Return to Rebak............23-09-2009

I am becomming terrible at up dating this site, however, I realise how important it is, not just for those who read it, but also for me to keep myself updated on this crazy life we lead. We are now back on Rebak Island, where the kids are happily playing, and back into school routine!!! Starting to freak out about high schooling long distance, as looks like our busines here is going to go well, and we might be Langkawi based for a few years. Arran has made some friends off a Sth African boat, so the gang is now a gang of 4, and they have been spending their time making stunt movies........oh dear, and will post them on UTube. Will let you know the link when they are finished. Namara is enjoying having Angie and Gina here, although, not being intentionally gender bias, their play is alot quieter than the boys. We are all (including Arran) enjoying the Twilight series books at the moment, so they are occuping a bit of time.

Marks business is keeping him NEARLY out of trouble, and we are all FUll of ideas and plans for the Now....mine include continuing on these childrens books I have been writting....and trying to organise my time so I actually have some...time that is!

Have also been entering in as many photography comp as poss to push myself a bit, and have.....dont laugh...joined the local ART Group!!!!!!Ha HA.....prehaps I will learn an extension to my stick figures!!!

We spent the last 3 months cruising in Indonesia...Aceh, and North Sumatra, going this year only as far south as Tellos.....these are invigerating places and we came back exhausted with all the ideas of things we want to do...one being building a surf camp and the other a Palong styled boat design for spacious life on the sea.Now that the kids are getting older, we are noticing the shrinking space, and we have decided to tentitively put GALYVA on the market, ....just to see if she sells for our price, and then move onth the next plans...of which we are still unsure of what that may be. Confused? So am I!!!!

Sorry that I have been so slack with updates, I promise to report more often.

We have been jetting our way around the world, recently returning to Scotland for a Wedding, of John, Marks Brother, and his blushing bride, Nicole. We had an awesome time with friends and family, hanging out in our thermal shirts, and visiting castles and searching for Nessie in the Lochs.

So good to see everyone again, visitied Craig, my brother and his family in England and did a whirlwind tour of London with my Mum, going to the theatre to see Lion King, scampering on and off double decker buses and the underground, Taking in the sights on th London Eye, and visiting Uncle Norm and Aunty Betty. All in 24 hours!

Now back at home and busy storing up for a trip back to Aceh, and the uninhabited islands and the surf. Having a wee catch up on the computer before we go, and promise to keep you updated with our adventures. Cheers,, Rachel

Off to Indonesia...again.

A quick wee note to say...YIPEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! We are stocked and ready for new adventures.

Heading back to Aceh, fridge full of chese, and cupboards full of beer. Will be great to go back, as now aware of the spots we want to hang in for a while.....our secret uninhabited island, with the clearest blue water, mating turtles and coral reefs...not to mention an OK surf break, but shhhhh, I cant give too much away, or there will be a resort there next year!

How lucky we are never ceases to amaze me.

In the past month we returned to Scotland where Marks brother, John, married my new sister in law, Nicole.

It was an awesome time, with the most special thing not the castles and the ice shkating, but just hanging out with family, and catching up with everyone.

We had to relearn how to put on socks and shoes, and also did a little bit of soul searching as to the realities of returning to Scotland for the kids high school, and whether we really could do it! Seeing how short some of the high school girls skirts are, Im quiet happy to continue to home school!!

Also we caught up with my brother Craig and my Mum, Wendy, and nephews Jake and Leroy. Mum took us on a whirl wind tour of London including The Lion King, Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, Double Decker Buses, The underground....in 24 hours!

Anyhow, we continue to inform you all of our adventures in Aceh, hoping to get up on the surf board...and my goal is to finish off a childrens book that has been churning in my mind for a while.......Wouldnt that be perfect, if I could write my way around the world!

Take care , until Aceh........

OOOOHHHHHHH my...Ive been very slack!

When you sit in one spot for so long, you really feel like theres not much to tell. Hence my lazy writting into the blog. Truth be known I have been super busy setting up a business in Langkawi, trying my hand at designing a web page....with super slow internet...setting up my own CAITbusinesshttp://cruisingindonesia.blogspot.com ...writting magazine articles...teaching the kids..................trying to get fit for John and Nicoles wedding..........and Ive also become a bit addicted to FACE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!Its awesome...I have caught up with a very cool long lost buddy who was stolen from us and whisked away at the tender age of 12.also my high school best friend, all ther cuzzies and even my Mum!We are now on anchor in Langkawi, Marks business is called Seaspray Marine Services, and he builds, repairs and fits out all types of Marine craft. Langkawi is a pretty cool place. We are still on anchor in Telaga but the seasons are changing swiftly and we may need to pull ino a marina soon. We are off to Scotland in 6 weeks for Marks little bros wedding and then back here. Planning another trip to Aceh also. have been having articles published all around the world...so pretty happy with that.Anyhow...will try to be more frequent.......and up date some pics.All is fantastic

Dr Who............????

Luckily we have been able to borrow the second series of DR WHo from our good friends off Blue Sky!!! The music is the same, the exterior of the Tardis still the same, the Darlics still the same....however, I never quiet remembered romance as part of Dr Who? Or prehaps, that is just because I was not of a romantic age when I used to watch it....
Tomorrow we leave Langkawi for a visa run to Ko Lipe, approx 25km from here, and part of Thailand. Our Malay visas last for 90 days from entry. The boat needs no Cruising Permit. We are taking Finn and Sophie and Di from Sunburn, so it will be exciting to have some extra crew on board. Sophie is now 12 and Finn 9 so perfectly compatable with the kids. Origional members of The Bare Foot Boat School.
Mark has been very busy, setting up a shed to work in and looking to buy a business and subscribe for a work visa here. His shed is great, a small double garage size shed on the main road from Telaga to Matsarat. It is right opposite a hardware store, has a Chinese Lady selling beer from her back door, and a local business SAILORS SAUSAGES next door....his favourite sausages. He has a Malay flag hanging.....Ive planted some seedlings and there is a Small Chinese Prayer Stand at the door. It is Chinese New Year this weekend, and he was given gifts of mandarines in red plastic bags and a couple of beers from the Chinese owners old dad. Despite the high percentage of Muslims here in Langkawi, Mark has somehow landed a shed in a Beer tolerant district!!! Funny that!
Kids are back at school, and we are using alot of Sonlight books. They have an awesome range of books, however, with the exchange rate and postage...a luxury at the moment.However, thats not to say Im not looking at Amazon UK and EBay UK for books to pick up when we go to Scotland in May for John and Nicoles wedding....,.I wonder how much they charge for extra baggage!
My Internet is very slow on anchor here in Telaga, and I have been trying to add photos, but to no avail.
My CAIT business is going well, and I am doing private swimming lessons up until we return from Aceh,,,then I wish to set up a swim school here in Langkawi. I have tried my hand at business, with Super Yacht Promotions being an attempt, and this has taught me alot about myself, and I have met some great people.....however...I always tend to turn towards the kids...or is it just my safety blanket!!!Sakinah is still on the back burner.
Langkawi life is great for us...here on anchor in Telga with two manmade islands close by...the kids, after school, go to play in the tree house and hang out in the hamocks...there is a local Indian Restaurant close by, and even though it is expensive for local food around here (at $4 for a drink, rice,, curry chicken and vegetables) we frequent here often. The kids love the ROTI Canai,(pronounced CHANI), which is like a flat bread rolled, twisted, flipped, folded, patted and cooked to flakey pull apart perfection. If you come to Malaysia...and obvioulsy India, you know they are not to be missed.
So ...Off to Ko Lipe for a swim and a relax.....Mark never takes time off and it will be great to see him again!!!!!White sandy beachs, clear waters(at last) and some relaxed tourists...bikinis and bare feet.......Bring on Thailand...

Painting a Picture

Let me paint a picture....The Jonas Brothers, a glass of red, a party on the local beach, a pesto cream chicken sauce, a sick child in bed......checking my emails, updating my cruisingindonesia.blogspot, then noticing I havnt updated this one, apart for photos, for a month.!
Thats terrible!
We have enjoyed Christmas, New Year, Namaras 11th birthday, my 38th!!!!!!!!!!!!!, Sophies, and Di's birthday, sleepovers, nits, illness, building new companies, assimilating into expat and local life!!!!! School has begun again with a full on exciting curriculum, unfortunately had 3 parcels go missing to us in the mail, and one out go missing, so very discouraging!!!!
Miss our books, although kids have enough for now, I admit to being a book hog!!!
We are off to Scotland for Marks little brothers wedding in May....so excited, and will catch up with my bro too!!!!!!
Basically have been great, although very busy trying to set up a business here and still feeling like we are chasing our tails!! I know it will all work out. Meeting some great local people, and still have good friends, Sunburn here with us, so kids are definately filling in their social calenders.
I promise I will up date on more of a regular basis. Dont forget to check the photos, as I tend to update these often......Love Rach