In November, 2010 we left Langkawi Malaysia and crossed into Thailand. We'd visited by air before, but never with Barbara Ann. As expected, Thailand never disappoints.
After a couple of quick stops in Koh Lipe and Butang, we cleared Thai customs in Ao Chalong, on Phuket Island. Phuket has something for everyone - from sex tourism to quiet beach hideaway resorts. Jackie caught this threesome in Ao Chalong on the day we cleared in.
After clearing into Thailand, we took Barbara Ann to the north end of Phuket, to the Yacht Haven Marina. Tyler is now based here on the yacht Nakula, and we wanted to see him before he left on a trip with the yacht's owners. Here's Yacht Haven Marina, and our deck, as seen from the top of our mast. I need to go up to the top every once in a while. I've come to enjoy the experience, but it was a little unnerving the first couple of times.
Jackie's birthday is the last day in November, so we celebrated with an elephant ride and a swim in a waterfall in Khao Sok National Park. On the way to the falls we rode in the seat, but on the way back we were allowed to ride bareback - or bareneck, in this case. The experience was wonderful and we appreciated being the only ones in our group.
The view from the top. We didn't put the leaf there - he did. He was using it to keep flies off a small cut on his head. Smart, huh?
After the elephant ride, we spent the night at the Cliff and River Resort, in the national park. Not shown here is the towering limestone cliff right behind the resort - which is where Jackie's gaze is directed. A great spot to chill out after taking one of the many hikes nearby.
Back on board Barbara Ann, we start exploring the nearby and phenomenal Phang Nga Bay, home to the famous karst limestone formations that we see here.
Jackie and I in front of the islet made famous in the James Bond movie 'The Man with the Golden Gun'
Whoa, this doesn't look good! Two fast boats with guys holding automatic weapons on an innocent cruising yacht. What's going on? It's a movie shoot - 'The Escape' - and we were asked to leave the area while the filming was going on. We managed to sneak a couple of shots with our telephoto lens before exiting stage left.
I couldn't resist the temptation to bring Barbara Ann inside the lagoon at Koh Hong; it's only possible for a brief period each day, at slack high tide.
Having enough water to float in is a good thing. This unlucky solo sailor wrapped some plastic around his prop while coming into Yacht Haven. Before he could remove it, he was swept onto a sandbar. The tide went out and here's the result. No damage was done, however, and he got off that night when the tide came in.
Tyler rejoined us for the holidays. First stop was the island of Koh Racha Yai, just south of Phuket. These two shots were taken at the Bamboo Beach Bar there.
Jackie launches a UFO from Koh Lanta beach
The crew of Sailmaker flew in for the holidays for a last visit to their yacht before putting it on the market. We sailed with them through the islands around Phuket for 3 great weeks. Here's Ray's 50th at Koh Phi Phi.
Rock climbing on Railey Beach, Krabi. The top shot is Jack and the bottom shot is Austin.
New Years festivities in Koh Lanta, at the Why Not Bar
'The Beach', with Leo di Caprio, was shot on location at Maya Bay, Koh Phi Phi Le. Here's a shot of the beach at 8 AM, before the tourist hordes and 'day-trippers' arrive.
For anyone not familiar with what a Ladyboy is, Google it. In Thailand they're an accepted part of the culture, even if they do get charged more than girls do for their meals at Matt's..
Manic mannequins
These phallic symbols are placed in this cave by fisherman for good luck
These scaffolds are used for collecting swallow's nests in the cave seen behind. It's a big business in SE Asia, where the nests are used for bird's nest soup - at up to $100 per bowl. Go figure.
People are always seeing Jesus and the Virgin Mary in food items. I swear there's a googly-eyed Jesus plainly visible in the pancake. Can you spot him?
Austin found out about a movie shoot looking for extras, so we applied. We're supposed to be Western tourists fleeing our hotel after the 2004 tsunami, in the movie 'The Impossible', with Ewan McGregor. Whether our shot makes it out of editing remains to be seen. We never saw any of the actors, unfortunately.
It's February 2011, and time for another inland trip - this time to NE Thailand and then into Laos. It's just Jackie and I, since Austin opted to stay on Barbara Ann. Here's our first night in a 1st class sleeper cabin on our way from Hat Yai to Bangkok.
In the old capital city of Ayutthaya, Thailand - Ganesh guards the ruins
After Ayutthaya was sacked by the Burmese it fell into ruins. This Buddha's head was caught up in the tree that grew up around it.
Huh?
One of the Wats of Ayutthaya at night
Just before crossing the Mekong River into Laos, we stayed at a charming guest house right on the river. The next day we took a river boat down the Mekong to Pak Beng, Laos.
In the old capital city of Luang Prabang, now a World Heritage Site, the monks start each day gathering alms.
Jackie got this shot after watching so many of these well-balanced ladies making it look so easy.
Ever wonder where old Buddha statues go to get a tune up? This renovation and restoration workshop was behind the museum in Luang Prabang.
It's back to Bangkok, where Krispy Kreme has made its mark. They line up every morning when the 'Hot' sign goes on.
It's now March, 2011. We have decided to close down the Yacht Barbara Ann website. There are a few reasons for this. Tyler is now on his own and Austin is planning to leave in the next few months for college. Jackie and I plan to stay in SE Asia for the next year or two, but most of our traveling will be away from the boat. Finally, until the pirate situation in the Gulf of Aden is cleared up, we won't be crossing the Indian Ocean, which is the next big leg after Thailand. Although we may never make our goal of sailing around the world, I have achieved my life-long dream of long term liveaboard cruising with my family.
Finally, we want to thank all the wonderful people who have followed our adventures and sent us encouraging emails. We're so glad that others were able to cruise vicariously through our eyes.
Best Wishes from the crew of Barbara Ann - jack, jackie, tyler and austin.
