Malaysia S

OK, we finally made it into the Johor Strait, where a lot of Batam's dirt is being sunk. The massive thing above seems to do the sinking. Note the barges alongside. There were maybe a half-dozen of these dirt-sinkers east of Singapore.

Finally, the entrance to the Santi River, home to Sebana Cove. Unfortunately, the charts showed the river mouth to be very shallow, maybe 1-5' deep. Our intrepid Capt tried to call the marina for directions, but either got no answer or nobody who spoke English. He finally got some pilotage assistance, only to discover that Sebana Cove is way,way up the river, in the middle of a mangrove swamp. But then "Sebana Swamp" wouldn't look so good on travel brochures.

Varmits vary with where you live. Here we have long-tailed macaques to work the garbage cans. This one was using an awning as a trampoline. They're cute but decidedly wild, and the admiral wishes they'd keep they're privates private.

Another thing most readers don't have to worry about is being menaced by giant, ten-legged metallic lobsters. Alert readers will notice that the Malaysian flag resembles another, more familiar one. This sculpture graces the town square of Sungai Rengit, the nearest town to Sebana. We'd share pictures of the town but it's no great shakes.

This is a view of Sebana Marina itself. Nice, cheap and steamy.

We spent our first weeks traveling repeated to Singapore so the admiral's eyes could get treatment (we've become experts at "medical tourism"), then left for a long-planned trip to the US.

After a nice time back in the States, we happily returned to Sebana Cove, dragging 200lbs of boat parts with us. Of course, we had to fix things we were too burned out to deal with in November, mostly tattered canvas. Paradise is a harsh environment and repair is a constant fact of life.

Please check out our Singapore adventures then join us as we slog up what we'll call Malaysia West...

Home