ecolodge..............................................Tom the king orangutan


Play time....................................................Nurturing

We visited three different feeding station sites in total and were luck enough to have time with the current king male, Tom, at one of the Camp Leakey feedings. His dominance wasn’t hard to observe. We saw the nurturing mothers, the playful young, the rough and tumble teens. We observed their curiosity, problem solving, eating habits and mischief making.

Tom the boss

Daryl did get an intimate encounter with a leech. It must have attached itself when it was so small it could get through sock fabric and came out the size of his little finger!!! Then he bled and bled -a minor distraction!!

I think the trip is nicely summed up with the old cliché ‘it was a once in a lifetime experience’.

We have been running a bit behind schedule for the organized rally events but did manage to catch a bus tour to Pangkalan Bun to see the Traditional Palace, some traditional cooking demonstrations and traditional games which were interactive. One activity, traditionally organized for after funerals, is putting two teams of two at either end of a long canoe and had them paddle against each other. They paired Daryl and another cruiser up against two young locals and ……go…… I thought Daryl might have a heart attack if he had to paddle any longer!!! Crowds of locals cheered them on and it was a lot of fun.

Daryl doing the canoe boat race................................. Laurel trying to spin the top

Then after the usual haggle at the local markets for our fruit and veg we are heading down the river and across the waters to our next destination……. Nangka Island, 200 miles away. Oh, to have clear water and it didn’t take long for the snorkelling gear to hit the dinghy. There was even a deserted island with the possibility of unfound shells to be explored. Idyllic.

Morning views at Nangka Island

Heat and humidity have increased since Bali and I hope this is not a pattern of things to come. I am pleased with the way I’ve coped with the weather so far but sweat dripping into my eyes is not my idea of a good look. Just yesterday I was looking at some photos and observed a great sweaty patch on the front of my cotton shirt…. Lovely!

It’s a day sail and we are in Belitung, the final stop in the Sail Indonesia Rally.

If you want to see our current position on Google Earth go to http://waterrat43.wordpress.com and then click on ‘links’. David who is aboard at the moment has a spot locator and pings it each day.