Fwd: Penang - good and BAD!!!!!

Well, here we are again only 2 weeks after the last blog. Things have not been going well, but slowly starting to improve.

We had been assured that if we needed to extend our Penang apartment stay beyond the initial 4 week booking, we could do so. When we actually tried to extend because of delays in the boatyard, the Chinese landlord refused. This was extremely concerning because we quickly realized that, although rents are by NZ standards very cheap, they are almost invariably for a term of 12 months or more. However, the owner of the boatyard has come to our rescue and we are now ensconsed in a 26 story tower on the 22nd floor with a delightful Malaysian girl and her boyfriend. However, we must hide any obvious visible signs of the demon drink and we cannot cook any pork products - so no bacon and eggs. She doesn't own the apartment - just rents it herself from the same Chinese owned boatyard where she works. We find all these precious restrictions very hard to accept and are especially irritating as we wouldn't even be here if the yard had been efficient and actually done their job in a timely manner. But this is Malaysia and it is obvious from conversations and just observations, that the place is falling apart under excessive racially based taxation, and creeping Islamisation coupled with rampant corruption and theft - a la 1MDB. A year ago one NZD was buying 2.7 Malaysian Ringgits - now it's 3.15. That's a change of 17% and it's even more pronounced when you compare the Ringgit with the USD.    

Malays consider themselves above any other race - incl. the 10 generations or so southern Chinese (Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, etc.) and Indians whose forebears came from Tamil Naidu in SE India many generations ago as well. The Chinese and Indians we talk to are by and large very discontented and in many cases would love to get out but cannot due to affordability, family ties etc. Malaysia is NOT a happy country and sooner or later will erupt in some kind of protest. But it is very difficult at present because the military and the police are firmly in Malay (Bumiputera) control. If you are not Bumiputera, you cannot join either of these organisations. 

Anyway, to get back to our haulout - it is now week no. 6 and we had been assured that everything would be finished by the end of week 3. It is a long way from finished and this sad state of affairs is due to the fact that workers have been pulled off our job for others - in spite of the fact that we had a prior booking. But in this country, if you are competing with a large motor launch whose owner might be an influential Malaysian, you have no show. Add to that extreme incompetence in the painting arena and you could imagine that we are pulling our hair out - it's akin to nailing jelly to the wall.

However, after a series of very fraught meetings we may be gaining some progress. We need to be there every morning to make sure among other things that they are mixing the paint correctly. These so-called painters appear to have no concept of percentages of mixing additives. They are in fact painting cowboys. We've even had to dictate the correct type of painting rollers and various techniques of applying the paint! We may have to do it all ourselves before we are much older. However, the yard has a policy of not allowing owners to work on their own boats, although that requirement would be easily overturned. It's just that at almost 70 we do not relish the knee pain of clambering up on scaffolds and kneeling for long periods.

The engine is almost back on its mounts except that the mounts themselves now have to be replaced. This will happen tomorrow (21st.) after which we should be able to see the engine hooked up again and ready to go. As soon as that happens we will be able to clean the boat and move back on board. It did not happen on the 21st. because they suddenly decided that the engine mounts were not long enough. We thought that they were long enough but possibly at Satun they put the alignment shims in without addressing the issue of the bolt lengths. This has meant that we had to make in the yard's workshop 3 new bolts which has taken a day and a half.

Then there has been the issue of our dripless ceramic stern gland. It seems that in the past, either at Krabi or PSS the seal was fitted back the wrong way around. So there has been excessive wear and we have to replace it. But the shaft is 1.75" in diameter and the seals are available here only in metric measurements. However, we have come to an acceptable compromise and we are confident that the seal will perform with much better integrity than over the past 18 months or so. 

It is great that we are at last getting to the bottom of all these issues in a professional manner, but it's frustrating that it's taken so long due to the fact that the engineers were taken off our job early on.

Today we thought that we could get the final coat of Toplac on the port side but there was a threat of rain on the forecast, which in fact duly happened, albeit 3 hours later. But it would have ruined the paint and then we would have had to sand it all offagain and start all over. We're hoping for tomorrow............................!!! 

Life generally has some frustrations. The Malaysians are very authoritarian when they are in any position of power and that is most evident when dealing with security guards. On this apartment complex there are uniformed guards all over the place.

1) There are at least 5 security guards for this 26 story apartment complex. We are on the 22nd floor. This may be the only way in which they can deal with their own life frustrations, but these useless guys just sit on their fat asses and make life difficult. We have a parking spot in an adjacent parking building but sometimes need to park in a temporary spot to unload things. You have to register if you do that - Jim just tells them we will be gone in 5 - 10 minutes but they get their knickers in a twist and shout in a most obnoxious fashion.

2) Then there was the "reading library". Jim went in there and found a couple of books that looked interesting. In the absence of any instructions to the contrary, he thought that it was like most marinas and you could take books and bring them back, including any that you may have brought from elsewhere. A true lending library. But the security Nazi just started shouting "cannot take" without any other reasonable discussion. So, after a fruitless minute or so Jim just threw the books at him and walked off.   

3) There are the abominable driving "manners". We've had some close calls - notably with a lunatic on a motorcycle who somehow squeezed past us through an impossible gap on our left at 80 kph plus and then lifted one of his legs in our direction in an obscene gesture of defiance and absolute stupidity. Unbelievable. Motorcycles pass left or right on the motorway at high speeds. All it would take is for a vehicle to move left or right and there would be (and is) carnage.  Absolutely arrogant tailgating where you cannot see the front grill of the vehicle behind is another example of why Malaysia kills 6500 of its citizens each year on its roads. But it's not just Malaysia - it's Thailand and Vietnam as well. And mainland Chinese - and the more of these lunatics that we import into NZ, the worse NZ's road toll will be - already on the rise again.

4) Then, the Piece de Resistance - we had seen an ad. for a Christmas dinner at the Penang Club (which was started in 1868) under the auspices of the Penang Expats Society. So, we registered and went along. Jim had even bought a new long pair of trousers as we had read that the club required this minimum level of attire. He had a new pair of Hush Puppy sandals for the occasion as well. You need to bear in mind that yachties do not have the ability to have vast wardrobes at their disposal.

Anyway, these throwbacks of a British colonial mentality wouldn't let us in because the feet were showing bare skin!!! So, we went further west to Batu Ferringhi where we found a delightful restaurant and to which we will almost certainly return for Christmas Dinner. Unbelieveable again that these Neanderthal colonialist attitudes persist in these enlightened times. 

Another astonishing thing - we were at the checkout at the Aeon Supermarket the other day with 4 bottles of wine and some ham. When the operator saw these sinful items, she rang for a non Muslim supervisor (an Infidel like us!!) to actually handle these untouchable items. We feel they are so precious in their attitudes, especially given that Penang is overwhelmingly Chinese and therefore not Muslim! 

Then there is Penang in 2016 compared with 2010 when we first came here. The place is littered with high rises, which are not sold or let. In spite of that it is very difficult to take an apartment for a month. Most want at least 12 months. So, most are empty - surprise surprise. Pollution is also very evident (as it is also in Langkawi) and in these days of the NE monsoon it is Chinese industrial pollution which is causing a distressing lack of visibility. Even looking at Butterworth sometimes on a bad day which is only 2 miles at most across the water, you cannot even see the high rise buildings there.

We really cannot wait to get to Medellin at 5000 feet. But, if the boat doesn't sell we don't quite know what we are going to do. The apartment in Medellin has been completed as far as renovations are concerned - all that is required now is to complete the decoration and furnishing and we'll be in business. We wish we were in a position to move in ourselves.

We feel very frustrated that our lives are on hold until a sale can be negotiated but we just have to accept it. If Tiare doesn't sell we might just have to bite the bullet and ship her to the Mediterranean and maybe sail to Colombia - Cartagena or Santa Marta. But that's a gamble and as always we are not getting any younger. Next month 70 for Jim and the same for Jean in February. Neither of us fancies the voyage across the Indian Ocean to S. Africa and then up the S. Atlantic. 

Still, at the moment our focus is to complete this haulout and then get the old girl back to Langkawi. Then soon after we leave for NZ for 2-3 months and we are looking forward to that to see family and celebrate our joint 70th's. with them.

More on that in due course.

In the meantime all the best to everyone for the festive holiday season - stay safe and we'll look forward to catching up. 
Lotsaluv from us..............

Jim and Jean

Penang