Back In Paradise!

We arrived back on Blowin' Bubbles 1 week ago today.  Our trip from Canada took just over 26 hours to Singapore where we got a room for the night and took a small ferry to Malaysia the next day.  We had another GREAT flight and the people at EVA AIRLINES were amazing. 

We met our friends, Sabine and Sean in Singapore who not only looked after Blowin' Bubbles while we were in Canada, but helped us lug our suitcases from hell all the way to the boat.

The ferry ride to Malaysia

When we arrived last Sunday we found Blowin' Bubbles in a pretty sad way.  She was covered in dirt and mold which has taken all week to clean. We have also found quite a few broken things.  Not the least of which is the raw water pump is leaking, the starting batteries are dead, the main battery switch is broken and so on...  Nothing is insurmountable but we are having a little trouble with the captain who can't do some of the things he is used to doing.  The good news is that our brother in law, Denis is arriving next weekend has promised to do some of the heavy lifting...

It has not been all work....  We find ourselves in a BEAUTIFUL marina resort called Sebana Cove Resort.  In addition to this lovely marina it boasts 2 golf courses, restaurants, fitness centers, and stunning swimming pools.  They also provide transportation into town 3 times a week to get our shopping done.  All this for just less than $400 Canadian per month.  And while we prefer to be anchored out in a secluded anchorage, we are making the most of our time here at the dock...  Not a horrible place to be....

Last evening we had Sabine and Sean over for a BBQ Chicken dinner. Our way of saying thank you for looking after Blowin' Bubbles for the last three months.  You may remember (from earlier posts) they are awesome musicians so we spent the night singing and playing...  what a treat.

We will spend at least another few months here as I continue to heal.  We hope to make a road trip to Vietnam in a few weeks.  Before the accident, we had purchased tickets for this trip but could not cancel them.  They did however, allow us to change the dates so this will be a bit of a trial to see how I do...

The "Yachties" weekly ride to the grocery store

Here is to our amazing adventure getting a re-start....

Cheers!

109 Days....

It has been 109 days since that fateful day when our life changed.  We are currently sitting in Pearson International Airport waiting to board our 16 hour flight to Taipei, then 4 hour layover, then 5 hour flight to Singapore where we will stay night then take a ferry to Malaysia where after a 40 minute taxi ride or 1 hour bus ride will FINALLY be back on board Blowin’ Bubbles....

I am filled with different emotions. We have been blesssed with time with our family and friends at home over the last few months.  We have be cared for by our great friends, Bruce & Yvonne who have given us a home and the use of the apartment above their dive shop, use of a car, and too many gourmet meals to count.
Our family doctor has gone way above the call of duty, seeing us whenever we needed him, sometimes outside regular office hours, even our pharmacy who saw to it we have a travel supply of medication.  We appreciate all the doctors in all the hospitals from Indonesia to Kitchener who put us back together in one way or another.
We thank from the bottom of our hearts the friends, family and complete strangers who literally saved us with the money raised by our youngest daughter’s Go Fund Me Page, the people from home and away who helped us in so many ways (you know who you are).  The folks at the travel insurance office DAN (Divers Alert Network) who saw to it that we got to Singapore for surgery and home to recover.
Our hearts are so full!
At a very personal level, thank you to my amazing wife, Shelley who LITERALLY saved my life.  With a full on concussion she somehow managed to get done what had to be done to get me to where they could fix me. Then for the last 109 days putting up with my moods, my pain, my struggles.... she deserves sainthood at the very least.

Our lives are different now.  We will be deciding over the next few months where we go next.  Back on the boat we will slowly get her ready to go back to sea when my strength comes back and my body heals a little more.  Since I can’t sail yet, we plan to explore a little of SE Asia by bus, train and plane.  Before the accident Shelley had booked a trip for us to Vietnam and Cambodia.  Some let us cancel, but others would only let us change dates were kind enough to let us change the dates