Day 66, Year 5: Once in a Blue Moon
Date: Thursday, December 31, 2009
Weather: Most Sunny; NE Winds 10-15
Latitude: N 07 degrees 53.446 minutes
Longitude: E 098 degrees 17.025 minutes
Location: Patong Beach, Phuket Island, Thailand

This New Year’s Eve is a special one as it hosts the second full moon in month of December. The first was on December 2. The second full moon in a month has become known as a blue moon after a writer for Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946 misinterpreted the Maine Farmer’s Almanac and labeled a blue moon as the second full moon in a month. They only happen on New Year’s Eve every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won’t come again until 2028. So enjoy this one and know that it is even more special in that it is a blue moon ending a decade and there will be a lunar eclipse. Unfortunately, we all need to be in India to see the full effect, but I will enjoy whatever we get to see.

So it is about 9 pm on New Year’s Eve here in Thailand. We watched the almost full moon rise as the sun set (full moon for us is sometime tomorrow morning) and then the beautiful parade of lanterns started sailing across the sky, first above the moon and now sailing under the moon. These Thai lanterns are just spectacular as they float through the sky looking like stars, but they are just a forerunner of the fireworks to come. Some small displays have already started and as we understand it, the show continues until 2 in the morning. Not sure will be up for that but we’ll enjoy what we see in the meantime.
We motor sailed the ten miles from Nai Harn to here this morning with about fifteen other boats. The anchorage here is huge, so there is no problem accommodating the many boats here. But Patong Beach is a little like a small glitzy Miami Beach with a little sleeze from the worst of Bourbon Street in New Orleans thrown in. It is fun, but it is not relaxing. We went into town when we first arrived and walked to the huge, modern mall that is here. That mall includes a Carrefour super market which was super crowded today. Carrefour is French and the last one we shopped in was in Papeete in Tahiti. We found some of the nicest meat we have seen in a long time with the array of French Thai beef and pork. We had the pork loin chops tonight and they were wonderful. So we might be going back to purchase more. But we won’t stay here for long. The anchorage is full of crazy tourists speeding through on their ski doos which causes a constant rock and roll. There is a wonderful floating jetty, however, that makes it easy to get supplies on to the dinghy and that has its draw.

But with all the lanterns and fireworks, the brightest spot in our evening was a video Skype call with Justin, Jo, and Ziggy. It was early afternoon there and Ziggy was finally awake. He amazed us he fingered the travel guitar sitting in front of him. I thought he was playing a keyboard until Justin pointed out that it was a guitar. He has obviously watched his mom and dad and now has developed his own techniques. And he is also starting to walk and climb. What a little character he is.

The lights of the lanterns floating serenely above us and the display of fireworks is increasing. And now the music has started in earnest. So I’d better send this log and enjoy the show. Our friends from Shirena, Scot Free II, and Rendezvous Cay went to the see the Simon Show tonight (the lady boy show) that we saw on my birthday last March. They should be returning in a while and will hopefully stop by for a New Year’s champagne toast. Robert and Tina leave on Saturday for their journey to the Red Sea, so we want to send them off in style.

091231 Day 66 Thailand–New Year's Eve in Patong Beach