Day 56, Year 5: First Christmas
Date: Monday, December 21, 2009
Weather: Overcast Day; ENE Winds 15-20
Location: Ao Chalong, Phuket, Thailand
We started our morning at the Twin Coconuts using their free wireless to connect with Justin, Jo, and Ziggy. It was their Sunday evening and they had chosen Sunday as their Christmas in the US day. It was evening for them and they had had a wonderful day. And at Twin Coconuts we actually had a Christmas tree that was in the background as we talked. So with their cheery moods and our little Christmas tree, we actually got in to the Christmas spirit. Our main present for Ziggy was a Radio Flyer push wagon and Justin and Jo said they got an amazing video of him when he discovered it early on Sunday. He is not walking yet, but he immediately stood up and started pushing it around. So that was a success. We took some Skype pictures of him as we talked and those will be posted with this log when we have high speed internet. He is such a cutie. Justin, Jo, and Ziggy will be flying to England on Wednesday, and we really hope we can have a video Skype call with them there on Christmas Day. We’ll just have to see where we are and whether that is possible. So today was our first day of Christmas and we’ll just keep on celebrating through the next few days.
We had a huge list of things to accomplish today, and we did a lot of them, but not all. We got the rental jeep and headed out to find Him’s shop. We did, but he was not there. In a phone conversation with Him, he told us to call again tomorrow. So obviously the alternator is not yet ready. We dropped off one of our two LP tanks to be filled and then headed toward Phuket Town. We stopped at Rolly Tasker to see if they would replace a hundred feet of line that we bought there last spring. There was one place where it seemed like there had been an internal splice that kept the line from going through the pulley at the top of the mast and the rope clutch on the side of the mast. Without any questions or any receipt, they did replace the line. So score one. From there we went directly to the Boat Lagoon area. We made a stop at each of the two chandleries that are on the way there looking for a few items, but we found nothing. At the Boat Lagoon, we picked up some items from Canvas Creations who made our cockpit enclosure last year and dropped off the board that our aft toilet sits on. It was in dire need of replacement and we were told we could pick up a new one at 4 pm. We stopped to see Larry at East Marine and stopped at the Royal Phuket Marina next door to the Boat Lagoon to see Neil and Ley on Crystal Blues and Judy and Dave on Freebird. Crystal Blues was on the hard when we were here last year in the Boat Lagoon, but because of one thing and then another, they were just launched on December 4. We knew they planned to leave Royal Phuket tomorrow and we just wanted to say hello. What we didn’t know is that Ley had to have an unexpected operation last week in the middle of trying to get the boat up and going, so they are a little behind. Because of tides, they must leave Royal Phuket tomorrow or they can’t leave for another two weeks. So they were scurrying about trying to move out of their apartment and get things ready to leave. They will go to Ao Po Grand Marina and finish their jobs there. Judy on Freebird wasn’t home, but Dave was there and we dropped off some of the Red Sea and Med books that they wanted to buy from us. By this time it was 12:30 and we were just getting ready to shop. How time flies!
We had a list of electronic needs that we attacked first.. We bought a 3G modem for our computer that should allow us to get internet when we are anywhere where there is phone service (Mark just told me that he downloaded emails, so I guess it is working.), a 350 watt inverter to be able to keep our computer running for navigation purposes without using the boat’s inverter which takes way more power, and a barrel connector that will allow Mark to connect cables and move the location of our VHF radio. That all sounds easy, but it was not. It took multiple stops to find these things and by the time we were done it was 3:00 and we hadn’t had lunch. So we made a brief stop to eat and then started our food search. We found a source of rolled oats for our granola that makes it cost 1/3 of any other breakfast alternative, and we found another source that had bulk sunflower seeds, but that was just about it. It was starting to get dark and stores were closing, so we headed back to Ao Chalong. We will continue again next Monday, but for now we are going to stop and relax with friends for Christmas.
We will go into town in the morning to return the rental jeep, pick up our propane tank, check with Him about the alternator, and do some Christmas dinner shopping. By noon we should be on our way to Nai Harn Bay. We are looking forward to the change and the chance to catch up with friends we haven’t seen since last year.
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