Continuation ...
2009/2010/2011/2012
After sailing through some of the many
islands along the West coast of Thailand
we arrived in Phuket early in year of 2009. We decided to stop here for one
year to do some land travelling to Cambodia
and Vietnam and to explore
the breathtaking Phang Nga Bay and
its many islands and hongs before continuing on up the Red Sea through the
Mediterranean and back to the Caribbean. One
year extended to two, three and then four. During this time we did numerous
trips back and forth to Malaysia, up the West coast of Thailand to Myanmar and
out to the Andaman Islands (India). We also decided we liked land travel so we
made trips to India, Laos, Hong Kong, and Costa Rica. Over the four years we
fell in love with Thailand
and its food and people and ended up purchasing a condominium in our favourite
bay on the West coast of Phuket. We thought that once we were finished with our
life on CanKata we would retire here. During this four year hiatus, the passage
up through the Red Sea was closed due to Somalian pirates so when it came time
to continue on our circumnavigation we planned our trip through the South
Indian Ocean to South Africa and then up to the Caribbean, through the Panama Canal and then return to
Thailand.
2009
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| CanKata feeling at home in an anchorage in Thailand |
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| The famous Phi Phi Island, Thailand |
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This would become a familiar sight -
longtails heading out to fish at sunset |
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| A popular anchorage - Nai Harn in Phuket |
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| She definitely looks like she belongs here |
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| Thailand's national animal is the elephant |
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| The ubiquitous longtail |
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| It was usually easy to land the dinghy in the dry season |
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| This scene has changed since new restrictions on beach chairs and umbrellas |
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| The Thais are well-prepared if it happens again |
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| Nai Yang Beach ... to become our neighbourhood |
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| Also to become our neighbourhood |
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| The temple in Nai Yang - just around the corner from us now |
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| Yes, we became stuck here |
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| We went for a tour of the amazing Phang Nga Bay |
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| There are several caves in Phang Nga Bay |
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| A cave |
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| This was a beautiful place to sail, but the water wasn't very clear |
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| A fishing couple |
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| The famous James Bond Island |
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| The fishing village on stilts - Panyee |
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| Panyee |
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| CanKitty in Phang Nga Bay |
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| The local bus was handy and cheap |
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| A sunset on the west coast of Phuket |
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| Our Thai visas ran out, so we had to head back to Malaysia |
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| There are plenty of good stops between Thailand and Malaysia |
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| CanKata and CanKitty resting between Thailand and Langkawi |
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| We stopped in Krabi, Thailand - home of many fishing boats |
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| A Krabi market |
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| A Krabi temple |
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| CanKata in Krabi's anchorage, not actually racing with locals |
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| Locals shopping at the Krabi market |
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| We visited a cave in Krabi |
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| Another anchorage on the way to Malaysia |
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| CanKitty and CanKata resting again |
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| Ah ... the perfect back rest |
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| Malaysia here we come! |
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Back in Malaysia
Here - enjoying Seven Wells Falls at Langkawi |
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| We spent some quality time in the Tanjung Rhu River anchorage in Langkawi |
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| The Tanjung Rhu anchorage was always calm, but with a current |
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| We found the perfect spot to beach CanKata once again |
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| Kuah, Langkawi was a pretty town to tour |
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| The Langkawi and Darrel |
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| The anchorage in Kuah - no swimming here |
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| A Malaysian fishing vessel and a silver sunset |
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| Boats at anchor in Tanjung Rhu |
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| CanKata in Tanjung Rhu |
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A safe, calm marina in Malaysia - Rebak
Home for CanKata on several occasions |
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| CanKata being hauled at Rebak Marina |
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| Bad weather on the way! |
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| The rainbow and the gold at Telaga Harbour |
CAMBODIA AND VIETNAM
Photos from our 2009 trip
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| Cambodia is not as rich as Malaysia or Thailand |
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| Our main reason for visiting Cambodia - to see ancient Angkor Wat |
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| A hot air balloon over Angkor Wat |
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| Repairs are ongoing |
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| So many stories told in the carvings |
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| The peaceful grounds at Angkor Wat |
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| Running to get out of the rain |
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| The trees are reclaiming space |
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| Outside Angkor Wat, we are reminded of recent war |
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| Sometimes we took modern transportatio |
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| Sometimes we took more rustic modes |
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| Royal Palace - Siem Reap |
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| A Cambodian snack ... not tried by us |
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| Rural life in Cambodia |
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| Cambodian farmer |
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| There were war reminders in Vietnam too |
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| Darrel, searching for our hotel in a maze |
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Captive animals always look so sad
so we avoided most zoos |
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| On the Mekong Delta |
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| A typical vendor |
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| Touring in the Mekong Delta |
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| The Mekong Delta with a beautiful foreground (our friend Chiyoko) |
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| A fruit vendor |
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| A crowded delta town |
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| A meat vendor |
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| Great to get out of the cities |
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| A local boat |
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| We went on a number of walks in the country-side |
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| We travelled up the seaside but never went swimming |
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| A monument |
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| A silk factory |
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| Rock climbing |
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| A beach festival |
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| Sometimes our rooms had nice views |
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| The town dressed up for the festival |
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| A street vendor |
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| You have to admire their stamina |
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| We were on a much simpler tour boat |
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| Getting ready for the fish market |
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| We bought a couple, even if they weren't 100% |
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| We got one of these too |
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| So much history! |
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| At a peaceful temple |
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| A hungry garuda |
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| A view of the sea |
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| We waded in the South China Sea |
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| Typical street scene |
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| Fancy drinks |
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| Learning how to make incense |
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| Oh great - more steps |
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| Little monks on their way to lessons |
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| After much step climbing |
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| A park in Hanoi |
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| A shrine in a park in Hanoi |
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| We spent a night on Halong Bay |
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| Halong Bay sunset |
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| Lots of fish farms |
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| We hiked up a mountain to see what we could see |
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| Way up in Sapa we had a sweet room |
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| A room with a GREAT view |
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| Purple hands from using indigo to dye fabric |
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| Terraced rice fields - so much depth |
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| Breathtaking |
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| Laundered clothes drying in the sun |
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| Walking around the villages of Sapa |
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| A Hmong woman and her baby |
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| Hmong women |
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| The colourful town of Sapa |
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| Waterfalls near Sapa |
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| The view (of China?) from the falls |
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| Dishes drying |
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| Giay women in Sapa |
After our trip to Cambodia and Vietnam, we returned to CanKata (in Malaysia) and then sailed once again to Thailand.
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| A colourful Thai fishing boat |
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| We stopped at famous Phi Phi island on our way to Phuket |
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| We did some snorkelling |
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| Searching for Nemo |
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| Nemo! |
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| Back at Nai Yang Beach, Phuket (soon to be "home") |
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| Ending the year 2009 anchored in Nai Yang Bay |
Continued in next blog entry ...
