Wednesday 28th August

We are in a most beautiful anchorage. Totally splendid.

We have a pink beach, ranging from very pale to dark dusky pink as the tide goes out and the different levels of sand are revealed. 

The beach is fringed with a bit of green jungle and steep bare hills, very rugged and stark against the blue sky. 

The sea is exquisite – crystal clear, turquoise blue. I have been swimming like a mad thing, in and out of the water, this way and that, to look at coral outcrops with LOTS of fish, all going about their busy fishy lives. Some of them have seemed quite alarmed at my presence overhead. They stop what they are doing and gaze upwards until I have gone a safe distance, then they dart about again.

Glorious but…no dragons, no deer, no monkeys. One lone sea eagle and a mass of shrieky little birds, hidden in the bushes. Ingvar says the deer have all been eaten by hungry islanders, and the dragons have nothing to eat so they too have died out. As far as we can tell there are no islanders now; most of these islands here are totally empty of habitation. 

This morning we are going across to a small village on the actual island of Komodo, Not far away. Maybe we can buy some veggies …or so we hope… 

29th August extra - Komodo Island - dragons - Rinca

Friday 30^th August

Our first big Rinca dragon - and yes very intimidating...

This is how we looked, cosily tied together for our days between Kode and Rinca islands, surrounded by deer, dragons, monkeys, sea eagles…2XS and Marieke III, from opposite ends of the globe…

I seem to have a bit of an opportunity to catch up, with blogbits and photos.

So…strike while the iron is hot!

Where we are now is exceedingly beautiful.  Fabled Komodo Island!

We are anchored near a lovely beach – not pink, like the gorgeous one on Padar Island, but white and pretty nonetheless.  The sea is green and a bit opaque, not turquoise and sparklingly clear but…oh my goodness…the coral, the fish…just WONDERFUL!!  I have been in the water almost constantly, and in fact have been so salty that sometimes I would wake in the middle of the night thinking, Is this really my hair???  It does not feel like hair… I was extra clean, from all the immersion, and it seemed a wicked waste of water to have a shower and to use shampoo when a few minutes later I would be back in the sea.  Tonight I couldn’t bear it a minute longer – a week is a big build-up of saltiness - and I now have soft fluffy (slightly surprised…) hair… But tomorrow morning when I see that lovely water, those coral outcrops…splishy splash…straight back in the sea, fluffy hair notwithstanding…

No there aren’t any of these, on our beach.  Only pigs, rootling around happily, and deer…If there were dragons- yum yum, so much food!  This dragon was at our last anchorage…second last anchorage,…Ginggo Bay…I am getting so muddled…

I think I will just do this bit and leave our beautiful village time, and our wonderful bushwalk (Hot!  Steep!  Beautiful!) till tomorrow…Sleepyboboland beckons…)

(And who knows how long this internet connection will hold out??)

29th August - Komodo Island

Thursday 29th August

There seems to be internet connection, for just a flicker or two...so tomorrow I will write LOTS and put up lots of photos...

All things being equal...

One of our teenage dragons...

and some of our beautiful deer

Monday 26th August - Komodo dragon

So here we sit, in beautiful Ginggo Bay, on Rinca Island. Marieke II is anchored a hundred or so metres from us and we each have our very own beautiful little beach, with resident teenage Komodo dragon. Our dragons lumber out of the jungle and do a slow, dignified patrol along the beach before disappearing again, every few hours. We are delighted; the dragons in our last beautiful anchorage were plentiful and amazing but…they were surely being fed by the tourist boats. Our very own dragons here are entirely free and wild. 

We left there at about 10.00 yesterday. As we passed along our beach, Pete said, “Isn’t it funny that we only ever saw the one dragon here, on the very first day. It never showed its face again.” At that very minute…out popped another slightly larger dragon, under the trees at the water’s edge. It stopped at posed in a very dignified manner, with its nose in the air, and then wandered slowly along to share a bit of beach with a large sea eagle which was standing in the shallows. They were every companionable – MormonLand again! Surely the dragon should have snaffled the eagle in one big mouthful?? But no! The dragons, thus far, have been much less aggression than we have been led to expect. But…we are still very cautious… 

It is very hot and I have been swimming every few hours. I have been a bit sad and disappointed not to see much coral or many fish. But…the water is warm and clean, there are no crocodiles, I should just shut up and not complain…

This morning I set off once again with faithful snork and flip to do a bit of a costal patrol and – glory be! Beautiful coral! Plentiful fish! All the way from2XS to Marieke III! The tide was at exactly the right height; the visibility was good; I was HAPPY!!! 

Tomorrow we are going to another beach not far away, on Padar Island. We are gradually making our way to Labuan Bajo, where there will be a reunion of the fleet and maybe a gala dinner…Seija and I are debating whether to resurrect our Rambu costumes… I don’t think we are due there for another few weeks. So…no emails, no blogphotos till then…  

Happy birthday Ann-Marie…wonderful and loyal friend and one-time colleague. We first met at work and were very stiff and formal with one another because – we already felt VERY wary of one another. We had both applied for the same job, hotly contested, and Ann-Marie had appealed when I got it (by the skin of my teeth…) I managed to win the appeal, also by the skin of my teeth… It didn’t take long for our wariness to subside and for us to become allies and friends. Thank goodness…we have had lots of fun, lots of food, wine, shared confidences, and even a wedding since those early days. 

24/08/13

Saturday 24th August

This is our last day in what Katy and Jeff call MormonLand, or the Garden of Eden, where the lion lies down with the lamb – or, on Rinca and Kode, the monkeys and deer lie down with the Komodo dragons…

Pete and I didn’t leave the boat. Well I did, for a swim, to look at bits of coral, small colonies of fish. It was all very pleasant; I had a slight frisson of fear when a large and faintly yucky plastic item wrapped itself around my leg – I thought maybe it was one of the livelier dragons, out for a swim, but – thank God – no… 

Pete stayed on board and looked at maps and charts and sundry info re anchorages etc, so that we can leave tomorrow to see yet another gloriously beautiful place.

Ingvar and Seija zipped around in their dinghy, and came back, all aglow, to report of the state of play on the other side of the bay – deer, monkeys, Komodo dragons all on the beach together…all mildly interested in the humans in their little boat. This, we are sure is NOT normal…the tourist boat people must be feeding the dragons, to keep them so docile…and to keep the deer and monkeys in a false sense of security!

22/08/13

Thursday 22nd August 

 No point in writing too much tonight just in case computer says NO… I have lost faith in the satellite connection, jusgt a bit.

But never mind!!

We are in a most beautiful place, tied up to a huge mooring and to Marieke III – moorings are few and far between so we are sharing. This makes sundowners drinks very easy to achieve, also dinner… We just hop across from deck to deck!

Last night Pete cooked his typically Tasmanian dinner of silverside with veg; tonight Seija is cooking smoked duck.

Life is good!

We are, it seems, in the heart of a big volcano, surrounded by steep, densely forested mountains. There is a narrow passage between Rinca and Nusa Kode, so we feel entirely sheltered and enclosed. No rock and roll through the night – a blessed relief!

I went for quite a long swim this morning, from the boat(s) to the beach (and, yes, back…) The water was lovely, cool and refreshing, and I saw a little bit of coral and a few fish, and one stripey sea snake.

But this place is teeming with wildlife! We saw a small, cute deer on the beach last night, and at the moment there are (Pete and Ingvar have counted) TWENTY SEVEN macaque monkeys prancing along the sand. They are also walking out onto the reef – it is low tide – and we are not sure what they are doing. Looking in small rock pools, doing Nature Study? Finding small things to eat? Pondering the meaning of life??

But best of all…this afternoon Pete and I went in to shore in the dinghy. (I wanted to swim but Pete was adamant that I shouldn’t the tide was running quite strongly and he didn’t want me to be swept out around the corner and into the slightly less placid sea beyond the passage.

We wandered and down the beach, looking for a walking track, and looking for Komodo dragons – they only live on these particular islands, Rinca and Komodo. No we do not want to get too close to their poisonous saliva…but we do want to see one, ro two. We had just about given up, and Pete suggested we sit quietly in the dinghy in the shallows. I got out and watched around – it is VERY hot and I am constantly in need \of a bit of a cool dip. He called me back – LOOK!! And there on the beach was a young Komodo dragon, only about 1.5 metres, but – WOW!

Well done Pete Attenborough Headlam! 

13/08/13

Tuesday 13th August

Our Word Of The Day is…maaf.

This means…sorry…

And very sorry we are to have arrived in the main little town of Sabu/Sevu this afternoon. The thing is with this Sail Indonesia rally – we are all provided with copious notes and possible programs, but basically once we have checked into the country, we are free to go wherever we want for the next three months, with only one compulsory stop to renew visas in Bali.

There are lots of islands, lots of opportunities. We saw that there were three days of festivities here, and planned to arrive for Day #3. ie tomorrow. 

It was a lovely sail from Nemberala. We left at 5.30am and everything was just perfect – a gentle breeze, the sea running with us – always a good thing -a bit of cloud to protect us from the sun. All lovely. 

When we came in to the harbour we could see there was one other Rally boat anchored. ONE!! And it was leaving… They had seen us coming in and stayed to tell us what a wonderful time they had had, how totally charming and hospitable the people had been. There had been a lavish welcoming ceremony, and a tour to a traditional village, then a feast and concert with ONE THOUSAND PEOPLE… all for just the Swedish boat, Marieke III, and for part of the time, for Don and Tanya on Pedoja.

Oh deary me TOO sad…

Pete and I went into the beautiful beach in the dinghy and wandered around being as good as possible to the local economy by buying bananas here, tomatoes there.

A very nice English-speaking man drew us into his little café where Pete had a bowl of bakso (meatballs in noodle soup) for about $1. He told us that this is the first time the Rally has come to Sabu and they had all been dressed in traditional costume standing on the hill looking out for the boats…which did not come…

Oh maaf maaf!!!

We were going to idle away a day here, seeing what was on offer in the way of celebration, but I have got twitchy and do not want the same thing to happen in Sumba, our next island…It will take us two days to get there so…another early morning and up and away!!

We have heard that some people were killed when there was a bit of a volcanic eruption, not sure which island. Very sad but the people in Nemberala were very philosophical about it and said that the people who choose to live on the slopes of a volcano contend with possibility this all of their lives. 

(And no my beautiful modem does not work here either…So no photos on my blog, and no gmail for me…At least I can email Katy on the satellite connection so we are not totally lost in the Indonesian archipelago.)

14/08/13

Wednesday 14th August

This won’t be a long blogpost…

We are exhausted!

We left Sabu at 5.3- and arrived in Sumba harbour around 8pm…

NOT a good time to try to find an anchorage, in the dark…

We did try to stop in daylight but…the wind had changed and we would have been blown onto a lee shore.

This is NOT a good thing to do.

So we arrived in this harbour which seems to be full of big boats, tied up to concrete wharves – maybe, all a bit hard to see.

All will be revealed at daybreak!

My modem cried YES YES!!

But…it lied. I have beautiful connection to Telkomsel but…my modem is being recalcitrant re actually allowing me to connect to Google, or to my gmail, or my blog. I will try again tomorrow…

19th and 20th August - Waikelo (Sumba)

Monday 19^th August

A very brief bloggery tonight…

We are anchored at Waikelo (not at Waikabubak, where I had thought we were going…) at the northern end of Sumba.

It looks pretty.

But…it is SO rolly it is almost impossible to think.  Poor Marieke III is rocking MUCH more violently, being a monohull, and I think poor dear Ingvar and Seija are being thrown from one side of their little boat to the other.

To my surprise there is internet reception – always a good thing.  But…I can’t concentrate on writing because I am concentrating on not being ill…

If it is flat in the morning we have promised to go to a welcoming ceremony.  But neither boat will stay for the three days of festivities they have planned…we are hoofing it for Rinca, near Flores.

Sad but…we have no options, really.

And maybe at Rinca there will be dribbly slobbery Komodo dragons…

Tuesday 20^th August

The computer lied…no internet reception here after all.

And I lied – we stayed in Waikelo after all.

After a truly horrid evening…  Marieke II rocked and rolled all through the night; so did 2XS, to a lesser degree.  And I took some drugs and went to bed and stayed there, not well, for eleven hours!

This morning dawned sparkly and hot, and the sea was as calm and inviting as a big sheet of silk.

Our hosts here in Waikelo were very keen for us to come on shore even if only for a brief ceremony – PLEASE don’t scarper off into the blue, towards Rinca… So at 8.30 our intrepid team – Invar, Seija, Pete, me – went in to shore to face the paparazzi.  Seija and I now know what is is like to be royalty.  We know to move in a dignified manner, to keep smiling pleasantly, this way and that, and occasionally to wave, discreetly.  Pete says his cheeks ache from smiling…but he is enjoying it all very much.  In fact we are all quite overwhelmed with all of the kindness and hospitality… Being photographed so many times is a small price to pay.

We hung around at the wharf for a little while: Pete took the dinghy back out to 2XS and came back in a sturdy local boat.  So fascinating!  At least thirty trucks laden with bananas, on their way to Lombok and Bali.

The drivers called me over, desperate to be photographed.

A wild bunch!!

Our welcoming ceremony was, as always, delightful.  Dancers danced, drummers drummed; Pete made a speech.

We had very firmly said that we wanted to leave at 10.00 to get to Rinca before dark but…how could we resist a bus, a lovely guide (Ansel,) an entourage, led by Wonderful Odie??

and the opportunity to see a pesola, staged especially for our benefit at the edge of a glorious beach?

They staged this pesola especially for us – this is an annual event, where bareback riders ritualise old tribal conflicts as they battle one another with hand-carved spears.  So it was a practice run, with bamboo sticks instead of spears.  But very violent and fiery it was, with lots of riders hurtling around on fierce, nervy little horses, thwacking at each other most violently.  There is no winner…they just gallop and thwack.

Most of the horses are toey little stallions, but there was the odd mare with foal leaping along behind her, looking slightly bewildered.

We could see the village from the pesola ground:

Ratenggaro is truly spectacular.  These houses are SO high!  The underneath is for animals; the next level for humans; the upper immense loftiness for the spirits…

On the way we stopped to see a teak forest

And a beautiful cashewnut tree

And (my darling daughter Claire take note, you who so loved cashunas as a small girl…) this is what the fruit of a cashew tree looks like!  And…it is delicious!  Who knew??

Some small schoolgirls stopped by to be photographed and to watch us looking at the cashewtree in bewilderment:

We stopped at a small resort for lunch and I am afraid to say I never did catch the name correctly…maybe Newa??  There were lovely flowers:

cold bintang, a rice-y lunch in a pack, nice people to talk to.

20/8- Waikelo (Sumba)

Tuesday 20^th August

It is possible there is a flicker of connection so I am writing this very quickly on Pete’s computer.

Mine is saying NO!!

Quite firmly.

I have written quite a lengthy photoblog thing on my Mac so I won’t try to reproduce it here; I will wait till COMPUTER SAYS YES.

But I just want to update our whereabouts.

We are anchored in rocky rolly Waikelo harbour (on Sumba) and we have had a fabulously wonderful day in between a less than fabulously wonderful night of rolling on the waves (I took to my bed, with drugs…)

Tomorrow we are leaving for Rinca., near Flores, maybe 46 nautical miles away, with Ingvar and Seija from Mareike III, our new BFFs.

Maybe there will be internet…maybe not…

This is a beautiful, fascinating place and the people are more than hospitable…

More will follow…in the fullness of time…

And…happy birthday to Marcel Zajusch!  One of my many blessings in life is…my plethora of parents!!

Catchup - Sabu Island to Sumba Island

Catch-up - with a few random photos, just because I can...

We have managed to rescue my errant blogbits, which did NOT go through our satellite connection…

I will try to resuscitate them, for the records…they have managed to transfer themselves, through cyberspace, in a mixture of text and hieroglyphics…

Wednesday 14th August

This won’t be a long blogpost…

We are exhausted!

We left Sabu at 5.30m and arrived in Sumba Harbour around 8pm.

NOT a good time to try to find an anchorage, in the dark.

We did try to stop in daylight but the wind had changed and we would have been blown onto a lee shore.

This is NOT a good thing to do.

So we arrived in this harbour which seems to be full of big boats, tied up to concrete wharves - maybe, all a bit hard to see.

All will be revealed at daybreak!

My modem cried YES YES!!

But it lied.  I have beautiful connection to Telkomsel but my modem is being recalcitrant re actually allowing me to connect to Google, or to my gmail, or my blog.  I will try again tomorrow.

Tuesday 13th August

Our Word Of The Day is maaf.

This means sorry

And very sorry we are to have arrived in the main little town of Sabu/Sevu this afternoon. The thing is with this Sail Indonesia rally - we are all provided with copious notes and possible programs, but basically once we have checked into the country, we are free to go wherever we want for the next three months, with only one compulsory stop to renew visas in Bali.

There are lots of islands, lots of opportunities.  We saw that there were three days of festivities here, and planned to arrive for Day #3. ie tomorrow.

It was a lovely sail from Nemberala.  We left at 5.30am and everything was just perfect.  A gentle breeze, the sea running with us - always a good thing – and a bit of cloud to protect us from the sun.  All lovely.

When we came in to the harbour we could see there was one other Rally boat anchored.  ONE!!  And it was leaving…

They had seen us coming in and stayed to tell us what a wonderful time they had had, how totally charming and hospitable the people had been.  There had been a lavish welcoming ceremony, and a tour to a traditional village, then a feast and concert with ONE THOUSAND PEOPLE all for just the Swedish boat, Marieke III, and for part of the time, for Don and Tanya on Pedoja.  (Some of the people had graveled for five hours to get to perform for the Rally…)

Oh deary me TOO sad

Pete and I went in to the beautiful beach in the dinghy and wandered around being as good as possible to the local economy by buying bananas here, tomatoes there.

A very nice English-speaking man drew us into his little café where Pete had a bowl of bakso (meatballs in noodle soup) for about $1. He told us that this is the first time the Rally has come to Sabu and they had all been dressed in traditional costume standing on the hill looking out for the boats…which did not come..

Oh maaf maaf!!!

We were going to idle away a day here, seeing what was on offer in the way of celebration, but I have got twitchy and do not want the same thing to happen in Sumba, our next island.  It will take us two days to get there so another early morning and up and away!!

We have heard that some people were killed when there was a bit of a volcanic eruption, not sure which island.  Very sad but the people in Nemberala were very philosophical about it and said that the people who choose to live on the slopes of a volcano contend with possibility this all of their lives.

(And no my beautiful modem does not work here either. So no photos on my blog, and no gmail for me. ¦At least I can email Katy on the satellite connection so we are not totally lost in the Indonesian archipelago.)