Lombok

9/20/2007
Teluk Awang (Awang Bay), Lombok
Ekas surf break
coordinates 08.53.158S,116.26.604E

After departing Periscopes in East Sumbawa we had some distance to cover to make it too the next anchorage. We tried our luck by stopping at Scar reef, another potential surf spot in west Sumbawa approx. 110 miles away. The surf wasn't running there which actually worked out well as we had to deal with our anchor. The salt water environment is rough on everything including the anchor chain. Over time it had eroded enough of the links that they wouldn't hold well in our windless, which is the
electric wench that pulls up the anchor from it's depths. We ended up drifting, intentionally, in the bay while we hauled all 300 feet of chain up onto the deck and changed it out end for end, so the fresh links were now the first to hit the water. While it is on deck you have to measure it out and place markers every 20 feet so that you have a visual when you are setting the anchor to know just how much you have let out. Task done, on to find more surfing.

Ekas, Lombok
It just gets better and better. Though this bay wasn't much to look at, it was peaceful and serene with the most ideal waves for all involved yet! Everyone had the best time there and making great strides in their skill, confidence and most importantly all out fun. Four days there and the swell died out. Unfortunately we are on borrowed time while we try to get to Bali and renew our Visa's for another 30 days, we headed on as well.

Gerupuk was the next bay on the stop. Largely an Asian vacation destination it is home to Lauken resort. 6 small and stylish bungalows, complete with a pool, any of which can be yours for 2 weeks $550, all transportation and needs met. The town itself is terribly run down though the guide books say that it is much improved after the start of seaweed farming here. Which reminds me of just what a mine field of seaweed beds we had to dodge and weave around to get into the protected bay. We had
a very nice time here with some great surfing as well but a bit crowded and we had become spoiled with waves all to ourselves. On shore we met Matt, a local with an adorable wife and daughter Lina and Lira. He took us under his wing and arranged for us to go to the local market in Kuta. We purchased some great pottery, local woven hats and some beautiful hand made ikat blankets or sarongs from Matt's family.

Blongas Bay just 23 miles down the road we discovered what we have renamed Beggars Bay. As soon as we were anchored and the fishermen began to come in or head out to fish, they descended upon and surrounded each boat one at a time. We had 10 outriggers around us at one time. What we had never seen before was local that weren't here to trade, they just wanted hand outs and were then choosy about what they received. Even upon receiving gifts they wouldn't necessarily leave, just hang on to the
boat and not talk. At 6 am Bruce rolled out of bed and there they were already, hanging onto the back and staring down into the cabin. One night here and we were on our way.

We had a quick stop at Nusa Cenida or Lembogan which is just across the bay from the island of Bali itself. It helped to ease us back into the crazy pace of big city life again as we were surrounded by recreational water crafts and mini cruise ships. They even have giant floating water slide parks. On shore it was a bit more peaceful. Hindu is the main religion here and we were just beginning to be introduced to the wonderful offerings of flowers, foods and incense that are left everywhere many
times a day to appease the spirits. The aromatic imprint that Bali provides between sandalwood, cloves and fragapani will stick with us forever.

It was also in Lembogan that we got our first true taste of just how amazingly strong those women are who carry the baskets of good on their head. No matter the items to be couried around, flowers, veggies, melons, potatoes, they dutifully raise the basket to their head and deliver. We were at a market when one gal brought by the days goods to sell and it took some help to lift it off her head. Kelly boy and Bruce decided to investigate the weight of the basket and at first attempt it took them
by surprise at just how heavy it was. The baskets themselves though only woven reeds, have to be at least 3 feet across so you can imagine just how much stuff you can fill it with. We figure it had to be 50 - 70 lbs. Yikes!!! We are sure we have found only one of many ways to measure the strength of the people of this beautiful land.
until next time,
your Ohana Kai crew

Sumbawa

9/18/07
Sumbawa Island, Periscopes & Lakey Beach
coordinates 08.47.491S,118.22.619E

Technically we were anchored up inside Teluk Cempi or Cempi Bay. Not many tourists make it out this way except for the "surf" crowd heading for Periscopes and Lakey Beach. We found ourselves in recreation heaven. Just beside where we anchored the boats was a break built to satisfy all. The week that we happened upon this location that the waters were nearing high tide right after sun up. Perfect for surfing. The inside wave was just right for the kids, the middle for the mom's and the outside
break for the big boys. We could wake up, put in 3-4 hours of surfing before the wind would pick up. Back to the boats for a quick lunch, kids would start school and the big boys would grab their wind surf boards and kites and take off again for another few hours of play. We are certainly not complaining but all this play is exhausting. hee hee On shore we found a really nice hotel/restaurant the Aman Gati. Only $17/night to stay and about the same price to stuff a family of four with a fantastic
meal and drinks. A large screen hangs above showing surf movies and the sun sets in front of you. Paradise found. Though we didn't try it out there was a nice pool there as well. And always, a beach full of seashell treasures that continues to give our boats extra ballast.

We did have a small run in with Indonesian officialdom. Our second day there a long fishing boat appeared near s/v Luna first and boarded before the crew knew what happened. One official man in a uniform complete with motorcycle helmet on (a little strange to see out at sea) and 6 of his closest young male friends. After 45 mins. on their boat they boarded and spent another 45 on ours. Luckily Luna and Pelikaan speak Dutch and got the word out to each other and then to us of the nature of this
meeting before we were boarded but that didn't change much. Of course the interpreter's first words are "We want to make this very quick". HA! Clearly they were there for money, which we are more than happy to give. Let's just be honest about it's purpose though. If it is a bribe, make it a bribe, if it is an anchoring fee, make it be so. The official, who would never make eye contact with us, spent nearly the entire time arguing with his interpreter, who was always ever so kind to us. The 5
other cronies, kind and friendly as they were, perused the entire boat picking up and trying anything that fancied them, sunglasses, binoculars and so on. It was almost like a good cop, bad cop routine right before our eyes with added distractions. Their first request was 1 million rupiah. We flat out refused. OK, how about 500,000 rupiah. We said no again and then the arguing began. We were given reasons ranging from anchoring fees, parking tickets, paperwork out of order, surfing the break
fee, etc. etc. etc. We had planned ahead and emptied our wallets of everything but what we had pre-determined we would be willing to pay. Two could play this game we figured. We were wrong. We tried to play the hard sell and that only angered him more. Each time we met his match he found another angle until the poor little interpreter was so visibly disturbed by the officials tactics that he left the boat himself. At one point the official threatened to keep our paper work and that was all we
could take. We said no way. We tried to call his bluff and ask for his superior's name. He didn't even flinch and provided us with the perfect spelling. We said we had no more money. If he took all of ours what would we eat with. They offered us a ride into town on their scooters. We finally offered a few US dollars in addition to the amount we had to give and all 7 members of the team chimed in with agreement. Take the amount of money given by 4 boats and all 7 members of this official crew
were getting a nice payment for a days work. As they left, we quickly called over to the Kelly's to let them know of the proceedings. The Kelly's tried the hard sell as well and this time the official was done discussing. He quickly placed their paper work in his bag and left their boat stating that one of his workers would take them into town to get more money. He refused to travel back to the office with them and it would cost them 250,000 more rupiah to rent the car to get there and get the
money. Go figure. Kelly boy pretended to row back out to our boats and borrow the money from us so they could pay him off and get their paperwork back. It worked.

Lesson to be learned. Don't mess around with 7 hot, hungry men (we discovered they are currently fasting for Ramadan) who have nothing to lose and everything to gain whilst they sit on your boat and hold your paperwork in their hands. Good thing we didn't offer snacks and really offend them. Next time we have a new game plan. Two can play the strength in numbers game. When the official boards one boat we will all descend upon the boat as well with the pretense of getting them all done at once.
At least he can't change the story from boat to boat and we might have a better chance of getting the price fixed. We shall see. Having said this we are sure there will be a whole new bag of tricks the next time.
until then,
your crew on Ohana Kai

Rinca

September 12, 2007
Lehok Uwada Desami & Lehok Ginggo, Rinca Island
coordinates 08.42.211S,119.39.601E

We departed Roti with the escort of dolphins, always a good omen and enjoyed a quick and easy double overnighter to reach the island of Rinca. We pulled in to the anchorage in the afternoon and quickly deployed the dinghy to start our search for Komodo Dragons. I don't think that we ever really thought that we would see too many or if we did it would be more like that video footage of big foot. You know, very aloof and far away. Within minutes Bruce and Matthew, who were running recognizance found
loads of tracks made by the beasts and before you know it they sighted one just like we suspected. Walking away quietly into the jungle. So excited the raced back to tell us the news and bring us to see. Along the way we were all tickled to see deer and monkeys running back and forth to the water as the sun was setting. Our pals on Luna and Pelikaan had anchored by this point and we were all on the hunt. By the time we ended our exploration of the shore and were heading back to our boats, we
spotted another one right on the beach off our boats. These creatures are powerful looking and command your attention. They don't get more prehistoric looking than this. They move with such a slow deliberate pace and stop to smell each footprint you've left behind. I don't care how slow they look, we never turned our backs. They certainly have stealth on their side. Thinking we were so blessed to have seen this one up close (close being a relative term), we didn't think it could get any better.
Weren't we surprised.

The next morning every one ventured ashore just beyond a large rock formation where a local fishing vessel had come in from a nights work. Pelikaan landed there first and were quick to call us when they discovered the locals feeding some really large komodo dragons left over fish pieces. What a treat for us to see them in action. We walked softly and carried our own big sticks. They are curious enough creatures and certainly not afraid of us. They would circle the dinghies and corral all 13
of us to what ever part of the beach when they felt the need to lay out the boundaries and ownership of the sand. We gladly obliged. Though you can't really see their teeth much we have no doubt at the injury they can inflict. It is actually the saliva that is so dangerous, creating severe infections in the animal that they take down. At most we had the privilege to see four at a time walking the beach. Indigenous to only Rinca Island, Komodo Island and a few on the coast of Flores we believe
the species is doing well here.

The kids spent the rest of the morning collecting debris, abandoned logs and twine from the shore to recreate their own Kon Tiki. With much work and perseverance they got it afloat and even managed to catch their own fish by hand and spear to cook on the bon fire that night. Robinson Crusoe has nothing on them. We got in one quick dive for those with tanks and snorkel for the rest of us. It never fails to amaze us when we find new corals and colors we haven't seen before. Isn't this world wonderful.
The next day we departed for the north end of the island to prepare an extraordinary birthday party for Matthew's and Soleil from s/v Luna who were both turning the big #9.

A very protected anchorage tucked way up inside the island all four boats setting to stay for a day or two. We all took to shore and hiked to the top of the ridge to admire the view. Always fun to see our boats from a different point of view. It was so blazing hot though that by the time we made it back down to shore all we could do was dive in and enjoy the perfectly temperate waters.

September 11 was our big day of fun and festivities. We divided the fleet into adults and kids and the games began. Potato on a spoon races, obstacle courses, three legged races, consumer relays (which involve eating a variety of foods and a lot of monkey business), water works relays and of course a treasure hunt complete with compass to navigate in order to find the buried treasures. We even had the special treat of a komodo dragon making his was quickly through the party. Not many 9 year old's
can say that! Cake and goodies was topped only by the bonfire complete with marshmallows, who could ask for more.

The only thing that could make the stop better was the glassy lake like water conditions that next morning that begged for some wake boarding. We couldn't let that opportunity pass so we each took a few laps until the winds picked up. When the winds raise up so do the sails and we were off again. Next stop, the island of Sumbawa.
until next time,
your Ohana Kai crew

Sumbawa Island

9/18/07
Sumbawa Island, Periscopes & Lakey Beach
coordinates 08.47.491S,118.22.619E


Technically we were anchored up inside Teluk Cempi or Cempi Bay. Not many tourists make it out this way except for the "surf" crowd heading for Periscopes and Lakey Beach. We found ourselves in recreation heaven. Just beside where we anchored the boats was a break built to satisfy all. The week that we happened upon this location that the waters were nearing high tide right after sun up. Perfect for surfing. The inside wave was just right for the kids, the middle for the mom's and the outside break for the big boys. We could wake up, put in 3-4 hours of surfing before the wind would pick up. Back to the boats for a quick lunch, kids would start school and the big boys would grab their wind surf boards and kites and take off again for another few hours of play. We are certainly not complaining but all this play is exhausting. hee hee On shore we found a really nice hotel/restaurant the Aman Gati. Only $17/night to stay and about the same price to stuff a family of four with a fantastic meal and drinks. A large screen hangs above showing surf movies and the sun sets in front of you. Paradise found. Though we didn't try it out there was a nice pool there as well. And always, a beach full of seashell treasures that continues to give our boats extra ballast.


We did have a small run in with local Indonesian officialdom. Our second day there a long fishing boat appeared near s/v Luna first and boarded before the crew knew what happened. One official man in a uniform complete with motorcycle helmet on (a little strange to see out at sea) and 6 of his closest young male friends. After 45 mins. on their boat they boarded and spent another 45 on ours. Luckily Luna and Pelikaan speak Dutch and got the word out to each other and then to us of the nature of this meeting before we were boarded but that didn't change much. Of course the interpreter's first words are "We want to make this very quick". HA! Clearly they were there for money, which we are more than happy to give. Let's just be honest about it's purpose though. If it is a bribe, make it a bribe, if it is an anchoring fee, make it be so. The official, who would never make eye contact with us, spent nearly the entire time arguing with his interpreter, who was always ever so kind to us. The 5 other cronies, kind and friendly as they were, perused the entire boat picking up and trying anything that fancied them, sunglasses, binoculars and so on. It was almost like a good cop, bad cop routine right before our eyes with added distractions. Their first request was 1 million rupiah. We flat out refused. OK, how about 500,000 rupiah. We said no again and then the arguing began. We were given reasons ranging from anchoring fees, parking tickets, paperwork out of order, surfing the break fee, etc. etc. etc. We had planned ahead and emptied our wallets of everything but what we had pre-determined we would be willing to pay. Two could play this game we figured. We were wrong. We tried to play the hard sell and that only angered him more. Each time we met his match he found another angle until the poor little interpreter was so visibly disturbed by the officials tactics that he left the boat himself. At one point the official threatened to keep our paper work and that was all we could take. We said no way. We tried to call his bluff and ask for his superior's name. He didn't even flinch and provided us with the perfect spelling. We said we had no more money. If he took all of ours what would we eat with. They offered us a ride into town on their scooters. We finally offered a few US dollars in addition to the amount we had to give and all 7 members of the team chimed in with agreement. Take the amount of money given by 4 boats and all 7 members of this official crew were getting a nice payment for a days work. As they left, we quickly called over to the Kelly's to let them know of the proceedings. The Kelly's tried the hard sell as well and this time the official was done discussing. He quickly placed their paper work in his bag and left their boat stating that one of his workers would take them into town to get more money. He refused to travel back to the office with them and it would cost them 250,000 more rupiah to rent the car to get there and get the money. Go figure. Kelly boy pretended to row back out to our boats and borrow the money from us so they could pay him off and get their paperwork back. It worked.


Lesson to be learned. Don't mess around with 7 hot, hungry men (we discovered they are currently fasting for Ramadan) who have nothing to lose and everything to gain whilst they sit on your boat and hold your paperwork in their hands. Good thing we didn't offer snacks and really offend them. Next time we have a new game plan. Two can play the strength in numbers game. When the official boards one boat we will all descend upon the boat as well with the pretense of getting them all done at once. At least he can't change the story from boat to boat and we might have a better chance of getting the price fixed. We shall see. Having said this we are sure there will be a whole new bag of tricks the next time.
until then,
your crew on Ohana Kai

Rinca Island

September 7, 2007
Lehok Uwada Desami, Rinca Island
coordinates 08.42.209S,119.39.602E

We came in search of the worlds largest lizards, Komodo Dragons and we were not disappointed! While dropping the hook we could see a dozen monkeys running from tree to shore and back again. We quickly launched the dinghy to see what else we could find before the sun set. At the far end of the bay Bruce and Matthew ran a reconnaissance mission, found tracks of many dragons on shore and much to their surprise spotted a couple of dragons. We thought it would be much harder to see the great creatures but they kept popping up everywhere. The next morning some local fishermen were on shore feeding the dragons some of the by catch from their evenings ventures. It gave us the perfect photo ops.

Komodo Dragons are large monitor lizards. They can grow to be over 3 meters long and weigh over 100kg. They are majestic and powerful looking when they are standing still but there is something amazing when they start striding on those stout and muscular legs. We hear they travel up to 22km/hour. They can cover some serious ground in a short quick burst when they want to. All komodo's are carnivores, eating everything from large deer to other small komodos. It was eerie to watch them track our footsteps with their keen smell. They kept us well herded on the edge of the beach even if we were the ones holding the long stick. Though we didn't have any troubles with them, we wouldn't think of leaving the kids on the beach alone. We took a quick snorkel/dive on a local coral head and saw some amazing aquatic life. More varieties of coral than we had ever seen before. It was so tempting when we spotted some lovely pure white large cowries, if only they weren't occupied. The kids from Luna, Pelikaan and our boys found this beach to have the perfect collection of scrap bamboo and drift wood to recreate Kon Tiki and spent the day conquering the bay on their self built vessel. Complete with their own home made bows/arrows and spears, they even caught themselves some fine little fish to cook over the fire. I believe they could give Robinson Crusoe a run for his money. On to the north end of the island for more adventure.

Lehok Ginggo, Rinca
A well protected anchorage provided the perfect backdrop for Matthew's 9th birthday. With all the crews from Luna, Pelikaan, Moorea and ourselves we trekked up to the top of the island for a great day hike and then an afternoon swim. Next day was filled with the festivities and games of a joint birthday party for Soleil from s/v Luna as she was turning 9 in a couple of weeks herself. 3 legged races, water works, consumer relays, obstacle courses in which all crew members, adult and child alike, had to participate. And of course no treasure hunt would be complete without a compass in hand and a komodo dragon to cross your path. We are trying to impress on Matthew that not many 9 years old's can say that! Our last morning there was remarkably calm so we whipped out the wake board and took a couple of laps around the bay before the winds picked up and carried us on to our next destination, the island of Sumbawa.
until next time,
your crew on Ohana Kai