BONJOZA AT PUTERI HARBOUR MARINA

Since arriving back at Puteri Harbour Marina from our trekking throughout Thailand & Malaysia, we've settled right back into our normal routine, which includes listening to the local band, Bonjoza, every week-end. From the time we first arrived at Puteri Harbour Marina with the "Sail Indonesia" Rally, we've been entertained by this fantastic group of guys every Saturday & Sunday at the marina's restaurant. On a few occasions, Rees was even invited to play along with the band on his bongo drums, so not being shy at all, he was up there with the guys, banging away with a smile from ear to ear, pretending he was actually part of the band!

The four band members all have "day time" jobs but music is their love & it shines through as they play a great variety of songs, hour after hour. The yachties just love them & quite often get up to dance while the locals are content to sit & listen. We've really enjoyed our long stay at Puteri Harbour Marina but it will be soon time to move on as the "East Malaysian Rally" gathers momentum & celebrates the first of its festivities tonight at Danga Bay, a few miles further north. It will be hard saying farewell to all our new Malaysian friends but hopefully, we'll meet again somewhere in the future.

SOME OF THE MORE INTERESTING PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY

This photo was taken when we were at Hua Hin in Thailand. This little seaside village was a total surprise to us when we realised that the "night life" was full on with "lady boys" at every bar, trying to attract the attention of both men & women! This guy certainly held our attention for most of the night as he pranced, danced & jiggled to the music for hours on end! Wow...he really loved himself!!!

This armed soldier was one of 6 who were seated in the carriage on the train that we'd taken from Chiang Rai to SungiKolok, which was the border town between Thailand & Malaysia. This SE corner of Thailand was a dangerous area for tourists because of the unrest but apparently train travel was considered to be OK compared to road travel, where thousands of people disappear every year due to kidnappings & murder. Having the soldiers on board gave us a sense of security to a degree, but at the same time had us feeling jittery due to their presence.

This lady, from one of the Hill Tribes around Thaton, was one of a group that appeared on the doorsteps of our hotel every morning, trying desperately to sell their trinkets to make some money. After having said "NO" to their approaches every day for 3 days, we finally gave in with Lorna & I both buying a few things to keep them happy. Buying the hat was not one of them!

"The long necks" from the Karen Tribe, were another group of "hill tribe" villagers near Thaton. These poor people who are refugees from Burma, find life difficult as they can't return to their own country & because Thailand doesn't really want them either, they have been forced to live within a small area of the countryside, barely having contact with the outside world except for the occasional visitors.

How they live with those heavy coils around their necks & legs is beyond me! The discomfort from the actual weight, & the heat factor must be unbearable but because it is their culture & they believe that they are more beautiful with the coils on, they continue to wear them. The only time they remove the coils is when they are pregnant & then it must be done by a special medicine man.

SOME OF THE REGULAR SIGHTS WITHIN THAILAND

Temples & Buddhas were a huge feature in every town in Thailand & although we visited quite a few, within a week or so we were all "templed" out & didn't bother with photos of the smaller ones. They were certainly a work of art & it was obvious that the gentle Thai people absolutely loved their icons. When asked what might be of interest in their town, they would always mention a tour of the temple & although we did visit plenty of them, getting to them was usually a feat in itself with most of them being built on the highest hill in the area.

SOME OF THE MORE INTERESTING ANIMALS

Monkeys were always a fascination for us although at times, they could be quite aggressive so we usually kept our distance. The last thing we needed was rabies! Then the elephants near Chiang Rai kept us amused for hours as they bathed, performed in their regular show & painted pictures, which could be bought after the show! They really are beautiful animals & because they were in a conservation park where they also had an elephant hospital, we were able to visit there as well.

DIFFERENT MODES OF TRANSPOT

Our means of transport varied on a daily basis, which made things interesting but compared to Australian prices, the fares on buses, trains, boats, tuk tuks & trishaws was very, very cheap, ensuring that we kept within our budget each day. The buses, when air conditioned, seemed to be our best form of transport although the overnight trips on trains which covered many miles, was the most relaxing, arriving at the destination after waking the following morning.

ME, REES, DAVE AND LORNA

At the beginning of April, our friends, Dave & Lorna flew from Australia to Malaysia to join us for a 6 week back-packing holiday throughout Malaysia & Thailand. We were going to try & keep the holiday as cheap as possible, so the plan was to stay in hostels, guest houses or hotels & as long as they had a fan, or better still, air conditioning, were clean & had en suits, we'd make do! However, after our first hostel experience in Melaka with shared bathrooms, we vowed that we wouldn't do the "hostel" thing again....it was for the younger generation who were travelling on a shoe string.

HAPPIER TIMES WITH MUM AND DAD

This was a photo taken in happier times last year when Mum & Dad were with us at the Whitsundays. It wasn't long after this that Dad was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer which was a devastating blow to the whole family.

Rees & I had departed Darwin on 18th July to sail with the Indonesian Rally & it was only 3 weeks into this trip when I received the dreaded phone call that Dad wasn't well. I then returned to Australia on the first flight possible & stayed with them for 5 weeks until I finally had to return to Indonesia to help Rees take our yacht to Malaysia. Unforunately, Dad deteriorated very quickly so by the time we'd returned to Australia once again in November, we only had limited time left to share with my dear old Dad who passed away on 18th December, a week before Xmas. Of course it was a miserable time for our whole family but after spending a few months with Mum, it was soon time for Rees & I to return to "Windy Spirit".

We'd left "Windy Spirit" at Puteri Harbour Marina, in Johor Bahru, Malaysia but we vowed that we'd sail back to Australia during 2010 to be nearer to our family, who mean the world to us.