Cybercaptain

Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:35:54 PST

Woke up again early morning and got myself packed up and had some breakfast at the hotel before checking out. Then I rushed to the Thai embassy to pick up the letter for my ex and mailed it from nearest post office.

Thai embassy in Singapore

From there it was straight to Changi airport where I went to claim the GST for the camera I had bought. As it was in my hand luggage I had to go through immigration and claim it in the tax free area of the airport, not at the counter before immigration. I guess they are afraid the goods will come back onto the Island. Well, I went through immigration & went to the GST counter there and got my claim back in cash without any problems.

In the MRT on the way to Changi

After this I browsed the expensive tax free stuff for sale and waited for my flight and eventually the time came to board. I was lucky as I go the emergency seat and had plenty of leg room. Otherwise Silk air is not an airline to shout much about at home.

Inside Changi airport

Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 02:36:40 PST

In the morning Lena dropped me off to Larkin bus station where I took the bus into Singapore. I arrived Queen Street at 0930hrs from where I took the MRT to the Thailand embassy as I had been asked urgently to provide a letter of consent to my deranged ex for applying new passport for our kids.

The neighborhood near the Cameron Hotel

MRT station, no rush hour yet

One of Singapore's Canals

After sorting out this issue I took the MRT to Simei station. I went to see my old agent and friend Angie Ng at her office. She gave me a hand in booking a hotel for me, Hotel Cameron 65SGD/ night, and then she invited me for lunch.

One of Singapore's shopping heavens (or hells)

We had a dim-sum lunch at the Kam Boat House, as usual the Cantonese cuisine is best when eating like this. After lunch we parted ways and I continued to my hotel for check-in. After this I ventured out on town and my first stop was at Golden Mile shopping center. Here I walked around and could see that the Thai hangout mall had changed into a Thai-Vietnam hangout mall. Could not see anything interesting here so I continued to Funan Center.

Orchard Towers

At Funan I splashed out on a SLR camera, Canon 550D EOS complete with flash and objective and filters. After burning my VISA with this I continued to Wheelock Place to look for some books at Borders, big store but mediocre selection in sci-fi, fantasy & horror. Maybe the genre doesn't sell with the squeaky clean Singaporeans.

Chinese God in front of Hilton

After Wheelock Place I went to Orchard Towers for a couple of drinks and could see that it was business as usual over there but quieter than it used to be when I went there first time some 10yrs ago. After the whole day of walking I decided to call it a night and took the MRT back to my hotel.

Johor Baru

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:40:53 PST

Once again it was time to get on the move early morning. I packed my stuff and started towards the metro. It took awhile to find the station but thanks to some helpful denizens I managed to find it pretty easily. I arrived Bandar Tarik Selatan in good time and checked into my bus & got my boarding pass. When it was time to board the staff discovered that the card reader was broken so we got to walk onboard just like that.

Malaysian ladies getting into their car

On the way we stopped for lunch at a highway restaurant where i had some Nasi Ayam, quite delicious Chinese style dish. Then the journey continued and we arrived Johor Baru abt 5pm. I was met by my friend Lena and her son Syafeeq.

I spent the evening in their house in Pasir Gudang and played monopoly with Syafeeq and eventually lost, apparently I am not very business minded or maybe the dice did not favor me. Then I had dinner with Syafeeq and his father Zul. I had Nasi Goreng Kampong, very delicious dish compared to the ordinary "city" Nasi Goreng.

Then it was time to hit the sack as next morning I was going to Singapore.

Kuala Lumpur

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 23:11:55 PST

Next morning I got up early and moseyed over to the bus station and bought a ticket to Kuala Lumpur. It was just opposite the Chinese temple. Thats the benefit of a small town, no need to take a taxi anywhere, everything is walking distance. After abt 45min waiting the bus arrived to the platform and we rolled towards KL.

Downtown KL

The trip was uneventful and we arrived to the Puduraya bus station. It is huge and organised like an airport. Upon walking out of the station I saw some guesthouses on the opposite side of the street so I just walked over and took a room for 50RM/ night (common shower & toilet). Decided to buy a ticket to Johor Baru for next morning so I got that sorted before doing anything else, discovered that the bus is departing from Bandar Tarik Selatan, quite a distance from Puduraya but the clerk explained it would be easy to reach by metro. Oh well, could have waited before buying the room for the night.

Chinatown

After that I went walkabout in Chinatown on Petaling Jalan and noticed most shops selling fake and copied goods, quite pathetic actually as it is supposed to be a tourist attraction. The area is made up quite nicely and it resembled a bit like Singapore.

The Junk Book Store

I also stumbled across a bookshop selling second hand books that was stacked to the rafters with books on 2 floors. The shop was managed by 2 elderly Chinese ladies that had a remarkable sense of where everything was. I only needed to tell the name of the author and 5 minutes later she had a pile of books in front of me to choose from. Later I found they even got a website where they are touted as Malaysia's biggest second hand book shop. I can believe that.

The KL landmark, Petronas towers

Later I met with Angel, a cyber friend and she took me to Amway mall for some more cheap book shopping. Great shop and cheap prices. After that we had seafood dinner in Petaling Jaya at a Chinese food court. I had sting ray. After that it was already time to go back and Angel dropped me off at the guest house and I retired for the night.

Diving Sembilan

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:04:54 PST

Woke up next morning at 6am to get to my pickup. Ah Kong picked me up and we went to get some breakfast and duck for lunch. Soon enough we headed for the Lumut yacht club where Steven was now storing his boat. Last time it was at another location but I was told the Owner had gone off his rockers and was charging crazy money nowadays so all his customers had opted for better solutions.

Local fisherman

We went on with filling the boat with water, food and beer. After that followed dive gear, tanks, BCD's and the works. Then fuel and engines were checked. Soon enough all people were gathered and the boat was pulled in the water and off we went. The weather was very pleasant.

Pulau Hitam

By 0830hrs we were in position at Black Rock (Pulau Hitam) and we geared up. Chan handed me a spear gun and wished me luck. We all jumped in and dived Black Rock. The viz was not the best around and I eventually got a small snapper while Chan and Kong brought in 8-10 fish with the biggest being abt 4kg.

The fishermens catch

When moving to the next venue we came across a local fishing boat that was hauling in his net so we stopped and bought some shrimp, mantis shrimp and crabs from them.

Pulau Putih

Next in the program was White Rock (Pulai Putih) and same procedure followed. Unfortnately at 10m I noticed that I had forgotten the loading handle for the spear gun on the diveboat so I had to get up and went down again. In all haste I descended to 30m but came up to 10-15m. This time I did not kill anything as I did not come across anything interesting or I just simply missed.

Elvis cleaning shrimp

After the 2 dives we had enough fish to feed a platoon so we headed over to Pulau Lalang camping area and started unloading utensils and provisions. Soon enough the kettles were boiling and appetizing aromas were wafting through the air. It was time to feed. Fresh seafood as good as it gets. We all let loose on the delicacies and soon enough we were all sitting around contemplating the sumptuous meal.

Ah Kong and Ah Chan doing the tom yam

Tasting session

As other sat down and rested and chatted in Cantonese I took off to walk around the Island. I strolled down the beach looking at all signs of civilzation in the shape of discarded plastic bottles, slippers, tins, plastic bags and whatnot. After awhile the beach ended in a rocky outcrop and I found a path leading inside the Island. I did not need to venture far before the terrain started ascending steeply and I was going on 4-wheel drive in places. The higher I came the denser the brush became and I was crawling under the bush and over where it was suitable.

Pulau Lalang beach and mangroves

More jungle

Another view from the top

After some time I came to the top of the Island but could not see much anything as my view was obscured by the trees around me. I decided I was too old and heavy to start being Tarzan so after catching my breath for awhile I started back down again. Needless to say it was much easier and faster and eventually I lost my cap in all excitement and while hanging onto tree branches as not to go into free fall down the slope.

One of the rainforest trees

It's a jungle

View from top

Once down I was bathing sweat so I just continued straight into the sea for a cooling dip. It was so refreshing. Same time I could see that the guys had started breaking up camp so I ventured back to the camp site and came just in time to leave. On the way back we stopped at a few buoys and tried some fishing but it turned out nothing. Soon enough we made it to the Lumut Yacht club and were towed up on land.

On the way back home

The loot

Towing the boat into the boat shed

Fish had to be cleaned, dive gear rinsed and the boat engines flushed. The boat was flushed with freshwater and cleaned out of garbage. Then the loot was divvied up and everyone headed home for a shower to later meet in a karaoke.

Sunset over Pulau Pangkor

Lumut

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 03:15:24 PST

Next morning I got up and went hunting for cheaper lodging and soon enough I found a room down the road next to the Chinese temple at DJ Palace. I went down from 98RM to 75RM/ night. I have never been keen on spending on a bed as I only sleep in it (mostly).

Then next mission was to get my Malaysian SIM card working as the one I had bought in Ipoh had not activated for some reason. I waltzed over to the Maxi's offcie and got that issue sorted as well. Then it was time for some lunch and strolling around Lumut. It was a fast stroll as Lumut is still a one horse town and nothing much had changed from the last time.

Michelin Star Chinese Restaurant

In the evening I as picked up Steven and taken to Sitiawan Michelin Chinese Restaurant for dinner. As usual Chinese food is always spectacular and plentiful. I also met the rest of the hooligans, Chan, Kong and their better halves. There was no shouting of Cantonese expletives as on the dive boat. I had been a few times before in the same restaurant and the food is superb. After dinner it was time to retire as we had set the dive for the next morning at the Sembilans.

Those interested in the Michelin Star can click here. (Really delicious looking dish photos on the site).

Going to Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:50:59 PST

15th I was on the way to Hat Yai as my Thai visa was expiring and I needed to exit the Kingdom of smiles. I had a rendez-vouz with the hooligans in Lumut. I was dropped off in Hat Yai bus station where I bought a ticket to Ipoh as there were no buses to Lumut so I chose the biggest city close-by. I bid my friends goodbye and boarded the bus that soon enough filled up and we were on our way.

News clipping in bus station of how the city was flooded just a few weeks ago

After a couple of hours we arrived to the Thai-Malay border control and we had to get off the bus for immigration procedures. I guess something went wrong as I lost the bus crowd at some point and walked over to the Malaysian side. There is stood waiting for nearly an hour before the bus came. I was lucky I had not missed the bus as my bag was on it.

Border of Thailand - Malaysia

The journey continued and we stopped for a lunch break at a highway restaurant. I got some Nasi Goreng as it is pretty safe to eat and avoid Delhi belly, somehow people tend to get more sick in Malaysia than Thailand, maybe something to do with different bacteria or standards of hygiene. After lunch we continued, the highways in Malaysia are great, smooth, wide and straight and you can put your pedal to the metal and cruise although max speed is set to 120km/h.

Late afternoon we passed through Penang where we stopped and let off many passsengers as well as new ones embarked. It was late evening abt 7pm and we were getting closer to Ipoh and I told the driver to let me off somewhere it would be easy to get into town. He dropped me off at a highway rest station seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Luckily there was a toilet and prayer room complex being attended by municipal cleaners and I managed through them to order a taxi as I did not have a Malaysian SIM card yet. It was notable that the young chap who called the cab for me declined a tip I was offering.

The cab came and I told him to take me to down town Ipoh, while driving he was chatting away and weaseld out of me info that I was actually going to Lumut. Well, he made me an offer I could not refuse so we stopped in Ipoh to buy a SIM and continued to Lumut. It was not really that far, we arrived Lumut in abt 45min and I booked into the Waterhill hotel next to Jook's Joint Bistro. After settling in and washng off the dust I went out for a late dinner at Jook's Joint and I could not believe that I met people from 2 years back when I had drydocked Kalizma there. There were still plenty of Finnish expats working on the floating hotel project that by now I suspect was seriously behind schedule.

After a few relaxing beers and a pizza I headed back to my hotel room and retired for the night.

Songkran

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:37:35 PDT

13th was the last day of Songkran in southern Thailand and people were out in force enjoying water games. In this spirit we also put 4 barrels of water in the back of the pickup and went driving to Pakmeng. The beach was packed with people and cars with people in the back throwing water at each other.

Water terrorists on wheels

At some places we had to stop and were smeared with scented powder by the people, at other places we stopped and filled up our barrels for a small sum of money or sometimes for free. This carried on along the road, soon enough we turned around and headed for Huai Yod, same thing was going on there too.

"Watering" stop

After been throwing water for 3-4hrs everyone was feeling the sun and strain so we headed back home, I discovered I had 2nd degree burns on my nose and forehead. Some New Year...

Festivals In Thailand, including: Songkran, Public Holidays In Thailand, Loi Krathong, Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival, Asalha Puja, Wan Awk Pansa, ... Pee Ta Khon, Khon Kaen Silk Festival, Vassa

Sa Morakot revisited

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:02:17 PDT

On the 7th the rains let up a bit and we decide to do an outing to the emerald and blue waters of Sa Morakot. It was cooling to swim in the pool and eventually I lost my wrist watch that had been given as birthday present by the crew on Kalizma. Naturally it was interpreted that the spirits had been in action and were the real culprits of the disappearing.

Walking to the pools

Stranded dugong?

One of the huge rainforest trees

The Blue pool

More jungle

This one was enormous

Emerald pool in the distance

The nature trail

Afterwards we had a late lunch at a local restaurant and the Moo Pad Ped (Spicy fried pork) was so hot I had tears in my eyes after tasting one small spoon. Even my friends who are accustomed to spicy stuff had a big time dealing with it.

Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:48:59 PST

After arrival Mumbai it was time for me to take some time off and on 17th I flew to Thailand and arrived just before midnight, it was half past three in the morning before I was home.

N. Zsa Zsa - cat in the pot

18th Went to Krabi for some shopping.

19th went to Trang city.

The 3 famous monkeys

20th went to Pakmeng beach for seaside seafood dinner.

Pakmeng beach

21st & 23rd went to Krabi again

24th went to Trang to pick up Jira's new car, Ford Fiesta. Nice drive. It was my second time in my life that I witnessed a brand new car, it is an exhilarating feeling driving the car off shop premises with a brand new smell. Later in the afternoon the car was blessed in the southern Thai style by a local "holy man".

Car being blessed

Ford Fiesta

25th drove to Phuket and went to see Marina Managers Nick and Zara at Yacht Haven. It was quiet but it was low season too. Latest news now was that the Island resort development just north of Ao Po Marina had gone belly up. It was a pity as the marina they were building there was really spectacular.

Later on I met with K. Chatchai, my stainless steel guy who had done numerous jobs on Kalizma. He was now working on refitting local diving boats and was a happy father as he had recently gotten more family addition.

K. Chatchai & me

26th I had dinner at a new Korean restaurant in Central Festival, Sukishi, it was very delicious and spiced up for the Thai taste buds.

27th had early Thai pork lunch in Sam Kong, best shop in the area is run by a couple and it can be spotted by the large vats of pork being boiled up in front, they serve it all ways you can imagine. Three floor pork, boiled pork soup, pork in red sauce etc. etc. Then stocked up on some reading in Patong and headed back home to Trang.

Flooding in southern Thailand

28th onwards southern Thailand is hit by heavy rains and floods at many locations. Our house is spared as it is on high ground. I vegetate at home until 6th April because it is mostly raining.

Departure Lakshadweep

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 07:10:09 PDT

The morning 14th is the last time I go and drop off the security detail and I pick up the last batch of curry and parotha's. Soon enough we send our guests to the airport and it is time for us to settle the bureaucratic matters with locals and have a breather.

The parotha and fish curry cook in front of his tools of the trade

We have time enough so some crew are given opportunity to dive the Fish soup site and other opts for having a stroll on Agatti Island. I'm content in nursing my flu.

Agatti police station

Road to the jetty

It was an interesting sojourn to one of the most remote territories of India. The sad part was that we did not have the opportunity to see more Islands due to the recent piracy clashes with the Indian Navy and pending piracy threat from Somalia. They are now a real scourge of the Indian Ocean in their own right as per the current statistics and news.

Local cargo ship being unloaded

The western jetty on Agatti

Late evening we have everything cleared out, tenders on deck and ship is secured for sea. We heave up anchor and depart for Mumbai.

Tinakara Island, Lakshadweep

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 06:34:06 PDT

The morning starts with same routine of changing security details and picking up a hefty lot of fish curry and roti's for Indian breakfast.

Local cargo ship in the Agatti Is. lagoon

Meanwhile I have come down with a heavy head cold so diving is out my activities. In the afternoon we dive near Bangaram Island (SW side) and is according to all divers the best site so far. I could see bottom fairly clearly and there are deep rifts in the corals where the divers find small grottoes where the fish and other creatures hide.

Morning walk on Agatti Island

Local boat named after the pan-Islamic Indian Independence fighter

Next step in program is to set up BBQ on Tinakara Island and that takes us some time as we have to negotiate the coral reef between Tinakara and Bangaram, luckily most of it is buoyed to the resort that is at Bangaram but after that the rest goes solely on having a lookout sitting on the bow and showing the way.

Seasonal algae growth in the Tinakara lagoon

Coconut store

As we passed Bangaram a lot of people crowds the beach. According to our diveguide, Sikandar, they are local inhabitants of the Island and many have no jobs now when the resort is closed due to some business deal gone sour. The case is in court pending decision, meanwhile the resort stays closed. Well, I suppose they have gone back to their old profession of fishing and coconut harvesting.

Tinakara Island

We set up the BBQ and I walk around the Island, it is fairly big and in the middle is a couple of huts that is probably used for coconut storage and is also having signs of intermittent habitation as I can see fish hanging on a line for drying. It looked like it had been hanging there for quite awhile though.

After some time I meet a group of locals, they speak no english but with some sign language I get them to pick a few coconuts for me. The climbing technique still baffles me, I recall trying it out in 2007 in Maldives but still could not get up the trunk, I guess I'm more of a gorilla despite being born in the year of the monkey.

Coconut picking

At the beaches I can see countless empty bottles of alcohol, interesting considering Lakshadweep is a muslim community with zero tolerance policy.

William is also completing the started dive course and the two students are ecstatic having concluded their first dive.

Alok, my 3rd Officer

As the sun starts to set we pack up and make our way back to the ship, it would not be fun navigating the channel in the dark as it is lined with huge coral boulders just under the surface. Once we are in the channel we floor it and make it back just in time.

In the evening we go for night fishing with a local fish expert of some kind. No matter how many times we change fishing grounds the fish still eludes us. Eventually the night breeze becomes quite strong so we head back for the ship and call it a night.

Lakshadweep, Agatti Island

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 05:31:46 PDT

So early morning we were carrying back the BBQ stuff and cleaning and packing it where every item belongs. Towels and chair covers to the laundry, crockery to the pantry and galley and so on. At last we knock off and get our well deserved rest while the night shift crew deals with the small things and cleaning up the yacht.

Sunset over Agatti Island

I got up in the morning for the change of security detail and curry and parothas. Later, me, Willie and Sikandar take out students to do their pool exercise for their PADI course. We take the tender to the entrance of the Agatti lagoon and anchor in 1m of water that will do instead of the pool. Willie and Sikandar gets into their stuff while I watch over the operation and sneak a few minutes of snorkeling. It is not very interesting as the bottom is more or less dead with a great deal of rubbish spread about, I can see some fish but thats about it.

When one ventures further into the lagoon you can find there are a lot of turtles living in it, big buggers swim away from your boat when you approach and you can also see them coming up to the surface for air. Turtles, unlike in Maldives, are not eaten in Lakshadweep. Yesterday when scouting out the route to Tinakara I saw two of them mating and Sikandar informs me that this is the mating season for them.

Once we return onboard it is just to change dive sets and be ready for diving the Solar site, used set are taken out and full sets put onto the tender. The dive site is only a few miles south of IE and was very much like the yesterdays dive at the Fish Soup. Once we return back onboard again we get to prepare for a beach BBQ at Sea Shells. Same gear is once again loaded onto tenders and minivans and crew gets into beach wear to set up the party.

I get a few hours of rest and I go and relieve Alok form the beach and stay there until the end. There is a fresh evening breeze blowing and my waterlogged sinuses don't like so I feel like I'm coming down with a head cold. The breeze continued until the early morning hours and I was done by when we packed up for the night at 3am.

Lakshadweep, history, religion, and society

Diving Solar

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Mon, 09 May 2011 20:44:10 PDT

The 12th we dived the Solar site, name is due to the solar power plant next to it. It was just a few miles more south from the Fish Soup.

Pretty much the same as the previous dive at Fish Soup, there is a lot of fish here but the corals are not that spectacular as in Maldives due to bad bleaching some time ago. I could see signs though that the corals are slowly recovering but it is slow growing.

There is also a lot of Napoleon Wrasse among many other species but they are quite camera shy, so it is hard to catch them on the lens.

I let the pictures speak for themselves again:

Fish

Aliens are here

Landscape

More fish

...and more...

Like moon landscape

...more moon coral...

...landscape...

Sea star

Lil' fishie

Tuna

The big one is a parrot fish

Lil' fishie

Lil' fishies

Another day in paradise

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Sat, 07 May 2011 05:00:12 PDT

11th morning I am sent ashore to change our security detail and at the same time I pick up more of the local fish curry and parothas that has been a great hit among the Indian crew onboard. I come back on time for breakfast and after that the diving preparations begin.

Our security detail

Jetski's are pulled out from the lazarette and put on standby for guests. Towels and sun lotion is laid out. Finally the guests leave for diving and there is an hour quiet onboard.

Ad on AGatti

Sunset over Agatti

Upon return there is a request for beach BBQ preparations and evening goes there sending materials and then finally lugging it all back. Chairs, tables, gazebos, parasols, cutlery, crockery, glassware, music, beach gear, roman candles, towels.. it is a long list. Once back onboard it all has to be cleaned and washed before we can knock off for another day.

Diving Fish Soup

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 02:12:21 PDT

The 11th morning we prepare for diving, our dive guide, Sikandar, briefs us of the site and tells us the name is derived from the plenty fish that frequents the area. I suggested changing it into "Bouillabaisse" as the dish requires traditionally for some 7 fish to be put into it. The site is just a mile or so south of IE's anchoring position.

Gear is taken out, rigged together and stowed onboard. Checklists are completed and off we are to enjoy the wonders of the dominion under the sea. I let the pictures speak their own language ...

A spiky sea star

Sea anemone

Zebra fish and snapper below

Sea cucumber

Over a brain coral garden

Soft coral

School of fish

Spotted a turtle

Yellow fishie

Soft coral

Giant clam

Agatti Island

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Fri, 06 May 2011 12:07:05 PDT

Next day half morning goes in preparing for the guests arrival and coordinating the shore transport as well as mapping out reefs.

Agatti Is traffic tower for shipping

Local sheds

Agatti fire engine (I think out of commission)

Early morning I take Anil ashore as he wants to buy some pickle and other condiments from Agatti while we check out the safe route into the lagoon. I follow him as the tender is minded by our Deckhand and we walk some 150m inland, the roads are in the Indian fashion chaotic and winds here and there. I can see signs of hotels and restaurants and shops selling mobiles and daily small stuff one may need. People eyeball and smile at me as I'm a foreigner. Everything looks very rural and original.

AIBAR

AIBAR beach looking North

We haven't gotten our breakfast yet so we quickly pop into a restaurant and order fish curry and parothas. The dish is so good that we practically hoover the plates empty and we order some more to go for the guys onboard. While I have a masala chai, Anil goes on a motorbike with our diveguide Sikandar to find some pickles. By the time they arrive back I'm on some fresh paan and we head back North towards the lagoon exit and head to Bangaram and Tinakara Island to chart the route there as well.

Bangaram in the background

Bangaram

The atoll entrance to Bangaram is crystal clear and Sikandar guides the coxswain from the bow to avoid big coral heads that clutter the channel. There are some buoys but unless one knows how the channel is, it is difficult to interpret what they are warning for as the shapes and colors are not necessarily IALA standard. At first we tried rounding Bangaram on the SE but the water got just too shallow, the sandbank had filled the lagoon, so we ventured back to the entrance and rounded Bangaram on the SW. Bangaram also has a resort that has a permit to take foreign visitors but the resort is closed due to litigation. We can see people milling around and Sikandar tells me they are locals.

The emerald waters of the atoll

Once on the NW side we entered the lagoon (Bangaram is shaped like a crescent) and the depth went to well over 20m and we speed up until we come again into shallow waters and wind our way on the E side of the atoll at the ridge between live coral heads and the white bleached area. We came to the beach of Tinakara and turned back as time was getting short and guests were arriving soon. We could use speed now as the route was plotted into our GPS and we knew how the channel was. Soon enough we were back onboard IE and the tender was given a going over before heading towards Agatti Island and the airport.

Tinakara Island

The wind has picked up so while I go ashore to receive guests, Avnish moves IE into lee and anchors north of the North Eastern jetty. We sit at the AIBAR (Agatti International Beach And Resort) and wait for the plane to land. The resort is just next to the airstrip that is located on the extreme south end of the Island. AIBAR is the only resort on the Island that can accept foreign guests, next to AIBAR is a new resort called Sea Shells but as far as I understand they do not have the permit to accommodate foreigners. However I never got a straight answer whether I as a foreigner could venture into the village area and get lodging at one of the guest houses there.

Agatti commercial jetty (half way Island)

There are 2 planes arriving every day from Cochin, one carrier is Indian Airways and the other Kingfisher Airlines. It is not necessary to sit in the terminal and look at a screen to see if the plane has landed, we can see and hear the plane and we get up and hurry to the terminal.

KFA has landed

While the girls receive guests I get the luggage organised on a local boat and it is accompanied by one deckhand to IE while we load the guests on the tenders. Once we're all set we start towards the ship at the tune of 30 knots and it does not take long before we have the guests onboard sipping welcome drinks and making themselves at home while the stewardesses are distributing luggage and unpacking it.

Passing the other commercial jetty (NW)

The rest of the afternoon and evening guests enjoy onboard.

Voyage Mumbai - Agatti Island

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 02:13:47 PDT

On the 8th morning we depart for Agatti with pilot onboard. We have only permit to land at Agatti probably due to security reasons keeping in mind the two recent piracy incidents at Lakshadweep. Our agent had told us that the Somalis and rescued Thai fishermen now sit in the yellow gate police station in Mumbai where crew is signed on/ off ships. Leaving the busy metropolis with its dust and pollution behind we set course for Agatti Island and get briefed to keep a vigilant anti piracy watch as well as we double the navigation watch with regular patrols on decks.

Dawn in front of Gateway

I have the 00-06 watch so I am up all night. The seas are calm and the traffic is quiet, nothing out of the ordinary takes place. We arrive Agatti Island late afternoon and we pass the Tinakara and Bangaram Island that is north of Agatti. The Islands look the same as in Maldives, low profile with coconut palms growing in the middle and pearly white beaches. We end up anchoring off the North Point of the Island after a failed attempt near the cargo jetty. They jetty itself would be able to accommodate us length and depth wise but the prevailing swell would damage the ship, badly.

Bangaram and Tinakara Island in the distance

Once we've anchored the local dignitaries come aboard, police, immigration. customs, PR photographer, dive guide and Director General (I think). The clearance is done in a leisurely manner and finally it is done but by this time it is getting dark already so no reconnoitering is possible prior to guests arrival.

Local fishermen

Fortunately, I get to pick the brains of the dive guide and we also go ashore to pick up the police security team onboard. Ashore while waiting for the Officers I have tea and paan at the local teashop just by the jetty. The infrastructure here is authentic and original, not like the artificial resorts in the Maldives. While sipping my tea I also meet the local postmaster but his English is pretty perfunctory so we just smile politely to each other. Finally the police comes and we get back to the ship.

Mumbai - Goa - Mumbai

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Thu, 05 May 2011 11:23:26 PDT

On the 1st I handover my Chief Officer duties to Tetso and I pack to leave for Goa to see that everything is alright on Kalizma. On the 2nd I carry my small pack ashore and wander around Mumbai aimlessly until late evening when the bus departs for Goa. As it is a first time for me I did not realize they got sleeper beds like in trains and I got a semi-reclining chair. The bus has no dinner stop either so it goes on and on through the night and is punctuated by short loo stops. The road over the mountains in Karnataka is winding and the bus driver makes his best to beat his former speed record Mumbai - Goa. Needless to say I hardly got any sleep on the bus. Next morning I arrive Goa bleary eyed and I'm met by Saini who is picking me up at the end stop in Panaji.

Mumbai to Goa (compliments by google maps)

We get onboard and I take a short time out to get my thoughts in order before we start tackling pending issues. We discuss engine matters, A/C plant, dry docking, accounts and so forth. All really boring work stuff that I'm not going to write about here.

Evening the 4th I take the crew out for dinner and we head out for a Goan seafood restaurant, Amigos, at the Sinquerim river in Verem, just under the bridge. The setting is nice but the parking is awful on the top of the road. They have also nowadays a road down the embankment. We ordered all the Goan specialities including a vindaloo and asked the staff to make it spicy as our Naga girls had tagged along and they like their food spicy. Well, the message did not go through as the dishes we got were more like spiced with ketchup than chili so we sent it back to the kitchen. They returned after some time and then they were spicy, a bit, but not much. After finishing up the dinner we went on to Candolim and sat for a few hours at the Jazz Corner listening to some local boys playing songs in Konkan language. Once they finished their set it was time to head back to the ship.

On the 5th I get news that IE is sailing for Lakshadweep and my presence is required, so I wrap up matters onboard and prepare to leave the next day. In the evening I meet my old laundry steward, Nandush Noronha, from m/y Silver and he took me out for dinner to Sea Shells out in Santa Paula. Nandush is now working for a cruise ship as Laundry Manager and cruising Brazil. Sea Shells restaurant is setup very nicely a bit on the side so it is kind of hard to find unless you know exactly what and where you are looking for. The food was excellent Goan cuisine. We exchanged gossip and news since 2008 while having dinner and then I retired back to the ship.

IE in front of Gateway

On the 6th evening I board the bus for Mumbai and brace myself for another sleepless night. At least here they stop for a dinner somewhere in the country side and I have some chicken thali which is not so bad. At least it does not give me delhi belly. I dose through the night and eventually we arrive Mumbai at the crack of dawn. I get a taxi and get myself to the Gateway where the IE tender picks me up and takes me onboard. The day is followed by briefings and last minute preparations for departure the next day 8th.

Voyage Colombo - Mumbai

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Thu, 05 May 2011 10:42:11 PDT

So we had the sailing orders and port clearance was done. All we were missing now was the relieving Chief Engineer, Phil, who was arriving at noon.

Colombo Port behind the cruise jetty

Engines were running and linesmen were standing by, crew was on stand by and we had permit to cast off and we are waiting for the taxi to arrive with Phil. Pilot was not needed as Colombo have this "rule" or custom that if the Master is confident that he can take out the ship without any assistance he can do that, this is usually asked by the VTS.

Dagoba next to the port

Eventually the taxi cruises on the jetty just on time and Phil gets out and climbs onboard. The crew collects the gangway and orders are given to cast off all the lines. As we are in the innermost corner of the port we move astern and swing around by starboard. Once our bow is pointing north we start making slow headway of 2-3 kts but are soon chased by the VTS who says "can you please speed up, we got other ships waiting to enter". As I'm on duty I have the handles so I increase speed, by the time we are passing the breakwater the log is showing 8 kts, I hope it was fast enough for them.

We are once again heading for Mumbai and the seas are calm and the sun is shining. At least the weather was better then when we were coming. Next 2 days goes in the routine of the sea, weather continues to favor us and crew is doing washdown of the yacht. On the morning of 21st we arrive a hazy/ foggy Mumbai.

It is incredibly hot and humid, the haze is ever present and gives hardly a miles visibility. it is that time of the year again. The end of the month goes in doing all ISM jobs and preparing handover to my relieving Chief Officer, Tsvetan Nenkov.

Trincomalee

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Thu, 05 May 2011 10:20:26 PDT

So I woke up before the rooster and was on the pier by 5AM and there was my car and driver waiting for me as arranged by Upali. We started towards Trincomalee.

On the road

Military checkpost

Another checkpost

The highway

It was easy going and traffic was light, not surprising considering the hour. The road was a 2 lane carriageway with 2-way traffic. It was in good condition initially. At some point we stopped at a roadside restaurant and had some breakfast. Then on we carried, it was a 250km journey but the going was getting slower as the road detriorated. Also, the more east we came the more frequently were guard boxes erected by the road, these boxes could be simple makeshift things built by sandbags or by thick wooden beams or even from tiles. The military was still ever present. I guess after so many years of internal strife with the LTTE it is hard to let go of the paranoia and unwind the security arrangement that is prevalent all over the country.

Arriving Trincomalee

When we reached Kantale, some 43km off Trincomalee, the road was so bad we could manage max 10-15km/h, it was just pothole after pothole, I reckon some persons would even become seasick in the way the road was rocking the car. It had not also helped that there had been some serious rainflooding a week earlier, I could still see all the temporary road repairs effected. Eventually we arrived Trincomalee at about noon.

Hotel Welcombe

Andaman side of Trinco

Arriving Trincomalee is no highlight, the road is full of potholes and has barely any tarmac, a narrow strip in the middle on the road of which traffic on both sides are competing for. It makes one realize Trincomalee is a backwater and no surprise for me considering how close it is to Jaffna, the former LTTE stronghold. The visual impact of the port is impressive and reminds me a bit of the Norwegian fiords. The port is natural and huge and totally controlled by the Sri Lankan Navy.

Trinco city

Urban Trinco

I call up Mr. Jeyarajah who is our local contact. I meet him at the Welcombe Hotel who seems to be the only high class establishment in town. It is 3-stars and very quiet. We get in the car again and Mr. Jeyarajah shows us around town which does not take long as it is not very big. There is a fresh produce market and one supermarket and even ATM's available. The Gulf of Bengal side beach is marvelous with white sand beach reaching as far as the eye can see. Population majority Tamilian and spoken languages here is Tamil and Sinhalese. Mr. Jeyarajah himself is Tamil and speaks both languages fluently. When I ask him of where he lives he says he comes to Trinco only on business nowadays as he had moved his family to Colombo when the unrest was taking place.

Ashrof jetty from afar and a visiting passenger ferry

I can't inspect the jetty that is planned for Kalizma as I'm a foreigner, the ironical part here is that if I'd come with a ship it would be no problem. So, Mr. Jeyrajah drives me along the shores for me to get a peek on the Ashrof jetty that is the inside most jetty built in the Bay. It looks alright and clean. I am also informed that electricty and water supply is there and reliable so all seems to be ok considered from the infra structure side.

After doing our rounds of the city we head back to the Welcombe Hotel for a late lunch and I have some curries and crab in Indian "thali" fashion.

School girls after a long day

On arrival Trincomalee I saw advertised resorts and diving at the Tiruveli beach but it was some 16k's away and considering the time and the condition of the road I decided to leave these places, albeit interesting, un-visited. I instructed the driver to head back to Colombo.

I also passed the local airport but it is controlled by the Sri Lankan airforce and does not have regular flights to it. Mr. Jeyarajah told me has seen at times small 8-10 seater planes landing there.

After heading out on the "highway" again I get a call from Captain Bruno telling me he has received sailing orders, Indian Empress will depart next day at noon. I acknowledge and sit in the rolling car watching the local populace going about their daily business. When we get on better roads and start coming near Habarana I ask the driver to look for and stop at an ayurvedic centre.

Women doing the laundry

He stops at Araliya Herbal Spa that looks good enough and I get in and ask for a massage with a steambox treatment thrown in. They don't speak English so the driver translates and I get asked to enter the treatment room. I change into shorts and an old lady starts applying herbal oils accompanied with vigorous massaging. In an hour she has gone all over my head, back, legs and arms and she stops and I am asked to get to the steambox room.

There I am laid into a steambox that looks like a coffin with a hole in one end. My head is outside the box, thats what the hole is for. I lay on a trellis that is covered by herbs and steam is rising from below. On the bottom there is a water tray that is heated by fire and producing the steam. Either the time was too short or being a sauna hardened Finn I feel the steaming time was too short as I was only barely starting to break a sweat when they call me out and tell me the treatment is finished.

Oh well, all good things ends at some stage, from there it was on to the shower and through the cashier I continued the journey towards Colombo. The sun was setting now and it was getting dark, as we neared Colombo the traffic was getting denser. Nothing of the traffic scarcity in the morning, this was full on rush hour and we were making something like 40-50km/h at best. Eventually I arrived Indian Empress around 2200hrs after spending some 14hrs for the back and forth journey...

Weligama Bay to Colombo

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Thu, 05 May 2011 09:38:50 PDT

So in the evening we got instructions to prepare for BBQ and we set it up in a record time of 45 minutes only. Avnish was handling the shoreside while I had my duty to take care of. At midnight the party was topped off with a short fireworks display.

Weligama fishing harbor

Soon after everything was packed in and onboard we heaved up anchor and departed for Colombo at 0230hrs. After an uneventful sail we arrived next morning to Colombo and moored at the cruise terminal. The jetty was in fact was just a cleaned up and cordoned off area used by the cruise ships, the next berth was already occupied by a container carrier. Well, at least it was better than the previous berth where we were rolling in the swell that came in from the north entrance.

Another (old) Colombo visitor

In early afternoon the guests disembarked and crew started to prepare for sea as e were expecting sailing orders the same afternoon.

Me and Avnish decided to take advantage of the lull and went ashore for a massage and a seafood dinner at Lavinia beach. The massage was good although expensive compared to Thailand.

The dinner at the beach was delicious. The restaurant was setup just by the railroad tracks and between the beach. It was quiet and tidy, the beach was stretching into the distance with the highrises of Colombo business district looming far away.

While I was chatting with Avnish suddenly a ball bounced on the table and from there straight on my left eye. It turned out some youngsters were playing cricket a bit away and the ball had strayed in a high trajectory which ended on my face. Luckily it was not a real cork cricket ball, my left eye would probably be blind by now. Nevertheless it was a shock and the eye hurt quite a bot but as there did not seem to appear any lesions or blurred vision we carried on as usual and had our dinner that was crab and prawn curry Sri Lankan way.

After finished our dinner we paid and left back for port. When we arrived onboard there was still not any sailing directions issued. I was not in a hurry to sail.

Next few days we were still waiting for sailing orders and I got orders to go and check out Trincomalee port for a possible monsoon berth for Kalizma. As 17th was a public holiday in Sri Lanka I booked a driver for the 18th at 5AM.

Galle to Weligama Bay

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 09:59:13 PST

Later the guests get up and venture to the Dutch Fort and to Nico’s on Talpe beach while Avnish was looking after all the arrangements. He was a lucky bugger as he managed to slip away and get some Sri Lankan crab curry at Unawatuna beach, but so was I too, as you will read.

Monitor lizard at the Lighthouse

I had a filling fall out during the voyage and our agent, the trusted Mr. Upali, took me to see a Professor in dentistry (sorry, forgot his name). The outfit looks worn out and run down but I can see the equipment is better than foot driven drills. After some sitting waiting for the examination room to be prepared from the last patient I chat with the Professor and he tells me he has practiced dentistry on Harley street in London and still goes every year to UK for lectures in medical universities, then the nurse announces the room is ready and we get down to real business.

The Lighthouse restaurant

Artwork at the Lighthouse

He takes one long look in my gab and fixes the tooth in no time. The Professor tells me that the cost of the procedure will be 5000 LKR and I tell him straight away to go ahead. Afterwards Upali tells me he nearly fell off the chair as the price for a filling in Colombo is the double. In Thailand the price is somewhat the same as of the good Professor.

Weligama Bay

Note the table legs are made of old engine blocks

After this we go for lunch with Upali to Lighthouse restaurant. The venue is very nice with seating out in the shade with the Indian Ocean swell crashing onto the rocky beach promontory in front of the establishment. The entrance to the restaurant is lined with metal sculptures picturing people at war several hundred years back.

The Japanese designed house in Weligama

Mirissa fishing Port

We are being served by a beautiful Sri Lankan lady named Jaisha (if memory serves me right). Lunch was curry and rice and this is in the Sri Lankan way served almost like a South Indian Thali. I was brought a plate and several bowls of curry and vegetable dishes, the main being crab. The food was very delicious and we washed it down with local Baron Beer which I found better tasting than the other local brand Lion Beer. After lunch Upali brought me back onboard and the evening goes waiting for the guests to return back.

Lucy & Avnish

Indian Empress at end of infinity pool at the Japanese villa

Next morning we depart Galle at 6am for whale watching with a naturalist onboard to guide us. We sail out tothe 1000m depth contour and head east towards Weligama Bay and Dondra Head. After some 4 hrs of circling back and forth the whales still eluded us and I think also the other local whale watching boats also did not catch a glimpse of anything else but us. It was not that nice to look for whales as this is the southern point of Sri Lanka and is the place where all commercial cargo ships converge enroute to Malacca Strait or Middle East, so the traffic was quite heavy going. As the morning had gone and whales were not being cooperative we headed for Weligama Bay and anchored off Mirissa Point.

Lucy & Jessie

Baron's - local beer

After arrival we went ashore with Avnish and checked out various places to have BBQ and so on. Eventually some local expats joined up and ferried us around to different venues. One building we visited was in a fabulous location but looked like an unfinished building site as the cement slabs had not been painted.

Beach beauty at Mirissa point resort

Finally we had a very late lunch at Mirissa Point and I went back onboard to coordinate BBQ and Avnish to set it up. When I was arriving IE it was being the focal point of the village and had small boats of every size and shape buzzing around the ship like flies on a fresh cowturd. On some fishing catmaran I counted up to 15-17 persons, maybe it was the whole family as the people onboard consisted from small kids to elderly matrons.

Voyage Mumbai - Colombo - Galle

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:21:03 PST

Our cruise to Lakshadweep had been foiled by the sudden appearance of Somali pirates in our intended cruising area so we did not leave as planned. We sat for another 2 days and had a hectic time preparing backup cruises for Sri Lanka and up the West Coast of the subcontinent to Diu Island, Gujarat.

Dolphin Rock in Mumbai

Then the orders came to sail for Sri Lanka.

We quickly got our agent mobilized, port clearance and last minute shopping and so we departed for Colombo at midnight 8th. We were in a hurry and burned fuel to the tune of 20 knots, our three 6270 kW main engines were guzzling up diesel hundreds of tons every day. By the time we reached Gulf of Mannar we got bad weather blowing from the NE. The center engine started taking in water through the exhaust so we had to stop it but as we were almost there it did little difference to our ETA.

Another old Colombo Port visitor

Eventually we made arrival Colombo on the 12th at 3am. We tied up near the northern entrance and were still rocking of the swell outside of the port. The port of Colombo is growing massively, huge land filling project is underway to enlarge the container terminal outside of the old harbor. This could not be seen in April 2010 when I stopped there to refuel Kalizma. The Sri Lankan industry must be booming after the Tamil Tiger problem has been gotten rid of.

M/y Indian Empress in Galle

We got guests onboard from the airport and continued our voyage at 5am towards Galle where we arrived at noon. Galle had remained the same from my last visit there in 2008. The port had restored some yacht pontoons and moorings that had been demolished by the 2006 tsunami but otherwise everything looked more or less the same. Even the pilot cum Port Captain was the same. The publicans were also the same, scores of people asking for booze and cigarettes left and right.

Another Galle visitor, perhaps for whalewatching...

Luckily we got Avnish doing the Purser bit as I always have a problem of telling people politely they got enough, now scram. Once the formalities are cleared we get some expat bum named Geoffrey seeking entry onboard on the excuse that he has a friend of a friend who knows the guests onboard, yeah sure I also use this excuse when I want to go meet unknown rich people, works every time. Only God knows how he managed to get into an ISPS controlled port.

The LTTE gunship cum trawler

The forward mounted 50 cal machine gun

There also was an impounded ex. LTTE gunship tied up in the port, an old fishing trawler equipped with 50cal machine guns mounted forward and aft. I could imagine the Somali's could put it to great use being the scourge of the Indian Ocean.

Nashik - visit to Sula vineyard

noreply@blogger.com (CyberCaptain) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 08:35:00 PST

Next day I woke up to a confused state of mind as I had forgotten to set my alarm after the Indus Creed concert. Anil was shaking my shoulder and asked me if I was coming. Yes, I said, give me five minutes to get dressed. I quickly dashed out of bed, washed my teeth, grabbed some clothes and my trusty bellybag set (that I wear over my shoulder) and sprinted for the aft deck. There was a tender waiting and crew was milling around and finally we got away to the waiting transport. Our Company had arranged a mini bus to take the crew but Anil had his own car as he had some bad experiences from a previous study trip to Sula. We settled down with Nik in the back seat and took a relaxing pose and dosed off while Anil’s driver was negotiating his way out of Mumbai to Nashik.

Some hours later we woke up near Nashik and stopped at a highway dhaba for breakfast. We discovered the minibus was some 37km astern of us so we ordered and dug in. I had a delicious masala dosa while Nik and Anil was enjoying a Marathan brekkie with chickpeas and stuff. After this my head felt like clearing off the Old Monk fumes and I started to look at the Maharashtrian landscape.

Grapes at Sula vineyard

I noticed that the traditional dress seemed to be for many elderly men the white dhoty with white shirt and white Nehru cap that is also displayed by the Thackeray founded party of Shiv Sena. I can’t say if the dress is a message of loyalty to Shiv Sena or just a dress that is normally worn by Maharashtrian men. In contrast the women at dressed in colorful saree’s and churidars or salwar khameez with dupattas and whatnot accessories while carrying handis and matkas on their heads from the village well or while washing laundry at the tank.

At the dam w/ Anil & Nik

Soon enough we arrived Sula vineyard in Nashik and at the gate we were told by the guard that they were not open yet, we were about 45 minutes too early. The guard recommended us to go see the local dam that was close by.

Local laundromat

Well, said and done we got into the car and headed to the dam and after some 5 minutes driving came to the artificial lake shores created by the dam and got out to savor the surroundings. We could see local women doing laundry at the well that was some way off from us, and then there was cows being herded to the water and the quiet and tranquility of the pace of life in the country side. At the shore was local fishing dinghies pulled up waiting for their Owners and cranes paced the shoreline. It didn’t take us long to get bored so hopped in the car and drove back to the vineyard by the time the minibus had also arrived with other crew.

Cows at the dam

Maharashtran entourage

We still had to wait some 15 minutes more and a guide appeared to take us on the tour of the vineyard. The guide explained how the vineyard had started some 10 years ago after the Owner had had a vision after finishing his US studies and settled on growing wine in India. Four different Grapevines were imported from California and France. The current farming area was at this stage a staggering 1400 acres including the rented grape farms. We were explained an acre gives 2 tons amount of grape and one need 2kgs of grape to produce 1 bottle of wine. There are 2 harvest per year but in terms of quality the other harvest is not utilized. We can deduce that production per year is about 260.000 litres of wine.

Wine tanks, a total of 7million litres of storage capacity

Maturing barrels

At first we were shown where the grapes are taken in and mashed and also explained the difference on white and red grapes as well as sweet from sour. We could not see any vats filled with grapes where women with bare feet adorned in saree’s and sweet smiles adding their own flavor to the wine.

Vines at Sula

Next step we were showed the storage facility and were explained that they could store up to 7million liters of wine in the tanks. The whole facility was cooled down to a convenient 17 degrees. From here the wine was matured and then passed onto the next step of the process and the wine was put into oak barrels. After this we were showed the maturing sheds with the barrels and the bottles of sparkling wine that was maturing and then the tour was over. We headed back to the main building where we could watch the bottling plant in action and then we were invited to join the wine tasting session (150 Rs/ person). We got to taste 5 different wines of the vineyard, one sparkling, one white, one rose’, one red and one dessert wine. I quite liked the light sparkling wine and whites but the red was not in my taste at all. The dessert wine was ok or probably great in someone else’s mouth but I’m not a great fan of sweet in my wine. Then the session was over and there was a rush to the sales counter to buy Sula wines by the case load, the prices are dirt cheap.

IE beauties - Kavi, Jan and Atu

Myself, I invested in some 6 btls of light wines for later enjoyment and other crew also got their own fancy. Soon enough we were to have dinner at the local restaurant but we discovered they served Italian and north Indian cuisine but no Maharashtrian food so we decided with Anil to skip the lunch and have something on the way at a dhaba.

Lunch

We loaded ourselves into the car and soon enough we found us at the Ka-ka family restaurant. We climbed the stairs up and seated ourselves in the A/C room of the restaurant where the windows were open to provide good air exchange. First order was beer as we felt parched after the long day. As starters we had some goat brain and masala pappads which then were followed by some delicious goat curry and local roti’s. The curry was so god we had to order in another plate. After some time we stuffed ourselves and felt content enough to order for the bill and we rolled downstairs into the car and headed back towards Mumbai.

After a few minutes on the road all three of us nicked off and slept for a good few hours while digesting the heavy lunch. The suburbs arrived and we kept on plodding into the rush hour traffic of Mumbai and eventually arrived at Gateway about 7pm. From there we hopped in the tender ad got back onboard, it had been a long day albeit sitting in the car can also be tiring.