Left at 6am with Jean and David (Whistle) by CAR(!) (700,000rp ~ $100 for the day for car and driver) and headed towards Keli Mutu volacano to see the coloured lakes. It took 3 hours to get there along a really windy road with lots of little villages and houses all along the way - heaps of rice paddies too. Walked half an hour up to the craters - there are three which change colour - they have been red, green and black but today they were olive, turquoise and black. The local story is the souls of the dead go into the lakes - old people in the turquoise one, young people in the olive one and bad people to the black one. No one knows how a soul knows which lake to jump in when the colours keep changing!!! The turquoise one had yellow sulphur on it and looked thick enough to walk on. We saw the olive one throw up a few bubbles. Stopped on the way back at a hot spa - two rock pools with hot water and then a waterfall. Saw our first monkey today!! Also saw ponies, pigs, goats and buffalo and cocoa, tobacco and vanilla.One old guy gave us a handful of vanilla beans. Also lots of people riding on the roof of a very full bemo - heaven knows what they were hanging on to! A long but fascinating day - felt we saw the real Indonesia today.
Day 124 - Monday 24 August - Sea World Resort Geliting, Flores Island
Our boat boy delivered a beautiful big watermelon and 4 of the biggest mangoes you have ever seen. Jimmy (boat boy) helped pour 5 jerries of diesel into our tank then took our jerries to fill them and was back within the hour so we are all dieselled up again. Still struggling with our fridge/freezer. The thermostat keeps overheating and triggering the safety switch. Peter has pulled the cover off and put a small fan there to keep it cool. Its saving our food but not the best way to run things! Walked to the road to head to the local market and two motorbikes pulled up so for 3,000rp each (35c) Jean and I hopped on and went to the market then the bikes came back for Peter and Dave. Bought a slice of durien which tasted like chewy pineapple. The tobacco seller wanted Peter to have a smoke with him so Peter rolled the tobacco seller's tobacco in his paper and it was so strong he had tears rolling down his cheeks - very funny! Another man had big round bundles of gooey looking stuff which turned out to be tamarind. Jean bought 30 eggs then we found four motor bikes to take us back. I went first and got delivered right into the resort then Peter and David turned up but no Jean!!!! We were going satu, dua, tigga - umpat??? Where's Jean and where are the eggs? The motor bike boys and a resort bloke were all chattering then the resort bloke got on his bike and took off down the road - about 5 minutes later Jean turned up, eggs intact - Her rider had taken her to the next resort! But all's well that ends well. Had a couple of bintangs after that and then took a few loads of 20 litre bottles of water out to the boats so all watered up as well.
Day 125 - Tuesday 25 August - Geliting - Parbanama Village
08°27.7S 121°56.7 - paradise courtesy of SY Ocelot
Left Geliting at 9am, put the headsail out and had a bit of a sail but had to motor sail the whole way. The landscape was really weird. It looked like great areas of volcanic ash had landed all over the place though it could have been a fire. Anyway it was very barren. Came around the headland and there was a little bay with a small village at the end. Reef all around the edges but clear in the middle. Only big enough for 3 or 4 boats. Emmanuel - a big cat was already there. We anchored ok but Peter put the snorkelling gear on to help Whistle find a good spot. It is the closest we have anchored to anyone and you normally wouldn't but we are both steel and similar weight so we swang the same way. We dived off the back of the boats and snorkelled all around the place. As usual the coral had pretty much been decimated but there were patches of pretty stuff and beautiful fish. The water was so clear. Had sundowners on our respective boats and chatted across the gap. Jean reckons she saw the green flash when the sun went down.
Day 126 - Wednesday 26 August - Parbanama
Happy Birthday Mum
Had a lazy day with another snorkel. In the afternoon three of the men from the village came out to visit so we invited them on board. They were Christopher Kanja, Heronemus and Victoreaus. They told us there were 12 adults and 10 kids in the village so I put together a bag of goodies for them all. Also gave them five empty wine bladders and showed them how they worked. Peter also said you could cut them up to make a fishing lure. They then went to Whistle, as did we to do some passage planning. Jean gave them some scissors and some more wine bladders. Victoreaus wanted to cut one up to make the lure but Christopher didn't want him to so they were having a friendly discussion as they left - quite funny. We all went to Emmanuel for sundowners. Clint is an orthopaedic surgeon and Adair is a vet. Clint asked where we were going so we told him our next secret spot which someone had recommended be No. 102 in the 101 Anchorages book. Didnt get back to our boats till 7.30!!
Day 127 - Thursday 27 August - Parbanama - Ciendeh Village
08°36.55S 121°31.36E
Left at 8.05am with absolutely no wind - had to motor. Got to our secret spot and it turned out to be horrible with no chance of anchoring - no way is it 102!!! Anyway Clint called up and he was anchored in our plan B so we headed there and anchored off a reasonable sized village in 7m of water. They had some big unusual fishing boats. Very friendly. Everyone who went past waved and called. At 1am they sounded as if they were having a street march and banging drums and of course around 4 the mosque starts calling. Ramadam started on 22nd so don't know if that had any bearing on events but it did sound like fun.
Miles: 35 Total: 3,466
Day 128 - Friday 28 August Ciendeh Village - Riang Bay
08°23.492S 121°00.115E
Upanchored at 7.20am without a breath of wind and the water like glass. Followed coordinates (though eyeball would have gotten you in) and arrived at a very pleasant little bay with three other boats at 3.10 and anchored in 8 metres. Four little kids came out to chat in their dug out canoes. They are very inventive with their canoes. Some have a one cylinder diesel engine with a very long prop shaft attached to it with a propeller on the end which they hang over the side of the boat and steer with a bamboo pole. Ingenious really!! Anyway quiet night.
We have just spent the most serene evening ever. We are in a very protected little bay with mountains all the way around, a little village at one end, a gap in the islands at the other. There is not a breath of wind and everything including our boats and the mountains are reflected in the water. The moon is at the bottom of the sea. The sound of silence (and silence does have a sound). Such a peaceful place and then thousands of flying foxes (or as a Norwegian lady says flying dogs!) have flown over so silently. Nothing spoils the silence. It is so amazing!
Miles: 39 Total: 3,505
Hope all is well. Thinking of you all.
Much love and fair winds and calm seas
Dell and Peter
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
