Ok, so I haven't written in ages and loads has changed since the last blog entry. Let me begin
with this, this blog entry will be about my final weeks sailing around Indonesia and the ABSOLUTE BEST weeks! These last 3 months have been bloody brilliant and more of what I expected this sailing around Indonesia adventure to be like when I first signed up (the first month and a half was not at all what any of us expected, albeit still a good time). A lot of that is in part due to Jason and Laurel, who you will read about soon here, so read on. One thing first, I am truly blessed to have had this opportunity and I hope you enjoy reading about it as much I have enjoyed writing about it and reliving my adventures!
The adventure continues! As
Lachie,
Loz, and I pulled up anchor in
Bitung to start the next part of the journey, down the South East side of the island of
Sulewesi, we found out that our gear box was not in fact fixed, as we thought it was! :(
Urgghhh… What could we do? We re-anchored. As the day progressed it was apparent we were not going to be taking off anytime soon. That being realized it became a bit of a scheduling worry. There was another girl that was to join the crew on board Felicity in a week or two’s time. At that time, which was supposed to be in
Komodo, I planned to join another boat if I could. After all, 4 people on a 30 ft. sail boat is a wee-bit overcrowded. But as Felicity was now staying where she was for a while, the new girl would be joining the boat in this location, hence the scheduling dilemma. Plus I
wasn’t so keen to stay on board that vessel much longer as the other crew was, shall we say, difficult to live with. So now I really wanted to find a new boat. Well it just so happened that during the last few days in
Bitung I had made new friends, a couple from Denver, CO in their mid-thirties named Jason and Laurel.
We had hit it off right away a few days earlier and had a lot in common. Jason had, in fact, been the one to share his equipment with me so that I too could participate in the Guinness Book of World Records Scuba Diving event. They were a lovely couple and had heard through the ‘sailing grapevine’ of my troubles. Laurel had decided she wanted to save me from my current circumstances. She invited me to sail with them through the rest of Indonesia, thus starting the beginning of my next chapter... the best chapter!
So in less than a day I had moved onto
SV Monkey’s Business, a.k.a. The Biz, a 41ft. Morgan Out
Islander sailboat with Jason as the Captain and Laurel as his first mate. We left port the next day and we were finally out of
Bitung!
Yay!! We decided on a watch schedule (my watch was from 2-6, AM and PM, sunset and sunrise!! ) and started sailing down the east coast of Sulawesi, headed for
Wakatobi, then
Komodo. However, after 12 hours of sailing, with winds right on the nose and a current going against us, we had made little to no progress. Even getting pushed backwards at times! We had heard from our friends that that particular passage was an intensely difficult one, where the boat would be rolling and pitching continuously for at least the first 24 hours. With this news Jason decided we should turn around and head around the north end of Sulawesi and then come down the west side where winds were predicted to be not as strong, and on our beam. The current as well was meant to aid us by flowing 1 knot in the correct direction. This meant we would miss
Wakatobi, but have a much smoother passage. Even though this course was longer, it was predicted that we would arrive in
Komodo sooner do to the more favorable sailing conditions. So we changed directions and headed first north around the head of the island, then southwest. This passage was predicted to take 9-10 days.
Well this turned into a much longer and more difficult passage then was ever expected. Following our path was a handful of more boats and once all boats -those that traveled down the east side and those that went west- met up in the
Komodo area we all shared stories. In hindsight, it probably would have been better to battle that first day out on the east side, go to
Wakatobi, and then southwest to
Komodo; for those people had a much smoother, easier and more interesting passage. But everyone who went west experienced the same as us. Basically if we had wind at all it was all on the nose, light, and variable. Very difficult to take advantage of with sails. Sometimes we would tack and looking at our snail trail on the charts would see that in 8 hours time we had traveled ten miles and yet had only made progress in the correct direction equivalent to 1 mile! Sometimes I would wake-up after my morning nap and come on deck only to be met by a lake-like environment. No wind, no swells, no current. Flat, glassy water. Those were always the mornings I managed to sleep-in the longest. Go figure with no wind and waves pitching and rolling the boat! Plus my birth is the V-birth. This is the front of the boat, where it comes to a 'V' point and is the section of any boat where the effects of the pitching are felt the most. There were also times when it would be so windy that the boat would be bouncing so much I would be woken up in the middle of my sleep. The boat would rock up, my bunk (thus my body) would be raised up, then the boat would come crashing down, bringing my bunk with it. My body would hang in mid-air for a slight second between being lifted up and falling. When it would fall/land back on the bunk, I would always be woken up. You know, that is really the best, waking up via body slam! Ha, please hear the sarcasm in my writing there!
All in all, it wasn't a bad passage though, not for me anyway. I really enjoyed my time just sailing, especially the sunrises and sunsets! I also got to know Jason and Laurel a lot during this time period which was the beginning of treasured friendships. We did only make one stop for provisions between
Bitung and
Komodo. We stopped for 2 days at this little fishing village town called
Dongalla. Our experience there was unique to say the least. We managed to get food and fuel within our first few hours there. We were set to take off right away and keep journeying on. However, while we were fueling up we met this Chinese couple who owned the fuel stop, (I don't call it a fuel 'station' as it was not really a gas station as characterized by us- there was no store, just a bunch of people sitting outside a rundown, leaky shack that contained barrels and barrels of fuel). Anyway their names were Sony and Sandra. They did not speak English and, at the time, we did not speak much Indonesian. But we communicated effectively enough with the help of their English/Indonesian electronic translator. They invited us to dinner that evening. So instead
of getting back on the boat right away and sailing away, we decided to stay the night and accept their invitation. They took us to the only open restaurant in town, a Chinese one. We realized then that since we had been at sea for a week we were unaware that the Muslim holiday of Ramadan had started. This holiday involves lots of fasting. Therefore, there was only the one open restaurant in town. We had a lovely meal there, but much to our surprise Sony and Shara helped us to order and then left! We thought they were going to eat with us, but instead they just wanted to make sure we got to the right place and ordered good food. As it turned out they had 3 daughters to get home to. Even more to our surprise was the shock we got when we went to pay for our meal. Sony and Sandra had paid for it before they left! They said the next day that they wanted to 'host' us. This was very important to them!
We were going to leave the next day, but Sony showed up at our boat at 8AM wanting to take us inland to the next big town for the day. We thanked him for dinner the previous night and took him up on his offer. The most ironic thing happened next. We climbed in our dingy to come to shore, Sony, Jason, Laurel, and I, complete with our trash from the past week to properly
dispose of onshore. Sony saw our trash in the dingy, picked it up and threw it into the ocean right away! We were all stunned. Jason pulled a U-turn with the dingy and made to go back and pick up the bag now floating on the surface of the ocean. Sony motioned with his arms wildly telling us "No, you will take it to shore and they will only then throw it back in the ocean". We could not believe it. Once ashore Sandra was there to take us up to their home before going to town. They had a very nice home, marble floors even in the garage. It felt like a 1970's Beverly Hills design. And this is where the irony occurred. We met their 3 year old daughter who was playing a computer game, a "Dora the Explorer" game. And in this game she was helping Dora canoe up a river and pick up bags of garbage floating on the surface! Jason spotted this first and burst into fits of laughter. Once Laurel and I saw what he saw we could not stop laughing either. The father throws garbage in the ocean and the daughter is learning she should pick it up! The
epitomy of ironic!
The rest of our time in
Dongalla was more of the same. Sony and Sandra took us in their Lexus SUV to the next big town (obviously being in fuel sales in Indonesia is the way to go, no hut for them, a motorbike each, a nice car and electricity via generator 24 hours a day at home). They took us first to a bakery, where they insisted on buying our baked goods for us. Then to the fruit and Veg market where Jason managed to pay for some food, and Sony got mad, he felt insulted. Then they treated us to a beautiful lunch. We returned to
Dongalla where they let us use their
internet and then treated us again to dinner! Their hospitality was amazing, first class all the way. Plus, it was the first time for me to really get to know some local Indonesians. Participating in the rally had offered many insights to the culture, but none on a personal level. So this was a nice treat, and a great change of pace.
Being with the Rally certainly had its perks, but a lot of the time you felt like part of a herd of cattle getting moved around from place to place. Here in Dongalla we were the only yacht in the harbor. Everyone in town knew us before we even made it to shore. It is however true, that no matter where we went in the eastern parts of Indonesia we were a big deal. Either with or without the rally. These people so rarely see tourists, or people with white skin that everywhere we went people wanted our pictures. Sometime you would try to be talking with a clerk at a store, or order food, or whatever and someone would come up to you and just grab your shoulders and turn you around to face their camera. Before you knew it the flash had gone off and they had left! Especially during the sail pass in Manado was this especially annoying. I must have had over 300 pictures taken of me. You can't even say no if you try. They don't understand. It can be intense! But things were a lot more relaxed in Dongalla and we had a more intimate experience with an Indonesian fishing village lifestyle.
The next morning we picked up anchor and continued south towards
Komodo National Marine Park. This part of the journey took another week. So our predicted 9-10 day passage actually took 15 days all together! By time time we pulled into the harbor at
Labuan Bajo (LBJ), on the island of Flores, we were ready for a drink and some sleep! We got their around 4AM, which made anchoring difficult. It is not generally a good idea to go into an unknown bay at night. Especially in places where the reef is not charted very well. Well, we managed, then all had a stiff drink and went to bed. We were up 3 hours later with the sun and the 'Boat boys' knocking. In Indonesia 'Boat boys' come out to your boat via a little canoe trying to sell you fuel and water. This is usually a more expensive option than doing it yourself, but makes life loads easier so you don't have to do 20 runs back and forth to shore yourself. Our boat boys took our order and started their many runs back and forth to shore. They also came on board later in the afternoon
trying to sell Laurel pearls, it was a bit overwhelming to say the least!
By the looks of LBJ we could tell we had left the eastern islands of Indonesia. We were definitely getting closer to the main islands of Bali and Java. Western luxuries were becoming more readily available. There was even wireless
internet in a western cafe! We stayed there for a day or so as we got the low down on the Marine Park. LBJ was kind of the jumping point for the
Komodo National Marine Park. The day we left LBJ and went into the marine park was my absolute, without a doubt, favorite day of sailing!
, so let me paint this picture for you. Wake up with an awesome Mango smoothie and
pancakes. Meet a nice American guy living in the area running a dive shop who knows and tells you about all the best spots in the park over breakfast. Then your back to the boat and take off. Since this area has a ton of little islands, sand bars, and atoll reefs every where you get sent by
your captain up the mast to sit at the top for the 3 hour journey to the first destination. With binoculars in hand you scan the view constantly and report back to your captain via
walkie talkie. You also have an awesome camera to take stellar photos with while up there.
The views are insane! Absolutely gorgeous! Red cliffs, white cliffs, white sand beaches, beautiful reefs, with colorful shacks and tiny little fishing villages speckled around. I was on such a natural high at the end of my 3
hours up there! You could not wipe the smile off my face. Then the day only continued with absolute brilliance. Another boat, our friend Billy, had followed us through the park and anchored with us. Then we all went ashore this island
called
Rinca. It is home to the famous
Komodo Dragons. We were greeted at the pier by a gaggle of monkeys. Then onward through the park's trails we went with a guide. We saw 6 dragons within the first 30 minutes! They are huge and they look very strong! They looked quite lazy while we were there, but apparently these creatures can out run you, so be careful! They eat buffalo, and anything else they get to, including their young! With one bite their poisonous saliva will kill any creature. All though it takes 3 weeks for it to happen. So these
creatures only eat about once a month. They
have to plan what they will have for dinner three weeks in advance! Hows that for grocery shopping? Anyway, it was quite cool seeing this endangered creature. They used to live all over Indonesia and bones have even been found in Northern Australia. But today they only exist on Rinca, and there are a few more on the island of Komodo,
both part of the Komodo National Marine Park. After our late afternoon hike we got poured on as we made our way back to the boats. This suited us just fine as we were all so sweaty and hot. We actually stripped down once back to the boat and went for a swim in the rain, followed by showers on deck using the rain to rinse us off. Billy then invited us over to his boat for a dinner party. We had an awesome shrimp/vegetable curry on his boat and went through a few bottles of vodka as well. Not to shabby. As it was now dark out we noticed that the bio luminescent plankton there were incredible! For those who don't know about these creatures, they are microscopic in size and float around the surface layers of the ocean. When they are disturbed (touched) they light up as a defense mechanism, a trait you can not view during daylight hours due to the light. But at night it can be an amazing sight. Also known as phosphorescence. We had seen some great phosphorescence on our trip so far, but this was the absolute best stop for it! Jason thought we should go take a dingy ride around the bay to light up the plankton and see their pretty lights. We all thought this was a great idea. Doing dingy donuts in the water and seeing the crystal blue tiny lights beneath us. Well half way through the ride Laurel and I decided we wanted to go skinny dipping in the plankton. So we did just that. We jumped out of the dingy and plunged into the beautiful blue. It was just like a scene from a movie. The little creatures here lit up all around us, like a hazy-blue cloud of light around us. We could see way past our feet and the creatures would stay lit up as they fell to the depths of the ocean. Our eyes could follow them down at least 10 feet below the surface. It was very dreamlike and picture perfect! That night I passed out on the couch, proof of what a great night it had been since I didn't make it to my bed a whole 2 feet away from the couch, ha! A picture perfect day that only got better and better!
Following our dragon exposure day we went to some other quiet nooks and crannies around the park. We snorkeled for hours upon hours and got to do some fantastic diving as well! We
managed to see huge manta
rays, with wings spans of 18-20 ft. One day we had dingy chased them to snorkel with them for four hours, and another day they just popped up right next to the boat. We jumped in the water and swam with them for a good
hour that evening. There were 2 of them and they seemed to be 'playing' with us, swimming around us in circles and in between us. Even though these serene creatures only eat plankton, they can be quite intimidating due to their massive size! But they really were magnificent to watch.
After a few more days in the park we went back to LBJ
for our last Rally event. Yet another galla dinner. This one was my favorite. They invited us to dance with them and play games, it was a laugh! They even put on a power point presentation for us about the area. Jason made a keen observation that night. As we moved west through Indonesia toward Bali, the technology was getting better and better, even talking of sustainable farming, but the cultural dancing and food got worse and worse. So funny and sad at once, but definitely true.
The next day we set off for the Gilies! This was a 3 day passage to a set of 3 little islands
commonly referred to as 'The Gilies'. They are off the west coast of the much bigger island of Lombok. Gilie Air is the closest to Lombok, the most beautiful in my opinion, and the only one with an anchorage. All though the currents and winds that came into that anchorage were so rough at times it felt like you were on passage. One night I was woken in the middle of the night by one of the 'body slam' experiences I described earlier. It was so uncomfortable I did not sleep for an hour and a half during the wee early morning hours. But it was worth it! We loved it here so much that we spent 10 days! Gilie Air is the least built up of them all. And what it lacks in culture it makes up for in beauty and ambiance. The people there have lived there their whole lives and know no other lifestyle. This is not a typical Indonesian lifestyle
here at all. It is totally based on western tourists and caters to this, for example it is no problem to wear a bathing suit as a westerner. The people there don't notice this as weird and it is culturally accepted unlike most of Muslim Indonesia. There are bungalows lining the beaches. All outfitted with pillows and a table for your 'dining on the beach' pleasure. Or you can just sit in them while you have a beach day. There are tons of little cafes along the beach, all of which have the same basic menu. There are no roads, cars, motorbikes, or anything of the sort on these islands. If you want public transport around the island (which is not needed, because it only takes an hour to walk around the whole thing) then you can hire a horse. It is a very laid back lifestyle. While we were there Jason did a lot of kite boarding while Laurel and I
soaked up the sun and enjoyed being lazy beach bums in a tropical paradise! We did take a day trip to one of the other Gili Islands and rented bikes for the day. Have you ever tried riding a bike on sand? Not the easiest thing to accomplish. We had to laugh at our bad idea, the whole island is purely sand, there are no roads; what were we thinking?! I think I can speak for us all when I say the Gilies were our favorite vacation stop. Komodo Park was brilliant, but in a different way. The Gilies were great for just kickin back and chillaxin!
Next it was onward to Bali! We were sooo excited to get there. Proper stores, grocery availability, and so much more! Bali was absolutely brilliant. We planned to be there for about 2 weeks, it turned into a month! A lot of this was in part due to a few boat problems we had towards the end of our initial 2 weeks, so we had to stay longer to get them fixed. Bali was so amazing I don't even know where to begin!
I guess we will begin with what makes Bali so unique. First of all, it is 93% Hindu with about 3.5
million people, making it the largest Hindu population outside of India. The rest of Indonesia is Muslim, some Christian, but mostly Muslim. As the country holding the largest Muslim population in the world, you can see how this would dominate their culture. That being said, compared to other Muslim countries I have been to, Indonesian Muslims are quite liberal respectively. But do not misunderstand me. Liberal respectively to other Muslim cultures is still not very liberal by our standards. But Bali has none of this! They are primarily Hindu. The Balinese people live by a strict code of respect. They respect anyone who respects them. They
believe that in respecting someone you show them open mindedness and love. There are also Muslims and Christians in Bali, but all these people live in harmony. As the culture is dominated by Hindu open mindedness, this wears off onto the Muslims there. Hell, my favorite local restaurant there was Halal (run by Muslims) and they were open 24 hours and served beer, even during Ramadan! Definitely not your typical Muslims. Definitely more open minded. They do not let religion hold them back from entrepreneurship.
Indonesian law states that all federal employees/representatives must be Muslim. They make the laws for the whole country and sometimes give Bali a difficult time. They once tried to set a law in Bali that demanded no one could wear a bikini on the beach. If you have ever been to Kuta Beach you would wonder how they would ever enforce this. Half the girls on the beach are topless! Well they created the law and tried to enforce it by making 'an example' out an Australian girl once. The Balinese people were in an absolute uproar about it until the police finally released her from prison with a formal apology. The Balinese not only respect our ways, they want us to come there and love Bali so much that we return again. The last thing they want is their tourists to be hassled by the police (no wonder they have the best economy out of all the Indonesian islands). All though that does happen on occasion, just until you give them a small bribe of $5. However this changed from town to town. In the town of Ubud they have strict rules for the police to help the tourists as much as possible instead of hassle them. They really are wonderful people who take a keen interest in those they befriend.
The Balinese do have the Hindu Caste system, but unlike India's. There are four castes instead of five and do to their major belief in mutual respect, they respect ALL people, regardless of caste. There was once a man, we were told, who was of the lowest caste. He was still elected for the head government position on Bali. But of course when he ran for federal government he was told he could not run for election as he was not Muslim :( Bali is truly unique.
As if the Balinese attitude was not beautiful enough, the place is just gorgeous. And I am not talking just of the views. Again, due to their Hindu culture the streets, buildings, and people are always decked out in the most vibrant of colors. Adding beauty to the already gorgeous setting.
I've said at least once already but I will say it again to stress my point, Bali is uniquely beautiful! Not only that but one could never get bored in a place like Bali. We were there for a month and I still feel like I only got to do a small percentage of available activities! I even managed to get myself kidnapped one day! This was an experience all on its own. Basically it happened like this, (Mom and Grandma, please don't worry). We spent the day at immigration renewing our visas. The Sail Indonesia representatives from Jakarta, Turman and his crew, had flown into Bali for the day to help expedite the process. After the long day standing in lines everyone left, except for me. I was waiting for Turman as he said he would help me go to the camera shop (where my camera was supposed to be getting fixed, all though this never happened) in order to translate for me and make sure I did not get taken advantage of. Well he and his crownies offered to give me a ride to the shop since we were already in Denpasar. Now I had known these guys for well over 2 months and spoken with them on many occasions, they were the official representatives for the rally and I felt safe with them. And I was always safe, let me just clear that up now before anyone worries to much. So I got in their car and off we went. Being from Jakarta they were a little unfamiliar with the area and after 10 minutes of driving they decided to give up! They said they had to go to a meeting at the customs office about our boat fees and that I should come, then afterwords they promised to bring me to the camera shop. I obliged instead of getting a taxi, only because they
promised. So off to customs we went. Well come to find out, there was no meeting, they just wanted their friends at the customs department to meet me! Then the head guy at the customs department yelled at me to tell him about my family in Indonesian. It was kind of harsh, but also a laugh. It took 2 hours, but I learned how to tell him about my family in the Indonesian language. This experience really added to my Indonesia vocabulary and increased the speed at which I was learning the language. It was actually pretty awesome. Finally we left customs and I thought we were now going to the camera shop. But then we had one more stop to make, the Fisheries department. We were there for another half hour, where I again met everyone. Then back in the car we climbed. Ok I thought, now we are going to the camera store. About an hour later I pointed out to Turman he missed the turnoff into the city. He told me he knew and that we weren't going to the city but to their hotel! I said, "WHAT?!
Turman you have kidnapped me!". He said, "No Anna, I no kidnap you! I am so sorry!". I told him then to keep his promise and get me to the camera store and back home! I had now been dragged around the island by them for over 4 hours! He was so sorry that I felt kidnapped he huridly found the camera store, we got my unfixed camera and he then returned me to my friends for dinner. The whole experience was actually quite a laugh and I forgave Turman as soon as he returned me home. But I was only giving him a hard time because it was fun to give Turman a hard time. Jason and Laurel and I actually had trouble later when we tried to check out of the country because we were missing some paperwork. Because of my friendship with Turman I was able to call him right away and he sorted out the whole problem in less then 5 minutes from Jakarta! So in the end, it is a great thing to be friends with Turman :)
While there I visited the town of Ubud a few times. This was once meant to be one of the most spiritual parts of Bali, but now it is loaded with tourists and boutiques everywhere you look. In fact, my mom and I stayed there 11 years ago and if she saw it now, she would not believe it to be the same place. That being said, the town has a cool vibe, lots of markets, and a great jazz bar. While we were there the International Writers Convention was there bringing more culture to the area, albeit not
Balinese culture. It was a great town to visit. My good friend throughout the rally, Lydia, and I went their for a couple nights and treated ourselves to a nice hotel, one with a proper shower and mattress, after all it was my first night not sleeping on a boat. It was a great treat. Also accompanying us was Lydia's friend, and now my friend, Emy from Kupung, Indonesia. I think she really enjoyed the treat of a nice hotel as well. She works for an NGO on Kupung in a village with no running water or electricity. So this hotel we stayed out spun her out a bit. She was even
concerned of showering because she thought they might run out of water. However, I think she really enjoyed swimming in the pool! Getting to know Emy for the week she visited Bali gave me a great insight to the Indonesian people from smaller islands. I really enjoyed getting to know Emy and hope our paths will cross again. The three of us spent the afternoon riding around the rice paddies outside of the crazy busy town. The rice paddies were
gorgeous and refreshingly relaxing. Towards the evening time all the locals were baithing in the rivers. Emy freaked out a little as it was the first time, at the age of 25, she had ever seen a penis. She had never seen a picture of one either. That is how constricting their culture is around most of Indonesia. It blew her mind that the people were all baithing together in the river. The three of us also visited many temples while there. My favorite being Tanah
Lot. At high tide this temple looks like it is floating atop of an island whose base is taken up completely by the temple. It was absolutely gorgeous. Other than that we basically chilled out a lot at our favorite happy hour bar and we went to the beach. Emy and Lydia both left on the same day about a week after I had arrived in Bali.
Following their departure Jason, Laurel and I went on a mini road trip to different parts of the
island. We visited temples and went to this great spot called Kilamanti. There is a
volcanic lake here where once there was a caldera. We got two rooms on a separate lot of land away from the rest of the hotel. These rooms came complete with a bath tub (a real treat!) and adjoining porches with front row views of the beautiful lake. We hiked up the volcanoe before dawn to see the sunrise from the top. The sunrise was stunning! It came up behind the
island of Lombok which we could see in the distance. Then you could see the ocean in front of Lombok, then the opposite side/peak of the volcano we climbed and in the foreground was the lake! Stunning! Mountain, ocean,
mountain, lake! We hiked untill about 10AM then came down the mountain and sat in the hot springs. The next day we slept in and took off for the village of Les to see an
immense waterfall. We went for a bit of a swim, but it was FREEZING, so we didn't swim long. Then we made our way back to as far as Ubud for the night before continuing home to the anchorage the following day. One of the best
parts of this trip was simply riding on the bikes! Yes, that's right, we rented motorbikes and drove them around the island. And let me tell you, IF YOU CAN RIDE A BIKE IN BALI, YOU CAN RIDE A BIKE ANYWHERE! Except maybe India, but I have yet to see what that is like. I have never driven a motorbike before so Jason gave me lessons, and made me practice in an empty parking lot for ages before he would allow me to rent a bike with the crazy traffic rules, or lack of rules, that Bali has. He was a great teacher, concerned soley for my safety. Once I rented my own bike, I was unstoppable, driving it all over the island and weaving in and out of traffic with the best of them! After all if you don't keep up with the gaggle of bikes on the road, you are likely to get run over. But going across the island on a bike is the best! A little cold when you get into the mountainess areas, but it is so hot everywhere else that the cold is refreshing.
When we returned from our trip we found that Jason and Laurel's friends from
another boat had
arrived. So we all went out and had a big night out in Kuta! That was an absolute blast! I went out again on Halloween with a group of 4 Frenchman that had come into the anchorage. That was also a great night out. We all went back to Ubud for another night and we visited the Monkey Forest. These little devils were not scared of you and
would climb right up on you! We did also have a birthday celebration on our last night in Bali for a friend from another boat. As it turned out we were mostly all Americans in attendance so we
borrowed the grill from the yacht club and had a proper American barbeque! It was awesome! Other than that I mostly hung out and relaxed in the town of Sanur. I shopped and talked a lot with the locals practicing my Indonesian and learning new vocabulary every day. I really have fallen in love with their language!
Bali was our second to last stop in this wonderful country. As Laurel was experiencing severe pain from an unknown shoulder problem it became the priority to get her to a hospital with a knowledgeable doctor as they were unable to help her in Bali. So when 'The Biz' (SV Monkey's Business) was finally ready for departure we headed straight to Malaysia. We did stop once on the island of Batam for one night soley to check out of the country and clear customs there. We have come directly to a marina in the first city we reached in Malaysia, Johor Bahru; a city I am already familiar with as I was here many times during the spring. The night before we got here it seems that I scratched my cornea, so when we pulled into the marina I was wearing a bandanna over my eye and Laurel had a home-made sling on. The harbor master thought we were one beat-up crew! We both went straight to the hospital. I receive eye drops and a proper eye patch and Laurel was prescribed physical therapy. That therapy will keep Jason and Laurel here for a while until she has healed. That being the case, I am sadly departing The Biz from here, Johor Bahru, as it is time I move on as there is so much of this world to see and I've already seen this part. My next stop is the Philippines where I will try my hand, or feet rather, at kite boarding. Pray I don't injure myself! :) I had a great time sailing through Indonesia, it is definitely the best way to see the largest island chain in the world!
"I once traveled inside the ring of fire,
and if I ever get another opportunity,
I won't hesitate to do it again.
It sprawls through a part of,
the western pacific
known as the earth's ring of fire.
With over 100's of active volcanoes,
and several minor earthquakes everyday,
this surely is not the place for the faint hearted.
For those who seek untamed beauty,
there is certainly no place like Indonesia.
INDONESIA, DANGEROUSLY BEAUTIFUL."
-Unknown,
Jakarta Post Oct. 2009
bunk right before I took down my pictures on the wall and packed. As this saddens me immensely, I am also excited to move on. My last nights were spent in Johor Bahru, Malaysia; a place I have passed through many times before. I had a completely different impression of this town this time around. The boat was docked at a marina in a nice part of town, Danga Bay, which probably had a lot to do with my different perception of this city this time around. While we were their friends of ours on other boats also arrived. It was like a little reunion from the beginning days of Sail Indonesia. It was nice to see them and we went out to the clubs one night together. We also made new friends while there. The guy who came to fix our refrigeration system, James, was this awesome Chinese man. He brought me around town my last day to help me run my last minute errands. I could have never done it with out his assistance! I would have never found 'bubble-wrap', I don't even think I could have explained what I was looking for 
effectively in their language. We then invited him and his wife to my 'going away' party/diner we were having. They obliged us by coming and they were terrific company! His wife was hilarious! Also in attendance was another couple Jason had met on the dock only an hour before hand. They were a young Indian couple interested in boating life.
showed us. We were overwhelmed with their kindness. They also each brought cases of Heineken which we all went back to the boat to consume after dinner! It was amazing, we only knew James for a day and the Indian couple for an hour before we invited each to join us! They were awesome, I love the Malaysian kindness! Both couples just wanted us to have a good time on our last night together. They understood that we would all be missing each other shortly. How sweet! The party went until 4AM and I left at 6AM for the 
Philippines, where I am now. I miss Jason and Laurel already!
