Indonesia

July 12, 2006

Indian Ocean

Malaysia

Sailing Under the Shadows of Slumbering Volcanoes

Indonesia

Sail into Indonesia and you are instantly overcome with sensory overload: dhows powered by sugarsack sails, little Chinese motors or even with kites, crisscrossed our path as we sailed along the archipelago, always headed east towards Bali. Only a brief 3 day easy passage from Australia launched us into azure waters, sun-baked beaches, looming volcanos and rain forests.

Indonesia stretches from east to west, far along the equator. To the west lies the more popular metropolitan trade areas of Jakarta, Java and Bali. To the east along the archipelago, lie the wonderous remote islands, seldom visited by tourists - our kind of place!

West Timor

Faces of Flores Island

Village Life

When languishing along sandy footpaths, woven amongst a warren of bamboo and thatch huts during our morning walks, the villagers quit work in their gardens to offer us sweet tea, hand us green coconuts for thirst quenching satisfaction, or simply to linger for a brief chat in Indonesian with such greetings as: "Hi Mister! Where are you going? Where are you from?" We were a mystery to them - rarely seen. One day, the local priest told me the villagers across the mountain had rarely, if ever, met a white Western woman, so off I went to meet them, taking the local headmaster in tow. The climb was so long, Peter and I were forced back, to start out again the next morning. Once arriving on the other side, school was in session, and I was invited in for tea and a chat with the teachers.

Offshore fishing by dugout canoe brings in dinner for a normal family of 4-6 members.

Shoreline villages with exotic looking mosques awakened us at 4am with their call of prayer, followed by men passing by in their dug-outs for a day of fishing. Village children journeyed to school in packed, rustic wooden crafts from nearby islands, coming in close to us for a wave and a smile, as we sipped our coffee, taking it all in.

Fish is transported in hand-woven baskets to beach markets in larger island vessels. Without refrigeration, fish was caught, sold and eaten in one day.

Wood is gathered in the towering hills for evening fires to boil water for cooking and purifying drinking water.

Children help out with family chores by preparing copra for shipping to Jakarta markets.

Stately palms are climbed for green coconuts for their rich milk in sweetening curries.

This man would take 2 months to construct his fishing canoe that would last only 2 years.

Wild Kalimantan (Borneo) - A Riverboat Jaunt into the Jungle

Muslim Village Upriver Borneo

On Safari to the Komodo Dragons

Bali - Island of Temples and Rice Paddies

When out for an afternoon walk, a Hindu procession passed us by, headed to their temple for a celebration. The air was loud with their laughter, singing and cymbal clanging. Out side of town, rice paddies lined both sides of the road and people journeyed by horse cart to market to sell their farm goods. A Buddhist monastery held me in rapture for a long moment of peaceful reflection. Villagers called out to us while picking red peppers in the field.

Rinca Island offerred protection for over 1,000 dragons as a sanctuary from nearby villages, as they are listed as endangered and can raid fields. With a guide, we hiked the grassy hills on on three short morning and afternoon safaris, encountering monkeys, wild boars, deer, buffalo and numerous dragons.

Excaptive orangutans roam freely in Tanjung Putting National Park (4150 sq km tropical rainforest), created to release orphaned orangutans into the wild, formerly rescued from ecological logging and gold mining abuses. I journeyed upriver to visit Camp Leakey, named after famed anthropologist Louis Leakey and Dr. Jane Goodall, to get up-close to these impressive apes. Care must be taken, however, as it took eight men to release Julia Roberts from the grasp of an alpha male during her recent visit.

A fishing village of 100 Muslims lived upriver, where we were welcome to stroll through banana fields and mangrove swamps during our morning ventures. The beach was a living highway of villagers coming and going, en route to fields and gardens. Often, the women and children waited for me, simply wanting a chat, curious of my oddity. I treated the sores and small wounds of the men and children with medical supplies onboard, pleased I could return their hospitality in some brief, heartfelt way.

Political discontent has erupted in East Timor, but further down the island, time has stood still as the Indonesians in West Timor continue about their lives, unaffected by political hardships. Beautiful women donned in exquisite gowns and high heels pop onto the family motorbike to attend religious gatherings. When we were stranded with overflowing baskets of produce, an affable merchant tossed us onto his two bikes for a ride back to our boat, but first - a stop off for sweets at the local street cart. Grocery shopping back home will never be the same again!