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01/04/20 Weds. Happy Birthday Ana! Not a very good one in isolation! We saw a big monitor lizard (maybe 2 metres) taking a walk along the pontoon today.
03/04/20 Fri. Very little happening due to the Covid-19 crisis. The marina is exceptionally quiet, Ana and I find jobs to do during the daytime and either watch a film or read during the evenings. I took the thermostat pipes off and checked in a pan of hot water if the 'stat was working as it should but because it's an enclosed type, it is difficult to check properly. A new one is £115 + shipping! Ana is busy with clothes sewing projects.
06/04/20 Mon. Day 20 of lockdown.......
07/04/20 Tues. The engine parts that I ordered last month (23rd) were shipped the same day from Lancaster to Preston by TNT (now FedEx). Today's tracking shows the package in...............Preston! 20 miles in 2 weeks, not bad!!
11/04/20 Sat. Three of my packages turned up yesterday, 1 from UK via Royal Mail and 2 from Chicago. (The TNT one is still in Preston!) None could be delivered because of the marina office being closed, so Ana went to the PosLaju sorting office and collected them. The Malaysian government today announced the Movement Control Order will be extended from the 14th to the 28th April - the lockdown continues with fines of RM10,000 and 2 years jail for anyone flouting the rules.
16/04/20 Thurs. An update on my errant engine part - it was despatched from Lancaster by Parcel2Go and taken to Preston to be handed over to TNT. That didn't happen! I have contacted both TNT (who don't have the package) and P2G, who tell me that the parcel has been returned to sender and will take two weeks to get there. They don't know why it was sent back, or by whom. Which is great for me (not) as we will have to leave Malaysia as soon as the Movement Control Order is lifted, and we don't have a working engine!
18/04/20 Sat. This necessary banjo bolt is becoming a major problem. I ordered 2 from another online source, their website proclaiming "we are working normally under Covid rules", but I received no confirmation e-mail, nor are they answering my e-mails. Without the bolt, I cannot start the engine and will not be able to leave when the MCO is lifted. Brunei now looks to be out of the question as well. Yesterday they imposed a compulsory virus test for ALL incoming foreigners, costing $1000 per person (about £500) as well as 14 days compulsory isolation. As Ana's visa in Brunei is only valid for 14 days, that means she would have to spend the whole time isolated onboard and then leave, so what's the point of the virus test if you're never allowed to set foot on Brunei soil?
26/04/20 Sun. The MCO has now been extended to the 12th May. Manfred, the sender of my engine banjo bolt, now has it back and will repost it via Royal Mail International Tracked and Signed. Let's hope it gets here in time for me to do the repair before having to leave! Passing time each day by experimenting with photo manipulation, reading, watching films, making paracord key chains and doing boat jobs whenever the weather permits. Yesterday's annual 25th April ANZAC Day dawn service obviously didn't take place, the war cemetery here is closed for the time being. We have attended the service every year until now. At this moment, we are in the middle of a terrific thunder storm, the rain is hammering down, lightning everywhere and enormous claps of thunder....7.15pm.
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