Day 54, Year 4: Arrival in Thailand
Date: Monday, December 15, 2008
Weather: Beautiful Day-Sun, Some Wind, Light Rain in Late Afternoon
Latitude: 06 degrees 41.848 minutes N
Longitude: 099 degrees 38.380E
Location: Ao Pante Malacca, Ko Tarutao, Thailand

Today was just a beautiful day and we are now attached to a mooring in the Ko Tarutao Marine National Park in Thailand. Much of Thailand is very touristy, but the marine park is totally eco-friendly and beautiful. There are no resorts here, just back-packer accommodations. Some concessions were made in 2001 when the Survivor TV series was filmed here, but otherwise it is a quiet, untouched spot. You could easily spend a week or more here, but we will only be until for a day or so. Our friends,
Kevin and Claire, should arrive here by ferry from the mainland tomorrow on the 12 noon ferry or the later ferry at 4:30 pm. We will spend the next day exploring the island and then move on. But I can see that this is a spot where we might return.

We arrived here mid-afternoon after some delightful sailing mixed with some motorsailing. The water looked clear and clean so I decided that it was time for me to jump in and clean the waterline. We haven’t been in the clean, clear water since Belitung in Indonesia, so this was a treat. I had to fight a bit of current but I did get the waterline cleaned. Tomorrow morning Mark will dive to clean the prop and as much of the bottom as he can before we head to shore to meet Kevin and Claire.

It is beautiful here, not dramatic, but the layers of mountains and misty clouds that hang between the mountains make a beautiful backdrop. We are ready for a holiday vacation exploring Thailand and this anchorage is a perfect beginning.

081215 Day 54 Ko Tarutao, Thailand–Telega Harbor to Ko Tarutao