Touring Indonesia.

We went to a traditional Sasak  village in Lombok who are the indigenous people who still speak the original language of Indonesia. They still live very primitively.  Even though this is a storage shed there house are very similar.

This is where they store the rice.

Still using the traditional spinning wheel for spinning the yarn.

Frying the eggs in the shell. Never have seen that before.

Another storage hut.

We went to the open market in a village in Lombok and saw them park the horse and buggy taxi which after we finished shopping we took one of those  horse and buggy taxi back to the marina. What fun.

The driver pulled up and backed the horse back into a space and parked the horse and buggy at the market for real.

     

Horse and buggy all parked..

BALI

On Sunday, October 5, 2014 we departed Medana Bay Marina for the Royal Bali Yacht Club on Serangan Island, Bali (08-43.085’ S x 115-14.520’ E).  The purpose of the trip down Selat Lombok (Lombok Strait) was to effect a repair to one of our stainless steel stanchions that had broken off its base.  Serangan Island is a good place for most repairs and the Royal Bali yacht Club has all the contacts will make arrangements.  We were travelling in company with our friends, Ken and Lil Bardon, on “Moonbean” that needed engine work done on their cooling system.  If it were not for that, there would be no reason to venture down the Lombok Strait as the crossing can be very rough and difficult to sail back North against the South setting current which can run more than 8 kts during Spring Tides.  The Wallace Line runs through Selat Lombok, marking the division between the Asian and Australasian fauna.  With all this in mind, we departed Medana Bay Marina at 0600 hrs.

Selat Lombok is a major shipping route from the Indian Ocean to the China Sea and Pacific.  It is wide so there is more than enough room for everyone but the tidal streams run ferociously at 6 kts or more.  During the SE Monsoon, the current is, mostly, South setting so the voyage over to Bali, about 60 nm, can be made during daylight.  There can be a strong wind blowing out of the South at 25+ kts against the South setting tidal stream and this makes for an uncomfortable passage.  We experienced a 20 kt wind, no wind, eddies, overfalls, whilpools, big sweels, errant currents that set us off at more than 45 degrees, flat water and other bizarre events in the crossing.  We have never experienced anything like it.  The South setting current was running at about 5 kts.  At 1630 hrs we entered the channel leading into the Serangan mooring field.  There was a dinghy from the Royal Bali Yacht Club that met us at the entrance and directed us to our mooring along with “Moonbeam”.   Picked up the mooring (08-43.067’ S x 115-14.511’ E) at 1700 hrs.  Lots of moorings here so there seems to be room for everyone.  Also, it’s possible to anchor. 

This is the part of Bali that is close to Denpasar which has an international airport, hospitals, dental clinics, ATMs, internet services, telecommunications, international restaurants, and everything else a vibrant modern city would have.  It has some of the most sophisticated shopping malls we have seen outside of Brisbane and Cairns, AU:  Starbucks, Duncan Donuts, KFC, MD, it’s all here.  The traffic is incredible and what appears to be a chaotic interweaving of cars, busses and motor bikes is well orchestrated with no accidents that we have seen.  Denpasar is as much a part of the “real” Bali as the beautifully terraced rice paddies just a short distance away.  Religion and sacrificial offerings are the overriding theme everywhere in Bali.  Small sacrificial offerings are placed on the sidewalks, outside modern sophisticated businesses to the lowly “warung” (small Indonesian eatery).  The Balinese are unified in their uniqueness and religion.  Being Hindus and embracing  Hinduism, they have, nevertheless, developed a special form that is complex and difficult for an outsider to understand without a thorough study of the underlying concepts.  They have a caste system that seems to work for them and, similar to India’s, one is born into it.  It is not possible to “upgrade” your caste in this lifetime.  There is no “untouchable caste” in Bali.

In the 1930’s there was an active expat community of artists, poets and writers living in Ubud – 20 miles North of Denpasar.  Two of the leading artists in that community, Walter Spies and Berly de Zoote, once said, “The Balinese people have “a suppleness of mind which has enabled them to take what they want of an alien civilization and leave the rest”.  When one looks at the influx of modernism in Bali today, I questions if that is still true.

We made a day trip to Ubud which is the artistic and cultural center of Bali.  It is here that the modern world looks onto the traditional one.  The city is a vast complex of temples and ancestor worship with the Balinese carrying on their traditional worshiping ceremonies: ritual sacrifice, song, dance and gamelan music.  While this is happening, thousands of tourists are gaping at the incredible gracefulness of the dancers and musicians. The city of Ubud is like an endless warehouse of Balinese artwork: The repository of items to be shipped worldwide.  It staggers the imagination to figure out how so much stuff can be found in anyone place.  Then, just a 10 minute ride outside Ubud, are some of the most beautifully terraced rice fields we have seen.  Once again, they are being “loved to death” and the small communal town of Tegalalang has collection agents at each end of the town that collects a small fee from each car that enters.  The one street town is a hodgepodge of restaurants, overlooking the terraced rice fields, and tourist shops selling Balinese ware.  It’s the kind of instant gratification that the average tourist needs and its nearness solves the time factor.  One hour to the West or North and there are beautifully terraced rice paddies are everywhere.

Then, there is a town dedicated to producing silver and gold jewelry.  Shop after shop and then one so huge and garish that it looks like a composite of Mardi Gras floats from New Orleans.  It’s called “Sweet Dragonfly” and houses some of the most hideous jewelry we’ve seen amongst a few tasteful pieces.  It must be doing well for a huge new addition is under contruction that appears to be bigger than most convention halls: white glaring alabaster figures similar to gargoyles on medieval churches and Bacchanalian revelry.  Truly bizarre!

The “Four Seasons Resort” where a cheeseburger costs US$37.50 and the guests are so wealthy that it’s just another item on the credit card.  It’s all a Bali that can accommodate every lifestyle.

Now we come to the difficult part:  How to extricate ourselves from Serangan Island to Lovina Beach on the northern coast of Bali.  The sub-strait – Selat Badung – has powerful currents, eddies and overfalls running at 8+ kts during Spring Tides.  We won’t encounter anything that strong but timing is critical to getting out of here.  If we leave at the wrong time, we’ll be going backwards!  The best we can hope for is a counter-current running up the East coast of Bali during part of the tidal stream cycle.  This, combined with a favorable wind coming out of the SE-S and engine, might give us enough speed to make forward progress.  We plan to leave on Thursday Oct 16^th around noontime.  We have friends coming from Thailand that will be sailing with us to Karimun Jawa (05-52.22’ S x 110-24.89’ E) over 400 nm to the West.  They will be with us for ten days or so.

Item of interest:  There is a coffee produced on Java and Sumatra called “Luwak”.  It is dependent on an animal called a “Luwak” eating the coffee berries and then passing them through its digestive system and defecating them on the ground: a shitty berry.  They are then gathered and hygienically processed into one of the world’s most expensive gourmet coffees.  Statistics indicate that only 300 kg of this specialized coffee are produced per year but, I suspect, a lot of it is just regular coffee with the “Luwak” label.  The other possibility is that there are thousands of Luwaks, held in captivity, eating and defecating coffee berries like a scene out of the Mad Max movie “Back to Thunderdome” where the pigs are producing methane gas!

One more item of interest that happened while we were on our mooring at Serangan Is.  The Paolo worm surfaced on October 8^th at the full moon which coincided with  the full lunar eclipse.  These worms figure in Animistic ceremonies, which are headed by shamans, and are considered a delicacy – similar to caviar, so I’m told.  Our friend, Lil, on “Moonbeam” took several pictures of the event.

"The Pacific palolo worm (Eunice viridis) and its West Indian relative (E. fucata) exhibit one of the most incredible examples of reproductive behavior on record, which is intimately linked to the lunar cycle. These two annelid species are polychaete worms, and normally remain secure within tubes excavated by them in coral or under rocks, with their heads at the open end of their tubes - until the breeding season, that is.

"When this period approaches, the rear half of each worm transforms dramatically, developing fast-growing reproductive organs. The worm itself reverses its position within its tube, so that it is now pointing head-down, with its highly modified posterior half-projecting out of the tube. Once the reproductive organs are fully developed, the posterior body half breaks off from the rest of the worm, and swims up toward the sea's surface - almost as if it were a separate animal in its own right. Indeed, it has even developed a pair of eyes to assist it in locating the surface.

"As it swims, the worm's posterior body half undergoes a further transformation, its internal structures and segmentation breaking down, so that when it reaches the surface it is nothing more than a writhing bag of either sperm or eggs (the sexes are separate in these species). At the surface, the bag bursts, releasing its contents - and, bearing in mind that millions of palolo worms have all undergone this radical metamorphosis at precisely the same time, the sea is soon awash with a mass of sperm and eggs, yielding a vast bout of communal, random fertilization. What makes these worms' reproductive behavior even more extraordinary is the exact nature of this event's timing. It occurs twice a year on the neap tides of the last quarter moon in October and November for the Pacific species, and the third quarter moon in June and July for the West Indian species of palolo worm." (Shuker 2001:94-95)

LOMBOK, INDONESIA

September 30 – October 5, 2014

Medana Bay Marina (08-21.883’ S x 116-07.754’ E) is a great place to stay.  It is situated on the NNW of Lombok Island and has a friendly management that will arrange anything needed for cruisers.  It offers secure moorings and alongside berths for yachts at very reasonable prices.  Private taxis with A/C for touring the island are available and affordable.  All are newer model SUV’s and comfortable.  Most of the drivers speak some English.

Lombok is a big island with a dense population, most of which are Muslims.  It has been called the “Island of a Thousand Mosques”.  It’s land mass is equal to or greater than Bali and, from ancient times, has had an intimate relationship with Bali and its Kings.  It blends both the modern and traditional ways of life.  Farming and rice plantations are an important part of the culture.  The indigenous population are called Sasaks and they speak a different language that the Bahasa Indonesian.  Also, their religion is based upon Animism – a worship of nature, ancestors, and spirits.  This is surprising given that the majority of the people are Muslims with Hindus and Christians in the minority.  Somehow, they have held onto their beliefs as Lombok has developed into a modern society.

We visited one of the traditional Sasak villages with about 150 families living in traditional thatched huts with dirt and cow dung floors.  The interiors were simple but clean with just the bare necessities for cooking on a type of earthen wood stove.  Since there were no windows, the interior was poorly lighted.  The polishing of the thatched hut floors with cow dung is steeped in a tradition that I don’t understand and was not able to get a good explanation from the village spokesman.  When young couples wish to marry, there is a kidnapping of the woman by her lover and they run off to parts unknown.  The bride-to-be’s family will be angry and the couple have to wait until they are invited back into the village.  Since this is the way it is done by everyone, it has to be more ritual than surprise.  We were told that there are nine Sasak villages with a total population of five thousand inhabitants.  There are many more living a modern life style outside of the traditional one.

Lombok is very picturesque and has a little bit of everything: rice fields, mountains, waterfalls, surfing, volcanoes, trekking, diving, sailing, etc.  Gunung Rinjani (Mt. Rinjani) rises to 12,300 ft and is the second largest volcano in Indonesia.  It is sacred to both Hindus and Sasaks and pilgrimages are made to the top during certain ceremonial events.  It takes three days to access the top and return.  There are guides, porters and trekking companies that provide everything the hiker needs. There seems to be an expat community working the various businesses that Western tourists frequent.  Kuta beach (same name as the more famous one on Bali) has an active surfing scene and expat community.  We had lunch at “Drop In”, one of the small local eateries run by a Swiss couple.  It was reminiscent in style and food choices of places we might have eaten at in the sixties.

There are an incredible number of artisans selling their wares locally and internationally: ikat, pottery, woodcarvings, jewelry, batik and anything else that will sell.  On top of all this, it is the first time, since entering Indonesia, that the big modern supermarkets appear.  We have left the remote areas of Tanimbar, Alor, Flores, Sumbawa and now enter back into the modern world with all its attractions and decadence.  The one thing that hasn't changed is the incredible amount of rubbish and plastic that litters everything including the sea.

This is a world of the very wealthy, a healthy middle class and farmers.  The horse cart that taxis people runs alongside the motorized buses and motor scooters.  Indonesia is a land of motor bikes.  It is the principal means of transportation and the riders are very skillful in maneuvering around.  Amazingly, we have seen very few accidents in the chaos that appears.    

KOMODO NATIONAL PARK TO MEDANA BAY MARINA, LOMBOK VIA SEVERAL ANCHORAGES ENROUTE

On Thursday September 25, 2014 we decided to continue our voyage to Lombok Island.  The direct distance from our mooring at Sabayor Kecil (08-30.255’ S x 119-42.674’ E) is 223 nm.  We will overnight and day hop this distance.  One could spend much more time in the Komodo National Park area but we are now approaching a monsoonal change at the end of October and still have 1400 nm to sail before we depart Indonesia for Singapore. We left the mooring at 0654 for Kilo (08-18.63’ S x 118-23.108’ E) which is about  88 nm West of our present position.  Our sailing will now be along the northern coast of Sumbawa Island.  During an average day whether sailing, motor sailing or motoring, we average about 5.5 – 6.0 kts.  Because of the reefs, I do not enter anchorage areas after 1500-1600 hrs.  The sun gets too low in the sky to have good eyeball navigation.  The navigational charts we are using – Cmap and Navionics are too far out for reliable enty into a restricted area.  The solution to this is to use Google Earth snapshots for more accurate navigation.  There are programs that allow one to download the Google Earth snapshot and then convert it into a Navigational Chart that charting programs such as OPNCPN can read.  MaxSea Time Net Zero incorporates a satellite overlay on all of the Jeppeson Cmap charts which is quite accurate but expensive.  I use MaxSea and Jeppeson Cmap charts along with Navionics and OPNCPN.  Without the satellite overlay, the charts can be so inaccurate that they show your track line going over land when entering an anchorage.

We were able to sail for some of the day and most of the night but were becalmed at 2348 hrs.  Since we weren’t that far from Kilo we decided to lie ahull until daylight.  Unless one is sailing at least 7 nm offshore, there are too many fish traps placed along the coastal areas for safe navigation.  Radar does a pretty decent job of picking them up but not all of them!  Also, the small wooden dugout canoes with outriggers start fishing at night.  Many don’t carry lights but get out of the way so they aren’t a big problem.  At 0500 hrs on September 26th we resumed sailing towards Kilo (08-18.63’ S x 118-23.108’ E) and were just starting in when two of the boats in our Sail2Indonesia fleet were coming out.  After talking to them about the anchorage, I decided to continue on to Kananga (08-08.389’ S x 117-46.051’ E) which was another 43 nm distant and easily doable in daylight.  Also, our friends, Ken and Lil Bardon from “Moonbeam”, were heading that way.  The voyage to Kananga was motor sailing all the way.  We dropped anchor off a black sand volcanic beach at 1448 in 50’ water depth with 170’ chain out (08-08.389’ S x 117-46.046’ E).  This town is rather unique because one can dig a small hole in the black volcanic sand very near the incoming sea and find fresh water!  There were several itinerant sea gypsies living on the beach in makeshift tents.  They fish at night and dry the catch during the day.  We were told that most of them came from Wera which is a village to the East on Flores Island.  There were at least 30 outrigger boats and many families with their children.  They were taking fresh water baths by digging trenches in the sand.  This water is potable and used by the local fishermen.  My guess is that it is coming from an underground river emanating from the numerous volcanoes that are nearby.  Some of these may have crater lakes inside them that supply fresh water to the town and beach area.

The size of Kananga is deceptive from the beach.  It’s a rather large town with well paved streets and provisions including fuel.  We could have spent another day here meandering around but there were even more delightful anchorages to visit.  With that in mind, we got u/w at 0942 hrs on September 27^th for the island of Medang (08-08.678’ S x 117-22.383’ E) which was 23 nm distant.  This island has an exclusive resort that caters to wealthy clients.  Their pricing excludes anyone else from going there.  Yachts can anchor there and enjoy the services of the resort if they wish to pay the extravagant prices.  We did not even land on the beach;  it was an overnight stop.  We anchored in 16’ water depth with 90’ anchor chain out in position: (08-08.649’ S x 117-22.373’ E).  the water was crystal clear and I dove on the hull to clean off any barnacles and check the rudder and propeller.  

September 28, 2014 Sunday

We got u/w from Medang for Potopuduu (08-22.959’ S x 117-10.307’ E) which is about 20 nm to the SW from Medang on Sumbawa Island.  The Cmap and Navionics charts for this area have been so inaccurate that eyeball navigation and Google Earth are a necessity.  MaxSea’s Time Net Zero Satellite overlays on existing Jeppeson Cmap charts were spot on whereas the Cmap charts show the vessel going overland.  Potopuduu is a cyclone hole.  The entrance narrows down to 90’ at one point with reefs on both sides.  There is a dogleg to get in, but once inside, it is stunningly beautiful.  This is a remote area of Sumbawa with a small village of fishermen.  They are friendly and welcoming but don’t go away and just hang around the yachts.  The children, especially, are constantly asking for multiple items which we are happy to give:  medicine, clothing, soda, books, pens and pencils.  They come in dugout canoes with outriggers.  We saw no motor boats in the village.  There is a book called “101 Anchorages within the Indonesian Archipelago” which lists Potopuduu as #49.  It is widely used by the sailing community.  Because of this, it is obvious that many yachts have anchored here and the locals receive gifts and other necessities from them.  In is their only contact with a modern world that has escaped them to date.  This will change quickly as they are building a new resort for tourists on top of a hill overlooking this beautiful bay.  Already they have put up cell phone and internet towers that are some of the fastest we have seen thus far.  For the most part, cellular towers exist just about everywhere in the Indonesia we have seen so far; internet is another story.  It is slow, unreliable and, at times, inaccessible.  Nevertheless, it is cheap by US standards: $10 US gets you 2 GB of data and phone service for a  month.  We have found that there are fewer users online during the early morning and late evening.

September 29-30, 2014  Monday-Tuesday 

From Potopuduu, we decided to sail directly to Medana Bay Marina (08-21.883’ S 116-07.754’ E) on Lombok Island about 74 nm to the west.  This would require an overnight passage so that we could arrive in daylight for navigation through any reefs in the area. As we leave Sumbawa Island for Lombok, we are leaving a remote traditional and scarcely populated one for a densely populated modern one.  Flores Island was mostly Christian; Lombok is the “island of a thousand mosques”.  We delayed departure until noontime to make a daylight arrival.  Initially, we had very light winds and had to shift between sailing and motor sailing.  At 1600 hrs we were crossing north of Selat Atlas (Atlas Strait) and the wind picked up to 25 kts coming out of the strait.  So much wind we had to reef the jib but held onto a full mainsail and made 7-8 kts!  It was an exhilarating sail but, unfortunately, it didn’t last long enough.  By 1900 hrs we were becalmed north of Gili Lawang Island (08-11.8’ S x 116-44.9’ E) and had to take in all sail.  That was the end of any wind as the tall mountains of Lombok blocked everything even though we were 7 nm offshore.  This distance was chosen to avoid entanglement with any fish traps or nets closer to shore.  It has been our experience that, in crossing any one of the numerous straits, there will be good wind coming from the South.  It doesn’t last long but it shows that the SE Monsoon is alive and well.  Since we have taken the Northern route along the coasts of Flores, Sumbawa and Lombok, the mountains cut off the wind flow so motoring is required.

September 30, 2014 Tuesday

We started into Medana Bay Marina at 0700 hrs and had some wind coming out of the bay so we set a full jib.  At 0900 hrs we were on approach to Medana Bay Marina at 08-20.483’ S x 116-07.648’ E.  The marina has several moorings for rent which seem to be well maintained.  Additionally, there are four alongside berths and three short Mediterranean mooring berths.  We had made reservations with our friends form “Moonbeam” so we slid into one of the alongside berths (08-21.883 S x 116-07.754’ E).

Medana Bay Marina is  very well run by Peter Cranfield, his wife Ace, and their partner Pak Sas.  It is reasonably priced with a restaurant, laundry, fuel, water, etc.  All things can be arranged by the knowledgeable management.  Information can obtained at: petercranfield@aapt.net.au or mobile: +61 414 345 518 or +62 8219 777 3947.  This is such a beautiful place to be, with fabulous hosts, that yachts are reluctant to leave.  It is a very secure place to leave a yacht for an extended period of time and know that Peter will make sure it is well taken care of:  Highly recommended!   

KOMODO NATIONAL PARK

On September 20^th we heaved up anchor and got u/w for Rinca which is one of the islands making up the Komodo National Park.  We dropped anchor in the  Rinca anchorage area at 1245 hrs in 54’ water depth with 165’ chain out (08-39.179’ S x 119-42.840’ E).  The bay is called Loh Buaya and is very well protected.  We used a dinghy to get over to the dock and, for the first time, saw the macaque monkeys up very close.  We’ve been seeing these monkeys from a distance in our voyages along the north coast of Flores but not up close.  These monkeys were accustomed  to tourists and quite bold.  While we were there, one of the monkeys grabbed a bag of potato chips form a tourist and scooted off with it under the dock.  There is a sign on the dock the warns:  NO Swimming – Crocodile Area.

“Ora” is the name the local people give to the giant lizards thathave made this place famous.  The largest Komodo Dragon, Varanus komodensis,  recorded was more than 10’ (3m) in length and weighed over 300 lbs (150 kilos).  Their presence is believed to warn that you are in crocodile territory.  This proved to be true for the Komodo National Park as the mangroves and small inlets were perfect places for them.  These dragons seem to be lethargic but this is deceptive as they can move very quickly in attacking their prey.  They have very sharp teeth and dagger-sharp claws which can inflict very serious wounds, however, their most lethal weapon is the  the potent bacteria in their mouths.  They ambush their prey and wait until it takes effect before moving in to consume them.  During our tour, we saw a water buffalo that had been bitten by a dragon and was in the process of dying.  It had been about two weeks since it was attacked and the wound was on the hind quarter leg – not so big or deep – but enough to let this potent bacteria do its job.  It had lost the will to live and we were able to approach it without its making any attempt to  move.  As soon as it dies, the dragons will move in and totally devour it.  Also, these dragons are cannibalistic and eat their own.  We were told that the young ones live in the trees for the first five years for safety, not moving to ground level until they are 3’-4’ in length.  Dragons will attack humans and several locals and a few tourists have been killed and eaten.  If someone is bitten, they have to be flown to Bali for the necessary antibiotics since Labuan Bajo does not have what is needed.

We started our tour from the Ranger station on September 21^st at 0700 hrs.  It’s cooler at this time of day.  Guides are provided by the National Park Service and are required because of the danger of the dragons and  snakes (spitting cobra).  Each Ranger carries a forked staff for fending off the dragons in case of attack.  Also, each one of us carried a forked stick.  The Ranger was a local who had been born on Rinca and related the attacks and deaths of several villagers.  He was cautious and alert.  Since the dragons can smell blood and go to the source, menstruating women are not allowed on the trails for their own protection.  As soon as we left the ranger station and approached the living quarters of the park staff, there were eight large dragons around the housing.  We asked why? and were told it was because they smell blood.  There are several options in trekking around the park with a ranger:  short trek, one hour trek, 3 hour trek, longer ones can be arranged to the village where the locals live.  We took the one hour trek and saw a female dragon protecting a nest of eggs she had laid from male dragons.  There were deer, wild boars and the dying water buffalo.  Others saw the spitting cobra.  On our way back to the ranger living quarters, we saw two dragons engaged in battle with each other.  It’s a long slow process were each one attacks and then gets on top of the other.  Suddenly, they will rear up on their hind legs and continue the struggle.  We finished the tour by 0900 hrs and returned to our respective boats.  We were with our cruising friends, Ken and Lil Bardon, from “Moonbeam” – a 52’ Island Packet.

At 1230 hrs we heaved up anchor and departed Rinca for another beautiful anchorage between Sabayor Besar and Sabayor Kecil.  This whole area of the Komodo National Park is filled with small islands and anchorages.  It’s dry and desolate and reminiscent of the Galapagos Islands.  The park service provides moorings at many of the places located around Rinca Island and Komodo Island.  We were able to pick up a mooring just north of Sabayor Kecil (08-30.274’ S x 119-42.679’ E). 

The diving around the Komodo islands, is, reputedly, some of the best in the world.  Many of sailors in the Sail2Indonesia are avid divers and reports were coming in from their dives as “the best ever”, “spectacular”, “without equal”.  There was one particular diving operation out of the many that had glowing reports – Manta Rhei.  It is owned by a Belgian and is a father/son operation that has recently started up.  For many years I have wanted to get PADI certified and this was the perfect opportunity.  We were sitting on a mooring and each day the dive boat came by with all the divers going to the fabulous sites around Komodo.  I made arrangements to take my first dive with was called “DSD” – Discover Scuba Diving.  The owner, Bennie Van Maele, personally gave me one-on-one attention.  It was great and we made arrangements for the dive boat to pick me up over the next three days for Open Water PADI Certification.  Each day at 0800 hrs the dive boat came by and Bennie spent the whole day with me undergoing all the certification requirements.  He was very thorough and attentive.  I could not have had better instruction anywhere.  In the end, I made six open water dives to 60’ (18m) and took the exam.  Since I am 71 years old, he was delighted to have  certified me.  I wanted the certification because I have been feeling vulnerable with anchoring and moving through areas where there are many fishing nets.  Since, at times, we anchor in coral, I would have no way to retrieve the anchor if it were deeper that 30’ (10m) since that is my limit for free diving.  Now I have the ability to retrieve the anchor should need arise.  So here I am – a Certified Open Water Diver!!  It will take many more dives with dive masters before I feel really comfortable at 60’.  My instructor, Bennie Van Maele, from Manta Rhei Diving has made arrangements for me to purchase everything I need at a local dive shop in Denpassar, Bali.  The equipment is made by “ScubaPro” and cheaper than buying it in the States.  I will doing this in a few days.

We did not go to Komodo Island to see a second round of Komodo dragons as the reports coming in were that Rinca was far better.  Also, I had taken three days for the certification.  We decided to sail on to Lombok Island on September 25th via several anchorages for the evening.  Day sailing is the safest here in Indonesia because of the fish traps that are all over the place up to 4 nm offshore.  We try to “day hop” from anchorage to anchorage.

Final assessment for Komodo National Park is that it merits all the tourism that goes there and, truly, is one of the great places to visit in the world.

LABUAN BAJO, WEST FLORES ISLAND

We anchored at Labuan Bajo on September 16^th @ 1148 hrs in 56’ of water on a sand/mud bottom with 195’ of chain out (08-30.224’ S x 119-52.510’ E).  The anchorage is big and can accommodate many boats.  The actual Bay of Labuan Bajo is even bigger and is filled with commercial, diving and “liveaboard” vessels which resemble Chinese junks with their high poop decks.  Additionally, there are an incredible number of small fishing vessels with outriggers.  After being in remote areas for most of voyage from Saumlaki, Labuan Bajo comes as a surprise because it is dedicated to the tourist trade wishing to visit the Komodo National Park to see the famous Komodo Dragons (Varanus komodensis).

Labuan Bajo is a ramshackle little harbor town that is experiencing an incredible population and building  growth boom.  For the most part, it is a one strret town that stretches out for over a mile with Dive Shops, Tour Boats, “liveaboard boats” clothing, souvenirs, Italian Restaurants and other fare.  For the first time, we are seeing tourists from all over the world.  There are flights coming and going.  Many choose the “live aboard boats” that will take them to the Komodo National Park (only 12 nm from Labuan Bajo” where they can trek and dive in the pristine.  These  waters are the crown jewel of Indonesia.  They have some of the most tempestuous activity we have witnessed anywhere.  The convergence of warm and cold currents breeds nutritious thermal climes, rip tides and whirlpools that attract large schools of pelagics, from dolphins and sharks to manta rays and blue whales.  The coral here is mostly pristine.  All in all is has some of the best diving in the world and September it is at its finest.  Even though there is tremendous current activity, the waters are smooth and anchoring is deep but easy.  At night, the anchorages go flat calm and smooth.

And so it is that the Wonderful Sail2 Indonesia fleet embaraced Labuan Bajo with all the luxury and decadence it has to offer: massages, aroma therapy, great eating.  There is a garbage problem throughout Indonesia.  The population has never been taught to put rubbish is disposal bins so it end up everywhere including the water.  Perhaps this is because they are used to disposable items like banana leaves, coconut shells, etc.  It will take a generation educated in disposal management to even begin to address the problem.  In a nation of 250 million people, of which some are still living in very remote areas, this is a gigantic undertaking.

At this time of year, the farmers are preparing their fields for the coming rains by burning off all the old stubble and grass which leaves ashes for fertilizing the new crops.  The smell of smoke and deposit of ashes has been following us for quite some time.  At times during the morning, there is a smoke haze so thick that it’s difficult to see the land from the sea.  This occurs when there is a land breeze blowing out to sea.  The normal wind pattern we have been experiencing is flat calm at night with a land breeze blowing out to sea until about 1000 hrs and then a sea breeze kicks in until 1600 hrs in the afternoon.  Both breezes are mostly light in nature and 10 kts or less.  Some days it just remains calm.  All this necessitates motor sailing.  We have done more motoring here that anywhere else.  As we approach the equator and the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) rain and thunderstorm activity will replace these gentle breezes.  We are preparing for a monsoonal shift from the SE to NW towards the end of November.

On September 20^th at 0700 hrs we weighed anchor and set off for Komodo National Park, 12 nm from Labuan Bajo.  At 1245 hrs, we dropped anchor in 54’ water depth at Loh Buaya Bay (08-39.179’ S x 119-42.846’ E) which is the entry anchorage for Rinca (Komodo) National Park.  There are two large islands in the National Park where the dragons can be seen:  Rinca and Komodo.  They are close to one another.