Oct 24 2017 – Our arrival in Johor, Malayasia, Puteri Harbor was “aided” by Singaporean Police. Illegally entering their sea space to avoid world’s most active shipping lanes, Police intercepted Kandu in their maritime parking lot, as we were weaving our way btwn anchored ships in a squall, lightning included. After checking our paperwork & hearing our explanation & apologies, they kindly offered to escort us all the way to our Malaysian marina destination (instead of fining us or worse), to insure our safe arrival. 2 hrs & 4 police boat hand-off’s (blue lights flashing) later, we arrived. No ships messed with us…. Thank you, Singapore!
Best stupid thing I’ve ever done.
This article is also posted on the World Cruiser’s Noonsite website under Soaking in Sudan.
April 8, 2018
Before leaving Massawa, Eritrea, I emailed Mohammed Abubaker, Port Suakin’s wonderful yacht service agent, via inReach SE satellite text of our pending arrival. He had arranged a tourist visa, hotel, and transportation for my brother Nick Rigney who flew into Port Sudan from U.S. to join us. No commercial carrier offered flights to Khartoum, where visas are more expensive/complicated and U.S. State Dept considers the city a Level 3 security risk.
Kandu motoring into Port Suakin, Sudan. The ruins of Suakin Island as a backdrop.Mohammed Abubaker awaiting Kandu’s arrival.
Hailed Suakin Port Control on VHF Ch16 and 14 an hour before arrival. Not until 06h30 when we were almost at the entrance did we get a response, which after answering the standard questions (port of registry, size of yacht, number of crew and nationality, etc.), came immediate port entry permission and a kind welcome. Once well within the channel, we hugged the ruined city of Suakin Island to avoid the shoals of the channel’s opposite (western) side. Nearing the end of the season, we were the only sailing yacht except for an unmanned yacht anchored and covered in Red Sea dust. We anchored just south of the island, before the fishing skiffs, in about 20’: good holding on mud bottom. We were so guarded from swell that below deck, I thought we were in a well-protected marina.
Mohammed Abubakar and Eric Rigney clearing customs and immigration in Kandu’s cockpit.
Per my most recent email arrival estimate, the friendly Mr. Mohammed Abubaker ( mo****************@gm***.com
) was there to greet us, fresh local bread in hand. His English is excellent. He’s tall, handsome, cheerful, and has a deep bass voice, features worthy of a character-actor movie career. His white fiberglass panga/skiff served as our dinghy dock, from which he boarded our dinghy to our yacht, and efficiently collected our documents:
1 passport picture per person for the shore pass
1 passport photocopy per person
1 crew list
Charge for clearing the four of us in, including his commission, $220 USD.
He returned with our shore passes within a couple hours. Additionally we requested 600 liters of diesel (US$0.70 per liter delivered to shore in our gerry jugs), 2 10GB data SIM cards (US$15 ea), and to exchange US$140 (25 Sudanese pounds to the USD, an excellent exchange rate with the understanding that he’d buy back what we didn’t use). Our diesel jugs returned full within 3-4 hrs. Mohammad lent us his portable WiFi hotspot device gratis, so we could spread decent Internet joy among the crew installing one of the 2 SIM cards into the hotspot. (We hadn’t had Internet since leaving India, as Eritrea doesn’t really have anything useable).
Suakin Island ruins. After 100 years of no maintenance, the coral block buildings fell apart.
Visiting the Ruins of Suakin costs 10 Sudanese pounds per person (US$0.40) for an all day pass. Each time we walked around, we bumped into a friendly local authority ready to describe the ruins in his best English; very kind. After visiting the local museum a few days later, a short taxi or motorized rickshaw drive away, we had greater appreciation for what we were seeing, how old the site was and how quickly it fell apart.
That evening, Mohammed drove us in his worn four-door Mercedes to an excellent local herb-grilled chicken restaurant. Reading how traditional Muslim Sudan is, whenever ashore, Leslie opted to wear her full body Muslim dress and head scarf so as not to draw too much added glares against herself and the family in general. We saw many more men than women out at night (women made up only about 5% of those out after dark). Our tab for the delicious dinner of 4 chicken halves, 3 bean plates, fresh bread, 5 small water bottles and 2 Cokes was $14 total. No flatware or napkins, yet all food establishments have set up a water can with working spiget and a bar of soap to wash before and after. Air dry always.
Eric Rigney, Mohammed Abubakar, Nick Rigney at Port Suakin in front of Mohammed’s car.BBQ Chicken Restaurant in the adjacent village.
Mr. Mohammed answered all our questions and solved all our visiting requests. He was our dream official and guide. He drove us to the open market for fruits and vegetable provisioning, as well as shops that sold UHT boxed milk, pasta, and canned goods. He then drove our provisions and us back to the “dinghy dock.”
Leslie wheeling and dealing the local Sudanese merchants for quality produce.
He found a replacement 30l gerry jug for one of ours which its lid no longer held tight. And he arranged a taxi fellow in Port Sudan to act as a city tour guide (Mr. Gafar’s English not so good, so he called Mohammed to clarify whenever necessary. It worked fine). We took a 1hr public bus from Suakin to Port Sudan (US$1/pp). Mr Gafar met up with us and drove us around the port, took us to a fish market, to a wonderfully rustic restaurant for grilled lamb, and an open market for more fruits and vegetables, (we didn’t know how to ask to see the handicrafts bazaar), and drove us back to Suakin Island. There, he took us to the museum and to an awesome local bazaar to buy smaller aluminum jebbanas for serving Sudanese coffee. Total cost for driving us all around: $20.
Leslie and the boys decided to relax on the boat, while my brother, Nick and I went ashore to find some local dinner adventure. We stumbled across a small popular shack serving among other items a traditional bean dish, sprinkled with cheese, topped with fresh chopped tomatoes, onions, and greens, as well as a medium spicy oil sauce. They called it the “special.” Served with the local leavened pita-like bread, we dug into it with relish tearing pieces of bread to dip like tortilla chips at home and drinking small glasses of hot, sweet mint tea. Total cost for two, including 2 teas each: US$2. Note: I’ve been traveling awhile in ancient-culture nations, so I’m perfectly ok to eat with my hands, no flatware, communal plates, bread tossed on a rickety table, flies everywhere, goats, donkeys, etc. Tourists love it, tolerate it, or hate it. I happen to love it . . . a lot. The locals watch us with curiosity and esteem when we partake in their ways.
Early the next morning, Nick and I went to a flimsy blue coffee shack Mohammed recommended, and enjoyed strong ginger-flavored Turkish-style coffee served from a small aluminum jebbana, complete with a filter of dried grass stuffed in the jebbana’s spout. The ceramic shot glasses were half filled with granulated sugar. We spoke in informal international hand language. Flies, goats, donkeys, cats, hawks, local stares, dirt floors, rickety old timber construction, table about to fall down? . . . Loved it!!!
Clearing out with Mohammed was equally as simple. The cost was low, don’t remember because the 30l jug filled with diesel was included in the over all price. Another boat arrived, a French charter captain who’s sailed this part of the world for 14 years. Mohammed highly recommended we speak with Captain Jack. Jack gave us advice that we are exercising:
On the way to Egypt, stop at Sanganeb Reef & lighthouse to snorkel, buy a T-Shirt (US$15 ea. supports the workers), and tour the lighthouse. Per the Red Sea Pilot Guide, we just tied up to the lighthouse pier’s bollard for a couple hours as the current and wind gently kept the boat off the pier. We did all that Captain Jack suggested, enjoyed the pristine beauty and then easily untied and took off. Wonderful experience, super friendly people.
Check into Port Ghalib, cheaper, faster, and friendlier. Make arrangements with one of the two Egyptian Suez Canal agents before proceeding. Visit Luxor.
Skip Hurghada where a new bureaucrat charges boats a lot to check in again and all other costs are high.
Check/clear out of Port Suez after visiting the pyramids.
Stop in Ismailia, required anyway, and visit the wonderful yacht club but don’t leave it to go further ashore as we would have already cleared out of Egypt from Port Suez. Stay until the weather is good, but hopefully spend a couple days at the club: laundry, showers, etc. Hire a pilot.
Drop the pilot off in Port Said, but for the sake of your boat, sanity, and wallet (damage due to ship’s wake, clearing out is harder, more expensive, etc.), keep on going, preferably to Cyprus. From there, cheap flights can take you to the rest of the eastern Med for a lot less money and hassle than arriving by boat.
Suakin, Sudan ruins
Well that’s our experience and learning. We were one of 28 boats this season to stop in Suakin. We heard only 18 stopped in Eritrea. With Mohammed’s help, nothing could be simpler, easier, and more enjoyable than stopping in Suakin, Sudan. He really made it a great experience. If you have more time, I hear you might wish to see Sudan’s pyramids, precursor to the larger, newer Egyptian “copies.” If you want to scuba dive, you need to make arrangements ahead of time through the dive companies in Port Sudan. Most scuba operating boats are liveaboards and in high season, depart for a week at a time. We didn’t dive because all the boats were booked and there were no day trips available. We don’t carry our own dive equipment on Kandu. Just no space.
Nick Rigney, Leslie Rigney, Rainer, Bryce Rigney, Trent Rigney
October 16, 2017
We left Ketawai Island this morning after saying good-bye to my brother, Nick. He’d just spent a beloved week traveling with us, having brought a lot of gear and gifts, and taking back with him a lot of our souvenirs. We were all emotional saying goodbye. Our ‘live’ link with home has left and we were back to being the 4 muskateers. Bintan is the last scheduled stop for the Sail Indonesia Rally 2017. Our rally’s member boats have dwindled to a mere remaining 5-6. Some participants never really followed any of the rally and some headed off to other parts of the world after following most of it. The US Thanksgiving holiday season is approaching. So some needed to leave their boats elsewhere to fly “home” for a visit with family and friends. Most of the rally boats preferred not to sail overnight. Being predominantly couples, they found themselves exhausted upon arrival, losing a day to recover. We are not such a boat. Overnighters are simple for us, being that we are four and can spread like a fan the burden of night watches. Our night watch routine has now become habit.
Indonesian fishing platform.
Winds on the northern side of the Indonesian island chain are light and typically from behind as we sailed westerly. The mainsail was mostly used to steady our vessel as we motored along in a light following swell. We chose such weather purposely, wanting to avoid adversarial conditions whenever possible.
This night was like our other Indonesian crossings in that regard. What I didn’t expect was the challenge the fishing nets would throw at us. We’ve grown accustomed to weaving our way around the fishing boats and their obstacles, including their fish attracting devices (FAD’s), free floating or anchored constructs of various size and materials, usually equipped with a small double D-cell battery operated LED flashing light, activated by the darkness. The fishing boats are also of various sizes, some no larger than a Mexican panga, others equivalent to small tuna boat. Typically, fishing boats with nets deployed fall down wind or down current, whichever is stronger, of their nets, their bows thus pointing up toward the other end of their net. We pass behind these boats. The larger boats with racks of large bright lights blaring on both sides, carry their nets close to their sides and behind them to attract and snag squid. These boats we pass on their ‘away’ side, the side opposite their direction of travel. Where the shallows meet the deep must be the region of great schools of fish because it was at this point we passed through what seems a 15-mile line of lighted boats a mile thick. It felt like we were a starship, breaking through an imaginary line of alien starships. Just before the first night watch, we spied a larger than normal lighted fishing buoy. We had to quickly make a choice: sail to port or starboard of the buoy.
Indonesian fishing boats.
We chose to sail starboard of the buoy and that choice forced us to carry forward for 50 minutes taking us further away out to sea away from our island destination. Every 100 yards there was a small white buoy attached to the net to indicate a net was there – no electronic bobbers or beacons in site. It wasn’t at all clear where the net ended. Bryce and Leslie headed to the foredeck armed with flashlights to watch for each new buoy hoping there would be an end. Eventually, the net culminated at a medium sized wooden Indonesian fishing boat. Motoring around the fishing boat, we then headed back to our original line – this adventure adding an extra 2 hours or so to our intended plan all the while motoring on placid night seas. So far, we have avoided getting tangled in fishing nets. We’ll remain vigilant.
Oct 15, 2017 3 am – We will dock Kandu at the suggested Bintan Island Marina & visit Singapore by ferry. Taking a breather from all the recent touring. Indonesia has been a jewel. Imagine we’ll return by plane some day. I’d like to help them develop & showcase their tourism capabilities. Think a job may be forming for my future: economic development via tourism & media (film & TV programs). That would be fun for me. Maybe get certified as Project Management Professional (Nick’s suggestion) & media (film & TV programs). I would use media by making movies/TV programs (dramas/romance) to entice viewers to want to visit, & create local programs to educate locals on available solutions for existing social issues.
Oct 15 2017 9:17 am – A subdued motorsail. Need to average 4.5 kts or greater to arrive before dark tomorrow. Will cross the equator before dinner today. Don’t think we’ll be crossing the equator again between here & CA as we go N into the Med from here, then across to Caribbean. Columbus hoped to find East Indies (Indonesia) for spices, but stumbled on the West Indies (Caribbean). It’s fun to explore both.
In FP, sailing friends suggested we see more of the S. Pac, 1-3 more yrs. In Indonesia, sailing friends say the same for SE Asia. I’m already hearing the same about the Mediterranean and will likely hear the same for Caribbean, and S & Central America. I say we’re doing it “buffet” style, not “sit-down dinner” style. When they push I say they’re right…Since we’re not dedicating adequate time, we should just go home!
And that’s actually what we’re doing…but the long way back. All of us dream of flying back to CA for 2wks, but at our current pace, that would mean missing one extraordinary experience or another, something none of us are willing to risk. Sure we’d like to skip the long passages, but that wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the crew. Each of us makes it easier on the others.
Oct 15 2017 21:27 pm – Took pictures of us crossing the equator. Turned around & did it again so B&T could swim across it. 2hrs later, avoided a 2 mile fishnet, driving us temporarily off course. Recycled bottles floated the net. Difficult to see. B saw ’em, saving us from tangling the net in our prop. Sea snakes swimming made me even more grateful we didn’t have to jump into the sea to cut off a tangled net caught in our prop.
Sunday, March 25th 2018 11:17 am – 16th day at sea having left Cochin, India on Saturday March 10th.
We’re slowly but steadily making our way through the Gulf of Aden. Up until yesterday over the Arabian Sea, we’ve had a marvelous sedate ride traveling the Indian Ocean: motoring, gently sailing, motor-sailing. These last 4 days we’ve been just motoring. Only this morning the wind picked-up and we’re downwind sailing – the wind is behind.
Movie night starting at Sunset.
On Kandu, as with most sailing boats, downwind sailing is restless, uncomfortable business. After enjoying idyllic sea going for the first 15 days, rolling from side to side, rocking 30-40 degrees, sails filling and luffing, the movement is disconcerting and mind numbing. Stored food items bang around in their lockers while the clicking and clacking of the main and staysail add to the cacophony of sound. How can one think? And the crazy part was I had plenty of time to write and prepare the state and federal income tax returns before the incessant movement began – yet I didn’t. Somehow even in the calm, I couldn’t focus and center my thoughts. Perhaps we all needed some brain and body downtime from all the work accomplished in Malaysia, the massive cultural differences experienced in these latest countries, the fast-tracked sightseeing in India, and then the preparations for departure for 23 days across the historically notorious pirate infested waters of the Gulf of Aden.
Now after 16 days at sea when all the fresh fruits and veggies have been consumed and life aboard is rather exhausting because it’s impossible to sleep well for all the movement, it seems I can focus my thoughts. Silliness I know. Perhaps I can attribute it to a couple things: the fact that I’ve had enough mental rest, and the other, the heightened insecurity of having entered the High Risk Area (HRA) which is forcing me to be diligent and thoughtful. We’re sailing on the southern edge of the shipping corridor…closer to Somalia than Yemen. Yemen is presently in civil war. Six weeks ago, Yemenese soldiers tried to close the strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. We heard before leaving India that their efforts to control the international shipping lanes endured about 2 hours before international navy warships “scared them off,” whatever that really means.
Every hour on the VHF radio Channel 16 since we entered the Gulf of Aden we hear:
“Securité, Securité, Securité
All ships, all ships, all ships:
Please contact the war force coalition (31 countries) on Channel 16, of suspicion or illegal activity.”
Every morning a coalition war force navy plane circles overhead and contacts us to make sure we’re well. This a.m. it was a Japanese voice that hailed us directly, by our vessel’s name, and announced that the surrounding waters were clear of all boats (suspicious fishing boats). The day before, we had experienced a fishing boat and 3 skiffs approaching us within 1 mile. The mother ship stopped right in front of our path. We contacted the war coalition on VHF. I hailed them three times while getting no answer until in the heat of the moment, I added that we were “under attack.” Eric proceeded to change our course 180 degrees motoring full-speed at 2200 rpm away to see if they’d follow. It turns out that the fishing boats did not follow. The war coalition couldn’t hear our initial hails. When a closer merchant ship heard we were under attack, it relayed the message to the warship coalition. Eric explained to them that we were not under attack after all. Still, they wanted to know our position and details; they even sent the naval aircraft overhead to check on us. It was reported as a non-incident. I felt quite foolish, the excitement of the moment having gotten to my head.
The day after that incident, having experienced positive results, brought a sense of security due to the coalition’s dominating presence in the area and the additional piracy deterrent: the weather. Wind and seas increased making it difficult for skiffs to travel over the sea’s surface. These factors combined, our worry over pirate threat dramatically lessoned since entering the Gulf. Perhaps this lessoning of worry is what is allowing me to focus my prevailing thoughts: thoughts that have been swirling about my head these past months.
Thoughts such as: “Why are we traveling on a sailboat engaged in this around the world trip?” “What purpose is it serving?” Answers to those two questions are constantly changing. Most of the time, I find our travels with the boys are serving well. Other times, like in this moment, after spending 16 days at sea, as if standing still in time, I wonder “What’s it all about?” (That’s to be sung to the pop tune!! Haha)
Other questions that I have been chewing on during this passage in particular: What does this navy warship coalition think of our decision to sail in the HRA (High Risk Area) Gulf of Aden and Red Sea maritime corridor, and what does the UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations) with whom we’re regularly sending position reports think? Are we a nuisance or are the coalition and this incredible maritime protection community happy to protect all seafarers in the quest to allow world freedom of travel and commerce in the betterment of international trade and understanding? Are these just high-minded thoughts? Probably. However, I like to think that if the American belief of “freedom of speech” is a right, it follows that the “freedom to travel” is also a right. After all, a couple thousand years ago, the Romans worked very hard to create roads and to protect those roads to allow safe travel through their territories. Most certainly, there are risks when engaging in both practices. Are these freedoms ‘rights’ or ‘privileges?’ Either way, they constantly need to be protected, even when it’s uncomfortable, expensive and unpopular to do so.
Bryce Rigney presenting his Eagle Dive off the bow.Trent Rigney jumping into the Gulf of Aden.
On one of the becalmed days of this passage, Bryce and I were together on the front deck. Looking out over the expanse of glassy waters, a light haze permeated the sky such that the horizon opposite the setting sun was undistinguishable. The color was so unusual: a very light purple-blue hovering closest to the water and a mauve to pink coloration closer to the sky—a magically serene moment. Thousands of schooling fish were running on the surface likely being pursued by predators…sunset is the best hour to catch fish, evidently known by the fishworld too. Individual trails of water marked the individual fleeing fish. In every direction we looked, we could identify large schools of these fleeing fish interrupting the mirror quality of the sea – the activity continuing on past sunset’s lingering light. Mesmerized, Bryce and I shared this delicious moment of wonder and peace, quietly chatting together in awe of the wondrous spectacle of nature playing out, seemingly just for our benefit. If we didn’t have the freedom to travel, this moment would never have been.
Life Aboard on long passages – a stream of thought…
One evening during our passage across the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea, I popped up into the cockpit from under the cabin, from the galley where I was cooking dinner, and looked forward over the ocean towards the descending sun. The sun was fluorescent orange, radiating intense color. The ocean glistened dazzlingly like I’d never seen before in shades of gold, silver and opalescent blue. It reminded me of a book I read that said we on earth see things through hazy lenses. If we were to remove those glasses, we’d see that everything on earth including ourselves is sparkling and scintillating with energy. In that moment, I felt a little outside myself witnessing that magnificent, brilliant beauty.
The four of us have been occupying our time differently – sometimes together, other times independently. We come together in the morning to eat breakfast if I make something special. Today is so bumpy that we independently ate cereal and milk. In the late afternoon or early evening, we assemble together in the cockpit to share linner (lunch/dinner) or dinner over conversation and to enjoy the coolness under the setting sun.
Trent and Eric Rigney furling in the Genoa.
Eric spends a great deal of time communicating with our InReach Satellite texting system. He follows the weather, sends UKMTO position updates, posts to our RigneysKandu FB account and catches up with family and friends. Text-chatting with friends seems his hobby. Of course, he is regularly busy captaining our space/water vessel making sure we’re on course, that the engine and fuel are in order, making water, setting & trimming sails, etc. He’s been working with the boys on writing a paper about designing an act of civil disobedience, inspired by our visit to Malaysia and especially India and our study of Gandhi. We are all working on new vocabulary words. Today is a test on comprehension and spelling.
Trent Rigney boatschooling.
Bryce, Eric, and I are enjoying downtime watching episodes of the popular British television series, “Downton Abby,” sometimes together, but mostly independently during our night watches. We discuss together the characters, plot development, historical significance, English aristocracy, the World Wars, editing, acting styles, etc. . . . much food for discussion. Trent has been watching a video that my parents bought for us to improve one’s “mental math.” He’s been working those techniques into his math skills.
Yesterday, Eric and I finally showered after several days. The night before, I could hardly sleep against my own stench. Showering is a bit of work. We have a shower inside, but it is currently utilized as our large item storage locker harboring our Hookah air compressor, two folding bicycles, extra life jackets and other bulky items. So, we shower outside on the poop deck where a large cooler is stored and acts as a seat. When it’s windy, the experience can be very refreshing. The shower water is warm if the engine has been running. And, of course the boat is rocking. We sit lightly atop the cooler and wash positioning our feet in such a way as not to slip on the soapy, slippery deck. The boys go down below when I shower. I go down below when they shower. Only Eric has the luxury of not caring who’s showering or if he’s showering. We are all careful with the use of water as it takes hours and precious gasoline to convert salt-water to fresh with our reverse osmosis desalinator. Yesterday, two large ships were motoring at full speed past our starboard side as I was showering. They were a minimum of 4 miles away but I wondered if anyone aboard had binoculars – our lovely colorful gennaker was flying. Someone might have enjoyed a couple shows.
Bryce and Trent often say to me these days “Mom, you’re so small.” I reckon that’s their way of telling me they love me because it’s said in such a loving way and often accompanied by a squeeze or hug. Or perhaps they’re pleased with their growth spurts. Either way, as small as the boat is, we find ways to be kind to one another. We also find ways to carve out our own space. Half a day might go by and I won’t have spoken or related to one or any of them.
Bryce and Trent Rigney: Kandu Crew!
Passage life makes one lethargic. Accomplishing something is by shear will of spirit. We all try to be complimentary to each other and outright thankful when one of us has completed a necessary but challenging task (everything is challenging when the boat is rocking even 10 degrees): making water, transferring diesel, raising the gennaker, jibing, cooking, washing dishes, vacuuming, doing homework, etc. Watching movies is the easiest thing to do. Even reading can be difficult. By being outwardly thankful to one another, it’s our way of encouraging and being encouraged…even taking a shower gets praise!
Kandu making it’s way through the Gulf of Aden.
During my ‘study time,’ I’ve been dividing my interests into learning the geography and world history of the areas we have recently seen and are soon to visit: Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, and Israel. The depth of ancient political and religious diversity and trade is so profound. It’s no surprise these countries struggle to find themselves and prosper. In North and South America, the indigenous cultures were basically destroyed and/or blended by force, and the colonial enforced languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French) dominate their modern communications. Although more are spoken, there are 23 languages officially declared in India, each protecting special long-standing cultural traditions. But if an Indian wants to communicate widely, English is their go-to language. Ashamedly, I thought most East Indians spoke English, but only the higher educated actually speak some English. A similar situation exists in Indonesia and to a lesser degree in Malaysia where Bahasa is considered the official language. Various dialects of Bahasa make communicating widely difficult…so many Malaysians prefer to speak their local village tongues and then English. Some we met speak only English.
In the US and Canada, cultures are allowed to thrive. However, looking in from afar, I see that through our mass-education system and the media, we are brainwashed, which isn’t always a bad thing. By such a process, we have a more homogeneous society, blending traditions and religions together. Recognizing our similarities is the key, trying to understand each other’s cultures, being forgiving, accepting and especially being open-minded. Of course, problems pervade. The fear-based human condition of greed and cruelty is challenging to conquer.
My other, for lack of a better term, ‘hobby,’ or interest, is soul-searching spirituality. During our passages, lacking television plus other distractions, I have been reading a myriad of historical religious, but mostly spiritual related books: “Great Lion of God” by Taylor Caldwell about Apostle Paul, “Harlot By the Side of the Road” uncovering and explaining hidden biblical scripture by Jonathan Kirsch, “Siddartha” by Herman Hesse – read after we visited the Buddhist temple Borobudur in Indonesia. “The Story of Mohammed” by Harry Richardson a disturbing book which Eric read to me about the beginnings of Islam, “The Good Earth” by Pearl S. Buck that all four of us read and studied together, “World Without End” by Ken Follett about English middle ages and the Catholic Church, “Bridge Across Forever” by Richard Bach regarding a soul-mate couple that struggles to understand and to bring out the best in one another spiritually. Most importantly, a friend suggested that I read “Journey of Souls” by Michael Newton and “Same Souls, Many Bodies” by Brian Weiss.
These two latter books have answered so many of my questions about life’s purpose on earth, collective thought, quantum physics, existence after death, our soul’s earthly struggles, and the pervading message of: living on earth together in peace and sharing the planet healthfully while learning, teaching, and understanding each other. Love, kindness, generosity, compassion, forgiveness, anger-management, empathy, patience, free-will, open-mindedness, inner-contemplation, prayer, meditation and spiritual connectedness – these concepts have been utmost in my own learning.
“The past is history; the future, a mystery. Today’s a gift, that’s why it’s called the ‘present.’”
With all this soul-searching, I remain at a loss as to what I’m to do when we return home. I’m certain to continue to be involved in music, making and teaching, plus of course, helping the boys to achieve their educational goals. I’ve decided that I want to be more politically active in legislation regarding environmental issues, and gun control, and religion. Plus, both Eric and I will need to return to work . . . perhaps more travel once we’ve financially recovered. In any case, it’s a mystery. Appreciation of what we’re doing right now is paramount. We don’t want to miss experiences and possibilities presented in the moment. Even during these active travels, complacency abounds and the draw of comfort is all too real: escaping into sleep, losing self in games and/or movies (entertainment), not exercising, becoming irritable and picky, and a general failing to be grateful for the opportunities, beauty, protection and love that surrounds us. In our little space capsule on the open ocean – alone to ourselves – there is so much beauty and there are so many lessons to learn if one choses to be present and aware.
Oct 2 2017 – Sailing to Belitung. AIS transponders are required by Indonesia of all cruising sailboats, but by int’l maritime law, they cannot require it of us. Some cruisers only have receivers. No penalties are imposed. Ironically most Indonesian commercial fishing, freighter, ferries, cargo, tugs & barges do not transmit their location over AIS, something that is required by int’l maritime law. They are invisible to our receivers, a fact that keeps our watches more vigilant. Fortunately they carry the proper lights and are visible to radar. Oct 9 2017 – Had another spectacular & generous visit, this time on Belitung island. 2 day tours: first day driving West, the other East. Busses, guides, catered meals, shows, cultural expositions, dance, Chinese lions show, museums, religious centers and temples, unique geological features, local specialty coffee cafes w/ amazing singer & interesting introductions to unusual animal life. Best of all: the local people.
‘We Kandu’ participates in the events when possible.
Belitung Chinese Temple
Bryce taking it seriously!
Eric & Bryce canning eachother
Entrance Chinese Temple
Chinese Temple door decoration
Chinese Temple Alter
Lion guarding Chinese Temple
We are treated like superstars: press coverage & interviews, honored guests, front row seats, personal guides & interpreters, and always the screaming school girls seeking B&T’s photos & contact info on Instagram.
Bryce and Trent at the center of Indonesia’s best!
The anchorage is extraordinarily beautiful, with gorgeous rock formations that the boys enjoyed jumping off and filming.
Leslie kept receiving compliments on her Polynesian palm frond hat that she made in the Marquesas, so gave two classes on how to make them to the locals. The tour bureau even published an article on their site about it.
We leave Belitung today w/Nick who arrived here yesterday. Ketawai is our next stop: 3 days on an isolated island with all meals provided as well as a shuttle boat over to tour the neighboring large island, bordering Sumatra. After that will be Bintan, then Malaysia.
Sept 23 2017 – Kalimantan (Borneo) & upcoming plans:
Travel up & anchor in a river next to Kumai town.
Tour a traditional Dayak village with Sail Indonesia Rally 2017 and tour Kumai all organized by the local rally committee.
Learn about orangutan conservation @ Camp Leakey
Find & try bird’s nest soup
Reserve a Klotok river boat, guide, etc for a 3 days cruise to take us to Tanjung Puting Nat’l Park w/wildlife stops and onboard meals along the way, observing from & sleeping on the elevated deck.
Find a “boat boy” to watch over Kandu, living in the cockpit while she remains locked up; a common Kumai practice
Prepare to celebrate Trent’s 14th Bday with some “forest people/orangutans.”
Head off for exotic Belitung Island where Nick will join us.
That’s what’s planned for next week starting 9/25. As always, twice as much will occur over what is planned. There could be a welcoming dinner with trad’l dancing, a museum or temple or two, geological points of interest, food items, etc.
Sailing at night, we must pay close attention for little red & blue flashing LED lights affixed to wooden scaffolding fish attracting devices. Also, few Indonesian boats have AIS, even the larger fishing boats, ferry, tugs, & cargo vessels, which by int’l maritime law they are required to. Makes for a very attentive watch. FAD’s are invisible to RADAR and can cause great damage to a sailboat, esp the prop & rudder. Also have to be on look out for the occasional large ocean obstacle – in this case a random buoy.
Random open ocean buoy in Indonesian waters.
Sept 24, 2017 – Celebrated Bryce’s 16th bday yesterday with chocolate brownies instead of cake! He loved the specially wrapped gifts of the items he’d picked out in Yogyakarta!
Happy 16th Bday Bryce!
Arrived Kumai to unexpected gift. M/Y (Motor Yacht) Restless M owned by Claire and Errol White, longstanding friends of Eric was anchored in the river waiting for us. We anchored up to their huge yacht, enjoyed dinner together while BnT entertained us boat jumping and swimming in the muddy river water.
Sept 27 2017 – After reading about and hearing the sounds coming from swiftlet bird’s nest buildings, our imagination was peaked. The bird’s nest are highly sought after in China and they sell for large amounts of money per kilo. We bought 2 bird nests after 2-day tour of S. Central Kalimantan (Borneo).
Black swiftlet in nest
More bird nest infos
Edible swiftlet bird’s nests.
We were introduced to local tribes, sultans, & culture, including playing with blow darts and rice wine. During tour, took narrow 4-person river boat tours up a large stream to visit a local market place. It was like we were sent back in time.
Entrance Guardian
Dart games using bamboo
Rice wine served in bamboo
Sticky rice cooked in bamboo
Dayak tribe in costume
Dayak drummer
Dayak dancing
Leslie w/ Dayak woman
Trent & Dayak Guardian
Older Indonesian Man
Palm oil pod
Belitung river
BnT & Rainer on riverboat
Riverboat passengers
Open market egg carrier
Open mkt vegetables
Open mkt chicken
Open mkt fruits
Then orangutan conservatory lunch. A Jr. High School visit had special local music and dance. After the show, our boys were signing autographs like rock stars, girls screaming like at Beatles concerts. Leslie was asked to sing center stage to introduce them to opera. Then we headed off to the Kumai Tourist Center where we enjoyed more dance and music. They truly spoiled us!
Orangutan conservancy
Yawning orangutan
Incredible jungle lunch
Jr High Welcoming Committee
Junior high school presentation
Jr High Dancer
Jr High Band
Trent trying stilts
Scouts in Borneo!
Jr High Teachers
Jr High students
Meet n greet
BnT Superstars?
The second day of the Kumai rally tours brought us to a fancy Indonesian outdoor buffet held on Dayak communal grounds. The performers entertained us on a stage set-up under their Dayak house. They were beautifully trained middle school dancers and musicians. We felt thoroughly spoiled and honored. After lunch we were off to visit the local sultan and his family. The eldest daughter and wife were dressed in the most beautiful yellow gowns. She took a liking to Leslie and walked with her arm in arm around her grounds to Leslie’s absolute delight. They couldn’t talk to one another except in facial & body language yet the overall sentiment was equal admiration. It was a GREAT 2 days.
Kumai student tour guides and dancers.
Kumai middle school dancers.
Kumai middle school
Hornbill hat.
Starting tomorrow we will live on local river boat cruise for 3 days w/friends on all-inclusive excursion into Nat’l wildlife jungle park to glimpse orangutans in the wild, probiscus monkeys, macaque monkeys, birds, etc. We’ll be 8 to a river boat, communal room sleeping. They have a cook & r providing the food plus a guide. Leslie is happy – No cooking & cleaning!!
Some work to do on Kandu when we get back. Main Sail furler is turning roughly & we must clean port side fuel tank.
Upon arriving at the Borobudur Buddhist Temple entrance, we hired a Borobudur guide to enjoy and understand more what we were seeing as we climbed and strolled the ancient temple and the grounds museum. It was a spectacular visit learning about Siddhartha, the incarnate God. His life story is portrayed chronologically in the ancient rock panels of the temple as you walk around and up each level.
After walking back to our simple hotel, we hired a car and driver for the next 48 hours. He first drove us to another smaller temple where Buddhist pilgrims used to change clothing & worshiped before walking to the main Borobudur temple.
Indonesian goat brochettes – Yum Yum!
We lunched at a local cafe where no tourists go, enjoying goat brochettes & goat curry stew (regional favorites).
He then drove us to our meeting point for our river rafting adventure, a wonderful 2.5 hour playful journey down the river with about 10 other boats from various other raft companies.
The trip included a drinking coconut & local snacks at the halfway point. All along the way we had fun splashing & being splashed by other boats, and posing for pictures with groups from other boats.
Bryce Rigney, Trent Rigney, Natalia Ptasinska, Wojciech Maleika, Eric & Leslie Rigney taking a coconut break during river rafting.
At the conclusion of our energetic excursion we were hosted to a simple Javanese dinner, something we had not expected, but was included in the rafting package. The unexpected meal meant we needed to postpone seeing our third Buddhist Temple, the first of the three that were traditionally visited during an ancient Borobudur pilgrimage, until tomorrow. It was from this unplanned dinner that we headed off to photograph the Borobudur sunset & found ourselves in the midsts of our own celebrity/paparazzi experience.
Our last stop on our first full day in Borobudur was to be a higher end restaurant with a great sunset view of the temple & home of the sleeping Buddha statue. Just to take pictures, we arrived & the place was packed w/an event & special security. We snuck in just to catch some sunset photos of the temple when the owner approached us. I guess we were a bit conspicuous. He explained how this was a very important event hosting the nation’s minister of national businesses.
The woman pictured in front is the Head of National Business in Indonesia!
We had just finished white water rafting, so the six of us, including Natalia and Bolo, weren’t dressed our best. I apologized & said we would leave immediately. On the contrary, he was so delighted to have “bule” (European/Caucasian) tourists with which to put on display, that he & his bank officials begged us to join their ministry officials for dinner and their evening events, and would we please pose for press photos with the minister.
View from our vantage point looking out over the news media and guests.
Well how could I refuse, so we engaged. I didn’t have time to explain to the others of my party what was going on, I just insisted they play along with me. Once photos & newscasters were done where we posed behind the ministers, we were ushered to a special sunset dining area with various appetizers & beverages. An Indonesian Sarsaparilla soft drink was offered. They thought we wouldn’t like it. When I told the boys it was root beer, we drank all the ones at our table and that of the empty table next to us. Our Polish friends said it tasted like medicine, so more for us! Our hosts were delighted by our enthusiastic desire to try all their dishes, and pleased by our great approval.
When 7 girls & their dance teacher began to demonstrate for the invited guests their traditional dance, our event guide suggested we join them. To their surprise & delight, we did! Leslie followed me, & soon so did Bolo, our Polish friend. We all did our very best to honor their dance, and the affect was as if we had practiced. As the girls gracefully walked off stage, Bolo & I ended with an impromptu dossie-doe finale. The crowd giggled & applauded. We thanked the girls for allowing us to participate, exclaiming how beautiful they were via hand gestures and vocal tone.
While we were dancing, Natalia, Bolo’s girlfriend, played a middle-eastern game with some young people, a game she had learned in Turkey, and won! We were offered cups of their special coffee, the most expensive in the world, as the digested beans are recovered from the scat of a cat-like animal, cleaned, dried, & roasted. Coffee in Indonesia is served with the fine grounds in the cup.
Leslie Rigney in front of drying Lewak Coffee
Dried coffee unwashed Lewak scat.
Live Lewak, much like a cat, a little like a raccoon. This one allowed us to pet it.
This is the type of serendipitous, surreal events we experience on a regular basis, but have difficulty sharing. These events aren’t well captured in photos & are too complex to describe in a short Facebook posting. We don’t have time to write up and post quickly on our blog such events, especially w/limited Internet access. Well that night was the cherry on a spectacular day of touring Borobudur temple in the temple region of Central Java, Indonesia.
We later read how Indonesia’s economy plummeted 2yrs ago. I’m guessing the gov’t is working to develop tourism to attract foreign revenue. American tourists are rare in Indonesia. I suppose parading a real-live US tourist in front of one’s minister demonstrates how effective a business person or official is at attracting tourist revenue streams. This is my guess. I also learned that Indonesians have a class structure. To have photographs of oneself with a white person elevates one’s status among their family & friends. The affect on us is fun, surreal, sometimes annoying and a bit perplexing as to why anyone would care about us in this way. But we play along because it makes them so happy, and it sometimes makes for an extraordinary experience we’ll never forget. Sorry for the long text string, but I had time on my watch, and thought you might be interested in one of our crazy experiences. Eric
Sept 20, 2017 Hello Dear Shannon – I love it that you wrote me to tell how things are going back in Ventura, California!
It was a fabulous piece of fortuitousness that we got to meet up in Sydney over the X-mas and New Year’s holidays (2016). I have great memories watching your daughter Hazel feed the koalas and wallabies, all of us eating together in downtown Sydney, and then having Charlie hang out overnight with Trent and Bryce. They were so happy together. Truly a magnificent X-mas gift for BnT!
The boys enjoy very much keeping in touch with Charlie through Instagram. Per what you said – high school seems to be working out for him. Terrific to hear how he’s doing in waterpolo. I really wanted that for BnT, but alas, there are a lot of things they are missing out on – their junior high and high school years. I just hope that what they are experiencing with us will work out well for them in the long run. So many people say what we’re doing is the BEST education our boys could experience – yet as a mother, I worry.
This last week here in Indonesia has been full of beautiful and arresting sights and experiences. For a reward due to all their hard work on the boat, BnT and I as chaperone headed down on a five hour drive to the southern section of Bali to catch some great internationally renowned surf (Ulu Watu and Padang Padang) staying in a hostel on the beach for four nights while Eric remained with Kandu in Lovina at the top end of Bali.
Trent and Bryce Rigney heading down to the Pedang Pedang Beach to surf Bali’s legendary waves in Indonesia sporting their Robert’s surfboards from Ventura.
While we were away, Eric had fun cleaning out our water tank of dead cockroaches. Not! The surfing was terrific – the boys’ hearts and bodies were full of peace & happiness from their exertions – I too enjoyed special quiet time not having to follow orders, clean, and cook. I read my book: Blue Lagoon – a free classic kindle download that was made famous by the child star Brooke Shields. Truly fabulous read and made all the more special since I was reading it with the sounds of tropical ocean waves crashing ashore. Wow!
The night of our return marked the opening of the Lovina 2017 Festival. The Sail Indonesia fleet was invited for a Regent hosted dinner and then treated to a fabulous parade of local talent from the neighbouring villages, including drum troops, theatre like skits with masked performers, bamboo basket craft displays and a child marching band that was conducted by a young girl! The evening concluded with a professional troop of 12 Balinese female dancers enacting a beautiful and complex dance in traditional costume. It was truly spectacular!
The next day, leaving the boat for five days, Eric and I decided to end our pest problem once and for all by setting-off three roach bombs inside the closed boat. The poisonous air was so fierce that the four of us hastily escaped to catch a 17 hour bus ride (including a ride on a water ferry) west to Yogyakarta on Java Island for four days to visit the impressive Buddhist temple Borobudur and Hindu temple Prambanan both built in the 9th century. Our boat buddies Bolo and Natalia from s/v Wassyl joined us in the fun excursion.
24 hour busride to Central Java including a ferry ride.
The two temples were constructed nearby each other around the same time in competition (Borobudur was completed around 825 and Prombanan was completed in 850) and then 150 years after construction was completed, both experienced extreme damage by huge volcanic earthquakes and consequently were covered by thick ash due to the subsequent enormous eruption by the local Mt. Merapi volcano. The survivors left the surrounding area due to the bad soil quality – farmers could no longer grow food in the acidic ash environment. 150 years or so later, the environment became increasingly hospitable, but by that time, with no written records, the incredible temples were mostly buried until local Indonesians revealed their existence to British ruler of Java, Sir Thomas Stamford around 1814. Renovation was instigated by the Dutch colonisers in the late 1800’s, but the largest restoration project for Borobudur was between 1975-1982 by the Indonesian government, mostly funded by UNESCO.
Siddhartha needed a head!
Borobudur is the world’s largest single-structure Buddhist temple decorated with 2,672 carved panels and 504 Buddha statues – more than half of those are missing their heads. With a tour guide, we walked the incredible structure and learned by study of the panels about the early life of Siddhartha. Cool!
Hindu Prombenan of Central Java finished in 850 CE.
The restauration of Prombenan, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia was started in 1918 by the Dutch. They began with the centermost and largest temple which is dedicated to Shiva and finished the one in 1953. Once the first puzzle was solved, the other 8 god temples were then reconstructed. Of the surrounding 225 priest temples, just three have been reconstructed. The two temples and grounds are truly wonders to see and visit. Both sites are incredible in their stature, intricate carvings, symbolism and holiness.
Straight away, we visited Yogyakarta’s Sultan’s Palace to witness their special puppet shows: Wayang Kulit. The puppets help maintain oral history and also recount stories like Ramayana – which is the one we witnessed. The action is extremely slow accompanied by music – interesting for about 1/2 hour. We didn’t stay until the end, but headed off for a visit of the palace filled with historical significance and artifacts.
Wayang Kulit puppet show
Special Sultan Palace Guards.
Were Indonesian Sultans the inspiration for Spock?
Museum Interior of Sultan’s Palace.
Sultan’s Palace Courtyard
Last night we ended our stay in the colourful Sultan ruled Yogyakarta by enjoying the famous Javanese ballet, Ramayana, about Rama and Sinta, a Hindu “Romeo and Juliet” type tale. It was terrific to witness in person their highly stylised movements and to hear the live Javanese classical style singing and orchestra. I loved every moment of the hour and 1/2 performance and could follow along the story pretty well after having read the synopsis. The boys were a little less enthusiastic, yet they seem to be absorbing quite a lot about the Indonesian culture, growing to appreciate it more and more.
It was 24hr local bus ride to return to Bali from Yogyakarta with a 30-min inclusive dinner stop: rice, fried flattened tofu something, fresh vegetable soup, various chicken parts in flavorful sweet Indonesian kecup sauce, chili paste, shrimp chips, and sweet hot or iced tea. Excellent! After that it was only 10 hrs to go with a loud kung fu movie all in Bahasa! The traffic back was terrible and running very late, the driver was a crazy man honking and darting around scooters. It was miracle he didn’t hit one. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride!
Our luxury bus back to Bali. Huge compared to a scooter, right?
Before sailing here, I didn’t have any particular expectations of what we would discover except perhaps a bit of exotic asiatic influence. Indeed, the culture is asiatic as are the faces and smaller, generally lean bodies. Bryce and Trent are considered tall, as am I for a woman! LOL! Our last six weeks traveling from east to west have been full of amazing discoveries involving this country’s vast physical beauty and mixed yet well integrated cultures. If you didn’t know, Indonesia is 80% Muslim with the greatest number of Muslims living on Java, Sumatra Lombok and Sumbawa. The outlying eastern islands tend to be mostly Christian (Timor, Alor, Flores, Komodo, Rinja). Bali is Hindu with some Buddhist. I don’t know the statistics of Borneo, but I suspect it is predominantly Muslim.
Women everywhere you look have their hair covered except in Bali. When motoring on scooters, their colourful head & upper body coverings trail behind them, while the lower half is clothed in skin tight skinny jeans – an odd juxtaposition I must say….in the more conservative areas, we all wear long pants and I cover my shoulders and arms. I sometimes wear my red floppy hat, but in temples we’re instructed to remove hats. A little confusing considering the head coverings worn by the women. FYI – 35% of scooter drivers wear masks over their nose and mouth to protect against the carbon & burning plastic pollution. I find myself regularly sneezing and congested.
Young Indonesian woman transporting onions on her scooter in her skinny jeans and flip flops.
It is not at all scary here. We find the people generous, kind, modest, happy, and much less encumbered by stuff – although everyone has a phone! (The middle aged and older population tend to have a lot of missing teeth.) The most favoured shoes are thongs even when riding scooters. Scooters are everywhere with sometimes four people hanging on or a small kitchenette restaurant attached. I’m glad not to be driving myself.
BTW – the food is tasty albeit spicy. Much smaller portions than in the states: lots of tofu and rice. Meat is available but more like a supplement or flavor additive than a mainstay. Prices for us are fortunately inexpensive, however, bargaining is necessary to get the inexpensive prices! Outside the prominent sightseeing structures, kitch is everywhere for sale with hagglers holding up souvenirs and following you down the street to encourage you to buy.
Rice fields are a constant vision, along with some corn and tobacco crops. We are experiencing arid heat during this dry season; it’s hot and dusty. The cities are mostly cement block houses and buildings sometimes colourfully painted. There are few sidewalks, predominantly two lane highways except in busy highway type thoroughfares where there are two lanes on each side. Like England, you drive on the left side of the street – or as they say here: the “correct” side. The overall look of most city areas is rather dirty, unkempt with crowded conditions. Plastic trash can be seen everywhere especially on undeveloped lots and in riverbeds. Sailing the waters, we see plastic trash regularly floating on the surface. We worry about our prop getting tangled by plastic bags and nets.
Well – that is a lot more than I bet you expected to read. But since you mentioned that you are interested in traveling here to Indonesia someday, I thought I’d write a bit more about our insights and experiences. Big hugs to you, Leslie.
Oh – almost forgot – in Central Java one day near Borobudur we had the most incredible time cooling off and rafting down the local river in the very capable hands of Mendut Rafting with our travel buddies Natalia and Bolo from s/v Wassyl. It’s one of Bryce and Trent’s favorite foreign adventures so far!
Bryce Rigney, Trent Rigney, Natalia Ptasinska, Wojciech Maleika, Eric & Leslie Rigney taking a coconut break during river rafting.
“Bali is a popular tourist destination, which has seen a significant rise in tourists since the 1980s.Tourism-related business makes up 80% of its economy. It is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music. The Indonesian International Film Festival is held every year in Ubud, Bali. In March 2017, TripAdvisor named Bali as the world’s top destination in its Traveller’s Choice award,” pulled from Bali – Wikipedia.
For all their hard work on the boat, Eric Rigney and I wanted to reward Bryce Rigney and Trent Rigney with a trip down to Southern Bali to surf the famous Ulu Watu and Padang Padang breaks with their s/v Ocelot buddy Rainer Dawn. Eric stayed in Lovina to guard the boat and I went with them as chaperone. Our 5 hour drive south included a stop at the Twin Lake Trekking Point with pretty lake views where the boys goofed off a bit, and a fellow had bats to hold for a photo-op.
Trekking Point: Rainer Dawn, Trent and Bryce Rigney.Leslie Rigney in front of the Two Lakes, Bali.
Then we stopped off and had a tour of a coffee plantation specialising in Lewak Coffee (a little catlike rodent critter who eats the fruity coffee beans and digests them whole. After coming out the other end, the beans are then cleaned, roasted to perfection, ground and voila…delicious tasting coffee!).
Rainer Dawn, Bryce and Trent enjoying their coffee tasting on the road to Bukit Peninsula, Bali, Indonesia.
Lewak confined to his quarters.
Coffee beans growing at Subak Bali Agro Coffee Plantation.
Roasting coffee.
Hand roasting Lewak coffee beans.
Subak Bali Agro Coffee Plantation tour guide and Bryce.
Passing straight through Bali’s capital, Denpasar, and heading along the only route south, the Jelan Bypass Nusa Dua, past Bali’s Intl airport, we culminated our 5 hour taxi drive south arriving at the bottom of Bali on the SW corner of Bukit Peninsula.
SW corner of the Bukit Peninsula of Bali, Indonesia.
Just barely noting an unassuming wooden sign pointing the direction down a dirt road, our taxi driver hesitatingly drove the narrow route to a dirt lot on top of a cliff with a long dirt walking path heading down to the Bali Rocks Hostel. We unloaded the taxi and waved goodbye to our still unsure taxi driver. He was worried because the Bali Rocks Hostel was not a typical “hotel” with a typical hotel entrance. It is tucked away down a cliff – like most of the other homes/apartments/hotels along that beach, and literally hanging over the famous Pedang Pedang surf and beach, otherwise known as Labuan Sait Beach. The hostel manager was there to greet us with a smile and showed us to our very tidy two twin bed room with private toilet, sink and shower.
Two beds, two sleeping bags makes four sleeping accommodations – Bali Rocks Hostel was in the know!
We arrived just after noon. Having already eaten lunch along the way at McDonald’s the boys quickly got organized to surf. Leslie
Here is Trent’s journal account of the adventure:
The day after our boat Kandu arrived at Lovina Bay on Bali, Bryce, Rainer Dawn, myself and mom left to the southern end of Bali where there is great surf. On our drive, we stopped to look at really cool, tame bats. The bats were fruit bats. We could have held them, but I didn’t want to pay the money.
Tame Indonesian fruit bat ready for his photo-op.Photo-op Indonesian fruit bat.
We got hungry, so our driver stopped off at a road side fruit stand for us to buy curious fruits and packaged snacks. We bought strawberries, passion fruit and delicious rice snacks to tide us over for the next couple hours of driving.
Lovina Taxi driver extraordinaire!
Indonesian passion fruit
Road fruit and rabbit stand.
Rainer Dawn, Bryce and Trent Rigney munching fruit with baby rabbits.
Just past noon, we finally arrived at the end of a dirt road. I got all the stuff I could carry and walked down 50 stairs to our hotel which was perched on the cliff right beside the beach. We arrived in the early afternoon at Pedang Pedang, which allowed us to surf until low tide when the waves became too small to surf. We walked up the dirt road into town for dinner. It was really expensive! The next morning, we surfed at “Impossibles” which is a little big for my BIG Robert’s epoxy board (hard to duck-dive) but still pretty fun. “Impossibles” is good at low tide, and at high tide, we moved over to the beginner/intermediate surf break toward the beach area. That’s where I caught a lot of waves.
Trent Rigney back to the hostel after some good surf.
On our third day, we surfed “Impossibles” in the early morning as the tide was coming in and the other intermediate area at high tide later that morning. We broke late and ate linner. Mom discovered a snack restaurant at the neighboring hostel. Boy, that chicken burger and fries never tasted so good! We ended up eating there for most of our meals. After a little rest, the three of us decided to rent long boards because after 2.5 days of boogie boarding, Rainer was ready to surf! The three of us headed out for the beginner spot. Rainer did great and I caught even more waves than I caught the day before. I also got huge rashes on my legs because the board was made of foam. Rainer stood up for the first time on his long board. The three of us even caught waves together – they call those party waves!
Rainer Dawn up surfing!Padang Padang Party Wave from left to right Bryce, Trent, unknown, and Rainer Dawn far right.
The next morning “Impossibles” was too big for me. Bryce had taken off before sunrise on his own to surf the famous waves of Uluwatu with his GoPro. Later we learned he caught a ride on a scooter and joined up with some French guys. He caught a gnarly barrel.
We had a crazy experience dealing with the macaque monkeys that morning. A bag of granola had been left outside the room from Bryce’s breakfast. A monkey must have found it, spread the word to the other monkeys, and it seemed like 25 monkeys swarmed the hostel to get their share. They made a terrible mess – turning over all the garbage cans, pulling out the trash, and scattering the oatmeal everywhere. Only a long stick or broom could actually scare them away. I tried to shew one away, and it lunged back at me baring its teeth. I dodged the male, but it spooked me enough, that I never approached one again unless I had the broom. I swept up the mess, and eventually the monkeys went away. Unlike the previous days, the beach in front of the hostel was swarming with all ages and sizes of monkeys the rest of the day. The local dogs had a great time chasing after them.
Agressive male Macaque monkey reluctantly allowing this photo.
Bryce returned later that morning. Because the waves were too big for Rainer and I, we didn’t surf again until after lunch. That afternoon, we all surfed the beginner spot. I surfed this time with my short Robert’s fiberglass surfboard and it wasn’t very fun. So I paddled back to the hostel and exchanged it for my boogie board and fins. I got a pretty cool barrel!
The next day our taxi cab driver from Lovina came to fetch us at 13h00. Unfortunately, “Impossibles” was too big in the morning and the other site wasn’t good either, so we didn’t go surfing. On our ride back, we went inside the coolest and biggest surf shop ever with a huge statue in front: Surfer’s Paradise.My mom wanted us to hold the bats, but when we arrived at the spot, they weren’t there. We took a detour to see a very special area of rice patties which was cool. The entire valley was so green. We also stopped off at The Temple on the Lake – Pura Ulun Danu Bratan. It was a pretty place and full of tourists. It felt good to be out of the car. The three of us joked around knowing that our buddy surf trip was just about over.
https://youtu.be/6BY-6K3VHb0
We dropped Rainer off at his aunt and uncle’s boat with the dinghy and unpacked to repack our sacks with clean clothes for our next adventure. The day after we returned to Kandu, we took off on another road trip to the neighboring island, Java. But this time by bus and ferry.
Pura Ulun Danu Bratan – Temple on the Lake
Trent, Rainer Dawn and Bryce at Pura Ulun Danu Bratan
Pura Ulu Danu Bratan, Temple by the Lake, Bali.
Pura Ulun Danu Bratan
Pura Ulun Danu Bratan
Trent Rigney impersonating a funny statuette at P.ura Ulun Danu Bratan
Leslie Rigney at Pura Ulun Danu Bratan, Bali, Indonesia.
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