Nov 6 - Sail Malaysia activities have commenced

We're departing Puteri Harbour Marina in a few hours on the way towards Langkawi. Last night was the Rally welcoming dinner at Danga Bay Marina Convention Center; a lovely meal, cocktail hour beforehand, and entertainment during; then a 20 minute ride back by the Puteri Marina water taxi. We've been on a bus tour of Johor. This area has a vibrant economy and the long range urban plans are just amazing. The new government center, Kota Iskandar, has been operational for a few years and we were able to see where the representatives work and laws are passed. After a mid-morning tea break, a tour of the pineapple museum followed by a traditional lunch (delicious!) at a homestay was arranged, then stops to a National Park on the coast and to one of the upscale shopping center outlet malls completed a full day. Yesterday morning, our main navigation briefing for the rally took place, and during the afternoon break I bought a window air conditioner unit! It is seriously hot and humid here at this time of year, although we won't be using the a/c unless we have dock power at a marina. So...things are happening, and the fleet is starting to move around. Some of our friends are in Langkawi (about 460 miles from here), a few have even pushed to Phuket, Thailand (another 170 miles further from Langkawi), and we're looking forward to seeing new areas on our journey up the Malacca Straits.

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