Greetings from Malaysia! Another leg of our journey complete...
From Brookes Point, Palawan, we cruised down the scenic south coast on good winds and brilliant sunny skies. Along here we had one of our favourite days thus far: stopping off at various uninhabited and inhabited islands, swimming naked in the blue waters, reviving the spirit of Steve Irwin is a pirate chase (on Pirate Island by the way...), eating in small muslim fishing villages, being towed out of privately leased oyster farms by armed security forces, and nervously drifting across the Filipino/Malaysian border in the dead of night...
Pirate island - the site of the Steve Irwin re-inactment...
Sailors in weather - keeping warm. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum...
Yesterday we set our fist (infected) foot on Borneo Island, Malaysia. Chasing down some Canadian yachting friends of Lee's, we headed over to the east coast of the island by land and found them in the town of Kudat. Here we quickly settled into a diet of beers and hor d'voures with the small yachting community, most of whom are here to do repairs to their very expensive-looking boats. Amazingly friendly people, both the yacht owners and the locals.
The yachting community in Kudat, north Borneo - taking a Sunday drink or two..
This morning we visited the doctor regarding our staph infections (Scott's shin, and Lee's foot). That's when things became surreal. Our doctor's name is Angeline Cheong, and she gave us a thorough inspection and chatted while a waiting room of patients built up behind us. She tried to lance Lee's swollen right pinky toe, and then proceeded to give us a large bag of peanuts. The peanuts represent one of those "random acts of kindness" you often hear about. At the end of our appointment she insisted on taking us out to lunch at the best chinese/Malaysian restraurant Kudat. The lunch was so extensive, we both gained back the 10 or so pounds that we shed on the SuluSea.
Navigation equipment on-board. Sophisticated stuff....
We have decided to try to check into Malaysia with immigration here in Kudat tomorrow . Our only challenge is that we didn't/couldn't sign outwith Philippine immigration, and so may need to provide a verypowerful justification for why the Malaysian authorities should nothave us turned out. I believe they will understand our predicament(the Philippine immigration officers refused to stamp us out without a$1,000 bribe!), and we should be back on the sea tomorrow afternoonafter a brief repair job on the hull.
The next leg of our journey is expected to throw up a few new challenges as we enter far more poplulated waters with far more boat traffic. We have already experienced large cargoe vessels crossing out bow in the darkness and we expect out engine-less status will continue to cause us challenges as we go into the more industrial ports of Kota Kinabalu and Brunei...
Wish us luck!
Sea conditions leaving Dumagete, Negros
