Indonesia - The Spice Islands, Bali, Borneo
Indonesia
On arrival in Saumlaki, we found out how serious they're taking the whole Swine Flu thing. After filling out a questionnaire - "has anyone died on your passage?", etc., we were cleared from Quarantine.
Low tide in the Saumlaki harbor is no problem for the local fishermen
Laundry day in a small fishing village near Saumlaki
Our welcome to the city of Ambon included a military ceremony and greetings from local dignitaries.
The boys were a hit with the local young ladies. Here's Austin with his entourage.
The mayor of the local village (also known as the king of Redstone) took a liking to the boys and invited us to his home for a visit. While we were there he disappeared for a few minutes; when he came back he gave us this artwork and a pearl necklace for Jackie.
Jackie and Ty on a bicycle rickshaw ride into town
We're in an Islamic area, and girls must have their options. Here's the newest summer fashions.
Local boat construction - done on the beach by hand
After Ambon we sailed to the Northern tip of Sulawesi - to the city of Bitung/Manado. It's Indonesian Independence Day and the local government hosted a Guinness World Record breaking event - for the most amount of Scuba divers underwater in the same area at the same time. The previous record was a little less than 1,000 divers. We broke this easily - our attempt put over 2,800 divers down at the same time.
Getting ready for the dive
Not much to do while the clock is running, so we took off our fins to stop the sand from being kicked up.
We did it! The exuberance and joy on the local divers' faces really made it a memorable experience for us jaded cruisers. They all wanted to shake our hands and thank us for taking part in this event.
Next up in the Celebrations Week was a Sail Pass/Fleet Review along Manado's waterfront, to honor the President of Indonesia and the citizens of Manado. Military ships from around the world attended, along with a few Tall Ships and our small fleet of 30 private yachts from the Sail Indonesia Rally.
In front of the procession was the US carrier, "George Washington." They put on an airshow for the crowd with formation flying and fast jet fly-by's.
The bigwigs in the Presidential Review stands in Manado
A tall ship at sunset, after the Sail Pass.
Sailing back to Bitung, on the day after the Sail Pass, Tyler yelled something undecipherable and ran back to where I was standing behind the wheel. I thought we were on a collision course with a fishing boat or perhaps an uncharted reef. I turned off the autopilot and grabbed the wheel, in order to take evasive action. But, it was only a bettle that had landed near him in the cockpit. Check out the jaws on this guy!
Near our anchorage in Bitung is a small zoo that's well worth a visit. The manager showed us around personally, and let us into the Bushbaby shelter. This little guy was close enough to touch.
Finally, it was time to leave Northern Sulawesi. Again, we traveled with our good friends on Sailmaker IV. Our first stop was the Togean Islands, where we visited a Bajo fishing village. The Bajos are a nomadic fishing people, who are sometimes looked down upon by mainland Indonesians as being "gypsies". On the contrary, we found them to be warm and gracious hosts. We were shown around their village and even played a game of volleyball with some of the village kids. All in all, an incredible experience.
These Bajo kids spend a good part of their day on the boardwalk that connects the village to the main island.
"Dad, not the squid"
It was a good visit, I guess.
The kids from Sailmaker (Tilly and Hugh) and Barbara Ann join in a volleyball game at a dive resort in the Togeans. While visiting the resort, we got the GPS coordinates of a B-24 bomber that belly landed in a nearby lagoon during WWII. The next day we found the spot and enjoyed one of our best dives to date. The plane is intact, can be entered safely, and still has its top turret 50 cal. machine guns pointing up to the sky.
Barbara Ann glides by a fishing village on a waterway between two islands in the Togeans, on our way to the B-24 dive site.
We've got company!
Our greeting party - a happy bunch. Indonesians always seem quick to smile and eager to welcome us.
These kids were on their own, as we saw many times. Kind of makes you wonder if we're a little too obsessed with "protecting" our kids. Of course, these guys have Spiderman protecting them.
Sailmaker's hangers-on. "Hello Mister" is the constant refrain heard from the kids - whether you're male or female doesn't seem to matter. We're all Misters to them.
One of the more remote stops for Barbara Ann and Sailmaker was the Kalang Kaledup atoll, in the Wakatobi group. Here we found probably our most isolated example of a Bajo stilt village. We came into the village with school supplies for the kids, but found no one there, save for a few women. The whole village works the reef during low tide - kids included. The women we met seemed astounded that "Bules" - the name given to caucasians - were visiting their village. It was a little surreal.
Bira, on the SE coast of Sulawesi is home to the Bugis - a seafaring people who are famous for their large boat building. In years past, they were also infamous for trading and pirating in the local waters and beyond. The expression "bogeyman" comes from Bugi men, a hint of their more violent past.
Here's an old Bugiman - not too scary, right?
This is one of the largest boats built by the Bugis. The launching process is unbelievable. It takes weeks of work (at low tide only) to move the boat into water deep enough to float in.
After leaving Sulawesi, Barbara Ann and Sailmaker sailed south to the Komodo Islands, in search of dragons. We found 'em, on the island of Rinca. This guy was only 10 feet away when we grabbed this shot.
Our ranger guide showed us around Rinca on a two hour hike. Note the long pole to ward off aggressive wildlife. Beside the dragons, there are spitting Cobras and Green tree snakes - both deadly poisonous. The climate in the Komodo islands is very seasonal. Most visitors come during the dry season. You can see our boats anchored outside the ranger station in the backgorund.
Momma's nesting and doesn't want to be disturbed. After laying her eggs, she will guard the nest, without food or water until the eggs are hatched. Since they're cannibals, the young have to spend their first few years living in trees, or else risk being eaten by their own kind.
Bali, at last! For the last year or more we've been looking forward to getting here. The Balinese are predominately Hindus, and their culture is rich with its heritage. We saw this Barong dance performance behind the Cafe Lotus, in the artsy village of Ubud.
The Balinese leave offerings like this all over; they're supposed to ward off evil spirits. Many have food - rice, crackers, whatever. I don't know how the Gods liked the offerings, but the rats and dogs sure appreciate them.
The crews of Barbara Ann and Sailmaker dress accordingly for a temple visit. No one is allowed inside without a sarong. Luckily, a lady outside the temple lets you "borrow" one for a small donation.
Hello Kitty
"I've got a secret."
Baby fish mouth?
The temple behind the Cafe Lotus in Ubud
A walk through the rice paddies just outside Ubud.
Austin enjoys some of his best surfing yet, off Kuta Beach in Bali.
The boys do a scooter tour of East Bali.
Songkat - handmade weaving - is made the old-fashioned way here in Bali.
Oh dear, what could the matter be? The girls are scared Tyler will be getting a series of Rabies shots in the near future. Not to worry - the monkey wasn't hungry.
In the touristy Gili Islands, off Bali, it's legal to take a little "trip"; and, it only costs around $4.00. Mushroom milkshakes are popular with the backpacker set. We didn't try 'em.
Lombok is the island neighbor of Bali. The Gunung Rinjani volcano is a popular hiking and camping destination there. It takes about 2 days to walk to the summit.
We sailed north from Bali to Borneo in early November, to see the Orang-Utans near Kumai. After anchoring off the town, the families of Barbara Ann and Sailmaker IV chartered a river boat for a three day trip into the National Park, to visit the Orang's in their natural habitat. They are returned to the wild here, after being re-captured from poachers, and learn to survive alongside their wild cousins. In the Malay language, Orang means man and Utan means jungle, so: man of the jungle.
The boat was perfect for the eight of us. We slept one night aboard and one night in the Rimba Lodge.
It rained nearly everyday. But, hey, it's the rainy season after all.
The guide's daughter was our cook. We were always amazed at how she was able to feed us so well, given the small area she had to work in.
Tyler took a turn at the wheel. It looked like he was driving a kiddie car.
Proboscis monkeys were in the trees alongside the river. Their leaps were amazing.
The second night on the river was spent in the Rimba Lodge, where Julia Roberts and other personalities stay while visiting the Orang-Utan habitat. We didn't opt for the Julia Roberts room.
Whazzup?
I had just walked out of the Visitor Center at the Leaky Center, when another kind of visitor showed up.
Spiked hair is never really out of style.
The female on the left is cautiously reaching for a snack on the feeding platform. The big male is the undisputed king of this area, and doesn't mind if one of his females joins him on the platform. But, no other male would get close.
We had Orang's walking through the viewing area constantly. We could have touched them but were warned against it by the local guides who supervised the feedings.
This juvenile was around 5-6 years old - which is about the time they go out on their own.
It's now the middle of November, 2009, and we're leaving Indonesia, after 4 months in the archipelago. Next stop is Malaysia and Singapore.
Malaysia, Singapore & Thailand
