Klang - Pulau Indah
28 September 2019 | Klang
Virginia MacRobert | Thunderstorm
Pos 1630, 28/09/19. 2 54'N, 101 18'E. Well, as much as we dawdled we still got here in pretty good time. We didn't stay out the extra night but arrived on Wed 25th, Sept about 1700. The journey into here was uneventful, except for a severe thunderstorm. We have now discovered that this is a daily occurrence ( about 1600 daily) and the lightning is particularly vicious, but Hunter is becoming accustomed to it already. Pulau Indah (beautiful Island) hosts a very large shipping port, as do other parts of Klang (Kelang). The port is on the opposite side of the island along another channel. We are in a marina which is on the river proper. The tide is fierce here and rushes in and out at 4-5 knots. We've had to double up on lines holding us to the dock. If they snapped.......goodbye Shonandra! The marina is another Malaysian white elephant of which there are many. There are empty luxury resorts as well as empty marinas.This is one of them. The marina even though isolated, is quite nice, but a few of the walkway boards are rotting so we walk along the dotted lines, where they are screwed down. The club house has an empty Cafeteria, empty offices and meeting rooms, but has working showers and toilets, but men only. The women's is locked. The showers are disgusting as I don't think anyone cleans them, but there is ample cold water to wash in, so we brave the showers in thongs just in case of catching some deadly disease. There's a car park and a guardhouse, with an electric gate controlled by a guard 24/24. There is a small fishing club with about 8 boats there with a few people coming and going. There are some other small sailboats here kept by locals. Outside the compound the bush is thick, and home to all kinds of critters, like lizards, monkeys and giant pythons. We dare not go for walks out there even though there is a one lane of bitumen road leading to the marina. The python which visits occasionally has already swallowed two of the local stray cats, so we keep a good eye on Coco. He has escaped once but only got as far as the end of the dock. On Thursday we went to town via Grab ( Uber). The lady who drove us was very patient and pointed out local landmarks, shipping ports mainly. Klang is a busy town with too many cars and bikes (scooters) and non ceasing activity and noise. After going to four immigration offices trying to check in we finally found one to do it for us. Customs already came to the boat to see Hunter and Coco and their permits and new passports when we arrived. We visited the Royal Selangor Yacht Club, the main building of which is an old world structure which looks very British Colonial. We cant afford to moor there which is a pity since their seafood menu is quite delicious. Quel domage! We will make do with my home cooked stir fries and rice noodles etc. Doesn't have the same ring as the Royal Selangor YC though. We are planning on leaving here and going north for a couple of days and anchoring out. We would have gone this morning but our fuel ride hasn't turned up. We have waited all day. We need a lift to a service station to buy fuel for our Gerry cans. We cannot leave without it. It is now almost 1700 so I doubt he will appear now. Always tomorrow....maybe. It is cutting the time short though, as Hunter and Coco will be collected on Oct 6th and taken to Petaling Jaya near KL, in preparation for their departure on Oct 10th. That's it today, and we will let you know if we move up north. John and Ginni