Indonesia November 2007

The last few months have been difficult regarding communication. Our HAM radio gave up the ghost in August which meant, no weather information, on board email or checking cruiser radio nets for passage information. Grateful that buddy boat, Ohana Kai offered their assistance with weather information and emailing our friend Stephen in Arizona, who obtained a new radio that was shipped to Bali for our retrieval; this help from our friends was considerable during this time. Also trying to connect via the internet has been difficult since we left Australia. Usually we anchor around secluded islands and unless we go to large populated areas, finding a connection is next to impossible with the remote exception of a modern resort that offers a link to the outside world.

Currently with a temporary elusive, link to the outer world, we are located in the archipelago of Indonesia amongst 17,000 islands having 6,000 inhabited, dedicating three months to explore the seemingly endless amount of islands, only a handful will be visited by Moorea and crew. Deciding to focus on locations that contain the perfect waves to improve skills in our new found sport of surfing, with this quest, many new experiences occurred. Along this isle hopping route, we encountered Komodo dragons patrolling the beaches for food, monkey parks with residents swaying amongst the trees, a quick stop to busy Bali to soak up some Balinese culture and witnessing a minor historic event as the Anak Krakatoa volcano decided to spout plumes of dark smoke and raging lava rock expelling its forceful power. We have heard that this event was briefly mentioned back home on a world news report.

Predominantly a Muslim nation, this is the first of many visits to countries established in Islam and to date, no negative experiences occurred with regards to religion during our stay. Keeping to conservative clothing, skirts or long shorts and a short sleeved top (no tank tops) for women and long shorts and sleeved shirt for men, when visiting a village or non-tourist area, is our dress code, observing local decorum and in turn, respecting the culture.

There is so much to tell with such a diverse way of life, I hope I have captured some of the experience with the updated pictures and short stories on the website. Hope to find a turkey for November 22, but may have to settle with chicken.

Happy Thanksgiving

Salamat Tengal (Good Bye)