01/08/14 I don't know what I ever did to Seņor Montezuma, but he's certainly taking his revenge on me! Lying down I am fine, sitting or standing is a recipe for a run to the loo. Al did some shopping for me and I spent most of the day sleeping.02/08/14 Happy Anniversary to my bro Clive and wife Barbara! I think I'm on the mend now but am still very careful about what I eat or drink - today it's toast for breakfast, oranges, banana's and pineapple for lunch, with maybe some soup and noodles for my dinner.
04/08/14 Two days ago I was wrong! I 'feel' better in that I am not nauseous or suffering a lack of appetite anymore but the other symptoms continue unabated. My body is a blender/juicer.....I put something in one end and it comes out liquidised at the other....in minutes! It is driving me around the bend.
06/08/14 Cleaned the sprayhood and bimini top with soapy water and thoroughly rinsed until no soap residue left.
07/08/14 Applied Nikwax waterproofing to sprayhood and bimini, leaving all day to dry.
08/0814 Back to the doctors! She gave me an examination, more pills and potions - and this time, penicillin. I hope this clears up the problem fairly quickly as it is now getting me down big time.
13/08/14 OK, much better now! Boats continue to arrive and depart, and the marina continues to disintegrate - four finger pontoons have broken away from the piles while I have been here.
17/08/14 The weather seems to be changing, we are getting a shower most days now and the temperature is down to a lovely cool 30 deg. Maybe the NE season is coming early this year?
18/08/14 Me and my big mouth! Temperatures are back up to 40 today and my stroll around town for bits and pieces was almost unbearable in blazing sunshine. Decided to go down to KK tomorrow and stay overnight, then meet up with Sam on Wednesday morning for an early (5am) drive down to Brunei - he needs to renew his visa, so I may as well do mine at the same time.
19/08/14 Travelled down to KK by taxi, arriving around 1pm and wandered round a few hotels looking for a room before ending up practically back where I started at the bus terminal, booked into the King Park Hotel. The hotel isn't too bad, looks a bit tired in places but at least it's clean, all the facilities work and you get a complimentary breakfast! Sam phoned and said he would meet me for breakfast at 6.30 and then we would drive down to Brunei.
20/08/14 We had a leisurely breakfast (western style) then set off on the long drive south around 7.30am. By 10.30 we were checking out of Sabah at the immigration control point, and into Sarawak. The change in landscape and vegetation once across the border is so marked, the roads are more hilly, the trees overhang the roads, it's a remarkable change. An hour later, we were checking out of Sarawak and into Brunei! A quick u-turn and back out again for the homeward drive! Once back in Sabah, we stopped at a beachside cafe in Sipitang for some lunch before continuing toward KK. Arriving back in Kota Kinabalu about 4pm, I decided I had sat enough for one day and would have another night in the King Park Hotel, then catch the 8am bus in the morning. However, Sam told me he would be heading up to Kudat around 11.30 if I should care to wait for him, then ride up there in his car - so, that sorted, he went off home and I had a walk around to stretch my legs a little, get some dinner and go back to the hotel for some air-con comfort!
21/08/14 Met up with Sam again for breakfast at my hotel just after 6.30am, then read the paper and had a coffee or two before Sam picked me up at 10.30 for the drive back to Kudat. Nice to be 'home' but I think I may miss the air-con room a little!
22/08/14 A public holiday in Malaysia - today has been declared a national day of mourning as the remains of twenty of the victims of the MH17 aircrash are flown into Kuala Lumpur airport.
23/08/14 Trying to make a new chart plotter cover with glass fibre as mine is cracked and falling apart; not tried this before, so it's a first for me! I've waxed the old cover and put on 3 layers of glass fibre and resin. Walked into town for a bread and a few bits.
25/08/14 Engine won't start! Tried to run up the engine this afternoon - turned on the ignition, pressed the pre-heat button and all the electrics went dead...deep joy.
26/08/14 In the engine compartment checking earth leads and all connectors to starter motor and alternator. "Wriggling" the main battery cable puts the power back on and off, so empty the nav. berth again and lo and behold, another broken battery isolator switch (see log entry for 18/04/14). It seems the isolator switches have a limited lifetime before disintegration sets in! I will need to order another from UK or Australia, also one to replace the domestic battery switch, and a spare! One step forward, two steps backwards, but hey.......it's a boat!
28/08/14 Sanded the chartplotter cover and sprayed with three coats of white paint.
29/08/14 Why do online shopping sites make things so difficult for people like myself? I've been trying to order the new battery isolator switches, and even when Malaysia is listed in the countries they deliver to, they are unable to give a postage price and you have to contact the customer service department - who will (when a representative is appointed) contact you in three working days to give a postage price! It simply isn't good enough guys! Needless to say, I found another supplier and have ordered from them. Anyway, now begins another wait for TNT to deliver a small package to Kudat.
31/08/14 Hari Merdeka (Independence Day) is a national day of Malaysia commemorating the independence of the Federation of Malaya from British colonial rule in 1957, celebrated on 31 August each year. Another two days of public holiday
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