Home Alone
While Maria was in the UK catching pneumonia, I spent most of the three weeks not lying by the pool, catching up on reading, or sleeping, as I had told Maria I would be. Instead, I decided to take care of servicing Jamala, starting with the winches.

Winch servicing
A job I have been meaning to tackle for a long time was removing the safe from the boat. At some point, the keypad had broken, and the master key had been lost. This resulted in the door being insecurely secured by a small padlock more suited to locking a child’s suitcase. So, it had to go. Besides, I suspect that anyone desperate enough to consider breaking into a safe would have no hesitation in smashing the cabinetry to get the safe out. It took up space that was better used for other, more valuable stuff, such as clothes.
After about eight hours and two cutting wheels, I managed to cut it roughly in half so that I could wiggle out the pieces. No damage was done to that beautiful African Mahogany – only to me. I forgot how irritating fibreglass can be on the skin.

The ex-safe
It wasn’t all graft and misery, though. I went out with Frank and joined the crews of Panache and Wild Orchid for one of the weekly Saturday night barbecue parties, where the hotel staff transform a tatty-looking piece of beach into a smart party venue.

The band

Fun times
Lost in Translation
While waiting for the laundry to dry at the self-service laundromat at the hotel, I met the guy to my right in the photo below. My understanding of our conversation was that he asked me to join him on his early morning jog. After my initial dread, I thought, why not? I haven’t done that for a while, and it’ll make a change from self-inflicted boat drudgery.
The next morning, I was up and ready to run in my spandex at 0730, but there was no sign of Sahat. Bugger it, I thought, I’ll feel the laziness and do it anyway. So I warmed up by walking up the hill to the security post, then turned around and ran back down towards the other hotel. On my way back down, a car stopped by my side. I looked to my left, and peering at me through the driver’s window was Sahat, who was just getting back from his early-morning drive.
No matter. I actually quite enjoyed the exercise. The next day, I briefly hosted Sahat and his brother, who wanted to see the boat for Facebook and Instagram purposes:

Visitors
More entertainment
What else? I did some homemade cooking with the help courtesy of Fray Bentos:

Pie
And I went with Bill, Karl, and Gladme – the crew of Sand Pebble – to the rally farewell party at the Kepri Coral resort.
To get there, we drove across the Riau islands in Bill’s hire car, then took a ferry ride to the resort, which is located on an island south of Batam. Apparently, Kepri Coral is owned by the same person who owns the shipyard that makes boats for the Indonesian Navy. If the ferry boat is an example of their workmanship, they certainly know their trade.

Road to Kepri Coral

Barelang Bridge – you can buy the T-shirt

Local load carrier
But the resort is a strange one. It seems like a playground to manifest all the ideas rattling around the owner’s head.
The hotel rooms are self-contained fibreglass igloos – just what you need in the tropics. Although each igloo has air conditioning and a bathroom and is more comfortable than it looks, the downside is that, unlike the unfeasibly melty ice version, the fibreglass design is a very effective sound conductor. I could hear the thump thump thump of the sound system well into the late hours of 11 pm. Nothing that couldn’t be sorted by earplugs, though.

Igloo on the outside

Igloo on the inside
But the zoo was the strangest of all. Even people who had been anchored outside the resort for days didn’t know it was there.
There’s a collection of birds, monkeys and even deer. But it is all a bit odd.

The eagle has landed

Turkeys looking a bit pensive before Christmas

Bill with his deer

Love birds

And a monkey that preens you on request – and a man that took a liking to Bill
The farewell party was a good one, though a bit undersubscribed. It was fun, and it gave Raymond, the rally agent, the opportunity to show off his karaoke skills.

Karaoke king
On 15th November, Maria arrived back from the UK on a BA flight to Singapore, looking a little worse for wear. Clearly, winter in the UK is not the best time to visit for someone more used to bikinis than thermals. But after a couple of weeks of thawing out and plenty of rest, she was back on form.

Maria with a beer
Next, we are off to our old stomping ground – Singapore.
Love your pics and story. That is one tiny deer! The igloo looks a little odd. Hope all is well for you both.
Thanks Jim. It is a very tiny deer – and has no place being there. All good thanks. Hope all is will with you.