Effervescent Marmite, and the best bakery in town for rib eye steaks

Back on board, but not yet afloat. We slotted in to the compact space and simple life aboard very quickly as usual.  Before leaving for the UK in May we spent some time starting to remove 10 years’ worth of antifouling from the hull.  Now the boat must be a ton lighter, and we are gradually adding stuff rather than taking it away.

The steel of the keel has seen the light of day and is getting new treatment.  Shame after all this work that it won’t be on view once we are afloat again.  In fact with new antifouling paint it will look much as it did before!

All that can be said of this marina and boatyard is that it is cheap and friendly.  It is part of a large development called Marina Island, and the marina has a three year trial period to see if it is feasible.  Consequently there is no development, and maintenance is only to keep the place ticking over.  The boat yard is in full view of some smart new apartments that are being built, and pressure is on to get rid of it so that the occupants just get a pleasant view of boats afloat in the marina  (which is why they build marinas in these waterside developments!)

The toilet block is a case in point, three cubicles open straight onto the boat yard.  Two have sit down toilets, the other is a squat type.  These are used by marina, boat yard and all the workmen.  No rules about smoking, and several of the workmen consider it a waste of water to flush after use.    All cubicles have a shower on the wall.  Hooks for clothes have been replaced at least 4 times since we arrived – a lesson should have been learned that cheap doesn’t mean good.  Yesterday there was a leak in the pipe to the shower and the resulting fountain was drenching all three cubicles until a piece of plastic was put over the jet.  Last night the connection, though mended, was leaking badly….   And the doors are cheap plastic concertinas that are forever falling apart.   With so much water around, at least the cubicles are always well washed, and in Muslim tradition it is usual to have a tap and short hose next to a toilet instead of toilet paper.  We take it in turns to leave a tablet of soap by the washbasin.

It takes a while to find where the best goodies are to be bought  in a new place, and by the time we have spent a few weeks in a new town and departure date is approaching we have learned out way around.  The latest find is a very small ordinary looking supermarket which sells delicious frozen beef – whole fillets and rib eye steaks in particular.   The elderly lady who is usually by the door always says no meat because she doesn’t speak any English, but perseverance brings a younger person from the back of the tiny shop.   Not only meat, but they specialize in baking goods including bread flour, white and wholemeal which is unobtainable elsewhere.  Bread isn’t eaten much, and the local stuff is very soft and a bit sweet, homemade is the way to go.

Behind the Flamingo Hotel is an excellent hairdresser, very non-descript looking,  certainly not smart but both the owner and a young male assistant cut very well for 14 ringits, about £4.   The street is full of the sound of birdsong – recorded.  It is to lure the swiftlets to the large concrete building which is their nesting place.  Big money is to be made from the nests for bird’s nest soup.

Further along the street is one of the places to buy  Poormans Biskit.  I may have mentioned these before; a fat biscuit with onions inside.  Freshly made and crispy they are delicious, and we have found another supplier who makes them a bit chewier.  They are cooked in a circular clay oven with wood fire below, dampened so that they stick to the hot walls.

We’ve been lucky with dry weather for the last week, so have been able to make progress on the hull.  Today though it’s rainy, so have made a start on another job – inspecting the water tanks.  The series of six interlinking tanks is in the keel, with inspection hatches over each that measure about 12 inches by 8.   Some paint is flaking off so with the help of an electric sander made longer with a rod of threaded metal, and a long stick with sandpaper glued on the end, we are trying to roughen up the surface.  Not an easy job,  but having air conditioning is a great help.
Hopefully we will be launching next week.  Various friends and aquaintances who  have been good company for the last couple of weeks are gradually leaving, and both boat yard and marina are emptying fast.  Time to get going to Thailand.

The tail-end tale is that if you leave a fairly full jar of Marmite in a very warm place for five months it will start to bubble over, even if the sell by date is 2014.  Makes a horrible mess.  Ever tried fizzy Marmite?