The snorkelling and diving in Pulau Weh, and the other islands of the Sabang area, was outstanding! We were truly astounded by the amount of fish, variety of marine life and the size of some of the fish we saw… We saw a manta ray, sharks, nudibranchs, frogmouth fish, ribbon eels and a gargantuan sweetlip. We also saw lionfish, scorpionfish, shrimpfish, long-horned cowfish, peacock manta shrimp, painted lobsters, sea snakes, and the entire star-studded cast of Finding Nemo!
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Clearing in and out of customs, pirates, transport, phone and internet, cheap food, shopping, fruit and veg, fuel, hardware, bartering, trading and gifts, as well as some basic Indonesian words to know are covered in this post. It also includes a link to a google map of the anchorages we used which includes information about the holding and the depth of water.
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After the relative peacefulness of Gili Air, Kuta during the holiday season appeared pandemonic. The chaotic cacophony was made worse by the heat in the un-air-conditioned van that slowly made its way through the congested convoluted streets. Upon arrival at the hotel we found there had been an error in the booking and three of us did not have a room. Following a long exhausting debate over what we should, could and would do, Dwayne, Alex and I went and found another hotel room for a couple of nights. The disorder at the next hotel would have been comedic had I not been so tired…
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Christmas on Gili Air! After a week in Bali it was a treat to get back to the boat and head out to the small island paradise of Gili Air. The kids had been out that night and when they arrived back to the boat about 2300 we left the marina and began the eight hour sail. There was no wind so we actually motor-sailed throughout the rest of the night. I was on watch when the sun came up. It was a beautiful sight. The super-calm conditions and sleeping kids scattered all over the boat. Priceless…
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We arrived in Bali on the 12th of December 2014 and got a berth at Bali Marina in Benoa. My mum always told me if you have nothing nice to say about something, don’t say anything at all. So I just say it was convenient to leave the boat there while we stayed in a villa with the kids. The boat was safe. The AUS $35 per night was too expensive for what you get… or not get as the case may be. Electricity and water cost extra. We needed to stay in the marina to keep our freezer going…. which is something we may have to rethink. I have no photos to show you as there was a sign that prohibited taking photo of the marina…
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Once we cleared customs in Maumere, Flores, we set sail for Labuan Bajo. Once there Dwayne was eager to get ashore and check out the restaurants and bars, so we put the dinghy in and went to explore. We had a look around and had a few drinks before finding the markets where we stocked up on our fruit and veg. We had dinner in a restaurant with a great view of Thorfinn in the harbour. Dwayne had found his “little paradise.”
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We left for Indonesia, from Darwin, on Thursday 13th of November. The trip was uneventful and very pleasant. We thought we would have to motor-sail the entire way but fortunately we got a couple of really good sails in. We didn’t see another ship, or boat, once we left Darwin until we were about 25 miles from our destination, Pulau Leti. We arrived at Leti at 2330 and anchored in the dark. It was a little disconcerting heading to shore to find water shallow enough to anchor and the depth going from 1300 feet to 20 feet in a matter of seconds…
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Sharing my 10 travel tips after 10 years of full-time travel. 30 countries, sea 34,563 NM, land – 25735Km, air – 297,427
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Eggless Pikelets, delicious & easy to make. No egg needed. Flour, sugar baking powder, baking soda, oil & milk. Use recipe to make blini & pancakes too.
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