As Good As It Gets

Phi Phi 020
Originally uploaded by susiebarber

So after a pretty loud, rough night in little Cancun, I set out this morning to figure out an alternative. I walked through town and found a guy with a recommendation and then hoofed it back to demand a refund for my last 2 nights. The hotel desk was uncooperative, of course. I made a quick call to the booking agent in Krabi and she took care of it. I packed up my stuff, went back to the guy, booked my bungalow, and boarded the longtail.

I’m at Phi Phi Relax Resort for 2 nights. It’s on a secluded beach about 15 minutes by boat from town. There’s a coral reef just off shore, kayaks, snorkeling gear, and plenty of beach chairs and hammocks. This place is a slice of heaven! After eating a delicious seafood salad for lunch, I spent the afternoon in a shaded hammock alternating between swimming, sleeping and reading. Everyone here is very low key and spent the day doing much of the same as myself.

At about 5:00, the staff started a volleyball game on the beach and recruited as many guests as they could. The rest of us sat around watching, drinking from the cooler of beer, water and sodas that they put out. After the game, the staff went and took showers. When they returned, the restaurant and bar opened full-force and we’ve all been having a good time together.

Note that internet access is only between the hours of 6pm and 12am because that’s when we have electricity. Also, no wifi – they just let us bring our laptops down to the office off the restaurant and plug right in. So don’t expect a lot of updates until I’m back in spring break hell.

Tomorrow’s big dilema will be deciding between a beach chair or hammock. As it should be!

Kho Phi Phi

Krabi & Phi Phi 017
Originally uploaded by susiebarber

I’ve always heard how stunningly beautiful this place is and it is physically very beautiful – better than Yosemite, Crater Lake and the Gorge. I first heard about it when Mark and Holly got back from their Thailand vacation probably 12 or so years ago. I then saw Phi Phi Lei in the movie “The Beach” (great book, mediocre movie, but stunning scenery). I was so sad when the tsunami struck – this place got the worst of it in Thailand. Nearly every building was decimated and the island was evacuated for a few months. I was getting my reservations together in ’06 to come here. Re-building was just starting and there were very few places open. They say that it was back to the way it was 20+ years ago. I had even contacted Habitat for Humanity about helping out for part of my time here. Then I had my accident and had to cancel my trip.

I can honestly say that this place is nothing like I expected. I should have known when I boarded the ferry and saw nothing but college aged kids, some behaving suspiciously like frat boys and sorority girls, but with accents.

This town is one giant tourist trap. It’s full of dive shops, bars, tattoo parlors, massage places, and lots of little boarding room places. The beach is bordered with tiki bars just blasting music all over the place. I only saw 1 other person near my age and he was working in a dive shop. Everyone else was drunk on the beach running around with next to nothing on trying to get each other in the sack. Guys were playing macho on the beach and strutting their stuff and the girls were topless and flirting. It was kind of like Isla Vista, only amplified. This is not what I thought I was signing up for.
Anyway, after checking out the beach and then sitting in my air conditioned room for a bit (it’s incredibly hot here with no sea breeze) I meandered out to see if there was anything else outside this town. I did find a couple of very nice, quiet beaches with little air conditioned bungalows. I also found a beach where locals lived and the chickens play in the sand. And I came across a soccer field with a couple of kids teams playing, the parents cheering, and an announcer calling the plays. I’m so thankful. I’m going to see about moving to one of those bungalows tomorrow.

The other thing I might do is another “tour”. Maya Bay is where they filmed the movie and I’ve always wanted to see it. I saw a sign in a tour shop today about a night at the bay. They take you there for a beach BBQ dinner and to watch the sunset. You can play with the monkeys, swim or whatever you want. And then you camp on the beach. The next morning, they serve breakfast and then bring you home. It sounds a lot better than fighting the crowds during the day and I think it’s a bit too expensive for all the spring breakers (a bit more than I’m paying for the room I’m in). After that, I’m outta here pronto!

But it is stunningly beautiful.

Kho Phi Phi

Krabi & Phi Phi 010
Originally uploaded by susiebarber

I've arrived and can't write much -- wifi access is very expensive here. This is a view from the deck outside my room. Cheers!

I'm such a tourist!

Yep. Today I did the tourist thing -- I rode me an elephant. This is something I always wanted to do since I first saw Packy at the Portland Zoo when I was a kid.

When the van dropped myself and a French couple off at the ranch, they put me on my own elephant with a guide. As we set off with me in the chair, I started asking a lot of questions about the animals. My animal had a very long Thai name that I can't remember, so I called her Betsy. She's 19 years old (they live about 100 years, so she's still a youngster) and eats 200 lbs of food and drinks 150 liters of water each day. When the guide realized that I wasn't afraid of her (I kept reaching down to pet her neck), he took my camera from me, climbed down a leg that she had raised, and had me move to her neck. I got to ride there the rest of our trek while he walked along, sometimes leaving us alone. He did climb back on and sat in the seat when it was time to cross the river, but only because there was a steep decline and he wanted to be able to grab me should I go ass over tea kettle.

Afterwards, I got to feed her a basket of cucumbers. Each time I'd hand her just one, she'd poke me with it until I gave her a second one. Pushy broad! Then I watched another elephant get is bath in the river. It was funny watching the guy try not to fall off as the elephant was diving in the water. He stayed on top the whole time, though, scrubbing her down.

Then I went for a swim up the river and when I came back, hung out with the elephants, handing them vegetation, until the van returned to take us back.

I was a little concerned, since some of the elephant ranches are known to not treat their animals very well, but I was assured that this one was very kind to the elephants. And the travel assistant was right. They allowed the elephants to stop and eat whenever they needed to and only used the stick to lightly tap them when they needed the to move. It was kind of like me tapping you on the shoulder -- very gentle. He did the same thing with the heel of his foot a couple of times, but it was all very gentle During my solo ride, the guide told me to poke her twice on top of the head to get her moving again and I did it with my index finger. It actually worked -- you don't really need to use force at all.

I have to say, this was the best! Elephants are so gentle and I just couldn't wipe the smile off my face. I meant to get a photo of me in a Velo Bella vest during the trek so that I could submit a proper ride report, but I stupidly forgot the vest back in my room. I'm leaving for Kho Phi Phi tomorrow morning and I'll be there 3 nights. I've been invited back to the ranch when I return. They want me to call one morning so that they can pick me up. They've offered to let me spend the day helping out and learning to ride them completely solo -- free of charge. I may just take them up on that since I can't stop smiling.

Lazy Day

Krabi 038
Originally uploaded by susiebarber

As I said earlier, I woke up at 3:00am and took a walk on the beach just after dawn. I meandered around until the restaurants started opening and then had breakfast. I hadn't eaten since around noon yesterday (due to falling asleep and not waking up for dinner), so I hit the buffet at my hotel. Yummy!

Afterwards, I started walking north, just trying to scope out the town. Well, I kept going and before I knew it, I was at Nopparat Thara National Park. It's the gateway to the Phi Phi islands. Anyway, I started getting light headed so I bought some water, sat down and saw a sign for the Tsunmi Memorial Sculpture. That's what the picture is. It's absolutely beautiful, but so sad at the same time. Go through my photos and you'll also see tsunami evacuatation signs (everywhere in Krabi), a tsunami warning tower, and signs of the damage that still hasn't been repaired.

Anyway, I walked back, uploaded photos, had some lunch, read some of a book that I started months ago and never finished, and took a nap. It took me forever to fall asleep -- not sure why. But I woke up at sunset, strolled through town and just observed. This place is a bit different at night. Everything is open and everyone wants you to buy something from them.

I really wasn't hungry for dinner so I had a scoop of ice cream and later grabbed a beer and sat on the beach for a bit. I'm now back in my room ready to go to sleep again. Hopefully the beer will help me get to sleep faster this time.

I love lazy days.

Happy Birthday, Ornella!

This one's for you. And Freda.

Not a Sandy Beach

Krabi 006
Originally uploaded by susiebarber

Not quite as comfy on the feet as a sand beach, but absolutely beautiful. Yesterday, I arrived, walked around a bit, ate and then took a nap. I woke up at 3:00am local time. Oops. So I went for a walk down the beach just after sunrise and photos are posted. Note that the humidity fogged up my lens a bit.

Going to eat now -- it's been a while!

Finally in Paradise

And I managed to upload all of my photos. This photo was taken from my hotel's bar. It was a little windy earlier (there was a brief rain storm), but all is well now. I'm going to take a major nap now.

Photos Uploaded

You can view my photos here. Note that I'm uploading every little thing as a back up in case my hard disc crashes -- please don't be too judgmental!

From the Airport

Still no internet connection at the airport, so this will be posted later. But after my day around Bangkok yesterday, I ate some prawn pad tai and went to bed at around 6pm local time. Of course, I was up at 3:15am unable to sleep further. That’s OK. My flight wasn’t until 8am and this gave me time to organize photos from yesterday and get them ready to post. Of course, the internet connection was still broken from the hotel to the outside world.

Just before 6, I went to the lobby to find an Aussie couple getting a cab for another flight at the same time. We shared the cab to the airport and the exhaustion started setting in again. I must have looked like hell at the ticket window, because the ticket lady gave me a sad smile instead of the usual Thai happy smile. I smiled and bowed respectfully and handed her my itinerary. I had to flip back a couple of pages to find this morning’s flight. Her eyes bugged and she got on the phone. After a few, she popped out a ticket and told me that I’ve been upgraded to business class. I know it’s only an hour flight, but how nice! That just made my day, especially since I have yet to book a room in Krabi (did I mention no internet access?).

Anyway, I’m excited to be going to paradise and I’ll be there until August 12th. Plenty of time to catch up on my sleep, my reading, my trip planning, and feed the soul. Yeah!

Also, it’s worth noting that if you respect the culture and smile a lot, you are well taken care of in Bangkok. Thai women cover their shoulders and wear pants and skirts that cover the knee (even just a little). The women running around in short shorts, short skirts and spaghetti strap stops with bra straps showing are basically ignored (have I mentioned the Hello Kitty Japanese?) and treated a little rudely. I’ve been dressing according to the culture, smiling at everyone I make eye contact with, and doing the short bow with hands in prayer position whenever I speak with someone. So far that’s gotten me a tuk tuk escourt around the city, offer for a huge discount for a custom tailored thai silk dress (yes, I succumbed), a free bottle of water outside the Royal Palace, permission to share a long tail through the city (others were asking and getting denied), and yes, an upgrade to business class. I love this place …

Written at 3am Sunday Morning

The wifi service at the hotel has been down for hours, so I’ll post this when I can. I’ve had a fantastic day in Bangkok – this city rocks! When I woke up this morning, everyone from the road-side bar outside my window had gone away and the businesses had all opened up. The neighborhood looked downright nice. Funny how a little sunlight and the absense of drunks and hookers change everything.

Anyway, I set out to see the city. Armed with a map the hotel receptionist gave me, I decided to walk around hopefully getting to the Royal Palace. About 20 minutes into my quest, a very nice gentleman walked up and offered to help me. He marked several additional temples on my map and told me that it was a buddhist holiday and all temples were free. Also, the Royal Palace would be closed until 2:00. He also told me that because of the holiday, tuk tuks were 10 baht for the whole day (that’s much less than the cost for a bottle of water), so dirt cheap. He hailed me a tuk tuk (only one with a yellow license plate would do) and talked with the driver. Before you know it, I’m at my first temple. And a while later, I’m across the city at another. Then the driver took me to a state-run silk store before going to the next temple. Then he fessed up – the government was giving tut tut drivers coupons for free gas for each tourist they took to one of these government-approved stores. So, I said “Let’s get you more coupons and see some temples!”. So we spent the next 4 hours touring the city together checking everything out. It was such a win-win situation. Apparently, each coupon was worth a full tank of gas, which lasts about 2 days for him. I saw the “lucky” temple, the “health” temple, the temple guarded by cats (I promise to post a photo for the kittie people in Berkeley), the temple where they train monks, the “river” temple and others I can’t remember what they’re for. Eventually, 6 stores and countless temples later, it was nearing 2:00.
Finally, he dropped me at the Royal Palace and we said our goodbyes.

And I have to say, wow! That place is incredibly beautiful. Everything is so intricate and each temple absolutely spectacular. What they say is “the best” temple was closed for a private funeral viewing – the king’s sister had died, so there were a lot of people dressed in black heading into that area. Afterwards, I wanted to do the river cruise thing. Since it’s the off season, the number of tourists are down. So they try to get each individual into a longtail for the tour, rather than the 20 or so that would sit comfortably. As I was trying to negotiate this down (it was 1000 baht), this nice guy from Nairobi came up and we talked them into letting us share a boat and we each paid half price. So we spent an hour riding through the city on the Chao Phraya River. We passed the famous floating market, several temples, houses, and many kids swimming and playing in the river. Temples are everywhere in this city. In addition, every business and home has a small model temple on the grounds.

I have to say that I’ve met many people from around the world. I’ve seen Arabs, Hindus, Europeans of all types, South African’s, Chinese, Australians, and lots of Japanese (I can tell because they’re either wearing or carrying Hello Kitty stuff). You hear accent after accent at the Royal Palace. But I have not met a single American. Not on the plane to Bangkok, not at my hotel, and not anywhere I’ve been. And the locals all seem surprised that I’m from the states. Why is that? This place is so incredible that I would imagine a lot would love to visit!
Afterwards, I decided to walk back to my hotel on my own. It seemed like I needed to not only get some exercise, but prove to myself that I could do it on my own. It had all been so easy all day. Well, that’s when I got lost. Of course. I accidently hoofed it through a college camps (and right by cheerleader practice), ended up at a dead end in a Thai mall at the denture store, and passed about ten 7/11s. Seriously, there’s 7/11’s everywhere here. The sun had come out and it had gotten so hot that I decided the experiment was over. I gave up and got another tut tut, but this time it cost a lot more – I had no interest in doing anything but getting back to my hotel. I was so tired that I was nearly falling asleep standing up. Well, 3 tut tut drivers started fighting over me and I was getting tugged in all directions. I walked away as they argued, hailed a cab, and got back for cheaper than the tut tut’s were quoting me. Go figure.

Anyway, I showered, ate, tried to get internet access (the modem was down again), and promptly fell asleep by 6pm. It’s now 4am local time and I’m repacking for my 8am flight to Krabi. That’s right, by noon toay, I will be checked into a hotel down in paradise. And while the thought of getting on a plane again so soon is pretty repulsive, it’s my last plane until August 12th. I’ll post photos as soon as I can get on the internet (I really miss the internet, by the way).

What I wrote this morning when the Internet access was down

So the second Cathay Pacific flight was fantastic and totally redeemed them. The plane was clean, the ventilation worked, the bathrooms were great, and no Nimrod!

I arrived in Bangkok just before midnight local time (about 24 hours after I in transit to SFO). We landed during a lightening storm and it was absolutely beautiful to watch. Yeah, I guess I was too tired to be scared. Immigration went fast, my bag arrived and the taxi stand helped me pre-pay for a cab to get me to the hotel. As the driver was putting my bag in the trunk, I went to go sit shotgun up front. Ooops. The steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car. I guess I missed that bit when scanning through the guidebooks. Easy to do since I was mostly focused on the beaches and islands stuff. Anyway, we breeze through the city via 2 toll roads and street signs that I cannot read to save my life. In my exhausted state I realized that it's a damned good thing I didn't bring a bike. Between the driving on the wrong side of the road and my inability to read any signs, I'd do all sorts of stupid here.

Anyway, I've had 4 hours of sleep now and I can't seem to get any more. I think I'll give it one more go and then head out to a bank to cash some travelers checks and go see the Royal Palace. The photo was taken a couple of minutes ago from my hotel room window.

Worst Flight of My Life

Well, here I sit looking out the window at Hong Kong Harbor. I just went through the worst flight of my life. It was LONG - over 14 hours. And while the food was surprisingly good, everything else was horrible. Half of the plane had screaming children that they didn't want to even try to control, there was garbage everywhere, the bathrooms were a mess and of the 3 bathrooms that I used, only 1 had a working sink. After about 5 hours, the woman next to me started having some serious leg pain and I volunteered to move so that she could stretch out. Well, they put me in a middle seat right next to a very smelly bathroom. Totally gross. And I was next to a Chinese guy who seemed upset that the empty seat next to him was now occupied, so he kept tossing stuff on my lap while I was trying to sleep. But it was very amusing watching him use a spoon and fork like a pair of chop sticks when eating his dinner. It didn't work so well.

Also, there was this one male flight attendant with a "I'm too cool to be here attitude". He had spiked hair, very funky glasses and was just the far side of snooty. When we prepared to land, he sat opposite me. That's when I finally saw his name tag: "Nimrod". Seriously. Who's named Nimrod?

Anyway, no more complaining. I'm in Asia (at least in an airport), am watching boats on the water, and will be on the beaches in paradise on Sunday. I'm truly excited to be doing this!

Way Too Early

You know how you need to be at the airport 2 hours early for international flights? My plane leaves at 1:30, so I figured be here by 11:30. Bay area traffic sucks, so I figured that we'd leave at 9:30 for SFO. Well, there was no traffic, no line at the ticket counter, and only a 2 person line up at security. Add in the fact that I'm not on the government watch list and don't appear to be a terrorist, I get from the house to my gate by 11:05. Now what do I do with myself?

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane ...

But I do know when I'll be back again. As demanded last night at the yacht club, here's the itinerary:

Today I fly to Bangkok via Hong Kong -- arrive Friday night Bangkok time.
- Sunday, 7/27 - fly Bangkok to Krabi, Thailand
- Tuesday, 8/12 - fly Krabi to Delhi, India via Bangkok
- Tuesday, 8/26 - fly Delhi to Katmandu, Nepal
- Saturday, 9/13 - fly Katmandu to Amman, Jordan via Doha, Qatar
- Looking Middle Eastern as I do, I had some misgivings about traveling through Jordan on my own during Ramadan, so I get picked up at the airport and do this tour.
- Saturday, 9/20 - fly Amman to Cairo, Egypt
While in Egypt, do a felucca trip on the Nile. Many, many tour operators run these, almost all with identical itineraries. I'll book one before I get there.
- Monday, 10/6 - fly Cairo to Zanzibar, Tanzania via Khartoum, Sudan, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. After 4 days on the island, I join a safari at Kilimanjaro airport in Tanzania. Of course, that means that I have to fly to Kilimanjaro via Dar Es Salaam.
- Friday, 10/17 - the safari folks get me to Nairobi, Kenya and I fly to SFO via Heathrow in London. I land at SFO on Saturday, 10/18 at 2:15pm.

I'm half excited and half scared to death, but what the hell. You only live once.

Just About Ready

Well, it looks like everything's booked and I pay up this afternoon. I'll leave Thursday (still looking for a ride to the airport, by the way) and return on Saturday, October 18th. I'm pretty much packed, I just need one more shot tomorrow.

I'm having sticker shock of the cost of the whole thing, but what the hell -- you only live once. Who knew this would be so hectic?

Sometimes it's better to stay in bed

So today was visa day. All countries that I'm visiting allow you to buy a visa at the airport as you arrive. Not India. Nope. You have to either plan way ahead and do it via mail or go into an embassy or consulate. Today was the day for me.

I woke up very early (around 4) to take typhoid pill #2. That way, I wouldn't be dizzy when I needed to drive. The consulate opens at 9:00, so I left at 7:15, bright and early. When I arrived at the consulate (in a nice neighborhood on Geary right near the park), I was told that the visa office was now down at 6th and Market. OK. I then drive downtown and, much to my surprise, find a metered parking spot right across the street from the visa office. Sweet!

I fill out the application, pay the fee and leave my passport with the trusty ladies at the visa desk. I'm told to be back around 5:15 to pick it up. The good news is, I have time to buy the last of the stuff I need for my trip. The bad news is, my car has been broken into. Seriously. I open the drivers door, climb in and realize that I'm sitting on broken glass. The passenger side window is smashed and my bluetooth headset and iPod (which were nicely stored in the armrest compartment between seats) are gone. I filed a report with the police over the phone and called my insurace company. They have a national company that helps with glass issues, but they say they can't get me in anywhere until Monday. Well, a couple of calls later, I found a place that would replace my glass that afternoon.

I drop my car off, find a place to get a bite, and find out via my iPhone that Sports Basement is only about 8 blocks away. This is the very place I wanted to buy some things at for my trip. During my walk, my travel agent Laurie calls and we firm up all of my plans. Things are looking up!

Eventually, I've finished all of my shopping and am heading in my car back to the visa office. As I drove down Market Street, a parking space magically opened up about a block from the visa office. How sweet is that? So I pull in, feed the meter, and go to get my passport back.

After waiting until nearly 6 (we're on India time afterall), I get what I've been waiting for and go outside. I'll be damned if I couldn't find my car. Finally, a homeless guy tells me that it had been towed about 10 minutes before. I missed the sign that said that you cannot park between 5 and 7pm. Shit.

So I hoof it over to the police station and then over to the tow yard and get my car. I got home at 8:00 tonight. What should have been a $70 day (plus gas) got very expensive once you add in the new glass (cost less than my deductable), towing costs, the additional parking ticket, and the cost of an 80GB iPod classic. I don't even want to add it up right now. I actually nearly cried when waiting for my car. I'm telling myself that it's the blisters I got from my flip flops.

Anyway, Krista sent me an email today with a link to a video that put a smile back on my face: http://www.vimeo.com/1211060. Thanks Krista!

Back on Track

After more than a week of wondering aimlessly waiting for Laurie to get back from vacation, she has arrived. And better yet, she's figured out my trip details. She called me yesterday as I left the travel doctor's office to ask if I could leave Monday. I'd so love to, but I have to have another hepatitis shot on Tuesday. So now it looks like I'll be out of here on Thursday or so. Now I have 1 week to get my Indian visa, buy a camera for the Serengeti, and get the last of the clothing, etc. that I need.

Keep your fingers crossed that I get it all done!

If it sounds too good to be true ...

Well, I have since found out that the Tahiti to Thailand boat has recently screwed over a delivery crew member. This guy helped sail the boat from the Galapagos to Tahiti and paid for all the food when the person in charge "conveniently" couldn't find his wallet when the time came. There's also conflicting stories about his return ticket to the states. Whoever you listen to, the crew member was never reimbursed for anything and is out of a lot of money. I'm not willing to sail 6,000 miles with this possibly happening, so I'm going back to plan B.

While my travel agent friend is still on vacation, I'm going to call her office on Monday and talk with someone else. I want to get the ball rolling on this trip and get out of here soon. Cheers!

Sometimes the Planets Align

So here's an interesting story that I thought you might all enjoy. My company has been for sale for quite some time and in early May they announced that they found a buyer. The deal was due to close at the end of June. Over the last nearly 2 months I've been trying to figure out what I wanted to do if I got laid off again (for those of you who have known me a while, you know that my last 3 companies have been bought while I've been working for them). Unlike the past times, this time I am well off financially and can take my time in deciding, this in part due to a sizeable settlement check from an accident as well as moving last year into a house with rediculously cheap rent. Imagine my surprise to find out that I qualify for a large enough unemployment check to cover all of my monthly expenses including food. Absolutely no stress for a year.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend put a bug in my ear about an around the world plane ticket. They're fairly inexpensive and I haven't been on any vacations in a very long time. At the time of my accident in 2006, I was planning a trip to Thailand. So I priced out the following itinerary: Tanzania (safari and Zanzibar), Egypt (all that cool pyramidy stuff along the Nile), Jordan (Petra and some spa time at the Dead Sea), India (the Taj Majal, Jaipur, Lake Pichola), Nepal, Thailand, somewhere in the South Pacific, home. $5700. This was a very possible Plan B if I lost my job.

So Tuesday, I get the dreaded letter, pack up my things, and am home by 10:30. I decided to go for a bike ride and make a list of the things I have to do to get my trip together. On the way home, I see Bill Lee and stop to chat. When I told him my story and about my proposed trip, the conversation went like this:

Bill: Have you ever considered traveling in the reverse direction?
Me: Doesn't matter to me. Why?
Bill: Well there's this boat being sold that needs to be delivered to the new owner. They're looking for crew to make the trip.
Me: Where's the boat?
Bill: Raiatea - that's in Tahiti near Bora Bora. It needs to go to Thailand. Interested?
Me: Duh!
Bill: Let me check on the status of this deal.

So, I go home, reprice the ticket in reverse, stating in Thailand and ending in SF. It's down to $4,300 if I add some cities (all 3 places I mentioned in India -- I was going to take the train) and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. And while I've never had the desire to go to Ethiopia, what the hell? This is now Plan C and I like it better than Plan B.

Last night I go down to the harbor for the Wednesday night sailing races and Bill tells me that the deal is going through and this guy from Canada is running the delivery and needs people. He sent the guy my info. Then I go to the yacht club, tell the story to my friend, but couldn't remember the name of the island the boat's in (yes, the wine kicked in). She asked Bruce Vessey, standing near by, who said Raiatea -- my boat is there. I explained what Bill had said and Brucie yelled, "THAT'S MY BOAT!" Anyway, he's called Mr. Canada who has said that I can come along if I pay my own way. Usually delivery crew gets everything paid for and adding Tahiti to my ticket adds quite a bit of money. In fact, it nearly doubles the price, which is way more expensive than Plan B.

So now I need to decide if I want to do a delivery and pay my own way or if I would rather just stick to the initial B. Either way, I'm going to do some traveling.