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.
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