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Table of Places and Dates
Pacific Ocean East
Pacific Ocean West
SE Asia
Indian Ocean
Red Sea
Mediterranean
Atlantic Ocean
Caribbean
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South-East
Asia
 Indonesia
- Singapore - Malaysia - Thailand
(Click on the thumbnails for large maps or photos.)
Click here for Reports
 South-East Asia is probably the most out-of-the-way region that we have
been to. The food was great, and everything was extremely cheap. The
people in general were very friendly, and (especially in Singapore) very willing
to help. We spent about three months there, and wished we had more.
Indonesia
Indonesia was a very unexpectedly
pleasant stop. Dad had got an earful of horror stories about piracy in Indonesia
("Do you want your son shot and your daughters in sex camps?"), but after a lot
of research on the matter, we decided to go ahead. We were actually there during the latter
part of the E Timor Crisis, which added tension. The south-eastern islands of
Indonesia were beautiful and deserted, with only one or two other yachties in
the region. Bali was a disappointment, extremely touristy and fake. Borneo, on
the other hand, was great. One of the highlights of our whole trip was the three
day longboat trip into the jungle we took there in search of orangutans. We
found the people to be very friendly, and it was probably the cheapest country
(Bali not included) that we have ever been to.
Singapore
Singapore is an island nation if
there ever was one. Nestled at the bottom of Malaysia, it is also the world's
largest port. Over a hundred tankers and cargo ships can be on the radar screen
at once, which makes crossing the channel rather exciting, rather like crossing
a busy highway. The city is very prosperous and well disciplined, there is no
gum on the sidewalks (largely because you get caned if you are caught spitting).
Singapore is famous for its electronics stores, which are cheaper than almost
anywhere else in the world (including New York City). There is a 7-storey
electronics mall in downtown Singapore, filled with cameras, computers and any
software program that you could want for two dollars per disc (e.g.if the
program has 5CDs, it costs 10$). The food courts in Singapore were
incredible, Indian, Chinese, Malaysian and Indonesian foods -- cooked for and by
residents of that particular country; very different from US food courts. The transportation in
Singapore was also excellent, and if you couldn't find your way, someone would
stop and show you on the map, or just escort you to the destination.
Malaysia
Malaysia was the third SE Asian country
we stopped in, but first we had to get through the straits of Malacca. The
Straits are a narrow stretch of water between Sumatra and Malaysia, and it is
through this that most of the shipping that comes and goes in Singapore must
pass. It is infamous for piracy, so the tankers went in convoy (we think) and
had enormous floodlights over the stern to discourage boarders. Our largest
actual problem going through the Straits was fishing boats and their
nets. From over the horizon (at night) you could see a glow that signaled the
presence of a fishing fleet. We ran over plenty of nets, but were never caught
in one. Our most memorable stop in Malaysia was Georgetown (Penang), home to
Asia's longest bridge.
The Sunday Showers
We were in
Malaysia during the rainy season, so every afternoon we were given a walloping.
Low dark clouds would roll in, bringing with them lightning and thunder. Though we
were never actually hit, the lightning came so close as to permanently fry our
wind indicator (we think). The rain was torrential: on
land
some of the streets would flood, and the boat was given a thorough rinse. This was
before Mum made the forward rain awning, so we had to close the hatches. This made
down below almost intolerably hot and stuffy. Sometimes the rain brought wind
with it, and once a squall gave us 40-50 knot winds.
Thailand
Thailand was our last country in
SE Asia. The Thai language was very difficult to learn; even "thank you" and
"hello" were hard enough (there are different greeting depending on the
speaker's gender). The food was excellent, and also extremely cheap. It was
cheaper to eat ashore than to eat on the boat! We entered Thailand at the SW
corner, stopping at some desolate islands where Emma split open her hand (on a
shell-encrusted swing rope in a cave) and Dad had to stitch it up, "my father was
a doctor." From there we went to Phi Phi Don, a tourist resort island with a
fleet of longtail boats (canoes with a weedwhacker engine and 10-foot propeller
shaft over the transom) which produced unbelievable amounts of noise. Then we
went to Phuket (pr. poo KET) and the beautiful islands of Phang Nga Bay.
Reports from South East Asia
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Revised: 06/19/02.
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