Singapore

Singapore 20 -14 October

Well, here we are! We originally had no intentions of staying at a Singapore Marina at all. We wanted to go straight to Johor Bahru in Malaysia and do a few day trips into Singapore. Our broken alternator made us change our mind and we decided to go to Raffles Marina. They offered a discount for “Sail Indonesia” participants and another discount if you stay 10 days or more. Raffles was an excellent choice. It is not only a calm marina but also the nicest one I have ever seen at all. A free shuttle bus runs every two hours to the nearest train station and further on. The facilities are fantastic and the staff very helpful. The swimming pools have spas and a waterslide. There is also a billiard room, bowling alley and gym. The restaurants are good and the bar has cheap drinks on certain days. Our first hot shower despite the hot weather lasted a very long time. What a waste of precious water. I hugged and kissed the washing machine like it was a long lost friend.

We went to Singapore two years ago during a stopover for 2 days. This time we would have more time to see it all again and at a slower pace. The public train and buses are very good. Trains are running every 3-5 minutes. Our first visit was of course the famous Raffles Hotel were we had a Singapore Sling in the Long Bar. For the cost of $AS 26 each. Ouch!!

We especially liked China Town, Little India and Little Arabia. Trying out lots of Chinese and Indian food and buying souvenirs for the grandchildren. Singapore is exceptionally clean and beautifully landscaped. Many signs are in four languages. In Sim Lim Tower (called the toy shop for men) we bought new water proof binoculars.

During our two week stay we experienced some nasty thunderstorms coming late during the night from the west with heavy lightning and tropical downpours. I think they are called “Sumatras” and are very similar to some Brissi Storms. A fellow cruiser got hit with a lightning strike and lost a lot of his electronics.

Raffles Marina organised a free dinner for all “Sail Indonesia“ participants in their ballroom. About 30 boats attended and we had a wonderful night, fantastic food and life music.

Our alternator has been fixed and Mike bought a second one as a spare as well. Our last two days will be spent doing nothing and lazing around the pool and reading. May be we’ll visit the Bird Park. A fellow cruiser said it is something not to be missed. Provisioning can wait till Johor Bahru, our next stop only 8 nm away. Malaysia is supposed to be lots cheaper than Singapore.

On Friday we will be part of a small convoy sailing, or most likely motoring, across to Danga Bay were the “Sail Malaysia” Rally will take off. A lot of yachts are alredy there. For more information about this rally please log on to http://sailmalaysia.net/

Good bye Singapore- Hello Malaysia
Michael & Rosemarie

Nearly there

Going North 15 October – 28 October

The last part of Sail Indonesia is a long trip. First we had to go from Kumai to Belitung, close to 300 miles. Two nights in a row on the water, last time we did that when we sailed from Darwin to Kupang. Not much sailing, the changeover between monsoons is a bit frustrating.

At some stage we crossed a main shipping lane. We spotted 9 ships at the same time and one was heading for us. We noticed on the AIS that he was changing his course several times so we called him on ch 16 and asked if he had intention of staying on this course. He said politely that he was not sure and his course depends on what the other ships are doing. Nice! We said we hang around until they had past. When we got closer to Belitung, we heard on the VHF that a bus was going from the anchorage into town for Customs, Immigration and Port Clearance. It was Friday and we wanted to check out of Indonesia at Belitung, so that we would not be under time pressure to reach Nongsa Point before our Cruising Permit (CAIT) and Visa expired. When we had cleared out, we could anchor anywhere for 24 hours, but were not allowed on shore.

So we rushed the last miles, dropped the anchor, put the motor on to the dinghy, grabbed our paperwork, and raced ashore. Ten minutes later, we were in the bus into town. It took all afternoon to get the stamps and papers we needed, but at 6pm we had everything. We had time for some rest after all this., and spent our last rupiahs on diesel and restaurants.

On our way back to the boat, there were some Javanese dancers who got themselves into some form of trance, and then wanted to be hit with a whip. I do not know the background of all that, but it seemed not right.

We were again in company with quite a few boats, we had made up some ground. The facilities were still there, so I could get some diesel, and we bought another slab of Bin tang beer. We distinctly remembered that Tiger beer in Singapore was expensive. We had drinks on a little island near the anchorage, and felt more and more relaxed.

The following day, we still did not feel like moving, so Rosi baked some bread, we did a few boat jobs, and decided to go snorkelling on the reefs we had seen in front of that little island the day before. We met some other boat people there, and when the rain came, we were playing in the water like little children. That was something special.

Back on the boat, we washed hair and got ready to go ashore. We visited the Turkish single hander, who was ill with Typhoid and resting in a bungalow on the beach. He thinks he got it when eating fresh oysters from the rocks at some island. We were glad that it was diagnosed and could be treated properly. Poor guy!

We had a lovely dinner with all remaining boats (about 7), and the organisers of Sail Indonesia. They did a marvellous job in getting such a big rally (120 boats, close to 2,500 miles) organised. We can imagine the issues with authorities they had to deal with! Many thanks to Raymond and Dewi.

The next morning we raised anchor towards Singapore. We thought a few day sails would get us there. We arrived at 5 in the morning at Bankka and rested. But the anchorage was so roly that we decided to continue at 5pm. Three other boats went with us, it would not have been a restful night. That trip from Bankka to Lingga was not nice. We had green water over the bow, with thunderstorms and 25 knot winds. Mostly motoring at first, but then the wind turned more easterly, and we got some nice speed out of our headsail. We arrived at Lingga at 3pm, with a few things wet in our V-birth. The big hatch is not as waterproof as I thought. But only 18 miles to go to the equator!

At 9am, it was time for another short trip. At 15:05 local time, we crossed the equator and went from spring into autumn within seconds! We went parallel for a while to get the photo right. We considered swimming across, but gave it a miss. We did not want to be late for the crossing party, otherwise King Neptune may get annoyed. So we continued to Kentar Island, and had a wonderful gathering on Gitano with Tiaki and Devon Gypsy.

Due to some alcohol consumption the previous night, we had a late start to get to Mesanak. It was plain motoring, the best thing was that Tiaki caught a Golden Trevally. So we gathered on Jemimah to grill the fish, with some salads and sweets. Another great night with wonderful company.

We left early next day towards the Singapore Straight, with the others still asleep. The sky was dark and it looked like the clouds would move so we would have any squall behind us. We went nicely, sailed for some time and had not much rain until the clouds disappeared and the wind died. We turn the motor on and automatically looked at the stern. Oh no! There was no water coming from the exhaust! After the initial panic, we sailed towards a small island and anchored. We used the MPS and did about 1.3 knots. . I was a bit at a loss, until I saw the intake hose for the salt water showing signs of a vacuum. I took of the intake hole, and close to the strainer was a plastic bag, deformed to a sausage, blocking the water intake. That was a relief!

In the meantime, the others had caught up, and we met in the anchorage at Sembulang. No party that night, but we decided to cross the Singapore Strait together. It was not a great distance, but the current was against us, and we did not make good progress. The decision was made to anchor on the Indonesian side of the Strait, for a morning crossing the following day. We had a most colourful display of triangles on our chart plotter, thanks to the AIS. There were over 50 ships within 20 miles of us moving not to count the many at anchor. After all, this is one of the busiest waterways in the world.

Early morning start, and we moved along the southern side of the Strait towards a crossing area opposite the Western Quarantine anchorage in Singapore. But when we got close, there was suddenly a huge gap in the traffic, and we decided to go for it. Rosi did not feel ready, it was a bit like crossing 20m before the traffic light, only because there is a gap. But all went well, we reached the other side without even being close to be run over.

At the anchorage, Customs/Immigration showed up within 10 minutes, and we were cleared in 15 minutes later. How easy was that! We moved on towards Raffles Marina, dodging a few big ships and going close to anchored vessels. It was a bit nerve wrecking.

When we went around the corner towards Johor Strait, we thought we had made it. But we got a call from Tiaki, who had spotted a fellow rally boat drifting aimlessly in the middle of the Singapore Strait , with no motor and no wind. So we turned around (giving up 10 hard earned miles) to tow him into the marina, as our motor is a lot more powerful than Tiaki’s.

Well, we got there, unhooked our tow, and slipped into birth D13 in Raffles Marina. Finally in Singapore, and Sail Indonesia is just a memory. But a great memory it is, we had never expected it to be such a beautiful place to be. Above all, the friendliness of the people is just unimaginable. And it seemed that the less material possessions people had, the friendlier they were.

Bye bye Indonesia

Orang Utans

Kalimantan 7 October – 14 October


The next leg was an overnight sail to Bawean, with the added entertainment of a thunderstorm and some ship traffic. It was not too bad, and all fishing boats had bright lights on. At Bawean, we met two other Rally boats. We had a chat, and went ashore. I played soccer with some boys on the beach. This was another island which deserved more time, but we were in a hurry to catch up with the fleet, and make it out of Indonesia before our Visa expired.

Another overnighter to Kumai was probably the best sailing for a long time. We made 143 miles in 24 hours, nearly 6 knots on average! WE did not motor until we entered the Kumai river and arrived with full batteries. The whole distance from Bali to Kumai was 380 miles. And there we were: still lots of Sail Indonesia boats, most of them visiting the Orang Utans. We arranged for a 2 day, one night tour together with an English single hander, got some diesel and water.

The man we booked the tour with (about AU$150 per person) promised to organise the bolts while we were in the forest. So off we went, the price included having a boat boy staying on the boat, and a guide, cook, captain, and assistant on the boat. It took us about five hours to reach Camp Leakey, and we saw quite a few monkeys on the way.

Arriving at Camp Leakey, we had to walk a bit through the forest to get to the information station. We saw Gibbons and some other monkeys on the way. We followed the ranger to the feeding station, and were overtaken on the way by 2 Orang Utans. It is a very strange feeling to be so close to those animals, who have the strength to swing around in the trees or rip up any backpack in seconds. At the feeding station, there were a total of close to 20 Orang Utans, and about four babies clinging to the neck of their mothers. The dominant male (“Tom”) had the bananas all to himself, the others would not go near him. Only after he had enough, the others would come down and eat. We were standing about 10m away from the feeding platform, and they would just walk around us, as if we were not seen as related at all. I wonder what they think of those humans...

At the ranger station, there were some more Orang Utans, and we got quite close. Especially when Rosi stepped back for a photo and nearly walked over one ... We could have stayed and watch for hours, it was a great experience. It was time to return to the boat, to go to the night anchorage in the river. We had mattresses on the deck, and mosquito nets. The food was good, it was amazing what this guy could produce with the limited equipment he had. They rigged a shower for us, with a generator and a pump to a shower head in the back cubicle, which was also the toilet. It was a western style toilet, with manual flushing. We had to ladle water into the bowl, to empty it into the river.

In the morning, we were woken up by Gibbons exchanging greetings in the trees. We upped the anchor to go to the morning session at the next feeding station. This one was also ok, but far fewer Orang Utans. There were only three of them. Still fascinating to watch. The next station only had one male consuming all bananas, and nobody else showed up. We were told that this was a good sign, as they all find enough food in the forest and do not need the handouts. Good for them. At the last stop, we had millions of mosquitos with their own interpretation of feeding station. We were glad to be back on the boat and on our way back to Kumai.

Overall, it was a brilliant experience, and not to be missed. With the benefit of hindsight, I would have chosen to visit Camp Leakey twice and skip the others. Just can’t get enough of those cute relatives...

In Kumai, we noticed that all other boats had gone. The boat boy had even folded the washing we had left on the line, and in such a neat way that I have never seen before. Rosi just could not believe that a man can do this. The next day we took on some more water, and I tried to clear out with the harbourmaster. He was not really interested and wished us a good trip.

Time to move on...

Borobodur/central Java

Borobudur/Java

Our bus left at 3 pm in the afternoon taking us across to the ferry teminal at Gilimanuk. After waiting one hour a second bus picked us up and we went straight on the ferry across to Java. All up we travelled 17 hours to Jogyakarta. The bus was full with locals going on Ramadan vacation. Blankets and pillows were provided and we stopped at a Indonesian truckstop for a hot meal. Unfortunaly we travelled at night and could not see the towering volcanoes. 50 % of the Indonsesain population live on the Java Island, around 120 million people. The towns are big and they are continuous. I never figued out were one city stopped and the next one started. Shops were open 24 hours and people selling produce on the raodside as well. On arrival at the bus teminal in the morning we booked the return ticked and got a taxi to the hotel, which was very nice, with comfortable bed and Ikat decoration, a fantastic breakfast and pool to cool, all for 25 Dollar a night for 2 people.The reception organized our tours to Borobodur and Prambanan temples for the next day. In the afternoon we visited the Kraton (Sultan Palace) not far from the hotel, but went back to Hotel for early dinner and night. We all didn’t sleep much on the bus.

On Tuedsay 23 Sep after breakfast we first had free time till lunch so we visted a big market selling everything from fruit and vegies to spice, fish to craft and clothes. I could have spent all day there. On the way back we stopped at the birdmarket where we saw all sort of singing birds, roosters, insects (for birdfood), bats, cats, dogs, squirrels and even an owl. A fellow cruiser poined out that we probably had eaten bats when we asked for sate sticks at the eateries. What the hell, they taste good.

At 12 noon we left for Borobudur, 26 km away. We took a guide and were overwhelmed with old, historic and enormous temples.Later on our next destination was the temple Prambanan wich is a Hindu temple. Unfortunately it was nearly destroyed by the 2006 earthquake. Many smaller temples lie there in pieces. Locals have taken the stones away and cut them up for houses. But the 3 big main temples still stand and are getting restored. But is was all fascinating to see and we were the last visitors at sunset until the warden let us out of the gate.

We found our bus but not the driver, so we sat in and beeped the horn for a while. He was waiting at the other exit for us. He took us to the restaurant around the corner where we had a very good buffet dinner with the background of the illuminated temple. After dinner we walked next door to the stage of the Ramayan ballet. A two hour opera/ballet telling the story of Rama and Sita. It was very good , beautiful costumes and they even set the rooftops of the background houses on fire as a special effect. We had a big day and arrived totally exhausted at the hotel at 11pm.

Next day we had till 2pm free time to walk the main street Malioboro of Jogyjakarta, resited all selling touts and stopped at the siver smiths capital of Kota Gede.We did no buy anything so, whats wrong with us? Our bus left at 2pm and we got back to Bali next morning at 10 am.

Cheers
R & M

Bali

Bali 16 Sept to 27 Sept

We left at 6 am for Bali crossing the Lombok strait. The current was not against us but neither did we have any help. The wind picked up to 25 knots and as soon as the main was down it died to almost nothing and the Izusu Sail was switched into life. Our progress along the Bali Coast was slow due to the 1.5 knot current flowing east. At 5 pm we passed a little headland and anchored in 10 meter and slept well despite being rolled.

Up next morning and made the 17 miles to Lovina Beach by 10.30am. We finally anchored in 4 meters sand. Mike went ashore and organised water, got brochures from the Sail Indonesia tent and money from the ATM. I was happy to stay behind to have some rest after finally falling sick in the guts. I knew sooner or later it would be my turn.

Next day I was ok and we explored the Lovina Beach area. The beaches are black sand with mountainous backdrops. Lovely restaurants and bars and lots of touts selling it all quite persistantly. We found a German bakery with nice bread and cakes.

At night we were picked up by buses to take us to the venue in Singaraja. We all enjoyed a nice meal and some singing, the traditional speeches from the government officials and caught up with people we hadn’t seen for a few weeks.

Next day we got up not knowing what to do. Should we do a day tour or a 2 day one? Where should we go? The tours on offer were big. Within 2 minutes we met up with Tiaki and Rubicon Star who were going to Kuta for 2 days and said we could join because there was still room on the bus. Mike went quickly back to the boat to grab toothbrush and spare clothes. So off we went to see beautiful Bali, temples , terraced rice fields, feeding monkeys (again) and enjoying the freshness of a waterfall. Our destination was Kuta.

So we did the tourist thing, booked into a hotel, bought clothes and a Rolex and took pictures of the Bali Bombing memorial. Kuta is not the Indonesia we had seen so far. Its more like the a Gold Coast with Mc Donald’s, KFC etc.We had a good night out but all of us did not sleep as well as expected. Something was missing. Maybe the slapping of the dinghy or the rocking and rolling. One day Kuta is enough and our driver picked us up at luchtime for the way back to Lovina Beach stopping at some beautiful lakeviews.

On the way home we all decided to book another tour. This time to Java to see Jogyakarta and the Borobodur temples. This sightseeing was offered through Sail Indonesia by sailing to Kurimun Java and then hopping on a ship to Java and then by bus. Doing the tour from Bali it would take us 4 days instead of five and would cost half the money the other tour would cost.

Talk to you again
Rosi and Mike