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SE Asia Provisions

What is it? Pictures
worth 1000 words

If you’re making a one-way trip through SE Asia, like we did, it helps to know what’s available where, and what isn’t. We sailed from Australia through to the Seychelles in one year. The only time we backtracked was from Thailand back to Langkawi before sailing west for Sri Lanka.

If you’re interested in diesel, outboard engine fuel or LPG info, see below. The first part deals with food.

Australia has just about anything and everything you could want (food-wise and otherwise). Arriving by boat from outside the country involves dealing with Australian Quarantine, which we've covered in our section on Arriving in Australia. Everything gets easier when it's time to leave Australia. That's the time to really stock up on a lot of stuff. We left Darwin with the Darwin-Indonesia Rally in July 2006, so most of what I write about here has to do with a one-way journey from Australia north to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Leaving Darwin we stocked up on beer making kits (we already had the equipment for brewing), and both bottled and boxed wines for the long haul through the SE Asian Muslim countries. Bulk discounts are available at some merchants in Darwin, and customs will give you a huge tax rebate if you spend more than A$300.
Bring all the meat you can as it isn't very nice until you hit the big towns.
Be sure to leave with ample cheeses and powdered milk as you won’t find good dairy products again until Singapore or Thailand.
If you like canned corned beef get it in Australia. The stuff in SE Asia is fatty and mushy like dog food.
Bring any specialty items and brand names you want from Australia. In Indonesia you’ll find fresh fruits and vegetables, plus some staples, but no exotic imports until Bali.
Popcorn can be problematic everywhere in SE Asia, so if you want lots, bring it from Australia.
Indonesia’s bread is sweet, so if you’re making your own bring lots of flour.
Australia is your last place to get packaged tortillas, pecans and walnuts.
If you use canned green beans for bean salads, get plenty in Australia. The next place you’ll see them is in Thailand and the Maldives.
Canned fruit would be good to bring for long-term, as you won’t find much in Asia.
Bring lots of TP, and good mosquito repellent.

SOUTH EAST ASIA

A new shopping center in Mataram, Lombok

Food shopping in SE Asia is totally fun, as long as you're not desperate to find a specific item! The fresh markets abound with color and variety and in the larger towns the supermarkets are usually cool places where you can retreat from the heat of the day and spend time scouring the shelves to see just what there is. I have to admit to being a food-shopping fanatic!

Small shop in Labuan Bajo, Flores, Indonesia

Along the route we sailed these were the main food shopping areas, usually accessible by foot from the marina or anchorage:

Indonesia: Kupang, Timur had a basic supermarket as did Mataram, Lombok. The suburbs around Dempasar, Bali had huge supermarkets like Makro. We found fresh markets at Kupang, Lembata, Riung, Labuan Bajo, Lombok, Bali, and Kumai. Be prepared to bargain (or try offering about 1/2 and see what they give you for that amount). Much produce is sold by individuals by the side of the road, out in the sun and dust. Small shops carry very basic things.

Singapore: You'll be amazed by the modern malls and supermarkets accessible by bus and MRT from the marinas. Everything listed below (and more) is available in Singapore!

Small grocery, Sri Lanka

Malaysia: Port Dickson had small shops only. Penang had many small shops and probably supermarkets, but we didn't stay long enough to find any. Langkawi had several supermarkets plus small shops and fresh markets. In Kuah (Langkawi) you'll find small shops that carry duty free liquor and specialty things like whole wheat flour and brown rice.

Thailand: In Phuket you can find just about anything. Unless you're anchored in Patong (where you can walk to Carrefour) or Ao Chalong (where you can walk to the wet market) you'll need to take a bus or tuk-tuk or, probably better for a big provision, rent a car. We found baker’s supplies (whole wheat flour, grains, chocolate chips, cheddar cheese and cream cheese) in Phuket town at Gerbera House on Bangkok Road. There are fresh produce markets in Phuket town, Ao Chalong and Patong. The big supermarkets in the center of the island are: Tesco, Big C, and Festival. Big C is most like a K-Mart in USA (lots of items besides food), and has the cheapest Thai products. Festival and Tesco are good for meats and imports. Carrefour is the other big supermarket, which is in Patong. It's a French chain and has awesome imported cheeses and specialty items, plus all the normal supermarket things.

Sri Lanka: In Galle there were several small supermarkets plus fresh fruit/veg stalls and the main fresh market. You could get more "European" food through Mike’s Yacht Services. The government sets prices on bulk and canned items, and alcohol. Check on the bottle or container for the price.

Maldives: We only visited Addu Atoll, in the south. Everything is imported there, so there are no fresh markets. There is a small shop called Two Plus One on Feydoo which has a good cruiser's selection and delivers for free. The owner, Mulla, can also get things specially from Male (the capital) if you place an order with the owner.

Here's an overview of what's available where, as of 2006-2007. This is just a rough guide, and can change, of course, over time. Just about anything you could want is available in Singapore, so I've not included it on the table.

Item	Indonesia	Malaysia	Thailand	Sri Lanka	Maldives	NOTES
Cheese	Only at Makro in Bali	Expensive & imported	Good choice	Local, and good	Poor choice	Sri Lanka has a strong dairy industry with nice cheeses and yogurts.
Butter, Yogurt	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Canned butter available in supermarkets
Sweetened condensed milk	Yes. plus chocolate	No	No	Yes	Yes	Canned evaporated milk was more common
Powdered milk	Sweetened	Mostly for kids		Yes. Choices		Children's milk is usually flavored and sweet
Sugar/Sweets	White, palm (in rounds)	White, brown palm (in logs)	White, brown	White, brown palm (jaggery)	White	Cocoa is everywhere. Thai bee honey is good. Dark chocolate is hard to find in SL & Maldives.
Whole wheat flour	At supermarkets			Yes	Maybe	White flour everywhere. Beware old/moldy flour in Sri Lanka & Maldives
Pasta	At all big stores, but sometimes only spaghetti					Rice noodles and bean noodles are common
Peanuts & cashews	Yes, at fresh markets. Either raw or roasted.				Unknown	Indonesia has candlenuts, good for curries
Peanut butter	Everywhere, but cheapest in Malaysia and Thailand
Granola, Cereal	Bali only	Some. expensive	Best choice	Little choice	No	Oats & corn flakes are everywhere
Lentils, Dry beans	Yellow, red, brown everywhere. Also split peas, kidneys, butter beans etc.					Sold as bulk in markets or packaged in stores
Rice	Jasmine	Jasmine. brown in big stores		Basmati	Basmati	"Local" Maldives rice has bad earthy flavor
Crackers	Everywhere, and inexpensive					Those wrapped in little packets keep longer
Juices	Cordials, like Sunquick are everywhere. Some boxed UHT juices at high prices
Alcohol	Beer & local arrack (very harsh)	Everything, in duty free Langkawi	Cheap beer, expensive wine, liquor	Beer & local arrack (good)	None	The golden colored arrack in SL is similar to Caribbean rum and is cheap
Canned veggies	Very little choice except for canned corn					Canned tomatoes are sold in supermarkets
Canned fruit	Very little choice except lychees or pineapple					Some dried fruits (always raisins) at big stores
Canned fish	Canned tuna is everywhere, but prices vary a lot & may not be dolphin safe
Condiments & Cooking oil	Yes, everywhere				No mustard	We boycott palm oil for environmental reasons. Olive oil can be found at upscale supermarkets.
Coconut milk/ cream powder	Only supermarkets	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Cheap & easier to use than fresh coconut. Great for curries
Personal items	Toothpaste, toothbrushes, hand soap sold in shops. Deodorant choice limited					Tampons found in supermarkets
Toilet paper	Sold in supermarkets	Sold in supermarkets	Yes	Sold in supermarkets	yes	Not commonly used in Indonesia, Malaysia or Sri Lanka so no selection.
Mosquito repellent	Citronella candles and mosquito coils are common. Personal DEET-containing repellent is rare					Bug killing sprays are sold everywhere

SPICES

SE Asia is the spice capital of the world! You name it, it’s here, both fresh and powdered: cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, nutmeg, mace, cloves, cardamom, coriander, anise, cumin, turmeric, mixed masala, pre-mixed curry powders. Use your nose to determine the freshness of the product. Usually bulk in the markets is the best, but if you want just small quantities, you can find things pre-packaged in the stores. If they're fresh, you can smell the spice through the thin plastic.

Dried herbs are not so easy to find. The staples are oregano and basil. Fresh Thai basil is everywhere in Thailand. Fresh mint can be found in Langkawi and Thailand.

Hiding a smile. Potato seller in Timor, Indonesia

Coconut milk powder keeps
better than fresh coconuts

FRUITS/VEGETABLES

Indonesian markets are a feast of fresh produce. Bargaining is advised. Some Bahasa Indonesia words and numbers are good to know. Water spinach is called "kankung" in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Mangoes and avos are very seasonal, so don’t expect them year round. Papayas seem to be always available everywhere.
Un-refrigerated eggs, "telur" in Bahasa are available at the fresh markets (the supermarkets seem to keep them cold) but you might want to bring an egg carton or you’ll be taking eggs back to the boat in a little tied up plastic bag.
Thailand and Sri Lanka are much better than Langkawi for stocking up on fresh fruit and veg which is all brought from the mainland. In a pinch, in Kuah, you can find small stores with fresh greens, mint, papaya, pineapple and the usual onions and potatoes, eggplant and cabbage.
The choice of produce in Maldives (Gan) depends on what the store owner has brought down from Male recently.
Onions, potatoes and pumpkin are found everywhere. For the adventurous there are local root crops like cassava and sweet potatoes. Coconuts, both green as drinking nuts, and brown as dry nuts are everywhere. If you use a lot of coconut in curries you might want to stock up on powdered coconut milk and cream which is cheap, keeps for months and takes a lot less room than the nuts.

Sri Lankan cheese. Yum.

DAIRY

I've outlined it briefly in the table above, but it helps to know that dairy products (with the exception of yogurt) are not used very much in the local cuisine of Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand.
In contrast, Sri Lanka has a huge dairy industry with fresh buffalo curd (yogurt), butter, cheeses (hard and soft, aged or not) and fresh milk. Plain (whole or skim) powdered milk was difficult to find outside of Singapore, Thailand or Sri Lanka. Most milk is marketed for babies and is fortified or filled with sweeteners or vanilla flavoring. Look for packages with pictures of adults on them and it may be plain flavored. If you want instant, be sure to read the labels well -- some of the powdered milks took professional blenders to mix!
We did get dairy products in Maldives, but that's probably because Mulla, the owner of Two Plus One grocery store, stocks for yachties.

Fresh fish market in eastern Indonesia

MEAT AND FISH

Green mussels in Thailand

There's not much pork in Indonesia except in Bali where beef is hard to find. Chinese markets in (Muslim) Malaysia will have pork.
Thai meat (pork, beef, lamb, chicken) is the best of all SE Asia. Also salted cockroaches, snake, and crickets, if you're so inclined....
Chicken may be tough and stringy at the markets. You can find good imported frozen chicken at the upscale supermarkets.
Fresh and dried fish is sold at all markets, everywhere. If you want it fresh from the sea, you can buy or trade for fresh fish, shellfish and lobster (be sure the females aren’t berried) in Indonesia and Thailand.
We bought beautiful, tasty green mussels in Thailand right from a fisherman and his wife.

DIESEL

Filling with diesel & gas in Lombok

Indonesia : The national price (in 2006) was 4500 R (about 45 US cents) per liter, but given that we had to pay middle-men, or pay for transport of the diesel in jerry jugs to docks, we usually paid about 5500. The Rally boats objected strongly when the people in Bali tried to sell them diesel at Serangan Island for an outrageous R8500. We got it easily by jerry jug in Kupang, Lombok, Bali, Kumai. Make sure you're full when leaving Kupang as we were running a bit low by the time we got to Lombok - the winds were light so we had to motor much of the time. Note that Kupang also had the last ATM before Lombok (by road to the capital) or Bali. It’s critical to filter the diesel as it goes into your tank, although it often looked very clean.

Singapore: There's no fuel dock at One 15 Marina.

Malaysia: We got fuel by jerry jugs in a friend's car at Admiral Marina, Port Dickson (the fuel dock was broken), then again at Telaga Harbor Marina, Langkawi, once by jerry jug and once directly to Ocelot at the fuel pontoon. The gas station is literally right next to the fuel dock, and they charge quite a bit less. We still used the Baja Filter. Can’t remember the price.

Thailand: We got fuel by jerry jug via rented car to Nai Harn Bay. Ao Chalong would also be a convenient place. Can’t remember the price but it was pretty cheap.

Sri Lanka: We used jerry jugs, and Mike’s Yacht Services delivered right to the dock in the security area - $.60/liter. If you use GAC (which claims a monopoly) they'll charge you an extra 10%.

Maldives: We had it delivered to the wall in Gan, organized by Mulla from Two Plus One store, but it's easy to arrange yourself. Just go to the fuel station half way up Feydoo and ask. However, the meter on the fuel truck over-reads by a good 10%, so the fuel will cost you that 10% extra. Don't know how good the metering is at the station, but the truck and the station are owned by the same company.

OUTBOARD GASOLINE

Don't be tempted. These are quick stop
gas stations for motorcycles only.

Indonesia: In Kupang the rally helpers on the beach schlepped our jerry jugs (for a hefty surcharge). It's probably cheaper to hire a bemo or small truck for a couple of bucks and make a run to the fuel station yourself. The roadside stands with liters of fuel are for the ever-present motorcycles.
In Lombok we got it in jugs, via truck, with Mohammad’s brother, again for a hefty surcharge.
In Bali we took jerry jugs to a petrol station via rental car. Don't get the premix as it's not the correct oil for (cool running) outboard motors.
In Kumai, Kalimantan, Herry of Herry's Borneo Wilderness Eco Tours can arrange for fuel.

Malaysia: From Port Dickson, we bought gas in jerry jugs, transported with a friend's car.
In Telaga, Langkawi we took jerry jugs by foot to the petrol station that's 50 meters from the fuel dock. It's cheaper that way.

Thailand: We got gasoline by jerry jugs and rental car from Nai Harn Bay, Phuket.

Sri Lanka: Mike’s Yacht Services brought it right to the dock in our jerry jugs.

Maldives: We could have gotten gas from Mulla, (Two Plus One) but didn’t need it.

Mulla, the very helpful store-owner
in Addu Atoll, Maldives

If you're headed for Chagos, be sure to carry lots of outboard fuel, as the atolls are big, and people use dinghies for fishing.

COOKING GAS

We swapped a French for an Aussie tank in Aus, so now have all US/Aus fittings (some with newer US outer threads). Our bottles are the standard 20 lb (8.5 kg) size. They were all full leaving Darwin. Make sure the valves have bleed-screws, necessary when gravity feeding from 1 bottle to another (or when filling in Aus).

Indonesia: In Bali there's a big LPG station close to Serangan anchorage, closed weekends
In Kumai Herry at Kumai Yacht services got us LPG.

Thailand: We used a rental car (but you could easily go by tuk-tuk) to get to the actual LPG dealer in central Phuket.

Sri Lanka: They couldn’t use our fittings, so we tried gravity feed, to no success.

Maldives: We bought a full bottle via Mulla and succeeded in gravity feeding to ours.

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