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Nusa TenggaraPosted on 22 September 2018

Flores, Sumbawa, Komodo, Lombok

1st to 18th September

Nusa Tenggara (Southeast Islands) forms part of the lesser Sunda Islands. It’s one of theworld’s most geologically active areas, the recent Lombok earthquake and backdrop ofvolcanos a reminder of that.

We sailed from east to west. Winds have been fickle, much affected by the high volcanicislands and high temperatures, and there’ve been many hours motoring and a day or twoof very strong headwinds and choppy sea.

Flores (you may not have heard of it but it’s about 200 miles long, thus dwarfing its Azoresnamesake at the western extreme of Europe), has some low key tourism – tourists begin toburst the seams of Bali and now spread eastwards, chiefly to Lombok and KomodoNational Park but also to Sumbawa and Flores.

With friends from a fellow Najad yacht, we enjoyed a long day out in the Florescountryside, our driver, Hans, friendly and very helpful in finding us culture, hot springs,traditional Ngada villages, mountainside stops, fruit market and boxes of beer. Here aresome photos.

We potter along the northern coast of Flores, anchoring in empty spots, as we’ve doneelsewhere, often off little islets where we may snorkel, privileged to enjoy the beauty andcolourful diversity of coral life.

Komodo National Park comprises a few islands at the western end of Flores. It includesseveral endemic species, the best-known being the Komodo dragon. Weighing in at up tothree metres and 90 kg it’s the world’s biggest lizard.

Considering it’s a pretty vile beast, a carnivore that may even eat its own young, and poopswhite faeces coloured by the bones of its victims etc, it attracts a lot of tourists. Ouranchorage off the island of Rinca, home to most of the dragons, is busy all day as hundredsof foreign and Indonesian visitors flock ashore. By evening it’s quiet and calm, just ahandful of us visiting yachts watching the monkeys and birds along the shoreline.

Next morning our ranger guide, I think named Primus, takes us on the ‘long’ two hourwalk in search of these fascinating but loathsome dragons. He carries a forked stick fordragon defence purposes, and it doesn’t take long to find one – possibly lurking up on aharmless and gentle water buffalo (which it chooses to leave alone). Enough…a fewphotos….

There’s little time in the rally programme for lingering, and we opt to catch up a bit bysailing overnight along most of Sumbawa’s northern coastline, reaching Pulau Moyo and,next day, the small town of Badas. The annual festival, Moyo Tambora, is underway andwe join many friends and hundreds of Indonesians for typically generous friendly helpfulwelcome, and tantalising glimpses of local culture.

Next stop heading west is the island of Lombok, first night anchored beneath the imposingsight of Mount Rinjani, a semi-active volcano (its summit about 3,700 metres); and nextnight the anchorage in the northwest, Medana Bay, its ‘Marina’ just two stubs of wobblypontoon (but shower, helpfulness, bar/restaurant, et al. a real treat.

The recent earthquake was centred near this corner of Lombok, and the damage iswidespread. Indonesians have many years’ experience of natural disasters, and cleaningup and rebuilding have started, though it will be a long time before the rubble and cracksare cleared, let alone the human pain. Kimi and Trevor, energetic youthful Americans fromthe rally, have instigated a project to build a new schoolroom, so many of us spend a fewhours or days shovelling rubble, shifting earth and assembling the bamboo frame that willform the basis of the new structure.

Despite the trauma of earthquake, there’s a memorable happy afternoon when we eat withlocal villagers, who have prepared baskets and trays of food, and afterwards enjoywonderful drum music and dancing; the colourful diversity of local music and danceendlessly fascinating……..

Additional crew joined us in Lombok, so now we have the warm wise helpful good-naturedIrish Anne with us too: ‘Three women on a boat‘ (Henrietta) adds a new dimension to mymore usual solo sailing life. (The book may follow in due course…but probably not)

Off we all sail to three popular tourist islands off this bit of Lombok, first stop at the mostpopular, Gili Trawangan. It would normally be crowded with party-focussed backpackersand holidaymakers, “The Indonesian Ibiza” according to Cruising Guide. But earthquakedamage here was severe so it’s quiet, bars and restaurants largely empty or destroyed, andjust a relative handful of tourist visitors cycling and snorkelling.

Mooring buoys dragged off Trawangan so we anchored in strongish currents, and it was anuncomfortable night; we left early next day for Bali…..

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5 Responses to Nusa Tenggara

Older PostsKalimantan to Belitung 18October 2018Bali to Bawean 15 October2018Nusa Tenggara 22 Sep-tember 2018Southeast Sulawesi 4 Sep-tember 2018Central Molucca 11 August2018Indonesia – SE Mollucca 6August 2018Australia 16 July 2018Chesterfield Reef 26 June2018New Caledonia 7 June 2018Vanuatu 17 May 2018New Zealand – last phase 30April 2018New Zealand – end of sum-mer 12 April 2018New Zealand 3 12 March2018New Zealand 2 3 February2018New Zealand – Northland 16December 2017Tonga to New Zealand 11 No-vember 2017Tonga, Ha’apai 24 October2017Tonga, Vava’u 7 October2017Suwarrow, Cook Islands 25September 2017Society Islands 2 September2017Moorea 19 August 2017Tahiti 31 July 2017Tuamotus 15 July 2017Gambier Islands 23 June2017Pacific Ocean 10 June 2017Panama Canal 2 May 2017San Blas Islands to Colon 28April 2017San Blas Islands 25 April2017Waiting in Panama 11 April2017Bonaire to Panama 5 April2017Martinique and Bonaire 22March 2017Vegetarian at Sea 13 March2017Atlantic Crossing 2017 22February 2017La Palma, La Gomera 26January 2017Western Canary Islands 16January 2017Some Canary Islands 23 De-cember 2016Madeira 4 December 2016Porto Santo 20 November2016Portugal – 2016 1 November2016Leaving England – Oct 201611 October 2016Still in England – July, Au-gust, September 9 Sep-tember 2016England 5 July 2016Azores to England 19 June2016Azores 6 June 2016Bermuda to Azores 24 May2016North to Bermuda 5 May2016Some Virgin Islands 22 April2016North from Dominica 9 April20169th April 9 April 2016North from Martinique 24March 2016North from Trinidad 15March 2016Trinidad 29 February 2016Some Windward Islands 21February 2016South from Antigua 10 Feb-ruary 2016Some Leeward Islands 27January 2016Atlantic Crossing 6 January2016Cape Verde 18 December2015…On to Cape Verde 13 De-cember 2015Still here in La Gomera 30November 2015Waiting in La Gomera 24November 2015Two more Canary Islands 13November 2015South to a Canary Island 3November 2015Portugal – going backwards!19 October 2015Still in Portugal 14 October2015….and Portugal….early Octo-ber 6 October 2015….on to Spain – late Sep-tember 25 September 2015Leaving England – Sep-tember 2015 12 September2015Setting forth – August 2015 1September 2015Ashore for a spell 26 August2015Learning how it all works 8August 2015A New Boat 8 June 2015

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Anonymous says:23 September 2018 at 06:09

Hey Mike, this is so great to read. It’s been almost 20 years since I followed thesame route. It’s probably the most memorable travel experience I’ve has. Sad tohear of the damage and trauma but good to hear things are being done to rebuildand repair. As you’ve skipped the Rinjani climb I do hope you head up Batur onBali and have a surf lesson or two?!?

All fine here by the way – the freak summer has given way to torrential rain – ahwell – it was great while it lasted!

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michaelsweet50 says:29 September 2018 at 02:12

Glad you enjoy rekindling memories. Ended my surfing career in Kutaabout 35 yrs ago! Done some hill walking but time short so plan moreelsewhere…M

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Richard Dean says:29 September 2018 at 17:15

Mike. I heard of very bad weather around you. Are you ok?

Regards Richard

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michaelsweet50 says:30 September 2018 at 12:05

Richard, Good of you to ask. All well aboard Henrietta! We’re about 500miles from Sulawesi, where earthquake centred. Heading towardsMadura now, which I expect you too would have visited all those yearsago. M

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Hugh Bartlett says:1 October 2018 at 17:02

Mike think you avoided latest earthquake/ tsunami hope you are enjoying yourIndonesian return and your lady sailing companions may all be going well. Sendyou our salaams brexitland hope bits all well regards Hugh

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