Landlubber tourist things , getting the lay of the land

Our  voyage, from Port Dickson to Phuket, covering some 485nm , of admittedly mainly motoring rather than sailing ,had just one teeny tiny shift to do,as we changed berths along the same finger the following morning.

To ensure it was memorable - it was chucking it down, for the duration of the shift.

Thus concluded the voyage part of the adventure, so it was now time to organize the visit of the shipwright and to try to organize those dinghy tube covers as well as have a squizz at Phuket. Lynne has been here before. I haven't.

First things first. Although this marina is far from the "madding crowd" of the popular tourist spots, from my point of view, it will be fine.
A quick exploration revealed that there are three small local restaurants on the waters edge, ten minutes stroll from the boat, two open for breakfast. One we sampled - apparently the iced  coffee was forgettable, but no denying they were catering for yachties with their "western brekky choices". Not sure about the salad  with the egg 'benny'- sans 'benny' sauce as it turns out.The world's crispiest bacon and potato rosti- that's not a mix n match, that's just how it comes. The "big breakfast" was just that- huge!

Nea Dad Deaw

Above the marina, in the other direction- we are nestled under a cliff, is  a small village. Banana roti , available there - yummy. Also minimal green vegies, if I need them, can be purchased there.
The marina itself does food all day,and very nice it is to.
A very luscious "french toast with a twist"- which I thoroughly recommend- as long as you don't intend eating, for the rest of the day! The twist being bacon,banana and maple syrup.

My favorite new snack in the afternoon, with an aperitif is Nea Dad Deaw, Thai fried sun dried beef, or Moo Dad Deaw which is pork. Beats peanuts or chippies hands down.The kaffir lime leaves are fried as well and they are just a taste sensation.


So I'm not going to starve to death. There are two mini markets here as well, for emergency essentials. Three car hire places ,so transport wont be an issue.They do the ubiquitous motor scooters as well, but think I will start with a car, until at least a) i get the hang of the traffic, b) know where I'm going so I'm not tying to listen to a phone app. Probably wont bother with a scooter, as if I go on a shopping expedition, I will need a car to return with the goods anyway.

Got the tube covers organized and the dinghy was picked up and whizzed to the other end of the island (Ao Chalong Bay, as it turns out). the shipwright turned up the next morning and after he had been, we were away on a tour of the island.

Lynne navigating, me driving. The driving didn't seem too bad. The lanes and their markings do tend to do odd merges here and there. The speed limit signs appear to have been placed only as part of  a "jobs and growth strategy"- nobody pays any attention to them. It does however, pay when turning left, to check that there aren't  any "contraflow" bikes or scooters coming your way .

We did a trial run for location and timing to the airport, and then we continued on to the nearest major shopping centre at Thalang, half way down the island and apparently the original main town , until things moved a little further south to Phuket Town.
The road layout is fairly obvious.It's an island , you can go north or south , or east and west (but not everywhere due to the mountain range in the middle of the island) ,and then of course  around the edges, to the famous beaches on the west coast. The major roads are clearly denoted with a number , which I can read and their  names ,which I can't read , but finding 402 will get me home.

Also discovered  pretty quickly that you need to plan your shopping expedition, according to your direction of travel. Tescos is on left side going south from here. As is Boat Lagoon Marina,and multitude of boat workshops and tradesmen, then Royal Phuket Marina- very pleased, apart from the ridiculous cost, that I'm not there. It is a marina located up a creek, TOTALLY surrounded by condos apart from the narrow entrance. It would be like living in a sauna- no breeze would ever make it in there.Bet the electricty charges wont be cheap either!
Coming north is a fabulous hardware store for general  stuff,a  bit like the multinational one we have , but this is a Thai one, heaps of staff everywhere , but so far, unless I can find it myself ,the usual answer is, 'sorry no have' with a beaming smile. None the less, its huge and its just a matter of digging around until I find what I want. Then there is Macro- great vegies, frozen food cabinets to die  for , cheese and dairy , ditto and TONIC water and COFFEE BEANS.
If you miss your destination, it can be several kilometers before you can execute a U turn, and then you have just as many extra kilometers in the other direction, before you can execute your second U turn.
Easy when you know , where the shop is that you want, and which side of the 402 its located.

Our tour took us not quite into Phuket Town and then towards Patong beach, a glimpse of the heaving masses on the beach being enough for me, so we headed north back towards Yacht Haven, via a very twisty (4030) road.
The obvious marks of the 2004 Tsunami are still evident in places, but there has been massive rebuilding as well.
 The next morning we checked out the Sarasin bridges (the old one, now a pedestrian bridge only) which connect the island to mainland Thailand.These bridges only two or so nautical miles from the marina, unfortunately have  bridge span clearance heights  of  only 12.3m high, so I can't exit to the Similan Islands that way, and will have to do a grand, almost circumnavigation to get- all bar 2nm , back to almost where I am, to jump off towards the Similans.

Looking east towards marina

Looking West to the open sea

Dropped Lynne at the airport after a fairly full on three weeks or so,but we achieved the mission plan and arrived safe and sound. Thanks Lynne , it was fun.- and don't forget you are one of the very few who have been here when a fish was caught. Maybe I should get some shirts made "I was on K'Gari when a fish accidentally ran into the lure"

Now I await my next crew, and we will explore Phang Nga Bay and the Similans
Another episode  of the adventure ended.