This blog entry is quite long, because with a new apartment and 2 months of sailing in Indonesia, there will be a lot to "document". So get yourself a cup of coffee/tea and make yourself comfortable đđ.
On January 21th we started towards Tønsberg and the takeover of over our new apartment.
It was a chaotic start, with a weather forecast of snow/sleet and rain in the east and southern part of Norway at the day we were to get the keys to the apartment.
We ended up booking a hotel room so that we were sure to arrive in time for the apartment takeover đđ.
The takeover was thorough. It took 2.5 hours, we went through everything down to the smallest detail - very seriouslyđ.
Afterwards we went and picked up a rental car and drove to Rakkestad where we have had storage at Nina, Kai's sister. We had to take many trips to the basement to collect cardboard boxes, the van ended up full đ.
The next morning we drove back and started unpacking. After 4 years in storage, everything smelled of basement, so everything had to be washed! đ.
When the washing machine and dryer were delivered, we found out that the worktop they were supposed to stand under was mounted too low đą, but luckily it was corrected after only a couple of hours, and the washing of bed linen and towels could start - there were many loads đ.
There were also some other things we found along the way that need to be improved, but it will be fine eventually. Super follow-up and no discussions.
Apart from that, everything looks very good đ.
We bought curtains for the bedroom, and then there were a few trips back and forth to try them on. Lamps in the ceiling had to be installed and then all the installation of beds and wardrobes started - it came in packages that needs to be assembled (IKEA). đ
We took an evening "off" and celebrated Dennis' birthday. We went out to eat and we saw the musical "Miss Saigon" in Oslo. A very pleasant evening đ.
We had 2 more days with a lot of work before we had to leave again, it was, among other things, some more shopping, hanging up curtains and assembling our bed đ.
On January 29th we got on the plane to Singapore, via Doha in Qatar, and then the ferry to the island of Batam in Indonesia.
After 18 hours of travel we arrived and were met at the airport by Jeannine and Kevin, skipper and crew/chef/"everything lady". We drove to Nongsa Point Marina & Resort where the boat was located, a large catamaran, a 55 foot McConaghy.
The very next day we started with various maintenance work, with the interruption of a bit of shopping, climbing stairs for exercise and a trip to the beach nearby.
We stayed in the harbor for about a week while Jeannine and Kevin waited for their visas, which should have been ready already đ. They also had to take an overnight trip to Singapore to get an entry stamp in their passport coming back.
"Alone" on the boat, we took a sightseeing trip on Batam... not much to see here but a keen driverâŚ. "You want shopping, t-shirts, you want massage, spa?? He probably asked about 14 timesđđ.
After a couple more days of various maintenance and a little extra shopping, we left the harbor and set sail for Belitung, approx. 2 days of sailing, and thus we were back to the watch arrangement for night sailing đđ.
We had 3 hour shifts and I, Monica, started at 3pm and Kai's first shift was at 9pm. I, Monica, was at first a bit anxious - it was a new boat, some new instruments and different sail arrangement , and all sails and ropes with English names đ. Especially on night shift alone, but it went well đ.
During the night we crossed the equator and then we were in the southern hemisphere đ.
Along the way, Kai caught fish again đ, a "Spanish Mackarel". The first in Indonesia, in the southern hemisphere đ. It tasted very good.
After almost 2 days, mostly ok sailing apart from the last night shift for me (Monica). It had been lightning most of the night, no thunder or rain, but it didn't last. The wind changed and the sail/boom began to flap. Kai came up to me and we changed the sails a bit. It rained more and more and he got rain jackets, but not long after, it started pouring, and even with jackets on we got soaking wet đ.
Kevin also got a heavy downpour on his morning shift.
3 hour shifts and 4 people is much less tiring than only 2 on board. You get to sleep and relax better when you get so many hours off đ.
We anchored off Tanjung Kelayang Beach, Belitung, and took the dinghy in. There we met acquaintances of Jeannine and Kevin from their passage last autumn.
The next day we took the dinghy to a small island outside the anchorage and climbed and waded between large rocks, in the middle of the island. There were some exciting giant rocks a little outside as well, but the waves were too big to go ashore there.
Later in the evening, while we were sitting on the boat and looking out at the island and the rocks, Kai says "Norwegian trolls have been here too"đđ. They have carried the equivalent of the large round stones we saw on the British Virgin Islands here as well (cf. him)
At anchor, we had an equator ceremony, since the crossing took place at night on Monica's watch, where we sacrificed both aquavit and a bit of ourselves to Neptune (we cut off a tuft of hair each).
Kai and I, Monica, had our status "officially" changed from "slimey Pollywogs to crusty Shellbacks" - it's only for sailors who have crossed the equator đđ.
The next morning we set sail for another 2-day cruise, now towards the Kumai River, Kalimantan, on the south side of Borneo. The last evening before arrival we anchored in the bay before "Kumai river" - it was only 8-10 meters deep, but it looked like we anchored in the middle of the "sea".
After we anchored outside Kumai (village/town), we heard lots of birds. We found out that they have a factory here whereThe Chinese (yes, Chinese) have built huge concrete houses for the "natural" production of thousands of bird's nests - these nests are made mainly from the birds' saliva and are used for Chinese soup which is supposed to be a delicacy (nearly 30,000 NOK per kilo!) .
This soup has been a Chinese delicacy for over 1000 years đŽ.
"The edible-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus), also known as the white-nest swiftlet, is a small bird of the swift family which is found in Southeast Asia. It's opaque and whitish bird nest is made exclusively of solidified saliva and is the main ingredient of bird's nest soup, a delicacy of Chinese cuisineÂť
Kumai is Indonesia's bird's nest soup factory town. Here several large buildings have been built without windows, but with small holes in them so that the birds, Swiftlets, can build their nests, which they make with their saliva.
This article appeared in BBC News in 2011
An excerpt of the article -
Welcome to Indonesia's bird nest soup factory town
By Joe Boyle
BBC News
27 January 2011
Kumai birdhouses - "Birdhouses have come to dominate the skyline in Kumai"
The tiny port of Kumai on the southern tip of Indonesian Borneo is a burgeoning trade centre in one of the world's most valuable animal products - the nests used for bird's nest soup.
Drab concrete buildings have sprouted up all across Kumai, towering above the traditional low-rise shop-houses.
The buildings have no windows - instead they have many tiny holes. They are in fact birdhouses, or more accurately, bird's nest factories.
Kumai's human population is about 20,000. Its population of swiftlets - the tiny birds whose nests are so valuable to the Chinese - must be 10 times that number.
They cover the sky, thrashing about and letting out screeches that are audible in every part of town.
The explosion in the bird population has come as an irritation to some in Kumai.
"The Chinese started building birdhouses here about 10 years ago," says a local park ranger.
"At first it was fine, but now it's taking over the whole town. The people don't have much of a say. Local politicians just let it happen."
The edible nests, which the birds make from their saliva, have been a part of Chinese cookery for more than 1,000 years.
They can be used in sweet or savoury dishes.
Food writer and broadcaster Ching-He Huang says one way of preparing the nests is to slow cook them with rock sugar, allowing them to take on the flavours of other ingredients.
But she explains that the nests are revered for their reputed medicinal benefits and cultural importance rather than their flavour.
"Many Chinese women I know have it because the gelatinous texture of the bird's nest is said to be very good for maintaining youth - it's thought to help collagen production," she says.
"The sweet version is delicate. It's like drinking a thick jelly-like soup. It can be served as a dessert or on its own."
The dark damp caves of South East Asia's tropical regions provide the natural habitat for the swiftlets.
Indonesia has many such caves, and has a long history in the bird's nest trade. As far back as the 17th Century there are records of the trade in the archipelago.
For most of that time, the nests were collected from caves by skilled climbers using flimsy bamboo trellises.
The next morning, we , Kai and Monica, went on a one-night orangutan tour. We were picked up in a special riverboat where there was sleeping and dining space for the two of us on the upper floor, and in addition onboard there was an English-speaking guide, a captain, a deck boy and a cook.
We sailed up the Sekonyer River towards Tanjung Puting National Park. A cool experience đ.
On our way up the river, we had good weather and we saw several types of monkeys in the trees, e.g. long-nosed monkeys, Proboscis Monkey.
We were served snacks and drinks, and before the first ranger station we were served a delicious lunch
On our first stop in the park we were lucky and saw a large male orangutan and also a female with a lovely baby. The rangers fed the orangutans every day.
On the way back we had a torrential downpour and were drenched before we reached the boat. đđ
We continued further up the river, which became narrower and narrower, and before dinner we went for a walk in the dark. The first thing we were told was "be careful, watch out for fire ants and this caterpillar is poisonous and causes itching and inflamed wounds". Ok - not a good start for me (Monica) who doesn't like reptiles đŽ. The next thing was a hole in the ground that the ranger stuck a stick into and lured out a tarantula, not once, but twice đŤ, but we also saw a couple of sleeping birds , i.a. a nightingale (who wins bird song contests in Indonesia) đđ.
In addition to the nasty reptiles, our lanterns attracted all sorts of bugs that flew right in my faceâŚ.. By that time I was very ready to go back to the boat đŠ.
Back on the boat, the bed was made up with fine linen and mosquito netting around it. The boat was tied to a branch on the other side of the river and we were served a good dinner. After dinner we crawled under the mosquito net and went to bed early. We slept well outside (under cover) and the next morning the cook was already preparing for breakfast, she started right after the morning prayer at 05.
The next feeding was at 09 am and here we also saw orangutans đ.
Back on the boat we drove further up the river towards Camp Leakey, but at the feeding place there we saw no orangutans, but we saw two wild orangutans and two crocodiles on their way down the river again đ. In addition, we saw several monkeys in the trees and several birds, e.g. Kingfisher and Hornbill.
It was a great trip đ¤Š. Back on the sailboat, Jeannine and Kevin got ready for their trip the next day. They got a similar great experience đ.
Kai and I took the dinghy into this 100% Muslim town to have a look around and to see these concrete houses for the birds' nests.
There were many small shops and lots of people. They were cheerful and greeted us and were very curious about us. Some children smiled and laughed and came to take a "high-five" đ. There weren't Northern Europeans here every day...
In the evening, Jeannine and Kevin came back and they agreed with us that it had been a great trip.
The next morning we headed south towards Bali.
After 207 Nm south, 2 days and 1 night, mostly motor sailing, we reached the island of "Pulau Bawean". The next morning we went sightseeing on the island. It was pouring rain in the morning and we tried to time the dinghy ride to land between the downpours. We thought we would make it, but there was another downpour en route and we were soaking wet when we moored đ.
A car with a driver and an English-speaking guide was waiting for us. We went first to the local market. There they sold everything from fruit, vegetables, spices, fish and much more. Everyone was very happy and they pointed at us and thought it was fun to take pictures, like several other places. đ
With all the goods stored at the driver's wife's house, we then drove on around the coast and towards
Lake Kastova. After more than 1 hour of driving, we parked and then walked for about 15 minutes, uphill, in the heat, before we arrived at the lake.
On parts of the leg towards Bali we had fairly fresh winds and during the night Kai and I were up to more than 12 knots (I was on watch, but Kai was "sleeping" on the fly bridge). It was fast đ.
We sailed more than 1000 Nm from Batam (south of Singapore) to the north side of Bali, before we saw a single sailboat đŽđ.
There were 3 in the bay we anchored in, plus some local fishing boats.
The next day we hired a car with an English-speaking guide and went on a one-day excursion.
After just under 2 hours of driving (in the rain) and 10 minutes of walking, we arrived at "A-ling A-ling waterfalls". After seeing the waterfall, we jumped, swam/sledded in the river. It felt delicious with slightly "colder" water (than it was in the sea) after the walk in the heat (about 30 degrees all the time) and high humidity đ.
We then drove to a Buddhist temple "Brahmavihara Arama" - a wonderfully beautiful, quiet placeđ.
We ended the day with a visit to "Banjar Hot Spring", this place was very touristic, but ok anyway đ.
We sailed on to the east side of Java, where we hoped to be able to see and swim with whale sharks, but after overnighting in 2 different bays in Alas Purwo National Park, unfortunately, no whale shark đ.
We saw a couple from a distance when we sailed towards Bali đ.
On our way towards Bali, Kai got more fish, a nice tuna đ. Jeannine made delicious sushi for us đ¤Š.
In Bali Kai and I were supposed to extend our visa, but there they had announced a 3-day public holiday and customs/immigration was closedđŽ.
Instead of getting fined, we flew to Singapore for 3 days of sightseeing đ. We had already considered a couple of days there on our way back home.
We had 3 lovely days there and visited, among other things, ÂŤGardens by the BayÂť, a fantastically beautiful garden. Absolutely incredible what they have built up there in terms of all the different plants that need different temperatures, soil and watering đ¤Š.
Day 2 we took it a little more calmly until the evening where we visited "Marina Sands Bay Hotel", the hotel with 3 towers and a "surfboard" on top (seen in all advertising from Singapore) đ¤Š.
We got a seat in a bar/restaurant at the top with a fantastic view of the Singapore skyline and where we also saw a light show down on the water đ.
A great experience đ¤Š.
On the last day we took a walk in Orchard Road, with all the big brand stores, and we also passed a fancy advertising building on the way back to the hotel. Singapore is worth a visit đđ¤Š.
Back in Bali, we had our visa renewed on arrival at the airport and then we were "good" for 30 new days đ.
After a few days of boat "shopping" and work, we took a Balinese cooking course đ. We prepared the food ourselves, 6 dishes (some were pre-made, due to time consumption). So many exciting and "unusual" ingredients and flavors - lunch was good đđ.
The next day, or rather night, was an activity day.
We (Kai, Jeannine and I - Kevin had traveled to Australia to get a boat licence) were picked up at 01.30 am and after a 1.5 hour drive we started walking and "climbing" Mount Batur. We used 1.5 hours and got up and into small shelters just before it started to rain. Inside we were served a light meal and coffee/tea/cocoa. Unfortunately we didn't see the sunrise, but the experience of the crater and the steam from cracks in the mountain was cool đ¤Š. After the descent from the mountain, we took jeeps back to the starting point. We had breakfast at a restaurant before we drove to the next activity, ATV driving.
We each drove our ATV, and drove a track through water and mud and with a lot of stones... actually quite rough and where safety was up to us.... completely wild reallyđ. A shower was necessary afterwards, but it was so cool đđ¤Š.
While we were in Bali, we got to experience the Balinese New Year, Nyepi, and "Silent Day".
Towards Nyepi, they make large figures "Ogoh-Ogoh", which symbolize evil spirits and negative forces that are formed by living beings in the world (mostly from humans). The day before Nyepi they have a parade with all these figures and they party all night. There are lots of people in the streets and as a tourist you can feel how important this ceremony and parade is.
It ends with Ogoh-Ogoh being taken to an open space, beach or plain and lit. This fire symbolizes sacred energy that cleanses away evil spirits. Next day "silent day" from 06 in the morning until 06 the next morning everything is closed, and by that we mean everything. Shops, restaurants and even the airport. Everyone must be indoors and no work must be done with anything that creates sound or light - curtains must be drawn.
At the two last days in Bali, we (Kai and Monica) left the boat and checked into the hotel and were tourists in Bali đ.
We found a good deal at Ayodya Resort and enjoyed swimming in the swimming pool, got a 90 minute massage and had a nice dinner. It was lovely to have a day on land, away from the marina and working on the boat đ. We also took a trip to the "Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park". The statue of Vishnu is one of the world's tallest statues of a Hindu deity, and the tallest statue in Indonesia.
Friday March 15th the owner and Kevin came aboard and the next morning we left the marina and set sail for the Komodo Islands.
We started with the intention of an "overnight" sail, but there were more waves and wind than the forecast said, so we anchored in a nice sheltered bay. Along the way, Kai and I had 15 knots down into the "wave valley" on our watch - manual steering in lots of wind and sea - cool as we can do this after a LOT of training!
We stayed an extra day in this bay before starting a new "overnight" sail.
Kai used his newly learned Indonesian cooking skills and served us all a two-course Indonesian dinner.
The next two days we snorkeled in a couple of nice places where we swam and dived in the tidal current, and saw lots of nice colorful corals and fish.
After "looking" for manta rays where Kai and I saw one jumping đ, but unfortunately none when we snorkeled and hung behind the boat, we sailed to Rinca Island in Komodo National Park. Here we took a guided tour and saw "Komodo dragons".
They weren't as big as I/we had imagined, but obviously dangerous enough since we had to have a guard with us on the walk around. They have poisonous teeth and are full of bacteria, so a bite can be fatal.
We had one more night on the boat before arriving in Labuan Bajo at Flores. Here we booked a hotel for the night as we were leaving early the next morning.
We had a long journey home, a total of 30 hours with 2 stopovers, in Bali and in Qatar.
Early on Sunday morning 24 March we were back in Norway.
We have seen and experienced a lot in beautiful Indonesia, sailed approx. 1500 Nm, but unfortunately there was an extremely large amount of plastic in the sea - we were both shocked and sickened by what we saw. And it never goes away, but ends up in fish and other animals.
How will this end - if the basis of life for fish, corals and plants in the oceans disappears, we too will die (or our grandchildren's children)đ˘. 80% of this plastic comes from the rivers - the river is the natural garbage dump and recycling station in large parts of Asia.
Are the authorities or others doing anything about it? No, not as we saw, and there are 270 million people in Indonesia alone.
The next project will be to move in and finish the apartment, but there may be an update on that later.
Thank you for following and thank you for taking the time to read about our adventures đ¤Š.
Monica og Kai Robert
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