7th September - last day in Labuan Bajo

Saturday 7^th September

Election Day in Australia…We can listen to progress reports of Radio Australia so I suppose we will know the results at the same time as everyone else.  Neither of us can vote; surprisingly, there is no absentee pollbooth here, in Labuan Bajo…

This is probably our last day here, in this cheery little town. 

For example (re cheeriness) look at these happy young blokes, sitting on a hard bit of lumpy footpath in a patch of shade, playing chess very happily.  They were delighted to be photographed (of course…)  It is extremely hot here – 35% during the daytime – but please note, they are all wearing jackets…maybe they think it is cool??

When I was guarding Tanya and Sue’s trolleys yesterday, these nice young women wanted to chat, and be photographed.  One of them removed her helmet for the photo; she had been wearing it, hot and heavy, on her head for a long time.  I have noticed that a lot of women walk around with their helmets on; maybe it is a status symbol?  A fashion statement??  Not many people seem to wear them while riding their bikes, however…

Pete has been working SO hard on the battery problem.  The starboard side batteries wre fading away, as was our power supply.  It was becoming quite dire, and very stressful, especially for Pete.  We need the batteries to keep all of the boat systems (eg the starter motor for the engines, not to mention my iPad,) going. 

He found some very big ones, VERY heavy (see above) in the town centre and somehow lugged foru of tehm, with a bit of help, onto one of the taxiboats and out to 2XS.  Then followed many excruciating hours for him.  He sat in a cramped little hellhole under the aft starboard bunk, sweating away on the extreme heat and trying to make them fit into a space which was slightly too small.

Hell!

There was just a bit of excitement when one of the new batteries sprung a leak (one of the boys from the shop had dropped it on the way to the taxiboat) and we had corrosive battery acid spilling on the carpet, Pete’s knee, my foot, the carpet.  We both leapt around in a lively manner, with me saying Oh dear, oh no, and Pete saying slightly more profane words.

I am not sure if the process is complete, but Pete has NOT been having a tropical holiday, in the last few days.  He did have a happy few hours with our friends in the light and spacious Mediterraneo restaurant overlooking the harbour.

but most of his time in Labuan Bajo has been hot, difficult work.

Tonight there is some sort of rally celebration, onshore.  We are not at all certain what it involves, but we will go to Marieke III for sundowners with Ingvar and Seija

and then will go in to shore in their big strong dinghy to see What Next.

We had lunch at the Treetop Bar

and met up with many more Rally people.  Anna

told us another good dragon story… When she did the Rinca Ranger Station walk, her guide told her – she speaks fluent Bahasa Indonesian – that he was leaving as soon as he could find another job.  This work is much too dangerous!  Dragons, snakes, spiders!

We also met a lovely Danish girl, Sophie

travelling the world and doing many dives (she has done 80 so far this year, and she only just got her diving licence!)  We discussed Our Mary/Danish Mary and were in complete agreement that she is an asset to Denmark.  (Tasmanians like to have a bit of royal connection...)

We are probably leaving tomorrow, and will go along the northern shore of Komodo Island, on our way to Lombok.  All things being equal…

Sunday 8^th September

Well we think we know the result of the elections…I haven’t yet looked on the internet but somebody told us last night.  All I can say is how lucky we are to live in such a stable country where great political changes, oustings, sackings, take place and there is no blood in the streets, life goes on, neighbours are still neighborly.

Our dinner last night involved four spanking brand new buses, pale blue, equipped inside with pretty white frilly antimacassars, took 80-odd Rally sailors from the beach nearby to a newly paved area near the market.

Three were thousands of local people there, mostly standing, a lot of them unable to see the stage.  We of course had VIP seats.  There was a LOT of dancing.  It was a bit like a Rock Eisteddfod in Australia, with teams of dancers from al over the region. Some of them had traveled 24 hours to get to Labuan Bajo, to dance FOR US, we were told.

There were glittering prizes

and happy winners.

At the end of the completion we had dinner, from bain maries…very pleasant food but we hope it hadn’t been sitting there, just warm, for as many hours as we suspect…

I have to get this up and running; not sure when we are leaving but maybe there won’t be internet for sometime.

Who knows??  Internet and phone connection do pop up in the most unexpected places…

By the way The Navy is here..there are at least ten big warships in the bay...they are waiting for the Indonesian President to arrive in a few days...

It's all GO in Labuan Bajo!