Category: Uncategorized

Kathy wanted me to blog these pictures from Thursday

And just one of the bowsprit for good measure

 

Paul C.

I finished sanding down the starboard side today, there’s a lot of rot around some of the bolts holding the rail down. However it doesn’t extend very far and doesn’t affect the strength of the fastenings, so I’m cutting / scraping out the rot and either filling with thickened epoxy or adding wooden insets.
I think I went a bit far on reducing the amount of hardener in the epoxy today as it’s taking a long time to go off, and consequently I can’t move onto the next stage. This forced me to start on the bowsprit.

I removed the pulpit, and tomorrow I will remove the platform to get full access to the sprit, I don’t think it’s been properly varnished since new. I’m also going to go in search of a carpenter to make me a new platform, this one is now quite thin and split in places.
In order to get the platform off, I had to get the anchor off, so thought this would be an ideal time to get all the chain out, check it, and push Kathy into the chain locker to give it a good scrubbing up, I would do it myself, except I’m too big, and we don’t have any victorian chimney sweep boys available.

I took the picture above, the guy on the left is Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and that’s me on the right. I think you have to agree the likeness is uncanny!  And we are both working on great engineering projects, him on the launch of the SS Great Britain, and me doing the same for the SV Sister Midnight. If you don’t know who ISB is, then don’t worry, but you should probably read more about engineering (Thanks to Tony Wilson for that line).

As you might have seen from Kathy’s post, Bandanas are all the rage on Sister Midnight today. I need one to stop the sweat dripping down onto my varnishing as I work, Kathy has one just to look cool.

Paul C.

The main parts of Tuesday and Wednesday were spent on the boat. Paul was busy sanding the cap rails and I stayed below reading, writing, catching up on emails, and helping Paul when needed (mainly fetching and carrying).

On the 1.5 mile-walk to Tesco, I saw the spot where Paul got mugged. In daylight it looked a most innocuous place; a verdant country lane with colourful flowers, joggers and cyclists. The only thing missing was dog walkers.  I’ve seen very few dogs since I’ve been in Malaysia. A couple of nervous strays and once, a whole pack of them, much like the packs that I used to see roaming the streets in the 70s. We see lots of cats and kittens too but it’s hard to tell if they belong to anyone. The local radio station urges people to adopt stray cats and dogs and there is a ‘help the beach cats’ programme in place, but it seems the idea of pets isn’t a ‘thing’ here yet.

Yesterday morning (Thursday), I cleaned the spray dodger in the hope that it would improve visibility. I couldn’t stay out long, though – the exertion needed for cleaning left me sweating and breathless. Paul stays out in it for hours using power tools and doing strenuous jobs. He says it’s because he’s acclimatised. If that’s the case, I’ve got a long way to go yet! Because he needed to go to a chandler in George Town, we decided to combine it with visiting the places I’d been reading about in the guide book (a heritage walk relating to George Town’s colonial era). This time we got a taxi to take us straight to the chandler’s which is directly opposite the clan jetties, so when Paul had finished we made those our first stop.  These are little wooden houses perched on stilts over the sea. Each of the ‘villages’ on the jetties has its own Chinese clan and are named for them: ‘Chew Jetty’, ‘Lim Jetty’ etc.  Most now sell gifts, hats and cold drinks but one still makes a living from fishing.

Apart from the heat-at its peak at this time of the day-we had to contend with the very heavy traffic on the main road.  Pavements are intermittent and haphazard, so cars and (particularly) scooters whizz dangerously close to your body. It’s also hard to hear anything with the constant roar of engines and horns beeping. We headed inland to the busy, but calmer, streets and made for Fort Cornwallis.  I was keen to see the site where the founder of Penang, Francis Light had supposedly loaded a cannon with silver dollars and fired it into the jungle as motivation for the workers to clear the thick undergrowth for the settlement he wanted to establish.  We didn’t want to go in to the fort because we’d heard there wasn’t a lot to see and it wasn’t worth the entrance fee, so we had a walk around the walls instead.

We were ready for some refreshment after this, so walked along the esplanade enjoying the cool breeze coming off the sea.  Our destination was The Eastern and Oriental Hotel, a grand and luxurious building that in its heyday was host to illustrious guests such as Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward and W Somerset Maugham. Neither of us was hungry but I wanted to see what the bar was like so we entered the palatial cool, dark reception hall and through to an old-fashioned looking, beautifully decorated lounge bar (wooden walls, plush leather seats). It was empty and there was a terrace area outside so we asked the barman if we could sit out there with a drink and he offered to bring our order out to us.  The only places to sit were on sun loungers that were set out around the swimming pool and from here we had a lovely view of the rear of the hotel with its brilliant white walls and ornate balconies. Despite its reconstruction, it was easy to imagine it in past times when writers and actors visited.  Our drinks arrived with a dish of nuts and crisps and we spent a pleasant hour relaxing by the pool.

Next it was on to the Protestant Cemetery where Francis Light is buried. It was a fascinating place, reminiscent of Highgate with its crumbling and cracked headstones and tombs.  So many men and women had died young – hardly any were over 50. They had succumbed to the rigours of the tropics (malaria, dysentery and cholera mainly). 

By the time we were ready to walk to the bus station, it was late afternoon and the beginning of rush hour so the journey back took ages due to the bus crawling through the town traffic jams but it was cool inside and it felt great to be sitting down after being on our feet for so long.

Kathy

 

So the elements laid on a good sunset for our last night in Langkawi, I meant to put this picture up the other day, the beams of light must be caused by the mountain tops illuminating a strata of cloud. Quite fascinating, at least to me.

Now we are boaty tourists, the plan is to work hard on the boat with frequent breaks sightseeing. Our first trip into Penang was a bit rushed but we did get to see an interesting exhibition of old photographs of Penang, Kathy is reading up on the history of the place, and guess what, the Brits don’t come out of it too well, surprise surprise.

I think I’m a bit used to SE Asia now, but I forget how strange it must all be for Kathy having never been east of Kalamos in Greece.

Spotted some kittens playing, Kathy wanted one, and of course I would love to have obliged, but the thought of splitting them up seemed so unfair 😉

 

Back at the boat I have started on the starboard side cap rail and coaming. This side has more damage, but I think I can repair the wood sufficiently.

One day I might replace the whole rail, but there are other priorities right now.
Since we arrived I have checked off quite a few tasks, we have a new mixer tap in the galley, so now we have hot water for doing the dishes. I have stowed the old CQR anchor in the lazarette and also re-organised the stowage, there’s a chance the fenders will all fit into the locker, which would be amazing.

The best bit was connecting the boats internal Air-Con into a supply of tap water from the pontoon, as it’s own sea water cooling pump has failed. This worked, which proved the refrigerator part of the AC is working, so I can now hunt down a water pump in Penang, the challenge is to find a pump that works with salt water, runs continuously, is quiet, and not too expensive.

Back to the sanding

Paul C.

On Sunday evening we walked to a huge shopping mall in Batu Uban, the small town in which the marina is situated.  Our purpose was to buy more food in the well-stocked supermarket there but we had a walk around before doing that. The building was wonderfully cool after the 30-minute walk in intense heat. Apart from a few cultural differences, the mall could be in any city in the world – all the usual designer shops, brands and fast food chains were in place, complete with a multiplex cinema on the top floor.  I had a look around a bookshop which we thought might have been a Borders once, until we found an actual Borders on another floor.

In the alcohol section of the supermarket (suitably distanced from the shop’s more worthy items such as sugar-loaded cakes, biscuits and flavoured milks), Paul showed me how much more expensive it is to buy wine here.  It’s almost double what it cost in Langkawi, so it’s a good job I’ve cut down ;).

On Monday afternoon we moved Sister Midnight from the emergency pontoon to a berth just around the corner which is where we’ll stay until the 2nd of September while Paul gets on with sanding and varnishing and other maintenance jobs.  We also want to see some of the George Town festival however, so late in the afternoon we set out to check out the first of the events I’d chosen.  George Town is further away than I thought.  A bus service runs there and the stop is on the main road near the marina (in the shade of some trees luckily, considering the 20 minute wait in blast furnace heat).  I didn’t know which window to look out of on the journey; we passed elegant Chinese-style houses and temples, shanty town-like shacks, coconut trees, farms, parks and the ubiquitous high-rise tower blocks were dotted in between them all.

We got out at the Komtar tower complex (basically another huge shopping mall, except this one includes a hotel). Paul knows the town fairly well so he led the way to the centre from there – quite a walk in the heat but plenty to look at on the way.  I particularly loved Little India, an area of streets where saris, flower garlands, and Indian jewellery and statues are out on show in the colourful shops and stalls.  The more unpleasant street smells are masked by the gorgeous aromas of incense and curry wafting through the air. Indian music coming from one of the shops added to the festive atmosphere.

The exhibition we’d come to see was in a venue called The Black Kettle, a modern airy cafe bar, which (unusually) served wine.  We also managed to buy some real bread in the delicatessen shop here (well worth it at £3 a loaf!).

‘Penang Then and Now’, showed, in photographs, how specific locations in the city had changed over the years, with historical anecdotes explaining how and why etc, and I found it fascinating. I think Paul enjoyed it too :).

Back on the streets, we spent some time searching for a restaurant Paul wanted to revisit.  It was worth the walk and the wait. We had delicious Indian meals (Mushroom Masala for me and Chicken Masala for Paul).

Before getting a taxi back we had a walk along the waterfront. The night was warm and as in any seaside town the prom was lively and crowded. I’m keen to go back and have a proper look in the daylight.  The waterfront has several places of interest relating to the history and development of Penang, and some beautiful buildings too.

 

Another squall came as we set off on Saturday morning, which Paul describes in his post. This one was more intense and from the look of the sky it seemed to me that bad weather was set for the day.  Once again, the force of the waves rocked us from side to side, and the wind reached speeds of up to 40 knots.  Paul discovered his wet weather gear wasn’t waterproof while he was up above steering in extremely poor visibility and said he felt cold for the first time since we’d arrived.

Meanwhile, in the cabin, I succumbed to slight seasickness, having made the mistake of trying to read. I had to lay down on the port side sofa like a lady on a chaise lounge until it passed, which thankfully wasn’t long.

Conditions had improved by 1pm so I went above to help watch for buoys, fishing lines and ferries as we approached Penang Bridge. Obviously from away it looked as if our mast wouldn’t fit underneath it but it was most disconcerting that this perception didn’t alter as we got nearer.  I just had to double check with Paul that it would – thus inviting the response that unless they’d lowered the bridge since he was here last, all would be fine…guess I asked for that.

My impression of Penang itself as we drew near wasn’t terribly favourable.  High rise buildings, industrial units, and lots of debris in the murky water.  At this point, Paul felt it prudent to tell me more about the place: the marina shower and toilet block was unusable due to its being filthy; there would be mosquitoes, and they would bite; the cockroaches I’d see wouldn’t be just any old cockroaches – these can fly; electricity and water might be intermittent; the nearby motorway was noisy and we would be rocked about by passing boats while on the emergency pontoon…oh, and let’s not forget that Paul got mugged last time he was here! Yet Paul loves it here – he describes it as Birkenhead North on steroids.

By the time we were tied up on the pontoon at 4pm in the sweltering heat, Paul had an addition to those negative pieces of information – it’s hotter here than Langkawi. Despite my concerns about how I’d cope with all that, I decided to wait a few days before I judged it too harshly.  We went for dinner in the evening at one of the nearby Malay restaurants that Paul had eaten in when he was here in June. It was quite smelly on the walk there – stagnant water, mud, and other unidentifiable odours, and I saw a rat scuttle off down one of the building pipes. There are lots of scooters here. Several passed us as we walked the short distance to the restaurant and most of the riders slowed down to wave or give us a friendly greeting.  The eating places looked like a street market from a distance – lit up and open plan with delicious smells emanating from them.  Ours was very busy, pleasant-looking and specialised in seafood. Our request about the possibility of dishes without meat and fish threw our poor waiter a bit but we managed to order a mango salad and some paprika rice for me while Paul had a chicken dish.  Neither of us were overly impressed with the food but I enjoyed the ambience, and the haphazard, chaotic service was somehow charming. When we went to pay, our check couldn’t be found and we had to stand aside while other people in the queue paid before us. When we eventually settled up, Paul was surprised by the amount and it was only later he discovered he’d been charged for a sea bass (we’d paid for someone else’s dinner).

Now that I’ve had my first full day here it really isn’t a squalid or undesirable place. It does seem hotter, but it’s a drier heat and you simply stay out of it while it’s fierce.  The boat is cool enough and there’s always plenty to do on it, as there is in any dwelling. I’ve seen no cockroaches yet, although I have been bitten (possibly by mosquitoes or maybe sandflies) but they’re not as bad as the ones in Spain.  The shower and toilet block is perfectly ok to use, and I can’t hear the traffic noise. We’re here for three weeks and there are lots of places to visit as well as the festival so I’m looking forward to seeing what else Penang has to offer.

 

We woke to the sights and sounds of a storm early on Thursday morning. Loud claps of thunder, flashes of lightning and a heavy downpour greeted us as we prepared for our trip to Pulau Songsong. By the time we were ready to leave at 10.30, it was warm and humid – hot when the sun emerged from behind the clouds.  I steered us out of the marina and into the bay, using the bow thruster for the first time, and I was pleased at how smoothly it went. Once we were in The Malacca Straits heading south, the autohelm took over the steering. This one is much more efficient than the one on Lady Stardust and is such a boon. It means that apart from keeping watch, we are free to move around and get on with other things.  I’m still getting used to the navigation system on this boat – it looks complicated but I suspect it’s just a matter of becoming familiar with it.

A squall hit us after a couple of calm, pleasant hours at sea and Paul has described it in detail in his blog. I’ve experienced enough of them now not to be too alarmed by them. It’s mostly uncomfortable in several ways – more so for Paul who literally battles the elements up above. In the cabin, this squall provided a good test of how well things were stowed.  With the boat rolling from side to side in the big waves, things were being thrown around inside cupboards and lockers and I could hear some alarming clanks and crashes.  Some of the drawers flew open as if a Poltergeist was creating mischief and all the cans from the top shelf of the fridge ended up on the bottom. I positioned myself so that I was ready to sort things out and re-stow but nothing was broken or damaged and only a bit of tweaking is needed to ensure more stability.

Once it was calm again, Paul tried his luck with putting a line out to catch a fish for dinner. He’d been told the area was a rich fishing ground but he had no takers for his bait.

The island, as we approached it, reminded me of the ones Bear Grylls chooses for his TV series’ about surviving as castaways.  I thought it was all rainforest but Paul said it’s just a huge rock, with trees planted on the outside of it as ‘decoration’. It’s also a military base so supposedly off limits to visitors but there was a group of lads on the beach happily preparing a barbecue for the fish they’d caught. There’s a widespread disregard for some of the rules and regulations in Malaysia: I like that.

When we’d anchored and the engine was switched off, the noises coming from the trees were hard to determine -birds, m0nkeys, or possibly both – but it was fabulous to sit and listen to them, along with the sound of the waves breaking on the shore as we ate in the cockpit.  As the sun set, several small fishing boats came to cast and check nets near the beach. They all came fairly near to us for a ‘look’ and all gave us a friendly wave.

 

The promised return of the bad weather, came bang on time at 2am and again, Paul gives details of it in his blog. It was good to know the anchor held through it all, though and nice to be rocked back to sleep by the gentler waves when it calmed down again. Despite the broken sleep, we were suitably refreshed and all set to resume our journey onto Penang at 9am.

Kathy

It’s Saturday afternoon and we are on the arrivals pontoon in Batu Uban, on the Island of Penang, back where I started this adventure with wanderlust back in January.

We decided to leave Langkawi on Thursday as the weather was predicted to be rubbish for a week or so, slightly better to the south, and as we had planned on doing sightseeing in Langkawi, it seemed more logical to get down to Penang and enjoy the festival here then head back to Langkawi when the weather improved.

So yesterday we paid our bills and headed south, it’s a long slog (12+ hours) to do the journey in one go, especially as it’s risky sailing at night here, the risk of collision with a fishing boat/net is high as they tend not to be lit. So we broke the trip up by spending the night at anchor behind the island of SonSong. This is a lovely little spot, but before we could get there we had to deal with some big squalls, the worst occurred just as we were approaching another island called Pulau Paya, I could see it approaching, and with the help of the radar and a little bit of trigonometry I calculated that by dropping our speed to 3 knots it would pass ahead of us, which it did, which was nice. We still got soaked and rocked around a lot, but missed the worst of it. In case you don’t know, a squall is like a mini thunderstorm, you see them on the horizon as an ominous large black cloud, getting darker and bigger as it approaches. Once it gets near, the sea whips up and the rain chucks it down, and there is a very strong wind, sometimes 30-50 knots. Visibility is also very poor. They can take 30 minutes to a couple of hours to pass depending on the bigger weather picture. Most of the squalls come from the SW during this monsoon season, so we anchored on the North East side of the island at Palua Songsong.
It was a very pleasant evening, not too hot, the monsoon wind kept us cool on the boat and Kathy cooked up a lovely pasta dish for dinner.

I slept in the cockpit, we had all the windows open and the boat was lovely and fresh. Accuweather had predicted 70-80% chance of rain during the night with their prediction peaking around 2AM, which is exactly when the rain came. I was in the cockpit, and was woken by a strange sound getting louder, it was in fact heavy rain falling on the sea, and approaching, by the change in volume I could tell it would be big, and soon. I chucked my pillow and sheet down the hatch, jumped in and sprinted around the boat shutting portlights, by the time I reached the front of the cabin where Kathy was just waking, she had been drenched by rain pouring into the boat. within minutes we had the boat watertight again, and Kathy was back asleep. I couldn’t sleep, I was expecting wind to arrive with the rain, and we were very close to the shore. Also this was my first time I had used the new Spade anchor in any kind of real test, so I was worried if we had a problem we could be blown onto the beach. I was also curious as to how this would play out, I ended up watching the rain and wind from the cockpit until 4AM when I fell asleep in the rain. By morning things had improved, but it was still wet and windy. At 9AM the wind started to pick up and was now from the East, so I decided we should leave as we were now on a lee shore, meaning we were being blown towards the beach and if the anchor gave we might have problems.
Just as we got the anchor up I noticed a few fishing boats racing directly towards us, I did wonder why, one of them almost hit us, the other close behind, and I was still bringing the anchor on board, they waved and smiled but I didn’t understand what they were saying, which was a shame. We waved and headed off. We had just cleared the island when I realised that they had all been heading to our spot to take shelter from one mother fecker of a squall that was hidden from us, but heading up from the other side of the island, and I had just motored right into it. This was at least as bad as any Force 8 I had been in, thankfully we had no sails up at this point. I managed to swing the bow around and head back to the anchorage, where I waited for 30 minutes to let the worst of it pass. After that we headed onto Penang, but more squalls came and went, we were in poor vis, rain and rough seas for the next 3 hours. At least the boat held up well. I got a headsail, the Staysail, up and that pushed us along at about 6 knots, The Radar helped me see more squalls, but the AIS is of limited use around here as many commercial ships don’t seem to use it.

As we approached Penang the squalls abated and the sea calmed, by the time we went through the old bridge it was turning into a lovely day, hard to reconcile the hot air, blinding sun with the soaking wet oilies and clothes scattered around the cockpit.

Just a word on AIS, if you are following us on AIS you need to be aware that AIS wasn’t designed for the internet, it’s really a ship to ship safety thing, so ships broadcast to each other beacon signals and it’s just like radar, but with more information like GPS Position, name, callsign, speed, course, and some physical boat details. Coast guards and harbour masters also use AIS to monitor shipping, and actually can generate fake AIS signals to simulate hazards for ships to be aware of.
We have the cheapo version AIS-B, which doesn’t give destination, or whether we are anchored/steaming etc.
Also the Internet sites like “Marine Traffic” and “vessel finder” don’t have many listening stations, if any. They rely on feeds from people who have setup AIS receivers and connected them to the internet, these are mostly hobbyists, or universities and consequently coverage can be scratchy. I think there are two different sources of AIS data for the internet in Penang, one of them can’t see me in Batu Uban, but the other can. There are sites like AISHub who merge data from various reporting sites / organisations and then syndicate it back to them
The main point here is that if you don’t see me on AIS then don’t be alarmed, it just means Im not in an area monitored by an AIS internet connected receiver (or possibly we have sunk, in which case you can be alarmed). I would expect when we hit the Pacific, you may not see another AIS signal from me again, other than the fake ones I can generate from my iPhone when I have a signal.

Tomorrow we go hunting for a berth with electricity and move the boat there, before we head off into town for Kathy to experience the joys of Penang.

Paul C.

 

We did our first ‘big shop’ on Monday evening. A big part of it was soft drinks. I think I’m going to seriously deplete the island’s stock of soda water while I’m here. It’s only available in small cans, and there are no bottles of sparkling water to be found anywhere. I get through litres of the stuff, and not just in wine!  Neither of us are eating very much at the moment – not because we feel ill or anything, it’s merely because the heat takes away your appetite.  It will often be well after midday before we’ll have some fruit or toast.  For this reason we bought staples such as bread, eggs, cheese, fruit, pasta, tinned goods and some fruit and veg along with all the cans of soda, diet coke and mineral water.  I like to think I’m not unique in the enjoyment I derive from browsing other countries’ supermarkets. It’s fascinating to check out the variety of different and intriguing foodstuffs and local specialities.

A few products different enough to mention are:

bananas; they are delicious – smaller and creamier and sweeter (possibly due to the fact that they aren’t chilled before sale). We get through lots of them. The apples are nice, too – paler, with a ‘melon-like’ flavour.

coffee; try as we might we have been unable to find ground arabica coffee without the added ingredients of ‘creamer’ and sugar.  The preference here is for white, sweet coffee and the aisles are full of all kinds of brands with 2-in-1 or 3-in-1 variations of this.  Paul did manage to get some beans ground in a nearby Starbucks, but we’ll be bringing packets back from home when we return in January.

bread; disappointingly, the only loaves we’ve found are sliced, and all the varieties, whether wholemeal, seeded or wholegrain are rather sweet and doughy.  I’ve seen butterscotch and chocolate chip flavours, too. Hopefully Paul will keep to his intention to bake some soon :).

Those are minor details in the grand scheme of things, however. Life here continues to be laid back and relaxing. We’ve enjoyed refreshing evening swims in the pool, drinks in the bar ‘watching the world go by’ as well as the antics of the monkeys.  Last night we walked into town to check out a street market that Paul had spotted being set up. It had cooled down by then and it was a nice walk in the dusk. The huge statue of the eagle for which Langkawi is named loomed large on the way, and it was a lot bigger than it seemed in the pictures of it. We also passed a mosque and for the first time (other than on tv programmes) I heard the call to prayer from its loudspeakers.

The market was a delight! The smells emanating from it reminded me of music festivals and the food the vendors were selling looked delicious. We tried some ‘pancake-like’ snacks that we were sure had no meat or fish in them, which were a bit stodgy but nice enough, and some fried potatoes (cold but tasty). I also saw, for the first time, the famous durian fruit which has a reputation for tasting delicious but smelling awful.  I can vouch for the smell – I will report on the taste another time when I feel more brave.  Here’s Anthony Burgess on the subject of the durian from his excellent book ‘The Long Day Wanes’ which is set in Malaysia:

‘Over all presided the fetid, exciting reek of the durian, for this was the season of durians.  Nabby Adams had once been to a durian party. It was like, he thought, eating a sweet raspberry blancmange in the lavatory.’

On that note, I’ll leave it for this entry and finish with some pics of the day.

 

Yes, up early before the heat/rain to get another coat of varnish on the port side. Im now at the bottom of the tin, and thanks to the couriers varnish detecting algorithms in their cargo handling equipment, I wont be getting a delivery anytime soon. I went to the local hardware store to find that the tin I bought a few months ago had not been replenished, and they didn’t plan to. Sometime I just don’t get how they do business here. It seems they stock the shelves randomly, and when it sells they restock with a new random selection. I did manage to get fuse holders and some LED bulbs, so back at the boat I rewired the fans with better cable and fuses in line.
The problem I had, as the surveyor pointed out, is that the previous owner had tacked lightweight cables supplying the fans into the heavy duty cabin lighting connections. Should a fault occur on the fan, like a short, the wire could catch fire before the heavy duty lighting circuit trip kicked in (or out to be precise). I have fitted fuses to two of the fans, two more to go.
Yesterday I re-routed the furling line for the genoa, this is the line you pull on to put the sail away, when I last tried it for real, it was so stiff I had to use a winch, I wasn’t sure at the time how much of this was down to my inexperience with such a huge sail, my weak shoulder, or a problem with the line. Anyway, I think it was a bit of all three, but the line now runs very free, and I have re worked the jerry cans at the side so the line doesn’t rub on them. Can’t wait to get out and try it for real.
We took a walk around Eagle Square later and Kathy took pictures of the God Eagle, I so would love to know what all the little eagles make of it.

Talking of which there where lots of Eagles and Monkeys out and about tonight.
We went into town to a street market, which was fun, lots of food vendors and the usual market stuff, but everyone seemed very happy and the overall mood here is one where everyone seems to be on prozac. Taxi drivers often burst into laughter telling us about life here.

I think tomorrow we have to make plans to get down to Penang before the arts festival there ends.

Paul C.