Komodo National Park.. this is officially cool!
We bashed across the Sape Strait into the Tradewinds to a group of very different islands. Gone were the dark greens of the lush tropical forests, the soaring volcanos and rugged coastlines. The Komodo Islands lie in a rain shadow and their rounded and surprisingly low forms are golden with dried grasses and orange clay soil. A few brave trees cling in the valleys where what water there is must run.
Sunsets ... volcanoes ... ho-hum.
We anchored for three nights off Komodo Island and, with the exception of a dive Phinisi as a neighbor one night, we had the bay to ourselves. We snorkeled, kayaked and explored the beach, keeping a good eye out for the famed Komodo Dragons. We saw deer and pigs on the beach in the mornings and evenings and enjoyed stunning sunrises and sunsets. Ponder just how many photos of sunsets we actually need, we resolved to continue taking them just in case we missed the very best one! So, be warned, you may have to suffer a slide show on sunsets alone.
Our next stop was Rinca and the ranger station at Loh Buaya. We wiggled our way through the Komodo Islands into this fabulous fjord-like anchorage surrounded by mangroves and golden rolling hills. We eagerly scanned the hills, trees and waterline for its famous resident but to no avail. Heading into the dinghy dock, the locals, and a large sign, warned us of crocodiles. There goes our evening swim!
Dragon statues - not far off actual size.
As the dragons are most active in the early morning, we arranged a guided hike for 6am. Our guide, Ramley, was a wealth of knowledge and had worked with both David Attenborough and Steve Irwin when they were there filming. He is also a Rinca local and walked five hours each way to volunteer at the ranger station. He worked 10-days-on/10-days-off as a volunteer ranger then walked home and fished for 10 days to earn a living.
... and that's why we stay behind our guide.
Komodo Dragons are huge! Think crocodile rather than goanna! They will eat a pig for dinner and take down a buffalo for a banquet with a couple of mates. Fortunately for the other wildlife on the island, they need only eat about once a month. They swim, they climb and they can reach speeds of 20km/hr over a short distance when motivated. There is no escape! AND, they don’t actually have to maul you to death. One good, hearty bite will transfer lots of nasty bacteria into your blood stream and you will die, slowly and painfully of septicemia. The good news is, they do have an antidote you need to take daily for about 20 days. We stuck pretty close to Ramley!
... but the phone got closer than we did.
Arid savannas ... in Indonesia!
The hike took us up through the rolling savannas with stunning views out over the islands. We saw water buffalo, pigs, long-tailed macaque, deer and, of course, Komodo dragons.
And to add just a small amount of excitement, I watched a Komodo dragon swim past the boat and disappear into the mangroves. The swim platform stayed firmly up!
Popeye in the mangroves at Rinca - swim platform up!
Sean: Man, I can’t get that song out of my head.
Kate: Totally, I’m going again….
Western Lombok was marvellous. The island of Gili Air is blessed with a deep channel (over 2,000 metres deep at some points) and strong current close by, which keeps the water clear and largely rubbish-free. We picked up a mooring on the east (windy side) and went ashore to find that this motorized-vehicle-less island was navigable by foot, horse-cart or bicycle. We opted for the latter and made our way to the western, wind-free side of the island to enjoy a rest day ashore. Sandy beaches, fair snorkeling and a quiet packed lunch rounded out our day ashore.
We had our evening scrabble game interrupted by a honking dive boat that returned to claim its unmarked mooring ball ... well after dark. This could have ended in confrontation as they insisted we move (even though it was dark and we told them we wouldn't be able to safely put down an anchor), but we negotiated beautifully. We had them find us a new, available mooring that was close by, pick it up with their RIB, pass a line through it and hand it over to us when we moved Popeye. The relocation went smoothly, with them checking in on us 30 minutes afterwards and also the next day.
Moving on after two days rest, we pushed all the way across Lombok, anchoring at the base of a volcano. We had a few days to cross the next island - Sumbawa - and were going to explore the island at our own pace. Our first stop was Potopaddu, a sheltered cove on the furthest west side of Sumbawa. We made our way into the idyllic bay and were almost immediately descended upon by the local fisherman. All through our Indonesian trek, we had been expecting the locals to come to Popeye to meet us and we would ‘respond’ with a gift to the village’s representatives. We also knew that Sumbawa is one of the poorer islands and were not surprised when we had fisherman hanging on our gunwales before we had even secured our anchor. What did surprise us was how quickly the fishermen were present when we arrived, and the six or seven boats that rapidly appeared after we arrived, began demanding SOMETHING before they would let go of Popeye.
They obviously had become habituated by other cruisers. They knew to ask for (in order of preference) beer, cigarettes, t-shirts, hats, books, sun glasses, CocaCola, pencils and if you can’t or won’t hand over any of the former, then a bottle of water will do. I found myself uncharitably thinking of Canada Parks rangers talking of not feeding the bears that became so used to getting handouts that they would approach Parks visitors’ cars and beg for food. After the sixth boat to visit was recognized to contain two locals that had already been given ‘gifts’, the novelty of handing out stuff quickly wore off and I began to feel used. I began to get to work on a freshly torn sail that needed mending, having to constantly tell the approaching visitors “Tidak lagi rocco, kosong,” (no more cigarettes, all gone) as I worked to finish sewing before darkness set in. They kept at me as I worked. It quickly soured my Sumbawa experience.
We woke to calls from the stern of the boat, as fishermen had arrived to get their morning packs of cigarettes. We quickly pulled up anchor and I vowed we would make our way across Sumbawa without interacting with any more locals on this island.
And we have crossed the Wallace Line which separates the ecozones of Asia and Australasia. So it is farewell to the monkeys, deer and squirrels and hello to possums, cockatoos and wallabies!
Kate: It never gets old, huh?
We had a smooth 224nm trip from Bawean to Banya Wedang Bay on the NW end of Bali. Other than a short stint of 10kn on the nose with a steep chop due to current, we had smooth motoring for the journey. Crossing the Bali Sea, we were treated to whales surfacing and pods of dolphins playing allowing Heather to tick of a couple more items from her bucket list!
The anchorage is in a beautifully protected bay surrounded by high-end resorts tucked in behind trees. We were anchored of the gorgeous Menjangan Dynasty Resort which offers an eco-firendly, glamping experience. We planned a two-week stopover to arrange visa extensions.
Heather and Charlie 'jumped ship' and parked at a resort complete with a bed that doesn't rock, hot shower and foo foo drinks! Being weekend, we arranged to all go sight-seeing. Heather organized a driver who picked us all up and took us on tour!
Definitely room for some efficiency gains. With a public holiday thrown in for good measure, the whole process took us a week.
With all the running backwards and forth, we became good pals with Nyoman. He had never been aboard a yacht so we invited him and his wife, Budi, for a visit. Budi is an absolute hoot. They brought traditional Balinese cakes for us to try. Wonderfully exotic, sublime colours, some wrapped in banana leaves, they were also fabulously tasty.
Budi was thrilled to be on a yacht. She thought it looked just like a hotel - although she has never stayed in a hotel but imagines this is what it is like. Such a different world. We are constantly humbled by the generosity of the Indonesian people who have so very little yet will open their homes and hearts to us.
Following our next visit to Immigration, Nyoman and his daughter, Ria, took us to Aling-Aling Falls. Peaceful, meditative, awe-inspiring. We could have stayed all day. Such a beautiful place. After the touring, we were invited to Nyoman and Budi's for dinner. A wonderful meal of traditional Balinese food, many stories told and a friendship cemented.
Dinner - Balinese style - on the floor and eating with our fingers!
Being anchored off the Menjangan Dynasty Resort, we have popped in a few times for dinner and to use the wifi. The F&B Manager, Kama kindly offered to drive us into Lovina for one of our visa visits. He took us to a produce market and to a fabulous warung, serving babi gulang - suckling pig! Again, the food was fabulous. Following this was a tour of Popeye. Kama took great delight in waving to his staff on shore!
Kama aboard Popeye - straight out of GQ!
With all this activity and excitement, let us not forget Heather and Charlie. They are living it up in a fancy resort - upgraded themselves to a cabin on the beach and have been spending their days drinking foo foo drinks, snorkeling, beach lounging, pool lounging, and spa treatments. Sadly, it is time to go. We all bundled into Nyoman's car for the long trip to Denpasar Airport. Never let it be said we do not fill that unforgiving moment - we visited the Ulundanu Temple and ate yet another fabulous meal at a warung along the way!
Heather and Charlie are like-minded souls and spend a great deal of their lives traveling. When we invited them to join us, there were a few things we did not fully appreciate Although they are extremely well traveled, they have never been outside first-world, English speaking countries and they have never sailed. Oh my! Not only did they sail across the South China, Java and Bali Seas, notching up over 700nm aboard Popeye, they did night watches and landed on remote islands where we were the only 'bula'. They slept in the homes of locals; caught speed boats in the dark down malarial, crocodile-infested rivers; ate all kinds of strange foods; coped with sanitary conditions well below what we are used to; navigated the mandi bath and squat toilet with aplomb ... and all without a grumble or complaint. We loved sharing adventures with you both and look forward to many more in the future.
More exploring was on the agenda with the next trip to Lovina Immigration. Nyoman took us to the multi level falls above the Gitgit Falls.
With our visa extensions in hand, it was time to do a little boat maintenance. We changed the oil and oil filter, fuel filters, cleaned the traps, unblocked the cockpit drain (it is amazing just how much hair a couple of almost bald guys can shed. It could not possible be the girls!) packed the 370 litres of fuel we have in jerry cans into the lazerettes and lockers ensuring they are securely tied down, cleaned the topsides and made some water.
With all our jobs done and a few days of leisure stretching out in front of us, we did what any sensible person would and checked ourselves into the Menjangan Dynasty Resort for a couple of nights of five-star glamping. This also gave us a chance to catch up on the 'blog, Facebook, etc.. Ah, the rigors of travel by yacht.
Really? This is a tent?