After 2 nights at sea we approached the Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) coast but could see nothing of it due to the smoke haze and the low lying nature of the coastline. Even in the Kumai estuary we could see none of the coast. It took us most of the day travelling up the estuary to reach the start of the Kumai river where we were glad to anchor in a shallow bay as the trip up river to the town was 11 miles and we were not prepared to do this in failing light. Some of our friends were already in the town and radioed to tell us of a bus tour laid on by the local government and was leaving at 8am the following morning . We awoke at 6am and resigned ourselves to missing the tour as it would take us 2.5 hours to travel up the river, anchor and then get ashore, the tide was also against us. I then realised that with the 2day journey from Bali to Borneo we had changed time zones and the local time was actually 5am; we had an extra hour up our sleeves. The diesel engine on WdtW has never worked as hard, pushing us up river against the outgoing current, it is said that diesel engines like to be pushed hard and ours certainly got its wish for a few hours. We arrived a little after 8 am, performed the quickest anchoring ever and jumped into a passing dinghy to get to the bus just as it was about to leave. We were taken to a town 30mins drive away to see the annual river festival where all the locals dress up their boats and file past the Regent - we were again guests of honour and welcomed by the local dayak tribes people who danced in our honour, Jean as always likes to join in the dancing and was encouraged to do so. We were seated alongside the regent and his entourage and had a great view of the event which was full of fun and colour, well worth the effort to see.

This region of Borneo is not what I expected at all; we have seen some very poor areas within Indonesia and expected Kumai to be the same if not worse. It is one of the more forward thinking and socially modern regions in the whole of Indonesia. The current regent has ploughed money back into the community giving free health care and schooling for all - unique in Indonesia. He also instigated a refuse collection system that keeps the town clean, again rare in Indonesia.

Our main reason for visiting this area was to travel into the jungle to see the orang-utan sanctuary, only accessible by the narrow local boats (kloteks). With our friends from Pacific Express, Peter and Dell, we signed up for a 3 day 2 night trip up the river and into the heart of the reserve. The river started of quite wide but gradually narrowed allowing us to almost touch the trees on both sides. Along the way we saw crocodiles, snakes, lots of monkeys including the strange looking proboscis monkey, lots of birds - hornbills, kingfishers etc- and also caught site of a wild Orang-utan high in the trees. Our guide spent 7 years as a ranger in the national park and was a great source of information. After 5 hours travel we arrived at Camp Leakey, world renowned for their work with the rehabilitation of young Orang-utans who have been orphaned or rescued from illegal trading. There are over 200 Orang-utans that visit the camp on a regular basis and the rangers know them all by name, some of the rangers even converse with them. 3pm is the feeding time when the Orang-utans come in for a supplementary feed of bananas. It is astounding to see these huge creatures climbing the thinnest trees and slowly making their way to the feeding platform. All communities of Orang-Utans have a dominant male, in this area Big Tom, a 26 yr old was the undisputed king. Whilst we were at the feeding station we heard lots of activity along the nearby path and saw one of the rangers running in our direction shouting for us to get out of the way as big Tom was heading towards us. He was huge much larger than the females and juvenile males who hang around the camp. The other orang-utans quickly cleared the platform to give him free reign and just looked on while Tom ate his fill. As he climbed off the platform a young female caught his eye and he was off up a tree chasing her, she swung onto another tree and Tom followed jumping onto the same tree, his weight causing the tree to be up rooted and fall very close to where we were all watching, nearly hitting another of our friends who was unaware of which way the tree was falling. After a few hours at Camp Leakey we went back to the boat and motored away into a remote part of the river where the crew tied up against the bank and prepared dinner for us whilst we relaxed with a beer or 3 taking in the sights and sounds of the forest. One of the strangest sights is to see a fully grown Orang-utan climb to the top of a thin spindle of a tree and build a nest for the night, it is so incongruous to see these huge beasts in nests. Sleeping arrangements for us on the klotek were primitive but comfortable, the crew would clear the deck, layout foam matresses and place mosquito nets over the sleeping areas, there was plenty of space for 4 people to sleep. On our way back , just after dusk we went through a Nappa palm area illuminated with millions of fire flies, just like Collins St at Christmas. The 3 days we spent on the river were memorable and one of the best things we have ever done. The cost for the 3 days was about AUD$130 per person and included the guide, skipper, cook, and helper plus twice as much food as we needed. I call that good value.

Once back on our own boat I thought things would get back to normal but there is no such thing as normal in Indonesia as we found out on another organised trip the next day. After visiting the historical sites of a nearby town we were whisked off to what was described as a boat race where the participants go in opposite directions, we just couldn't work out what they meant until we arrived at the site and found the activity well under way. It was tug o war in a long boat were a pair of paddlers at one end were competing against a pair at the other end of the boat to drag the boat in their direction. Of course they wanted volunteers from Sail Indonesia to have a go and of course I put my hand up as always. Four of us (2 Frenchmen , a kiwi and myself) were ushered toward the starting platform amid the cheers of the locals, thinking we were to battle with each other. But no, we were to paddle against the local dayak men who spend all their life paddling around. The 2 frenchies lasted about 2-3 mins before they were beaten. Then came our turn and to everyones surprise including ours we beat the local tribesmen after frantically paddling for about 10 mins.
Later that evening we witnessed one of the strangest games I have every seen - fireball football- 2 teams of 6 per side playing soccer with a large coconut doused in kerosene and flames reaching half a meter. Once again they asked for volunteers and yes I did, shaming other sailors into join in too. After all, if the locals can do it why can't we. The only concession I made was to wear sandals and not go barefoot. Good fun was had all round and the locals loved us to participate. The only injuries sustained on our side were a bruised toe from one guy and singed leg hairs for all. (Some good photos see gallery). Its definitely time to leave Kumai before they have us wrestling Orang-utans or something else equally dangerous. So we head for the notorious South China Sea (perhaps I should wrestle an Orang-utan instead) and Belitung, the last stop in the official Sail Indonesia rally. We initially discussed not going to this stop and head straight for Singapore but are so glad to have visited Belitung; for us the jewel in the Indonesian crown. The island is beautiful, the people once again very welcoming and also organised (quite unusual in Indo). Jean and I lay in the water off a beach and wondered if we have ever been to a more wonderful setting. Our time a Belitung was soon over and here we signed out of the country to head for Malaysia, some 4-5 days away. Along the way we crossed the equator at 7:15 am on 26 October 2009 and later that evening celebrated the crossing with a fancy dress party on Cilantro our friends boat. Jean was dressed as a coral reef (Bommie lass) and I went as King Neptune. Good fun was had by all.

The next day we headed for the dreaded Straits of Singapore, one of the busiest stretches of waterway in the world. From our anchorage that evening I sat and timed the large tankers and container ships go by, there was one every 7-10 mins. These ships in the Strait are confined to traffic lanes, one procession of ships going one way and another in a separate lane going the other with a central reservation in the middle. It was necessary for us to cross these lanes to get into Malaysia. Our dilemma is that the lanes are almost 2miles wide and travelling at 6 knots it takes us 20 mins to get across the lane and the ships are passing every 7 -10 mins. When the morning came we motored towards the lanes and picked a gap in the traffic, full steam ahead we went for it. Going almost a full speed and well timed to get through the gap both Jean and I saw rows of white buoys on the surface of the water at right angles to our intended path, the local fishermen know where to place their nets to cause most havoc. 20 mins later we found a way through the nets, found another gap in the traffic and were across to the other side and into Malaysian waters without any other drama. All in all crossing the lanes was quite easy but being the first time in so busy a water way the fear was worse than reality.

It is with a tinge of sadness that we say good bye to Indonesia, we have had experiences way beyond our expectations. Do your self a favour and put this country on your list of places to visit, not Kouta Beach, Bali unless you want the nightclub scene but the other islands will give you the true Indonesian experience.

On the blog front page I have added a link under favourites titled "Where are we now" It transfers you to a map showing our exact location, I update this via a radio connection on a daily basis (unless we are staying for a couple of days in one location) so if you want to see where we are just click on the link.

Indonesia in a nutshell:
Wonderful scenery; genuinely friendly and helpful people; living culture (not just tourist entertainment); fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs from the local markets; cheap food in restaurants (although you may pay a premium as a tourist it is still very cheap).
Good beer (Bintang)
The people are very industrious and inventive.
Always felt safe during our stay.
Untidy, the curse of modern packaging but with out the means to get rid of it. You need to have your wits about you walking in the street or you will find yourself down one of the many holes.
Supermarkets where you can find them do not sell the range of items we have grown used to.
Notes for future Indonesian rally participants
If any future rally participants are reading, here are some points to consider.

Indonesian officialdom, whilst a pain in the neck at the time was not as bad as I first expected. Just be patient and smile.
About 70% of the time we motored, ensure you carry sufficient fuel.
Water from the tap is not for drinking but 20litre containers of purified water are available for about AUD$1-2 and can be delivered to your boat.
The normal way to buy diesel is to give your jerry cans to a boat boy or restaurant owner, they take them away and fill them. It would be a good idea to mark the containers so you know you are getting the correct amount. I filtered all the fuel I bought but it seemed to be quite clean.
Breakdowns were not uncommon, engines being the most problematic. It is very hard to get things fixed here. One boat had fuel injector problems that hadn't been fixed after 4 weeks or so, in the end the owner flew to Singapore to buy new parts. A number of boats were towed into port. Refrigeration seemed to be an issue for some boats in these high temps.
The only problem we had was due to the engine overheating and demolishing pump impellors. I traced this to an error by the installer in Hastings fitting a wrong sized component in the raw water feed. We also ran out of cooking gas in the last week or so but carry a camping stove which worked fine.
All electronic charts are up to a mile out in some areas, a friends navionics chart did not show the large reef that they nearly ran onto. The pirate version of CMap has very good detail but suffers from the same issues of accuracy as mentioned. You will be offered photocopies of charts for the whole sailing area whilst in Darwin, the quality is poor as is the paper they are printed on. There are other options, email me if you want to know more.
Beer is widely available, wine is not. Some towns are completely dry.
You will be anchoring in 25 plus metres at some anchorages, you need plenty of rode.

Can't think of anything else stay tuned for report on Malaysia.

Best Wishes
David and Jean
WdtW

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Indonesia Part 2

OK OK, I know I said I would be updating within a week but life has been very full on. Never the less here goes. From Ambon we headed west to Wakatobi off Sulawesi. Wakatobi is trying to build its tourism industry based on some fantastic diving and snorkelling areas. It took us 2 or 3 days to get from Ambon to the island of Wangi Wangi, we arrived early morning and picked up one of the newly laid moorings the local government had laid for the rally boats. Later that day we were invited to a welcoming dinner at the regent's palace, it was totally unexpected as we were ahead of the main rally. The crew from about 6 boats attended and were treated royally with a wonderful dinner and entertainment. The day after we sat for most of the afternoon in the gutter watching the school kids marching around town for their annual marching competition. Later that evening we were told that Saturday was a day when the families, grannies, grandpas and other groups were out marching. Over too many bottles of the local brew, Peter, Dell (Pacific Express) Jean and I thought it might be a good idea if we joined them. In the morning, before going on a tour we inquired with local liaison people about entering a team and they seemed so excited by the idea that they called the government, before we knew what was going on we were officially registered into the march, at this point of time there were only 4 of us. A general call was put out to all Sail Indo boats and by the time we arrived back from the tour we had a team of about 20 dressed in SI tee shirts and looking like a right motley crew. With only half and hour to practice, Peter and I (both ex military) turned this group into a group that looked like they had had half an hours practice. To put this in context ahead of us in the march was a team of Moslem woman immaculately dressed and marching with military precision and behind us another group of women in a pseudo navy uniform also marching with style and precision. The march lasted a couple of hours through the streets lined with thousands of the town's folk. To cut a long story short we went down a treat and were invited back to the Regents house for refreshments after the march so he could thank us. That evening we were featured on TV and became overnight celebrities. We were invited to be official guests at the Independence Day celebrations, etc etc. We had a wonderful time and were made so genuinely welcome.

After Wakatobi we headed south again to the island of Flores, a 3 day sail and spent a week anchored off the Sea World resort where once again we were treated so well. The owners of the resort put aside tables in the restaurant specifically for the visiting yachts and we were allowed to use the facilities of the resort at no charge. Whilst in this area we took a trip into the interior and had our first view of the intricate patterns of rice paddy fields as well as cocoa trees and other exotic plants. One of the things we have found amusing is the way Indonesians cram as many people as possible onto the available transport. The record so far is a family of 6 on a Honda 125 moped. On our way down from the mountains we were passed by a bemo (mini bus taxi) full of young men and 4 or 5 on the roof holding on whilst the driver negotiated the mountain bends!! Another first was a visit to the local market by ojek (moped taxi). The markets are quite big and full of excellent quality local produce, most stalls sell the same things for around the same price, we were amazed as to how they could make a living.

Continuing along the coast of Flores we stopped at the island capital of Labuan Bajo and anchored 3 or 4 miles south of the noisy main harbour, even before we had the anchor in place we were approached by the local boat boys offering to sell us diesel, petrol, water etc at highly inflated prices. Having negotiated an acceptable price we made use of their services. It was quite handy to have them ferry us into town of an evening in their water taxi and be waiting to take us back at an appointed time. Having said that these were no luxury craft, they were narrow and noisy, driven by a big single cylinder Chinese engine without any silencer. Conversation was impossible and vision became difficult when the engine was cranked up. Jean pointed to something in the water saying can you see that, my response was no as my eyes are bouncing like ping pong balls in the sockets. Labuan Bajo is a major tourist centre being the main departure point for Komodo national park. As a result we were constantly bombarded by hawkers trying to sell carvings of dragons or local cultured pearls etc. I know they are trying to make a living but it does become tiresome after a while especially when you say you are not interested, in the nicest possible way, yet they still persist.

From Labuan Bajo we headed for the Komodo National Park spending a week dragon hunting (camera only) and relaxing in some fine anchorages where the snorkelling is the best we have ever done. We had a guide for a few hours who told us all about the Komodo dragons; he was very knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. The dragons are on only three islands and you cannot fail to see them, sometimes however, they are so well hidden that it is possible to trip over them, not recommended. Hence the need for a guide. They feed on deer, buffalo, monkeys and the occasional human who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. When you consider the relative size of a dragon and buffalo you would think it impossible for the dragon to win the battle however it takes only one bite and the deadly bacteria in the saliva does the rest over a couple of days. If a human is bitten immediate hospitalisation is required and the antidote applied within 3-6 hrs. However in typical Indonesian style the nearest antidote is in Bali at least a day away!!!! There are no dragons in Bali.

The snorkelling was superb in our bay were a couple of manta rays which would come up close before gracefully gliding away. When one is heading straight for you with its large oval mouth wide open, the thought does enter your head, "I hope I am right and these are plankton eaters" Around the other side or our island was a drift snorkel where by timing the tides correctly we drift through schools of small and not too small fish lingering over a deep gully and waiting for a feed. We saw giant trevally over a meter long and on one occasion about 10 mtrs down was a large shark. Time to get out as I can't tell the difference between a dangerous shark and a goldfish.

We were having a great time in the national park but because of the time constraints of our visa we had to keep moving. From Komodo to Lombok we had to travel past Sumbawa an island not noted for its friendliness to visitors. At one anchorage we were inundated by local villagers wanting donations of tee shirts, hats cigarettes etc. We did however buy some fish from one of the boats and asked if he had papaya as our friends had bought some from him and were happy with the purchase. The boatman came back 15 mins later and with a long yellow fruit that resembled a papaya. The day after, Jean was preparing it for breakfast and to our disappointment found we had been duped and given an unripe coconut.

Onto Lombok we had a great time at the organised rally events which included the welcome ceremony with its obligatory speeches, local dancing displays and music. Lombok like many Indonesian islands is predominantly Moslem and to see young men and women dressed in robes and headdress, playing a mixture of traditional music and rock music was charming.

After Lombok we sailed onto Bali, a place where I was looking forward to. We expected to stay a few weeks but were disappointed and managed only a week. We hired a motor cycle and rode to Ubud said to be the cultural heart of Bali and indeed there are some very attractive parts to it IF you can see past the commercialism that in my opinion spoils the whole experience. Bali was just one large market place with hawkers and sellers everywhere. We didn't bother going to the infamous Kuta beach on the south of the island as it is meant to be infinitely worse. After a week we were more than ready to leave Bali and set off on the 400 mile trip to the jungles of Borneo to visit the Orang Utan sanctuary. The blog is now up to date as I am writing this in site of the Borneo coast. The water is cloudy, the visibility is hazy, a warm wind is blowing, its hot and sticky, there are flashes of lightening, looks like we are in for an interesting time. Can't wait.

Thanks for all the comments after the last episode it is heartening to know people are reading.

Best wishes Dave and Jean WdtW Have fun we are.

Dave and Jean WdtW

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We have now been in Indonesia for 6 weeks and I can confirm that what I wrote in my last blog about "total hospitality and total chaos" hits the mark totally. After customs and quarantine had visited our boat late on in the day, a "water taxi" was to pick up all participants to ferry us to the evenings festivities. Despite many radio calls and flashing of lights it never arrived and quite a few of us didn't make it to the gala dinner. I found out later that the water taxi didn't have enough fuel to go and collect everyone. "Total chaos" The morning after, in the light of day we set off to shore in our dinghy to complete our paperwork and check out the town, only to be surprised by queues of yachties having to go through the customs and immigration again. Just to highlight some of the chaos, a quarantine official was demanding about 100,000 rupiah ($AUD 15) for a certificate we had to have. At another table we collected a refund on that because he was not meant to charge us. Go figure that one. As a result of this unexpected hassle we again missed out on the organised trip to see the island but made up for it with some other disappointed yachties in the local bar sampling the rather palatable local brew Bintang. On leaving the administration centre we were inundated with children wanting to say hello and practice their English. The frustrations of previous day disappeared within minutes with the welcome we received from the locals. "Total hospitality"

Moving on from the port of entry we sailed a few miles away to a quiet anchorage where the locals in their canoes and sailing vessels with brightly coloured sails came to check us out, always with a friendly wave and the ubiquitous greeting of "Hello Mister, Hello Missus" At a similar anchorage on another day with 4 other boats we were all invited to the village which was inhabited by about 6 people who made a living from building traditional boats a living off the land. From here we left in the early hours for the 2 day crossing to Banda - centre of the spice islands, the crossing was quite boisterous and a strong gust of wind broke the spinnaker pole I had made in Australia just before leaving. Banda has a strong colonial past which many of learned about at school, just wish I had paid more attention in the history classes. Banda Islands are wonderfully picturesque, dominated by the recently active (1988) volcano Gunung Api. The Lonely Planet guide rightly recommends a visit to this paradise before the world turns it into a western resort. It is quite difficult to get there as only one flight a week arrives at the island. There are many Dutch colonial buildings still left standing, some only just standing and others very well preserved.

The snorkelling around the island is also good. During our stay of about a week we had a trip to a neighbouring island where nutmeg and cloves were grown, it was quite fascinating to see the whole process, a village of about 5000 people all employed in some way or other in this spice trade. On another day Jean, myself and 3 other equally stupid yachties decided to climb to the top of the volcano. At 666 mtrs of loose rubble slopes it was a devil of a climb with 2 steps up and 1 back for most of the way. It was well worth it for the amazing views and to be actually standing on the top of a volcano that was still hot below our feet.

From Banda we again had a long 3 day sail to Ambon which was a major rally stop. The Ambon people put a great deal of effort into making our stay a safe and enjoyable one. Ambon has a recent history of ethnic fighting but is trying very hard to shake of that tag so the tourists will return. From my point of view it was a highlight of the trip so far. The Ambonese people were genuinely friendly, not because they wanted to sell you something but for friendships sake.

Our week in Ambon was filled with activities and dinners with the obligatory speeches and local music and wonderful dancing. The highlight however was a day tour of the island and its diverse villages, for the cost of about $AUD 30 each we treated like royalty with 2 police motorcycle riders escorting us all the day. It was worth the money to see them ride through the traffic forcing the cars buses and trucks over to the side of the road to make room for our tour. At times it seemed impossible to find a way through but with the help of the blue flashing lights and constant sirens a path through always miraculously appeared. The tour itself was apart from the police escort was memorable. We visited a museum and were greeted by all the staff and curator as we got off the bus and given a guided tour. We then went onto a village that made sago from the sago palm trees in the forest, turning the tree pulp into delicious little cakes for us to try. I must say it was much better than the sago pudding we used to get for dinners at school in England in the 60s. Other highlights of the day were a trip to hot springs for a refreshing bath. More dancing and the famous "Crazy Bamboo" wrestling display were attended. The crazy bamboo was quite fascinating and needs a little explanation. Ambon is a mixture of Moslem and Christian faiths but underlying this is a belief in a magical spirit existence not unlike voodoo. The crazy bamboo is performed to show the power of the magic. A long bamboo pole is held by 6 men who are protected from the spirit of the pole in a ceremony performed by the local Shaman (witch doctor). The pole then develops a life of its own and follows a lighted torch to wherever the torch holder led it. The men holding the pole were there to resist the movement but inevitably couldn't. To show this was not a sham a number of us on the tour were invited to replace the locals and of course I was in there. Having seen the film afterwards and been part of the action, being flung about trying to hold on, all I can say is that something very strange was happening. We just could not hold the pole and stop it from following the torch. After the event I was mobbed by newspaper reporters for my impressions. They were happy when I said that I felt something unusual was happening and I would write about it in this blog. See the photo gallery for the action shots. Other tour spectacles included a visit to a "Broom Beating" ceremony, where adolescent you men beat the crap out of each other with sharp thin reeds. A sort of right of passage. The whole of the village turned out to see this and of course we were given the pride of place on the "king's" balcony to get the best views and apply the soothing oil afterwards.

After more dancing including obligatory participation we were escorted back through the busy streets to our boats. A wonderful day was had by all.

Ambon was a decision time for many boats, the Indonesian government had tried to highjack the rally by giving no option but to travel to a major sail expo to the north of Sulawesi. Saying the travel permit was only valid if we travelled there. This has however backfired on them as many of us have called their bluff and split from the main rally. The reason being that it adds a further 1000n miles to the journey through adverse winds and currents. Of the 150 boats in the rally only about 50 went north and many of these didn't go all the way. Some of those who went north have had great difficulty coming back south. For us that broke away most of us have a wonderful, relaxed time, not having to keep to a schedule that had been put together by bureaucrats not sailors.

The account above is not up to date but I will fill in the rest over the next week or so.

Have fun we are.

Dave and Jean WdtW

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