To see the Wikipedia description of Borobudur Buddhist Temple, Yogyakarta – Java: CLICK HERE
To see the Wikipedia description of Mendut Temple, Yogyakarta – Java: CLICK HERE
To see the Wikipedia description of Prambanan Hindu Temple, Yogyakarta – Java: CLICK HERE
To see the Wikipedia description of Borobudur Buddhist Temple, Yogyakarta – Java: CLICK HERE
To see the Wikipedia description of Mendut Temple, Yogyakarta – Java: CLICK HERE
To see the Wikipedia description of Prambanan Hindu Temple, Yogyakarta – Java: CLICK HERE
To see the SHIP\’S BLOGS associated with this PHOTO GALLERY: Click on the following links
Kupang – Lembatta to Lombok – Flores to Rinca & Komodo Parks – Komodo to Lombok – Medang, Gili Air to Bali
To see more about Komodo and Rinca Parks, World Heritage Site and the DRAGONS: Komodo Park & Rinca Park
To see the SHIP\’S BLOGS associated with this PHOTO GALLERY: Click on the following links
Kupang – Lembatta to Lombok – Flores to Rinca & Komodo Parks – Komodo to Lombok – Medang, Gili Air to Bali
To see more about Komodo and Rinca Parks, World Heritage Site and the DRAGONS: Komodo Park & Rinca Park
16 – 19 August 2012, Eastern Hemisphere
Dear F&F,
Well we arrived in Medang Marina (which wasn\’t really a marina!). The \”dock\” was completely exposed to the wind and sea and looked like a bucking pony ride at the fair. We opted for a mooring which unfortunately wasn\’t much better. The facilities were lacking to say the least and we stayed for just the one night.
We then made the very short trip to Gili Air which is a noted tourist destination here in Indonesia; only 25 miles from Bali. It too was a great disappointment. All the worst sorts of tourist stuff and of course the ever present rubbish everywhere on land and in the water. The local boats thought nothing of coming within 15 feet of us at 20 miles/hour setting up very uncomfortable wakes much of the day.
On shore, they had a pony pulled cart around the island as a tour, so everything smelled like horse leavings. As well, the restaurants appeared to be nice on the beach, but the food was way below what we\’d hoped, the \”free wifi\” didn\’t work and the crowds, backpackers and the thirty dive operators who all catered to brand new divers was just too overwhelming. We stayed a day, but moved on to Bali as we hoped this would be the place to be……
We arrived in Bali and immediately were overwhelmed by the tourist infrastructure. It reminded me of Cabo San Lucas at the tip of Baja, but five times worse! Para-sailors, jet skiers, banana boat rides, the whole nine yards. The boat drivers NEVER looked where they were going, only where they\’d been – watching the guests. They also only had the driver and rarely a spotter which is standard safety protocol, but hey….Welcome to Indonesia.
We pulled up to the marina and were offered a slip inside (thankfully) versus the outside docks which were non stop tourist boats, barges, etc. It was actually pretty bumpy on the outside of the docks. The entrance was very small and the current was ripping, so it was an exciting entry. All went fine. We\’d been told the marina wasn\’t the best, but it was better than we thought it would be. We had electrical power, but only 10 amp service. The water was non potable, but the water maker would handle our needs; their water was good for washing the boat. The marina has a restaurant which was okay. The guys at the marina were very helpful. We got the boat washed and waxed, the metal polished and had our first real time to catch up on maintenance, load fuel and propane.
Several friends were here ahead of the rally including \”Serenity\”, \”Georgia J\” and \”Ainia\”. Bruce and June on \”Ainia\” would be doing a similar trip to ours at about the same time.
We arrived 4 days before Nikki\’s daughter Hollie\’s wedding and took advantage of the few days to fly to Yogyakarta on the island of Java about 250 miles west of Bali. The worlds largest Buddhist Temple at Borobudur is there built in the 9th Century. As well, there were some very large Hindu Temples of a similar age. Soon after both Temples were built, a large volcano erupted causing the entire population to essentially re-locate. Primarily, the Buddhists went west to Sumatra and the Hindus went east to Bali. The interesting find for me was that I thought that Bali was a large Buddhist center. It\’s not, it\’s actually one of the higher concentrations of Hindu\’s in Indonesia. Buddhists are only 0.5% of the population. About 9% is Hindu and Christian. About 90% is Muslim.
The tour was whirlwind, but interesting and we got back to Bali with plenty of time to prepare for the wedding!
More soon, Scott and Nikki
16 – 19 August 2012, Eastern Hemisphere
Dear F&F,
Well we arrived in Medang Marina (which wasn\’t really a marina!). The \”dock\” was completely exposed to the wind and sea and looked like a bucking pony ride at the fair. We opted for a mooring which unfortunately wasn\’t much better. The facilities were lacking to say the least and we stayed for just the one night.
We then made the very short trip to Gili Air which is a noted tourist destination here in Indonesia; only 25 miles from Bali. It too was a great disappointment. All the worst sorts of tourist stuff and of course the ever present rubbish everywhere on land and in the water. The local boats thought nothing of coming within 15 feet of us at 20 miles/hour setting up very uncomfortable wakes much of the day.
On shore, they had a pony pulled cart around the island as a tour, so everything smelled like horse leavings. As well, the restaurants appeared to be nice on the beach, but the food was way below what we\’d hoped, the \”free wifi\” didn\’t work and the crowds, backpackers and the thirty dive operators who all catered to brand new divers was just too overwhelming. We stayed a day, but moved on to Bali as we hoped this would be the place to be……
We arrived in Bali and immediately were overwhelmed by the tourist infrastructure. It reminded me of Cabo San Lucas at the tip of Baja, but five times worse! Para-sailors, jet skiers, banana boat rides, the whole nine yards. The boat drivers NEVER looked where they were going, only where they\’d been – watching the guests. They also only had the driver and rarely a spotter which is standard safety protocol, but hey….Welcome to Indonesia.
We pulled up to the marina and were offered a slip inside (thankfully) versus the outside docks which were non stop tourist boats, barges, etc. It was actually pretty bumpy on the outside of the docks. The entrance was very small and the current was ripping, so it was an exciting entry. All went fine. We\’d been told the marina wasn\’t the best, but it was better than we thought it would be. We had electrical power, but only 10 amp service. The water was non potable, but the water maker would handle our needs; their water was good for washing the boat. The marina has a restaurant which was okay. The guys at the marina were very helpful. We got the boat washed and waxed, the metal polished and had our first real time to catch up on maintenance, load fuel and propane.
Several friends were here ahead of the rally including \”Serenity\”, \”Georgia J\” and \”Ainia\”. Bruce and June on \”Ainia\” would be doing a similar trip to ours at about the same time.
We arrived 4 days before Nikki\’s daughter Hollie\’s wedding and took advantage of the few days to fly to Yogyakarta on the island of Java about 250 miles west of Bali. The worlds largest Buddhist Temple at Borobudur is there built in the 9th Century. As well, there were some very large Hindu Temples of a similar age. Soon after both Temples were built, a large volcano erupted causing the entire population to essentially re-locate. Primarily, the Buddhists went west to Sumatra and the Hindus went east to Bali. The interesting find for me was that I thought that Bali was a large Buddhist center. It\’s not, it\’s actually one of the higher concentrations of Hindu\’s in Indonesia. Buddhists are only 0.5% of the population. About 9% is Hindu and Christian. About 90% is Muslim.
The tour was whirlwind, but interesting and we got back to Bali with plenty of time to prepare for the wedding!
More soon, Scott and Nikki
YOTREPS: YES TIME: 2012/08/18 07:47 LATITUDE: 08-44.45S LONGITUDE: 115-12.80E COMMENT: Beach House – DOCKED – Bali Marina, Bali, Densapar We have arrived at Bali Marina. We expect to be here about 2+ weeks. KIT, Scott and Nikki
YOTREPS: YES TIME: 2012/08/16 10:12 LATITUDE: 08-21.95S LONGITUDE: 116-04.94E COMMENT: Beach House – MOORED – Gili Air Island
YOTREPS: YES TIME: 2012/08/15 06:16 LATITUDE: 08-21.81S LONGITUDE: 116-07.76E COURSE: 202T SPEED: 1.1 COMMENT: Beach House – MOORED – Medang Anchorage, Lombok
So much for a \”Marina\”. It\’s an exposed, bouncing floating dock in an open roadsted anchorage. We picked up a mooring instead. Welcome to Indonesia!…:-) I\’ve updated blogs on the website through today at: www.svbeachhouse.com
12 – 15 August 2012 (Eastern Hemisphere)
Dear F&F,
When we left Komodo, we had a nice sail across the channel to Palau Sumbawa Island. As we arrived we caught up to an old guy named Don from North Carolina. He\’s an expat whose been living on his boat based out of Bali for the last 20 years. He told us about the lack of anchorages along the 150 mile stretch of this island. We pressed on to Teluk Sanggar (Sanggar Bay). We knew we\’d arrive after dark which I hate to do in an unknown location, but the waypoint/guide info seemed pretty good. When we entered the bay, we came upon 30 of the trimaran type fishing boats commonly seen here in Indonesia. They were like a floating mine field. Some all lit up and others, no lights at all. After negotiating this traffic, we came into the anchorage. Adding to the fun it was absolutely pitch black with no lights on shore and the charts aren\’t exactly right!
First, we got in shallow water, down to 15 feet and back tracked out. We went around the reef which helped orient us, but as the water went from 500 ++ feet to 20 feet in about 30 seconds, it was a bit disconcerting.
We got to where I thought would be a good spot but apparently it wasn\’t to be. We anchored, all was well. The wind was only 10 knots. At midnight (why is it always at midnight!???…:-) The wind started to blow hard from the beach. 25 with gusts to 30 knots. I watched the depth sounder and after about 5 minutes of this, it was clear that our anchor fell off the plateau and was hanging straight down in space. We had 150 feet of chain out and when Nikki went to up the anchor, it would barely move. I thought it was the chain stripper stuck again so I removed it. I then tried the windlass again making sure the chain wouldn\’t get jammed without the stripper. The windlass barely moved and the motor was getting hot.
All along, Nikki is trying to keep the boat head to wind and away from reef and fishing boats bobbing about. Fortunately, the wind event died off as quickly as it arrived and after about 25 minutes, I was able to coax the anchor and chain back up to the deck.
My summarization is that the motor didn\’t have the power to lift the combined weight of about 250 lbs. which it very definitely should. As we could not depend on another deep anchor attempt (we might miss the plateau), we decided to set the main with one reef and slowly sail toward Lombok, our next destination and about 110 miles away. We did this taking night watches and felt pretty tired as we\’d been moving without too much of a break for days.
We arrived at Gili Lewang Island just off the northeast coast of Lombok the next late afternoon and were glad to anchor in a nice sandy shallow spot at 25 feet. This morning, I\’d neglected to put the chain stripper back on the windlass and when I went to raise the anchor it jammed immediately. Nikki and I played mechanic and got it back in shape pretty quickly. I may have found the chain stripper problem? Time will tell. The windlass worked perfectly and off we went. Next stop, Medang Marina in Lombok right off the famous tourist island, Gili Air.
The internet is very good here and when next we write I hope to be tied up to a dock. We\’ll have several days to tour here before heading off the last 60 miles or so to Bali.
KIT, write anytime, Scott and Nikki