Time To Go
15 February 2018
Kim
It's been close to a month since we've been back in Malaysia. Hard to believe for us - we've been knee deep in projects and passage preparations, and the time has flown by. 'Livin' The Dream' is hard work! We've had our engine serviced, installed a new alternator and regulator (what a mission), the canvas work is finished, our topsides are polished, teak repaired, and our beautiful decks have been scrubbed so well they look brand new. Our ditch bags are packed, cabins organized, and every nook and cranny is stuffed with enough provisions to get us through the next 6 months. It's nearly time to set sail and continue our slow journey west. And while we've had many memorable moments in Malaysia, we're ready to start making new memories in the Maldives. We've met so many interesting people - many of whom have become good friends. And we've been thrilled to meet up with old friends too, proving that this is indeed a small world and goodbye doesn't have to mean forever. I'll miss the fabulous pool at Rebak Resort, the breakfast buffets and attentive chefs (who were so eager to accommodate my dietary restrictions). I'll miss the generous wine pours and quirky people we've met from around the world during happy hour at the beach bar. I'll miss the huge lizards who roam freely around the resort - not a day passed that we didn't startle each other in obscure places across the Island. I'll miss the geckos and the little frogs that keep me company in the bathroom, and I'll never take a Western style toilet for granted again after having to squat over Asian ones, and realizing that while toilet paper is optional - spray hoses are customary. I've never been so hot in my life - the heat and humidity has been so intense that perspiration literally drops beneath you in a puddle. I'm hoping I won't miss Elbe once we've gone, because she's already moved on to a new home. She became such a valuable member of the team in spite of her unfortunate girth and always being in the way. She really proved herself by being hard working and staying cool as a cucumber in any circumstance. Elbe was our portable air conditioner who made our life aboard tolerable while we were at Rebak, and I'm sure she will be equally valued by her new owners. I'll never forget our little red jalopy of a rental car, loaned to us by a 'Mr Din' (who often ended up being a different person). For $60 Ringets (about 20 dollars) he'd hand us the keys, no paperwork, no questions asked, and only one caveat. The fuel tank came empty, each and every time. Our first trip would be to the gas station. So what happened to the fuel every night? Who knows. Our little red bomb became our favorite of the Mr Din cars. The air conditioning worked, and so did all 4 windows and doors. A luxury compared to some of the others, like the one with a loose headlight. It fell out when we careened around a corner trying to miss a scooter. But Mr Din wasn't fussed. But what I'm hoping will soon become a distant memory is the eerie green glow in the deep of night, cast by hundreds of fishing boats who slowly, silently slip into view, until they surround us - like a Martian invasion. I wonder how many miles we'll have to sail before they disappear from view?