tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88411399249591582882024-03-19T04:04:22.590-07:00Adventures of Afar VIAfar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-52420367248760765572016-12-21T02:34:00.000-08:002016-12-21T02:34:00.349-08:00Malaysia<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Malaysia 7 November –
4 December</b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Johor Bahru 7-9
November</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puteri marina at night</td></tr>
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Puteri is a marina complex some 30 minute taxi ride from the
city of Johor Bahru. Huge amounts of money are being spent making on the area
with bars and restaurants in the marina complex and lots of high rise flats
being built. We had seen nothing like this in Indonesia and the difference was quite a shock. </div>
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After getting back from Singapore, we spent the three days
getting the boat ready and provisioning for the trip up the Malaysian coast. We
ventured out into the city one night with Wishful Thinking, Matilda and
Wirraway to eat at the local hawker stalls. After an hour and a half of exploring
the city and not finding any eating place that served alcohol, we bought some
cans of beer in a Chinese shop and sat in an alley way eating food from the
local hawker stalls, surreptitiously drinking cans of beer with our meal. After
dinner we walked 20m to the end of the alley and came out to a street that was
full of restaurants and bars. How did we miss that!</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Port Dickson 11- 19
November</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We left the next morning for Port Dickson and anchored
halfway, opting not to sail overnight due the number of fishing boats and nets..
We tied up at the marina the next afternoon which was attached to a hotel
complex, complete with swimming pool. The marina was a long walk from anywhere
but the rally had organised some coach trips for the 100 or so participants so
that did not matter.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kuala Lumpa</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">War Memorial</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-GM-eXreznfFx1eHgg3n0ToAvh-dDJuG-RAd2i9dBRlimQcHAeInn_eefY1BOpxT-GSJo7JvxJ3h4jfisDOgQ-ceu77-MWzxVLMdrPv9vzWtQdBC-JTfl-Kbp4pQAmrteNUkAuY2_mg/s1600/DSCN9825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-GM-eXreznfFx1eHgg3n0ToAvh-dDJuG-RAd2i9dBRlimQcHAeInn_eefY1BOpxT-GSJo7JvxJ3h4jfisDOgQ-ceu77-MWzxVLMdrPv9vzWtQdBC-JTfl-Kbp4pQAmrteNUkAuY2_mg/s200/DSCN9825.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The caves</td></tr>
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Our first trip out was to Kuala Lumpa. We made several short stops around the city to see the palace, the war memorial, a mosque and the
Petronas towers – all short stops just to take pictures. The main stop was at
the Hindu caves, high above the city in a natural cave that has been used as a
temple for hundreds of years. An over enthusiastic use of concrete to build
structures in the cave had not done anything to enhance the look of the caves –
they really need to change their builders.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsCQDK56MXegfqLMA8-iM_QAs7DfvVm0JIwQ9kFtg_6f_8s4thqId2Rj4NT62Y8hJ-hdjuFWNWiupn9y9cMRzQHq9LUZLc4z5CZNq8h-8TtPcyyI3C1yZjg204mVGa34FO44ifmAr6rlk/s1600/DSCN9856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsCQDK56MXegfqLMA8-iM_QAs7DfvVm0JIwQ9kFtg_6f_8s4thqId2Rj4NT62Y8hJ-hdjuFWNWiupn9y9cMRzQHq9LUZLc4z5CZNq8h-8TtPcyyI3C1yZjg204mVGa34FO44ifmAr6rlk/s200/DSCN9856.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasting chestnuts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDUEKUAqu-LjfX7SytoEfBnOvaacXF2tztx74g7cpUZWLKbcuZC_l6GxCq2oMQ87uNuRnB9wf7JimF8e0i-h-agZ1yZVhhY3-NsQlFm5YsMHEUmJefYa5geQJL3MI_NvK6NXxKpOFo88/s1600/DSCN9857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcDUEKUAqu-LjfX7SytoEfBnOvaacXF2tztx74g7cpUZWLKbcuZC_l6GxCq2oMQ87uNuRnB9wf7JimF8e0i-h-agZ1yZVhhY3-NsQlFm5YsMHEUmJefYa5geQJL3MI_NvK6NXxKpOFo88/s200/DSCN9857.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chinese market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The final stop was in the city centre to allow people time
to go shopping. As we had all been to Singapore it held little attraction for
us and so we used the time to have a late lunch. The most interesting part of
the day was exploring the Chinese quarters of the city, with its traditional
markets. We even found a stall selling roasted chestnuts which I could not
resist – very much a reminder of Christmas in London. Apart from the market, we
were not particularly taken with KL although with more time we could have found
some interesting places – not something you can do when on a coach trip.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Malacca</b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHdwOAil-glyEIAcsYHnaFMMWmpS0EH-xu8StdDpu0IPvVE0VFWaCmoJ9193_sQq_1dodwBwf6jWfuFf2gxPPAqn7gjvx15tLb91hs2459oNbuWd9W-9Q7FcMOUOx29vtGndu468W05Q/s1600/DSCN9895+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHdwOAil-glyEIAcsYHnaFMMWmpS0EH-xu8StdDpu0IPvVE0VFWaCmoJ9193_sQq_1dodwBwf6jWfuFf2gxPPAqn7gjvx15tLb91hs2459oNbuWd9W-9Q7FcMOUOx29vtGndu468W05Q/s200/DSCN9895+%25282%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baba-Nonya restaurant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Malacca is a very old trading post, used as a stopping off
point for ships sailing along the Malacca straits (it is halfway between India
and China).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The coach dropped us off in
the morning and was not due to pick us up again until 7pm so we had time to
explore. We quickly ditched the guide in favour of wandering around on our own,
and so did many other people. Our first priority after visiting the Dutch
castle was to find somewhere for lunch – we wanted to eat the local Baba-Nonya
cuisine in the Chinese quarters. The Baba-Nonya are decedents of mixed
marriages between the Chinese and local Malay people and have their own fusion
of culture embracing parts of both which goes back hundreds of years. </div>
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After lunch, Catherine and I left the rest of our little group to
go to visit one of the Baba-Nonya houses which has been turned into a museum.
The guide was very informative, talking us through how they lived, their
religion and in particular the marriage ceremony which would last twelve days.
All very elaborate with the bride wearing a different type of dress each day.
The Baba-Nonya culture continues today.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJgJYDdAai1bjFodcbgdaQuG0TqQ-O9uieO0tqqh5d0NrWdBwW1HmFVNUyiF3nLz1vcVLn9bwfyANXVILT6D_LAhBIdPqejheSq7XUAl3PyO6Ps74IjQ3PH_qJaOwjgoG8Ll_Ebuqctzc/s1600/DSCN9899+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJgJYDdAai1bjFodcbgdaQuG0TqQ-O9uieO0tqqh5d0NrWdBwW1HmFVNUyiF3nLz1vcVLn9bwfyANXVILT6D_LAhBIdPqejheSq7XUAl3PyO6Ps74IjQ3PH_qJaOwjgoG8Ll_Ebuqctzc/s200/DSCN9899+%25282%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rickshaws are highly decorated</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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After a quick coffee we set off for the maritime museum only
to find it had closed for the day but we did bump into Bruce and Debs from
Matilda who had been for a tour on one of the local rickshaws. After extolling
the virtues of the trip and the very knowledgeable driver, Catherine and I
decided we would do the same, and with the same driver. He was nearly sixty and
we did worry about whether he would make it around the city but he explained he
had been doing this for thirty five years and loved it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohLlFRIdZxb0bCy-18VhhKQpjIP-t5EG5t5aLqykrqDDbWtDoR5GGQe_1LzODWCQM6nrr0HoxnPAZ3aU16htG2AgqTBE9cBnUINW4P7Vxp5PQ1bsfhjQEZUZ7bKJAAeT4ywdqGSxT5jU/s1600/DSCN9933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgohLlFRIdZxb0bCy-18VhhKQpjIP-t5EG5t5aLqykrqDDbWtDoR5GGQe_1LzODWCQM6nrr0HoxnPAZ3aU16htG2AgqTBE9cBnUINW4P7Vxp5PQ1bsfhjQEZUZ7bKJAAeT4ywdqGSxT5jU/s200/DSCN9933.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our rickshaw and guide</td></tr>
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Indeed he was very good at explaining both the history and
the different buildings. It enabled us to take a personal tour, stop where we
wanted and have a detail history of the places we visited. Well worth it and it
gave us a rest from walking around.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4BjEb2u1NH0_gHTqVFxqY2WaB-BYQ1Sc3i2jwYzzJbCRhjSNUxj0zt5HtT6KRGesMguMigTYmiCrUTssA5a9HBwhXy7wGWHxbViEfz32sY9RqYJBnrZIFNIca_lTK4t0efkwS1D1fRQ/s1600/DSCN9945+%25282%2529.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4BjEb2u1NH0_gHTqVFxqY2WaB-BYQ1Sc3i2jwYzzJbCRhjSNUxj0zt5HtT6KRGesMguMigTYmiCrUTssA5a9HBwhXy7wGWHxbViEfz32sY9RqYJBnrZIFNIca_lTK4t0efkwS1D1fRQ/s200/DSCN9945+%25282%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meeting for drinks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We met the others back at Sid’s pub on the river at 6am for
a drink and a quick bite, exchanging our experiences of the afternoon. We
finally joined all the rest of the tour back on the coach at 7pm after a jolly
good day out.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pangkor 21 – 26
November</b></div>
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Pangkor was 120 miles away and we (and about six other boats)
opted to sail overnight rather than split it into two day sails. To avoid the
fishing boats, we had to sail on the edge of the traffic separation lanes where
we knew the fisherman would avoid and since they are wide lanes, we would be
out of the main shipping traffic.</div>
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At 11pm we received a VHF call from another boat (Argonaut)
who had wrapped a discarded fishing net around their propeller. With no wind,
they were going to find a shallow piece of water to anchor so that they could
dive overboard the next morning to cut it loose. They reported a lot of junk in
the water where they were and all the other boats then tried to avoid that
area. An hour later they had managed to free the net and were once again on the
move, without the need to dive overboard (not something you would even think about
at night).</div>
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We were soon in the same area but a mile to the east and
came across the discarded nets and other junk floating in the water. Catherine
was once again on the bow with a torch trying to avoid the debris for an hour
before we came through that. We could relax again, for a while at least.</div>
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We had been tracking a storm for a couple of hours and it
looked as though we would miss it. As it approached from the west, it started
to build, and head straight for us. We had no way round this and it is the worst
thing at sea – thunderstorms at night when the whole sky lights up with the
lightening and the sound of the thunder reverberates around the boat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had four hours of this while visibility in
the driving rain was near zero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
very little sleep that night, we arrived in the anchorage around midday, happy
to be at anchor and to be able to rest.</div>
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The marina manager (James) looked after us very well,
finding us a berth the next day and providing five nights free berthing (he asked some of the resident boats to
move out for the week to accommodate us). He also arranged two nights of food and
entertainment at his expense. The live band went down very well and had most of us on our feet
dancing the night away. We were very impressed with how James managed the
marina and it is a place where we would be happy to leave the boat when we go
back to England in April.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Visit to the Island</b></div>
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The marina manager had arranged a trip to Pangkor Island, a short
ten minute ferry ride across the sea. It is a very small island with a Buddhist
temple, a ship building yard and a very good restaurant where they were taking
us for lunch.</div>
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<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrb7X9PlG8hoMikMx3QGZIMr4dVwZ49eX96A8LJuJqIhyDT20BkjA-qHIldW9-YGar0KwxC8fubvgYeAEEF1XoUZJgtTKyAjpAdnzwLrlWmR-23pPQe7FRmA8b4EkHLbGoN3rB4_FXas0/s1600/DSCN0053.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrb7X9PlG8hoMikMx3QGZIMr4dVwZ49eX96A8LJuJqIhyDT20BkjA-qHIldW9-YGar0KwxC8fubvgYeAEEF1XoUZJgtTKyAjpAdnzwLrlWmR-23pPQe7FRmA8b4EkHLbGoN3rB4_FXas0/s200/DSCN0053.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat builder at work</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The island still has a very traditional feel to it – houses
on stilts </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOl2jAcgcV6d9uCPSWCLOEIrVrzDJKGWNz3bG3pTqyfh7gSi8PydqFibV-NsR73IObm07_FPf_oOGK1pSbphyFrYJZGD9GVJIClhK6edLFyNTwOMq7hZdal0FbHAqu0dTcvgvrgnfwqM/s1600/DSCN0046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOl2jAcgcV6d9uCPSWCLOEIrVrzDJKGWNz3bG3pTqyfh7gSi8PydqFibV-NsR73IObm07_FPf_oOGK1pSbphyFrYJZGD9GVJIClhK6edLFyNTwOMq7hZdal0FbHAqu0dTcvgvrgnfwqM/s200/DSCN0046.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing boats built by hand</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
over the water and a boat yard where they build the traditional
wooden fishing boats. As yachties, we were all interested in watching the
largely extinct skills of wooden boat building, man handling huge beams of wood
and getting them into the right shape. They were building a large fishing boat
by hand like many of those that we had seen out at sea.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-5Xcmli2dZzUPlIoYbOGZVJ1IfjO2pBDqoIGehGfEfr5PqMUPvj6j5Uo-5V7hyphenhyphenHFngQVSy9lNlEHa_QbYV7tK_H4yPPwzeEu7Dd5uwJlmDHzSoR285p1Noqo28Zc9YQcuVjUBoHonuY/s1600/DSCN9984.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-5Xcmli2dZzUPlIoYbOGZVJ1IfjO2pBDqoIGehGfEfr5PqMUPvj6j5Uo-5V7hyphenhyphenHFngQVSy9lNlEHa_QbYV7tK_H4yPPwzeEu7Dd5uwJlmDHzSoR285p1Noqo28Zc9YQcuVjUBoHonuY/s320/DSCN9984.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional houses built over the water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbnq5SYyYUd6Ko89qjfAQK392y4FobN9oBfX9-vV9XzN80uUKn_i_Z8swvnbr7J771x71CqJVSrpudYu5BKqrNG5nXIEL2k39KYHVLFnqWo_5hohqutWrWIe67W_XcAisFqpegKdzMh8/s1600/DSCN0084.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbnq5SYyYUd6Ko89qjfAQK392y4FobN9oBfX9-vV9XzN80uUKn_i_Z8swvnbr7J771x71CqJVSrpudYu5BKqrNG5nXIEL2k39KYHVLFnqWo_5hohqutWrWIe67W_XcAisFqpegKdzMh8/s200/DSCN0084.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch on the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The highlight of the day was lunch on the beach in a
beautiful bay with white sands overlooking some small and very attractive
islands. The lunch consisted of eight courses, with new dishes being brought
out one after the other. It made for a very relaxing afternoon and the food was
the best we had eaten for months. <br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ipoh</b></div>
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The next day we took the coach trip to visit the historic
town of Ipoh. The stop off to see the railway station and the clock tower
(built by the British) was short and we spent a few hours in the town – more
than enough time. There only remains one really old street which is quite short
and houses souvenir shops mainly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not
too exciting.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHy2EHs9_jV5paNXsUhdBFHS7zk2Rrh89RU9mraDh-xSbV9DiuObEDRkO-J31cTFtAtI9rhhBAlWzaRWpIvkGoOG481folodohldI9WKob1Nek37Av41OZwFR4-TD7f7ywJTTuYb-EJdI/s1600/DSCN0180.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHy2EHs9_jV5paNXsUhdBFHS7zk2Rrh89RU9mraDh-xSbV9DiuObEDRkO-J31cTFtAtI9rhhBAlWzaRWpIvkGoOG481folodohldI9WKob1Nek37Av41OZwFR4-TD7f7ywJTTuYb-EJdI/s200/DSCN0180.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buddhist temple in the cave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEI7tlXPyB4zbJQlDNaxzp0-r_OSMNRQk4BL2GW5f1ZcVZo98dRleEdPlVTpDdxyHYu1eNrXC2mTAFhutUJn3xn04_euoOdoXoF4x2d1P1Odf-tSZHjqLpKN6-Ra4i_NcNM4TmQvTLY7c/s1600/DSCN0191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEI7tlXPyB4zbJQlDNaxzp0-r_OSMNRQk4BL2GW5f1ZcVZo98dRleEdPlVTpDdxyHYu1eNrXC2mTAFhutUJn3xn04_euoOdoXoF4x2d1P1Odf-tSZHjqLpKN6-Ra4i_NcNM4TmQvTLY7c/s200/DSCN0191.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The gardens at the back of the cave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The trip to the Buddhist temple built in the caves on the
way back was worth the visit, mainly for the gardens at the other side of the
caves. The caves had better builders than the ones in KL and there were some interesting stalagmites. By the time we left there we
were ready to go back to the boat – we really had enough of coach trips and
guided tours.<br />
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PXTr8bXcyy2Nxdao1NSOjVA7tgiFOZcGO4sM5Ut7d2EQs3IEbdyZVdKlqRl4pWnJ32GmO_ps3gmo4gy6_5sD6mWN755ID8akJBD1eTa0QHQtgA-zGyY5vb0xRHPKUZ-IUP41q9b__q8/s1600/DSCN0208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7PXTr8bXcyy2Nxdao1NSOjVA7tgiFOZcGO4sM5Ut7d2EQs3IEbdyZVdKlqRl4pWnJ32GmO_ps3gmo4gy6_5sD6mWN755ID8akJBD1eTa0QHQtgA-zGyY5vb0xRHPKUZ-IUP41q9b__q8/s200/DSCN0208.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The castle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbIMHkVAgXJZ_oU_8Xa9SugbKHDOs3JFMZHQv6wjEr7eCj9mHPIFdHu7g0f5u3URXuVHB8vzu0Z39Ni5LYoTj02iJZq1VLi-q-RiF_DBxEsET2pjEuwBiyPp1E4kq2YNAo9eB-mRKhW4/s1600/DSCN0222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbIMHkVAgXJZ_oU_8Xa9SugbKHDOs3JFMZHQv6wjEr7eCj9mHPIFdHu7g0f5u3URXuVHB8vzu0Z39Ni5LYoTj02iJZq1VLi-q-RiF_DBxEsET2pjEuwBiyPp1E4kq2YNAo9eB-mRKhW4/s200/DSCN0222.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monsoon rains bouncing off the turrets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fortunately some of the others on the coach wanted to stop
at acastle on the way back and this turned out to be the best part of the day.
The castle was built by a Scotsman some 150 years ago for his wife but never
completed. When he died she sold it and went back to live in Scotland. We
climbed up to the castle just as the monsoon rains started and spent an hour
exploring the castle and reading the well documented history of the family and
the castle.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Makeshift rain coats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When it was obvious the rain was not going to stop any time
soon and we had to be back on the coach, we fashioned some rain coats out of
black plastic bags we found in a store cupboard. They sort of worked but we
still ended up sitting on the coach, soaked by the heavy rain with wet feet
from wading through the pools of water that had accumulated. At least it was
warm and in the air conditioned coach we dried out quite quickly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We left in the next afternoon to sail twenty miles to an
anchorage leaving sixty miles for the final leg to Penang the next day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Penang 27 – 2 December</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had been asked to arrive in Penang on 27 November and
anchor off Jerejak Island. There was a marathon the following day and all the
boats sailed under the bridge connecting Penang to the mainland as the marathon
runners passed overhead. It was quite a site with all sails up and flags flying
on the boats – shame that we got the timing wrong and there were no runners on
the bridge. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However we were received enthusiastically by the marathon marshals
on the bridge.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Penang is one of the main tourist attractions in Malaysia,
an old historic town owned at one time by the Dutch and then the British as
port for shipping sailing along the Malacca straits, the gateway to the far
east, Australia and New Zealand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
still a very busy and important shipping channel with a constant stream of
ships passing in both directions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We anchored off Straits Quay, a new marina complex with lots
of shops, bars and restaurants. The anchorage was exposed to the north but the
weather was calm. Catherine opted to get the bus into the old historic
Georgetown with Bev (Wirraway) and Ginny (Wishful Thinking) while the men spent the day on boat
maintenance – it is much easier when there is no-one else on the boat. It was a
good decision since Catherine and the others effectively mapped out the town,
found out about the bus routes and where we would want to go.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Georgetown</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QwZlvlWtcULXsy0toPOXhhXHhj7tV6br05aEgTaXjYJ5tiYGg9T1BL5iJBW11e1lxozFSJ26HJ2YA_7neFpey9dQ_rocaQzZ4WCeEhcathsHfctG7FMhaHtdVTMmvhEqxvDT5Jp8Wx0/s1600/DSCN0320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7QwZlvlWtcULXsy0toPOXhhXHhj7tV6br05aEgTaXjYJ5tiYGg9T1BL5iJBW11e1lxozFSJ26HJ2YA_7neFpey9dQ_rocaQzZ4WCeEhcathsHfctG7FMhaHtdVTMmvhEqxvDT5Jp8Wx0/s200/DSCN0320.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hawker stall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnU2O2QSLXvMD3mQpWwJ7l2nMGvaelxHg61TSoaZboswacLxNkB2FqiMYgdTQRJgKIQmIzAdXFDjsecnNxNSZ_1vOKkDyljbM71sRQumEgBLRX3atIPZmKvC9WXhYzZmq4kF_9vwn7DLo/s1600/DSCN0315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnU2O2QSLXvMD3mQpWwJ7l2nMGvaelxHg61TSoaZboswacLxNkB2FqiMYgdTQRJgKIQmIzAdXFDjsecnNxNSZ_1vOKkDyljbM71sRQumEgBLRX3atIPZmKvC9WXhYzZmq4kF_9vwn7DLo/s200/DSCN0315.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The jetties where people still live</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DN6QTNAOMyzNN1vTUFmYEcK_pI09M9jaepg3ZZEyaBKgR2nOAqoeboE-jl_41FsxS3m3A18G_quCTwscDLouUrRglDAaIqI-f_m4vGwESi57IX5Lzjb5IoHELoCk2Z_OvxipOhG32Ck/s1600/DSCN0354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DN6QTNAOMyzNN1vTUFmYEcK_pI09M9jaepg3ZZEyaBKgR2nOAqoeboE-jl_41FsxS3m3A18G_quCTwscDLouUrRglDAaIqI-f_m4vGwESi57IX5Lzjb5IoHELoCk2Z_OvxipOhG32Ck/s200/DSCN0354.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street art</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next day we went with Wirraway into Georgetown on the bus. We headed off for the old quarters and spent the morning exploring the old
streets together with the street art that is a feature of the town. We ended up
at the quay to see the houses built over the water along the jetties that
stretch out from the shore. Very attractive part of the town and we sampled
some of the local food in one of the hawkers stalls.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLGa4fj8_hV2UTrcKYe2ORAanvhbprIK5d8DuxXCeIqD_PG6LlpPS_jtI3yFMwY3e3MYsj978r3Rs4jH9T9Aep2NiaYsmf_0ArHiAd4iXKoupKKSAUfdr7ljBTmbqlCjaH3vvR2MtCUw/s1600/DSCN0304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwLGa4fj8_hV2UTrcKYe2ORAanvhbprIK5d8DuxXCeIqD_PG6LlpPS_jtI3yFMwY3e3MYsj978r3Rs4jH9T9Aep2NiaYsmf_0ArHiAd4iXKoupKKSAUfdr7ljBTmbqlCjaH3vvR2MtCUw/s200/DSCN0304.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stret art telling the history of the Penang</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrZ7-n6OTQ4PjrYnUkgFIM0DF_wSA5Xv8twauY3y7HSqyHc5a3bybqocdmqJT8PH5SPenA1v13FADxdGJqz6Idl4nqlFMVPaQYLzoPPIGvjzhPDEVKukptf7VxZ6ReicceRvVesYOk54/s1600/DSCN0353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFrZ7-n6OTQ4PjrYnUkgFIM0DF_wSA5Xv8twauY3y7HSqyHc5a3bybqocdmqJT8PH5SPenA1v13FADxdGJqz6Idl4nqlFMVPaQYLzoPPIGvjzhPDEVKukptf7VxZ6ReicceRvVesYOk54/s200/DSCN0353.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More history told in art form</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finding the restaurant for lunch was a bit more tricky since
the ones we had fancied were either closed, shut down or had moved. But
nonetheless we found a good place to eat and we spent the afternoon taking a
walking tour from the Lonely Planet guide to see the rest of the sights. We did
not have enough time to visit the museum and planned to do that another day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the next visit to Georgetown we were joined by Wishful
Thinking and Wirraway and after lunch together, Catherine and I headed back to
the museum. We spent a couple of hours learning about the history of the town
and all the people who had settled here – from India, China, Indonesia and
eight other countries, all living happily together. The entry to the museum was
one Ringgit (about 20p) and was one of the best we have visited with the story
of the island well told. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We decided we would stay in Georgetown for a drink before
heading back to the marina. It took us an hour and a half to find somewhere we
fancied and spent an hour or so relaxing in a sofa being served cocktails. A
real find, and better still, the bus back to the marina stopped right outside
(we only found this out while we were sitting there and saw our bus stop
outside). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Time to Move</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The following day and while Catherine went into the marina
complex to do some shopping I elected to stay on the boat to finish off some of
the boat jobs. The wind came up together with a rough sea in the exposed
anchorage and doing anything on the boat was a challenge. When Catherine came
back at 6pm, we decided that we could not stay there and headed off with
Wirraway and Matilda to the Junk anchorage (where the junk boats anchor) just
as it was getting dark. Not an ideal time to leave but staying where we were
would mean no sleep and the weather was not going to improve over the next
couple of days.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We kept a careful watch for small fishing boats and nets on
the five mile journey and we eventually found a place in the crowded anchorage.
At least the anchorage was calm, sheltered from the waves and we left our
cockpit light on all night so returning fishing boats could clearly see us. We
slept well that night unlike Wirraway who had a junk boat dragging towards them
in the middle of the night with the other junk boats shouting to wake up the
captain of the boat before he hit someone.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Together with Matilda and Wirraway we left there the next
morning to go back to anchor between Jerejak Island and Penang Island and met
El Gato on the way, escaping from the uncomfortable anchorage at Straits Quay.
We found shelter near the top the island, out of the wind and nicely protected
from the waves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A short dinghy ride to a concrete pontoon allowed us to walk
into the nearby town for lunch and buy some provisions. We got a taxi back (it
was a long hot walk) and we did not fancy carrying back all the provisions to
the jetty. Wishful Thinking joined us later that day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">An Early Christmas
Lunch</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We all agreed that a lunch at the Eastern Oriental Hotel
would be a good idea. Some of the boats wanted to go in early to do some
sightseeing before lunch, others wanted to do some shopping and Catherine and I
decided to go directly to the restaurant. We took the dinghy to the marina and
called our first Uber taxi which duly arrived five minutes later. We were
impressed and the driver was very friendly, having recently become an Uber taxi
driver. Shame he did not read the destination correctly and took us to the
wrong place and then managed to take us through the busiest roads on route to
the restaurant (he was not a local). We arrived twenty minutes late (although
everyone waited for us) and we had spent nearly an hour in the taxi for what
should have been a twenty minute ride. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lunch was a carvery with lamb, pork and beef together with
Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes – quite a treat after eating local food
for nearly five months. It felt like a lunch you would have leading up to
Christmas in England except for the hot weather.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Afterwards a few of us headed up to a hotel at the top of
the Penang as it was the start of the jazz weekend. We sat in the bar listening
to a local band and deciding that we would like to bring the boats up into the
bay the next evening so we could hear the main event which was to be outside,
just off the beach. Sounded ideal, being at anchor listening to the music –
what could be better.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, the weather once again intervened and as we brought
out boats up the next afternoon, the northerly wind once again had come up with
a nasty swell entering the bay and no-one fancied that. So with that idea out
of the window we carried on to Bunting Island to anchor and we had a very
peaceful night. It also meant that we only had forty miles to go the next day
to get to Langkawi which was another advantage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Langkawi 4 December</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We arrived in mid-afternoon and tied up in our berth. It was
the end of the Malaysian rally and we had booked a week in the marina so we
could relax and do nothing if we wanted. That is something that is difficult on
a rally because you are always on the move or exploring the area when you
arrive somewhere with limited time at each place. But now we had nothing we had
to do or places we had to go – we have plenty of time!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pool at Rebak Resort</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fact we have more time that we planned, mainly because we
had run out of pages in our passports and needed to renew them to get a visa
for Thailand. We were not able to renew them earlier since we needed the
passports to enter Langkawi as it is a Free Trade area (everything is duty
free). Once we had sent them off for renewal, we were not able to leave
Langkawi until they return which could be up to six weeks. Well there are worse
places to be trapped!</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-84344496355600530022016-12-11T22:49:00.000-08:002016-12-11T22:49:06.053-08:00Singapore<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Singapore 4 – 7
November</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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After four months at anchor in Indonesia we were all looking
forward to visiting Singapore and staying in a hotel. Also, you can buy
anything in Singapore and we had some boat spares and a camera that we wanted
to buy. We also managed to arrange a berth in the marina at Puteri so we could
leave the boat without worrying about the weather.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEUtXZkOSomtoxKCiG8dLTmF_zhillYU5zGy9UGjGyR_X-Wi0UWeRKRVurbPAAbj2wwX-n153i48c8do6Yl9FtdrCGvHgHxeQQp7kXQWSQg_01bcBEwUh7fWRriUpLYpl60xKgSf2E3Q/s1600/DSCN9640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEUtXZkOSomtoxKCiG8dLTmF_zhillYU5zGy9UGjGyR_X-Wi0UWeRKRVurbPAAbj2wwX-n153i48c8do6Yl9FtdrCGvHgHxeQQp7kXQWSQg_01bcBEwUh7fWRriUpLYpl60xKgSf2E3Q/s200/DSCN9640.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little India at night</td></tr>
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We went with Wishful Thinking (Mick and Gin), Wirraway (Gary
and Bev) and Matilda (Debs and Bruce) and we decided to get a taxi to the bus
station and then take a bus across the bridge to Singapore. When we got to the
bus station, we found that the cost of a taxi from there to our hotel was about
£20 and it would mean we would get through customs much quicker and to our
hotel earlier. The journey including forty five minutes queuing on the bridge
only took an hour and a half and we were in our hotel in little India. Not
surprisingly it is the Indian quarter of Singapore and cheap hotels. <br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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We had agreed with the others that we would go to the
chandlers the first day to buy all our spares and then go to the Sim City, a
shopping mall devoted to selling electronic items. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shopping</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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As Catherine and I were walking along the street in the
monsoon rains, we took cover in a restaurant where by chance so had the others.
Just as well as none of us could actually find the chandlers where we had
agreed to meet and it took a good hour of walking around before we figured out
the address system in Singapore.</div>
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<br /></div>
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With some of the parts purchased we went off to Sim City,
just to have a look at the cameras. Sim City was huge with all five floors
selling every piece of electronic equipment you could imagine. Such a shock
after Indonesia where buying bread is a challenge.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Catherine and I had both agreed we would not buy it that day
but just to do the research. Needless to say that we bought a camera in the
second shop we went into but at least that meant no more looking.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Gardens</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artificiall trees seen during the day</td></tr>
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We took the metro to the Marina Bay Gardens and met up with
the others in the evening. Each night they put on a light show to music and it
is a big tourist draw. The show was spectacular with big artificial trees in
the centre lit up with multi coloured lights that changed with the music – more
in keeping with Las Vegas than SE Asia. It was very well done. We all had
dinner in the Hawker Centre in the park where you can buy Chinese and Indian
food from a variety of stalls, all freshly cooked to order.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Exploring Singapore</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The next day we all went our separate ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Catherine and I were going to do a walking
tour of the city but not before I had travelled across town to buy some spares
for our outboard where amazingly they had the right parts for our 16 year old
engine. Finding the place was a challenge but it was a good two hours well
spent – otherwise we would be replacing the engine. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We met for a coffee in the centre of town where there are 27
huge shopping malls just along one street. We are not shoppers so we quickly
left there and set for our walking tour.</div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marina Bay Sands Hotel with a boat on top</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimO5ElbRT5DV-7FZrmxP0f0HIk4iwKgGAtXShMBqRGdRr2z8B3Lljc262m7OBYFt6sDVs4dPCQhenJMI-khhrIaS6SO1UVeiVe8U-cV-7O6kJQLBeowFn_lcVnABpQq3qUZlarU-PktVE/s1600/DSCN9566.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimO5ElbRT5DV-7FZrmxP0f0HIk4iwKgGAtXShMBqRGdRr2z8B3Lljc262m7OBYFt6sDVs4dPCQhenJMI-khhrIaS6SO1UVeiVe8U-cV-7O6kJQLBeowFn_lcVnABpQq3qUZlarU-PktVE/s200/DSCN9566.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Modern architecture</td></tr>
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The mix of old colonial building and stunning modern designs
is very well done – one of the more attractive cities we have been to for a
long time. We found a restaurant overlooking the river and while we had lunch
we watched the dragon boat races where 750 competitors from around the world
had gathered – including a team from the UK. The event was over two days so we
only saw a few of the races but it made for a lively atmosphere.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFeg_Xk16PgYZjuKvJrCx-WVII9t-J_j7YGTW_GycR3aAv7ecJMznGNvMgK3ve0EXIpBtyDwGVme_RBfwiCQA9i3G5Me0WyR3QdhjkA9v_E9HrI_Tunkblu1hTy0hB8C7LAuf2c4Tor4/s1600/DSCN9537+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFeg_Xk16PgYZjuKvJrCx-WVII9t-J_j7YGTW_GycR3aAv7ecJMznGNvMgK3ve0EXIpBtyDwGVme_RBfwiCQA9i3G5Me0WyR3QdhjkA9v_E9HrI_Tunkblu1hTy0hB8C7LAuf2c4Tor4/s320/DSCN9537+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">International Dragon boat races</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaAvWun-9aWUg7zF_4JF6hyphenhyphenJ98UovA-nYKxHGBwArfw8XyHGKto_kHtrCay0GDaLE3KsTw2H1X2cu6nQyMEZa_vJ9_BzUf5a3IgVHISkRcMF8riApIf3kMcymf0-MmxrAyNftxbg2350/s1600/DSCN9518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaaAvWun-9aWUg7zF_4JF6hyphenhyphenJ98UovA-nYKxHGBwArfw8XyHGKto_kHtrCay0GDaLE3KsTw2H1X2cu6nQyMEZa_vJ9_BzUf5a3IgVHISkRcMF8riApIf3kMcymf0-MmxrAyNftxbg2350/s200/DSCN9518.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raffles Hotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFj3vQwhTW_K32DByuctK_XGExRKvclGQCj4aywLS1kUTqMM8Rc63mKRhqv5RZ7uQaM0xijj1Z7Jo0Lo49YJTlNYNkqmjliv4jAAxPMLP0jomix-L0qgGxBOQ_bBVfr0eBik5HAE-n7MM/s1600/IMG_1999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFj3vQwhTW_K32DByuctK_XGExRKvclGQCj4aywLS1kUTqMM8Rc63mKRhqv5RZ7uQaM0xijj1Z7Jo0Lo49YJTlNYNkqmjliv4jAAxPMLP0jomix-L0qgGxBOQ_bBVfr0eBik5HAE-n7MM/s200/IMG_1999.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dirnks at Raffles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That night we met up with the others at Raffles Hotel,
famous for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>inventing the Singapore Sling. The prices are a shock but it is a
very nice place to have a drink and most of us opted for the “on tap” menu –
basically a fixed price for drinks for a two hour period and they keep filling
up your glass when empty. Catherine did not fancy the “on tap” menu ordered a martini. Dazzled with a huge array of gins (excpet the one she actually wanted), Catherine selected one after discussion with the waiter. It turned out to be their most expensive which we found out when
we came to pay the bill. It cost more than my entire drinks bill for the evening!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoN5Il8nLyojkVmhnHPopqVR2EAMKZjm7ITeAja2mJ0sgXtRO2JgF3MWbP0O2SDuzFsaFNfRf71YfA7Sp9J6zQuvB78PgErxQF2fuEUrQS3kwSShhJ2LMvAhQ7MumlPh8ZqVttJQdAgQ/s1600/DSCN9592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoN5Il8nLyojkVmhnHPopqVR2EAMKZjm7ITeAja2mJ0sgXtRO2JgF3MWbP0O2SDuzFsaFNfRf71YfA7Sp9J6zQuvB78PgErxQF2fuEUrQS3kwSShhJ2LMvAhQ7MumlPh8ZqVttJQdAgQ/s200/DSCN9592.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Infinity Pool at the top of the hotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9I0nBjFKO4Y-6BeroZF87uI5neOjmyy04Px-5xH4jsuE2idHEm68JkRXXGfzeh_WJqasoZJLgHTkkAexVDzmb4MQis2q9PwfJiV4Uj8GRoCpN1Jz6cAIxyqGxrPvOJpGpFiXd1nQAec/s1600/DSCN9607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9I0nBjFKO4Y-6BeroZF87uI5neOjmyy04Px-5xH4jsuE2idHEm68JkRXXGfzeh_WJqasoZJLgHTkkAexVDzmb4MQis2q9PwfJiV4Uj8GRoCpN1Jz6cAIxyqGxrPvOJpGpFiXd1nQAec/s200/DSCN9607.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drinks at Marina Bay Sands Hotel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We spent the next day in the art gallery in the morning
followed by a trip up to the bar on Marina Bay Sands Hotel – the 27<sup>th</sup> floor
which is on the ship that straddles the three towers of the hotel. It is one of
those must do tourist things and gave us a good view of the city. It was a very
relaxing place to have a drink before we set off to meet the others at the jazz
concert in the botanical gardens. It was a shame we did not have more time to
explore the gardens since they looked wonderful. We sat and enjoyed the music
in perfect weather listening to a very good band.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HrUtY_yenQJDJIx5OOD8VvkcWYu2yr11gZ7jxv5LFlWH7YkLTY65em0bKWuO_QIyZJdhQBU4CWunq8-we5KbWuPMZWTbipkGlI-kfVwgLfKfYBtbqi6T2p-vyPWKkr31OAThILKNq0g/s1600/DSCN9617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HrUtY_yenQJDJIx5OOD8VvkcWYu2yr11gZ7jxv5LFlWH7YkLTY65em0bKWuO_QIyZJdhQBU4CWunq8-we5KbWuPMZWTbipkGlI-kfVwgLfKfYBtbqi6T2p-vyPWKkr31OAThILKNq0g/s320/DSCN9617.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Concert in the park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jazz at the Blue
Elephant</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Catherine and I wanted to go and eat in a restaurant in town
while the others opted for a Hawkers market. We had loosely discussed meeting
at a Blue Elephant jazz bar in the evening but had no idea where it was. After
dinner we strolled along the river for about an hour on our way back to the
metro when we spotted Gary and Bev in a bar – the Blue Elephant jazz bar. It
was an open mic night so anyone could get up and sing or take over an
instrument from the band. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first guitarist who joined the group played a joint lead
with the band’s other guitarist and they were so good together we guessed that
must have practised together. But apparently not according to the band’s singer
– people just come up and play. There are some talented people about.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A twelve year got up and started tuning up and the guitar
looked too big for him. We did wonder why his parents let him out at midnight
on a Sunday and were about to leave just as he started playing and we sat down
again – captivated. He was alternating lead between himself and the other lead
guitarist and filling in as rhythm in between – so confident for one so young
(and talented). We stayed until the evening descended into Karaoke at which
point the drunks had taken over. We had missed the last metro back to the hotel
and took a taxi with Gary and Bev.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back to Malaysia</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The final day we I had to go and buy the new anchor. We had
lost confidence in our existing anchor opting for one of the new designs which
will reset even if they are pulled out – something that was very attractive
after our previous experience. I had found a shop that had the anchor we wanted
(I tried in Malaysia before we left but to no avail) and had to get a taxi back
to the hotel – carrying a 27kg anchor on the metro was not going to work. Even
the taxi driver was not happy about putting the anchor in his taxi when he felt
the weight of it. We spent the rest of the morning idling our time away before
getting the taxi back to the bus station in Malaysia and then a short taxi ride
back to our boat, still safely tied up in the marina. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now we could start thinking about our sail up the Malaysian
coast towards Thailand.</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-27275590006201161782016-12-10T17:02:00.001-08:002016-12-10T17:02:53.828-08:00Final weeks in Indonesia<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Final Weeks in
Indonesia<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>18-31 October 2016</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Parai Beach 18 – 20
October</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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We arrived at 10am in the morning after our night sail,
looking forward to spending a few days at anchor outside this upmarket resort.
We anchored and one hour later we left as the anchorage was exposed to the SE
trade winds and rolling waves were coming into the anchorage. Apart from the
boat rolling violently so sleeping would be impossible, we were not going to
leave the boat in an anchorage that was not safe. We sailed thirty miles
further north and sheltered in the lee of the land making for a comfortable and
safe anchorage. We missed out on all the activities at Parai beach but we had
enough of poor anchorages.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It was a relaxing couple of days although the water was not
clear so no swimming. Just relaxing, reading and BBQs off the back of the boat.
Just what we needed.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Penuba 21 -23 October</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Paradoxically as we travelled further north towards the
equator (we were less than 100 miles south at this point) the weather got
cooler. Cloudy skies reduced the heat during the day but at night we started
getting more thunder and lightning. We sailed over night to Penuba and managed
to avoid going through the storms using our radar to track them. We could see
the lightening all around us which does not make for relaxed sailing.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children loved the smash the egg game</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Penuba is a small fishing village and they pulled out all
the stops to entertain us with a day of traditional games. Three legged races,
smash the egg on someone’s face (and hope that it is one of the hard boiled
eggs) and dancing with a tennis ball balanced between two people. It had the
feel of an old village fete and the locals seemed to really be enjoying
themselves. It was a wonderful atmosphere.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three fast three legged race</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the tennis ball dancing</td></tr>
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Catherine and her partner won the tennis ball dancing competition after dancing through two songs without dropping the ball. I
managed three lines of a song before dropping it – I blame
the mayor who was obviously not a good partner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did not take part in the three legged
race- the locals were far too good and it was on concrete and ran at hell of a
pace.
</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After an enjoyable afternoon we had dinner in a local café.
Twenty people for dinner in a café that probably served no more than five
people in a whole evening. They did a great job, clearly overwhelmed but did
not give up. We were then treated to an evening of music, with sofas set out
for the rally under an awning. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retrieving the coins from the flour</td></tr>
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After some misunderstanding, the locals staged another
morning of games for us the next day. I competed with two locals and another member
of our rally to eat half a packet of dry crackers a boiled egg in the fastest
time. No competition against the locals. The final game we were not invited to
join in and the reason became obvious. It involved taking out coins from to a
fruit covered in some sticky black substance using just your mouth which meant
your face ended up covered with the stuff. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A messy game</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
That was messy but the next bit was
that all the coins where then put in a tray of flour and the teams had to
retrieve them again using just their mouths. The flour and the sticky black substance
made one hell of a mess of the competitors!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Once again we were sad to leave the locals but we had to
carry on to our next destination.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Benan 25 – 27 October</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Houses on stilts over the water</td></tr>
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The day trip up to Benan was uneventful, another day
motoring. The island itself is a tourist island with mainly Chinese people
coming for weekends from Singapore and staying in the eco-lodges. You could see
the difference tourism makes to an island – the infrastructure was in better
shape and it had a wealthier feel to it – relative to the other islands
although many people still lived in traditional houses on stilts over the sea.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baby turtle bred in captivity</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rescued turtle</td></tr>
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One of the main events planned was to release turtles back
into the sea that had been either bred there or rescued. We must have released
about 30 turtles back into the wild, some very small and some that were
massive. Who knows how many will survive but it is good to see conservation of
the sea in Indonesia.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing the greasy pole</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The villagers turn out in force</td></tr>
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The island is very small and a couple of hours walking
around pretty much <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">had the place covered.
</span>In the afternoon they staged some games on the jetty which attracted all
of the villagers. Young boys tried to climb the greasy pole put up in the
middle of the harbour (none succeeded) and there were boat races which we were
invited to join in. There were two to each boat and our role was to and beat
the drum while a local woman stood up and rowed. They insisted that we wore life jackets while the woman standing up rowing did not have one! </div>
.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa9N8ETa6YXWIEj4shr8N3ugJr3ReCVSj8WnDAQjzvs2gmtYmMe-fJRISmLznOoOj1up5xvtNSv9ZE1QUwecYYZSeF2vDNTtjvZe_Gayx9XSf8K73GKgcUuJXhmBzz50hsFjhl-wXOhw/s1600/IMG_8481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUa9N8ETa6YXWIEj4shr8N3ugJr3ReCVSj8WnDAQjzvs2gmtYmMe-fJRISmLznOoOj1up5xvtNSv9ZE1QUwecYYZSeF2vDNTtjvZe_Gayx9XSf8K73GKgcUuJXhmBzz50hsFjhl-wXOhw/s200/IMG_8481.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catherine getting with the beat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XtVM-YkHZ1S6PeXstGmaKLe9buhG92iPfJYGCAfrCqyie0MXn2jnz9DxRSikjExmyZSRZRzZGGH79s1JZ1va6F8VMz8k0esRVMQ38ZpEfbw3uYltABTya9W0PCmOoYi_xrqkHX-2VSc/s1600/IMG_8485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3XtVM-YkHZ1S6PeXstGmaKLe9buhG92iPfJYGCAfrCqyie0MXn2jnz9DxRSikjExmyZSRZRzZGGH79s1JZ1va6F8VMz8k0esRVMQ38ZpEfbw3uYltABTya9W0PCmOoYi_xrqkHX-2VSc/s200/IMG_8485.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final stages of the race</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The final dinner was held in the school yard and once again
the food was excellent. We were treated with traditional entertainment and
dancing with all of us invited to join in. I have got past any inhibitions in
my dancing as everyone now knows I cannot dance and it has become a source of
much amusement. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Equator Party 24
October</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJoTsYMK397gsxpFp2csH-BHJakw1Rrn1c4OXW-HXJs6KO2xjjzfNUuEhhc-hMrjddIKyiYS4UJIpZvnZT328p9K6D0p6AGcirLbMXaG1Bvs_sTJFxbyUP16cOJbbGDFda107xVDZDhQ/s1600/IMG_8446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJoTsYMK397gsxpFp2csH-BHJakw1Rrn1c4OXW-HXJs6KO2xjjzfNUuEhhc-hMrjddIKyiYS4UJIpZvnZT328p9K6D0p6AGcirLbMXaG1Bvs_sTJFxbyUP16cOJbbGDFda107xVDZDhQ/s200/IMG_8446.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neptune and his helper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The baptisim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We left Benan with just twenty miles to go to the equator
and we found a good anchorage in a bay that did not exist on the charts, </div>
almost
exactly on the equator. In fact the monument on the island marking the equator
was just behind us on the beach where we held the party. For the people
crossing the equator for the first time, there was an initiation ceremony
performed by a Norwegian dressed up at as Neptune. Each of the newbies had to
show that they were worthy people and were then baptised with cold water. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Sci7mDkGudssKzGjj75gqnmOXmoxavdOfaBoVWwUvwK0CRe6DInR-cl5WopudDZOa8S6UUXzcdzQEuPdnAygzVCq1xYqQw43TP8oYq117LZd1nj9-3SEr4ZhEKEVpsEibdf8QPMh3s0/s1600/IMG_8449.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Sci7mDkGudssKzGjj75gqnmOXmoxavdOfaBoVWwUvwK0CRe6DInR-cl5WopudDZOa8S6UUXzcdzQEuPdnAygzVCq1xYqQw43TP8oYq117LZd1nj9-3SEr4ZhEKEVpsEibdf8QPMh3s0/s200/IMG_8449.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
We all brought dishes to share on the beach and Mick from
Wishful Thinking brought a huge <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Kingfish he had caught on route – the first
fish anyone had caught for months.
</span>Everyone was in high spirits and we finished off the evening with
fireworks that would not have been out of place in an organised display. Wishful Thinking had found them through an illicit source in Bali - they are illegal in Indonesia. I am sure that the locals
enjoyed watching the fireworks for miles around. <br />
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It was a great party and a good celebration of being back in
the northern hemisphere – seemed like home again.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tanjung Pinang 27 –
31 October</b>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our last stop in Indonesia! We anchored in the river outside
the city and it was the dirtiest river we had come across – rubbish floating up
and down, plastic bags in the water. Just awful and lots of people had their
anchors fouled by the rubbish, needing to keep re-anchor until they found a
clean spot.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUje6NwDPkVLoXP71moSIdPq_nrS-J1QG8bT2-iXtYc654Xex3JU64gj3ZBmtLjBdx1LwKgZ3IgNn1cB9cHMAIZm8Ynp-LEIE6L_KP8EfKcfQMUIgmXL7jGD2KZRQBJHk0dxKHyigy9FU/s1600/IMG_1966.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUje6NwDPkVLoXP71moSIdPq_nrS-J1QG8bT2-iXtYc654Xex3JU64gj3ZBmtLjBdx1LwKgZ3IgNn1cB9cHMAIZm8Ynp-LEIE6L_KP8EfKcfQMUIgmXL7jGD2KZRQBJHk0dxKHyigy9FU/s200/IMG_1966.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were guests of the city to watch the events</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The city was hosting a festival while we were there and we
were invited as guests to watch the events. After two hours of watching a
series of events, I had to go for a walk as falling asleep in front of all the
other invited guests would not have been good form. Catherine however was
really enjoying the performances and stayed. It was all well staged but just a little too long.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4Gt3fLITpQR8iWf2vztpyGmFxzt98aY9DAS-VnQoLMCn84HqOXS3ZQmPvyG-3F33yLEFpFgxt85jaxqQlg0hk2jBwrTlWbk-H36phPhzp9-wq5BEeUfDITasl5BH4ZSAxNQhxbQS42c/s1600/IMG_1972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4Gt3fLITpQR8iWf2vztpyGmFxzt98aY9DAS-VnQoLMCn84HqOXS3ZQmPvyG-3F33yLEFpFgxt85jaxqQlg0hk2jBwrTlWbk-H36phPhzp9-wq5BEeUfDITasl5BH4ZSAxNQhxbQS42c/s200/IMG_1972.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch at the local restaurant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We passed a few days in the city with our friends from the
rally, having lunch at the local restaurant where the locals ate (very good)
and wandering around town. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECagcIv5ROLstlZjOhJr_r7cXV8H27RAZQI9qU5rIDvoDah5qeg7cdASRgCUYqdso7Eafl9AnjS-KrMLzI1vtHsDtW7Y1SMA2gy0S1yq0siwfqaNN31S_qBzy0Fu_lCxvueAU7LK-0E4/s1600/IMG_1978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiECagcIv5ROLstlZjOhJr_r7cXV8H27RAZQI9qU5rIDvoDah5qeg7cdASRgCUYqdso7Eafl9AnjS-KrMLzI1vtHsDtW7Y1SMA2gy0S1yq0siwfqaNN31S_qBzy0Fu_lCxvueAU7LK-0E4/s200/IMG_1978.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final speeches</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The final night was a big dinner for three rallies – ours,
the other (rival) Indonesian rally and a rally of motor boats from Singapore.
We arrived 30 minutes late for the dinner (with most of the people from our
rally who had been given the wrong time) in the middle of the speeches. That
was unfortunate since I was supposed to be giving one of the speeches! However,
I managed to tag on at the end and thank the hosts for their hospitality and
present a flag signed by all the rally participants – the traditional gift for
the hosts. The mayor seemed genuinely pleased and we had the normal round of
photos of the two of us holding up the flag.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The night continued with a parade of brightly lit boats
cruising along the beach which were beautifully decorated parading along the
beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all some 180 boats passed by
and it was confirmed that it had achieved a world record for the biggest parade
of ships in the Guinness Book of Records. This was all part of the efforts to
attract tourists to the city, especially from Singapore which is just 50 miles
further north.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We retired back to the hotel where we left our dinghies for
drinks with all the other people from our rally. The skies blackened and at the
first sound of thunder we all took to our dinghies and back to our boats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as well as the wind came up to thirty
five knots with a series of huge thunderstorms.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Another Bad Night</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mayhem ensued for the next four hours. Some twenty of the
motor boats from Singapore all dragged and once a boat starts dragging they
take off at a rate of knots – helped by the strong tide and thirty knot winds.
And the motor boats were not the only ones that dragged as some of our rally
also dragged (but thankfully not us this time). Everyone was on the deck of
their boats and we ran our engine so that we could dodge boats dragging towards
us. As the tide changed, all the boats reacted differently, and we had to motor
out of the way of two boats, anchored far away from us but we all started
swinging to a central point. It as bizarre as boats were lying at every
different angle to the wind with seemingly no pattern.</div>
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<br /></div>
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To make matters worse, the motor boats that had dragged were
motoring around the anchorage trying to find somewhere to anchor and several
times we had boats a few metres away that were going to anchor right next to us
and other boats. There was a lot of shouting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And when politely asking people not to anchor so close did not work,
many boats resorted to the shorted version consisting of two words. That always
seemed to work. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At 3am the weather had calmed down and we re-anchored away
from all the other boats, just so we could sleep without worrying. One of the
worse nights we had had for a long time and we were all itching to leave but
had to wait a further day for our port clearances before heading off to
Malaysia.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everyone was concerned about crossing the straits to
Singapore, the busiest shipping lane in the world. It is an amazing sight with
a regular flow of huge ships crossing the shipping lanes which are just 1.5
miles wide in places with ships going in both directions. However, we all
crossed with relative ease and with great relief. We carried on around to the
north of Singapore to Puteri Harbour in Malaysia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We could now look forward to visiting Singapore before
starting up the coast of Malaysia.</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-86634605180251401082016-12-02T16:35:00.000-08:002016-12-02T16:35:44.228-08:00Borneo <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Borneo 29 October –
17 November</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Three days to Borneo
29 October – 31 October</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We were pleased to be under way again after our three weeks
in Bali. It was 450 miles and would take three days and with the highest wind
forecast of seven knots we would have to motor all the way. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Our first night was going through a group of islands a
couple of hours after dark. With no moon we were not looking forward to
negotiating unlit fishing vessels and nets strung between the islands. We
slowed to 3 knots and Catherine sat on the front for two hours with a torch
trying to spot any nets and keep an eye out for fishing boats. The boats will
put on lights as you approach but only at the last minute giving little time to
react and see which side of the boats the nets are set out. However, we managed
that without incident and joined the main shipping channel around midnight.</div>
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<br /></div>
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With a five knot breeze coming from behind almost exactly
cancelling out any breeze from our forward motion meant the next day was
stifling hot on board. However, the following morning the wind came up to
fifteen knots and we were under sail once again at 7am. I was on a radio call
at 8am when Catherine shouted out that the wind had come up to twenty six knots
and was now coming from ahead – a one hundred and eighty degree shift with a
big black could overhead.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We sailed off course for a few minutes while I explained to
Catherine that it was just a passing squall and we would be back on track
shortly. Thirty minutes later and with the wind at thirty five knots and forced
to sail down wind, my predication seemed a little shaky. The wind gusts of
forty five knots did not help either. We battled to reef the sails and get the
boat closer to our intended track –the exact opposite way to where we were now
sailing. </div>
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<br /></div>
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After four hours the wind had calmed down to twenty knot but
still directly ahead of where we wanted to go and we tacked into a heavy sea
making little progress. However after six hours we were back to where we
started that morning but now pointing in the right direction at least. It was
our first experience of the monsoon weather at sea and was not to be the last.
But at least it taught us to be more careful and reef at the first sign of the
wind rising under dark clouds! Something we had not had to think about for many
months.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kumai 2 – 7 October</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The main reason for going to Kumai was to take a three day
river trip on a Klotok to see the Orangutans in the wild – one of the only two
places in the world that you can see Orangutans (the other place is Sumatra but
not a safe island for sailors). The boats are wooden and take up to six people,
sleeping on mattresses on the deck under mosquito nets. All very basic but that
is part of the attraction.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An enjoyable lunch on board</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZ-UkbfINoCZ8Q_QDKSSa7lCUcoleoiaAgMsSBeUGF2rbPn-zASalf-x2kt_sV5xj_XJa3p_3QiQtyfnrGAzG9Ll4UJ835U_GXH3uXy3ra66_hKD5Py_7fn8TnhjPaoYivlQ4HPLGNnc/s1600/IMG_8184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcZ-UkbfINoCZ8Q_QDKSSa7lCUcoleoiaAgMsSBeUGF2rbPn-zASalf-x2kt_sV5xj_XJa3p_3QiQtyfnrGAzG9Ll4UJ835U_GXH3uXy3ra66_hKD5Py_7fn8TnhjPaoYivlQ4HPLGNnc/s200/IMG_8184.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setting off for our three day trip</td></tr>
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We were with two other couples – a couple from Hungary who
are sailing around the wo</div>
rld and a German couple who were back packing around
SE Asia. We joined the boat at 10am and set off for the 30 mile trip up the
river.<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Our first sight of
the Orangutans</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The first day we stopped at the first of the three feeding
stations where the rangers put out bananas to attract the Orangutans – it is a
supplement to their diet which they are given once each day, mainly so the
tourists can see them. The rest of the time the Orangutans feed themselves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male Orangutan watching us</td></tr>
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We waited some 30m away from the wooden platform which was
some 2m off the ground where the rangers put out the bananas. Along with about
20 other people we looked up at the trees to see one or two female Orangutans
coming to feed. While we were all watching the trees, a male Orangutan had
walked up from behind to join the crowd and just stood there looking annoyed –
he certainly got the crowds attention followed by a quick retreat. The male is
about 5 feet tall and weighs over 200 KG with the strength of eight men and
dominates his territory. They can become aggressive and the rangers are trained
to manage them. The female is about 4 feet tall and only has the strength of
four men and will roam between territories. You do not want to get into a
tangle with any of them.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wary female grabbing some bananas</td></tr>
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When the male sat on the platform to eat the bananas, all
the females were very wary and kept a safe distance. He was obviously feeling
frisky and suddenly shot up the tree and grabbed a female from high in the
trees and dragged her down to the platform whereupon he furthered the species
while at the same time carried on eating bananas. We all felt a little like
voyeurs but it did not stop everyone taking lots of pictures.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">On we go</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruising up the narrow river</td></tr>
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</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></span></div>
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While we were cruising up the river, we saw some Orangutans
in the trees, lots of monkeys and enjoyed the trip up the narrow river deep
into the jungle. The second stop was for dinner and the night hike into the
jungle. The main attraction of the night hike was to see tarantula spiders
which are nocturnal and live in burrows at the bottom of the trees. Slightly
disappointed to learn that they are not deadly to adult humans as depicted in
the movies but nonetheless we kept a safe distance. After the hour’s walk it
was back to the boat, some tea and bed.</div>
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</b><br />
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very relaxed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We set off again at day break to continue up the river,
branching off the main river into a tributary which was clean, clear water in
contrast to the muddy brown river we just left. It was relaxing just to enjoy the trip through the jungle and look at the wild life.<br />
<br />
The second feeding station was
similar to the first but this time the male decided to grab a female by the leg
and drag her into the bush for a little privacy.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male ignoring a brave female</td></tr>
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The final feeding station was also the scientific station
where they have been studying Orangutans for thirty years. We spent an hour
learning about their habits before once again venturing to the feeding station.
The monsoon rains cut short the trip but not before a female Orangutan
terrorised some of the tourists by joining them on the seats provided. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That night we were allowed to shower on board since we were
in clean water and the shower uses the river water. It was cold but very
refreshing after two days in the heat and humidity of the jungle. In the
morning we saw a crocodile in the river just ahead of us before we set off.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monehy landing in the water</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group of Monkeys high in the trees</td></tr>
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On the way back we came across a group of monkeys in the
trees ahead of us and as we approached, they started diving into the water from
high in the trees and swimming across the other side. They spray out their arms
and legs as they dive and curl up just before they hit the water – they swim as
well as I do (not very well that is). It is quite a common sight as the engines
of the Klotoks scare the crocodiles and the monkeys know that it is safe to
swim across at that point. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woman fishing in a canoe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was also fascinating to see people still living in the jungle. We came across some small settlements and people carrying on their traditional way of life including fishing in crocodile infested waters!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back to Kumai</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We spent one more day in Kumai – there is not much to
recommend it as a town but we did need some fresh provisions. The next day we
set off for an overnight sail to Ketapang.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ketapang 8-10 October</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were catching up with the rest of the rally at Ketapang
after two weeks on our own. We had an interesting tour of the town with Gary
and Bev from Wirraway, visiting the Buddhist temple and eating at one of the
local restaurants. We allowed our guide to choose the restaurant – it had to be
where locals eat and we fancied a beer with lunch. Despite carrying an
advertising banner for Bintang Beer, the restaurant did not have any but they
did send someone out to find some. The guide also chose the dishes for us to
give us a range of local foods that we may not have chosen ourselves. A good
choice apart from the crabs which turned out to be more expensive than any meal
we had eaten in Indonesia so far. A little bit of a shock but still cheap by
western standards. Nonetheless a very enjoyable meal and the guide was very
good at explaining the history and culture of Borneo.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sukadana 11-15
October</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sukadana was just a few hours’ sail further north and who
were hosting the Sail Kalimata event. This is an annual event held in different
parts of Indonesia with each host town receiving investment in the
infrastructure in the run up to the event which was evident from our visit. It
was a big attraction for Indonesians with the President attending the final day
and we were to be guests of honour.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newly built Mosque the President was to open</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We had arrived a day earlier than expected but the locals
hastily arranged some coach transport so that we could have a tour of the place
in the afternoon. Eight coaches had been shipped in from Java for the visiting
dignitaries (including us) since they do not have coaches on the island. The
army presence in the town was very visible with soldiers posted all along the
streets and the navy had five boats out in the bay to secure that area ahead of
the President’s visit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbZfzjEKRu_VTJwpkxfBcq-2MpoCaURl42D9U1gVCvfmtYk1mb0MVWqOJshAgeSCWYLWvwxzLBAJmpPWaPtl8QdXe_FyoA-Xr3FwAfXT7Ub6_6KT8XaBjb20WjEPG6noTNpe-Bh0MwbY/s1600/IMG_1827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbZfzjEKRu_VTJwpkxfBcq-2MpoCaURl42D9U1gVCvfmtYk1mb0MVWqOJshAgeSCWYLWvwxzLBAJmpPWaPtl8QdXe_FyoA-Xr3FwAfXT7Ub6_6KT8XaBjb20WjEPG6noTNpe-Bh0MwbY/s200/IMG_1827.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97aVU63baeUm2czngKAOZgejQcLUGWIf98C1Nx4p9UQoBIXpPMC62itDEtd7y-FulfIh4gUyiL_PXk8h8ttlq7PSjuGuON8d-XuqRkroOx9ARn7r4gLhulowTJzN7UisDuOeH3irh86Q/s1600/IMG_1829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi97aVU63baeUm2czngKAOZgejQcLUGWIf98C1Nx4p9UQoBIXpPMC62itDEtd7y-FulfIh4gUyiL_PXk8h8ttlq7PSjuGuON8d-XuqRkroOx9ARn7r4gLhulowTJzN7UisDuOeH3irh86Q/s200/IMG_1829.jpg" width="200" /></a>The next day we were invited to watch the dragon boat races
in the bay. Lots of teams competed and a huge crowd were in support for this
traditional event. The boats that went out in the lead were the one that rowed
with a consistent rhythm and as a well-co-ordinated team - easy to spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we were too far from the finish line
to see who actually won and the commentary was in Indonesia so we could only speculate who we thought had won. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the afternoon we were all asked to re-anchor our boats in the bay
further north as the navy wanted to secure the area. We all re-anchored and
they had even built wooden jetty for us so we could tie up our dinghies.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9LOQmqxlPkLJV2ZaH895GKYUDA3vVfQNuvFJeF6DPz4tgEcOOj8k7i7J3gZzsuQ0RqSaGWLDobZLnWmAe1K6JDVzIU01gbj9uTf0c8SVyVRhf8KMEUsSUqs8PpRqsEZ1bMrjFik6sY4/s1600/IMG_1837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9LOQmqxlPkLJV2ZaH895GKYUDA3vVfQNuvFJeF6DPz4tgEcOOj8k7i7J3gZzsuQ0RqSaGWLDobZLnWmAe1K6JDVzIU01gbj9uTf0c8SVyVRhf8KMEUsSUqs8PpRqsEZ1bMrjFik6sY4/s200/IMG_1837.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutting down the welcome sign</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The coach trip the next day took us to a beach (they assume
that all westerners like beaches) and to a Balineese community for traditional
dancing and lunch. Clearly they do not have many coaches taking this trip since
it could not get under the welcome sign to the village! Undeterred, the locals
climbed up and cut parts off the structure to allow the coach to get to the
village. This community was one that was displaced from Bali (not by choice)
and had resettled on Borneo and now live peacefully with everyone else. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwxkwm1ofZ_HyqnzOk_7tuw42xKpzzGstRqju662pBg5LC0V1OkDLGlgaA1a437dfroy-tN_vtg57PDdfI_xp9wv9azc_UkUKzccYIFp5SSWl7fvKvtI94CHdZpICtsy4CxIULTYWw5w/s1600/IMG_1846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWwxkwm1ofZ_HyqnzOk_7tuw42xKpzzGstRqju662pBg5LC0V1OkDLGlgaA1a437dfroy-tN_vtg57PDdfI_xp9wv9azc_UkUKzccYIFp5SSWl7fvKvtI94CHdZpICtsy4CxIULTYWw5w/s200/IMG_1846.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children fascinated by their visitors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGRUJw3-xRKKY4RzBUBdAEBxbBwgXjaUGPI_u6TlQ_H7HCw7GFgHCjIbxH1ZYa6CsJDZ0-WPIAszJGbDp7xjacrEphjfLQYftYJMoPOiQOXXPSmo5viZfG_pE2t5OyoIUTBbXoGr3COs/s1600/IMG_1855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGRUJw3-xRKKY4RzBUBdAEBxbBwgXjaUGPI_u6TlQ_H7HCw7GFgHCjIbxH1ZYa6CsJDZ0-WPIAszJGbDp7xjacrEphjfLQYftYJMoPOiQOXXPSmo5viZfG_pE2t5OyoIUTBbXoGr3COs/s200/IMG_1855.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional dance costume</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
They are very proud of their culture and maintain their
traditions as we have seen all across Indonesia. They dance with such
enthusiasm and passion from the youngest child to the eldest adult and the food
was excellent. Very few people see these remote villages and it always feels such a privilege to see their traditional
cultural events put on just for us.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the way back we stopped at a water fall, or rather the
start of the trail to the waterfall. It was a two hour climb and we only had
one hour there so no way could be actually go and see it. In fact the guide
admitted he had never seen it as it was too far! That is when we got the first
telephone call to say that one of the boats had dragged in the anchorage.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Quick Return</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Five minutes after the first call we had another call to say
that more boats were dragging in the anchorage and there was only Paul and
Christian left in the anchorage with thirty boats at anchor. We all immediately
returned.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In all five boats had dragged including us. Two of us had
hit the same catamaran (Soul) and we had also hit the other boat that hit Soul
since they had come to a stop next to them, catching on their anchor
chain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Between us we had caused
considerable damage to Soul’s topside – it was a shocking sight. The other
boats that dragged were luckier and had somehow missed hitting any of the
others.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mike and Sarah from Soul were clearly shaken and upset but
came over to us to check we were OK. Sarah commented that if we had not hit
them, our boat would have been on the rocks and so some good had come out of
it. Catherine and I were both very upset, causing damage to a friend’s boat and
also it had been the first time we had ever dragged. We could have easily lost
the boat but for the quick thinking of Paul and Christian who had only remained
on their respective boats because both of them were ill and so had not come on
the trip. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We re-anchored our boat and put out 40m of chain although
only in 5m of water. The next afternoon we had similar conditions with steep
waves entering the anchorage (although little wind) causing the bow to dip down
below the water and snatch up at the anchor. Once again we started dragging and
we left the anchorage and went back to the first anchorage which was more
sheltered. I was ready for any discussion with the Navy about anchoring there!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were quickly followed by every other boat, many of whom
started dragging in what was exceptional conditions – I have never seen such
steep waves so close together before. The jetty that the locals had built for
our dinghies also suffered a lot of damage and had to be rebuilt. Needless to
say we did not leave the boat unattended the rest of the time we were there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent a couple of mornings on Soul helping to fill the
topsides with epoxy to at least make the holes waterproof. It was never going
to be anything but a temporary repair but at least the boat would be seaworthy
once again. Having made sure we had done everything we could, we did not wait
for the President’s visit but set off for the island of Kalimata which was
about 40 miles away in clear water and more importantly it was sheltered! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kalimata Island 16-18
October</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A couple of days at anchor in calm weather and clear seas
helped calm us down before we set off for the twenty four hour sail to Parai
Beach. And for a change we had good wind and sailed all the way – the first
time for almost two months.</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-88427960794877804062016-10-28T19:07:00.000-07:002016-10-28T19:07:03.463-07:00Bali Indonesia<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bali - 12 to
28 September</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bali is the holiday island for Australia and hence is a
well-developed tourist island. It is mainly a Hindu island with about 20m
people living on the island. We were staying on the north side which is the
less developed side of Bali – the main resorts are all in the South. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Amed 12 – 13
September</b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHK2Kew79W51rN-vT-EmJ9wavwsz4YJJUtFVsoD0EM5vDJ0HxEXovMBCyCyVI7MnBlgwYpPKWPSvkZ2jT0sAjAGwYCU23WKbBn44pHO2Ka37hL9oVNJ4hGjfHIcWTSrG4HaXOUsk8lDc/s1600/IMG_8059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHK2Kew79W51rN-vT-EmJ9wavwsz4YJJUtFVsoD0EM5vDJ0HxEXovMBCyCyVI7MnBlgwYpPKWPSvkZ2jT0sAjAGwYCU23WKbBn44pHO2Ka37hL9oVNJ4hGjfHIcWTSrG4HaXOUsk8lDc/s200/IMG_8059.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the better marked FADS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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Amed was our first stop as it was just a day sail from
Lombok and we could only sail during daylight<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>- there are lots of fish attracting devices (FADS) along the north shore and it
is not safe to sail at night. We anchored off the beach and we received a vhf
call from the other two boats in the anchorage who were enjoying a beer around
the pool in one of the resorts. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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We had dinner on the beach and for the first time it felt
like a holiday. There were quite a few tourists staying in the town although it
is described as an alternative backpackers place for hippies. I cannot say that
I would have described it as such, there was not much alternative about the
people we met – just normal tourists. A very pleasant evening even if the food
was not that good but the setting made up for that. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lovina 13 – 16
September</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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As soon as we anchored in Lovina,.we took all our forms into
the local agent for the visa renewal and were told that we would have our
fingerprints and photos taken by immigration two days later, on Thursday.
Immigration offices are only open Monday to Wednesday so that was never going
to happen!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then nothing happens here
when it is expected and we were not that surprised</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74JkqOyU1vaZf63uiCXAka0ndEXRGG1NSH8KwsnriEf3oknk5Opa5w0Yh7tWJZ7tcC6T3P2FAM_ctxnvZUoj_Gf-3Q8zj6T6feRSMjNNpS-t_UpLXANj57qpWBHV7PSBsOrU7xtGXKHU/s1600/IMG_1633.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74JkqOyU1vaZf63uiCXAka0ndEXRGG1NSH8KwsnriEf3oknk5Opa5w0Yh7tWJZ7tcC6T3P2FAM_ctxnvZUoj_Gf-3Q8zj6T6feRSMjNNpS-t_UpLXANj57qpWBHV7PSBsOrU7xtGXKHU/s200/IMG_1633.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3XL4OV6wzgo9l-LVMGfj9F-CZG55OZ-QAFEmr6lDje3JTTcDK_I2RAIHJqB_6G7HaQfR94T-3w3Pu5l5pa098LuDVnoCIEy95-XJmzOqG8Mv9lRK8kHhEpktstQA0xwZKtzWykgLI9A/s1600/IMG_1643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3XL4OV6wzgo9l-LVMGfj9F-CZG55OZ-QAFEmr6lDje3JTTcDK_I2RAIHJqB_6G7HaQfR94T-3w3Pu5l5pa098LuDVnoCIEy95-XJmzOqG8Mv9lRK8kHhEpktstQA0xwZKtzWykgLI9A/s200/IMG_1643.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Band playing on the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The festival was on in Lovina for the first two nights with
lots of stalls selling clothes and food with bands playing on the beach in the
evening. It was very lively and crowded as it was a big draw for both tourists
and locals in the area. The rally boats quickly adopted one of the local bars
as the meeting place, mainly because it had a two for one happy hour on
cocktails between 6pm and 8pm. We made good use of that facility over the time
we were there! <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We spent our time sorting out a trip to Sideman Valley (the
traditional Bali) and looking at the options for getting to Borobudur on Java.
Finding out the options is something that Catherine has more patience with than
me and helped by Pepe and Bear who were going with us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sideman Valley 16 –
19 September</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rXtFzdKEdHQj56pmxPl2peszIDQcxbHjsz2MGmrZ-WjmmlDiISE2-AamDgWgF62csdgkRS0SbJWmyqpHB6F3ieFDmACTXbg5YDqSMCEDa8y51iYLNnXmEp9eY1tmTleLHCp3i20qiLs/s1600/IMG_1646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rXtFzdKEdHQj56pmxPl2peszIDQcxbHjsz2MGmrZ-WjmmlDiISE2-AamDgWgF62csdgkRS0SbJWmyqpHB6F3ieFDmACTXbg5YDqSMCEDa8y51iYLNnXmEp9eY1tmTleLHCp3i20qiLs/s200/IMG_1646.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sideman Valley</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hiring a car would have been an option to get to Sideman
Valley, but not a good one. The cost of hiring a car is £30 and with a driver
is £36 per day and you need nerves of steel to drive here. I am sure they must
have some rules of the road but we could not work it out. At least they are
very calm drivers - cars overtake into on-coming traffic on narrow roads and
move in just before the head on collision without even a horn being sounded or
a raised fist. Similarly, cars will turn right across the on-coming car which
will just slow down and let them turn. Good decision not to drive ourselves.<br />
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The journey was to be 4 hours and the driver suggested some
stops along the way.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Stopped for a Coffee</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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On the way we stopped at a Coffee plantation since we had
never seen one. The guide was very </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5fbL4PObD1GY1y9Sdy2G9S0Yq5CMndMS2P7GJcGOkRGBKtKj9dQPwYMd_rMR9kQxdMAwbx6HiKjzdTWmRJnVK0aNxxL1iTWTXje51Kr45onqmvG-D35ux31P3-JyL57sSTWm4EzattE/s1600/IMG_1658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5fbL4PObD1GY1y9Sdy2G9S0Yq5CMndMS2P7GJcGOkRGBKtKj9dQPwYMd_rMR9kQxdMAwbx6HiKjzdTWmRJnVK0aNxxL1iTWTXje51Kr45onqmvG-D35ux31P3-JyL57sSTWm4EzattE/s200/IMG_1658.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luwak Coffee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdh3v1WA-WaeUiO0TIwpHtISREqR6PGhjLwPDW3IfD2KHelRrvAVrZQdcaVhcQkpVXUjoOS6zA4s-87NTz_Oo4iHxaNKt5R1JRYyY0Q_S2yKLzqyd4sJ-343x5tbQgnryOjg7JbnSweR4/s1600/IMG_1652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdh3v1WA-WaeUiO0TIwpHtISREqR6PGhjLwPDW3IfD2KHelRrvAVrZQdcaVhcQkpVXUjoOS6zA4s-87NTz_Oo4iHxaNKt5R1JRYyY0Q_S2yKLzqyd4sJ-343x5tbQgnryOjg7JbnSweR4/s200/IMG_1652.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee beans growing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
informative as he showed us the beans
growing and how they dry and roast them – all by hand. We were also introduced
to Luwak coffee which is the most expensive coffee in the world and it shows
you can market anything. The coffee berries are eaten by the Civet, a cat like
animal, and the beans are not digested but ferment in their stomachs before
being passed out in the normal way. People collect the Civet poo, wash the
beans clean and then put it in the sun to dry for a couple of weeks. It can
then be roasted and sold as a premium coffee. <br />
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpZX7A5h9R9S87rJMUMxK9emIBd18DaLIX7hFH4e-lZBlmyglZC2dojfKLdPFCRb9GwVCZuVXolK2bK6LnEoIfZHw5wKLToJKFETiFmebSl8-0ur3611KTe2TsRwHvenJjdv5lBfqCUw/s1600/IMG_1661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPpZX7A5h9R9S87rJMUMxK9emIBd18DaLIX7hFH4e-lZBlmyglZC2dojfKLdPFCRb9GwVCZuVXolK2bK6LnEoIfZHw5wKLToJKFETiFmebSl8-0ur3611KTe2TsRwHvenJjdv5lBfqCUw/s200/IMG_1661.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catherine sampling the coffee</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We sampled a variety of coffee, the variety coming from what
they put with it e.g. vanilla. TheLuwak coffee was much stronger, bitter and
none of us liked it. Just as well at the price they charge even here.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">We are not going to
the Temple</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisR9Wv7F1HE8HODwI3RhULqF6PRJE_ceXo69in8r7Vi6N4wXGIqNhNXbXO8eN5lDHaGSlbaNmSua_DPINLzkuDlzMNjaiFdZW2mkoWdeuyZE_aJ87N9AkPOV_XaAjwjF63TyI6GCldieE/s1600/IMG_1672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisR9Wv7F1HE8HODwI3RhULqF6PRJE_ceXo69in8r7Vi6N4wXGIqNhNXbXO8eN5lDHaGSlbaNmSua_DPINLzkuDlzMNjaiFdZW2mkoWdeuyZE_aJ87N9AkPOV_XaAjwjF63TyI6GCldieE/s200/IMG_1672.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Impressive temple</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We all agreed we did not want to go to the Hindu Temple (the
largest in Bali) as we had heard people are scammed for money. We agreed with
the driver we would just drive past it so we could see it but not stop. However
we found that you have to pay the entry fee even just to drive past it so
having paid we decided to go in. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSr8ZHllZvgLujbhRPATtng71h3T-bimcr46vEKNuvbD59VvY2aEElp0Nhok_anYdKmkKLA_7CemnY_Q6GuBJz47B6T7hDrgQTSDrp1dOuJCk78SCt9lYbkE1_VEQz5WNQ6BLzGEW6k0/s1600/IMG_1685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieSr8ZHllZvgLujbhRPATtng71h3T-bimcr46vEKNuvbD59VvY2aEElp0Nhok_anYdKmkKLA_7CemnY_Q6GuBJz47B6T7hDrgQTSDrp1dOuJCk78SCt9lYbkE1_VEQz5WNQ6BLzGEW6k0/s200/IMG_1685.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our tickets were collected at a booth on the walk to the
temple. We had gone about 100m before we were asked for our tickets again and
told we would have to pay as we did not have them. We explained to no vail so
we just carried on walking past them while they shouted at us. Not a 100m
further on we were told we could not go in without a guide (more money) but we
had been advised of this scam by some other tourists we had met on the way. So
again we kept walking while being chased by some angry guides. And we were
approached by another two people with the same story but less vehemently as we
were getting more than a little annoyed by this time. The temple was large and the advice “that it is not worth the hassle you will
get” was well founded. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Three Nights in
Sideman</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE07lTi87AS0VzVnd_N8sm3ACeeCuLzsPNj3nOifYztTsfgtggZHYJUMvG65mKDdvJxdbo2AlOdsV7AwhWdjVLmblxd7KvpClP0mPrc4yMzqa9JRQeRFYbopSBie3R5ykUXz-Z7-wZUyM/s1600/IMG_1743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE07lTi87AS0VzVnd_N8sm3ACeeCuLzsPNj3nOifYztTsfgtggZHYJUMvG65mKDdvJxdbo2AlOdsV7AwhWdjVLmblxd7KvpClP0mPrc4yMzqa9JRQeRFYbopSBie3R5ykUXz-Z7-wZUyM/s200/IMG_1743.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our "villa"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The two villas in the place we stayed were rustic but
comfortable and nestled among the paddy fields and the mountains. It was much
cooler in the mountains and the pool was a welcome relief in the heat of the
afternoon. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The village of Sideman is small with a few restaurants and
some other villas, but is mainly a farming area – rice, chilli, peanuts and
beans. The two aspects sit side by side: the small number of expensive villas
and restaurants alongside the subsistence farming. The locals welcome the small
tourist places as somewhere they can earn money away from the farm (often
combining both jobs) and the tourism is very small compared to the more
developed parts of Bali.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The first day we explored the village, about a ten minute
walk away, and it did not take long to walk all the way through the village –
it is very small. After a very pleasant salad for lunch (something that we have
missed since leaving Australia – salad that is), we relaxed in the pool before
going out for dinner. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We chose the restaurant on the basis that it served
cocktails (not normally a good criteria) as a change from Bintang (the local
beer). However the food turned out to be excellent in an attractive setting and
it made for a very relaxing evening.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we hired some scooters to explore the area with
Bear taking one (while Pepe relaxed by the pool) and Catherine and I on the
other. Our first stop was in the village to go on a guided tour of the paddy
fields, something we were all keen to do since we did not understand much about
rice growing. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv15LfgrCZJaA1HDF7VOjq8MunNZxfdrBRd2DkEtX0uIQpDv_zdJJRv6J7lfmYxaGFBCwyYT9DrGSX-X0joAXtP88dxzLKj_tR6XoavEE3dE_8fLVD8XDn9zvPwUfu6oOU2d9TKOiI2rM/s1600/IMG_1710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv15LfgrCZJaA1HDF7VOjq8MunNZxfdrBRd2DkEtX0uIQpDv_zdJJRv6J7lfmYxaGFBCwyYT9DrGSX-X0joAXtP88dxzLKj_tR6XoavEE3dE_8fLVD8XDn9zvPwUfu6oOU2d9TKOiI2rM/s200/IMG_1710.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irrigation System</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSNDUw2wst0e3g42jrge3egNEOnISuag4QteqtqtdktCDo-DxtkAvE_zg_ooz6iaNX_5dJ6-zFVE-CqX6JYpqYbEfCkmcOZs4XmaogsVxcv72sD1kk3VsH0c5-bVxDw94UwBFI1pmfJk/s1600/IMG_1717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirSNDUw2wst0e3g42jrge3egNEOnISuag4QteqtqtdktCDo-DxtkAvE_zg_ooz6iaNX_5dJ6-zFVE-CqX6JYpqYbEfCkmcOZs4XmaogsVxcv72sD1kk3VsH0c5-bVxDw94UwBFI1pmfJk/s200/IMG_1717.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planting out the rice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We spent three hours walking through the paddy fields with
riceat all the different stages of growth. We watched just how hard it is to
farm rice, ankle deep in water with the hot sun blazing overhead. And while it
is a staple food in Indonesia, the price on the market is very low and the
farmers do live a subsistence life style.<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_m1hcN8znuroYaC_DUAjR520S3_a1LeLeYLHQTgUdJ8vmbs8DU17NWxzultQ6arx79Oaz6GEOClMQ5Y1CeUnLgWoRgX5S-ES419ndja_wduKfN_xrU5TnLZXbJwHykzvyvFMblkgfpLg/s1600/IMG_1734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_m1hcN8znuroYaC_DUAjR520S3_a1LeLeYLHQTgUdJ8vmbs8DU17NWxzultQ6arx79Oaz6GEOClMQ5Y1CeUnLgWoRgX5S-ES419ndja_wduKfN_xrU5TnLZXbJwHykzvyvFMblkgfpLg/s200/IMG_1734.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ploughing the rice fields before planting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukXK9N9gfhzgyr2EHYt4DxaZqnBqoA15THw56DiprVvDzI9_-Q7Xh83GfQVg0hN8yCF12DT_FkIzBp5tTzwponSzlgz3U2XK-i3UM0HB7kWshOF9P1FWQSPkaR2ps8ioDtaLkxc5JFfs/s1600/IMG_1722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukXK9N9gfhzgyr2EHYt4DxaZqnBqoA15THw56DiprVvDzI9_-Q7Xh83GfQVg0hN8yCF12DT_FkIzBp5tTzwponSzlgz3U2XK-i3UM0HB7kWshOF9P1FWQSPkaR2ps8ioDtaLkxc5JFfs/s200/IMG_1722.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fully grown rice</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rice takes about 4 months to grow and the crops have to be
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div>
alternated with other crops such as peanuts, chilli and beans to allow the soil
to dry out and recover before the fields are once again flooded for the next
crop of rice. The system of irrigation is interesting in itself, with canals
cascading the water down from the top of the valley through all the fields,
with the ability to control the water
supply to any one field.<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGz7d1QTbwI7nKwb6kYSwO5OFnvjUiAHtWsRGyjWRr8x3YYoGP3bJycT4FTegZscZEJEzBLQwVDmhsUiXLFWq1CqF_C78LcMnN-Jv8mglF5zDLQT7p3AEHBbveD2JvuCFMDnDahAzcmAI/s1600/IMG_1706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGz7d1QTbwI7nKwb6kYSwO5OFnvjUiAHtWsRGyjWRr8x3YYoGP3bJycT4FTegZscZEJEzBLQwVDmhsUiXLFWq1CqF_C78LcMnN-Jv8mglF5zDLQT7p3AEHBbveD2JvuCFMDnDahAzcmAI/s200/IMG_1706.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peanuts freshly picked</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We sampled many crops along the way including eating raw
peanuts directly picked from the ground. Surprisingly tasty even before they
have been dried out in the sun for 11 hours before being roasted.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our bike trip continued up the mountain to go to the temple
at the top. As the roads got steeper and steeper we passed a group of young
boys who had stopped their bikes and they shouted to us as we passed, making
thumbs up gestures which we did not understand. Two hundred metres further on
we ground to a halt as the bikes could not make it up the increasingly steep
slope and we were passed by the group of boys on foot who clearly knew that it
was not possible to ride a bike up that hill. They were very friendly as they
passed, taking the obligatory photos of us as they walked past.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back to Lovina 19 –
22 September</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few days back in Lovina to get our visas completed,
explore the town some more and stock up on a few essentials including bread
from the bakers – the first since we arrived in Indonesia.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Java 23 – 26
September</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We flew to Yogjakarta on Java to see the famous Buddhist
temple at Borobudur and the Hindu temple in Yogjakarta itself. The hotel was in
the grounds of the Buddhist temple and we planned to get up at 4am to see the
sunrise over the temple which was a short 20 minutes’ walk. However, that night
the monsoon rains started and was quite spectacular, if a little wet. We did
get up at 4am and immediately went back to bed on looking out of the window.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUfcRaa8rxRNB4T1Uz0Ob6EPQlScK20aXl-VuP1P9hZAex4Becp3zP-JgtqnCgxDePxwBr6cNeBf_lbfoMJJPEgPpFU2Ku5vDQLrGgxL5ZNlkUy3QEQ_2MaGPzCk33Rnpx9TReZrorIo/s1600/IMG_8139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTUfcRaa8rxRNB4T1Uz0Ob6EPQlScK20aXl-VuP1P9hZAex4Becp3zP-JgtqnCgxDePxwBr6cNeBf_lbfoMJJPEgPpFU2Ku5vDQLrGgxL5ZNlkUy3QEQ_2MaGPzCk33Rnpx9TReZrorIo/s200/IMG_8139.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buddhist temple in Borobudur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36kozInT7lstHYe56EmW8ZKhn0X1YF1Lps-1B66XaMSCIXm1gy3BuWAOp2xNkZroTjy68RCB2fW7qZNYrdPZ7poa5qlXmjNkhAQ5kGpybVawxG6hQiIDi_HnboNsItty1CBxGSvkVUOY/s1600/IMG_8096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36kozInT7lstHYe56EmW8ZKhn0X1YF1Lps-1B66XaMSCIXm1gy3BuWAOp2xNkZroTjy68RCB2fW7qZNYrdPZ7poa5qlXmjNkhAQ5kGpybVawxG6hQiIDi_HnboNsItty1CBxGSvkVUOY/s200/IMG_8096.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The school photo</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Later that morning and early by our standards, we explored
the temple, borrowing an umbrella from the hotel. It took us an hour to get
into the temple after being waylaid by a group of school children who wanted to
have their picture taken with us. And then we were invited to join in the group
school photo before we managed to extricate ourselves and actually go into the
temple.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEnVCeJu2O_puFsO1nR7BkxmR-dqopJKXNxsg5G4GO4EFq1QjWkUVdqatBPFVhdqEl_mkvtNiAOEYcRFilcPrUt66mQv7yzmEP8GNhn4GDluqWWFIiBSLVQH6y1qPIIAyza7S6T1Ssqs/s1600/IMG_8116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEEnVCeJu2O_puFsO1nR7BkxmR-dqopJKXNxsg5G4GO4EFq1QjWkUVdqatBPFVhdqEl_mkvtNiAOEYcRFilcPrUt66mQv7yzmEP8GNhn4GDluqWWFIiBSLVQH6y1qPIIAyza7S6T1Ssqs/s200/IMG_8116.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXo3lVg4HW-pZNBLayiydMxEJsFviQlSH78Ze6LgSk8BRiQRiIRsPKnhfvHtXigE0JVAqRX5HdCu3JbQjO4mR6mrRrzq0yXTtmiLokcw1YLjOJ2_qZeNbHwae7U52rfi1INY7Zd5tNL8/s1600/IMG_8128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXo3lVg4HW-pZNBLayiydMxEJsFviQlSH78Ze6LgSk8BRiQRiIRsPKnhfvHtXigE0JVAqRX5HdCu3JbQjO4mR6mrRrzq0yXTtmiLokcw1YLjOJ2_qZeNbHwae7U52rfi1INY7Zd5tNL8/s200/IMG_8128.jpg" width="200" /></a>The temple was built in 800AD and is a magnificent building,
built on three levels on top of a hill. Each level has a series of carved
pictures on each side of the walls and the idea was that the pilgrims would
study the stories that these told as they walked around, spending weeks on each
level before they were ready to progress to the next level. The highest level
was achieved when they had achieved Nirvana but that could take a lifetime.
People from all over SE Asia would travel to the temple and it was famous until
it was forgotten and left undiscovered until the mid-19<sup>th</sup> Century.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinumVSFbrn1fUmTWxy_Jd7aCQYNCVykg9lVy9fIW1lqF00eGeHUd14dwmJW6kbR3zffTba8a4w0shocg0adXRZ8BEmcSzAo-nhyphenhyphenWhK85-eQDlOso6fcxqfun1I6I8w28Fe2t18nLieGic/s1600/IMG_8102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinumVSFbrn1fUmTWxy_Jd7aCQYNCVykg9lVy9fIW1lqF00eGeHUd14dwmJW6kbR3zffTba8a4w0shocg0adXRZ8BEmcSzAo-nhyphenhyphenWhK85-eQDlOso6fcxqfun1I6I8w28Fe2t18nLieGic/s200/IMG_8102.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the stories carved into the walls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was four hours well spent, helped by the documentary we
had seen in the hotel the night before which explained some of the stories
contained in the pictures. It was fascinating to find the pictures and have
some understanding of their significance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We strolled into town to find somewhere to eat and it did
not seem well set up for tourists given it is right next to the 2nd most
visited site in Indonesia after Bali. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Hindu Temple</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1BGmxynFI6F6lC9J60byzMIHQWZTTutAphog5K2X4LKw9xLTPiqD-WrTY2yw6HPuu6o-LKnKK45-ZAps8KPGssOBi0K5UZoI4Ra16xx4FTLOAZiwU8Q970veLzfFgeZVOD9SZGrtBXo/s1600/IMG_8167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1BGmxynFI6F6lC9J60byzMIHQWZTTutAphog5K2X4LKw9xLTPiqD-WrTY2yw6HPuu6o-LKnKK45-ZAps8KPGssOBi0K5UZoI4Ra16xx4FTLOAZiwU8Q970veLzfFgeZVOD9SZGrtBXo/s200/IMG_8167.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hindu temple still being restored</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UI804ASMN-XN9r_zfihvllPivpq0xLbfvJqu1APKKDCUXPvhuM2KdkPP3ZQ_UUeDypRPIwLwYGJCQKABF2G-HF-Hc9TGKnbi8oCy1hSZNg21PNTVU3gEfMvdfJrYhcLlsMXrTeq1OlQ/s1600/IMG_8162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7UI804ASMN-XN9r_zfihvllPivpq0xLbfvJqu1APKKDCUXPvhuM2KdkPP3ZQ_UUeDypRPIwLwYGJCQKABF2G-HF-Hc9TGKnbi8oCy1hSZNg21PNTVU3gEfMvdfJrYhcLlsMXrTeq1OlQ/s200/IMG_8162.jpg" width="200" /></a>The next day we took a taxi for the forty minute drive back
to </div>
Yogjakarta and stopped at the Hindu temple on the way. Built around the same
time as the Buddhist temple it was not as impressive and looked much like the
many other temples we have visited. And the two hour monsoon rain during our
visit which flooded everything did not help.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Armed with a newly bought umbrella we set off in the
afternoon to explore Jogjakarta, a major town. On the way we stopped at a
traditional restaurant (a must do according to the Lonely Planet) and
experienced the local delicacy – fried cow skin along with a range of other
foods we did not recognise. Will not be eating that again! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the Town, we were struck by the sheer number of people,
cars and the upmarket shops sitting alongside traditional markets on a huge
scale. As the rain started once again we made our way to a bar to sit out the
latest deluge. There are many restaurants and bars in Yogjakarta, catering for
tourists from all over the world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSPQOsEwYV2RVSZjFoy_LBuQfjQ1AbWpuzdnIv1JOUlGdu23hoXZfHIeQEWjxRSKadRzEo5rbSukMvj90_HoYM8OPjhY6g-7jPYy4BFsb1wIe_A4hHP6AA9Hb4SPOvMlyGXTC7YE27v4/s1600/IMG_1765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSSPQOsEwYV2RVSZjFoy_LBuQfjQ1AbWpuzdnIv1JOUlGdu23hoXZfHIeQEWjxRSKadRzEo5rbSukMvj90_HoYM8OPjhY6g-7jPYy4BFsb1wIe_A4hHP6AA9Hb4SPOvMlyGXTC7YE27v4/s200/IMG_1765.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little downpour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgL12nRqgLbJiwpqKWHg97-hTh2BYn7NfTSrBVzbc6NTXA9qGubaV3103FXva1NDxYLg13VwaaLFqIwxb5wVDeyoB815DqtJEBElGFMdc6d8dWM3fLvmd7by12IsE2hvBfx4JmHjwWFs/s1600/IMG_1767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgL12nRqgLbJiwpqKWHg97-hTh2BYn7NfTSrBVzbc6NTXA9qGubaV3103FXva1NDxYLg13VwaaLFqIwxb5wVDeyoB815DqtJEBElGFMdc6d8dWM3fLvmd7by12IsE2hvBfx4JmHjwWFs/s200/IMG_1767.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The local transport</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the rain showing no signs of stopping, we took the
local </div>
transport back to our hotel – a type of rickshaw with some poor and very
wet person peddling the bike while we sat under the plastic sheeting at the
front. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Catherine had picked out a Mediterranean restaurant to visit
that night and once again we were forced to take the local transport to keep
dry. The restaurant would not have been out of place Europe with its western
type menu and décor and it made a very pleasant change from eating in the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>normal local restaurants.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back to Lovina 26 –
28 September</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had planned to leave the next day but I had succumbed to
the local food from Yogjakarta. I was
convinced I was about to die but Catherine assured me I would be fine, just
drink water and not eat which I did. She turned out to be right and we set off
for Borneo a few days later.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-48459852283654958602016-09-26T22:14:00.002-07:002016-09-26T22:14:38.692-07:00Riung, Komodo and Lombok<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Indonesia 28 August –
12 September</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Riung 28 August – 1
September</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our first impression of Riung was not positive. A long hot
walk into town, a couple of restaurants that did not seem particularly inviting,
a small fruit and vegetable market <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- but
they did have an ATM and we were running short of cash. You can get 2.5 million
Rupiah from the cash machine each day, that is £150 but few places actually have
one, so you need to stock up while you can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The maximum note value is 100,000 Rupiah (about £6) and most ATMs
dispense 50,000 Rupiah notes - a good few inches of notes to try and put in
your wallet. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We arranged a trip to see the remote village of Bena which
is high in the mountains with animistic rituals that carry on today, despite
most of them now being catholic. We went with Beez Neez (Pepe and Bear from
England) and Matilda (Bruce and Debs from Australia), setting off at 7:30am.
Well we would have done if the car had been big enough. After half an hour the
guide and the driver turned up with a larger car, one that we could all fit
into. On route we agreed we would go to the hot springs for a swim although it
would add an extra hour to the already three and a half hour journey to Bena. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The mountain scenery was beautiful as we relentlessly
climbed higher. The roads were not so beautiful with <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>repairs were still in progress after the last
monsoon season so we dodged pot holes like you have never seen (we will never
again complain about the roads in the UK) and heaps of road building material
blocking almost the entire road. We often had to slow to 5 mph so the car was
not shaken to bits on the road.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A puncture high in
the Mountains</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnqcFnje_44e2Uk91GyDvjdMMj7QrwvGI5XiC1UjZOdDPWRnBIEEtrYj9zdNUw6QUayNu9YeV9ydob6kH_9HGyBH2XML523qzm5T46yDe69hqntWiYDn69BaGo9nKW5laRYOItg0SpFA/s1600/IMG_1495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnqcFnje_44e2Uk91GyDvjdMMj7QrwvGI5XiC1UjZOdDPWRnBIEEtrYj9zdNUw6QUayNu9YeV9ydob6kH_9HGyBH2XML523qzm5T46yDe69hqntWiYDn69BaGo9nKW5laRYOItg0SpFA/s200/IMG_1495.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "garage"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two hours after we set off we were on the road side while
the driver changed a punctured tyre. However the spare was in an even worse
condition and itself punctured. To our surprise a passing motor cyclist stopped
and said that there was a garage 200m down the road – all we could see was a
farm building. Nonetheless when we got there, we saw a small wooden hut and a
couple of people with a crow bar. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrdS1Jd2jxifwA6E7hwqwwEIDzHkd0xhuRQJ6SrXAUzpbUvks63tuCXBNDf5RIO-rFfUGKmFGOEtGipwtaFgQwT4qKOJCnq0lRA6Dr6SrdyKMK9r2Rdz6RQzqlfZRLqyPgmHfdgutTBA/s1600/IMG_1500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWrdS1Jd2jxifwA6E7hwqwwEIDzHkd0xhuRQJ6SrXAUzpbUvks63tuCXBNDf5RIO-rFfUGKmFGOEtGipwtaFgQwT4qKOJCnq0lRA6Dr6SrdyKMK9r2Rdz6RQzqlfZRLqyPgmHfdgutTBA/s200/IMG_1500.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First attempt at removing the tyre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AX0aq5UHl9j4vISuvUZLxbJJLLZMf4qN1DDekdE7RYMRdT-bLvw9LfGX_AukPxrnmnQmt39C0NS3bfi5TEyAK8nKLRoP-dVzg-yIyb5o61d0Z3V-OJAcvB8UTwRgyoBsd0yy2uZB2fY/s1600/IMG_1503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8AX0aq5UHl9j4vISuvUZLxbJJLLZMf4qN1DDekdE7RYMRdT-bLvw9LfGX_AukPxrnmnQmt39C0NS3bfi5TEyAK8nKLRoP-dVzg-yIyb5o61d0Z3V-OJAcvB8UTwRgyoBsd0yy2uZB2fY/s200/IMG_1503.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If all else fails!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
An hour later while we watched them unsuccessfully try and get the tyre
off the rim with their crow bar and the use of some small stones, they stopped
a passing car to help. By placing the tyre in front of the car and driving onto
the outside of the tyre, they finally managed to get the tyre off the rim. The
inner tube from the spare was mended using a rubber patch literally melted onto
the tube over a hot flame and they got the puncture mended and the car back on
the road – 2 hours after we arrived at the garage!<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYtRlRpnKjxp2SInsjb4X0OPmgE4relrN-iKOkM6EiMVUlRWBUC12kgje4KRRHBvQ0fPIjnJjNaoiVYyiDRp_fk2Edk-ieSVJ0esEbYUgo5AlhJ9ORnXNVgVLO1xyl91LGvXZoZs8Q78/s1600/IMG_1498.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOYtRlRpnKjxp2SInsjb4X0OPmgE4relrN-iKOkM6EiMVUlRWBUC12kgje4KRRHBvQ0fPIjnJjNaoiVYyiDRp_fk2Edk-ieSVJ0esEbYUgo5AlhJ9ORnXNVgVLO1xyl91LGvXZoZs8Q78/s200/IMG_1498.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patching the inner tube</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I remarked how lucky we were to have a puncture outside
the garage, our guide was less surprised, not because there are lots of garages
but the nail that punctured our tyre was doubtless put in the road by the
garage themselves – a common practice by some less scrupulous places.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Hot Springs and
Lunch</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Six hours after leaving the boat that morning we finally
arrived at the hot springs and indeed the water that bubbled up from deep
inside the earth was very hot. We all looked like lobsters when we got out and
plunged into the slightly cooler water further down the stream to cool off. A
very pleasant interlude but we still needed to get to Bena which was a further
couple of hours drive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The quick stop for lunch on the way was anything but quick.
We should have asked what they could prepare quickly and had that rather than
wait for an hour for them to cook the curry our guide recommended. During lunch
we had two minor earth tremors when the windows and tables rattled for about 30
seconds – a little disconcerting but no-one took any notice and carried on as
normal. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Village of Bena</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uP1KGDFkuc0i1jrOTT6Wjr08qyKTNv1o_pkWKKk1yzZaLYlF7LYXS_oyOgGJWuhJeIGyb_ych-_ZUEPUrwOlAUi4GV_1nqZuXbdwxVwJtamX4R7AFoW75zDCllXtgJahIQ4AdNFRE3U/s1600/IMG_1523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uP1KGDFkuc0i1jrOTT6Wjr08qyKTNv1o_pkWKKk1yzZaLYlF7LYXS_oyOgGJWuhJeIGyb_ych-_ZUEPUrwOlAUi4GV_1nqZuXbdwxVwJtamX4R7AFoW75zDCllXtgJahIQ4AdNFRE3U/s200/IMG_1523.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The village of Bena</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdMRElv3P1ZvflmoTn7nyPRzKuygxfGj64bmabphKAfFHgu_sSompZ5VDQ2jzu_CI44qwiyQL1y8-qCrRMwAuSBFKrftmVjMQ3c18uQEAWcP6TpVNMkLHnu7avO-sUe7VnrA_Xq-FLsc/s1600/IMG_7952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRdMRElv3P1ZvflmoTn7nyPRzKuygxfGj64bmabphKAfFHgu_sSompZ5VDQ2jzu_CI44qwiyQL1y8-qCrRMwAuSBFKrftmVjMQ3c18uQEAWcP6TpVNMkLHnu7avO-sUe7VnrA_Xq-FLsc/s200/IMG_7952.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The skulls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The village of Bena is made up of nine clans who live
together in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could only stay an hour or so before it got
dark but well worth the effort.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBcLga2jR3Fi9XnTvmuy3mZxZ7hSHgkZsSPApBzQeEy11Fb33uSqUD9K0HSlZ9Zer7wG2T9FnzS8awf4n3_KEneFOzvz-pUhNgaL8HtruvWCKSe6pw-vd6m74ULJgK-0RVb3gGiTJ7mc/s1600/IMG_7973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQBcLga2jR3Fi9XnTvmuy3mZxZ7hSHgkZsSPApBzQeEy11Fb33uSqUD9K0HSlZ9Zer7wG2T9FnzS8awf4n3_KEneFOzvz-pUhNgaL8HtruvWCKSe6pw-vd6m74ULJgK-0RVb3gGiTJ7mc/s200/IMG_7973.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the weavers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
groups of traditional wooden houses with high thatched roofs on
either side of one street. The houses have the skulls of water buffalo and
jawbones hung outside that <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OXUbm88KN_HzTDqI33cA4Nb-KcVGZC-WR603eznM_2JttKmnFtdtjvbjFactuT6QOprznhE1l31aLcMVP-J58lb4dYlSMP1S8cdsz1zQmAryLvAxUINhBed6MgCRj3Ng0zyzr-aS6_U/s1600/IMG_7975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OXUbm88KN_HzTDqI33cA4Nb-KcVGZC-WR603eznM_2JttKmnFtdtjvbjFactuT6QOprznhE1l31aLcMVP-J58lb4dYlSMP1S8cdsz1zQmAryLvAxUINhBed6MgCRj3Ng0zyzr-aS6_U/s200/IMG_7975.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Commeration of past battles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
signifies the wealth of the family. In the centre of
the village are ngadhu (male) and bhaga (female) structures which are miniature
houses built to commemorate ancestors killed in battles. There are also and
megalithic structures where they ritually slaughter animals which is part of
their traditional belief systems. They are famous for their weaving but also
now are a tourist attraction, making money from intrepid tourists with enough
time to make the journey up the remote mountains. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The drive back was on the direct road but still took another
four hours on slightly better roads, but only slightly. At 10pm we arrived back
at Riung and thoughtfully the guide had phoned our food order to the local
restaurant (where he also happens to be a chef) so it was waiting for us when
we arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along with a good few beers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjNO2_FAxP-B3_6Jzntit9lh953JNS4NfgBCnGYpeqPltjZQCbHoZLNhR9YlzlVorprL_a4hDvOb4M5vqg7iybA4UOqqgYTho1xW0dDev6srTHv_tt0dByCjUR4SpU73yWMF4Q3cAeJ8/s1600/IMG_1529.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxjNO2_FAxP-B3_6Jzntit9lh953JNS4NfgBCnGYpeqPltjZQCbHoZLNhR9YlzlVorprL_a4hDvOb4M5vqg7iybA4UOqqgYTho1xW0dDev6srTHv_tt0dByCjUR4SpU73yWMF4Q3cAeJ8/s200/IMG_1529.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken delivery for local restaurant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next day we walked back into town, which by now was
growing on us, and we bought the fruit and vegetables in the market for the
next few days. We stopped at the café on the way back for some fruit juice where
the local policeman who owns the café wanted to have a photo taken with us and
almost made it back to the dinghy before being waylaid for a beer at the
waterside café with some of the other rally boats.<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
The welcome ceremony was ironically planned for the last <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSQgHhWuzk20qT-jD7e43GEiCXldVG92jszHQmIOiEIr57-04FGE_Edru_gajvOIBXJ6SibM6dXjFY8X87vrOWHgv2jS8btWU0GfwXDhkOVq77UtVYqg4gk8clyr1BfmqMFH7VIK4PPg/s1600/IMG_1537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSQgHhWuzk20qT-jD7e43GEiCXldVG92jszHQmIOiEIr57-04FGE_Edru_gajvOIBXJ6SibM6dXjFY8X87vrOWHgv2jS8btWU0GfwXDhkOVq77UtVYqg4gk8clyr1BfmqMFH7VIK4PPg/s200/IMG_1537.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional fighting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
afternoon
we were there with a display of dancing and their traditional fighting – one
man using a whip while the other defended himself with a shield. The locals
whooped with joy when the man with the whip caught his opponent and then they
changed weapons and carried on. All quite exciting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite our first impressions, we had grown to like the town
but we had to move on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bari Bay 1 August</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We stopped at Bari Bay because it was the furthest we could
sail in one day,and night sailing along the coast is fraught with problems – ships
without lights and heavy wooden structures (fish attracting devices) anchored
off shore. We anchored about half a mile from the shore at Bari Bay and soon as
we arrived we saw the first children get in a canoe to come and say hello. It
took them a long while to paddle out to us and we went through the normal
dialogue – our names, where we were from, their names etc. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>also giving out pens and books to them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first two canoes went back to the village and then the
next lot came out in the same canoes. All this took a long time because of the
distance so the number of children coming out was moderated by the oncoming
darkness. The last canoe was full of girls, probably because there had been the
call of prayer and the boys had gone to the mosque leaving the canoes
available.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gili Bodo 2 August –
4 August</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We keep in contact with the other boats on the SSB radio
each morning at 8am to find out where they have been and which places are worth
stopping at. We were recommended to go to Gili Bodo for the clear water and
excellent snorkelling and as it was only twelve miles away we decided to have a
look. We did not leave for two days!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other rally boats joined us and we spent the days exploring
the reef in a perfect setting and a calm anchorage. The final night we had a
drinks party on the beach and Michael and Ginny invited us all back to Wishful
Thinking for something to eat. With great excitement we saw some squid swimming
at the back of the boat and Ginny grabbed the casting net to try and nab a
couple. </div>
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The net is about one metre in diameter and five metres in
depth with weights at the bottom so that once cast it sinks over the squid. The
art is to throw the net while spinning it so that the net lands on the top of
the water in a wide circle before it then sinks over the squid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite some good instruction on how to fold
the net and how to cast it, I made it look difficult and failed to catch
anything -others were more successful and caught a couple of squid. However, we
then lost the net when Michael let go of the recovery line and it sunk in 7m of
water. It was his boat and his net and I think we were all relieved it was him
and not us that lost the net. It was all good fun and reluctantly we left the
next morning to get to Labuan Bajo.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Labuan Bajo 4 – 6
September</b></div>
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Some of the other boats were already in Labuan Bajo when we
arrived at lunchtime and we as soon as we anchored we received a call on the
VHF to meet in one of the restaurants for lunch. The town was much busier than
any of the other towns we had visited and had some good restaurants and bars to
cater for the backpackers exploring away from the main tourist centre of Bali. </div>
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After lunch we explored the town and we were persuaded to
have a quick drink before going back to the boat. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This ended up with us all staying the evening on
shore and eating in one of the two Italian restaurants. We had our first bottle
of wine with the meal which was a real treat- restaurants that have served
alcohol only served Bintang (the local beer) and we had our first steak since
leaving Cairns which was actually very good. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Komodo Dragons </b></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT_MzVDrUxQcg38D8ZyQ-_vdJ2Fy3moqeIe6Ux_4ezJ7saURZPEHk2BAGDVxU-Jg8yHe9_1ePxlT8fxZW-azRXGzETHshb6cipEc027CfUURkHi7ZwyuIPCykLmkJIdBoHfN4kY8Zdf4/s1600/IMG_8006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtT_MzVDrUxQcg38D8ZyQ-_vdJ2Fy3moqeIe6Ux_4ezJ7saURZPEHk2BAGDVxU-Jg8yHe9_1ePxlT8fxZW-azRXGzETHshb6cipEc027CfUURkHi7ZwyuIPCykLmkJIdBoHfN4kY8Zdf4/s200/IMG_8006.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boat trip</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The next day we had arranged with five of the other boats to
take trip to Rinca which is one of the five islands where the Komodo dragons
live. These are huge lizards that eat deer and water buffalo, and people if
they get the chance. We were picked up at 7am to take the local boat across to
Rinca for the hour and a half journey, arriving before the main tourist rush on
the island. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNZRSa1mcSqAW4HL6eCdIRiFOuIlQIbr-CM-_8X6l4twXw3qCC8i7iBrJ2oWlLZck4P4Q-5caAV2-4HYyadsIiszM8-4LiRajLEVCBTB7YM7Wpj02f9hdABCsd4uOez73f3hUGBAQbM4/s1600/IMG_8013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNZRSa1mcSqAW4HL6eCdIRiFOuIlQIbr-CM-_8X6l4twXw3qCC8i7iBrJ2oWlLZck4P4Q-5caAV2-4HYyadsIiszM8-4LiRajLEVCBTB7YM7Wpj02f9hdABCsd4uOez73f3hUGBAQbM4/s200/IMG_8013.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dragons at the base camp</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8i0eoi07HU3e1GrUOEu_vhoKvD1CUVDIy6zCkMxHTyUB4Gh2fKxV-Mj0vf4txUu_ug5kIA4-HKxSRIDqfYAQAjrUB3my0ycyAP8rVfzIvPIp4zwJs-4kspgp4YCS0EVaEeKrfQ9faOpA/s1600/IMG_8020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8i0eoi07HU3e1GrUOEu_vhoKvD1CUVDIy6zCkMxHTyUB4Gh2fKxV-Mj0vf4txUu_ug5kIA4-HKxSRIDqfYAQAjrUB3my0ycyAP8rVfzIvPIp4zwJs-4kspgp4YCS0EVaEeKrfQ9faOpA/s200/IMG_8020.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ranger with his stick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We opted for the two hour tour of the island with a couple
of rangers who carry sticks to fend off the dragons should they attack. Five
guides have died from attacks by the dragons, the last one was just two years
ago so we were pleased to have the guides with us (and it is obligatory). The
dragons live out in the wild and all that remain of their prey is the skull –
they eat all the bones as well as the meat. Disappointingly they did not breath
fire or fly.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQzfa5mgp7NJ6kUJtMFBPrP9Us299uLEsPATCTdWZwYXqmTME8AwUHyEmreZgGS-u_AVZhtVo66dcMu4FwVDVBRNUHC1gt9zLoO_I7bMydStOJ_aDh5OJbdnaoVvwxkharVR_ejkgh1I/s1600/IMG_8031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQzfa5mgp7NJ6kUJtMFBPrP9Us299uLEsPATCTdWZwYXqmTME8AwUHyEmreZgGS-u_AVZhtVo66dcMu4FwVDVBRNUHC1gt9zLoO_I7bMydStOJ_aDh5OJbdnaoVvwxkharVR_ejkgh1I/s200/IMG_8031.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female guarding her nest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We came across a couple of nests where the female dragon
buries her eggs and then spends three months protecting the eggs from
predicators. Once born, the young dragons live in the trees to avoid being eaten
by other dragons for the first five years, surviving on geckos mainly. Only
when they are big enough to fight back do they live back on the ground, by
which time they are too big and heavy to climb trees anymore.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_V8Fin55admchkyEv4SRRLMBgSpVF-0fJQtYtiiQNoOAMGIdc4Gtbwmj4bg9KAJZJz1yZvxoqDN9qJ8g6YakAZtmMVkopnGBetvvxb1mbugS95URZOTcsZnu3Vt46qeL2GES08TcNPd0/s1600/IMG_8039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_V8Fin55admchkyEv4SRRLMBgSpVF-0fJQtYtiiQNoOAMGIdc4Gtbwmj4bg9KAJZJz1yZvxoqDN9qJ8g6YakAZtmMVkopnGBetvvxb1mbugS95URZOTcsZnu3Vt46qeL2GES08TcNPd0/s200/IMG_8039.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dragons can move at 30 KPH!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYD73EWc5zqyZn-Qfn8_9R52k1D8QVeAgD9xY0PBEuJeqHNZuHGyBTlsjKFVLRNzh2JwHBnaz-88N-igocPramkt00gyKEJTk5WiTMQYS83s-8NAjCLO6SmTr14sqGOWJLtQR_mg5ncc/s1600/IMG_8045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYD73EWc5zqyZn-Qfn8_9R52k1D8QVeAgD9xY0PBEuJeqHNZuHGyBTlsjKFVLRNzh2JwHBnaz-88N-igocPramkt00gyKEJTk5WiTMQYS83s-8NAjCLO6SmTr14sqGOWJLtQR_mg5ncc/s200/IMG_8045.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The typical tourist picture</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A small number of dragons live at the base camp where the
guides live, attracted by the food but we are told they do not feed them. We
had our pictures taken with these dragons, protected by a couple of guides with
their sticks in case of attack. It was a well worth while trip, seeing ancient animals
still living in the wild and something you cannot see anywhere else.<br />
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We arrived back in Labuan Bajo in the afternoon and took a
final trip into town to stock up on vegetables for our trip to five days sail
to Lombok. The best part of the town was the night market which sold fruit and
vegetables and had lots of stalls selling food freshly cooked over a wood burning
BBQ. It was very lively with many locals eating at the tables but we were
running out of time and needed to move on so did not get the chance to eat
there. Ideally we would have liked to spend more time in Labuan Bajo but we
needed to get to Bali by 13 September to get our visas renewed and we still had
a long way to go to get there and places to see on route.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Komodo Island 6 -7
September</b></div>
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We had planned to spend three days in the Komodo National
Park, renowned not just for the dragons but also diving and snorkelling. At the
first stop we looked for a buoy so we could snorkel with the manta rays but
they did not exist. Some local boat were at anchor so we did the same. That is
until the dive boats started to turn up and we were all told to move on as we
were anchored illegally. We saw the manta rays as we left but were unable to
get in the water and swim with them.</div>
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One of the other boats who had anchored in another bay were
approached by five uniformed men checking passes which none of us had. They
were charged 450,000 Rupiah for a day pass which they would have to renew each
day. Another boat was approached by another group, two of whom had sub machine
guns and again were charged for being in the park. Fair enough you may think,
if a little heavy handed, but none of them had identification and could not
provide a receipt for the money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also
the charges seemed arbitrary and we were well over the official charges made by
the park so it looks as though it was a scam. Not that the boats were in a position
to argue but everyone (apart from us) decided that they would move on out of
the park. </div>
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We stayed another night and found some excellent snorkelling
in the fast moving water between two of the islands. We took the dinghy
up-stream and then enjoyed an exhilarating drift dive at some 4 knots over the
coral, holding on tight to the dinghy painter as we drifted. Swimming back in
shore enabled us to get out of the current and swim back to the start to do it
over again. After a couple of hours we went back to the boat and slept well that
night.</div>
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The next day we sailed 12 miles to the next island which was
out of the national park. The current between the two islands was fierce, with
wind against tide producing dangerous standing waves in parts. The anchorage
was calm but very murky with the sand stirred up in the fast flowing waters off
shore.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Travel to Lombok 7 –
10 September</b></div>
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The next morning we left at first light to sail the 60 miles
to the next anchorage. Out of the quiet of the anchorage, we were back out in
the main tidal stream between the two islands which was against us and we spent
three hours covering 6 miles before we finally escaped the four knot tide. We
managed to sail for about 6 hours, the first time we had sailed rather than
motored for the last couple of weeks but then the wind died again. </div>
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Arriving at the next place at 6:30pm, we anchored in the
twilight which was too late for the children to canoe out to us. We headed off two
hours before sunrise since we had 80 miles to cover before dark to arrive in
Lombok. Catherine spent an hour and half on the bow with a torch looking out
for the wooden fish attracting devices before it was light enough to see and we
could once again relax. It was a long day and we finally arrived in Lombok at
6pm and anchored in what was called a marina – basically a jetty, a marina
office (an open area with a roof on) and a restaurant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would call it an anchorage in England.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lombok 10 September –
12 September</b></div>
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We met up at the restaurant with about 15 of the other boats
for a few drinks and dinner ashore only to learn that we had only one day there
before we had to head off to Bali for our visa renewal – everything had been
bought forward as there was a holiday in Bali the following weekend and they
needed extra time to process the extensions. We would be fined if our visas run
out before they were renewed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpT96l2kaw3WrRjv3nOa48HdyMbRZUmlTIQ6nJKQ71RQb5hjDmysUH05USqkOSKYnrj6luHrlIVUfYMc0745cvK2ErD5SXgQAxWLH3rGm5kPDxYxKlguKGbUbTjv8co9dbo_DjDd7Cllw/s1600/IMG_1622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQQ_44lVg-UGKVSQA2qOKAdkAY4PJuFqx9dvSYy1Y7zwFk9ZhJu84KJ7qk19yYw77_rNwUJIHSqbsAXT68Bqzhe-zD6Yd2piIU6WMCNRRreNYSe8z0DT1Uhsii0YdNlW68vwPDmKv2mE/s1600/IMG_1598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQQ_44lVg-UGKVSQA2qOKAdkAY4PJuFqx9dvSYy1Y7zwFk9ZhJu84KJ7qk19yYw77_rNwUJIHSqbsAXT68Bqzhe-zD6Yd2piIU6WMCNRRreNYSe8z0DT1Uhsii0YdNlW68vwPDmKv2mE/s200/IMG_1598.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lombok still has a lot of horses and carts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCjEr5ZQpz04aaF5FsE8A3LeziWDcz24KkSydgSTDKtKmqUJPmGjN7VihKztBTmpN3XTZY8gXUw5-OuNiN_U1YqORilxFVIjhnwAY9juwc_ZRhYJSiBqwrSfcOuU-Gy5K4FmJQf0WHBg/s1600/IMG_1601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCjEr5ZQpz04aaF5FsE8A3LeziWDcz24KkSydgSTDKtKmqUJPmGjN7VihKztBTmpN3XTZY8gXUw5-OuNiN_U1YqORilxFVIjhnwAY9juwc_ZRhYJSiBqwrSfcOuU-Gy5K4FmJQf0WHBg/s200/IMG_1601.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the peanuts</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We joined with a couple of other boats the next day to take
a tour of Lombok by taxi. Lombok is a developing tourist island and so has good
infrastructure. The relative wealth on the island was in stark contrast to all
the other places we had visited in Indonesia and there were a lot more white
people there. We drove through “the monkey highway” where the road is lined
with monkeys encouraged by passing m<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTq3ZDJF7KGJymqLdBFi6ItagyCueD5vSWChLZKVOsQhdaerrNLUon-obcctyn9dOdsehbv55D0bIIhXtPzS4H9MgzizGYZOv_TKJSFWlq1Aeh_yES_hD7B2_U_FUKKhPRbG8myjj2BY/s1600/IMG_1614.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoTq3ZDJF7KGJymqLdBFi6ItagyCueD5vSWChLZKVOsQhdaerrNLUon-obcctyn9dOdsehbv55D0bIIhXtPzS4H9MgzizGYZOv_TKJSFWlq1Aeh_yES_hD7B2_U_FUKKhPRbG8myjj2BY/s200/IMG_1614.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey's party trick</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
otorists throwing peanuts from their cars.
We stopped to take some pictures and they were very friendly monkey and one
even demonstrated opening a bottle of water and drinking from the bottle to our
amazement. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLtniyc3Xaqbv5X7Y8_cgTho4PyH8JbyIuXiKs7aSL0_3myqvTVoYiCMYOlneP8hxOZRPUwih6iqLgu5AKmFQ-hRRm9NYS5DzUoDwZIrYFWfuNLMJQsn86n3VJtoAym8LyKIrnzb6c1s/s1600/IMG_1617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLtniyc3Xaqbv5X7Y8_cgTho4PyH8JbyIuXiKs7aSL0_3myqvTVoYiCMYOlneP8hxOZRPUwih6iqLgu5AKmFQ-hRRm9NYS5DzUoDwZIrYFWfuNLMJQsn86n3VJtoAym8LyKIrnzb6c1s/s200/IMG_1617.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpT96l2kaw3WrRjv3nOa48HdyMbRZUmlTIQ6nJKQ71RQb5hjDmysUH05USqkOSKYnrj6luHrlIVUfYMc0745cvK2ErD5SXgQAxWLH3rGm5kPDxYxKlguKGbUbTjv8co9dbo_DjDd7Cllw/s1600/IMG_1622.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpT96l2kaw3WrRjv3nOa48HdyMbRZUmlTIQ6nJKQ71RQb5hjDmysUH05USqkOSKYnrj6luHrlIVUfYMc0745cvK2ErD5SXgQAxWLH3rGm5kPDxYxKlguKGbUbTjv8co9dbo_DjDd7Cllw/s200/IMG_1622.jpg" width="200" /></a>After we paid our entry fee for the Hindu temple, we were
given yellow sashes to wear as we walked round and refused a guide. However,
the guide was not going to take no for an answer and corralled us to walk round
with him while he explained the significance of each part of the temple. One of
the more interesting points was that the temple is used as a meeting place for
all the religious leaders of the island every month – the Muslims, Christians
and Hindus. The purpose of the meeting is to maintain the harmony and tolerance
that exists between all the religions on the island. </div>
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We arrived at the pottery village later than planned and
after some hard bargaining we bought a couple of candle holders and a clay
cooking pot which could be used on the stove and in the oven which they
demonstrated – all for less than £15. I am sure we will find a use for it!
There was an extensive range of pottery on offer and is one of the main tourist
attractions.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After lunch we took a drive through the main tourist area
which is a very attractive coastal route with many resorts, hotels and markets.
We would have happily stayed in one of the resorts for a few days but we had no
time to spare. In fact we could have easily spent a week in Lombok and felt a
little short changed in having only one day there. It is probably like Bali was
20 years ago – still unspoiled but with some very upmarket places.</div>
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We decided to walk into the village that night to find a
local restaurant along a very dark road with lots of traffic. After 30 minutes
a car stopped and asked us where we were going, informing us that all the
restaurants were closed as it was a public holiday. However the “Quick Chicken”
place was open and he took all six of us in his car in two trips.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The food was quick but made Kentucky Fried Chicken look
good. Our benefactor stayed in the restaurant with us and gave us all a lift
back to the marina in his car. He was Irish, married to an Indonesian and had
lived on the island for the last 12 years. He was now retired, at the age of
35, and was keen to learn of our exploits on the high seas in return for the
lift. A fair exchange.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The next day we set off for Bali.</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-38311391531442829952016-09-13T18:36:00.000-07:002016-09-13T18:36:21.612-07:00Wanci and Flores 4 Aug - 27 Aug<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wanci and Flores 4 August –
27th August 2016</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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From Banda Neira we sailed directly to Wanci on Wangi-Wangi missing
out Namrole which should have been our next stop. The three day sail was again
a little rough but at least we had no more rain after we had just managed to
dry out the boat from the last deluge. We arrived at 10am in the morning. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wanci 7 August -10
August</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Wanci can be a difficult anchorage to get into and we were
met by the harbourmaster Gino who guided us in. In the evening was our first
welcome ceremony, with speeches in Indonesian without an English translation. They
provided some traditional food and some dancing but it seemed to be a
celebration for something else (not sure what) which we had been tagged on to.
We were still tired after our sail and broken sleep for three days but I did
catch up on some sleep at the ceremony despite my best efforts to keep awake
(and Catherine nudging me every two minutes).</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZvpwgTWZVSCiK9-WECn2b7nXmSagPWdkfsaAYISCyX0qKWBQqty4kEKM0H2do3SsGVy2q01Ig-hl8VQATQHlF_M1eCVCOwWSnk5Ban2utOe2dWRemsf43siUf1XMbmmoVvmRaxYjd1g/s1600/IMG_1332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZvpwgTWZVSCiK9-WECn2b7nXmSagPWdkfsaAYISCyX0qKWBQqty4kEKM0H2do3SsGVy2q01Ig-hl8VQATQHlF_M1eCVCOwWSnk5Ban2utOe2dWRemsf43siUf1XMbmmoVvmRaxYjd1g/s200/IMG_1332.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girls awaiting their suitors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIu4ns7AwcorlsPgNVb9h2Wrr1JcqXV2BnRcH4j3ygaI-BspHeRw8TUg5zE5j45NPbvV706Iu5GLgo8NLpZY7CaK7TZdfpgybUJVpdAvY0U4y25AR2ZjVFiX1cem1sQAIHdgQa-29ldZ8/s1600/IMG_1351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIu4ns7AwcorlsPgNVb9h2Wrr1JcqXV2BnRcH4j3ygaI-BspHeRw8TUg5zE5j45NPbvV706Iu5GLgo8NLpZY7CaK7TZdfpgybUJVpdAvY0U4y25AR2ZjVFiX1cem1sQAIHdgQa-29ldZ8/s200/IMG_1351.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parading round before the start</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I attended the Match Making Ceremony with the other rally
boats the next day while Catherine stayed in bed after putting her back out
lifting the dinghy engine. Traditionally, the ceremony is held once or twice a
year and the unmarried girls dress up and sit in a big circle while the boys
walk around, deciding who they want as a future bride. A boy shows interest in
a girl by buying a drink from her (coke or sprite nowadays) and if she likes
him she gives him a gift – then it is a match. To signal that they are now a
couple, they sit on a big swing in the middle of the festival which announces
to every one of their intentions. <br />
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hHd5M7p0zdXScy_quDJNHYiohW_H-bk564Nvk2Aec0ryyb9Y4LdCZX8lFrV3jL9Q0cEyUxcVwAK04FuJj8AhomozfB-tqFuynVkPhHre9KjG1RCWoJ9_TdJqQ7MmUQ4SH7Ba6CvUI0s/s1600/IMG_1359.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9hHd5M7p0zdXScy_quDJNHYiohW_H-bk564Nvk2Aec0ryyb9Y4LdCZX8lFrV3jL9Q0cEyUxcVwAK04FuJj8AhomozfB-tqFuynVkPhHre9KjG1RCWoJ9_TdJqQ7MmUQ4SH7Ba6CvUI0s/s200/IMG_1359.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Mothers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While the festival carries on to this day, it has become
more of a day out than a serious attempt at match making since boys and girls
do now mix at schools. Nonetheless, there were about 2000 people attending the
festival with the mothers enjoying the event as much as the girls and boys who
still acted out the ritual. I managed to get engaged five times during the
event, as the girls were very keen to come and offer drinks to me (for a fee it
has to be said) and we were all treated like celebrities with everyone keen to
have their picture taken with us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The following day I went shopping while Catherine was still
incapacitated on the boat and I took one of the young guides with me. Her
English was very good and she acted as my interpreter, selecting the fruit and
vegetables and agreeing the price. All I had to do was hand over the cash -
easier than shopping with Catherine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the evening we had Mike and Sue from Lusi over for drinks
before we all headed to the night market to find something to eat. There was only
café open and only one item on the menu - a chicken broth with an option of
rice wrapped in palm leaves and a hard-boiled egg. We sat with the locals eating
the delicious soup. £2 well spent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we set off for Hoga, one of the top diving
sites in the world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Hoga 11 August – 14
August</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hoga was not on the itinerary but is supposed to be one of
the best dive sites in Indonesia if not the world and only 30 miles away from
Wanci. So like many of the other boats we sailed there just to spend one night
and do some snorkelling. We arrived too late to swim that night but the next
morning we took the dinghy round to the main reef. It was probably the best
place we had snorkelled for the variety of fish and coral anywhere we have
been. Huge schools of fish and many that we had never seen before including a large
Lion fish. The water was very warm and clear and there was no way that we could
leave the next day so missed out the next official stop on the rally and spend
the time there.</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gjEAvAiBiBlUd9bcX3hKjEEmP43BPCWt0_cAMQrdcUmCa5BDBjn11adgH3FrncPnUrZGtK2d8EjQqmsLN4S-wpQ9foOQXkc56sXJqBLI9sK4JYOskIFCahJnTq5fNUN5PDI0VJrqFzA/s1600/IMG_7865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gjEAvAiBiBlUd9bcX3hKjEEmP43BPCWt0_cAMQrdcUmCa5BDBjn11adgH3FrncPnUrZGtK2d8EjQqmsLN4S-wpQ9foOQXkc56sXJqBLI9sK4JYOskIFCahJnTq5fNUN5PDI0VJrqFzA/s200/IMG_7865.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the Scientific Centre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMohzzn_yHAk3SLLNi_XieIxJotCTESOwLz6oHUWgHcl2qLJDhElYQPQeNpEI_ty0y1S2-BZ-8Jvv8VXOHIV4bMIGEEvVwHlJzP6BL_VDuqfXS_RzO849xUxqzNNhS65kG4uAwFPs5XA/s1600/IMG_7871.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMohzzn_yHAk3SLLNi_XieIxJotCTESOwLz6oHUWgHcl2qLJDhElYQPQeNpEI_ty0y1S2-BZ-8Jvv8VXOHIV4bMIGEEvVwHlJzP6BL_VDuqfXS_RzO849xUxqzNNhS65kG4uAwFPs5XA/s200/IMG_7871.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jetty overlooking the Scientific Centre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We walked around the scientific centre on the island where
mainly British scientists and marine biologists spend 3 months each year
studying the reef. I can see the attraction for the scientists, an idyllic
island in Indonesia, fantastic diving but not quite why it should be a British
site - when we left England we did not seem to have many coral reefs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the evening we had drinks on Soul, one of the large
catamarans in the fleet, and all the 10 boats in the anchorage enjoyed a night
together. This is where Cats are ideal and 20 people on the boat did not seem
crowded. As is customary, each boat takes some food to
share and their own drinks which makes for a good variety. To cap it all, as
the sun set we saw the green flash just as the sun set and it drew a large
cheer from all those on board. A rare event which very few people had seen before
including us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we arranged for the three remaining boats to go
snorkelling and then to the resort on the island for lunch. With no
guests in the resort we took the kitchen staff by surprise with eight people
for lunch but they turned out a great lunch with noodles and fresh fish. We did
however drink them out of all their beer but then they only had six bottles in
stock.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ApMNK6hlsS68k-2li6hhsUrvhPZV0E4lVj3j-wgKPItCXm7MeiRq3xJWKzbufBi0QnnEg1xEK_kDGzwwXl1G04IwKe_U0fpVwnPfCcGGzJrlsp2YmYqqc3TH6D70jQpXWoMmx2WSIc4/s1600/IMG_7896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ApMNK6hlsS68k-2li6hhsUrvhPZV0E4lVj3j-wgKPItCXm7MeiRq3xJWKzbufBi0QnnEg1xEK_kDGzwwXl1G04IwKe_U0fpVwnPfCcGGzJrlsp2YmYqqc3TH6D70jQpXWoMmx2WSIc4/s200/IMG_7896.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Backdrop to Kroko Island</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We set off the next day to go to Kroko island, another non-official stop but one the pilot guide suggests as a must do. We arrived the
next morning at a very scenic anchorage with towering volcanos providing a
backdrop with isolated sand spit just in front of us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kroko Island 15
August – 18 August</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first day it was just us and Max, a 54 foot Amel, and we
joined Herve and Corinne for a coffee in the afternoon after an abortive
attempt to find some good snorkelling. Herve is a born story teller with a
common theme – bru<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very
entertaining afternoon.</div>
shes with Customs Officials in various countries. The French
seem to be targeted by Customs since it is assumed they must have lots of wine
on board – which is true of course.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8Rx86wFphyt6w3LM-WJlq3FHY0iPxtUFk-sa6Dh9XLvYRAhFbcOiFSUtV1Li-VQt-mPLCVpWBCULiHV0pX9Hst62RDVGpcOSHmSp0II6h_j8J8JjE6ZEnMpKfWudLW2ASCUBgPqt4zs/s1600/IMG_7888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKA3rIidwrAYzPYBAj2aRbArfCAmECX2hcniesXEsUFINi-tfRQNonioPojmii5hrGBawJr4ljX9Xfscmx5O_H5B_az4gdLt9v4uWDQzcKsue9_tyCR2zdHLTznSNnAuHRe2Sq2TYglE/s1600/IMG_7880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKA3rIidwrAYzPYBAj2aRbArfCAmECX2hcniesXEsUFINi-tfRQNonioPojmii5hrGBawJr4ljX9Xfscmx5O_H5B_az4gdLt9v4uWDQzcKsue9_tyCR2zdHLTznSNnAuHRe2Sq2TYglE/s200/IMG_7880.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing Finska</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO052FayNxGsFhIsWyWo2hbP27AFxDgvV6UoBAcUd7xabsHNob2n3ALa4lNqsAV50L4qY1dsU2cZg5rvbNmiJLN6b_ES8OXv3eD6Etpavek76IeNywc8Vhg7rZMRgCuWG3BAD-Ml4VkE/s1600/IMG_7882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO052FayNxGsFhIsWyWo2hbP27AFxDgvV6UoBAcUd7xabsHNob2n3ALa4lNqsAV50L4qY1dsU2cZg5rvbNmiJLN6b_ES8OXv3eD6Etpavek76IeNywc8Vhg7rZMRgCuWG3BAD-Ml4VkE/s200/IMG_7882.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arriving at the sandspit for the BBQ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day, we were invaded by another 10 rally boats in
the anchorage which the pilot guide suggested had a limit of four boats. All
anchored without any problem and that evening we had a BBQ on the sand spit
together with a game of Finska (a sort of skittles) which by co-incidence we
had played in Belgium with our children a few months earlier. We lined up a
girls vs boys team which has to be said was won by the boys by a wide margin,
mainly by a few lucky throws rather than any skill. After being treated to raft
of songs accompanied by the ukulele and guitar and salad with sausages cooked
on the fire we finally left at midnight to go back to our boats under the full moon. What a great
night.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8Rx86wFphyt6w3LM-WJlq3FHY0iPxtUFk-sa6Dh9XLvYRAhFbcOiFSUtV1Li-VQt-mPLCVpWBCULiHV0pX9Hst62RDVGpcOSHmSp0II6h_j8J8JjE6ZEnMpKfWudLW2ASCUBgPqt4zs/s1600/IMG_7888.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8Rx86wFphyt6w3LM-WJlq3FHY0iPxtUFk-sa6Dh9XLvYRAhFbcOiFSUtV1Li-VQt-mPLCVpWBCULiHV0pX9Hst62RDVGpcOSHmSp0II6h_j8J8JjE6ZEnMpKfWudLW2ASCUBgPqt4zs/s320/IMG_7888.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dacing the night away</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once we found the right spot for snorkelling it was very
good although you had to put our experiences of Hoga out of mind to appreciate
it. It was such a lovely spot we stayed another night and were invited over to
Wishful Thinking the next day both to celebrate Mike’s birthday and play some
competitive Crib. After Ginny and I had been beaten by Mike and Catherine we
were treated to home-made bread and fried squid for lunch bought from the local
fishermen.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We all met on the sand spit for drinks that evening and with
a certain reluctance left the next morning.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Maumere 20 August –
24 August</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the way to Maumere we stopped at two anchorages -Tanjung
Gedong and Pulau Besar. As is usual we attract a lot of attention from the
locals. As soon as you anchor, or even before, wooden canoes will be paddling
out to your boat to see what you have on offer. They are mainly children and
some will have something to barter even if it is only shells but others just looking
for a gift. At Tanjung Gedong there was a lot of this and our supply of pens
and notebooks (highly prized gifts here) was severely depleted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQAI_fx2L63aklq4yJ-CMyvBJZrGU-jvcsf8eg1sDlUcEqlPfwFNlEVTd2CGYLn9g6GZ-M4czESE0uf5Xjg3sF9FfuN_9e56zuoO1T6XuIyGnrSfiHKgjaLQEXFGk3DRHBrPe0_fsYLE/s1600/IMG_1406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had stopped at Palau Besar, a small island, expecting to
see a small stilted fishing village as is fairly common along the coast.
However a few years ago they had been struck by a tidal wave and most of the
village had been damaged. A new village had been built further inland by the
government and we could see it in the distance. It was a ghost town they had
not taken into account that these people were poor fishermen and it was too far
from the sea. Most villagers had moved back along the coastleaving a ghost town behind them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Maumere 20 August –
24 August</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQAI_fx2L63aklq4yJ-CMyvBJZrGU-jvcsf8eg1sDlUcEqlPfwFNlEVTd2CGYLn9g6GZ-M4czESE0uf5Xjg3sF9FfuN_9e56zuoO1T6XuIyGnrSfiHKgjaLQEXFGk3DRHBrPe0_fsYLE/s1600/IMG_1406.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQAI_fx2L63aklq4yJ-CMyvBJZrGU-jvcsf8eg1sDlUcEqlPfwFNlEVTd2CGYLn9g6GZ-M4czESE0uf5Xjg3sF9FfuN_9e56zuoO1T6XuIyGnrSfiHKgjaLQEXFGk3DRHBrPe0_fsYLE/s200/IMG_1406.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Provisioning in the market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We arrived at Sea World, a resort 5 miles from the town of Maumere
which hosted the rally for three days. With rumours of a supermarket in the
town, the next day a group of us took taxis to the supermarket and then onto
the local market. It was the best stocked shop we have seen since we arrived in
Indonesia and managed to stock up on a few things but our expectations did not
match the reality – long time since we had seen anything resembling a proper
shop. The market however was better and we managed to buy all the fresh fruit
and vegetables we needed for the next week.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAMgEU5VTOnW08pl8Q97svkmjItjRoNwEGo_QSzmYEHMmc7QXW-Bw1HOfQEJfTi6gkDyfXAAFcnjz5-QUxib_NxfKlf-PpnzstqCX7hGZDBdhYpF6nDMcdHKco9k495DtuOgX_Kql9bo/s1600/IMG_1410.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAMgEU5VTOnW08pl8Q97svkmjItjRoNwEGo_QSzmYEHMmc7QXW-Bw1HOfQEJfTi6gkDyfXAAFcnjz5-QUxib_NxfKlf-PpnzstqCX7hGZDBdhYpF6nDMcdHKco9k495DtuOgX_Kql9bo/s200/IMG_1410.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dining on the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZl37-tX_L-A6mJMuUna3rdEaL4QvTsijTNwOGTE0LCz4t-RuY6FubMU-CLnrSs0Q8mguAwTpgMUGLCkOXOcZB-z-X5hRCzyRPDZ2Q1b6C90zjIessxO0LN72jNdI2OfZc3-pHdoFnOtc/s1600/IMG_1414.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZl37-tX_L-A6mJMuUna3rdEaL4QvTsijTNwOGTE0LCz4t-RuY6FubMU-CLnrSs0Q8mguAwTpgMUGLCkOXOcZB-z-X5hRCzyRPDZ2Q1b6C90zjIessxO0LN72jNdI2OfZc3-pHdoFnOtc/s200/IMG_1414.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local dancers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XP9C51jaUFXYzc0As6-cGTLc46d6ZUvWsZ7FUKaJJCemxEk_KxvWa7SE4mC61IOQh07kTVTbqYhF-zDITO9DNlabxIQNz4Zb7wKMX6uk7b_e2a3lNLfXXw9VddTSEd0KFs7xxegyUdU/s1600/IMG_1427.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAMgEU5VTOnW08pl8Q97svkmjItjRoNwEGo_QSzmYEHMmc7QXW-Bw1HOfQEJfTi6gkDyfXAAFcnjz5-QUxib_NxfKlf-PpnzstqCX7hGZDBdhYpF6nDMcdHKco9k495DtuOgX_Kql9bo/s1600/IMG_1410.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggAMgEU5VTOnW08pl8Q97svkmjItjRoNwEGo_QSzmYEHMmc7QXW-Bw1HOfQEJfTi6gkDyfXAAFcnjz5-QUxib_NxfKlf-PpnzstqCX7hGZDBdhYpF6nDMcdHKco9k495DtuOgX_Kql9bo/s1600/IMG_1410.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The gala dinner and welcome ceremony was very well done with <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ15ROB5eidotgaF7QhXSPAewTYj9B8ErFyX36Aztq054MoSzM0pJx9lJ5ncNj65TVT9INWR5wN2UZMRQ_gWHUZniHYF6tEX1zD_x6ssXN8U3CZ-BpPT6cmeOA_30-JhXXrX71f-pIAsE/s1600/IMG_1411.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>tables laid out on the beach and a buffet of delicious local food. This was
accompanied by traditional music and dancing where once again we were
encouraged to join in. I have never let a lack of rhythm stop me and that night
was no exception but Catherine did well. There was also a parade of traditional
costumes from the different areas around that regency. Stunningly beautiful as
were the girls although I was later told that they were lady boys. Not sure if
I believe that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XP9C51jaUFXYzc0As6-cGTLc46d6ZUvWsZ7FUKaJJCemxEk_KxvWa7SE4mC61IOQh07kTVTbqYhF-zDITO9DNlabxIQNz4Zb7wKMX6uk7b_e2a3lNLfXXw9VddTSEd0KFs7xxegyUdU/s1600/IMG_1427.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XP9C51jaUFXYzc0As6-cGTLc46d6ZUvWsZ7FUKaJJCemxEk_KxvWa7SE4mC61IOQh07kTVTbqYhF-zDITO9DNlabxIQNz4Zb7wKMX6uk7b_e2a3lNLfXXw9VddTSEd0KFs7xxegyUdU/s320/IMG_1427.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cruisers joining in with the dancing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No idea what day of the week it was but the next day we decided it would be a Sunday – no boat jobs,
no provisioning, cleaning or sorting out the boat. We spent the day on the
boat, relaxing and reading until the evening when Peter and Kim joined us for a
drink - we had last seen them in Port Douglas in Australia awaiting parts for their autopilot and had only just caught up with the rally again. They are great company and it would be the last time we would see them as they are staying in
Flores and leaving their boat there. They will be sailing in Indonesia six
months each year over the next 4 years, spending the rest of their time back in
New Zealand. What a great idea and it set us thinking about how we
could do that – leave the boat in Thailand and spend six months in the UK and
six months back on the boat, maybe completing our circumnavigation in six month
chunks. It has given us something to think about.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Maurole 24 August –
27 August</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoEAPoDVbwpbfm-VK5xqy_bHbOIrsB_ytHb48Pj7oYC_pcpC8ReWsv9LDuUFWhW6tEucgrrACw33f-2a-gCGb64ne4GDuzAZocJWO7CLljYzJkLy9I9Uy6gDeMP6UyaaAKNJcNBSdmg4/s1600/IMG_7947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoEAPoDVbwpbfm-VK5xqy_bHbOIrsB_ytHb48Pj7oYC_pcpC8ReWsv9LDuUFWhW6tEucgrrACw33f-2a-gCGb64ne4GDuzAZocJWO7CLljYzJkLy9I9Uy6gDeMP6UyaaAKNJcNBSdmg4/s200/IMG_7947.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite a smart shop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMn9XInK55E55UngAS3i8AscqKEbdlHdOJEdk02rcYfP4Mdme192SLIHUj7f409xBc4lkrIOyyGIu3BjM0HE8R-D1LbOkg8GHZIxTjvDnaujGgveNNNttQj37u2gWdzmqX57UfAcjeFCY/s1600/IMG_7946.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMn9XInK55E55UngAS3i8AscqKEbdlHdOJEdk02rcYfP4Mdme192SLIHUj7f409xBc4lkrIOyyGIu3BjM0HE8R-D1LbOkg8GHZIxTjvDnaujGgveNNNttQj37u2gWdzmqX57UfAcjeFCY/s200/IMG_7946.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main street in Maurole</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Maurole is a large village but interesting, mainly small
shops and a traditional market. The following day we took a trip to Kelimutu
National Park where three coloured lakes are formed in the cauldron of a
volcano starting at 6:30am for the three hour drive. We declined the offer to
go with the first group leaving at 4am which was just as well since we had to
re-anchor the boat before we left as the wind had changed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We drove along roads that were good in places but with big
pot holes and unmade sections which made it slow and very bumpy at times. It
was good to be able to explore the interior of the island and as we got higher
so the rain started. We arrived at entrance to the National Park at 9am and it looked like the rain had set in
for the day and we could not walk the final 800m up to see the lakes. However
the group of 20 of us decided we had come this far and we would take the risk
that it might clear and by the time we set off on the walk, the cloud had lifted
and we had sunshine. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBkxChOUUDvMbdlKjUFHJ-UQBWz0zCe_nwOH1QCPrJyexc5OVHwIJERvDDSfZ5dGrpD7fIKtnxaB_j3QZENSL9ys_rh_NIMWRNFA7g1a12hrUTPRj4CtWZO0KMq5F26nl3vnJt4ec_KA/s1600/IMG_7926.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVBkxChOUUDvMbdlKjUFHJ-UQBWz0zCe_nwOH1QCPrJyexc5OVHwIJERvDDSfZ5dGrpD7fIKtnxaB_j3QZENSL9ys_rh_NIMWRNFA7g1a12hrUTPRj4CtWZO0KMq5F26nl3vnJt4ec_KA/s200/IMG_7926.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of the lakes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyuoJSX5dKNZwci3JzHqDUnaqPCixqZVudss-lEBZDN05D0CH9T5Ci_kGx516HH2xPUVryEbJ88ger8rbMw66eXuA7jPF-ONiHJx6mkaUFUz1zIR4ZIIIAtl440NcE7JGgFXEAo1QgKkA/s1600/IMG_7941.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyuoJSX5dKNZwci3JzHqDUnaqPCixqZVudss-lEBZDN05D0CH9T5Ci_kGx516HH2xPUVryEbJ88ger8rbMw66eXuA7jPF-ONiHJx6mkaUFUz1zIR4ZIIIAtl440NcE7JGgFXEAo1QgKkA/s200/IMG_7941.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the more inquisitive monkeys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The lakes are supposed to change colour, depending on the
amount of oxygen in the water but all we saw was two lakes with green water
with some steam rising out from the heat of the volcano and the other darker
blue lake. Unfortunately not the red lake that was in all the literature. Pretty
enough and we also saw our first close up monkeys who showed little interest in
us as we walked past. Just before we started back down along the track, the
clouds once again descended, obliterating the view and it rained all the way
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were in high spirits since the
journey had not been wasted and we stopped on the route back for lunch in a
restaurant nestled among the hills. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We arrived back at 5:30, exhausted after our day of travels
and I had to change the gas bottle to the one I had bought in Australia to make
some tea– in theory all I had to do was changed the connecting lead since the
new bottle had a different fitting - a two minute job. Two hours later we still
did not have any gas after I had fixed two of the three gas leaks in the new
hose accompanied by a lot of bad language. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was late by this time and I gave up, too
tired to do anymore or go to the final gala dinner. So with no gas we had
cheese and biscuits for dinner.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final provisoning in the market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Refreshed in the morning I remade the final connection with
the aid of a jubilee clip and it sealed. By this time the anchorage was
becoming a little rolly, just like its name, and the next morning many boats
upped anchor at dawn as it definitely had become “Maurole”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All that was left for us was to go ashore to the market for
a small amount of provisioning and we were off to Riung</div>
. Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-14186206073112462922016-09-13T18:35:00.002-07:002016-09-13T18:35:25.177-07:00Tual and Banda Neira<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUWSRY7gAZi-3cxpK5mNOpS4F4uoZ1RdfRz6t_KzhoBbLaPcwROlT6HfW__QbmyWaAgknXQooNFTgXMioI5wGGgvN2T6Am4t6wl1ex5zFcYqj_h18U-_r4t5TnDMuTHh7ugbgim46tD8/s1600/IMG_1221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arrival in Indonesia 20 July –
3rd August 2016</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Formalities</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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After six days of sailing we arrived tired, in need of a
good walk and more importantly a beer since we never drink on passage. However,
we had to wait until we had been inspected by Customs, Immigration and Bio
Security before we were allowed off the boat. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Like most of the boats we took a little wine into Indonesia
– very hard to get there and very expensive. We spent several hours discussing
the best strategy – declare some or all of it and pay the duty or say nothing.
After a thorough search of the forward cabin the five Customs officers who
boarded were more interested in having their pictures taken with us than any
more searching of the boat
– and they did not ask us if we had alcohol. So problem solved. Other boats
were less fortunate and alcohol was bonded with no option to pay duty although
this was later relaxed after representation from our local rally co-ordinator.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tual 21-24 July</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDDxtGBWm4t_Cim_3LheklTWEMoYRmGwJmbtJ_Yfh_M4ydlY8ph01fgCi0aj0kjWe3r3haOFm3rOu_Rw1wNHYXoznGlp8tmLhM-uLJicE4mP2uVmE9igcePrXQFNhGfhd7z0RpTnKTKE/s1600/IMG_1185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaDDxtGBWm4t_Cim_3LheklTWEMoYRmGwJmbtJ_Yfh_M4ydlY8ph01fgCi0aj0kjWe3r3haOFm3rOu_Rw1wNHYXoznGlp8tmLhM-uLJicE4mP2uVmE9igcePrXQFNhGfhd7z0RpTnKTKE/s200/IMG_1185.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome Ceremony</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tual had set up a visitors centre<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>at the dockside with English speaking guides
to help us – where to provision, transport, fuel, trips out, SIMs for phone and
data etc. They literally rolled out the red carpet for us along the jetty
together with traditional dancing as we all arrived for the welcome ceremony. After
some speeches by the mayor (translated into English) we were treated to a
series of traditional dancing and music, many by the local children.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Qfk7Jxcw-3qW6nVqUk8GnJBkwJVeW8p8cnBXsO1J785heu9Pp2M-DOx_i5v37VnhZnRmhOOZDaigK1w3Di7RUwK1gcchco_zCtGVXL4EGTXPcps_liN4SQsGE6UVNc8iHOaet0BXcDo/s1600/IMG_0519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Qfk7Jxcw-3qW6nVqUk8GnJBkwJVeW8p8cnBXsO1J785heu9Pp2M-DOx_i5v37VnhZnRmhOOZDaigK1w3Di7RUwK1gcchco_zCtGVXL4EGTXPcps_liN4SQsGE6UVNc8iHOaet0BXcDo/s200/IMG_0519.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing is not my strong point!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were encouraged to join in at the end and I struggled to
keep up with the young girls who were <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">trying to teach me to dance – and
eventually gave up in preference to others who could keep rhythm. </span>It did amuse the other cruisers but so far I
have not seen the video that they told me that had made of me – luckily. However,
they did send me the picture. Very amusing.</div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tour of the Island</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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One afternoon, the visitor’s centre had set up a tour for
us, taking to a local school to see the children and a traditional waffle
making kitchen. The English teacher was also one of the people who had been
co-opted in to the welcoming committee and he was keen to show us his school.
The school was in the process of being rebuilt and the children were only there
for half a day, the younger ones in the morning and the older in the afternoon.
There were about 5 classrooms and 30 girls and boys in class. They had desks
and chairs and a whiteboard but there were no signs of any books, computers or
visual aids. The walls were bare, except for a list of star pupils. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were invited to go into the classes to meet the school
children and we taught them phrases in our native tongues – Dutch, French,
English, American (along with the accent) which the children duly repeated. We
all thought that the children were about 11 years old but it soon turned out
that they were 14 or 15. They look very young here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their English was fairly limited which was
learned by rote. They were all very keen to have their photos taken with the
white people particularly with one of the fleet a young handsome man (not me).
He was the real celebrity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWek0obG5L5j1XNDVafVVwa0BH1Y9UgBzIRONcEIZI3ws43OHuzDYIAraE28CblUnvPoCJnbnQvmvuUOi5CZMcQgQ24aJA22gkzPnV-6Ibtz5bzLJ9i5xEDFhcp863TfF9xCLNJZMCzY/s1600/IMG_1202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWek0obG5L5j1XNDVafVVwa0BH1Y9UgBzIRONcEIZI3ws43OHuzDYIAraE28CblUnvPoCJnbnQvmvuUOi5CZMcQgQ24aJA22gkzPnV-6Ibtz5bzLJ9i5xEDFhcp863TfF9xCLNJZMCzY/s200/IMG_1202.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pressing the Cassava</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGvwVlBF4iByV4kuuKdSZ1o3i6qGSOt7h23nPgc2xIjfh8FL8FfR1HEWiAw0Uk_gVxz1_TE9jkC6NnpjCavVZ8Pd-ljsmSy2QVz3jtOiRcJxESQJOgETZpm_qxRtGlCMdmeW0J0QdoYY/s1600/IMG_1204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrGvwVlBF4iByV4kuuKdSZ1o3i6qGSOt7h23nPgc2xIjfh8FL8FfR1HEWiAw0Uk_gVxz1_TE9jkC6NnpjCavVZ8Pd-ljsmSy2QVz3jtOiRcJxESQJOgETZpm_qxRtGlCMdmeW0J0QdoYY/s200/IMG_1204.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking the Waffles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next stop was the kitchen where they made the
traditional waffles – waffles made with a type of cassava, a root vegetable.
The cassava is full of cyanide which first has to be boiled out before it is
mashed and dried in a makeshift but highly effective press. It is dried out and
then cooked on a stove to make what they referred to as waffles. A long process
and adding the normal chocolate or honey before eating did nothing to improve
the taste. We were made very welcome and enjoyed seeing the traditional art, if
not the taste.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Market</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We were all keen to get to the market the following day to
buy some fresh fruit and vegetables and a group of us took our dinghies along
the coast to the market. We tied up at the dock with the help of some local
fishermen and were met by a guide – basically someone who could speak English
and decided to guide us whether we wanted it or not. First stop was to sort out
lunch in a local café (warung) and our guide took us to one on the edge of town
and we had our first meal out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of
the others had been to Indonesia before and were better acquainted with what to
eat so we took advice. Apart from rice, it was not obvious what we were eating
but we soon learned the words for chicken and fish – two essential staples of
the diet here along with rice. We also learned how hot the Sambal sauce is and
we learnt to treat it with respect!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7ZD7abVlYSLPjs15OSISuZCgbsKu2Qen4-5T-_w5KnX08Ts-C7H6gl8cUGqlpq381DWaTbdHLtPbGUkdmmEXa0EFaiesgnhJ3gd2IJA8XVwdzRh7C0SzaQp02WrhkAOhGd1ni5kQYQY/s1600/IMG_1215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7ZD7abVlYSLPjs15OSISuZCgbsKu2Qen4-5T-_w5KnX08Ts-C7H6gl8cUGqlpq381DWaTbdHLtPbGUkdmmEXa0EFaiesgnhJ3gd2IJA8XVwdzRh7C0SzaQp02WrhkAOhGd1ni5kQYQY/s200/IMG_1215.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Market in Tual</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was our first experience of an Indonesian market and it
reminded me of Morocco. It was a sprawl of stalls through alleyways and side streets.
There was a very smelly fish market but at that time of day there was little
left. The food on the stalls looked reasonably good quality
although lacking in variety. Lots of vegetables we didn’t recognise but we were
able to stock up on tomatoes, beans and potatoes. Most of the market consisted
of stalls selling dry goods and we were surprised to see rolls and rolls of
toilet paper, something that we were told you could not buy here so everyone
had bought three months’ supply in Australia.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Getting the washing arranged and refuelling were jobs for
the next day. Although we had not used much fuel on the journey, all fuelling
in Indonesia is done through filling Jerry cans on the dock and transferring
the fuel by suction pipe into our tanks. A slow process, always a bit of a faff
and one that has to be repeated at every stop to keep the number of Jerry cans
required down to a manageable number. Serica which is a steel 70 foot sailing
boat had to take on 2000 litres which took all day. He does use a lot of fuel
since he needs to run the generator to power the auto pilot even when sailing.
It is a huge and sophisticated boat and even the engine room has air
conditioning! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The laundry was easy with us dropping it off at the visitor’s
centre and picking it up the next day – all neatly washed and ironed. However
it did take us three weeks thereafter to get the washing back to the right
boats since we had all acquired something of someone else’s washing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That night we had a welcome dinner and to our relief they
did have beer available for sale. However, they had misjudged how much we would
all consume and they had to make several trips during the evening to replenish
the stock. After a week at sea where no-one drinks at all, we were all in a
party mood!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tour of the Island on
Bike</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Catherine and I hired a scooter the next day to do some
sight-seeing while some of the others had arranged a taxi to take them to a
nice beach on the other side of the island for lunch. We decided we would go
with them but on the bike as we had already hired the scooter for the day. The
visitor centre had clearly forgotten to arrange the bike but half an hour later
it turned up. Half an hour after that they managed to actually get the bike
started and pointed out that it needed fuel urgently. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had seen a petrol station in the town the previous day so
it was just a matter of finding it which with Catherine unerring sense of
direction would not be a problem. However we could not even find the town, let
alone the petrol station! The signs that did exist were in Indonesian and bore
no resemblance to the town’s name and we ended up crossing a bridge onto the
other island, away from the town. We stopped on the side of the street to ask
for directions to a petrol station, using sign language. Not as easy as you
might expect and not understanding the reply did not help. However, the person
then produced a water bottle half full of liquid and a funnel which I was a
little suspicious of. Looked sort of like petrol and smelled like petrol so we
gave it a go and to our relief the scooter still worked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we went down the street we noticed a lot of people with
half full water bottles and funnels, providing a fuel service for all the
scooters which are ubiquitous. In fact everywhere we went after that we noticed
the streets were lined with people selling petrol.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fuelled up we set off to join the others at the restaurant,
now an hour and a half behind them. Using google maps we found the right road
eventually after many stops to check where we were and then decided to give up.
With few road names, no intelligible signs and roads that we were not sure were
actually roads, we turned round and found a café for lunch. We could only
remember the word for chicken and this seemed the safest bet for lunch,
together with some fried rice and some green stuff – some sort of vegetable
which was very bitter. Nonetheless we were pleased with ourselves for eating
out in a local café and navigating the way that they do things – not always
easy to fathom out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We found the market on the way back and it was much easier
shopping on the scooter than walking round the market. The rules are if you can
walk along somewhere then you can drive a scooter down it, even the one way
street up the wrong way (which we did, just to fit in with the locals). It was
great fun and we enjoyed the sense of freedom of having our own transport on
land.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">One Final Repair Before
We Leave</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catherine fixing the light</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before we set off for Banda Neira, Catherine had to go up
the mast to replace the steaming light which had given up on the journey from
Thursday Island. There was no way that Catherine would be able to winch me up
the mast on her own, so she made her first trip up the mast and replaced the
bulb without a problem. I felt better that we had all the proper lights again,
not that it matters in Indonesia since they have their own rules – small boats
give way to big boats (in all circumstances) and lights at night are a bonus,
not a requirement. It may explain why their sea safety is so poor – that and
the state of some of the boats we see out in the ocean!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtvguG6iy5SzJMXp9cRnNnQvIq7lqE3cLP16HeiI5uGV5YkYT3CzDa38ZVkrsAW8zzQ9OMCVM-IY3ds99AqHlHSZmcAe6XQebLDz3TJkJXSa75HBsMywPaWPfr94HWusO0fqdGfBYm20/s1600/3.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgtvguG6iy5SzJMXp9cRnNnQvIq7lqE3cLP16HeiI5uGV5YkYT3CzDa38ZVkrsAW8zzQ9OMCVM-IY3ds99AqHlHSZmcAe6XQebLDz3TJkJXSa75HBsMywPaWPfr94HWusO0fqdGfBYm20/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afar VI at Anchor in Tual</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Banda Neira 27 July –
3 August</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
Another choppy overnight sail to Banda Neira but good wind
so we <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sailed the whole way and conserved
our fuel. It was going to be tight to get 30 boats in the anchorages around the
main island and after seeing just how tight we opted to moor against the dock,
Mediterranean style – drop the anchor and reverse into the dock and tie a
couple of lines to shore. We executed this perfectly with comments from the
other boats that we must have done that before. Indeed we have but not for a
few years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GlzIWoiS4d6zRTyHpTuqK6I10ftUtubVH7-efyOKpXBGnibK84OQ0n6QXyu5fnFcIqlYLeIGwqipcnkf2O90UuVTWryoWK_EFOEGtxPf9LhEx6kEighBwz2TrvPS9Ir3qOWQUR3GlJ8/s1600/IMG_1226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GlzIWoiS4d6zRTyHpTuqK6I10ftUtubVH7-efyOKpXBGnibK84OQ0n6QXyu5fnFcIqlYLeIGwqipcnkf2O90UuVTWryoWK_EFOEGtxPf9LhEx6kEighBwz2TrvPS9Ir3qOWQUR3GlJ8/s200/IMG_1226.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotel next to the dock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Mooring against the dock meant we could hop in the dinghy
and pull ourselves to the shore along ourshore lines – all of 20 feet. We were
also right outside the local hotel and we met with the other boats for drinks
there in the evening which proved very convenient. Others who were anchored out
in the bay had to dinghy across which became increasingly difficult when the
monsoon rains started.<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIv0XSR47I6e5MxLxZphJRNdx3oJNJ4pZyc7m6gJ33KvJnfOfMfhhvIGig-q6F8D4nBAna3njRmrV0quu81EyFoMJ1fWQxYUWcY_J8d5zWc6FQu0LQM5KXlkDoM9iT89z1CYu3Przya7g/s1600/IMG_1231.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIv0XSR47I6e5MxLxZphJRNdx3oJNJ4pZyc7m6gJ33KvJnfOfMfhhvIGig-q6F8D4nBAna3njRmrV0quu81EyFoMJ1fWQxYUWcY_J8d5zWc6FQu0LQM5KXlkDoM9iT89z1CYu3Przya7g/s200/IMG_1231.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visitor Centre</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Again a <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Visitors’
Centre had been set up which arranged trips for people and we opted for the
Spice Tour and the snorkelling trip over the next couple of days. The next
morning we set off with about 20 others on a boat to the main spice island
Pulau Banda Nasar <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>where we were shown
how they grow the spices – nutmeg, cloves and almonds.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Spice Trade</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even before the Dutch arrived in the 1600’s the islanders
had been trading spices with the Arabs for hundreds of years which were a very
valuable commodity in Europe – more valuable than gold. The Dutch East India
Company eventually traced the source of the trade to the Banda Neira (the Spice
Islands) and took over the islands. Out of the 15,000 inhabitants, 14,000 were
killed to teach them a lesson (and we thought the English were bad) and they
brought in slave workers from Java to work on the islands. Eventually the Dutch
East India Company went bankrupt and the Dutch Government took over control of
the islands which lasted right up until after World War II. Eventually
Indonesia gained independence in 1945.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The British did own one of the Spice Islands but that was
captured by the Dutch East India Company and after some negotiations was traded
for Manhattan Island which the Dutch controlled at that time but the British
had captured in revenge. Good swap!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNb1OeM4Y9gJoaoSkCjaV8OSIHXsQ7lMiuDa5XoPpeLXCbEtKRlwi4KmfL7jxQCjGCGG-G3Vr5-QVkWnNZyH7_VEOKp27iqvgj0eeRrH7k9oSsdghY15AInIhoRnrRhjkp877x9lqA6I/s1600/IMG_1260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUNb1OeM4Y9gJoaoSkCjaV8OSIHXsQ7lMiuDa5XoPpeLXCbEtKRlwi4KmfL7jxQCjGCGG-G3Vr5-QVkWnNZyH7_VEOKp27iqvgj0eeRrH7k9oSsdghY15AInIhoRnrRhjkp877x9lqA6I/s200/IMG_1260.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small Clove Tree</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cloves grow on huge trees which have to be climbed to pick
the fruit and then dried in the sun before being shipped out. They harvest two
crops each year. The almonds ( kenari nuts) grow at the top of huge trees which
are too difficult to climb so they allow the local pigeons to eat the fruit and
the almond nut is then excreted by the birds, falling to the floor. These are
then collected by the farmers – just remember that when you are next eating an
almond. The nutmegs are easier to pick as they grow on smaller trees and can be
picked with the aid of a small basket on a stick which is used to pluck the
fruit. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieafcdnuAVSKI_BuIyRNGH3IimX_JbSJQNvmPBXrKjSNOkKs02OMsR83dAyG4vbbaDp1PLboKqsWJRSbFybbIPFYcmLjfi8OP7lYsuRWUrAXBi_fvmqKZPmBymgy_XkjG5U4ZkFBoNRhY/s1600/IMG_1251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieafcdnuAVSKI_BuIyRNGH3IimX_JbSJQNvmPBXrKjSNOkKs02OMsR83dAyG4vbbaDp1PLboKqsWJRSbFybbIPFYcmLjfi8OP7lYsuRWUrAXBi_fvmqKZPmBymgy_XkjG5U4ZkFBoNRhY/s200/IMG_1251.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almonds, Nutmeg and Clove Plantation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7t-zKDIZzrgAM3XTlDwgZOL_3C3oalwErxZWt7VJVqzSaX33c3AyUW4uNCeISaEKZ_xWLFXIOEdM1DYdRNFyr4svAa71a1-LdzPC9g81WlcyabOv_z-FDhdUpb4JTtnZ3ykO6Cq71HE/s1600/IMG_1247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh7t-zKDIZzrgAM3XTlDwgZOL_3C3oalwErxZWt7VJVqzSaX33c3AyUW4uNCeISaEKZ_xWLFXIOEdM1DYdRNFyr4svAa71a1-LdzPC9g81WlcyabOv_z-FDhdUpb4JTtnZ3ykO6Cq71HE/s200/IMG_1247.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cloves drying in the sun</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The inside of the nutmeg has a red shell around it which is
mace, apparently the secret ingredient in Coke (well it was a secret until you
read this). Again there are two harvests each year with the locals owning
between 20 and 40 trees each, part of the settlement after the Dutch gave up
the islands.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After visiting the plantations we stopped at the local
school. Very similar to the last except there were no teachers there today,
only children as they had all gone to a wedding. The guide showed us some of
the recycled items the school had been making. He had set up a project to
improve the issue of rubbish on Banda and was trying to get sponsorship to
place rubbish bins around the island. From what we could see he was doing
really well but it was a huge task . Later that week we witnessed the huge
ferry arriving and people just throwing all their rubbish overboard into the
water as they docked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Snorkelling</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2-5aP5um4QDzXgKKAAAYgJG81usLxXFC-qDuV5rb6OsmriO9P2aQGV0S51DDH1UqxpVVkZ0muPqgsB0KEmGOzQHmmR5oHiH5gsV5lVg2r5PEDpmWc1GhtTPmvK813mgqXoyExe92U3o/s1600/IMG_1276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ2-5aP5um4QDzXgKKAAAYgJG81usLxXFC-qDuV5rb6OsmriO9P2aQGV0S51DDH1UqxpVVkZ0muPqgsB0KEmGOzQHmmR5oHiH5gsV5lVg2r5PEDpmWc1GhtTPmvK813mgqXoyExe92U3o/s200/IMG_1276.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boat trip</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we set off on another boat with 15 of the
people from the rally to snorkel on the lava <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now less than30 years later, the
coral has regrown fully to provide a new and pristine coral garden in
beautifully clear water, something that normally takes hundreds of years. We
spent a good hour and a half exploring the bay before we were taken to another island
for lunch where the locals had provided a feast on the beach – cooked fish,
chicken and many traditional salads. We had lunch in the shade on a white
beach, playing with the local children.</div>
fields – the place where the lava
flowed into the ocean after the eruption in 1988, wiping out all the
coral.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last snorkelling trip of the day was around the headland
with huge coral fans and multitude of fish – in some ways more dramatic than
the lava fields. We were lucky that we chose that day to go since the next two
days were solid rain – monsoon rain.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the evening we had been all invited to the local hotel
for dinner and they catered for about 100 people. The hotel was owned by a
local businessman who had created a truly fabulous place in the renovation <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of an old Dutch colonial building. When the
meal finished about 9pm, we went for a walk and came across a Karaoke bar where
we met a small group from the rally. We had a great evening, dancing and
drinking until midnight when we gave up and went back to the boat. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Cookery Lesson</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Catherine had arranged to do a cookery course the next
afternoon in a local restaurant, dodging the heavy rain showers, while I
undertook some of the repairs on the boat. Five of the other people from the
rally had joined her at the restaurant to prepare fish ball soup, Aubergines
with Kenari sauce, Papaya flower salad and fried fish all very tasty local
dishes They use huge amounts of garlic, ginger and shallots in everything but
not an enormous amount of chilli. Apparently the further we go westwards the
hotter the food becomes. They also fry everything. It was challenging to use
the local cooking equipment but we all mucked in and produced enough good food
for about 25 people. In the evening we were joined by 30 people from the other
boats for dinner in the restaurant for a wonderful feast. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9RftSIJQf3uscq1j8oOHlbgrnqFUif5lXxNNveV2BsZCuvw3Y0bxjLcWR7i-W6MVfpKZfcR7V-r7bQpFFzjLtNZMlLk5N_nWcXZ6S_8rCILg4X1ppGUcH6yUYk5K7swkb1Dx_diWy9c/s1600/IMG_1290.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ9RftSIJQf3uscq1j8oOHlbgrnqFUif5lXxNNveV2BsZCuvw3Y0bxjLcWR7i-W6MVfpKZfcR7V-r7bQpFFzjLtNZMlLk5N_nWcXZ6S_8rCILg4X1ppGUcH6yUYk5K7swkb1Dx_diWy9c/s200/IMG_1290.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The market in the Monsoon Rain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For two days we had monsoon rains all day with very brief
interludes (it was the wet season in Banda Neira). The dinghy needed to be
emptied at least twice a day and one of the local boats tied up in the harbour
sank with the weight of rain and had to be dragged ashore to be dried out,
including the outboard motor that was still attached. Brief forays off the boat
between the short interludes meant we could do some shopping in the market,
where the streets were flooded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLCkELaSWrCSUi-0fYcr3nyrpuF8SmsNaalSlp64D83ndIM8k1ebbCAtHNXPH5OAeWfmwI6bWYrTOE8oj72aG9G9RWWlEVBis4KjGqlr9CI6WpNwnsLeD6wQ1gkA8iWq85yq6RBOGdfo/s1600/IMG_1306.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLCkELaSWrCSUi-0fYcr3nyrpuF8SmsNaalSlp64D83ndIM8k1ebbCAtHNXPH5OAeWfmwI6bWYrTOE8oj72aG9G9RWWlEVBis4KjGqlr9CI6WpNwnsLeD6wQ1gkA8iWq85yq6RBOGdfo/s200/IMG_1306.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old Dutch Fort</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On what should have been the fi<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">nal day, Catherine and I went
for a long walk around the town, exploring the alleyways, the old Dutch fort
with its impressively thick walls and the Chinese cemetery. </span>It was interesting to walk through the town
to see how the locals lived – in surprisingly good houses with small shops
interspersed. We also met the hotel owner on route who lives in one of the streets
and he invited us in to see his house which he uses as a guest house for
tourists wanting to live with a family rather than a hotel. We were quite taken
with the house, simply furnished but very attractive. We sat in the courtyard
in front of the fountain drinking tea and eating cakes, chatting with the owner
and his family. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Last Night</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the evening the hotel owner had invited all the boats for
a screening of a BBC documentary on the Spice Islands. Fascinating programme
and we were glad we were not Dutch! The English for once came out of it quite
well but then it was made by the BBC. Afterwards a group of us decided to eat
in the Nutmeg café across the road and one of the guides had walked with us.
She inquired if the owner could cook for 11 people and she said it was no
problem. Ten minutes later, staff started turning up on scooters, called up by
the owner. She even managed to get one of them to go and buy some beers for us
and they had to make several trips that night. Simple but good food and it was
nice to visit one of the less frequented restaurants.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Afterwards we persuaded everyone to go to the Karaoke bar as
it was our last night there. Lucy from Bamboozle (an English boat) set the
standard very high with her rendition of Hey Big Spender and it was all down-hill
from there. We managed to get everyone to take turns singing with each person
singing one line of the song before handing the mike to the next person.
Catherine then decided that she and I would sing a duet (neither of us can
sing) and she selected Whiter Shade of Pale – not a good choice unless you can
sing!!! But then others were equally as bad but after a few drinks it does not
really matter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A Slight Delay</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had got the boat ready to leave before we went out on
that last evening so were ready to go at first light. That was until I started
feeling unwell and could not get out of bed. A big ferry was due in the morning
which meant we had to move our boat before 10am which took a long time, mainly
because I could hardly stand. With the help of a couple of other boats who had
not yet left, we managed to get the boat tied up again, further along the dock
and I spent the next two days in bed with a kidney infection. Fortunately we
had the correct anti-biotics and three days later I was up and about but not
well enough to set sail until the following day. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maybe not surprisingly once the fleet had left the town
seemed to close down and return to what is a very quiet existence until the
next lot of tourists arrive in the high season at the end of August.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now we were ready to leave for the three day sail to Wanci.</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-11630285348670223412016-08-22T17:36:00.003-07:002016-08-22T17:36:52.743-07:00Port Douglas to Indonesia<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Port Douglas 4 July –
7 July</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We arrived at low water at 4pm into the marina berth we
booked. Well we nearly arrived since the marina had failed to tell us that the
berth only had one metre of water at low tide and we draw 1.6m. We managed to
get within 10 feet of the berth before we came to a dead stop. However no one
seemed to be bothered that we sticking out and passenger ferries had to detour
around us. The person who was on the dock ready to take our lines was the rigger
– there at 4pm as promised – although tying up was an academic exercise since
we were aground.</div>
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<br /></div>
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By 5pm he had the old shrouds off and by 6pm there was
enough water to get the boat tied up to the berth. At 10 am the next morning
the rigger was back with the newly made up shrouds and by lunchtime it was all
fixed. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We could have left then but we had been out into the town
the evening before and were quite taken with the place. An attractive tourist
place and the prettiest one we had visited in Australia so we stayed for
another day. Also some friends on Take Two had arrived and invited us for a BBQ
that night on their boat. A good night and we would have been sailing with them
to Indonesia if their auto pilot had not failed on the way to Port Douglas
requiring a replacement to be flown in from the USA. It was going to take at
least 10 days to get the part and they were stuck in Port Douglas.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLYeRSoS1R9hoLkFCJsaWIz7FhaIl9bvXxSCoEZzGWkWhDJQ-0boRIP3RSGM4mTmfDUAywTqthuIZRqilKIUQDKtKVP-dGyc4R_k68x1hQdklsR6YNQs9Drg7u_VJhTEAJ0481UgJ_DI/s1600/IMG_1169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLYeRSoS1R9hoLkFCJsaWIz7FhaIl9bvXxSCoEZzGWkWhDJQ-0boRIP3RSGM4mTmfDUAywTqthuIZRqilKIUQDKtKVP-dGyc4R_k68x1hQdklsR6YNQs9Drg7u_VJhTEAJ0481UgJ_DI/s200/IMG_1169.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunctime stop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We hired a car the next day to go to Daintree Forest, north
of Port Douglas and a real wilderness and rainforest. The three hour drive took
us across a river on a chain ferry and after 30 minutes we hardly saw another
car. We stopped several times along the way to walk through the forest along
well sign posted and marked footpaths but we saw no-one else. We came across a
restaurant with a fantastic view across a gorge and the surrounding forest, a
lovely setting complimented by the equally lovely food.<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYbi39wzGcbqUXmK_m6bAwD-vcZItbFNF3dJBj3XT5aUhqwCTkGgeRc4eOJKS2YdbyXuJI99EUnGQnl-qd1LPk9BE_Ngj2jTMfRXGxXGNNzI0j9_iAboR6aU7kn_UzLKNIUVjrJV54Go/s1600/IMG_1177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYbi39wzGcbqUXmK_m6bAwD-vcZItbFNF3dJBj3XT5aUhqwCTkGgeRc4eOJKS2YdbyXuJI99EUnGQnl-qd1LPk9BE_Ngj2jTMfRXGxXGNNzI0j9_iAboR6aU7kn_UzLKNIUVjrJV54Go/s200/IMG_1177.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking on the beach not an option - crocodiles!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JJyMG2eEWV21AoR5LVRCp5br5mBY7MeoTw6AqDeOv9FEhZeaRjteQb2Eo4Yq8fkBNu4W0lqZyDpM-NxYqNkfZ2sp-Ew5hSd5QKNSyxsvy9isqOYW9QYUXP5dDFIVkfYSuB_FhQPD8SY/s1600/IMG_1167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5JJyMG2eEWV21AoR5LVRCp5br5mBY7MeoTw6AqDeOv9FEhZeaRjteQb2Eo4Yq8fkBNu4W0lqZyDpM-NxYqNkfZ2sp-Ew5hSd5QKNSyxsvy9isqOYW9QYUXP5dDFIVkfYSuB_FhQPD8SY/s200/IMG_1167.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking in the rain forest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We carried along the road (the only road) to the end where
it runs out and becomes a dirt track for the next 50 miles to Cook town – the
most northern town along the coast. One of the reasons for going to the end of
the road was that there was a backpacker’s camp there with what the guide book
described as a great bar with a great view in the heart of the rain forest. Not so
great when it is dark and you cannot actually see anything (we did not think of
that) but it gave us a break before the long drive back. However the bar was
lively with lots of backpackers (young and old) staying in the very basic
accommodation.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Slog to Thursday
Island 7 July – 13 July</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We left the next day to sail overnight to our first stop,
Lizard Island on our 450 mile trip north to Thursday Island. North of Port Douglas,
civilisation runs out and apart from Lizard Island there are no people, phone
signal or any other signs of life. We arrived at Lizard Island at 10am the next
morning so we had the rest of the day to explore the well-marked routes across
the island. We looked for Mrs Watson’s house where she had lived with her
husband in 1880, a sea slug fisherman, until he went off to another island to
fish leaving her with her children and Chinese servants. Aborigines attacked them
but they managed to escape in a beche-de-mer boiling tub sailing to another
island only to become stranded with no water. Only a pigtail and her diary were
found which is how they know the story. All that is left of the house is a few stones. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We continued on ending at a small resort on the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were refused entry to the restaurant at
the resort when we eventually arrived there (as we were not guests) and even a
drink was out of the question. A little disappointing after the three hours
walk. However they did say we could use the bar, when it opened at 5pm – in two
hours’ time when it would also be dark making the route back more treacherous
(cannot see the snakes in the dark). So we headed back to the boat, hot and
thirsty.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Thereafter, our trip along the coast was just a series of 60
mile day hops which was just doable in the 11 hours of daylight with anchoring
overnight. It felt like a slog and dodging reefs and ships day after day in
rough conditions was not fun. On the last day we had planned to anchor in a sheltered
river particularly as we had discovered a rip in our mainsail and hoped to be
able to patch it there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could just
about get to it before dark but with the wind and waves building during the day
it made the entrance too dangerous to even attempt. We were forced to carry on
and round the northern most part of Australia in pitch black and anchor in the
shelter of the lee of the cape. Although Thursday Island was only a further 20
miles away, it had to be approached in good light because of the reefs so that
was not an option.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we approached the anchorage the wind got up to 30 knots
together with driving rain. Our attempt to shelter behind an island was dashed
when the depth sounder went down to 2m where the pilot book confidently
predicted 4m at low time. Not a time to take risks. In the dark and the rain we
decided to anchor outside in the channel with three other boats that were
already there. Soaked through after anchoring, we were pleased to be settled
for the night with just a simple 20 mile sail to Thursday Island the next
morning. We awoke in the middle of the night to check our anchor to find that
one of the boats had dragged their anchor and had had to re-anchor much further
out. Glad it wasn’t us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thursday Island 13
July – 15 July</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We arrived at Thursday Island in the Torres Straits the next
day after a very pleasant sail with one full day to spare before we were due to
leave for Indonesia. It was a bit of a shock since although it is part of
Australia, it had the feel of some of the poorer Pacific Islands with run down
infrastructure and shops which had seen better days. In the laundrette, which
doubled as a take away, restaurant and shop, there was a giant cockroach in the
middle of the floor and others to be seen all around. Needless to say we did
not eat there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We completed all the formalities to get our exit papers from
Australia without complications. When we had arrived in Australia we had our
wine bonded (they sealed the bunk cabin room) and we were threatened with
impounding our boat if they were not intact when we departed Australia. Customs
smiled when I asked if they were going to come aboard to unseal the room as
they explained that they do not have enough staff to go and visit boats. So we
broke the seals and spent the afternoon sorting out the boat once again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our final job before we left was to repair the mainsail
which had a rip in it from our sail up from Cairns (as had a few other boats).
We lowered the sail on to the deck in fairly strong winds (not easy) and
successfully repaired the rip before re-hoisting the sail. Two minutes later we
were lowering the sail to repair another rip we had not noticed before, dodging
the rain squalls coming through the anchorage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once that was completed we were ready to go.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sail to Indonesia 15
July – 20 July</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We set off with forecast of good winds from the SE and the
first couple of hours were pleasant sailing. That all changed as we cleared the
islands and we had a nasty chop from the south, with waves smashing on the beam
of the boat for the next 36 hours. The water in the Torres Straits is shallow,
30 m or so, and sleeping was near impossible as the motion of the boat was
awful. That all changed when we passed the southern end of Papua (the eastern
part of Papua New Guinea which is part of Indonesia) and we arrived in deeper
water and we headed north west, with the waves now coming from behind. With the
first 36 hours now forgotten we had a very pleasant couple of days sailing
towards Tual.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The final approach to Tual is through a narrow 50 miles
channel between two islands and we arrived there at dusk. We had been warned
that there are many unlit fishing boats in the channel, all made of wood so
they do not appear on radar, and we debated whether to hove-to and approach in
daylight. We opted for a very slow sail up the channel, which was well lit in
the full moon, and keep a sharp lookout. Several times we passed wooden
structures (like dog kennels) anchored in the channel less than 10m off our
beam which could not be seen but at 3 knots we were unlikely to cause too much
damage if we did hit them. They were unmanned so no threat of drowning someone.
Nonetheless it was not a relaxing night.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We anchored at 10am the next morning, exhausted but ready to
be boarded by quarantine, immigration and customs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-84619216856937191262016-08-22T17:25:00.000-07:002016-08-22T17:25:02.944-07:00Cairns and Sydney<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cairns and Sydney 20
June to 4 July 2016</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Cairns 20 June –22
June</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtU60XhTYkW-za8Y68PEebNU5-xIONohdrRssGrc9rlD94MyVUrHU_JUXPsN4DJxnDfe0UMw8SqNJYWdnylaQVfddM6zejwE5ExBkUP3dreKVPYROc_DC6GUexr9qfxRFXuuWplAo_60/s1600/IMG_1037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtU60XhTYkW-za8Y68PEebNU5-xIONohdrRssGrc9rlD94MyVUrHU_JUXPsN4DJxnDfe0UMw8SqNJYWdnylaQVfddM6zejwE5ExBkUP3dreKVPYROc_DC6GUexr9qfxRFXuuWplAo_60/s200/IMG_1037.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cairns at night</td></tr>
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We had booked a berth at Cairns marina as it was close to
the town and we had a lot to do before </div>
setting off to Indonesia – boat
maintenance, provisioning and attending a series of seminars on the trip.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our first priority was to fly to Sydney as we could not miss
this out on our first visit to Australia. We left Cairns in 28 degrees and
arrived in Sydney in 10 degrees. The sub-zero temperatures were a shock, back
once again in jeans, jackets and shoes. OK it was 10 degrees but it felt like
the depths of winter. This was the start of the coldest weekend of their winter
so far. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sydney 22 -27 June</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The five days in Sydney were very enjoyable, seeing all the usual
tourist places but first we had to take our passports and forms to the
Indonesian Embassy to apply for the visas for our upcoming trip. As the Embassy
was in Sydney we decided that we would deliver the forms by hand. After some
research on the internet we found the location of the Embassy – a 20 minute
walk to the bus stop, a thirty minute bus ride and a further 20 minutes’ walk
the other end – not exactly the central location we had assumed. We waited an
hour and half for the 2 minute appointment to hand in the forms and together
with the hour and a half trip each way - should have just posted them! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the way back we stayed on the bus to the old quarters - The
Rocks - near the Sydney Harbour Bridge which used to be the place of thieves,
drunks and prostitutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Attempts to
demolish the area to remove the blot on the landscape had failed many times and
it has become one of the main tourist areas with its network of alley ways. It
now boasts a host of up-market restaurants and cafes all trading on the areas’
illustrious past. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTI7AkeUlFnbt-ZY7Iyv6imT9k_bKk8FmOiGqL08vQhFlMDDv8R_J2g7fQ8tuWxRs5NHJDxJS5MdO0zhrYd1indZTN24QA53ejhDchUG1THOL3lebSZLyY6Zp6HpyGtQQSNXR0u8BL_4/s1600/IMG_1061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTI7AkeUlFnbt-ZY7Iyv6imT9k_bKk8FmOiGqL08vQhFlMDDv8R_J2g7fQ8tuWxRs5NHJDxJS5MdO0zhrYd1indZTN24QA53ejhDchUG1THOL3lebSZLyY6Zp6HpyGtQQSNXR0u8BL_4/s200/IMG_1061.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Opera House Bar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The evening was spent at the Sydney Opera house where we had
booked tickets to see Carmen – a <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice and easy for the tourists and all the
same very enjoyable and good performance. We had champagne at the interval while
we marvelled at the views of the harbour followed by a late supper in the Opera
House bar (outside) as we huddled under the outdoor heaters, eating and
enjoying the spectacular view of Sydney and the bridge. </div>
modern interpretation of the opera. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4izpU86l584nbpQeaPNdVrS0ckKvxrSpNcCHK327Cd-VZTcKRqBdCU37QuxNHhQsM5yudZSAwPBM4VYPKLUKQlNDUIuxQo3Ro9oDe2tczq_woGOwsWdaqKEPJciQgKpeWhD3zT6VKK4/s1600/IMG_1090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4izpU86l584nbpQeaPNdVrS0ckKvxrSpNcCHK327Cd-VZTcKRqBdCU37QuxNHhQsM5yudZSAwPBM4VYPKLUKQlNDUIuxQo3Ro9oDe2tczq_woGOwsWdaqKEPJciQgKpeWhD3zT6VKK4/s200/IMG_1090.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Botanical Gardens</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we took the bus to the botanical gardens and
spent the morning enjoying the walk around the gardens overlooking the harbour.
We tried unsuccessfully to visit the former governor’s residence in the grounds
as we did not have our passports (at the Indonesian Embassy) which were needed
to be allowed in. This was the day of the referendum and as we were walking
back past the harbour we were approached by Australian TV to give our views for
the lunchtime news. At that time it wasn’t looking hopeful and we were in a
state of disbelief. We were both interviewed and I went into on a bit of a rant,
having followed the debate and the misinformation that seemed to abound in the
UK press. Alas to no avail alas as it was all too late by then.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSAVKK6A08cAoNF4T_iWdfAF_25r28Ro9tiHeKV9o3wRpnqXIq_CSv8tA8N3iXKJFiPRaspHL9xvR5qcASUpbmX5SbhmeWTviEDfgJF84v91O4Ij2CB09rL6mBhFN-73mzzwWteKhQBA/s1600/IMG_1095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHSAVKK6A08cAoNF4T_iWdfAF_25r28Ro9tiHeKV9o3wRpnqXIq_CSv8tA8N3iXKJFiPRaspHL9xvR5qcASUpbmX5SbhmeWTviEDfgJF84v91O4Ij2CB09rL6mBhFN-73mzzwWteKhQBA/s200/IMG_1095.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kings Cross</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The afternoon was spent undertaking a tour on foot of the Kings
Cross area, following the route in the Lonely Planet guide. After a three hour
walk around the area, with Catherine providing the commentary along the way, we
stopped for a drink before heading back to the hotel, exhausted after our day’s
tour. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the evening, Catherine had found an Italian restaurant in
the guide book which was out of the tourist area and highly recommended and was
just a 30 minute walk away from our hotel (according to her). It was freezing
cold and an hour later we found the place which was packed with locals. With no
booking we waited for an hour for a table but the wait was well worth it and at
midnight we left for the hour walk back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSysMMyK-MoDIblRVfWeNj-EZrMPvbf1-QJLIn8Y1CKeGD441qZ8zBvxxZOakP5jRfnmuvI46VDHeAevCTys-qrJ5hqayu3szHWTKk2h-jCeGMlJSucctklNknoVTDHQYLcZ1v6CMZ8A4/s1600/IMG_1110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSysMMyK-MoDIblRVfWeNj-EZrMPvbf1-QJLIn8Y1CKeGD441qZ8zBvxxZOakP5jRfnmuvI46VDHeAevCTys-qrJ5hqayu3szHWTKk2h-jCeGMlJSucctklNknoVTDHQYLcZ1v6CMZ8A4/s200/IMG_1110.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No visit to Sydney is complete without walking across the
Sydney Bridge and although we decided not to do the climb the next day we took
the train to the north side of the harbour to visit the market with a long walk
around the north shore and back over the bridge. I did think that the bridge
was much bigger than it was but impressive all the same. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Arriving back on the south shore we took the traditional “old”
ferry for the 45 minute ride to Manley. It was an enjoyable trip across the
harbour and Manley is a very popular and attractive town with a great surfing
beach. Even better, we found a restaurant on the beach where we could eat while
watching the surfers on the big rolling waves, not ones for the novice. We set
off on a long walk around the headland scrambling up rocks and walking through
grassland always keeping an eye out for snakes (warning signs everywhere).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a few wrong turns and dead ends we finally made our
way back to the late ferry just before it got too dark to see. We visited the
Chinese quarters for a very late dinner along with the mainly Chinese customers.
With the menus in Chinese and the English translation rather opaque, we ended
up choosing our meal by looking at what others were eating and pointing to it
when the waiter asked for our order in broken English. Still not sure what we
ate but it was Ok but there again we were hungry and anything would have been
Ok by that time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The following day we headed west, taking two buses and a
train to get to the fish market – another tourist attraction. The range of fish
on offer was extraordinary, many that we had not heard of, and there were small
cafes in the market, all selling cooked fish in every way that is possible. It
was buzzing with life with people buying fish and all the cafes were packed
both with tourist and locals. Later that afternoon we visited the Australian
museum as we felt we had no real knowledge of indigenous Australians and wanted
to find out more. When we were in New Zealand we had visited lots of small
museums and galleries and Maori life was represented everywhere. In Australia
you seem to have to search for it. We learned little.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnmLbFognfxyvNIRK5w7eQBJnwWAz13iA28hSZ4bi-H6pcIh0AV3PTEzyVQ3bUUZCBtNhwyUjBf9Xdv_LAfc14B5z_Si7HboJBaeE6hkt9qDrRfAc1AXVP3n00nSApjA2zr_GbaERdZE/s1600/IMG_1134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnmLbFognfxyvNIRK5w7eQBJnwWAz13iA28hSZ4bi-H6pcIh0AV3PTEzyVQ3bUUZCBtNhwyUjBf9Xdv_LAfc14B5z_Si7HboJBaeE6hkt9qDrRfAc1AXVP3n00nSApjA2zr_GbaERdZE/s200/IMG_1134.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bondi Beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the day before we left, we decided we could not miss
going to the iconic Bondi beach – the playground for surfers in Sydney. With
just a 30 minute bus ride we were on the beach, watching the surfers out in
force, putting on displays for the huge number of spectators. However, after
our experience of Manley beach, Bondi seemed rather run down with seedy tourist
shops, trading on its reputation a little too much. There was however a
fantastic open air </div>
swimming pool hewn out of the rocks and we spent ages
watching swimmers with waves crashing over them as they swam up and down.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hySdoegm311LxnovUpePhHBtzepQBpNOd5xKuYdgcxdIieldOwxZl_bV8_cxpeES2-nr95wzTfjnLL9ekWNWiAAxIo_zGX7HflHhqpKq6qJQpfsqWZ53bnPcQIJOpqgT3mg-1WsISkg/s1600/IMG_1143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hySdoegm311LxnovUpePhHBtzepQBpNOd5xKuYdgcxdIieldOwxZl_bV8_cxpeES2-nr95wzTfjnLL9ekWNWiAAxIo_zGX7HflHhqpKq6qJQpfsqWZ53bnPcQIJOpqgT3mg-1WsISkg/s200/IMG_1143.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waves crashing into the Pool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After watching the
surfing and somewhat hazardous swimming for an hour or so we took the coastal
path to the next bay which was a 45 minute walk around the cliff tops. We
ignored the closed signs and yellow tape stopping people using the footpath (as
everyone did) and we walked, or rather climbed, along the footpath which had
been smashed by a storm. Pretty impressive damage and I can see why they closed
it. However, we managed to climb round the worst parts and enjoyed a very
pleasant walk to the next bay to find a somewhere for lunch. We came across a nice
restaurant with tables on the pavement and some good food in the sunshine while
we waited for the bus back to Sydney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Another very enjoyable day, our last unfortunately in Sydney but we felt
that we had seen enough after five days. And we had certainly walked enough!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back to Reality 27
June - 4 July</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We arrived back in Cairns to three days of talks on
Indonesia, weather, routes, places to visit etc. All very tedious and we could
have done the whole thing in one day which would have been better. It left us
only 4 days do everything else. We had to buy the remaining spares we needed
(most had been bought in England while we were there in April) but the list was
still long and would not be available in Indonesia. While the marina was close
to the town, the Chandlers were out of town requiring a 20 minute bus ride plus
a 30 minute walk to get there and it needed several trips. It made it a slow
process and in the heat of the day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-5uSJT_Km570DMYt76mZIPJNZD-a4LljgMdBSH8uMzVJSxEBb3AYuvHHAkolwdkXkEDVmesBGiTsGRGJeEXyFWxdcl1pi9iVDX3lkBFeo8LK41ws6Dr-7LTZ7R8gJvaoq6URrCvGZ1A/s1600/IMG_1044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-5uSJT_Km570DMYt76mZIPJNZD-a4LljgMdBSH8uMzVJSxEBb3AYuvHHAkolwdkXkEDVmesBGiTsGRGJeEXyFWxdcl1pi9iVDX3lkBFeo8LK41ws6Dr-7LTZ7R8gJvaoq6URrCvGZ1A/s200/IMG_1044.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alas I was not allowed to get our of the shopping</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Provisioning was the next priority. We had been provisioned
a lot in N<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ended up with two trolley
loads of shopping and a four hour job to try and store everything on the boat.
Not something that either of us enjoys.</div>
ew Zealand but we had been told that there are no dairy products
available in Indonesia, little meat (fridges and freezers are not common) and
very few actual shops – there are mainly markets selling fruit and
vegetables.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A day off</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fortunately we had been doing extensive maintenance since
before we left New Zealand so we only had small jobs left to complete (small
but important). We took a day off to go on a dive boat to the outer Barrier
Reef. We had snorkelled in the Whitsundays but that was only inner fringing
reef and with all the hype we were expecting some very special. It was a huge
disappointment. We had seen better reefs with more coral and fish on many of
the islands in the Pacific and much more accessible, normally just a snorkel
off the back of the boat rather than a two hour boat ride, crashing through
waves! We were pleased to have gone but only so that we felt that we had not
missed out – not because it was the amazing trip we were expecting. Maybe if we
had not been across the Pacific we might have been more impressed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Final Checks</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last day was spent checking everything and completing
all the last minute jobs. That is when I found that our Cap Shrouds (that go
right to the top of the mast) had broken strands in the wires which meant an
urgent replacement needed (otherwise the mast could come down in strong winds).
I could not believe it as we had the lower shrouds replaced in New Zealand and
the rigging checked by the rigger before we left. Mind you we had taken a
pounding on the way into Australia and the Cap Shrouds were the only one of the
three sets of shrouds that had not been replaced since we left England.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had resigned ourselves to the fact it would take at least
a week to get it replaced and we would not make it to Thursday Island to set
off with the rest of the boats. I phoned the first rigger who said he would not
be in Cairns for another week and he was the only rigger in the area. When I
mentioned that we might go off to Port Douglas, thirty miles north of Cairns,
he said he lived there and if we could get the boat there by 4pm the next day,
he could have the rigging done by the following midday as he could fit it in
with a big job he had on there. Our celebration was a little muted since riggers
are very good at promising to do things but not so hot on actually doing them
in the timescale promised. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">That
night we met up with Exocet Strike and to say our farewells. They were
re-joining the World Arc in Darwin to go back to the Caribbean to complete
their circumnavigation. We had met up with them several times after we both
left the rally in World Arc rally in Fiji and it felt strange that we probably
wouldn’t see them again, at least for a longtime.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">We left the next day, pleased to be on route again, albeit only to Port Douglas to get the rigging repaired. </span></span></span>Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-44009201348955895342016-06-16T15:27:00.000-07:002016-06-16T15:27:52.305-07:00Opua NZ to Mackay Australia<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Opua NZ to Mackay
Australia 14 May – 28 May 2016</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We set out on Saturday 14 May at noon for our 1800 mile trip
from Opua to Cairns in near perfect conditions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The first Few Nights</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We sailed for the first twelve hours in a good wind and it
all looked good. We had our pre-prepared traditional first night meal of chilli
con carne which just required heating and some rice to be cooked. Need to keep
everything simple on the first night and we know that it takes a couple of days
to settle into a routine, especially overnight where we alternate watches of
three hours each. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Wind died overnight and we started motoring north to get
some distance between us and NZ. Over the next 4 days we sailed in any wind
over eight knots in flat calm water and motored when the wind dropped below
this. In the first 5 days the wind never got over twelve knots so progress was
slow and we spent a lot of time motoring.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The first low hit NZ six days after we left and Opua<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was subject to 50 MPH winds but we were five
hundred miles north by then. We picked up thrity knot winds across the beam and
a steep sea for two nights which made sleeping difficult. I had to wake
Catherine up at 4am to put further reefs in the sail on the first night
although the forecast showed nothing but light winds!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two days later the wind died and we were back
to motoring in glassy seas but starting to worry about fuel. We had used three
quarters of our tank capacity in the first six days and no wind in sight.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To Kill a Mocking
Bird</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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On the seventh night I was on watch in a crystal clear sky
mesmerised by the clarity of the stars in the night sky when a bird starting
circling us. It kept trying to land on our wind generator but diverting at the
last moment and once again circling the boat. It was interesting for the first
hour but then starting to get annoying as if flew low over the cockpit. Then it
did manage to land on the wind generator for a second before taking off
straight into the wind generator’s vanes. A loud clunk and flying feathers was
the last I saw of the bird and in fact the last anyone would see of it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">An Active Front
Approaches</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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On day eight we heard on the forecast on the SSB radio that
another deep low was approaching NZ and would give rise to a series of active
cold fronts spreading out from Fiji right across to Australia. It was a very
active cold front with strong winds, squalls and lightening, giving rise to 5
metre swells in Fiji. With the previous experience of an active cold front etched
into our memories, we prepared for the worst and even considered diverting to Bundaberg
which was a lot closer than Mackay. </div>
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<br /></div>
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However, we would just arrive in Bundaberg
as the front hit - it would be better to be at sea with plenty of room to
manoeuvre rather than closing the coast so we continued towards Mackay.</div>
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We went through our standard procedure – shortening all the
sails early, preparing a meal that we could just heat up the next day and
checked every line and secured everything that might move on the boat. And we
waited, and waited. After 48 hours, the highest wind speed had been twelve
knots even though there had been a lot of ugly looking clouds. The clouds gave
way to sunshine once again and back to eight knot winds. A total non-event! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With 400 miles to go, all we needed was some wind. We were
on track to arrive on Friday morning which we would just be ahead of a NW wind
that was developing in the Capricorn Channel at that time. Nothing to worry
about, ten to fifteen knots <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and forty
degrees off our course so we could still sail directly up the channel.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Capricorn Channel</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Two days later we entered the Capricorn Channel for the last
200 miles of our journey which is all within the Great Barrier Reef. On the
Thursday night the winds rose to 25+ Knots from dead ahead which meant we had
to tack up the channel (some 100 miles wide at this point). A one knot current
had developed against us and the wind and waves had started to build quickly.
It was not long before our boat speed over ground fell to three knots with the
boat struggling against the wind, waves and the current. We had to make wide
tacks to keep the boat moving and we were now faced with a procession of cargo
ships coming up and down the channel.</div>
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<br /></div>
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With steep waves crashing over the front of the boat, we
could only tack by using the engine to turn the boat and even then it was not
easy. Overnight in the now 30 knot winds we had managed to close the distance
to Mackay by twelve miles in twelve hours. This continued for the next twenty
four hours as we laboriously tacked back and forward trying to make some
headway. Sleep was near impossible as the boat pitched and rolled in the sea.</div>
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<br /></div>
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On the Friday afternoon, a plane flew low over the boat and
the coast guard contacted us by radio. They could see we were struggling in the
weather and just wanted to make sure that we knew that it was illegal to stop
or anchor within Australian Coastal waters before we had cleared in at a
designated port. Welcome to Australia!</div>
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<br /></div>
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On the Friday night, we were eight miles before we could
turn out of the Channel and head the last sixty miles directly towards Mackay.
The forecast was for the wind to die on Saturday morning and we had so little
fuel we could not risk motoring. So we used the engine for two hours to head as
close to the wind as we could, almost straight into the waves which was very
uncomfortable and the boat shock we hit wave after wave and the water cascaded
down the sides of the boat.</div>
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<br /></div>
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As we reached the turning point around the rocks in the
channel (well-lit as they are a major navigation hazard), we could ease the
sails as we came round 60 degrees to port. The motion of the boat became
transformed and our boat speed increased to seven knots – and heading in the
right direction!</div>
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<br /></div>
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We got within twenty miles of the coast before the wind
died, the sea became glassy once again and the sun was out. We motored slowly
to conserve what little fuel we did have and spent three hours sorting out the
boat – lines everywhere, water everywhere and the inside of the boat looked
like it had been in a washing machine.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Clearance into
Australia</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We tied up at the Quarantine dock at 12:00 on the Saturday
exhausted. Customs and Immigration officers came on board and were very
friendly and very thorough. After ninety minutes on board, the boat once again
looked like it had been through a washing machine with every cushion removed,
every cupboard thoroughly searched and both of us interrogated separately (in a
very nice but very pointed fashion) – clearly checking that we had not stopped
on route and checking our stories independently.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We had to wait a further two hours before Bio Security
visited us and a slightly easier and shorter inspection followed – and then we
were free to berth in the marina.</div>
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We had talked about going out for a meal that night but when
it came to it we were both far too tired. We did however get some fish and
chips and managed to stay awake until 8pm before we went to bed. Fourteen hours
later we woke up, still feeling tired.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mackay</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Our plan had been to do nothing on the first day except get
on the bus to Mackay and have lunch. It was Sunday and there were no buses but
the lady at the Marina Office offered to lend us her car for the day. So we
decided that we would provision for the Whitsundays which would be a two weeks
visiting islands with limited or no facilities for provisioning. Shopping is
not our idea of a relaxing day but it had to be done at some point and it would
mean we could leave Mackay sooner rather than later – not somewhere to hang
around. And we were keen to sail up to the Whitsunday Islands which are
reported to be one of the best cruising grounds anywhere.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The guide book says that Mackay has nothing to offer and
suggested it was only good for provisioning but we still wanted to have a look
round for a day. The next day when we hired a car, the receptionist questioned
why we would want a car for the whole day –there is nothing to see here. For
us, a drive out to see the countryside was worth the effort and we were happy
to find somewhere to walk. We even saw a Kangaroo or was it a wallaby – not
sure which but exciting nonetheless.</div>
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<br /></div>
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That night we met up with some friends (Rob and Kay) we had
met in the South Pacific for drinks and dinner. They live in Mackay and keep
their boat in the marina. They gave us a list of islands to visit, which ones
to avoid and the best routes between the islands, depending on the weather. So
on Tuesday morning we said goodbye to Mackay and headed off for a couple of
weeks of island hopping.</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-24759439487048076222016-06-16T15:01:00.000-07:002016-06-16T15:01:07.979-07:00Arrival Back in NZ and Getting Ready for Australia<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Arrival Back in NZ
and Getting Ready for Australia 21 April – 14 May</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back To New Zealand</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The flight was no worse than expected – 24 hours on the
plane with a two hour stop-over in San Francisco. We had expected the worst in
transiting through the America with the finger printing, visas, endless queues
and so the slightly less than awful experience was upside.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We were met at Auckland airport at 6:30am by Glen and
Jillian who had arranged to take us to their beach house and onto our boat the
next day. After a very pleasant lunch sitting outside we began to appreciate
being back in the warmth and the sunshine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A shower and short sleep in the afternoon set
us up for the rest of the day, playing games and relaxing over dinner.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The next day Glen and Jillian took us to buy some provisions
on route back to the boat and we hauled our luggage back onto the boat, up the
very steep ladder. The antifoul had been done while we were away and once I had
sorted out the skin fittings that needed re-bedding, we could launch again –
hopefully the next day which was Saturday. The yard foreman told me that they
did not work at the weekend and the Monday was a public holiday so Tuesday was
the earliest we could launch. That meant four nights on the hard with no
running water, no toilet and a climbing the steep ladder up to the boat –we do
not like staying on the boat on the hard. However it did give us four days to
get on with jobs on the boat without the distraction of actually enjoying being
on the boat.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back in the Water</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The launch went without a hitch and we motored off along the
15 mile river back out to the sea with a good forecast in the offing. After two
hours the latest forecast had been updated with 30 knot winds and rough seas
now replacing the original forecast and as we reached the mouth of the river we
decided to anchor for the night while there was still plenty of daylight. Our
only option was to anchor on a lee shore i.e. with the wind blowing us towards
the land so that if the anchor drags the boat ends up as match wood on the
beach. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We dropped out anchor with plenty of sea room between us and
the shore in 30 knots of wind and we had four hours before dark to ensure the
anchor was holding. By night fall we were confident the anchor was rock solid
and despite the poor conditions, we were pleased to be back on the water. The
forecast also predicted the winds would drop overnight to less than 10 knots by
morning so things would only improve.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back to Opua</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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With no wind for two days we were forced to motor with one
overnight stop in a very pleasant anchorage on the way. We had brilliant
sunshine, calm seas it was a relaxing couple of days and enabled us to check
how the boat was working, albeit under motor rather than sail. </div>
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<br /></div>
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First night back was quiz night at the yacht club which we
could not miss. We joined with Exocet Strike (John, Brian and Stella) to form a
British contingent in the quiz and we were doing very well up until round 9
which had all questions on famous people in the press – the NZ press. We bombed
out with just one question right but still managed to come in third place
overall. It was a good night.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">To work on the Boat</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Our first priority was to get the water maker working
efficiently and to stop the small leaks that had developed. We spent two days,
stripping down the water maker, moving the pump so it was lower down in the boat
and cleaning the water maker with the specialist chemicals I had bought back
from the UK. The end result of all this was poultry 12 litres an hour which the
water maker obviously thought was good enough – we disagreed. Advice from the
supplier in the UK was to change all the seals and that should do the trick but
we would have to have them sent out from UK. </div>
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<br /></div>
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I had changed all the seals not 6 months earlier and talking
to other sailors, the complex energy recovery type water makers we had were
very efficient but needed constant maintenance – most had junked theirs. So we
did the same and invested in a mains driven system which would produce 115
litres per minute. The on-site company had a good reputation both for the
quality and simplicity of their water makers but more importantly agreed to get
it fitted before the end of the week. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Next day they started while I went off for a spot of golf at
Waitangi with John Martin who runs the rallies from NZ. A very enjoyable
afternoon in the warm sunshine and soft breeze off the sea and I played some of
my best golf in a long time. OK I lost the game by two holes but we played off
equal handicaps and he used to play off five, albeit fifteen years ago, so I
was not too upset.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The second priority was to get the rigging finished off. I
was concerned about the stiffness of the furling system and having read the
manual decided that dismantling the furling winch was not something I wanted to
tackle (I had plenty of other jobs that needed doing). Rob, the rigger we used
before, spent 7 hours getting the winch apart, servicing it and doing a few
other odd jobs. Seeing the problems he was having vindicated my decision not to
do this one myself. No problems with the furling on the mainsail after that. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Provisioning</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We had set aside two days for provisioning – one for
Catherine to do a recce (while I continued to work on the boat) and the other
to do the bulk of the buying. We had decided to provision not only for the
journey across to Australia but also the bulk dry goods we needed for Indonesia
where they are difficult to obtain. With three trolley loads, the small car
that we hired was looking decidedly small. And noticeably slower on the way
back.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of the worst part of a major provisioning is the
getting it all from the car to the boat and then finding places to put it. We
had had enough for one day so opted to put everything in the forward cabin and
shut the door.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Going for a Test Sail</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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By the end of the first week it was clear that the window
for leaving NZ had shifted back at least six days and so we decided that after
the water maker had been finished on the Saturday, we would take a couple of
days out in the Bay of Islands for a test sail. After all we had not actually
sailed the boat since January and we were going to embark on an 1800 mile
journey.</div>
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It was great to be out of the marina and into the bay again
and we switched off the engine and sailed in 15 knot winds. Catherine spent
most of the first afternoon asleep in the aft cabin which may have had
something to do with John, Stella and Brian from Exocet Strike coming over for
a drink the previous night.</div>
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<br /></div>
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That night we tackled the shopping still in the forward
cabin and spent four hours getting things labelled, packaged and stored in a
logical fashion i.e. so we had a sporting chance of actually finding something
when we wanted it. It transformed the boat and after the last week of the boat
being upside down due to all our maintenance efforts and installing the water
maker, it felt like home again. </div>
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<br /></div>
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While we were at anchor we carried on with our list of jobs
on the boat. As we sailed back into the marina we felt we had a good couple of
days and we had at least practiced some of our routines like setting the pole
for the genoa (which did take a few attempts before we got all the lines in the
right place). All helps confidence.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Darts Night</b></div>
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Wednesday night is the darts competition in the yacht club
(they play “halve-it” which we play in England), mainly played by locals but
with a few visiting yachtsman thrown in. Catherine and I joined in for a bit of
fun and remarkably I was in the lead for the whole game – up until the final
round where I missed the centre of the board to end up in forth position. That
final slip meant that I missed out on the first prize which was a glass of
wine. So close yet so far – it could have been my glass of wine.</div>
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The next day we decided to do our fresh meat, fruit and
vegetables provisioning for the trip to Australia – fourteen days. We had to
plan it so that we had no fresh food left as you cannot bring these items into
Australia. A small shopping trip compared to the last one.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Route and weather
preparation</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Since we had arrived back in Opua, I had been looking at the
weather, talking to other sailors about tactics and sorting out all the weather
forecasts for the journey. The advice was to head mainly North up until 25
degrees south (about 600 miles) and then turn left and head directly towards
Mackay. It was a longer route than heading directly from Mackay but got you
away quicker from NZ and the risk of a storm and quicker into the SE trade
winds. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Final Preparation</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We carried on doing jobs on the boat until 5pm on the Friday
including filling up with diesel. At that point we could relax which was
probably a bad thing. We both started thinking about the journey and the fact
that we had not really sailed any distance in the last six months and we were
about to set off on the longest journey with just the two of us on board. </div>
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The mild panic of the Friday night (pre match nerves)
dissipated by the next morning as we checked out with Customs and had a final
cup of coffee in the very nice café in the marina. We left at Noon with great
confidence and actually looking forward to being back at sea. We also left with
very fond memories of New Zealand and the people we knew well.</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-59782445775946627632015-11-08T11:57:00.000-08:002015-11-08T11:57:12.146-08:00Final Journey to New Zealand<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7FHviSAE8I5mvhvqzuKv1wCLE4ckHvj310ddtW69WCpmAohNKbwYaDO7z7KB8B5W8fnZP3MXPx4TemXzwQ9iehzLZQKwh_45QhHeYrBUsddYyiE86S4pwU3zkQstRvTLXWxVO-Nnvo4/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">New Caledonia to New
Zealand 21 October – 29 October 2015</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was always going to be the most challenging sail, 900
miles south east straight into the prevailing wind. The added complication is
the weather systems that originate in Australia and come up the Tamsan Sea,
across to New Zealand and then head north along the route we have to take. The
weather fronts are coming every 3-4 days so we will have to take at least one
on route and the advice is to be above 30 degrees south as they are much less
ferocious.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had been monitoring the weather for the previous week and
Wednesday 21 October looked good – right up until Wednesday morning when the
predicted NW wind did not materialise and we set off straight into a 25 knot SE
wind. The forecast for the following two days was for light winds and so we
decided to go – you can get stuck in Noumea waiting for the perfect weather
window and never leave.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The first Leg to
Norfolk Island - Wednesday 12 October to Saturday 24 October</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The first 18 hours were very uncomfortable with waves continually
crashing over the boat as we sailed close to the wind to head SE. If we had not
been confident that the wind was going to change we would have gone back, but
we battled on. At 11pm, at the end of my first night watch, Catherine took over
and I went to go to bed. I found the aft heads under water and we spent the
next 30 minutes bailing out the water with no obvious sign of where the water
was coming from. I closed off all the seacocks in the area and exhausted I went
to bed. Three hours later I was up for my second watch and we did not seem to
have taken on any more water, helped by the fact that the wind had abated and
the sea had calmed down. </div>
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With the wind dying, we were forced to motor but the motion
of the boat was much more comfortable. The next day we had almost no wind and
drizzle all day and it felt like sailing in England, particularly as the
temperature had started to drop as we headed further south. We motored all day.
The following day the wind was NW ahead of the next front coming through and we
managed to sail with a poled out genoa for much of the day, arriving at Norfolk
Island at 3pm in the afternoon.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Norfolk Island 24 –
25 October</b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7FHviSAE8I5mvhvqzuKv1wCLE4ckHvj310ddtW69WCpmAohNKbwYaDO7z7KB8B5W8fnZP3MXPx4TemXzwQ9iehzLZQKwh_45QhHeYrBUsddYyiE86S4pwU3zkQstRvTLXWxVO-Nnvo4/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+063.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP7FHviSAE8I5mvhvqzuKv1wCLE4ckHvj310ddtW69WCpmAohNKbwYaDO7z7KB8B5W8fnZP3MXPx4TemXzwQ9iehzLZQKwh_45QhHeYrBUsddYyiE86S4pwU3zkQstRvTLXWxVO-Nnvo4/s200/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+063.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first view of the Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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I was nervous about anchoring in Norfolk Island to wait out
the coming front since the swell can reach 3m and therefore remaining at anchor
is not possible. The supply ship that had arrived the previous week had to wait
six days at anchor before they could unload their cargo before the swell calmed
down. You hear many tales in Noumea about boats losing anchors, having to leave
anchorage at night and people saying they would never anchor there again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only about 20 boats each year stop and anchor
at Norfolk Island.</div>
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With the NW wind we anchored in Ball Bay in the south of the
island in very pleasant conditions. The wind was not due to go South until the
following morning when we would have to move anchorage. We could not go ashore
because we had not cleared in (it is owned by Australia) but we enjoyed a
restful afternoon at anchor and pleased for at least one night we would have a
comfortable night.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking in at Customs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We moved round to the east to Cascade bay the next morning
as the wind had turned south and we tucked into the shore to get out of the
building swell. Again I was very pleasantly surprised to find a sheltered
anchorage, pretty much out of the swell. We went ashore to meet the Customs and
Immigration Officer who checked us in and out at the same time so we would not
have to come ashore the next day to check out. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the highest point</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Customs Officer gave us a lift into the main town on the
island and took us up to the highest <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>peak on route so we could get a good view
of the whole island. She then dropped us into the town which was very small but
with a surprisingly good array of shops and restaurants for 1500 inhabitants on
the island. The island is only 5 miles
wide by 6 miles long.<br />
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We wanted to go and see the Norfol Island museum and we hitched a ride to the south and spent a couple of hours in the
museum which was very good. It told the story of Norfolk Island which had been
used as a penal colony until 1860 when the islanders of Pitcairn were
re-settled there and the penal colony closed down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By 1860 there were 150 people living on Pitcairn, an island
one square mile in the middle of the South Pacific, miles from anywhere. The
original inhabitants were 12 of the crew from the Bounty who sailed to the
island with their Tahitian wives and a group of other Tahitian men and women.
The 12 crew chose Pitcairn because it was remote and were therefore unlikely to
be caught after the mutiny on the Bounty – the other 12 stayed in Tahiti and
were tracked down by the Navy and most were hanged – 3 were pardoned as they
did not take part in the mutiny but could not joined Captain Bligh in his small
craft set adrift by the mutineers as it was too small.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwhIyFZOAgvI0SFiaxQlYAz0VSV0SEVBCnNK_rajLU-4d1JzMIZ88cFIpJmue7mti12_2Am71j5WqSJxk38o6Vek_XeuvtcXe7nHZPApHSoSCuf-KrmKcGlcUQjpsxtSBdxLfSDdC1AM/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwhIyFZOAgvI0SFiaxQlYAz0VSV0SEVBCnNK_rajLU-4d1JzMIZ88cFIpJmue7mti12_2Am71j5WqSJxk38o6Vek_XeuvtcXe7nHZPApHSoSCuf-KrmKcGlcUQjpsxtSBdxLfSDdC1AM/s200/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+093.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The old Penal Colony</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fletcher Christian (the first mate on the Bounty and leader
of the mutiny) was among the crew who sailed to Pitcairn. The mutineers burnt
the Bounty to ensure they would not be spotted by a passing ship and lived on
the island. Fights started to break out over the women and within a decade only
one of the mutineers survived, John Adams – all the rest were murdered in
fights and squabbles. By 1860, the number of descendants had reached 150 on an
impossibly small island and Queen Victoria agreed to let them live on Norfolk
Island after the closure of the penal colony. This kept the island populated
and hence under British rule.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main harbour - pretty rough out there</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVtr-SjwHtExRbDMKjtzBcc5o_pIWD9rxczn1KkNjgVPPKjXDLaDdaqiqOp1Wjrwfs7OGguAcC2FeclstseU1_EXA5jVV2HAqN1jJZ16O7X355lyLEbHHzIifhg4cCehXw9gIWRqAZ0I/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQVtr-SjwHtExRbDMKjtzBcc5o_pIWD9rxczn1KkNjgVPPKjXDLaDdaqiqOp1Wjrwfs7OGguAcC2FeclstseU1_EXA5jVV2HAqN1jJZ16O7X355lyLEbHHzIifhg4cCehXw9gIWRqAZ0I/s200/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+095.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many picturesque bays</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The island turned to tourism as their main source of income
after </div>
many failed attempts at other industries, including whaling which
survived a long time but died out as other sources of oil were discovered
elsewhere. For the last 50 years, Norfolk Island has been a tourist destination
for people from New Zealand and Australia. Many of the people living there are
descendants of the original mutineers and very proud of it. It is a very
beautiful island with stunning scenery and is very well kept. <br />
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGzx0OtzIx0vlVRGCFHDz09bWHBiEwKDb2IGOv8zGnhDXPbRlySDjpKv-q0b5PJ1eZRIePTpm4K7bB-OR3i18ig14XhRpHY3p735AllY4uNtcu2WqfWrjLKSQI9yKQDCwjOo92xtLH1E/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGzx0OtzIx0vlVRGCFHDz09bWHBiEwKDb2IGOv8zGnhDXPbRlySDjpKv-q0b5PJ1eZRIePTpm4K7bB-OR3i18ig14XhRpHY3p735AllY4uNtcu2WqfWrjLKSQI9yKQDCwjOo92xtLH1E/s200/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+103.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original 1860 house</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK1jiMMinEq1G95_cw5d_LHMxlQuxW2-OTdQNmhUnccmOCujsbgPCQfQ6LFwXMP-nN-n0qinV6jLbDeqzHc0MF70DKSmsk3_65AszFNVm-r7S2AAyicLEthjFegpXnlfshocVC1n2-Fs/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK1jiMMinEq1G95_cw5d_LHMxlQuxW2-OTdQNmhUnccmOCujsbgPCQfQ6LFwXMP-nN-n0qinV6jLbDeqzHc0MF70DKSmsk3_65AszFNVm-r7S2AAyicLEthjFegpXnlfshocVC1n2-Fs/s200/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+104.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original 1860 house</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On the way back we hitched a lift and were picked up by a
lady whose husband had been one of the direct descendants from Pitcairn and she
still lived in one of the original houses. As we had only one day on the
island, she took us on a tour of the bays and tourist sights before taking us
back to her house for tea. It was a very enjoyable afternoon and we learnt a
lot about life and the people.<br />
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She dropped us back at the dinghy dock at 7pm and we took
our dinghy back to the boat. By this time the swell had come into the bay and
the boat rocked violently making it very difficult to get back on the boat. The
swell was forecast to increase making anchoring anywhere in Norfolk Island
dangerous so we would have to leave the next day (which we had planned to do
anyway). A quick engine check revealed that we had taken on a small amount of
water into the engine compartment but nothing serious.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Final Leg Monday
26 October – Thursday 29 October</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The next weather front was due across the top of New Zealand
at 8am in three days’ time and we had to cover the 410 miles to the North Cape
before that time. The forecast was for 35-40 knot winds with 4.5 metre seas
north of the cape by 8am on Thursday. Once inside the cape, we could cover the
remaining 80 miles to Opua (our point of entry into New Zealand) in the shelter
of the island with much lower wind speeds and wave heights. Not getting there
by 8am to the North Cape was not an option we wanted to contemplate.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The forecast winds on the Monday morning of 10-12 knots from
the south turned out to be 25 knots from the SE with steep waves. Another 24
hours of crashing into waves and sailing well off our course to New Zealand. It
was slow going into the wind and we were not even going in right direction!
After the first day I checked the bilges and found significant amount of water
in the engine compartment. We bailed out 6 gallons of water! We were also
making very slow progress towards New Zealand and would have to cover 150 miles
for the remaining two days – something we could not do unless the wind changed.</div>
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The second day (Tuesday) was light southerly winds which
allowed us to head directly for New Zealand and we continued to motor sail. By
2am, the water in the engine compartment was again getting serious and I rigged
up an electric bilge pump which would enable us to keep the engine compartment clear
of any water. I already had the fittings in place and it was just a matter of
installing all the components. Thirty minutes later we had the bilge pump in
and working – just shows what you can do when you need to even at 2am in the
morning.</div>
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<br /></div>
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With the full sails up and the engine on we were making 7
knots which gave us some confidence that we had a chance to get into the
shelter of the cape before 8am on Thursday. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the Wednesday the wind started going round
to the NW ahead of the coming front (as expected) and with full sails and the
motor on we were doing 8.5 knots. Burning diesel was a better option than being
caught out in the weather front so we kept motoring until 2am when we were
doing over 10 knots with a 30 knots wind. At this time I was comfortable that we
could make the cape well before 8am and we switched off the engine and sailed
the rest of the way, reaching the cape at 3am – just 5 hours ahead of the
weather front.</div>
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<br /></div>
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For the first time in three days we could relax and even the
rain associated with the front and the expected thunderstorms were not a worry
for the last leg of the journey. In the event, the predicted thunderstorms did
not arrive until after we had tied up at the Q dock (quarantine dock where
boats stay until they have cleared customs, immigration and quarantine checks).
What a relief to be secure on a berth – the weather could do what it liked
then.</div>
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Before we could open our first beer, customs and immigration
boarded us and cleared us within 15 minutes. Twenty minutes later quarantine
came aboard and went through the whole boat, including the fridge, freezer,
lockers and bilges to check everything – NZ are very hot on this. Within an
hour of arriving we were cleared and had a berth allocated in the marina and
were free to go ashore. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We celebrated our arrival with a bottle of champagne after a
nail biting few days and pleased to have got through the sail to New Zealand
relatively unscathed. We headed to the yacht club to meet up with our friends
from other boats for more drinks and fish and chips for dinner. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slept well that night!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Opua is the centre of sailing in this part of New Zealand
with hundreds of boats here. It is very picturesque reminding us of maybe
Cornwall but with very few houses, cars and people here. The weather is cold at
night (we are back to wearing jeans and fleeces at night) and warm in the
sunshine during the day. It can also be cold during the day when a weather
front comes through and you get a cold wind straight from the Antarctic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is not much in Opua apart from marine service companies
and chandlers but you can buy anything here and get any type of work done. We
have spent the first five days here sorting out the boat, fixing things,
replacing the VHF and arranging for work to be done – mainly the rigging ( I
found a broken strand on the rigging just before we left Noumea) and the water
leak into the aft heads and the engine compartment. It will mean lifting out
the boat but it will be a relief to get all this fixed. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then we can start
enjoying New Zealand for the next 6 months!</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-91959530282162526402015-11-08T11:31:00.000-08:002015-11-08T11:31:01.578-08:00New Caledonia - Grand Terre<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Grand Terre: 9 October
– 21 October 2015</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We left Ile Des Pins for Bay de Prony on Grand Terre after
two weeks of effectively a holiday – two weeks of reading, walking and eating
and drinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all the Ile Des Pins
is the holiday island!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bay de Prony:
Thursday 9 – Monday 12 October</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The 40 mile trip north to Grand Terre was fast in 25 knots
winds and I had decided that we would go to Ile Casy (a small island in Bay de
Prony), mainly because it had mooring buoys on the deserted island which was an
easier option than anchoring – a good a reason as any.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPQtNnA9RwcEDnX-vhUUCwt9Xk1BSQp2-h7TR2qnR2Y4FJtkuVpZjEe4tghVsk3PdobBH8VfvETG5doZ_LPlmBnBd0DbNJJJEPjKtqQB0H97sttPq7VLUwnE9dql3UwfvMR03QnKJV3k/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>One of the legends of the island is the dog that lives
there. When the owners of the resort (now in ruins) finally left, they had a
puppy which they took with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
puppy kept jumping off the boat to go back to the island and so they left it
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It now takes people on a tour of
the island and in return, you provide him with some water and food.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4gzAvsORXfTRrOwiSRbhAgWlSGeBKEMLU77yU4puim4ZeViUqzsH6j5lqqBRSHg2p_3MrEfERhGuuYcavPQmCdG_IoA3-XuDXFuue1eR8shaCgVgsweOyBn23_c4pOFlAbLZo8h-ZRg/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5TmstMsQ_O05fO0VChiV7ioaPgR1xt20-WhO3rdxpldfVXXjm4xut44tCSKu9zC3kEpSrZlQO6KZryTOBVlOB6bWeBX8RyaeorZ34xi6aKFnJljGDqL_gpiU3rxpqghP61NUT58sTWQ/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5TmstMsQ_O05fO0VChiV7ioaPgR1xt20-WhO3rdxpldfVXXjm4xut44tCSKu9zC3kEpSrZlQO6KZryTOBVlOB6bWeBX8RyaeorZ34xi6aKFnJljGDqL_gpiU3rxpqghP61NUT58sTWQ/s200/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+007.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking us along the beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPQtNnA9RwcEDnX-vhUUCwt9Xk1BSQp2-h7TR2qnR2Y4FJtkuVpZjEe4tghVsk3PdobBH8VfvETG5doZ_LPlmBnBd0DbNJJJEPjKtqQB0H97sttPq7VLUwnE9dql3UwfvMR03QnKJV3k/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+005.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPQtNnA9RwcEDnX-vhUUCwt9Xk1BSQp2-h7TR2qnR2Y4FJtkuVpZjEe4tghVsk3PdobBH8VfvETG5doZ_LPlmBnBd0DbNJJJEPjKtqQB0H97sttPq7VLUwnE9dql3UwfvMR03QnKJV3k/s200/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+005.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking through the forest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When we took our dinghy to the dock, the dog was duly
waiting for us with its tail wagging. He walked in front of us, taking us for
an hour and half walk around the island, stopping and waiting to ensure we were
following. He took us around the island and then over the top. A lot of money
had been spent making the walks good footpaths, fences in places and <br />
sign posts
at strategic points. As we came back towards the dinghy dock, the dog heard
another dinghy engine and went bounding off to wait for the next group of
sailors.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4gzAvsORXfTRrOwiSRbhAgWlSGeBKEMLU77yU4puim4ZeViUqzsH6j5lqqBRSHg2p_3MrEfERhGuuYcavPQmCdG_IoA3-XuDXFuue1eR8shaCgVgsweOyBn23_c4pOFlAbLZo8h-ZRg/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+003.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC4gzAvsORXfTRrOwiSRbhAgWlSGeBKEMLU77yU4puim4ZeViUqzsH6j5lqqBRSHg2p_3MrEfERhGuuYcavPQmCdG_IoA3-XuDXFuue1eR8shaCgVgsweOyBn23_c4pOFlAbLZo8h-ZRg/s200/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+003.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing us the view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGaLU6NkgGTG8cPvQGPYDG8WVUuVO5IGclbCH4uuHb3-E4GxI_nuoXcMyubHjYYypd63BOngtqhiiddd3V3Pw7G3e98oj_qHeiLSPuYFAUdEdLnbeu4OYCNMI31ejK7IpTJozh15jEkk/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGaLU6NkgGTG8cPvQGPYDG8WVUuVO5IGclbCH4uuHb3-E4GxI_nuoXcMyubHjYYypd63BOngtqhiiddd3V3Pw7G3e98oj_qHeiLSPuYFAUdEdLnbeu4OYCNMI31ejK7IpTJozh15jEkk/s200/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+004.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view the dog wanted us to see</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The resort itself is still intact but is looking rather
sorry for itself – boarded up and overgrown. This is a real shame because the
island is very attractive. The soil is a deep red colour due to the high
mineral content in the area and indeed on the mainland there is extensive
nickel mining – one of the highest concentrates of nickel anywhere on the
planet. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE133sYsRqKLgLJS9074HfXr8l3O1thCIzAL5dpJrGd_7UfCsDixMgfuiXsVpGHnV9DiYHsS0RMk_cqIvqV1Ugawd3m_GwnSDDVfD-8D2Ju60O6onovE5XN6l2UbMNP7gN6xiDXNt3i4c/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE133sYsRqKLgLJS9074HfXr8l3O1thCIzAL5dpJrGd_7UfCsDixMgfuiXsVpGHnV9DiYHsS0RMk_cqIvqV1Ugawd3m_GwnSDDVfD-8D2Ju60O6onovE5XN6l2UbMNP7gN6xiDXNt3i4c/s200/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+045.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The red is the high nickel content</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tapeqXZErnUQZPILTkWsP2otLTT4fOTfLbJ0_fsqAun6M_s8afrrSf8u9ADbBa_jacK_lwaUUok8i69XoLDVAGFdKfCJJOsOPx5_dz-VZSVFtHAEcu2JsvCxScJ6Fb_Bn-hlbcWuoOU/s1600/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6tapeqXZErnUQZPILTkWsP2otLTT4fOTfLbJ0_fsqAun6M_s8afrrSf8u9ADbBa_jacK_lwaUUok8i69XoLDVAGFdKfCJJOsOPx5_dz-VZSVFtHAEcu2JsvCxScJ6Fb_Bn-hlbcWuoOU/s200/Noumea+and+Norflok+Is+048.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the waterfalls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we went further up into the Bay de Prony and
</div>
anchored in an inlet so we could do some trekking on the mainland. We spent the
next couple of days walking up hills and along the coast, some of which were
old mining roads, carving huge flat pieces of rock out of the hills to make the
roads and other were very attractive walks through the forest. The waterfalls
at this time of year are tame since it is the dry season, but from the drainage
ditches that were dug when these were heavily mined, they must get a huge
rainfall here – the pictures of the waterfalls in the guide book were obviously
taken in the wet season!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Noumea: Monday 12
October – Wednesday 21 October</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had allowed ourselves 7 days at Noumea so that we could
spend 2 days preparing the boat for the trip to New Zealand and 5 days touring
the island by car. Noumea is the port of departure for New Caledonia and so all
boats have to leave from there, it is the only place you can clear customs and
immigration. The harbour therefore gets very crowded with all the boats waiting
for a weather window to depart to New Zealand or Australia ahead of the start
of the cyclone season. Typically you get a weather window every two weeks or
so.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We arrived at 4pm to a very crowded harbour. The first
marina did not even answer our VHF request for a berth and I telephoned the other
marina with little hope of finding a berth with so many boats at anchor. The
Port Captain only spoke French but I was able to negotiate a berth for two
nights, on the jetty assigned to Super Yachts. It was the last berth available
and we only secured it because we could speak French which gave us an advantage
in securing a berth. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning I set about servicing the engine. After two
hours, my foot was really hurting where I had cut it on some coral a couple of
weeks earlier – it had become infected and very sore. An hour later I started
feeling unwell and had to lie down with the engine still not finished. An
afternoon of shivering and sweating alternately convinced me that I needed to
see a doctor, not least because it was likely that we would have a weather
window to leave in about a week’s time and I needed to be fit. Also, two people
on other boats both had infected wounds, one of which became very seriously
infected and he was still not well after two months.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning Catherine went to see the Port Captain to
arrange a doctor and he phoned around. He organised a taxi to take me to the
hospital and could see that I was in a very poor state, as much worried as not
well. The doctor checked the coral cut and took an Xray my foot to check there
was no coral still inside and gave me a thorough check up. The wound was
infected but no coral inside, it just needed careful cleaning twice a day and
kept dry. He gave me some antibiotics for the fever and re-assured me that it
was not a blood infection that caused the fever. It was a huge relief.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The marina allowed us to stay on the berth for a couple more
days, moving off other boats to make way for the super yacht that was arriving.
This meant that at least Catherine could get off the boat while I laid and
watched DVDs when not sleeping. We then did have to move the boat to another
berth that they found for us and with the help of the marina we managed to move
the boat to a new berth where we could stay until we left.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the fifth day (Saturday) we went for a walk in the
afternoon and I felt a lot better for the walk. On the Sunday we took a bus to
the Cultural Museum which was about 5 miles out of town. When we arrived they
had a special children’s event weekend that meant that the tickets were three
times the normal price with lots of shows and activities for children. It was
also pouring with rain that meant most of them had to be cancelled! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We spent four hours there among an eclectic mix of exhibits
and if there was a story behind the random selection and arrangement of the
exhibits it was well hidden. For a cultural museum it lacked much to say on
culture or history. Nonetheless we did give it our best shot.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Monday and Tuesday we spent preparing for the departure.
Final rig checks, provisioning for just the number of days at sea (since we
would have to jettison all fruit, vegetables and meat before arriving in New
Zealand) and buying some more Jeri cans of fuel just in case we had to motor
extensively. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had a final meal with our friends from Chessie,
Serendipity and On The Double in town before we all went our own way. Chessie
were berthing their boat in Noumea and heading back to Germany for Christmas,
Serendipity were off to Australia and ourselves and On The Double were going to
New Zealand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No doubt we will all meet
up again next year on route and it reminded us of what a good time we all had
together over the last couple of months. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The weather was keenly watched by everyone and a departure
on the Wednesday was looking good. We listened to Gulf Harbour Radio on the SSB
each morning at 6:30am which provides weather routing information for yachties
travelling to New Zealand, downloaded the weather grib files each day to look
at the 10 day weather patterns and joined in the 8am VHF net to share weather
information with the other boats. All looked good for the first three days of
the passage with a weather front then coming up from Australia. We knew that we
would have to take at least one weather front on route but the plan was to anchor
at Norfolk Island to let this one go through and then dash to New Zealand
before the next one.</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">On
Tuesday night we felt we were ready for an early start on the Wednesday morning
with all preparations completed for our most difficult journey to date.</span></span></span>Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-32279677849285464932015-10-10T14:37:00.000-07:002015-10-10T14:37:09.449-07:00New Caledonia: Ile Des Pins<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ile Des Pins</b>
Thursday 25 September – Thursday 8 October</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We left on Thursday 25<sup>th</sup> September to set off as
the winds were forecast to be from the NW and we were heading SE to the Ile Des
Pins. The winds were a gentle NW winds for two hours and then the rest of the
journey the winds were all over the place – south, NW and then SW. We arrived
at 10am exhausted into Bay D’Oro on the Ile Des Pins, dropped the anchor in the
outer bay and had some sleep. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bay D’Oro</b> 25<sup>
</sup>September – 1 October</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8neOV6b49nLYWnZ5ulyAngEwrLF57RwThfUI6nb3FEgP1obW1ti-6zauFyEAWx3VJ1BdZMGsYFD9N3oy89bvpOiUTBmZeAK7RoROwIgnBxeIyy6tKjOvbwTEwO94xSvJsimtEmlsYmE/s1600/iphone+411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj8neOV6b49nLYWnZ5ulyAngEwrLF57RwThfUI6nb3FEgP1obW1ti-6zauFyEAWx3VJ1BdZMGsYFD9N3oy89bvpOiUTBmZeAK7RoROwIgnBxeIyy6tKjOvbwTEwO94xSvJsimtEmlsYmE/s200/iphone+411.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bay D'Oro</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That afternoon, just before high tide, we upped anchor and
motored across the sand spit with just <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
anchored without problem and later in the afternoon, ourselves, Huck, On the
Double and Serendipity met up in the beach resort for drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sat in a lovely outside seating area on
the beach and eventually were served drinks - the service was even slow service
by “island time” standards.</div>
20cm under the keel in places to the
more protected inner anchorage.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fun and Games
Anchoring</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning our boat had swung round with the change in
wind direction so I snorkelled to check. I found that we had just 1cm under the
keel now with nearly 3 hours before low tide so we were going to go aground
very shortly. We quickly picked up the anchor and re-anchored further south in
deeper water but the uneven bottom meant we were still at risk of going
aground. Heading further north we found a spot and were quite happy until we
surveyed the area in the dinghy – a big bombie just 20m from to the side of the
boat which we would hit if the wind was in the SE. This was becoming tedious.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afar VI at Anchor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Over the next 90 minutes we surveyed the area in the dinghy
using a 2m canoe paddle to test the depths around the bay. The bottom was so
uneven there were shallows all over the place but we eventually we found some
even ground between On The Double and Serendipity. It was 2m at low tide which
was the minimum we were happy with but it was tight between the boats. We
re-anchored for the last time.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Exploring Bay D’Oro</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That done, Catherine and I went ashore and walked around Bay
D’Oro, going up to the Piscine <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7e-KeGInU0qWXZCCgZkdmTryX7QLvyKiFgnxyInO1Fys-Pht-pjvrJYHB1woFGxOVVeKSEC9HiOK8evVl7fB-YyMubGJVkVw7Pi7p1JPCPgNWkBgkRJJ12A-OOthXJbtXxOEYD21HuY/s1600/iphone+433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7e-KeGInU0qWXZCCgZkdmTryX7QLvyKiFgnxyInO1Fys-Pht-pjvrJYHB1woFGxOVVeKSEC9HiOK8evVl7fB-YyMubGJVkVw7Pi7p1JPCPgNWkBgkRJJ12A-OOthXJbtXxOEYD21HuY/s200/iphone+433.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach on Bay D'Oro</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Naturale which is a small lagoon about 1km from
the anchorage. It was a beautiful walk along the beach and through a dried river
bed surrounded by pine trees. The Piscine was secluded with the sea only
entering the lagoon at high tide. We walked back along a different path to the
beach restaurant where we met Huck and Serendipity still having lunch. We
joined them for a drink and decided that we would book there for lunch the next
day on their recommendation.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning On the Double re-anchored to give us some
more space as we were a little close to them – closer than we have wanted. We
did feel guilty that they had to move but they were happy to do so as they were
not so constrained by their draft. We had drinks on their boat that evening
along with Serendipity and Huck and it was a jolly evening, so much so that
Catherine managed to fall off the back of their boat while trying to get back
into our dinghy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least the water is
warm. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking the dinghy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Sunday morning we took off in the dinghy to explore round
the other islands in the bay. At low </div>
tide, it was too shallow even for the
dinghy and at one stage Catherine got out and pulled the dinghy through the
very shallow parts since we could not use the motor. The islands were a delight
with white sandy beaches surrounded by pine trees. We changed back on the boat
ready for lunch and took our snorkelling gear to go back to the Piscine Natural
in the afternoon.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgZ_MqQFn001wOt7r2M5_qyyoRLuJF1zCvJJ7AV-ek4TpK26NGvPBzRAOK5ge7ERC2kohZQr1tWhS1uJoHpknUY8_A7fQoGa5KBTZw-Jk3iMl5igTjzpoIQk6Zp9oborAJxlHCSjIGmg/s1600/iphone+420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhgZ_MqQFn001wOt7r2M5_qyyoRLuJF1zCvJJ7AV-ek4TpK26NGvPBzRAOK5ge7ERC2kohZQr1tWhS1uJoHpknUY8_A7fQoGa5KBTZw-Jk3iMl5igTjzpoIQk6Zp9oborAJxlHCSjIGmg/s200/iphone+420.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobster for lunch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWvF-FvQsPCWhk7J9highb_V6z42ycpcLgrg5WIXGoxm4W6zvsslDmXaH6yRGX9-afGwlU1eDYV8ZY24_uVGez4yIBVZXZRxTsqTIGWYRM4V7AgiqZKJByHlxGfJsC9pm-MjXz0dapsU/s1600/iphone+421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwWvF-FvQsPCWhk7J9highb_V6z42ycpcLgrg5WIXGoxm4W6zvsslDmXaH6yRGX9-afGwlU1eDYV8ZY24_uVGez4yIBVZXZRxTsqTIGWYRM4V7AgiqZKJByHlxGfJsC9pm-MjXz0dapsU/s200/iphone+421.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxing lunch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The starter of salad and snails was delicious and the
lobster was as good as we had eaten. The setting on the beach was just perfect
and we spent a happy couple of hours over lunch before heading to the Piscine
Natural. The snorkelling was fantastic with a huge variety of fish, clams and
some good corals. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That evening all of us had drinks on Chessie as we had not
seen them since they arrived. Over drinks, we decided that we would have a
beach BBQ the following evening on a secluded beach on one of the islands. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8OGoFF1NoQc-2ZgjdYSi0e9qQOHhnZuogid4tQT1YXTVKDa65L-teUUYrCXRpxGx1mHX_CFn50BXtAIvp8MBF10rSyP-Fyc4GIyQMdfzkuiu_3sT0lHfcAB_xmGxHUwqEHvwwz0vRKUI/s1600/Ile+Des+Pins+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8OGoFF1NoQc-2ZgjdYSi0e9qQOHhnZuogid4tQT1YXTVKDa65L-teUUYrCXRpxGx1mHX_CFn50BXtAIvp8MBF10rSyP-Fyc4GIyQMdfzkuiu_3sT0lHfcAB_xmGxHUwqEHvwwz0vRKUI/s200/Ile+Des+Pins+022.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BBQ on the Beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT31MLa_x9pIaG_dTJRS8DPZieLNxtOSuKfSTmyZVmgNvOpALRVkCtRM3kcviBD6jNuEbV5qqVIekAmEL4CjW0UBmKMp1Yg4AQrKTV7qhkjMX2EWkFuLnmaRbgVF5lmu1xFaWUd1JDlA0/s1600/Ile+Des+Pins+027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT31MLa_x9pIaG_dTJRS8DPZieLNxtOSuKfSTmyZVmgNvOpALRVkCtRM3kcviBD6jNuEbV5qqVIekAmEL4CjW0UBmKMp1Yg4AQrKTV7qhkjMX2EWkFuLnmaRbgVF5lmu1xFaWUd1JDlA0/s200/Ile+Des+Pins+027.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset att the BBQ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The five boats met on the island at 4pm the next day to get
the fire </div>
going and we all brought a variety of food which we all shared. We
cooked over an open fire with the stars overhead and the full moon providing
almost daylight conditions - idyllic. The dinghy ride back through the islands
was equally magical, the pine trees and the calm water illuminated by the full
moon.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were all running low on cash and Huck booked a mini bus
for the next day (Wednesday) to take us to the local market and more
importantly the cash machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We met the
driver at 7am at the resort and he took us to the market and on a tour of the
island including two local shops to buy much needed provisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The island does not sell any alcohol except
in the resorts – it part of the island policy which is owned by the indigenous
Kanaks to stop the locals drinking. The driver took us to a restaurant which
would sell us some beer to take away as long as we were discreet – but very
expensive. We decided we were not that desperate.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had had four consecutive very sociable evenings and had
all agreed that we would have a quite (and temperate) evening on board on own
boats that night. After the hard day’s shopping and island tour Catherine and I
decided to have a quiet lunch in the resort. It was not long before all the
boats decided that was a good idea and we all met up for lunch. Three hours
later we left the restaurant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much
for temperance!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ouameo</b> 1 October
– 2 October</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Friday morning, just before high tide we carefully made
our way back across the sand spit and back out into the ocean to go to Ouameo
on the other side of the island. It was only a couple of hours of motoring in
light winds, wending our way through the reefs and bombies and we dropped
anchor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two hours later and after ten
attempts to get the anchor to hold in the very thin sand over rock, we decided
enough was enough. I was not happy with how the anchor had dug in but it held.
If nothing else it gave the other boats great amusement to see us re-anchor so
many times. Most of the other boats had some trouble anchoring but we made an
art form of it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had two reasons for going to Ouameo. Firstly the weather
was about to change with very strong SE winds and so we wanted to be on the
west side of the island. The second reason was there was a small resort with
free wifi and a bar. However when we went ashore to explore, the resort was
closed temporarily as there were no guests at that time. There was nothing to
commend the anchorage – poor holding, not attractive as an anchorage and miles
from anywhere. Kuto was the next bay along and only 8 miles but through a very
tricky and circuitous route which needed to be made in settled weather, with
the tide flowing against (to give more control) and good light to see the
bombies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kuto</b> 2 October –
8 October</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning the weather had changed with 20 knots plus
in the anchorage and poor light. Catherine and I decided that it was too
dangerous to go through the narrow pass directly to Kuto and opted to take the
long route around the reef along with Chessie – 30 miles. We knew it would be
rough, going outside the reef and directly into the wind and it did not
disappoint! The two catamarans (On the Double and Serendipity) went through the
pass as they have two engines which provide more control in tight situations
and they also have a shallower draft.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Huck decided to stay put as they did not want to risk going through the
pass and definitely did not fancy the longer and more exposed route that we
took.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We carefully chose our anchor spot and were relieved that we
had no problem this anchoring time and were well clear of any boats and in deep
water. Exhausted after our day’s sailing we stayed on board for some rest and
an early night. In fact I had to wake up Catherine to eat dinner as while I was
cooking, she had fallen asleep – something that I might do but Catherine never
does. It had been a hard day’s sailing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we set off to explore Kuto amid the hordes from
a cruise ship that had arrived. Apparently they have almost one cruise ship a
day during the season – not exactly what we were expecting! Luckily there were
no more ships scheduled to arrive until the following week.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later that evening we met up with the other boats for a
drink to discuss which nights and where we would all go for dinner during the
week. The discussion was only interrupted by Catherine remembering that she had
forgotten to turn off the gas on the boat when we left – and had left the
chutney she was making still simmering on the stove. We launched the dinghy
from the beach and we could smell the burning saucepan even before we got back
to the boat. Could have been very nasty if she had not remembered at that point!
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chutney is off the menu.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sunday was a lazy morning on the boat before we set off for
the beach to read in the shade of the pine trees. We underestimated the swell
and hence the breaking waves on the beach and just as we approached, a big wave
landed in the dinghy, turning it over and tipping us in the water. It was quite
a shock. Two hours later, after we dried out, we just managed to time launching
the dinghy between the waves to avoid yet another soaking. It made for some
amusement over dinner with the other boats in the evening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHOpwudXLlHjhqblVFlFFRIVk5APkckxw22GA0pyBYO02Ed3mvy2EACN0Yc6gfIrEvn5aSiFHLB2RfF0Nx4EzEOFZPKdEz77A3bYdNX4mLKrNewPx1_vbjUebC58J_xwfb1lP4iJqBfc/s1600/IMG_7169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHOpwudXLlHjhqblVFlFFRIVk5APkckxw22GA0pyBYO02Ed3mvy2EACN0Yc6gfIrEvn5aSiFHLB2RfF0Nx4EzEOFZPKdEz77A3bYdNX4mLKrNewPx1_vbjUebC58J_xwfb1lP4iJqBfc/s200/IMG_7169.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking to the resort for lunch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmwuqMKVJJaT2VNiGgxRVE3h3aJIB8mlntUxlRsF685mduF64D4a03jx0FNF6koBHenLssZOCOewf1NpzxgobXPHBeloJeSDLKTZ_uZepKFQr4CzEQe6LnCc4yPRVvjhbGg_zLxNVyUs/s1600/IMG_7170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlmwuqMKVJJaT2VNiGgxRVE3h3aJIB8mlntUxlRsF685mduF64D4a03jx0FNF6koBHenLssZOCOewf1NpzxgobXPHBeloJeSDLKTZ_uZepKFQr4CzEQe6LnCc4yPRVvjhbGg_zLxNVyUs/s200/IMG_7170.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch in the resort with Chessie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Monday morning, Catherine and I decided to have a leisurely
lunch </div>
in the resort on the other side of the bay. After a 30 minute walk
through the pine trees and along the beach, we arrived to find Jutta and Jocken
having lunch so we joined them. After a long lunch and a few bottles of wine,
Catherine and I sat on the beach to read in what was left of the afternoon.
After an hour, it was getting dark and we went back to the boat. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tuesday evening we all went to a local restaurant. It was
made more complicated because we had to make a choice of food by 4pm on the day
and we only had a picture of the menu on Sharon’s phone. She spent the day
corralling people on their choice of food and then came over to our boat and I
phoned the restaurant. When Sharon had visited the restaurant that morning to
the book the table, the owner did not speak English and they had a difficult
conversation. When I phoned and spoke in French, he spoke to me in English -
nice to see the French traditions still operate here!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we hired a car with Sharon and Chris to visit
the market to buy some fruit and vegetables as there are no shops now until we
reach Noumea in a week’s time. Very little in the market we wanted but we did
find a shop which had a good range of fruit and vegetables, something we had struggled
to find over the last week. After lunch at the resort, we went back for an
early night as we were leaving at 6am the next morning to go to Bay de Prony on
the mainland.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We will have a week of day sailing between anchorages on the
mainland (Grand Terre) before we get to Noumea and start preparing for the trip
to New Zealand.</div>
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<![endif]-->Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-69770040405357519872015-09-27T15:58:00.001-07:002015-09-27T15:58:16.774-07:00New Caledonia - Loyalty Islands<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia: 6 September
– 25 September</b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Journey</b></div>
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The journey from Port Vila to Lifou was only 200 miles so a
day and half sail. We had very light winds for a change - we sailed for 8 hours
in 12 knot winds and then motored the rest in even lighter winds which made for
a restful passage. We arrived into the bay at Lifou at 7pm the following day in
the dark which is always fun (depending on your definition of fun!). Lifou is
one of the three Loyalty Islands to the east of Grand Terre which itself is the
third largest island in the South Pacific.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lifou: 6 September – 13
September</b></div>
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The first day we were confined to boat awaiting
Bio-Secruity, Customs and Immigration clearance. I ran the water maker during
the day and noticed after an hour that the bilge pump was also running – not
good news. I found that water maker had developed a serious leak, filling up
the bilge with sea water at an alarming rate. Taking the water maker apart, I
found two of the bolts holding it together had the threads stripped – they had
been over tightened in Fiji when we had it rebuilt and they had used PTFE tape
round the threads to try to get the bolts to grip what thread was left. We are now
without the water maker and with very few places to actually get water before
we get to Nomea (the capital of New Caledonia) in six weeks’ time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During the clearance procedures, Bio-Security found a jar of
honey from Spain (unopened) in the search of out boat and they impounded it. It
was the only thing they found – we had been scrupulous in checking we had no
banned products on board (which includes all meat and vegetables) and indeed
honey from Europe is allowed. Honey from Spain, we were told by Bio-Security,
was not allowed although Spain was in Europe the last time I looked but clearly
not so on their atlas. However, they did waive the $30US destruction fee which
was something. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was good to be off the boat and we walked along the road
to see the village which has a bakers and a small shop. Lifou is very different
from the small islands in Vanuatu, Tonga and Fiji.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are proper roads and electricity to
every village. New Caledonia is a still governed by the French and they provide
a lot of investment which is evident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The indigenous population are the Kanaks who live mainly on the Loyalty
Islands and in the north of Grand Terre making up 45% of the total population.
The other 55% of the population are mainly French nationals with a small number
of Asians. There is a vote for independence in 2018 although talking to the
locals they do not expect to win independence since they are in the minority.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That night the village laid on a traditional feast, mainly
of yams and other root vegetables cooked in a variety of sauces. Not my
favourite food and it certainly would not persuade me to become vegetarian but
the evening was jolly with the locals providing music and songs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All the boats had to throw away any meat and vegetables
on the passage so the ICA organised a bus to take us across the island to the
supermarket in “We”, the capital of Lifou.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are only a few small shops, a supermarket and the administrative
centre in We and these are spread out over a couple of miles so you never get
the sense of a town. Most of the produce came from France including the wine
although New Zealand is only 1000 miles away compared to the 15000 miles to
France. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the Post Office had closed at 3pm we missed the chance of
buying a SIM card (the only place you can buy them) and so the next day organised
we organised a taxi to take 12 of us to the Post Office. We tried to short cut
process to get SIM cards by one person buying all 12 but they would not have
that. They did agree that four of us could buy three each but we had
underestimated French bureaucracy – each SIM had to have a separate contract
made out, photocopies of the passport attached to the contract and each one
signed. It took three hours to complete!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I helped a few of the boats set up their SIM cards and one
of them, David who was an engineer, looked at our water maker to assess the
options to repair the stripped threads. He came up with a very good option
which was simple (using a threaded rod the next size up and re-tapping the
holes) and all we needed were the materials – 3/8” rod and a 3/8” Tap in a
country where they only have metric sizes. That was going to be challenge.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKQgZegRy0dALixsJETcccoRCuwgCc_uafoI2K5qJ7A9U-722KVwFSf_LCVDKTWoMrsSLdTAO6e8E0UJt29I512-66itJ1zuP7b7-ex6JksZg1-oAyOADrMdfFeYX5acnJd4gzTxE9n8/s1600/Lifou+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKQgZegRy0dALixsJETcccoRCuwgCc_uafoI2K5qJ7A9U-722KVwFSf_LCVDKTWoMrsSLdTAO6e8E0UJt29I512-66itJ1zuP7b7-ex6JksZg1-oAyOADrMdfFeYX5acnJd4gzTxE9n8/s200/Lifou+018.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driver cum local musician</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHK7jI34KlJNd2ovXLL1a6Dx4VXdpgoq0LxmoB7MJW4zusklCiKJ2cZPR92-diIIPCLgIS0EIbgGpvjlUSti5wozI_gm9MVkeBKzGXKTILSpDWIp8aI9REzDMgmpNh3FzJDXhk139u5WI/s1600/Lifou+024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHK7jI34KlJNd2ovXLL1a6Dx4VXdpgoq0LxmoB7MJW4zusklCiKJ2cZPR92-diIIPCLgIS0EIbgGpvjlUSti5wozI_gm9MVkeBKzGXKTILSpDWIp8aI9REzDMgmpNh3FzJDXhk139u5WI/s200/Lifou+024.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North end of the island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Weather closed in again and three days of wet and windy
weather so stayed in Lifou. We organised a tour of the island for 24 of us with
a picnic on route and the drivers entertaining us with songs and music during
lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we were eating,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Glen from Malekite asked how I was getting on
with the water maker and I explained what we needed. He sent a text to his
father and a couple of hours later he received a text back to say he had bought
the materials and would bring them out next Wednesday (five days time) when he
was coming to Ouvea - what a result! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Next day I organised a trip to a restaurant for lunch for 18
people. Having phoned one restaurant which said that they did not open on a
Saturday, I booked the hotel in We which was the only other option for lunch.
The lady I spoke to said she did not speak English so I made the booking in
French, only for her to confirm all the details back in near perfect
English!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very enjoyable afternoon and we
left there four hours later – that is what I call a lunch.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Weather was due to break the next day so we set off for Ouvea,
40 miles to the east. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ouvea 13 September – 19
September</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The attraction of Ouvea is that it is an Atoll – volcanic
islands surrounding the sea to form a large lagoon which is about 7m deep with
a beautiful white sandy beach along one side of the lagoon. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEitX5FgnolpniJbJHQRUJq3Ut_qjxXDxR-IEllN4NoXmGiVNLP9NTLjw7kfSDF-zKV94mnG4SR4vMfT021HVp1MvIkcHZ-Adgs4jEzgOElhiJFhV75V9zRTlPEqfbSOxYXWVRPxxbqcs/s1600/Ouvea+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEitX5FgnolpniJbJHQRUJq3Ut_qjxXDxR-IEllN4NoXmGiVNLP9NTLjw7kfSDF-zKV94mnG4SR4vMfT021HVp1MvIkcHZ-Adgs4jEzgOElhiJFhV75V9zRTlPEqfbSOxYXWVRPxxbqcs/s200/Ouvea+030.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The local cafe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLQqd0oNyod-VpW8r7HtKru1urpIs3nn5X5pStmeemaoToCMI65XuMDKYpwidKq3utZmhp47Zx1vRwidzyqn58fMW6PnXM95yYGxLsZLDMs5JseFGvvUVmI6RnGJkqV8G8XrzeJurrNY/s1600/Ouvea+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqLQqd0oNyod-VpW8r7HtKru1urpIs3nn5X5pStmeemaoToCMI65XuMDKYpwidKq3utZmhp47Zx1vRwidzyqn58fMW6PnXM95yYGxLsZLDMs5JseFGvvUVmI6RnGJkqV8G8XrzeJurrNY/s200/Ouvea+031.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the coffee with anticipation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The following morning after we arrived we met up with the
six other boats at anchor near us to walk along the shore. Coming across a
café, we stopped for a café au lait which was on the menu and something that
made us all excited – good coffee. After 30 minutes we were presented with a
cup of hot water and a jar of Nescafe (which they had to go and buy) to help
ourselves – but no milk so we had to forego the “au lait”. A little disappointing.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXulz57BcK44ej-qeKlEhcbAIU4uI9LpKJm68VobICWPXgEoNvtHmjFWL1qyQUS5Lq7upNNmXNkf5fMjaqXYeTNRWnqvg0Xa-zOX_y_R8nelSWc5BCbOhMVtu7lvHc3O6-Aji77L7Q9Ns/s1600/Ouvea+042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXulz57BcK44ej-qeKlEhcbAIU4uI9LpKJm68VobICWPXgEoNvtHmjFWL1qyQUS5Lq7upNNmXNkf5fMjaqXYeTNRWnqvg0Xa-zOX_y_R8nelSWc5BCbOhMVtu7lvHc3O6-Aji77L7Q9Ns/s200/Ouvea+042.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch at the resort</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHI1A7Z2XOgSlLWsdyOoGq5QEhUmAYbErcpGe3WRm8Mwg4drrGBJGzD8JtVTQBrZuegp8MqGZtccF3GglsqVTMLFjc4KX838Y5t8IibbfaCPQwmQKqULMnXWj0hhgCtMu-Ywv2pHf3kjE/s1600/Ouvea+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHI1A7Z2XOgSlLWsdyOoGq5QEhUmAYbErcpGe3WRm8Mwg4drrGBJGzD8JtVTQBrZuegp8MqGZtccF3GglsqVTMLFjc4KX838Y5t8IibbfaCPQwmQKqULMnXWj0hhgCtMu-Ywv2pHf3kjE/s200/Ouvea+039.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The walk to the resort </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We all walked back along the road in blazing sunshine and it
was very hot. Everyone else decided it was too hot to walk any further and went
back to their boats. Catherine and I decided we would walk to the resort along
the white sandy beach to have lunch. An hour and a half later we arrived at
1:30 and just managed to get lunch before they closed the kitchen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a hot walk along the beach but well
worth it - the setting was beautiful, overlooking the lagoon and shaded by
trees outside. The food was very good albeit expensive.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The following day we decided to change anchorage to outside
the resort (where we had lunch) to get out of the short chop which made our current
anchorage uncomfortable. The other boats had the same idea and in all we ended
up with 10 boats anchored off the resort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A relaxing day on the boat and after a short walk to explore the area we
joined some of the boats for cocktails at the resort. One of the boats had
hired a scooter for the day and both Chessie and ourselves signed up for the
following two days. Alas the scooter did not survive the for long the next day
when Chessie took it out and they abandoned it at a restaurant and managed to
hire a car.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We took the car for the following day and set off to
explore. The roads were tedious, long straight </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8owMp0oO8dCfrVeW7JgFmJP9F2AmTH5Ps1WovJ3FvjhE0hX-B0Mt4CSAbs0TPa8OSibUASLOpetKWYtyx5Dk8cCepFspTMbivdDyuFJyY8N8_de-MvG5EfrXEmnBuNHDi1-M2W_Ayd8/s1600/Ouvea+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK8owMp0oO8dCfrVeW7JgFmJP9F2AmTH5Ps1WovJ3FvjhE0hX-B0Mt4CSAbs0TPa8OSibUASLOpetKWYtyx5Dk8cCepFspTMbivdDyuFJyY8N8_de-MvG5EfrXEmnBuNHDi1-M2W_Ayd8/s200/Ouvea+018.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Blue Hole</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
roads going through
uninteresting countryside and there were few sites worth visiting. The Blue
Hole was one of the main attractions in the guide book which turned out to be a
big hole in the rocks filled with fresh water (which was actually blue in
colour). But there is only so much time you can spend staring at a hole even if
it is blue. Lunch proved to be the best part of the day, eating in a local
restaurant with good fish on offer and a good view of the bay. Shame it did not
open in the evening.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the afternoon we tried five times to find the path to the
Turtle lagoon after many abortive attempts along dirt tracks off the main road
(no signs of course). So we gave that up and went to the supermarket to
re-provision for the next week. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the Wednesday Glen’s father duly arrived with the parts
for the water maker and four hours later it was back working. It was tricky to
re-cut the threads to ensure that they were absolutely straight otherwise the
top part could not be bolted on. Three of the four hours was working out how to
do it since I would have only one chance to get it right and then it was
actually quite simple. A refreshing change to my normal approach of doing it
and then spending three hours working out how to correct it!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That night we had rum punch on-board Huck along with Chessie.
Both Huck and Chessie are long term live aboards – Huck have been sailing the
pacific for three years and Chessie are on their second circumnavigation. They
are both great fun and we had a very enjoyable evening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day was just rain all day and we stayed on board.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Beautemps-Beaupre 19 September- 23 September</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The atoll of Beautemps has a very small anchorage (6 boats
at most) and many of the rally had already come back from there extolling its
virtues. So we set off in 2 knots of wind the next morning and a glassy sea to
cover the 25 miles<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– for the first time
we did not even bother to put up the mainsail and just motored. We saw some
whales on route, one of which jumped out of the water and breached, creating a
huge splash – the first whales that we have seen. Beautemps is one of the most
beautiful anchorages we have visited, surrounded by bombies (Coral Heads) which
makes the entry very difficult but provides excellent snorkelling.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8imi4Rwz2tM6HqMkimIVGtnabPO5Sl6fJfYDHvoyagWlxPk65kt-zONahyphenhyphenPGb2WMpXJEjOQwHXTuhdPRWekTvGGQ5tIR-VETVPbLsjVfXflK6YjrnQvoN3tC8c_TL__YMUWZHejOKyps/s1600/Beautemps+030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8imi4Rwz2tM6HqMkimIVGtnabPO5Sl6fJfYDHvoyagWlxPk65kt-zONahyphenhyphenPGb2WMpXJEjOQwHXTuhdPRWekTvGGQ5tIR-VETVPbLsjVfXflK6YjrnQvoN3tC8c_TL__YMUWZHejOKyps/s200/Beautemps+030.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start of the walk was easy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Beautemps is uninhabited with a very small anchorage -
enough for 6 boats only. We walked around this very beautiful island in the
afternoon and came across nesting Swifts on the beach. As we approached it
became like a scene from the film The Birds as they circled around us, swooping
down very close and screeching to scare us away! It was quite a sight and at
first very unnerving. The baby birds had hatched and were walking around the
beach, unable to fly yet so we were very careful. Later on we came across a
colony of Boobies who were sitting on their eggs and seemed totally unphased at
us walking past. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBqNOpGEUuhK3b0-FcSPy2OleZ0b_IsTMNvamyDBNlv-8M03IO5_mGz3fgYTeC3vrrQD3FbMeTjwZ0ynaS1waMKGxj5HBqSdMnXeVG73tOByPCNS2ll0FWC_pA5c-QvMPKLjd3U6RA1Q/s1600/Beautemps+037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBqNOpGEUuhK3b0-FcSPy2OleZ0b_IsTMNvamyDBNlv-8M03IO5_mGz3fgYTeC3vrrQD3FbMeTjwZ0ynaS1waMKGxj5HBqSdMnXeVG73tOByPCNS2ll0FWC_pA5c-QvMPKLjd3U6RA1Q/s200/Beautemps+037.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking along the rocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As we got to the last part of the walk, we had to walk over
the </div>
volcanic rock by the edge of the sea. It was very sharp and despite being
advised to wear solid shoes, Catherine and I had gone out in flip flops. These
were fine for the most of the walk but not the last 400m over the very sharp
rocks. We had been walking for an hour and a half round the island and decided
that we would cut across the island rather than walk all the way back round.
Not a good idea when the middle is jungle. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zi8YUEP__XGfc5lDkO7mzBThlXbpEAND-82rEv1G_KsbyIWWmY4T0gzS6wbaVrXQ24jlsjduGHdQG36R8Lp5AdNRhbuAXIwFwKU-As-odej5QijaBOGkL62NFOazON_06YRhbuDoUYM/s1600/Beautemps+048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9zi8YUEP__XGfc5lDkO7mzBThlXbpEAND-82rEv1G_KsbyIWWmY4T0gzS6wbaVrXQ24jlsjduGHdQG36R8Lp5AdNRhbuAXIwFwKU-As-odej5QijaBOGkL62NFOazON_06YRhbuDoUYM/s200/Beautemps+048.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting to get very dense</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After an hour of making slow progress through the dense bush,
we were not certain that we could get through to the other side and had no
visible route back with all the twists and turns we had made. So we carried on
and eventually came to the beach the other side - or rather to the top of the
cliffs which were covered with impenetrable vegetation down to the beach (and
steep). A further half hour of scrambling through the undergrowth, following
the coast line as close as we could we finally found a way through. What a
relief that was - just a few scratches as a consequence.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We spent three very socialable evenings at anchor. The first
night we all congregated on the beach around a fire for sundowners, about 20
people in all. The second night we went aboard Serendipity (Chris and Sharon
from Australia) together with Chessie (Jutta and Jocken from Germany). It was a
late night, drinking the rum punch that Jutta had made (tastes of fruit juice
but absolutely lethal) and a consequently very slow next day! The last night we
had drinks on our boat and, as we were all heading back to Ouvea at 6am the next morning, we had
a relatively early finish (relative to the previous night that is). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the reasons for going back to Ouvea was that there
was a supermarket there where we could stock up before going to the Isle de
Pins where there are only small shops. We all met up for drinks at the resort
in the evening (where we had been before) and dinner making another very
sociable evening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Next morning, we headed off the 150 miles south to the Isle
of Pins with the forecast of light NW winds.</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-78018559334591383812015-09-03T20:46:00.000-07:002015-09-03T20:46:05.222-07:00Vanuatua Maskelynes <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Maskelynes 25-27
August</b></div>
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The Maskelynes are low lying islands just south of Malekula
and one of the reasons they get so few tourists is that it is one of the
islands that still has cases of malaria. Not to be put off by this, and taking
precautions with mosquito nets and plenty of mosquito repellent, we set off
from Ambrym in calm seas and gentle winds. That was until we passed the end of
the island and spent the next two hours sailing into 35 knot winds and big seas
while a big weather front went over us. Once it had passed it was a pleasant
sail and all we had to do was find the anchorage.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Destruction from Cyclone still evident</td></tr>
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The entrance to the large bay was about 40 metres across
with reefs just under the water either side with depths in the entrance
dropping down to 4 metres at high tide. Once inside we were the only boat in
the anchorage. We were surrounded on all side by mangroves, forest and three
villages along the shore all of which had been badly damaged by the Cyclone. Children on shore were waving and shouting ‘Alo’ as
we came in.</div>
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Our first trip ashore in the dinghy was tricky as we
negotiated the reefs inside the bay but managed to get ashore to meet Stewart
who was the local guide. We arranged for a tour of the village the next day
with an afternoon visit to the clam sanctuary.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stewart's family at their home</td></tr>
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The next morning we went ashore at low tide, only to find
there was not enough water over the reef to get to the beach. We found a route that
got us within 50 metres and then walked through thick mud to get to the shore,
tying up the dinghy to a stick that Stewart brought out to us. He arranged for
someone to bring our dinghy ashore when the tide rose which was very kind of
him.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Founder of the village and now 106!</td></tr>
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After a little clean up to get the mud off our feet we met
his father in law, Paul, who was one of the founders of the village – he was
106. The village was located on another island but the earthquake and
subsequent Tsunami in 1965 wiped out the village with the villages getting onto
their canoes to escape the waves as it destroyed the village. The village
relocated to their present location on the shore of main island.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making bricks from cement</td></tr>
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Stewart took us on a tour of the three villages – all very
and surprisingly different. One had a few island shops, one had beautiful bougainvillea
and one had the big school. One thing that </div>
the villages had in common was
straight paths laid out in a grid and all had traditionally built houses made
from bamboo and leaves. In fact one of the main exports from the village to
Port Vila are the leaves woven in lengths to form thatch which are sold in the
market or to a middle man. Some of the houses have a base wall built out of brick
which they make themselves using cement brought from Port Vila. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local Kava Bar - one of many!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrXr82MibdA80OMla-57vEYa6786GQhx9PlO-wCt50TayVe00abzYcn0q_rQgkPj9mX9_gKcMYk69L1-M5EAQ8ZdjPelX-zaLYZd3Afwjjv0PEd63KkW5PhU0uqtz1BBEeBU4560cMJI/s1600/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+102.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrXr82MibdA80OMla-57vEYa6786GQhx9PlO-wCt50TayVe00abzYcn0q_rQgkPj9mX9_gKcMYk69L1-M5EAQ8ZdjPelX-zaLYZd3Afwjjv0PEd63KkW5PhU0uqtz1BBEeBU4560cMJI/s200/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+102.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kindergarten</td></tr>
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Water is short on the island as it so low lying and water
has to be gathered from the rain they do have. Their main garden is on another
island which is an hour’s boat ride away and they spend each Saturday there to
tend the garden and pick the fruit and vegetables.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Church</td></tr>
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The church in the village is one of the biggest that we have
seen in the South pacific and it took them 35 years to complete. The three
villages come together at Christmas to attend the Carol Service at this church
and they stay with the villagers overnight. Stewart explained that before the
missionaries came in 1896, the villages were always at war, capturing and
eating people from the other villages but that all stopped when Christianity
took hold. The villages have been at peace ever since and has changed my
somewhat jaundiced view of missionaries (in this case at any rate).</div>
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One of the villagers in another village we visited had
obviously done very well for himself in Santo where he now lives and had invested
the money to build some holiday homes for rent in a small complex complete with
a café – the only one on the island. The homes were built from brick and the
small complex well designed and finished to a western standard. It was a stark
contrast to the other homes on the island. He hopes to attract more visitors to
the island (to help the economy) but it will be tough. The journey from Port
Vila involves either a long ferry crossing which arrives once a week or a plane
trip to Malakula, a ten hour truck ride through the jungle followed by a two
hour boat crossing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And having seen the
ferry, that is certainly not an easy option. But it was heart-warming to see someone
invest back in their own village despite all the difficulties.</div>
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In the afternoon we went to meet the owner of the clam
sanctuary and to take the journey by outrigger canoe to the small island. I sat
in the front with Stewart and the owner at the back with Catherine in the
middle. I was handed a paddle as we made started the 1 mile trip against the
wind and the incoming tide. After about 30 minutes I was getting tired and we
seem to be making slow progress. I turned round to see our guide was talking to
the owner at the back and I was the only person paddling! No wonder they sat me
at the front. Thereafter we did make better progress.</div>
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The clam sanctuary was created in 1991 to avoid the
extinction of the giant clam population and many of the clams are brought there
by the villagers to help the conservation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once you have seen a few of them it lost its appeal but the reef and the
fish were spectacular. We saw many types of fish we had not seen before and the
colours of the coral were so vivid. A worthwhile trip.</div>
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On the way back we stopped at the Café for a drink. Our
guide Stewart was very keen to do this as it is real treat for him. They had to
open the café for us since they do not have guests yet and the beer was warm –
the fridge is not yet connected. The setting was perfect, overlooking the sea
and the café itself had been well designed and built. </div>
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We took Stewart back to the boat to collect some medical bandages
and antiseptic supplies for his sister who had cut her hand that day with a
machete. They had no supplies at all and it was wrapped in some very dirty rag.
The nurse on the island was away and would not be back the following day –
plenty of time to get an infection!</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back to Lamen Bay 28
– 30 August</b></div>
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The trip back to Lamen Bay was something we were not looking
forward to. Directly into the strong wind and steep waves which meant the 18
mile trip took 6 hours. There were two other boats from the rally in Lamen Bay
and we joined them for drinks on one of the boats<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“On The Double” – a catamaran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left them at 9pm after a very enjoyable
evening, swapping stories about where we had been and what we had done since we
left Port Vila.</div>
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The next morning we were alone in the bay as the other boats
headed off. But not for long as another four of the Rally Boats joined us in the
afternoon. The snorkelling was unmemorable but I did see some giant turtles but
not Dugongs. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Return to Havannah Bay
30 August – 2 September</b></div>
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With an easterly wind forecast it meant that we could sail south
back to Havannah Bay without tacking into the wind. The seas were not as rough
as they had been and we made the 60 miles journey in in 7 hours giving us
plenty of time in daylight to anchor. We saw Chessie anchored off the reef and
so joined them for drinks in the evening to catch up on their adventures.</div>
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We snorkelled to check our anchor the next morning only to
find it stuck under a large piece of coral. In fact there was no sand where we had
anchored, only rock and coral so we decided to up anchor and move. I had a
brilliant idea of using the dinghy anchor to hook the front end of our anchor
upwards to clear the coral head under which it was stuck. An hour later and
after half drowning in the attempt, I consigned that idea to the scrap heap
with some of my other brilliant ideas.</div>
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The other option (and the only one left) was to try and move
the boat forward over the rock and force the anchor out. I was not sure it
would work and we had little room to manoeuvre as the sea bed rose rapidly
towards the shore. But with me on the helm and Catherine pulling up the anchor
it came out relatively easily and I was quite pleased with our effort. That is
until Catherine asked me to look at the anchor and we had broken off and hooked
up a huge piece of coral on the anchor. Had I not made the original attempt at
freeing our anchor with the dinghy anchor I would have been even more
devastated about the damage to the coral. I think we will keep that little
episode quiet.</div>
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We anchored with some of the other rally boats further along
the shore (in sand this time) and went ashore for our first meal out since
leaving Port Vila nearly two weeks earlier. The restaurant was very nice,
overlooking the bay and afterwards we joined Mike and Chrissie from On The
Double for a walk along to the resort – it did not look far. After a good hour
and a half’s walk along the shore, climbing over rocks and wading through the
water, we arrived at the resort and sat down for cocktails as the sun set over
the horizon. There we met up with some other Rally Boats and we were late
leaving with no option but to walk along the road back to our dinghy, still at
the restaurant where we had had lunch. </div>
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The road up from the resort to the main road was long enough
in the dark and we had no idea where the original restaurant (and our dinghies)
was. After ten minutes of walking we saw headlights approaching and we put out
a thumb for a lift. The truck stopped and three of us joined the five people
already in the back of this small truck while Catherine sat in the front. We
stopped a couple of times to ask directions and after fifteen minutes arrived
back at the entrance to the restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It would have been a very long walk otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twenty minutes later we were back on our boat
exhausted.</div>
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One of the people we had met along our walk was the manager
of the beach resort who said we were welcome to use his mooring buoy if we
wanted to come back to the main resort – it was a short dinghy ride from the
buoy. As we had planned to eat in the resort in any case, we upped anchor the
next morning and took him up on his offer.</div>
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We set off in the dinghy for the resort at lunchtime to book
a table for ourselves and Mike and Crissey. We had planned to have a lazy
afternoon reading on the beanbags in front of the resort overlooking the sea.
The wind came up as we left and by the time we arrived we were soaked as the
waves became steep with the wind blowing the spray over us. We dried out a
little before going into order some drinks and settle down for an afternoon’s
reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a very pleasant lunch of
smoked fish before heading back to the boat and changing for the evening.</div>
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The trip back was much easier as the wind had subsided and
we arrived dry. We had a few cocktails while the sun set and then and some
excellent food as we passed a very convivial evening with Mike and Crissey. Even
the journey back was easy although we did have to use the torch to wend our way
through the reef most of the way – it was all very shallow and a couple of
times we had to avoid the bombies that come just below the surface.</div>
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The next day we had a slow motor back to Port Vila in very calm conditions which made a very pleasant change! </div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-84988068333385747482015-09-03T13:31:00.001-07:002015-09-03T13:31:26.379-07:00Vanuatu Port Vila and Ambrym<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Port Vila 17 -20
August</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sail overnight was challenging to say the least.
Catherine and I did not have any sleep and the other six boats that left that
evening had the same problem with the swell coming from one direction and steep
waves coming from the opposite direction – anything but relaxing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After completing the quarantine requirements
in Port Vila (basically they wanted the money and did not seem interested in
visiting any of the boats) we went back to the boat as did the crews on the
other boats for some sleep. So we wrote off that day and surfaced at 5pm for
Happy Hour along with the other boats at the waterfront bar. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The weather had closed in again and it was clear we could
not leave Port Vila for a few days with high winds and rain. A trip to the
cultural museum left us with more questions than it answered as it seemed a
random collection of items with next to no explanation of any of them. On the
plus side we found a French supermarket on the way back where we could re-provision
with many of the items we had not seen for a long time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A wet dinghy ride in the evening from the boat to the shore
did not bode well and after an hour’s walk through the town unsuccessfully
dodging down pours we ended up in a pizza bar which if nothing else offered
shelter. And the shelter was better than the pizza turned out to be so that is
one restaurant off our list.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the delights of Port Vila is the market which offers
a huge range of fruit and vegetables. Each island is allocated a day on which
they can sell their produce and the market stays open 24 hours, six days a week.
Apart from the lack of fruit because of the cyclone, the quality and range of
the vegetables was fabulous. It was almost a pleasure to go shopping. On the
other hand, the trip to the French supermarket was just something that had to
be done and we stocked up for the next two weeks while we would be visiting the
northern islands.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Port Vila is on the island of Efate. It is very different
from the other islands. It has one main sealed road where the other islands
either have no roads or just tracks. It has several supermarkets, resorts and
some large western style houses. Vanuatu (formerly known as New Hebrides) was
ruled by a condominium of France and England up until 1980 when they achieved
independence. During that time the two powers never agreed, there was intense
rivalry and even now there is bitterness about having to speak English and
French to work in government positions. Their official language is Bislama,
then English and then French. Some children go to French schools and some to
English, however most villages away from Port Vila speak their own language.
There are over 30 languages spoken in Vanuatu. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjrsIx2j_gfxjvNNVLH91ujLeNtDanipLZlaH41ifp5AdP2S3rvfYWF0WNJMi763CzmqnJsqcs7FA3jQ8KpVH1IBYw36mNNiHqC1OQgT_KQA1x7qeVGhnECxtHIFtyT5wWWtY-x0XqCA/s1600/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjrsIx2j_gfxjvNNVLH91ujLeNtDanipLZlaH41ifp5AdP2S3rvfYWF0WNJMi763CzmqnJsqcs7FA3jQ8KpVH1IBYw36mNNiHqC1OQgT_KQA1x7qeVGhnECxtHIFtyT5wWWtY-x0XqCA/s200/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+001.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the shipt wrecks in Port Vila</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Port Vila was also struck by the cyclone and you could see
many boats wrecked on the beaches. It has </div>
however recovered quickly as it seems
a lot aid (and there was a huge amount) has been spent here and not managed to
get to the other islands.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just as we were about to leave, the skipper of Gallant
Cavalier who had already gone up to the northern islands had to be flown back
to Port Vila for medical treatment. A small cut on his leg incurred sometime in
Aneityum<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>(he cannot even remember
getting the cut) had become infected and he developed septicaemia. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He made the decision to fly back rather than
travel back with his crew as he felt so ill, arriving 24 hours ahead of them.
The doctor who treated him said that he would not still be alive if he had
waited the 24 hours to travel back on the boat, it was that close. It will take
him weeks to recover before he can think of sailing again. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ambrym21 -25 August</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5wQYRcT56JuYwBVAHu8VYR8MiKdvnh1MHIIdGBdmiQaXQWuWKz6seP-Q5VAUNSxuz-Bx2q9Fi5-4V5pSbJKk3uuGzhPMqrWS1QCIsCcKu63j0awzDHC_6i6efy1vUtMpFiYzL2UbmyY/s1600/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5wQYRcT56JuYwBVAHu8VYR8MiKdvnh1MHIIdGBdmiQaXQWuWKz6seP-Q5VAUNSxuz-Bx2q9Fi5-4V5pSbJKk3uuGzhPMqrWS1QCIsCcKu63j0awzDHC_6i6efy1vUtMpFiYzL2UbmyY/s200/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+007.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow on route</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We made two overnight stops on the way to Ambrym as the sea
was rough with the strong winds – </div>
one at Havannah Harbour and the other at
Lamen Bay on Epi. On route we were greeted with a rainbow very close to the boat and where we could see both ends touching the water. We wanted to spend some time in Lamen Bay to see the Dugongs
and sea turtles but that would be for the return journey.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhuvZwWs835oscnCzB5nS-V9NCfNiB23xuUFgNhPiXrNMbr7hR-jDgX_INaaYnr3h84LO1rE_zN9YPfSVoV20sBm_Vvm0KqqqgXgDMytLaivNwgmJXY7o5baSFpOni84y02u8v2mA61Y/s1600/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhuvZwWs835oscnCzB5nS-V9NCfNiB23xuUFgNhPiXrNMbr7hR-jDgX_INaaYnr3h84LO1rE_zN9YPfSVoV20sBm_Vvm0KqqqgXgDMytLaivNwgmJXY7o5baSFpOni84y02u8v2mA61Y/s200/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+032.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main school room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtblBSNamoDDAqHsp86AUPrnBItElJRrDqywvjvZi3VhjHQhKP2GmUyeuOD9IkM1Nz8nCpTi9dMqIHGga4QR4UspsSHX8b-Fka1qy6u5MoZpz2cJceezcmqgKnlsr3e3ACyKMUhR9_U9U/s1600/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtblBSNamoDDAqHsp86AUPrnBItElJRrDqywvjvZi3VhjHQhKP2GmUyeuOD9IkM1Nz8nCpTi9dMqIHGga4QR4UspsSHX8b-Fka1qy6u5MoZpz2cJceezcmqgKnlsr3e3ACyKMUhR9_U9U/s200/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+031.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pupils work on display</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
We sailed to Ranon on Ambrym so we could see the famous Rom
dance and as we anchored, Geoffrey who is the local guide came out to us in his
canoe. He arranged for us to take a tour or the village the next morning and he
explained about the history of the island, the people and how they live now.
The village has one of the largest schools in the island group where many of
the people from the other villages across the island send their children. They
board at the school since the journey along unmade roads is very difficult and
impossible for the children to return home other than during the school
holidays.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dancing in mid flow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslDHDliVb5A5tKnGB2unmeuXgNghzdLG5vxAMrzECNPfy1zPYOxNiUlccbYHvKZVSm5Sr245Ohmuwx-8izhF94qmxUXBI5RmFysIdjX4tB3hpwI19aXVlH3hvVVm8m78kBfE8mjc27vo/s1600/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslDHDliVb5A5tKnGB2unmeuXgNghzdLG5vxAMrzECNPfy1zPYOxNiUlccbYHvKZVSm5Sr245Ohmuwx-8izhF94qmxUXBI5RmFysIdjX4tB3hpwI19aXVlH3hvVVm8m78kBfE8mjc27vo/s200/Ambryn+and+Maskelynes+049.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rom Dance</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we took a 60 minute trek up the mountain to a
village where they performed the Rom dance – a traditional dance with the
principal dancers wearing masks and covered in banana leaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Four of the dancers wore the masks and banana
leaves with 8 others in the centre singing traditional village songs, taking it
in turns to take the lead. The square in which the dance is performed is
sacred, surrounded by giant wood carvings which were magnificent. Some of these
are hollowed out to form drums (called Tam Tams). We were allowed to take
pictures but were warned not to touch the banana leaves of the dancers as this
was strictly taboo. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The masked dancers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tam Tam</td></tr>
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The Rom dance is now a tourist attraction but they still
perform the dance as part of the ceremony for the aspiring Chief to earn his
next “grade”. Grades are how the Chief earns respect among his people and the
other Chiefs on the island. The man finds someone who has a mask design which
he pays for with pigs and money. The masks for the Rom dance are then made by
the men in secret and each design is subtly different. The men practise the
dance and it is then performed only in front of the men in the village with the
masks being burned afterwards so that the spirit of the dance doesn’t stay to
make trouble in the village. Ambrym is the island of black magic and although
not practised often it is still believed despite the efforts of missionaries. The
masks used for the tourists are not burned and anyone can see the dance (if you
can get there!).</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-7348353802883162582015-09-03T13:18:00.000-07:002015-09-03T13:18:18.517-07:00Vanuatu - Tanna and Erramango<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Vanuatu - 13 August -16 August</b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-PcKIwBOvjMDKfe5YznzDipV6cFoPpyap8TCyKjUqCE9CYP60GG7VTUirpZi_eJZQycoFtlXpKy1mYpSHaiO5JLgTfO00STgZL7xWfjiTOizsNwtPYdAJIIEyxcvAzD2uMzieGSh_1g/s1600/Aneityum+076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-PcKIwBOvjMDKfe5YznzDipV6cFoPpyap8TCyKjUqCE9CYP60GG7VTUirpZi_eJZQycoFtlXpKy1mYpSHaiO5JLgTfO00STgZL7xWfjiTOizsNwtPYdAJIIEyxcvAzD2uMzieGSh_1g/s200/Aneityum+076.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The volcano as we approached Tanna</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UpSzlNdUpgJ6ksUkzUCQJByFEUsuV8cfmyxKH31HPAJ35H4ZzwOERVaGTNPVH465Y8d8mteO8Jd4CAhFH1NVtQJge7z83owFX3J4ltUOdejgMXCrgP9MRU9LLaFx62o-t9bZ4ur58Ac/s1600/Aneityum+074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6UpSzlNdUpgJ6ksUkzUCQJByFEUsuV8cfmyxKH31HPAJ35H4ZzwOERVaGTNPVH465Y8d8mteO8Jd4CAhFH1NVtQJge7z83owFX3J4ltUOdejgMXCrgP9MRU9LLaFx62o-t9bZ4ur58Ac/s200/Aneityum+074.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our biggest fish yet!</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">On route to Tanna from Aneityum Catherine caught our biggest fish so far - a Mahi Mahi which took some effort. Otherwise an uneventful journey but as we approached Tanna you could see the Volcano which was one of the main attractions to come to Tanna.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tanna 13-15 August</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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The attraction of going to Tanna is the active volcano which
is one of the few places you can go and </div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduVxEI4DAMZgdNLpmhiD4fQw-D_lQ6XBL7Osw-cuWvPAYoA_pHj0NGt0F52SFXMVZ4WEXWnSUraCuT2jxdM8gdyiGQH2NZCh07ZgDDHhUDNx7uqyjPjybjEopSqhlAa0yUoheUEeP8Pg/s1600/Tanna+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduVxEI4DAMZgdNLpmhiD4fQw-D_lQ6XBL7Osw-cuWvPAYoA_pHj0NGt0F52SFXMVZ4WEXWnSUraCuT2jxdM8gdyiGQH2NZCh07ZgDDHhUDNx7uqyjPjybjEopSqhlAa0yUoheUEeP8Pg/s200/Tanna+010.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remains of the guest houses</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAVzqx7LeV8smzq-8DUW7wO5oFcvzUAiglhFrcNYzBo3Y8XSLG8LICAQDKq90OKg9YeXf-RdR9qh5s6N1IoHYW7oMqwAa5PHIMFpUryWT5uRg-hrleik_v9HYqgBZZcsdoF2cXD2SPSQ/s1600/Tanna+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZAVzqx7LeV8smzq-8DUW7wO5oFcvzUAiglhFrcNYzBo3Y8XSLG8LICAQDKq90OKg9YeXf-RdR9qh5s6N1IoHYW7oMqwAa5PHIMFpUryWT5uRg-hrleik_v9HYqgBZZcsdoF2cXD2SPSQ/s200/Tanna+006.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Yacht Club</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
see an active volcano just two hundred
metres below the top. There were six boats that sailed with us to Tanna and we
all met in the Yacht Club that night for drinks and arrange two 4WD trucks to
take us the next day. The yacht Club was a traditionally built structure made
from bamboo and leaves and had withstood Cyclone Pam although the three guest houses
had nothing but their foundations left. Very friendly people and we had a good
evening.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMsiKLRrdLme4gAselTf052lI7AHDc0Vwu2Mdq6BRcCFrmkbeMiMLXpHmnPNbtqu_oJaaVWXi3C7yhTFjYn31sPQ6hRnav-XmM3rqOhbjrVAxe_AVegKuhd8_5ochH8KS47BQJqgMzhk/s1600/Tanna+017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMsiKLRrdLme4gAselTf052lI7AHDc0Vwu2Mdq6BRcCFrmkbeMiMLXpHmnPNbtqu_oJaaVWXi3C7yhTFjYn31sPQ6hRnav-XmM3rqOhbjrVAxe_AVegKuhd8_5ochH8KS47BQJqgMzhk/s200/Tanna+017.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A coffee shop and not bad coffee!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the morning a number of the boats came ashore to deliver
some of the aid we had brought from Fiji – mainly rice, flour and sugar. The
plan had been to take it to the school but this was closed so we found the
community centre where we could leave it for them to distribute. We were
surprised to see a coffee shop in the village which served very good coffee
grown in Tanna. There we met a French trio who were staying in the village, on
holiday from New Caledonia, who wanted to experience village life. This is
something that the village offers to bring in tourists but you would need to be
seasoned travellers as it is very basic living with no mod cons just earth toilets
and buckets for washing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the afternoon we were getting ready to leave for the
volcano when we got a call on the VHF to say that we all had to clear
immigration before we could go back on the island. Immigration officials
happened to be in the bay and they decided that we must clear immigration
immediately, despite being told in Aneityum that we did not need to do this
until we reached Port Vila which is the capital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was clear that the Immigration Officer would
not let us on the island until he had gone through the clearance of all the
boats with 30 minutes before the trucks were due to leave to go the
volcano<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and he had 10 boats to clear.
Despite his earlier somewhat hard-line approach, he cleared all boats within 30
minutes and we went to get in the trucks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5OjBtdBttNwS5p-1-PYe7ejb48Huz6i43P68httNzzwWxknUGe1IzS1XsLk4MTp3GBvX0C-rA1ZultiCsp8CcY6jnzEKorifLKQy09q7Ld0h1JJPTyyPVEsReqcJMBNocMUR8gDZp7U/s1600/Tanna+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO5OjBtdBttNwS5p-1-PYe7ejb48Huz6i43P68httNzzwWxknUGe1IzS1XsLk4MTp3GBvX0C-rA1ZultiCsp8CcY6jnzEKorifLKQy09q7Ld0h1JJPTyyPVEsReqcJMBNocMUR8gDZp7U/s200/Tanna+021.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the back of the truck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Getting 10 people into each truck which was designed to
carry four people was an experience with six of us sitting in the open back of
the truck. They did provide some cushions which were needed for the 90 minute
ride along pot holed tracks through the jungle. All part of the experience but
I was glad when we arrived at the foot of the volcano. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3kIZ_l-r5tVrlnig9-bkvoPDZxEEufbt9tSboztEuHibyoi3CdHn9XUYEB69LIrgIRq5KkOepGBiqC3TYfB53XCDeiBijqZGR-twsqn41D3OhV7AZhmRVjGfNZ1vh5ecRsb7Msm3Iaw/s1600/Tanna+057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL3kIZ_l-r5tVrlnig9-bkvoPDZxEEufbt9tSboztEuHibyoi3CdHn9XUYEB69LIrgIRq5KkOepGBiqC3TYfB53XCDeiBijqZGR-twsqn41D3OhV7AZhmRVjGfNZ1vh5ecRsb7Msm3Iaw/s200/Tanna+057.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16Ly_vauA-PTHS23y8wMeIY6JmetXsDfVFZdM6bfd71h19yOA4U6sesmtsAszRakT0jaGAlxuYhj4UDnTwqWy7zlHAmoYuEdo3uUVSv7hmYIYoHQsW1FMBosyqMvBJ7CFh7jIiC34tS0/s1600/Tanna+044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16Ly_vauA-PTHS23y8wMeIY6JmetXsDfVFZdM6bfd71h19yOA4U6sesmtsAszRakT0jaGAlxuYhj4UDnTwqWy7zlHAmoYuEdo3uUVSv7hmYIYoHQsW1FMBosyqMvBJ7CFh7jIiC34tS0/s200/Tanna+044.jpg" width="200" /></a>The final 300 metres was
on foot to the rim of the volcano where we were greeted with explosions of
magna shot high into the sky as we walked along the rim just feet away from a
drop into the volcano. You could see the orange magma boiling in the centre of
the volcano with huge explosions every few minutes. It was even more
spectacular as it started to get dark with the orange magma showing up clearly
as it fell back to earth still molten. The noise of the explosions and the
tremor of the ground added to the effect and it was a fantastic sight. Worth a
few hours of being shaken to bits on bumpy tracks wondering just how well
maintained these vehicles were.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Erromango 15-16
August</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In conversation with the other boats we decided to stop off
at Erromango – we had cleared immigration now so getting to Port Vila was less
pressing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was 80 miles so we started
off early in the morning to arrive just as it was getting dark. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguO9tVUTi-6KViyO1BI77sJdHIcSgZVjP1YDr5WgVZhmRA_F7dVN43HcQOZQ-OUocUlY-mLq97sImHCCklF4eUXkE-P8ZDoX11HyewBAj8DTNqEiDjxiR0SvcAKycGiuhuZhfVL8lmQIc/s1600/Erromango+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguO9tVUTi-6KViyO1BI77sJdHIcSgZVjP1YDr5WgVZhmRA_F7dVN43HcQOZQ-OUocUlY-mLq97sImHCCklF4eUXkE-P8ZDoX11HyewBAj8DTNqEiDjxiR0SvcAKycGiuhuZhfVL8lmQIc/s200/Erromango+005.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Children wathcing us come in</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Erromango was one of the worst hit islands by Cyclone Pam
and is not visited by tourists (unlike Tanna and Aneityum) so we decided that
we should take most of the aid there. Food aid from Port Vila had stopped two
months ago David was their spokesman (as he spoke very good English) and
arranged a trade – they would not accept the aid as a gift but wanted to trade
for it. So the next morning we were all invited to the village community centre
where we greeted with the children from the village singing traditional songs.
The women had got up as 4am to cook us some traditional food so as to be able
to offer some hospitality. We were all taken back by this as food was still in
short supply as the trees had no fruit and their crops were only just starting
to bear fruit, but this is their nature.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hRvo9TRYUkicBylCGOr3Pq4xbWIw8ZLmkVHOrakLc8R6DeWhvt51i3Fz5XPfXqbaftfYLL5wc-Fazp44vjjI1FJKUyjK8sSWcFG2I_v86mcRBCaRXvLNKyPca73VnrYVFbN1CYKTUck/s1600/Erromango+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3hRvo9TRYUkicBylCGOr3Pq4xbWIw8ZLmkVHOrakLc8R6DeWhvt51i3Fz5XPfXqbaftfYLL5wc-Fazp44vjjI1FJKUyjK8sSWcFG2I_v86mcRBCaRXvLNKyPca73VnrYVFbN1CYKTUck/s200/Erromango+009.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In return for the aid, all the villagers brought something
from their gardens – tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, taro and kava. We felt bad
about taking anything but it would have been very rude not to so most people
just took a few things and left the aid that we had brought. We were then taken
on a tour of the village and you could see the devastation still with trees
still having no leaves where the Cyclone had stripped them bare. Such warm and
friendly people and so generous despite everything.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4eueOtmCLDpdK8n1xMyAbE2hCHeSX9Sc38tz9kEBgrj9fQ1qlrKoCc_SD_kzS0O5HQK-xTnqU0oJBlcw7Z4Lg1e6bEt9oqB_igDIeapLFDhbb1-yWjtnrfnof1B6-AnBs6zdQArrb58/s1600/Erromango+031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4eueOtmCLDpdK8n1xMyAbE2hCHeSX9Sc38tz9kEBgrj9fQ1qlrKoCc_SD_kzS0O5HQK-xTnqU0oJBlcw7Z4Lg1e6bEt9oqB_igDIeapLFDhbb1-yWjtnrfnof1B6-AnBs6zdQArrb58/s200/Erromango+031.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yacht Club in progress</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the afternoon, David took us to see the Yacht Club he is
building to attract more yachts to stop at the island. It is work in progress
and he is funding it by donations and buying material from Port Vila when he
can. It will help bring in more people to the island and with it some much
needed currency for the village to buy staple foods such as rice. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mbrMc2_IeGsnAToDeza2oQ7EKLFmau3MKIZuvLIRCz7LbBlu-MP0decFxExMQogcBgL8Cb6AkerU_g_85Nd9KhmmWxeDPrC6VVJxDofejtAhPasqQ0F31W_p8WdwCAbsLLjS29x1Q7Q/s1600/Erromango+039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_mbrMc2_IeGsnAToDeza2oQ7EKLFmau3MKIZuvLIRCz7LbBlu-MP0decFxExMQogcBgL8Cb6AkerU_g_85Nd9KhmmWxeDPrC6VVJxDofejtAhPasqQ0F31W_p8WdwCAbsLLjS29x1Q7Q/s200/Erromango+039.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were taken in the afternoon to the Cave of skulls which
is a burial site of the chiefs of the island (until the missionaries stopped
this practice along with throwing the dead in the sea). We took a 30 minute
boat ride along the coast before negotiation a very tricky reef to get to the
beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A walk up to the first cave was
steep but walkable whereupon we climbed into the cave to see the bones of the
bodies placed there. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second cave was a climb up a sheer wall, using the tree
roots </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2jzNWRG6i1xA-CCSG4JPL1UUEuJzD9Zm_eWYWAgoig3wmlJEsOaGK65UtxmD-c_sN0xeHEeH96MbkX1RFRg8rtowOZRIL8RGGLz55cXgAK_igfRmbN9YcB76bmNcaJeQv_O2hG3nhhI/s1600/Erromango+041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt2jzNWRG6i1xA-CCSG4JPL1UUEuJzD9Zm_eWYWAgoig3wmlJEsOaGK65UtxmD-c_sN0xeHEeH96MbkX1RFRg8rtowOZRIL8RGGLz55cXgAK_igfRmbN9YcB76bmNcaJeQv_O2hG3nhhI/s200/Erromango+041.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Climbing up to the cave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRs-5KC_unidY5heQXk9UpeK-JbHO_gb6CyrGmNOMAsk8TzetQQ93mBotIrxE4rhVhrMBa_yz_ppBFV7Yc25LAJXKNhfbnC_cRxKMofsjfy4o18MCXfo-vGsy9nkAbiTN9sMUqFyMUxG0/s1600/Erromango+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRs-5KC_unidY5heQXk9UpeK-JbHO_gb6CyrGmNOMAsk8TzetQQ93mBotIrxE4rhVhrMBa_yz_ppBFV7Yc25LAJXKNhfbnC_cRxKMofsjfy4o18MCXfo-vGsy9nkAbiTN9sMUqFyMUxG0/s200/Erromango+045.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chiefs looking out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
and vines to make our way up and along a narrow path to the cave which
overlooked the sea. Here the heads of the chiefs were arranged so that they
could watch over the sea for any enemies arriving. <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
The next night we left for Port Vila with the aim of an easy
sail overnight so that we would arrive in the early morning and have the day
free. One of the yachts took a father and his son to Port Vila from the village
to visit the hospital as the son was ill and there is very limited medical care
on the island. There is an airstrip on the island (courtesy of the Americans
from WWII) but the cost of flying to Port Vila where the hospital is located is
prohibitive. The alternative is to wait for the weekly supply ship but again
the cost is too much for most of the villagers so it was fortunate that we were
there.</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-40901467256632336212015-09-03T12:59:00.002-07:002015-09-03T12:59:28.225-07:00Vanuatu Aneityum<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Vanuatu: 7 August – 12 August</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Journey</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We were delayed five days in Musket Cove waiting for a
weather window as the unseasonably strong winds and rain continued. We left on
Friday 7 August with north winds predicted for the first day and then south
easterly winds – all fairly benign according to the forecast. Indeed the first
day was good sailing in the north winds and then the winds turned south at
midnight and we found ourselves going to windward in 22-28kn winds with steep
3m seas coming towards us. After 24 hours or waves crashing over the boat and
very uncomfortable conditions, the winds eased along with the waves and the
rest of the journey was very straight forward.</div>
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<br /></div>
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One of the boats, Sweet Disorder, lost its rudder halfway on
the journey and without steering was forced to call the New Zealand coast guard
who co-ordinate rescue operations in this part of the South Pacific. The
nearest vessel was a fishing boat that went to give them a tow back to Suva
which was the fishing boat’s destination. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, they would not agree to provide the
tow until they had confirmation that they would be paid which delayed getting
the tow in place. The insurance company agreed to the cost and they had a slow
and difficult tow against the wind and waves back to Suva.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The fishing boat stopped before arriving at the island and
refused to continue until they had confirmation that the money was in their
account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The insurance company made the
payment and at that point the Fijian navy came out and took over the tow,
taking Sweet Disorder to Denarau Marina for repairs. They were greeted with a
Navy Band playing on the dock as they arrived to a big fanfare with the Navy
taking full credit for the rescue of a sailing boat on the edge of disaster! It
will take six weeks to get the boat repaired but undaunted they plan to
continue their trip once it is fixed. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aneityum 10- 12
August</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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We arrived at the anchorage at 7pm, just as it was getting
dark and we anchored without problem. It was noticeably colder in the evening
than it had been in Fiji although we were only 180 miles further south.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We had a very busy day the next day starting with the tour
of the village by a local guide. There are one thousand people living on the
island in three main villages. We visited one of the settlements where they
live in traditionally built houses from palm tree leaves and bamboo. The
villages are very well kept and beautiful with the villagers taking obvious
pride in their village and their way of life.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It has been six months since Cyclone Pam devastated the
island, stripping all the fruit off the trees, knocking down many of the trees
and stripping the leaves off many of the remaining ones. The guide explained
how they prepare for cyclones, storing bananas preserved in a pit in the ground
covered with leaves and stones, and cooking the roots of a particular tree
which provides sugar and water which they eat in the immediate aftermath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The root of the tree has to be cooked for 3
days and two nights and according to their tradition, three men must tend the
fire, sleeping next to the fire and must not eat and only drink water –
otherwise the root will not cook and cannot be used. They have a cyclone every
couple of years although none as devastating as Cyclone Pam. The villagers took
pride in their ability to be self-sufficient in the aftermath before any aid
can be delivered. As they are the southernmost island, they are last in the
route for the supply ships and they were one of the islands worst hit.</div>
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<br /></div>
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There is still no fruit on the island as the trees have only
been growing for six months now and it will take another few months before they
start producing fruit – bananas, mango etc. Vegetable crops were also
devastated but recovered more quickly. Many houses were destroyed but they have
started rebuilding again<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix11Pj4B5IULcCudO0iGF_7e9m3I05zCazutsbNikULAyndf7OjWqriAELbCJHKLQwK0eqKBuZXT-cLfrWaQvvt5TloFyd12lmnpAZlDqsXOWYAG0OLWmNl-drfz8oVZgr1hJBGeRxtTk/s1600/Aneityum+023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix11Pj4B5IULcCudO0iGF_7e9m3I05zCazutsbNikULAyndf7OjWqriAELbCJHKLQwK0eqKBuZXT-cLfrWaQvvt5TloFyd12lmnpAZlDqsXOWYAG0OLWmNl-drfz8oVZgr1hJBGeRxtTk/s200/Aneityum+023.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main village</td></tr>
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The main village has a primary school and secondary
education is on Efate at Port Vila so children have to leave the island at
twelve. One of the downsides of formal education has been the loss of skills
passed on from generation to generation. The children used to work</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTexvSgwnwTZ82oVVQqx8H-LBhWsF31EGzsSQKK9wvYgiI-wJ_MSh5ySGhgztev2EmTkTDjIbjv7jnsUiy-hISvtsBEQu_aKK0H9-wRIIlPZya6ILli7wZyr0-CgpvZqXyQPqloqCsfQ/s1600/Aneityum+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTexvSgwnwTZ82oVVQqx8H-LBhWsF31EGzsSQKK9wvYgiI-wJ_MSh5ySGhgztev2EmTkTDjIbjv7jnsUiy-hISvtsBEQu_aKK0H9-wRIIlPZya6ILli7wZyr0-CgpvZqXyQPqloqCsfQ/s200/Aneityum+005.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A traditional fishing net they still use</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
with their
parents day to day, learning the skills and traditions and the skills are
gradually being lost – something that they are actively trying to reverse since
their way of life depends on them. Some of those skills are being taught in
schools now although the guide said that the skills taught in schools are not
the practical skills required but more of an academic learning.<br />
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<br /></div>
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In the afternoon the villagers took us to the reef to
snorkel among the coral and fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were taken in a long boat and dropped off to allow the tide to bring us back
across the reef with little effort. That is little effort until the last 100
metres swimming across the tide to get back to the island which made the swim
seem that much longer. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our dinner</td></tr>
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Later that afternoon we were invited to Mystery Island which
is just off the main island for traditional dancing and a feast. There were
about 30 of us from the yachts and the islanders had gone to a lot of trouble,
spit roasting a pig over an open fire and cooking many of their traditional
foods – taro, kasava and sweet potatoes. The dancing was fearsome and you could
see that the roots as warriors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had Vanuata
kava which is supposed to be much stronger than either Tongan or Fijian but after
one cup we decided that beer tasted a lot better and fortunately we had brought
some supplies with us, as had the other boats.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The Queen (of England) named the island “Mystery Island” and
the name has stuck ever since. It is </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHSfmuBhClIhabeomxpNfVuQK1rtB-Ko7shHsRmidSxCgp-MjRhxE1hkCUg4w-VjlviefmWJiinbkvklp2a-18IvZT3qJFc4C78GceOpLmE9IxhzO0nyNTIOtAZiYDoicDz8xd92BNIs/s1600/Aneityum+047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJHSfmuBhClIhabeomxpNfVuQK1rtB-Ko7shHsRmidSxCgp-MjRhxE1hkCUg4w-VjlviefmWJiinbkvklp2a-18IvZT3qJFc4C78GceOpLmE9IxhzO0nyNTIOtAZiYDoicDz8xd92BNIs/s200/Aneityum+047.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional dancing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWS7xPoZCQrIHHJQzbn4OKPoX0djDMi9JA9ye8ja1wDgls_541JlV2FWmYcHX8D2-vICcKKRJKCTPaF-vMsM40TAYoEfVhZ9wbWRM949Q_HeXENYDATUzkSjIR3F659ix7P_4VFNmbcE/s1600/Aneityum+045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWS7xPoZCQrIHHJQzbn4OKPoX0djDMi9JA9ye8ja1wDgls_541JlV2FWmYcHX8D2-vICcKKRJKCTPaF-vMsM40TAYoEfVhZ9wbWRM949Q_HeXENYDATUzkSjIR3F659ix7P_4VFNmbcE/s200/Aneityum+045.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chief (centre) welcoming us</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
used by Cruise Ships who bring a couple of
thousand people on shore each week for a two hour visit to see the dancing and
buy souvenirs. This is something that the village has cultivated over many
years to bring in currency to the small island which otherwise has little means
of earning money. We were lucky that we were such a small group which allowed a
lot of time to talk to the villagers about their way of life which apart from
the cruise ship visits is spent as any other village. They were expecting a
cruise ship the following week the first since the cyclone.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_IaaxneXpfhTld0lBYfZVFzErB1to9_9qDeXbLO3cZlTMM-Q2A2N6o_k8mfTYHLvMzPsykRRtXDn3mNQ9WNTYJGVse51pFZjQwPX4NMczdnOTxwjPa7wvCf-vzSW086C7mAhYWbDC2E/s1600/Aneityum+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu_IaaxneXpfhTld0lBYfZVFzErB1to9_9qDeXbLO3cZlTMM-Q2A2N6o_k8mfTYHLvMzPsykRRtXDn3mNQ9WNTYJGVse51pFZjQwPX4NMczdnOTxwjPa7wvCf-vzSW086C7mAhYWbDC2E/s200/Aneityum+040.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making fire</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOK0uKt8bF2HH1r1Xt_HGwjm-b7yNNDqfyz0Bja4ar5aXZHs1csIPhAEMPR5tbbkYojCojKNF-F92ozLWxiiI5rpCK3Eptl0l9YZhReFOjHo7xEd1At_xlEnyoYTwy2320h9KIi6fZik/s1600/Aneityum+042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOK0uKt8bF2HH1r1Xt_HGwjm-b7yNNDqfyz0Bja4ar5aXZHs1csIPhAEMPR5tbbkYojCojKNF-F92ozLWxiiI5rpCK3Eptl0l9YZhReFOjHo7xEd1At_xlEnyoYTwy2320h9KIi6fZik/s200/Aneityum+042.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two minutes later!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the interesting demonstrations is how they make fire.
They <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It never happened like that when I was a boy
scout!</div>
use a particular tree which is very dry and use a branch from the tree
against the trunk to quickly generate enough heat to light some kindling. It
took no more than two minutes to have a blaze going.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many of the boats left the next day but we stayed on so that
we could see more of the main island and talk to the locals. Everyone was very
engaging and one even apologised that they could not offer us any fruit to take
away with us which is what they would normally do for visitors from boats.
Apart from yachts, very few people visit the main island on Aneityum as it is
not easy to get to. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPfyL-Hn5IHiGSOZBNVr65uFbuDw3u6ZQb-sOZv94305wmsfM9Wc8oRR_D84YvrqlWHuACO19zfUukUG7h91WhRZqChhw0d4iDklLsASOO7xR-iXjsSf0C2_euP45vSQUCk_yd7QRa8E/s1600/Aneityum+059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQPfyL-Hn5IHiGSOZBNVr65uFbuDw3u6ZQb-sOZv94305wmsfM9Wc8oRR_D84YvrqlWHuACO19zfUukUG7h91WhRZqChhw0d4iDklLsASOO7xR-iXjsSf0C2_euP45vSQUCk_yd7QRa8E/s200/Aneityum+059.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PeaceCorp worker in school library</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We met two girls who were US PeaceCorp workers on the island
who had signed up to two years living in the village<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to provide help – one in the local school sorting
out the library and the other at a medical centre in one of the other villages.
They live and eat with the villagers with no internet access, no trips home during
the period and limited conversations with a few people who can speak English. Both
of them have been learning Bislama which is a common (but second language) in
all of the islands – each island has their own native language which is
different in each island and often different between villages on the same
island. Both girls had been upset that they had to leave the island just before
the Cyclone hit, at the insistence of the US PeaceCorp, to be flown to safety
while the villagers did not have any option but to stay – they have great
attachment to the people of the village. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To celebrate the survival of the
Cyclone, the PeaceCorp produced a video showing how the villagers coped and
were in high spirits in the aftermath despite the hardships incurred by all the
villagers following destruction of their crops, houses and fruit. </div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-54419418437571241302015-08-01T23:34:00.000-07:002015-08-01T23:34:46.580-07:00Western Fiji<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Musket Cove Friday 3
July – Monday 6 July</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We arrived at Musket Cove on the Friday afternoon and
managed to get a space on the small jetty, opposite the bar. So we spent the
evening catching up with the everyone and having dinner with Barry, Caroline, Andy and Emma. The next morning it was very sad to see people leave,
we had really enjoyed their company and we had shared a lot of experiences
together. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Catherine and I stayed another couple of nights to enjoy
some rest and relaxation. I even played on their 9 hole golf course – played
may be too stronger a word for my performance as I managed to lose three balls
on a small golf course. Need some more practice!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Viti Levu:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Denarau Marina</b> Monday 6 July – Friday 17
July</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpllqyvN6f9ndsEqOpo5WaH4msLTs7VENb6Y83soxpVJXFZiIxEhX0Y4gEuoiVQ2GZXdtLA7eokBTN5Z2LOfZWtrEz47rvDk5TUnJTPD9Bge1_ewfRDo5j0D-_Wsb4mxOWGAeCBX_7Bpk/s1600/Fiji+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpllqyvN6f9ndsEqOpo5WaH4msLTs7VENb6Y83soxpVJXFZiIxEhX0Y4gEuoiVQ2GZXdtLA7eokBTN5Z2LOfZWtrEz47rvDk5TUnJTPD9Bge1_ewfRDo5j0D-_Wsb4mxOWGAeCBX_7Bpk/s200/Fiji+001.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Denarau Marina</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Denarau Marina is like Port Solent in the Solent except 10
times bigger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of restaurants and
tourist shops but also a major port for boat repairs. It is also the main
terminal for holiday makers to get the ferry across to the other islands on the
west of Fiji so very busy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I had been arranging the work with a local company,
Yachthelp, for 4 weeks to line up the work to fix all the problems that needed
specialist skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In four days we
managed to get the rigging sorted out, the mainsail
recut and the other sails repaired, the bimini repaired, the gas regulator
changed and the water maker overhauled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were exhausted each night after undertaking the repairs
and eat out at the yacht club most nights. The staff were delightful and knew
our names from the first night, stopping for a chat if they met us in the town.
The food was very good, well presented and the atmosphere was very good as
well. The only downside was the menu did not change while we were there and even
the catch of the day was always sword fish. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the Saturday of that first week we moved off the marina
berth onto a buoy so that we could refit the sails ready to go off early the
next morning. At 7am we slipped the mooring and managed ten yards before the
depth sounder stopped working. At first I thought it was a loose connexion and
I stripped the boat apart to find it. By lunchtime we resigned ourselves to the
fact that the sender would need to be replaced. We could not get a direct replaement in Fiji and had to wait 4 days to have a new part flown in from New Zealand. We hired a car to do some sightseeing in the meantime.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sightseeing</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We wanted to go and see an inland village since we had seen
only coastal villages on our travels so we set off up the mountain to one of
the less remote villages. The made road quickly gave way to a dirt road and
then deteriorated to gravel track for the rest of the journey up the mountain.
We traversed the river and drove up the steep path for 45 minutes, thankful
that we had 4WD – we would not have made it otherwise. We stopped to pick up a
guide at the village and drove the final miles up the path to where we would
leave the car.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br /><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwm7S92tBgDDv_DHeoAjaPem2xCc6Qt8T-puv1Y6kBV9-Esx0NzkUGRt94OflBnrlpJFW5lIcobsP10o-mZZjeHqlZd5spRtMlOxgpT8uD8u7wNCUPp6XdopVNLTfti0CMDjIfm4cvt8/s1600/Fiji+050.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwm7S92tBgDDv_DHeoAjaPem2xCc6Qt8T-puv1Y6kBV9-Esx0NzkUGRt94OflBnrlpJFW5lIcobsP10o-mZZjeHqlZd5spRtMlOxgpT8uD8u7wNCUPp6XdopVNLTfti0CMDjIfm4cvt8/s200/Fiji+050.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The final mile was the most challenging as we went up a
steep slope at a 45 degree incline with deep ruts. After 4 attempts at the
first part of the track, backing back down to have another go, and
encouragement from the guide to “go faster” we managed to get 100 yards before
getting stuck with all four wheels spinning. Two men on horses stopped, tied up
their horses and said they would help get us up the 30 yards we needed to get
back onto more solid ground. Fifteen minutes later, and after a lot of burning
rubber, we made the 30 yards onto firmer ground and could continue. The guide
explained that this was all very normal and it happens all the time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGwm7S92tBgDDv_DHeoAjaPem2xCc6Qt8T-puv1Y6kBV9-Esx0NzkUGRt94OflBnrlpJFW5lIcobsP10o-mZZjeHqlZd5spRtMlOxgpT8uD8u7wNCUPp6XdopVNLTfti0CMDjIfm4cvt8/s1600/Fiji+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRENeVzxyhwz_QNFsJ15KVIuJH9wOVe8-XcfeBAnMvK7BXjjB58eMpSpE9A_CetW7Gexc0Z874g3IDCMXHHBOHd1cJ6_lZmz8oUX_zdHuVVBc3nWKTbrgQfQfxf9WGp23jUf791rNK1E/s1600/Fiji+032.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRENeVzxyhwz_QNFsJ15KVIuJH9wOVe8-XcfeBAnMvK7BXjjB58eMpSpE9A_CetW7Gexc0Z874g3IDCMXHHBOHd1cJ6_lZmz8oUX_zdHuVVBc3nWKTbrgQfQfxf9WGp23jUf791rNK1E/s200/Fiji+032.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPwni9NYDHam05-s0y-eUMSEFk1K_jXBPM9-rr2vankNUSIZofo_dMuT7fT0_eLTfsfehLxlGvWksSkTjIRuiiFS7UCos3dsnkJ9Twx9rYmKznvNGY93ijd2TFsTsPUiXm0Yq4k-Fsy4/s1600/Fiji+037.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPwni9NYDHam05-s0y-eUMSEFk1K_jXBPM9-rr2vankNUSIZofo_dMuT7fT0_eLTfsfehLxlGvWksSkTjIRuiiFS7UCos3dsnkJ9Twx9rYmKznvNGY93ijd2TFsTsPUiXm0Yq4k-Fsy4/s200/Fiji+037.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guide</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The guide took us on a three hour tour through the forest
along an unmarked path up to the waterfall- not a path you would take
without a guide. The waterfall was not the best we have seen but the walk was
enjoyable. The guide was very good, showing us the vegetation which only see in packets in the UK but do not see growing in the
wild such as coco, vanilla and nutmeg. We even had fresh mandarins picked from
one of the trees on route.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CnR7RCULnQhAsNqJ_i2BnI72eS_ZpU88MgcWMAeTv1ugp1_OgojwjTbnS1ilbodoId_cbWNxfPWNL6YfkM5XfGbvHuE97MdddnIzcMAGwsKA-mS7PSR0ZTGDOo21fCGX-M7Ic6wuwCQ/s1600/Fiji+044.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CnR7RCULnQhAsNqJ_i2BnI72eS_ZpU88MgcWMAeTv1ugp1_OgojwjTbnS1ilbodoId_cbWNxfPWNL6YfkM5XfGbvHuE97MdddnIzcMAGwsKA-mS7PSR0ZTGDOo21fCGX-M7Ic6wuwCQ/s200/Fiji+044.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We went back to the village for lunch at one of the houses.
A </div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7nge34Sl8ROF0byXV7gs8LV2ELamjQqUR0rD4-pOjPTcb3Jq8V7B4h6X62zIScgtXucNbJWGv7fl9QGbEpMUQlElOLY6oo3HFc171eSgQ44GP1_Geo8MbkHaLbFx2FjBCK9dP5Skhcg/s1600/Fiji+049.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7nge34Sl8ROF0byXV7gs8LV2ELamjQqUR0rD4-pOjPTcb3Jq8V7B4h6X62zIScgtXucNbJWGv7fl9QGbEpMUQlElOLY6oo3HFc171eSgQ44GP1_Geo8MbkHaLbFx2FjBCK9dP5Skhcg/s200/Fiji+049.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kitchen and wood stove</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
single room with a couple of beds and no other furniture with a separate
building for the kitchen. The stove was a couple of bricks supporting a cooking
pot with wood burning underneath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Water
was from the stream and there is no electricity. The villagers take it turns to
feed guests who come up to the village as a way of earning some currency. Otherwise, the only income is from the women selling their fruit and vegetables
in the market in Lautoka, getting there at 4am in the morning. The village has
one car which is used to transport the produce to the market three times a
week. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXd0pMXoPmJV-9M-CX9JnDNitiArtSrDo7VzQhK8npD1cvO_AykBq_g3DI9Gaa5r1C5328lgNSq3kf9LhD7eLz2F_EQKShM7wMPyyTrwigxwiTvzkE7Zy2ar_4APn71v4ujlnBQBAthjE/s1600/Fiji+034.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXd0pMXoPmJV-9M-CX9JnDNitiArtSrDo7VzQhK8npD1cvO_AykBq_g3DI9Gaa5r1C5328lgNSq3kf9LhD7eLz2F_EQKShM7wMPyyTrwigxwiTvzkE7Zy2ar_4APn71v4ujlnBQBAthjE/s200/Fiji+034.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the village is so inaccessible, the children stay in
Lautoka to go to school from the age of six, coming home only for the holidays.
The village own a house in Lautoka and the parents take it in turn to spend a
week in the house looking after the young children during term time. The older
children board separately in Lautoka for the secondary school. It is hard for
the children since they speak Fijian at home but all school lessons are in
English from the age of six – hence why everyone here speaks such good English.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we drove 4 hours to Suva, the capital of Fiji.
The road was very good and wends its way through countless villages with speed
humps through each one which are very effective in keeping the speed down. It
does make for a slow journey to Suva but it gives you the opportunity to see
the villages on route. Every village has a rugby pitch and on the journey home
every pitch was being used by teams playing or practising – it underlined how
important rugby is in Fiji. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had decided to follow a route from a guide book around
Suva, taking in the historic sights – we had no interest in shopping. The
description of the route was somewhat oversold as we walked along uninteresting
roads and side streets with nothing to commend them. The good part was the Fiji
museum that explained a lot about the history of Fiji and we spent two hours
there, reading about Fiji and how it had come under the protectorate of the UK
before independence. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The British introduced indentured labour from India whereby
Indians could have a free passage to Fiji in return for working for five years
in very hard labour. If they wanted to return to India, they had to work
another five years so most of the 300,000 people bought across stayed and now
the Indian population is almost half of the entire population of Fiji.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We were glad to leave Suva and we certainly had to leave
before sunset – even the locals take taxis at night since the streets are so
unsafe. This is such a contrast to everywhere else we have been in Fiji. While
we were disappointed with our trip to Suva, we would have been more
disappointed if we had not made the effort.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Mana Island</b>
Friday 17 July – Sunday 19 July</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the depth sounder fixed on Thursday, we set off to Mana
Island the next day. It was the closest island where we could spend a few days
at anchor before returning to Denarau to have the solar panels and additional
battery fitted.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The highlight of the visit was the snorkelling off the reef
with beautiful coral and a vast number of different fish. There is something
very relaxing about being at anchor, snorkelling off the back of the boat and
finishing off the day with a BBQ in the evening. It enabled us to really relax
after the trials and tribulations of the last two weeks at Denarau.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back to Denarau</b>
Sunday 19 July – Saturday 25 July</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our last week at Denarau was spent getting the solar panels
fitted, doing odd jobs and provisioning the boat. Catherine hired a car for a
couple of days so she could get away from boat which his always upside down
while we are doing work. And with people working outside and me working inside
it means there is no-where that is not in a mess.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the people working on the boat, Vikash, invited us to
his house in Nadi for dinner and some Kava. We started the evening with some
Kava which he grinds himself from the roots of the plant – better stuff than
the packets you can buy in the market. In fact, you need to take the root to
the villages since they do not like the packaged powder stuff – it is inferior
quality, mainly served in restaurants for tourists but it is the only stuff we
had drunk.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Vikash lives with his daughter, wife and his wife’s cousin
in a house a couple of miles from Nadi town centre. Very quiet and a lot of
Fijian Indians live in the village. While the three men sat round drinking Kava
cross legged on the floor of the porch, Catherine and Vikash’s wife ate the
curry and other local dishes in the kitchen. Once we had finished the Kava, we
got up to eat and it was only then I noticed how difficult it was to stand up
and walk. After eating and more chatting on the porch, we left with Catherine
laughing at how I was swaying as we walked. And we only had one beer apart from
the Kava.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was relieved to get back to the boat and go to bed,
feeling like I did when I had drunk cider when I was fourteen. No hangover the
next morning but I was very tired and managed to do almost nothing the next
morning. And most men drink the stuff late into the evening every night. Not
sure I am up to that and will stay with beer next time!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Saturday lunchtime the work was finished and we finally
had the boat back to ourselves, ready to head off to Waya Island in the Yasawa
group.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Finally a (brief)
visit to Yasawa Group</b> Sunday 26 July – Tuesday 28</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With no wind we motored the 40 miles
to the southernmost island in the chain, Waya. The first anchorage was provided
good protection from the wind which had started to build but perversely the
swell was coming from the opposite direction. After 15 minutes at anchor being
rocked violently we hauled up anchor and moved to the next anchorage, some 4
miles away around the top of the island. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another hour with Catherine on the bow shouting out when we
came into unmarked reefs which there were many with depths dropping from 50m to
5m in less than 50 yards. All heart stopping stuff but we did finally manage to
get into the next bay and drop anchor after some very tense moments. The swell
was still prevalent in this anchorage but we were not going anywhere else,
particularly as night was falling. So we spent a couple of days at anchor,
snorkelling on the reef and BBQing off the back of the boat before heading back
to Musket Cove to meet up with the ICA boats, whose rally we are joining to New
Zealand.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Musket Cove</b>
Tuesday 27 July – Monday 3 August.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fV5XVS4JSDDhqOCEHE6N-dVVW2BHHSnJFtpVBWNA73eMxUwHSlNM7xBkGkhhS4f1jbnPloUP9Ld6UwSP8SflkY941stUKbtK1fdkpanLMqeJW2RCeZVgHKWzz76kH1Mka2yB7NchBnw/s1600/Fiji+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSp-mx4vgwFOC32gS7UtLi3cv_HcycwdxO8w0mPcTraj62T_iORIh1khdnJfXbDZfSoJqEJpjVnH2-IsXFBDQbQG9vdtn7YY2Anvpd1FQoODTu_2Mifm6axWwa9gwgwAzJFTRlCP0zjp4/s1600/Fiji+016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSp-mx4vgwFOC32gS7UtLi3cv_HcycwdxO8w0mPcTraj62T_iORIh1khdnJfXbDZfSoJqEJpjVnH2-IsXFBDQbQG9vdtn7YY2Anvpd1FQoODTu_2Mifm6axWwa9gwgwAzJFTRlCP0zjp4/s200/Fiji+016.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catherine and I in the canoe</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fV5XVS4JSDDhqOCEHE6N-dVVW2BHHSnJFtpVBWNA73eMxUwHSlNM7xBkGkhhS4f1jbnPloUP9Ld6UwSP8SflkY941stUKbtK1fdkpanLMqeJW2RCeZVgHKWzz76kH1Mka2yB7NchBnw/s1600/Fiji+013.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0fV5XVS4JSDDhqOCEHE6N-dVVW2BHHSnJFtpVBWNA73eMxUwHSlNM7xBkGkhhS4f1jbnPloUP9Ld6UwSP8SflkY941stUKbtK1fdkpanLMqeJW2RCeZVgHKWzz76kH1Mka2yB7NchBnw/s200/Fiji+013.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The swimming leg</td></tr>
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We took part in the ICA rally triathlon which was a swim, a
run (or walk) and a canoe race. Stella from Exocet undertook the swimming leg (we
would have drowned), <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John from Exocet
and myself did the walk and the idea was that Catherine would do the Canoeing.
However, there were only double handed canoes left when we had finished the
walk and so Catherine and I did the final leg together. We came in 9<sup>th</sup>
(I won’t say how many entries there were) but it was great fun. Good way to get
to know some of the other boats other than over drinks at the bar.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We have met a few people on our travels and had dinner and drinks
with them over the last four weeks. All very friendly, mostly from NZ and
Australia except for Chessie who are from Germany who we have got to know quite well. On Saturday night together with Exocet Strike we went over to Chessie for
drinks before dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After three hours
we all decided it would be a good idea to get back in the dinghies and head
back to our boats after a very convivial evening. Stella (who does not drink much
normally) was a little worse for wear and managed to miss the dinghy entirely
and fall the 2m from the deck into the water in the dark. I jumped off the boat into our
dinghy and managed to get her back but it was a nasty moment. Made us all think
we need to be more careful.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We are waiting for a break in the weather as we are having
the first rain for months with some strong winds associated with this. Up until
now it has been 30 degrees during the day and now it is only 22 degrees and
feels surprisingly cool. We are getting soft. The front is due to pass on
Monday and we will be setting off to Vanuatu after that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our position can now be tracked on YellowBrick at <a href="https://my.yb.tl/AfarVI">https://my.yb.tl/AfarVI</a>. </div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-19171282853565637802015-07-31T00:34:00.001-07:002015-07-31T00:34:12.797-07:00Central Fiji<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Qamea:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Wednesday 17 June – Saturday 20 June</div>
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The weather was closing in and we had one day if we wanted
to leave Vanua Balavu, or we would have to stay another 5 days. We set off at 7am, nervously
navigating through the reefs until we reached the open sea and could relax. We
arrived at Naiviivi Bay<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(an excellent
hurricane hole) on the island of Qamea at 5pm and after four attempts managed
to get the anchor to hold, ready for the bad weather forecast for the next 4
days.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXF6IktMWZRLBGAtFOOP-oJurreVVE9eAUYKHHtQ6OEGOwldSQjiU_8jY3uaQSmPX715wGlzhAHD7PXV5NIXwWXjY_Nae4vE47q27tfkEQOMN0oMu0ILlWw-3QipL8UYzLM11V6AhVKiQ/s1600/Fiji+137.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXF6IktMWZRLBGAtFOOP-oJurreVVE9eAUYKHHtQ6OEGOwldSQjiU_8jY3uaQSmPX715wGlzhAHD7PXV5NIXwWXjY_Nae4vE47q27tfkEQOMN0oMu0ILlWw-3QipL8UYzLM11V6AhVKiQ/s200/Fiji+137.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our lunch provided by the Chief</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The island chief (Moses) came to visit us the next day on a
boat with some food for lunch – local fish, cassava and some taro with coconut
which we had for lunch. We stayed on board all day as the wind and rain made
going out an unattractive option, particularly in the dinghy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day, despite some rain and strong
wind, we ventured onto the beach and made our way<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>along a small path to the chief’s house for
the Sevusevu ceremony .We took Kava as a gift that we had bought in Tonga –
this was the inferior variety as it was ready ground but we had had no
opportunity to buy the real stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIiCwXhXaK2wiwRmGB6x-FqUW-7LWRi2be2GjVJCzS3q9aQZ4eP55EZf3K7WjfE__2CIojvDT3LNuuDniSN2atiyzF3v_cZU8a044Z4jkzTlGlA1hhBKyOwJ2r9ETBWSolcEFS4T8qOc/s1600/Fiji+147.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTIiCwXhXaK2wiwRmGB6x-FqUW-7LWRi2be2GjVJCzS3q9aQZ4eP55EZf3K7WjfE__2CIojvDT3LNuuDniSN2atiyzF3v_cZU8a044Z4jkzTlGlA1hhBKyOwJ2r9ETBWSolcEFS4T8qOc/s200/Fiji+147.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moses, his daughter and grandson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He
welcomed us to his home where we sat cross legged on the floor while he
conducted a ceremony in Fijian, clapping as he spoke. At the end of this he said that we had access to
the island and if there was anything we needed such as water or fruit he was
happy to give us .The house, a single room, was made of corrugated iron like
most of the houses in the villages and the kitchen was a separate building with
a wood burning stove. Apart from two beds there was no other furniture and the
floor was covered with lino.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br /><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxy2PRBdVG7GETXugWZnATodJiTM-ZNySD81JN3ln0ebj6ITIxIxCZ4DYHXdtIkjzXOERRboJ96skCpjVjucqwWNAeoPtPmysdDq1NwtDypEuJBdBP9PxqBr5xgZR330wY62Wa_GVYlw/s1600/Fiji+158.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcxy2PRBdVG7GETXugWZnATodJiTM-ZNySD81JN3ln0ebj6ITIxIxCZ4DYHXdtIkjzXOERRboJ96skCpjVjucqwWNAeoPtPmysdDq1NwtDypEuJBdBP9PxqBr5xgZR330wY62Wa_GVYlw/s200/Fiji+158.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had two guides to help us!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We chatted to many of the villagers on our walk round and
they </div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ASLM3tpRsjprSdnBcttrP0aFXKFcVj0EnocdKqcAuvDvuHgRdw_WwnmyjWGIcYF6Pa3JZwSc1kv9mxeJ5-cPuLRRm0XbAud31hhpfY2_4O4axwVOreVCXpQRCyRTN_5WTV4jh78bkmU/s1600/Fiji+168.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ASLM3tpRsjprSdnBcttrP0aFXKFcVj0EnocdKqcAuvDvuHgRdw_WwnmyjWGIcYF6Pa3JZwSc1kv9mxeJ5-cPuLRRm0XbAud31hhpfY2_4O4axwVOreVCXpQRCyRTN_5WTV4jh78bkmU/s200/Fiji+168.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Building a new hut for the village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
were all very friendly and happy to talk about us and them. Many of them
had lived in Suva (the capital) where they went to school but most returned to
live in their village as it offered a better life – no stress and a real
community.</div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2t1cWODFxAvbR0NJD-TyYrewLngS_WVWO-89nLVNJ1yJMvMfCIhA1i3yhrrtUCief9sR1XKENu0lbBN3qyJUdTbV8FydckoKozoysfCmnSMwhusS0gNNBAwvubZxYfWMkY-tupRoTj44/s1600/Fiji+140.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2t1cWODFxAvbR0NJD-TyYrewLngS_WVWO-89nLVNJ1yJMvMfCIhA1i3yhrrtUCief9sR1XKENu0lbBN3qyJUdTbV8FydckoKozoysfCmnSMwhusS0gNNBAwvubZxYfWMkY-tupRoTj44/s200/Fiji+140.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Going to school by boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The village had about 80 people living together, mainly
fishing and farming although a few people worked at a local resort on the top
of the island. There were no roads on the island and even the school bus was a
boat, taking the local children 1 mile </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
along the coast to the school in the
next village.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We left a couple of days later to go to Taveuni as the wind
started to die down. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Taveuni:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Saturday 20 June – Tuesday 23 June</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had wanted to visit Taveuni as it is known as the garden
island because it is so lush with tropical vegetation. There is also a national
park there and a lot of waterfalls. The weather didn’t look good for some of
the anchorages at the north of the island but we knew that a number of boats
had gone to Paradise Resort in the south of Taveuni on the recommendation of
the ICA lead boat. We got there just before dark after a rather rough sail around
the coast and tied up to one of their mooring buoys, not really wanting to go
to a resort. We were very pleasantly surprised as we were greeted like long
lost friends and invited to sample the delights of the yacht friendly small
resort. The staff were excellent and the mood was like a house party. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We stayed three days and enjoyed having dinner with the
other 30 or so guests on long tables and chatting over dinner and drinks.
Mostly Kiwis and Australians although a few Americans as well – many of the
guests come back year after year and mainly for the scuba diving which is among
the best in the world. The resort has no beach but a reef where it has the most
fantastic snorkelling , the best since Fakarava. Loads of fish big and small
and beautiful coral both hard and soft- it was amazing just off the back of our
boat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQky6Eov_3BNXa5T1lO9ocEZL-aA9umzbreS5qryWv5oJ0y1SqzLjjz5ndyhcNa9hy3vZfdI9H9OWJih_og5O_Ic9F9fK-PboRdmv_6SfSTzgVgZZdQBhBmDF5VUn2l6c0lD3zowr-Ah0/s1600/Fiji+195.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQky6Eov_3BNXa5T1lO9ocEZL-aA9umzbreS5qryWv5oJ0y1SqzLjjz5ndyhcNa9hy3vZfdI9H9OWJih_og5O_Ic9F9fK-PboRdmv_6SfSTzgVgZZdQBhBmDF5VUn2l6c0lD3zowr-Ah0/s200/Fiji+195.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bridge was a little rickerty</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoEkeA2-vtjYJvqZQ9j2iI-Mm-vpOWt7ZkcAI84CKVzy3pIwVtv_Ib2sIOigpFf1n2oJ0KsIA148sU5WzV_DC5q-kqtpTAyqB67UjlmjE8GclOr6KD1_11j05eg0kUXYKgM5GiccuRiY/s1600/Fiji+202.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoEkeA2-vtjYJvqZQ9j2iI-Mm-vpOWt7ZkcAI84CKVzy3pIwVtv_Ib2sIOigpFf1n2oJ0KsIA148sU5WzV_DC5q-kqtpTAyqB67UjlmjE8GclOr6KD1_11j05eg0kUXYKgM5GiccuRiY/s200/Fiji+202.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard going in the heat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We took a trip out to the waterfall and coastal walk which
involved an hour drive, most of which was on unmade roads. Our two hour walk
with the guide was very instructive as we made our way along the beach and then
through the jungle to the waterfall. The last part of the journey was a swim up
river to the waterfall which I had not intended to do but we could not get that
far and not do it. It was well worth the effort but we declined the offer from
the group of adventure travellers who turned up just after us to climb to the
top of the waterfall and jump off. It was not that I hate swimming, I just did
not want to die. The 20 year olds did not seem to have the same fear!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-P3gvtd0tzdxfjGIi2Z4Q2VuBC31IWTPtqhB2U8sig3d12fjygOSaXeCW4cRthVvXCG4zdS_ap-LQbcdBxpMeKJ9L4jzOAclEVWyR6mZIhGKCt5gL2kEGjn3uZnWyu6Pd0DMFq3_jbg/s1600/Fiji+203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU-P3gvtd0tzdxfjGIi2Z4Q2VuBC31IWTPtqhB2U8sig3d12fjygOSaXeCW4cRthVvXCG4zdS_ap-LQbcdBxpMeKJ9L4jzOAclEVWyR6mZIhGKCt5gL2kEGjn3uZnWyu6Pd0DMFq3_jbg/s400/Fiji+203.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We had to swim the rest of the way</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DVfw94Eqa3kQa-CxJl0BmSPIBgAapqXHy00NQhurgFdPvz-ZXIGoz378k0f1BSNItI2Y_N7JWQz_0FwtXfjB2-DJjWAyg73t_6rUuD64CQS3VTaBIhhSWTUYkJVNL94gEhwBN8-Rd40/s1600/Fiji+227.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-DVfw94Eqa3kQa-CxJl0BmSPIBgAapqXHy00NQhurgFdPvz-ZXIGoz378k0f1BSNItI2Y_N7JWQz_0FwtXfjB2-DJjWAyg73t_6rUuD64CQS3VTaBIhhSWTUYkJVNL94gEhwBN8-Rd40/s400/Fiji+227.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exactly half way round and standing either side of the date line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Vanua Levu:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Tuesday 23 June – Thursday 2 July</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDQaRcxw4NbmK0Lr_CkP9GawI2Nz_kPoK6cyu20rA4yxY1194uu2fE5EqtByJyH1ofaKQmG2DdyFvmbJEc4Q0Bfvtr0E95RRj3ARkxtphdpluKkTG9xM5xUrsKlTvkoW9u2ffkY4qdfo/s1600/Fiji+002.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDQaRcxw4NbmK0Lr_CkP9GawI2Nz_kPoK6cyu20rA4yxY1194uu2fE5EqtByJyH1ofaKQmG2DdyFvmbJEc4Q0Bfvtr0E95RRj3ARkxtphdpluKkTG9xM5xUrsKlTvkoW9u2ffkY4qdfo/s200/Fiji+002.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curly's house boat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Savusavu is one of the main towns on Vanua Levu, the second
largest island in Fiji. We could not get an answer from the marina about tying
up to a buoy and eventually Curly, a well-known Kiwi livingon a house boat in
the river, shouted to us as we passed to take one of his buoys. Curly is a
character <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDQaRcxw4NbmK0Lr_CkP9GawI2Nz_kPoK6cyu20rA4yxY1194uu2fE5EqtByJyH1ofaKQmG2DdyFvmbJEc4Q0Bfvtr0E95RRj3ARkxtphdpluKkTG9xM5xUrsKlTvkoW9u2ffkY4qdfo/s1600/Fiji+002.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>and runs not only the local net on the VHF at 8am every morning but
also chart navigation seminars for cruisers sailing around Fiji. An absolute
must for safely sailing between islands and entering the reef strewn
anchorages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also has a side line in
making fishing lures which have a great reputation for catching fish. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Labassa</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxr3UPDdWp1zWfOQ_rVoXl3GNRwSTY8Ys0a-i1vmZPOrV7hhOihZnxxsJvg-DSsnZjS4nGDCBi9mE9Y5-tb_PUQwqZLVJkPeA2iEHJ5yx_7vyBr8k-joNPf6EM2JP22Y966qWmATzazc/s1600/Fiji+241.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqxr3UPDdWp1zWfOQ_rVoXl3GNRwSTY8Ys0a-i1vmZPOrV7hhOihZnxxsJvg-DSsnZjS4nGDCBi9mE9Y5-tb_PUQwqZLVJkPeA2iEHJ5yx_7vyBr8k-joNPf6EM2JP22Y966qWmATzazc/s200/Fiji+241.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Market in Labassa</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAA70bNnqhW8w8EkX_Gz6NDMd7mOy5jzrzYgmxDe0t3-b1YcyPquVwh6E5d75OuC0ZFB9p3iAsNSlaDwoFXxsEsCWKYzEkqiuxoTnTvM7bDFwXC7CJg8sZDnAuIlGcesTEqQZlfLDzj0/s1600/Fiji+250.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAA70bNnqhW8w8EkX_Gz6NDMd7mOy5jzrzYgmxDe0t3-b1YcyPquVwh6E5d75OuC0ZFB9p3iAsNSlaDwoFXxsEsCWKYzEkqiuxoTnTvM7bDFwXC7CJg8sZDnAuIlGcesTEqQZlfLDzj0/s200/Fiji+250.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bus station - very busy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day we set off at 7am to catch the local bus to
Labassa with John and Stella from Excoet Strike. The 4 hour journey on
surprisingly good roads goes over the mountain to the main town in Vanua Levu
where you can buy almost anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
three weeks of not seeing a shop, it was an amazing change of scene – very busy
with a bustling market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Catherine
managed to buy a new phone after the last one died two months ago, and I bought
a SIM card so we could get at least some internet access and it turned out to be the best internet connection we have
had since leaving England. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Weather Turns Again</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The weather turned again and we were unable to leave
Savusavu until the following Thursday which was just as well as Catherine was
quite ill for 4 days with flu – something that had been doing the rounds among
the fleet. Flu in 30 degrees of heat is not fun, nor is it living with someone
who has flu and trapped on the boat. Catherine maybe the world’s worst nurse
but she is even worse as a patient!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
to make matters worse, her new phone gave up and we were faced with going back
to Labassa to get it changed. Fortunately the very nice girl in the Digicel
kiosk arranged for a new phone to be sent
by taxi from Labassa to her and I picked up the new phone 4 hours later. That
is service!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I wiled my time away fixing things on the boat and
provisioning for the next leg of our journey. We were keen to get to Musket
Cove before 1 July to see off our friends from the World Arc and so left on the
Thursday with the first break of the weather – a little too early. The first 6
hours had waves crashing over the front of the boat and into the cockpit and we
were on the verge of turning back a number of times. However, as the day wore
on the winds eased and came round so that we were on a broad reach for the rest
of the 150 mile journey. We arrived in Musket Cove late on Friday afternoon eager to see our friends before they departed with the rest of the Arc.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXF6IktMWZRLBGAtFOOP-oJurreVVE9eAUYKHHtQ6OEGOwldSQjiU_8jY3uaQSmPX715wGlzhAHD7PXV5NIXwWXjY_Nae4vE47q27tfkEQOMN0oMu0ILlWw-3QipL8UYzLM11V6AhVKiQ/s1600/Fiji+137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-73215139908469484412015-07-31T00:01:00.000-07:002015-07-31T00:01:12.386-07:00Eastern Fiji<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Eastern Fiji:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>10 June to 17 June </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tonga to Fiji</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The weather forecast was for light winds when we left at
Monday lunchtime and we planned to arrive on Thursday morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A relatively slow sail to cover the 295 miles
to village of Lomolomo, the main village on Vanua Balavu in the Lau Group which
are the most easterly islands of Fiji. The first day and night was light winds
and we were on track to arrive on Thursday morning. The next day the winds
increased and we were on a broad reach making 8.5 knots all day. If this
continued we could make Wednesday lunchtime to enter in daylight with the sun
high in the sky so we could see the reefs, but we would have to average 8 knots
which seemed unlikely. The worst case was that we arrived at 5pm and would have
to hang about all night before we could enter – night entry was not an option.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The winds continued to give us good speed but gradually
backed and we were pushed further south than we wanted. We made the decision to
motor sail the last 8 hours so that we could arrive at 1pm since the
alternative would be to wait until morning. As we approached the entrance to
the lagoon we could see a sailing boat stuck on a reef outside the entrance to the
lagoon that had obviously been waiting overnight to enter. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Entry was nerve racking through the 50m wide entrance with
waves breaking over the reef either side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Once inside, we had another 15 miles of reefs and isolated rocks to
navigate within the lagoon, many of which were not on the charts. So Catherine
spent 3 hours standing at the bow looking for reefs and rocks so we could take
avoiding action. Arrived in the anchorage at Lomolomo exhausted!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lau Group - </b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Vanua Balavu</span>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Wednesday 10 June – Wednesday 17 June</div>
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<br /></div>
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The next day we completed the entry process and we set off
in the afternoon to Bavatu harbour where we were due to have a rendezvous and drinks
with all the other boats. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another 20
miles of navigating reefs with Catherine on the bow ensuring we missed the
“bombies” (coral heads), reefs and other rocks. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The charts were pretty accurate for the reefs and rocks
actually on the charts (many were missing) but when we got to the anchorage, a
big island obscuring the entrance was missed off entirely. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dMvYBjJYCjt9naGd3Bj4u5TS8r6i18L-gBlNoV1NW1eNQsqZoLBqn5TxhVfMIBNIWoVLjvzjfBDJ2yIgx4_H76P_bCgsb8e_tlG0AJZ7aV3xXLZG76TbfrOVpIy-p_D1dae3ZT-WUcg/s1600/Fiji+053.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>We had a welcome ceremony by some of the villagers with traditional
dress and war like cries and as a group we presented a gift of Kava root. Later
that evening we had drinks in the yacht club (or hut as we might call it) and
drank Kava with the locals while <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5oTI0W0Ol5PUZUUmlqasyyqaKXcCzPQ-gEK0qLZempfs6I1H5pHX8jByKBtf7qwg_C28_s-NYF6BgDOc8pTz5iVA_SH9IrGFfaoGwu9B9HYrSjfr34OOgk88UAyk4S3xrX_vb1tb1GA/s1600/Fiji+065.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>they sat round with guitars and other
instruments singing songs long after most people had gone. I was the only one
with a dinghy left at the end of the evening and so took everyone back to their
boats after a very enjoyable evening.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5oTI0W0Ol5PUZUUmlqasyyqaKXcCzPQ-gEK0qLZempfs6I1H5pHX8jByKBtf7qwg_C28_s-NYF6BgDOc8pTz5iVA_SH9IrGFfaoGwu9B9HYrSjfr34OOgk88UAyk4S3xrX_vb1tb1GA/s1600/Fiji+065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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The suggestions that we travelled around to Dalaconi village
in convey the next day was welcomed by everyone – anything to make the journey
easier. So 20 boats followed the lead boat who knew the area well and had
indeed written the definitive guide to sailing around Fiji. </div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dMvYBjJYCjt9naGd3Bj4u5TS8r6i18L-gBlNoV1NW1eNQsqZoLBqn5TxhVfMIBNIWoVLjvzjfBDJ2yIgx4_H76P_bCgsb8e_tlG0AJZ7aV3xXLZG76TbfrOVpIy-p_D1dae3ZT-WUcg/s1600/Fiji+053.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1dMvYBjJYCjt9naGd3Bj4u5TS8r6i18L-gBlNoV1NW1eNQsqZoLBqn5TxhVfMIBNIWoVLjvzjfBDJ2yIgx4_H76P_bCgsb8e_tlG0AJZ7aV3xXLZG76TbfrOVpIy-p_D1dae3ZT-WUcg/s200/Fiji+053.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Singing Traditional Songs</td></tr>
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<br />
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The village had put
on a feast for us in the evening together with </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Dancing Sitting Down</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
traditional Fijian dancing and
singing. The feast is one of the few ways that the village can earn any hard
currency and the only boats that go there are those that have crossed the
Pacific – too difficult to sail from mainland Fiji the 200 miles east against
the wind and tide. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-smBpEy9iwoFc9uKZrMlanKDZ-uBq-BzNd5eIrNO8KZxs7PeUJKdGlDaVqghTimxR2DlmzxcWeiR5moo-aERliDZejKdrouY2T9aCFPLDWS1RKFJSa9Hg9gfkcc3MFh5JE5r9E47lw1Q/s1600/Fiji+068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNy5uy7V_djCNzgci05ZD-V7A4ytA-I6dFSG4OkA6FzYtQvNGyoRKQpZKc4Qn3POT339K62mg8qC01GOHlzeaNuYl8_B8_I0N-w3Eul6A5YlkjQAFbyF-TnvJUKXaQO8qTVW6KDJQ3Tdc/s1600/Fiji+069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNy5uy7V_djCNzgci05ZD-V7A4ytA-I6dFSG4OkA6FzYtQvNGyoRKQpZKc4Qn3POT339K62mg8qC01GOHlzeaNuYl8_B8_I0N-w3Eul6A5YlkjQAFbyF-TnvJUKXaQO8qTVW6KDJQ3Tdc/s200/Fiji+069.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-smBpEy9iwoFc9uKZrMlanKDZ-uBq-BzNd5eIrNO8KZxs7PeUJKdGlDaVqghTimxR2DlmzxcWeiR5moo-aERliDZejKdrouY2T9aCFPLDWS1RKFJSa9Hg9gfkcc3MFh5JE5r9E47lw1Q/s1600/Fiji+068.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-smBpEy9iwoFc9uKZrMlanKDZ-uBq-BzNd5eIrNO8KZxs7PeUJKdGlDaVqghTimxR2DlmzxcWeiR5moo-aERliDZejKdrouY2T9aCFPLDWS1RKFJSa9Hg9gfkcc3MFh5JE5r9E47lw1Q/s200/Fiji+068.jpg" width="200" /></a>The next morning we went to church. Again the people were
very welcoming and after a rather long service with a full choir singing we
were invited to lunch. This we regretfully declined but we did spend some time
talking to the elders and the schoolteacher. Education is now free in Fiji and
so this village has a total of 30 children who go to school there before
boarding in the capital at age 12.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAGYH1-my2YArsHQkWIJAYtCKHmQ00AMqUF7GeKqhjVDQ81uUrVesDdIENTcBtnsa-umCeJEuP0sWC5ZfqpOmnim8dXa4HcYTvXhBr3VWJTVjFr9P63_MpXmxClYqNjKDm9WWJ5TPkxc/s1600/Fiji+123.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAGYH1-my2YArsHQkWIJAYtCKHmQ00AMqUF7GeKqhjVDQ81uUrVesDdIENTcBtnsa-umCeJEuP0sWC5ZfqpOmnim8dXa4HcYTvXhBr3VWJTVjFr9P63_MpXmxClYqNjKDm9WWJ5TPkxc/s200/Fiji+123.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afar VI anchor in Bay of Islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We spent the last few days in Vanua Balavu in the Bay of
Islands, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr_vJEUs3uIMyMe0FGEP4h0M2sIBG3i14-9YaLC2s-ivOLZnfuycoIczp6QM5XKVDveTZbDJ6kSIyi1rm357ySp01lnBM8SaeMzcVCcdT8fuJHORzHBEFEF_iIg5TL6VMQ3qxRusCfh8/s1600/Fiji+128.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr_vJEUs3uIMyMe0FGEP4h0M2sIBG3i14-9YaLC2s-ivOLZnfuycoIczp6QM5XKVDveTZbDJ6kSIyi1rm357ySp01lnBM8SaeMzcVCcdT8fuJHORzHBEFEF_iIg5TL6VMQ3qxRusCfh8/s200/Fiji+128.jpg" width="200" /></a>some 80 small islands in the lagoon. Beautiful setting where we were
able to spend a relaxing couple of days exploring the islands in the dinghy.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAGYH1-my2YArsHQkWIJAYtCKHmQ00AMqUF7GeKqhjVDQ81uUrVesDdIENTcBtnsa-umCeJEuP0sWC5ZfqpOmnim8dXa4HcYTvXhBr3VWJTVjFr9P63_MpXmxClYqNjKDm9WWJ5TPkxc/s1600/Fiji+123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpr_vJEUs3uIMyMe0FGEP4h0M2sIBG3i14-9YaLC2s-ivOLZnfuycoIczp6QM5XKVDveTZbDJ6kSIyi1rm357ySp01lnBM8SaeMzcVCcdT8fuJHORzHBEFEF_iIg5TL6VMQ3qxRusCfh8/s1600/Fiji+128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8dYpJnqlbl7zVRgQJQ1QxmlszOfZPbWig4wsStH70r5AvK-_3l8WkgRDh1z8Wofoq5Xuo4p5-2TSXYNikO0njD6qR4NIdehFgh24JnN9BBTonFaVlEq6TMdCU2Xf9FC_oz3C41AZZ1E/s1600/Fiji+023+-+Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8dYpJnqlbl7zVRgQJQ1QxmlszOfZPbWig4wsStH70r5AvK-_3l8WkgRDh1z8Wofoq5Xuo4p5-2TSXYNikO0njD6qR4NIdehFgh24JnN9BBTonFaVlEq6TMdCU2Xf9FC_oz3C41AZZ1E/s320/Fiji+023+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bay of Islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvfeJvNTnyUInb4eqnLUAL2yS1DP3FX0vTeyvdFdN5jbc1VyUVBTCd9wcxHleTJdA4iK5jCjCvnkZqA1VBu2dXlPicbDyrgmB64bnJ2fesZixeAzRqYQXL5loKjalzdMOf1J2aYtgNoA/s1600/Fiji+091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvfeJvNTnyUInb4eqnLUAL2yS1DP3FX0vTeyvdFdN5jbc1VyUVBTCd9wcxHleTJdA4iK5jCjCvnkZqA1VBu2dXlPicbDyrgmB64bnJ2fesZixeAzRqYQXL5loKjalzdMOf1J2aYtgNoA/s320/Fiji+091.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring the caves in Bay of Islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br /><br />
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8dYpJnqlbl7zVRgQJQ1QxmlszOfZPbWig4wsStH70r5AvK-_3l8WkgRDh1z8Wofoq5Xuo4p5-2TSXYNikO0njD6qR4NIdehFgh24JnN9BBTonFaVlEq6TMdCU2Xf9FC_oz3C41AZZ1E/s1600/Fiji+023+-+Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8dYpJnqlbl7zVRgQJQ1QxmlszOfZPbWig4wsStH70r5AvK-_3l8WkgRDh1z8Wofoq5Xuo4p5-2TSXYNikO0njD6qR4NIdehFgh24JnN9BBTonFaVlEq6TMdCU2Xf9FC_oz3C41AZZ1E/s320/Fiji+023+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bay of Islands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-91729553945208835892015-07-16T11:52:00.000-07:002015-07-16T11:52:45.100-07:00Tonga<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymArEwpC00A0pLwQfpLZP3x6UKMwq-mQskwVC0ttodCwHU1C8YDQkUrENjhSLEfR67w3clssr0mnlWPB2ZxQwIKxS9YY1r3l26QskMyfYhBW2dGLa-meVu5T3lCEW4-GZ8V-HfrlzATU/s1600/Tonga+119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<![endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tonga Friday 29 May
to Tuesday 8 June</b><br />
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<br /></div>
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The journey from Niue to Tonga was relatively short – 3 days
and 260 miles. After the first day the wind dropped and we motored overnight
before the wind filled in again and we were under sail.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main street in Neiafu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We timed our entrance to arrive at 9am on the Friday morning
to avoid entering at night and tied up at the Neiafu wharf (the capital of
Northern Tonga group of islands) to go through customs and immigration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was all painless and 1 hour later we
were heading off to pick up a buoy off the main town of Neiafu which are surprisingly
are provided by Moorings/Sunsail. This is a very popular cruising group with
lots of charter boats sailing round the 30 odd islands in this part of Tonga.<br />
</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the many shops we visited</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The town was much poorer than many of the places we had
visited, being an independent kingdom and not reliant on aid from New Zealand
or France like many of the Polynesian islands. We bought provisions for a few
days so that we could head off to some of the more remote islands, going into 4
or 5 shops to find things since they are all small not as well stocked as the
other islands we had visited.<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Off to Visit the
Islands</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main road through the village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fCbXesXV1cRsolPcRt6EOKcoHzSnR8JbVxDW6uSRxw6RrQr6A_phEvQREanSjEzBpZLaMRDYl9G-eUrineQJdaV6b8iZViCOMXJj_hlVSs_TxmczkatBmrT8aePkS6-uBWdhk43GpvU/s1600/Tonga+030.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Saturday afternoon we headed off to a small island with a
population of just 120 people. The village is pretty much self-sufficient and sell
fish to the mainland to get money to buy items like rice they cannot produce
themselves. No cars, no mains <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGu4rswshYiBsnGnwR_0dc-mZXETE5ud-988t9soUXxZL4v6ZwI1Cuu0xNawSeEpHUnEyi_0w09KGJEw7LyuL7J3E5KP8LQGnoDdbGgTSMBgx-RoW6-shE5xzVX_m1_HxtIaxxLchUkc/s1600/Tonga+036.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGu4rswshYiBsnGnwR_0dc-mZXETE5ud-988t9soUXxZL4v6ZwI1Cuu0xNawSeEpHUnEyi_0w09KGJEw7LyuL7J3E5KP8LQGnoDdbGgTSMBgx-RoW6-shE5xzVX_m1_HxtIaxxLchUkc/s200/Tonga+036.jpg" width="200" /></a>electricity but they had 5 churches! We were
invited to attend the church service the next morning and join in the Kava
ceremony before the service – the chief of the island, his advisors and the
preacher were there and as a special concession allowed </div>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Village Chief at Kava ceremony</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Catherine to attend
(normally a men only affair). We sat on the floor crossed legged while the
chief drunk the Kava first and then everyone else was allowed to drink. We had
four bowls of Kava while we chatted about island life. All very friendly
although not all spoke English.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The church service was an hour long with the preacher
getting very passionate in his address, waving his arms about and giving the
impression the sermon was about hell and brimstone – it was in Tongan so we did
not understand a word but he was very animated. The Kava may have helped!
Although there was only 20 people in the church, the singing sounded like 100
people, all singing in perfect pitch we great loud voices and singing different
parts in harmony. It was a great experience. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were never going to be fluent</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJGCgESP5W9qOxkpovsD5VFDg8azAVG2LXzadt-O6h_ItvpHdH9nw_ZpZS0B9rzj11BCwgJ_XDX6_aAP_amL6PrDun6RrRVlsG9w8claR-wyu3u5MhsQlr2yKrJvuhfJRgv3aIkBO7c4/s1600/Tonga+044.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJGCgESP5W9qOxkpovsD5VFDg8azAVG2LXzadt-O6h_ItvpHdH9nw_ZpZS0B9rzj11BCwgJ_XDX6_aAP_amL6PrDun6RrRVlsG9w8claR-wyu3u5MhsQlr2yKrJvuhfJRgv3aIkBO7c4/s200/Tonga+044.jpg" width="200" /></a>Afterwards, the local primary teacher showed around the
school and gave us some lessons in Tongan. That afternoon we went back to the
boat and Chris, Catherine and I were overwhelmed with tiredness and slept for a
couple of hours. A side effect of the Kava.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street seller on the island</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next day we headed off for another island, going
outside of the reef and back into the group of islands further north. Not for
the faint hearted since the reefs are not well charted, some are missing off
the chart as are isolated rocks. We anchored off another village with 150
people and spent the next day exploring the island, walking along the shore on
a deserted beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All very beautiful and
very <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3JWPqBxKUrHHIHPCOEv0Cczllfyg3yyptlu4wkdf21REiks0Np7YGcw6hItz7dr4X01xtGDFfY-7fMrpwEfLmZKUX54xsryRZXwY3CuhwM8edwwKTI8IxhTOcaoFQpZ_W7KudfzdOao/s1600/Tonga+102.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3JWPqBxKUrHHIHPCOEv0Cczllfyg3yyptlu4wkdf21REiks0Np7YGcw6hItz7dr4X01xtGDFfY-7fMrpwEfLmZKUX54xsryRZXwY3CuhwM8edwwKTI8IxhTOcaoFQpZ_W7KudfzdOao/s200/Tonga+102.jpg" width="200" /></a>relaxing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike the journey to the
next island the following day when we decided not to go outside of the main reef
since it was rough outside and take the short cut through a pass between two
islands – as per the pilot book. It was all going well with Catherine and Chris
on the bow looking out for reefs and rocks until we came to two boats in the
pass – one anchored and other aground in the middle of the channel after
hitting an unmarked rock. So we retraced our steps and went back the long way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our next anchorage looked perfect, just outside of a village
although a little tight between the reefs. Unfortunately the wind turned south which
put us just 10m away from a reef behind us while at anchor. I decided that it
was too close for comfort so we upped anchor and went round the corner to the
next island and tried to anchor as night was falling. After 5 attempts (no
other boats were in anchored here which should have told us something), we
headed off across the bay to where all the other boats were. By this time it
was dark but as luck would have it there was a buoy and it was free so we tied
up and had a few drinks and a BBQ. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Back to Neiafu</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had to go back to Neiafu for a group dinner on the
Tuesday night which was such a good evening. All the food was local cuisine
with traditional dancers providing the entertainment. Dancing followed late
into the night with the staff joining in and looked like they were having as
much fun as we were. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We may have overdone the gin and tonics during the night,
we were certainly one of the last to leave along with Andy and Emma (no
surprises) and we were all a little slow the next morning for our visit to the
Botanical Gardens. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making cloth from bark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I use the term Botanical Gardens loosely since it was a
collection of plants and trees spread in a somewhat random fashion throughout
the garden. The most interesting part was where they showed us some of their
traditional skills – making clothes, rugs and other items from the bark of a tree
(which is a painstaking process), <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>use of
the coconut tree not only to make coconut milk but also using the leaves for
roofs, windows and doors.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfkQc7U9KB_4Np24421FZ_MSbMTx0WFOkoGjouWRlSDR8YPj7PW5XjkgQPGjFG5SZ32zl9eEI8KFGFGcYfmxqkulGAFmKo8x1NC0S1BJPgwgk5_RqC-y_SdQrn7BSJ6BZMxsbl_4OVTY/s1600/Tonga+098.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSfkQc7U9KB_4Np24421FZ_MSbMTx0WFOkoGjouWRlSDR8YPj7PW5XjkgQPGjFG5SZ32zl9eEI8KFGFGcYfmxqkulGAFmKo8x1NC0S1BJPgwgk5_RqC-y_SdQrn7BSJ6BZMxsbl_4OVTY/s200/Tonga+098.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional dancing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A Tongan lunch and more traditional dancing followed (not as
good as the night before) and we headed back. A group of us including Catherine
and myself (Chris stayed on the boat) meet for dinner in the Aquarium café that
evening and we had fried red snapper and chips. It was one of the best fried
fish I have tasted.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Off to the Islands again</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On Thursday we headed out once more into the islands to see
some of the remoter parts of Tonga. We anchored in a bay with two other boats –
we did feel it was crowded given we often had the anchorages to ourselves. We
were invited over for drinks to one of the other boats and took half a bottle
of gin with us. None came back we had a great night. A couple from New Zealand
who were on the ICA rally and another couple (Paul and Susie) who were from
Dartmouth who did the World ARC last year and left at Fiji to go to New Zealand
for a year. They were about to another ICA rally going to Thailand. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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This gave us an idea. Rather than go to Australia with the
World Arc where we would arrive at the end of July, we could join the ICA rally
to New Zealand which arrives in November. It would give us another month in
Fiji, three extra weeks in Vanuatu and we would visit New Caledonian. They were
so enthusiastic about New Zealand we decided we would look into this as a
serious option. And the Thailand rally next year would be a very attractive
option.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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We spent one further night at anchor before stopping off at
the Blue Lagoon on our way back. A very tricky entrance, with narrow passages
between the reefs but well worth the effort. We walked around one of the island
surrounding the lagoon which we uninhabited but the views and the variety of
trees were well worth it. The other island had a resort on it but when we went
there for a beer, it had closed down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Getting Ready for the
Next Leg to Fiji</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So Friday night back to Neiafu again so that we could attend
the briefing on getting to the Lau Group in Fiji which would be another tricky
entrance wending 15 miles through reefs to get to the anchorage where we would
go through Customs and Immigration. This was a special arrangement since boats
cannot normally check in other than the main islands 100 miles further to the west
which would mean sailing east again back to the Lau Group against wind and the
current. Not a good option so consequently very few boats visit these islands.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris and Catherine in the market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_4NlaXDQ4NPuSGYH2kvin-HISHE-Vm9F0-XS8Bga8KXM3CDAzrD5M26wU9OsCQuPKP1mtJyj2yHYfs6jAZHsZGW5HDLdGZT7SA5toVoCD4cuUJjjM6UMscnFbOJFhPv8_lZQRzZBqxM/s1600/Tonga+024.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_4NlaXDQ4NPuSGYH2kvin-HISHE-Vm9F0-XS8Bga8KXM3CDAzrD5M26wU9OsCQuPKP1mtJyj2yHYfs6jAZHsZGW5HDLdGZT7SA5toVoCD4cuUJjjM6UMscnFbOJFhPv8_lZQRzZBqxM/s200/Tonga+024.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Saturday was spent shopping, visiting another 5 or 6 shops
to try and find what we could buy for the next 10 days. Chicken was easy to get
but other meat and vegetables were next to non-existent, even in the very
vibrant market. So we bought what we could and we will have to be inventive in
our cooking.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our regular cafe overlooking the harbour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sunday was a day of rest with nothing open and apart from
visiting the church we spent the afternoonon the boat playing our last games
of Crib with Chris which Catherine won. That afternoon we discovered that our
gas bottles filled with butane would not work with our gas regulator – so no
means of cooking! Using the gas regulator from the BBQ, and with the help of the
Moorings maintenance team, we managed to fit the BBQ regulator to our gas
supply just in time to go through our scheduled clearance time on the Monday morning
and leave by lunchtime. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Chris left us early on Monday morning to start his journey
back to England after 5 months. Chris was a good sailor, very practical and
helped fix many things along our journey. And there had been many things to
fix! He was also a great cook and a mean cribbage player.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So now it is just Catherine and I sailing the rest of the
way to New Zealand.</div>
Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8841139924959158288.post-87276609417842211262015-07-12T13:19:00.000-07:002015-07-12T13:19:22.612-07:00Nuie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvzpG8TKYs50dpLmurVqNAp9LQMiE-7izGZQ_vMCOEqh1ESkYYAqgsvl62RZv7RY_YA-edncnDOtoC7vKUTCpGL2dR70vUt7ouPnonaMSSOj8EHV7ESJ-666PT_ooZzXgDkD-hYYkck8/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nuie: 23 May – 27 May</b></div>
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We spent 4 days in Nuie, the world’s smallest independent
nation with 1500 people on the island. The journey to Nuie was packed with
adventure as always seems to be the case and we had a busy time in Nuie itself. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtr8ZrVn64VG5K0hHKwo6acu_RFzA9oE-XcZC-Fw8pmEWPUx63BViZeRzAdHto0DTKzEcNhWkQB7OoKQtL-AOAaqH9X8xvxAaSQyzqSGH4Txmdc_AAzd3TFFPFvjkftl_mXoK-s15zpnA/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+016.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtr8ZrVn64VG5K0hHKwo6acu_RFzA9oE-XcZC-Fw8pmEWPUx63BViZeRzAdHto0DTKzEcNhWkQB7OoKQtL-AOAaqH9X8xvxAaSQyzqSGH4Txmdc_AAzd3TFFPFvjkftl_mXoK-s15zpnA/s200/Raiatea+to+Nuie+016.jpg" width="200" /></a>We picked up a mooring buoy on arrival at 4am since it
is too deep to anchor. It is not possible even to land a dinghy on t<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">h</b>e island so we used the crane on the
dingy dock to haul out the dinghy every time we went ashore. Not as bad as you
might think since the island encourages yachties to come to the island so it is
well set up. And the winch is electric which helps!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvzpG8TKYs50dpLmurVqNAp9LQMiE-7izGZQ_vMCOEqh1ESkYYAqgsvl62RZv7RY_YA-edncnDOtoC7vKUTCpGL2dR70vUt7ouPnonaMSSOj8EHV7ESJ-666PT_ooZzXgDkD-hYYkck8/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+009.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvzpG8TKYs50dpLmurVqNAp9LQMiE-7izGZQ_vMCOEqh1ESkYYAqgsvl62RZv7RY_YA-edncnDOtoC7vKUTCpGL2dR70vUt7ouPnonaMSSOj8EHV7ESJ-666PT_ooZzXgDkD-hYYkck8/s200/Raiatea+to+Nuie+009.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uga Cafe</td></tr>
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On the first morning we found the Uga Café which became our
place of choice to have coffee or lunch since it had a marvellous view over the
bay and served the best coffee we had had since leaving Europe. We would spend
many a happy hour there over the next 4 days.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANuLdUhDSL4dOfEaIBp_PebQGP_whEyUUwlnL_j87ivRTxRLtYqcpe4b6FKsnTmQrP9noLkz0_3aWOoIdBgv3BT5SXpZ0_BOlh4YQeGHRQTVzk8eGdxkIEDHeazltLhpG6khMAit_WBY/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+023.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANuLdUhDSL4dOfEaIBp_PebQGP_whEyUUwlnL_j87ivRTxRLtYqcpe4b6FKsnTmQrP9noLkz0_3aWOoIdBgv3BT5SXpZ0_BOlh4YQeGHRQTVzk8eGdxkIEDHeazltLhpG6khMAit_WBY/s200/Raiatea+to+Nuie+023.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxSuqisuNqvUmGVYxLF8_4YW5G9rmyAuMss4QjePMp3-HT2vEjDEM6KiTeYlrZPnC4btVJqW1aC1rAYquPeLdP-8x5QpNNTmmp7GF-CkG0CRBg6IdGhVW6S8SG1DuiErd-EHB_GGtPiA/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+027.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxSuqisuNqvUmGVYxLF8_4YW5G9rmyAuMss4QjePMp3-HT2vEjDEM6KiTeYlrZPnC4btVJqW1aC1rAYquPeLdP-8x5QpNNTmmp7GF-CkG0CRBg6IdGhVW6S8SG1DuiErd-EHB_GGtPiA/s200/Raiatea+to+Nuie+027.jpg" width="200" /></a>That afternoon we played in a crazy golf tournament<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which must <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxSuqisuNqvUmGVYxLF8_4YW5G9rmyAuMss4QjePMp3-HT2vEjDEM6KiTeYlrZPnC4btVJqW1aC1rAYquPeLdP-8x5QpNNTmmp7GF-CkG0CRBg6IdGhVW6S8SG1DuiErd-EHB_GGtPiA/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+027.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>be the most scenic crazy golf
course in the world, snaking down and around the cliffs with a great view of
the anchorage. Pictures attached. All the boats took part and catherine was on the winning
team – alas not playing with me! That night we had drinks with the New Zealand
High Commissioner at his residence on the island (very nice) and then a BBQ. A
busy first day after arriving there at 4am. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZneOMWvF1Hz8mCPMFoJeJlZPOtzh5PD6UCPtrCjc36QwHceI7GW5xrwrc83kvX9boBMkCqIElinkrBV4xCCz43s0mDJ1lQ86nm4jRF9GuiFdjTq6nCK2SO9HjhkO18YBrQr-ejI306E/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+077.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggZneOMWvF1Hz8mCPMFoJeJlZPOtzh5PD6UCPtrCjc36QwHceI7GW5xrwrc83kvX9boBMkCqIElinkrBV4xCCz43s0mDJ1lQ86nm4jRF9GuiFdjTq6nCK2SO9HjhkO18YBrQr-ejI306E/s200/Raiatea+to+Nuie+077.jpg" width="150" /></a>Catherine and I hired a scooter to see some of the island
and went on some of the walks through the rain forest leading to beautiful
caves and secluded beaches. It was very picturesque with views of the Pacific
Ocean at the end <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW2-HImfdSGKhl5RO8O9IxP7-yqnqKaIxOJM0i5GPJYe_j7Jd1U7XJS3KGrj9pt9WpE8c0IxVPC-wEKoqWEgVOPqnQaHgGK46MeuHN2n_2sx1hitBiGsEex7PoGzDwv0blV7F15rusv0w/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+071.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW2-HImfdSGKhl5RO8O9IxP7-yqnqKaIxOJM0i5GPJYe_j7Jd1U7XJS3KGrj9pt9WpE8c0IxVPC-wEKoqWEgVOPqnQaHgGK46MeuHN2n_2sx1hitBiGsEex7PoGzDwv0blV7F15rusv0w/s200/Raiatea+to+Nuie+071.jpg" width="200" /></a>of each of the trails. We stopped for lunch at the only bar
outside of the main town only to find that they did not serve any food anymore.
I had a go at the Par 1 golf course – the owner had built a small green into
the rocks some 140m away which you could just see over the rocks and trees. In
nine years no-one had managed to land a ball on the green and I did not change
that statistic! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So back to the Uga Café for
lunch.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI66_FzGo92obFmrhJrNTAHJHSv2ksuvv1oVx5RIqupdH3lBtYgVy5oZPRbYVkLIQOchC6UkdYAqzyzN0pWfii_tgiJI7EoH3RKHIXgSr3YDOfJX5hxBw2CSrKghOtHCv2Q5kIjRfDhkk/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+091.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI66_FzGo92obFmrhJrNTAHJHSv2ksuvv1oVx5RIqupdH3lBtYgVy5oZPRbYVkLIQOchC6UkdYAqzyzN0pWfii_tgiJI7EoH3RKHIXgSr3YDOfJX5hxBw2CSrKghOtHCv2Q5kIjRfDhkk/s200/Raiatea+to+Nuie+091.jpg" width="200" /></a>In the evening we were entertained by the locals with music,
singing and a buffet of local dishes which would have fed half of London. The
food was wonderful with a variety of dishes all <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHV9v8gcoAc6WUDQ_oltXCD2lg0Y2o2wB_ya7-C1BqEKXWVcUTt9UzfP-v3xy2A0wzAwS5ipeybfz3iZQkHfarMeD73lsysr5PzF47ANpxy8QKInrcJ09KByLcz6O3X6Go8LZu6aIjzDY/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+097.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHV9v8gcoAc6WUDQ_oltXCD2lg0Y2o2wB_ya7-C1BqEKXWVcUTt9UzfP-v3xy2A0wzAwS5ipeybfz3iZQkHfarMeD73lsysr5PzF47ANpxy8QKInrcJ09KByLcz6O3X6Go8LZu6aIjzDY/s200/Raiatea+to+Nuie+097.jpg" width="200" /></a>cooked locally and in the
traditional manner – baked in pits covered with palm leaves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The band was all locals who came together to
play for us and just looked as though they were having a ball – it was very
infectious and such a good evening.</div>
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The next day was Sunday when everything was closed apart
from the Washaway Café where the crews from all the boats went for lunch and
then we all went for an impromptu curry in the evening. One of the best curries
we had had for a very long time and the whole group was in high spirits which
made for an entertaining evening. </div>
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The highest point on the island is only 69 metres but still
has a rain forest although it is not that high. It is funded largely by New
Zealand and everyone spoke English with a New Zealand accent and most of the
tourists are from there. Everyone was very friendly (as has been the case for
all the Polynesian islands) and have a very relaxed way of life. We are now
members of the Nuie yacht club which exists despite the fact there are no people
on the island with a yacht!</div>
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Our last day we hired a car and Catherine, Chris and I
toured the island. In the morning I picked up<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>my Nuie drivers licence from the Police Station which officially you
need to hire a car. Not that I was asked for it and as none of the cars have
insurance the cost of hiring the car was very cheap as long as you did not damage
them! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hauling out the dinghy</td></tr>
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The day did not start well as it started to rain as we
picked up the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsimqilyzMyQldUgiKnInAI0-Q9U6C75rgbyGzA4vGE8wyyxK5Ppyt-Gmxr7j8kXf7fMhyh9REWsjqUpSMOGiwJrk8Fya9x5H94HLeQ57ymOw8FmUmelEQhcNBnbr9cLoIoMnE-Cr0dOo/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+099.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsimqilyzMyQldUgiKnInAI0-Q9U6C75rgbyGzA4vGE8wyyxK5Ppyt-Gmxr7j8kXf7fMhyh9REWsjqUpSMOGiwJrk8Fya9x5H94HLeQ57ymOw8FmUmelEQhcNBnbr9cLoIoMnE-Cr0dOo/s200/Raiatea+to+Nuie+099.jpg" width="200" /></a>car and our first attempt at walking along one of the well-marked
scenic trail ended up with us turning back to get our coats from the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmmM4ujZ7aCHoFC3tCPlIMzX0o6d7wVTqHGUrjzGNs-YLK5crYz1V3iqKldVVgzkMSVeX0AIVamjOW9Fr_zLC68kmcDFkVLgAreTHQ4m2moS8-L9yWP8TPr7WswZeYCGgs8YKWcpc5UR4/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+101.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>boat. That
involved putting the dinghy back in the water, me going back to the yacht to
get the coats (no point us all getting wet on route – well that is what Chris
and Catherine said anyway – and then hauling the dinghy back out. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jPftgZzRUvYDwXRLjqRQ-RIu8_4pOkLeDYAUmgC-qr7EDh7DAeINZOju7T4_4VCdgXrz_9clUPU_0w86SdoxRcl6EqOI8G52rKaur-6FF-AY8fs9b-UDPaFaXp-AXQNU-yQn86-ToH4/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+107.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jPftgZzRUvYDwXRLjqRQ-RIu8_4pOkLeDYAUmgC-qr7EDh7DAeINZOju7T4_4VCdgXrz_9clUPU_0w86SdoxRcl6EqOI8G52rKaur-6FF-AY8fs9b-UDPaFaXp-AXQNU-yQn86-ToH4/s200/Raiatea+to+Nuie+107.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris and Catherine</td></tr>
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We walked along three of the marked trails, often in pouring
rain but all three well worth the effort. The views were spectacular and with the rain only adding to the effect.. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't do it Chris!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89mR0_FNw7HPgBENd8ziz06XACZPOAp-T1BVFM6iHxN4tc1zKaUx1gxczODbJBkEhN3mhq5wuQ847m_ii3RYeYr_cImjwl2uPmiE_s0qrQUSgy9UEdJuga0_q4ZKqBDImBtfvxsR_SJ4/s1600/Raiatea+to+Nuie+130.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj89mR0_FNw7HPgBENd8ziz06XACZPOAp-T1BVFM6iHxN4tc1zKaUx1gxczODbJBkEhN3mhq5wuQ847m_ii3RYeYr_cImjwl2uPmiE_s0qrQUSgy9UEdJuga0_q4ZKqBDImBtfvxsR_SJ4/s200/Raiatea+to+Nuie+130.jpg" width="150" /></a> Some the routes were a little treacherous in the rain but that did not stop us exploring.</div>
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The next morning we provisioned the boat before setting sail
to Tonga. We were in no hurry to leave Nuie and really enjoyed the island.<br />
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<br />Afar VIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11089930144424893452noreply@blogger.com0