Cruising Halong Bay

A 3.5-hour mini bus ride from Hanoi City (North Vietnam) got us to the coast and the famous Halong Bay. Along the way, we stopped for a break at an artisan market where we admired the stone sculptures and embroidery work. They make pictures, both large and small, all from embroidery stitches. Hardest to make are the black and white pictures and this place had only 2 young women that could accomplish the deed.

Stitching diligently

What's made this Bay so popular is its cluster of 1,962 limestone islands and islets rising out of the sea in fantasy formations. (It was pointed out to us that this number of islands is the same as the year that Vietnamese icon Ho Chi Minh died, endearingly referred to as Uncle Ho.)

We had booked a 2-day, 1-night cruise through only a small part of these fabled islands. At the boarding pier, we were discouraged to see so many tourists and so many Vietnamese cruise boats. Granted, there was some 2nd world character to these boats and one could call it an intimate cruise experience in that typically they had only about 10 double cabins. Our boat was under-booked with only 6 of us!

Embarking

Once out among the better stops, our views were distracted by the numerous other boats. We just felt that this mysteriously beautiful setting where one could understand how it inspired ancient legends of dragons should have been visited in quiet solitude. Nevertheless, the geographical weirdness was not missed.

Inspiring spires

Floating villages that once made their living from the sea now serviced the tourists by paddling them 4 at a time to the shore or under the natural bridges in a bamboo boat or by hawking menial treats.

Floating village

Natural bridge

Bamboo hulled boat

One island had a stepped path to the top for a photo op. Another had us enter a very large and impressive cave.

View from the top

We gave good marks to the cruise for their attentive service, our superior cabin, and the excellent food. On the way back before disembarkation, the kitchen staff did a small cooking class showing us how to make ornamental food presentations and how to make traditional spring rolls. The ones we made, we ate with lunch.

Lotus and sunflower

Later in the afternoon, the mini bus dropped us off to the pleasant welcome of our hotel staff in Hanoi.

Essence of Hanoi

A simple joy of Hanoi (North Vietnam) was just wandering the streets and alleys, taking in the culture, and sampling the foods that make the place special.

On the street, honking motor-scooters competed with rickshaws, vendors with baskets, bicycles, pedestrians, and cars.

Rickshaw riding

A scene that spans centuries

To cross the streets or intersections, one simply steps out slowly and w e a v e s their way through the hordes of oncoming traffic with confidence from knowing that the drivers are always watching. It seems to work. We didn't see any road kill!

Running the gauntlet

The sidewalks serve a multitude of occupants and purposes. Pedestrians compete with parked motor-scooters, street vendors, eateries, as well as shop wares that spill out to the curb. We, like many others, usually ended up just walking on the road, giving way to traffic as their honking dictated.

Sidewalks but no room for walking

The umpteen sidewalk eateries (literally) were abuzz with locals and brave tourists like us. They were always an easy find. We just had to watch for the smoke from their grills or use our noses to follow the aromas to the best ones, always the busiest, and usually on the corners.

It was a great way to sample new foods because we could pick out what we wanted from the display of different dishes laid out. We squatted on low tiny stools by tables with amputated legs and ate amid the din and close proximity of all types of interesting and bustling passing traffic.

Sidewalk dining

A slightly known but special treat is the Pho Cocktail. It blends Gin or Vodka with typical flavours that go into the local soup (Pho). Sounds strange, but the party in your mouth makes this drink one that you will try over and over, which we did!

What was strikingly obvious about the Vietnamese was how energetically enterprising they were. We saw no panhandlers. Their days started early and they seemed always on the go.

Feather duster vendor

Currency is the Dong: currently 1 Canadian dollar equals approximately 20,000 Dong, and $52 equals 1,006,921 Dong. Wow - we're multi-millionaires in Dong currency!

The local women were almost always dressed up. They wore stilettos riding motor-scooters with dresses, skirts, and even shorts. They wore their clothing tight and short and often transparent blouses with fancy bras. Slim is the word here, very few overweight people. A nice change from many other countries!

NORTH VIETNAM

We figured that our auto-pilot would not be repaired and returned to us in Danga Bay (Malaysia) for about 3 weeks. We decided to take one of the many "away from the boat trips" that we plan on doing while in this area of the world. So after checking cheap flights, we chose North Vietnam as our destination.

As Canadians, we could get a "Visa Upon Arrival" as long as we had a pre-approval letter in hand. This letter could be gotten from the Vietnamese Embassy in nearby Singapore in a week or so, but we were to leave in 2 days. So we chose our only option which was to get the letter overnight from an online private agency for a fee.

Our flight departure was at 06:30 from Kuala Lumpur, about 350 km north of Danga Bay, so we took a 5-hour late evening bus ride the night before. It was a nerve racking trip, not because of poor roads (it was a modern highway), but the driver was either inebriated or unstable because his driving was erratic and all over the lanes. We almost got off the bus but couldn't find a taxi.

Kuala Lumpur is a very large city so we expected its airport to be more elaborate but it was a letdown with poor services and lack of seating for persons awaiting arriving planes. People were sitting or sleeping on the floor. Decorating was extremely minimal.

Upon our arrival at the Hanoi Airport in Vietnam, we simply presented our printed paperwork, paid $90, and were handed our Visas. We then cleared Customs and Immigration with no problems. Sometimes things just work out in your favour (not like our auto-pilot!)

At one of the Airport counters, we asked for a map and were talked into signing up for a cruise of the famous Halong Bay. They also booked us a very nice hotel at $25 US a night. We were then packed on a mini bus for the 45-minute ride to Hanoi's Old Quarter where many travellers stay.

The sprawling city of Hanoi with its 7 million population is the largest city in northern Vietnam. The hectic traffic was our first indication of the busy and energetic nature of the Vietnamese people.

We soaked up the scenes that make the Old Quarter so interesting. Generally situated around a small lake, it is an interesting mix of narrow streets and very narrow tall buildings draped with a cobweb of wires.

"Which one to connect?"

Interestingly, we learned that the reason for such skinny buildings was that for decades, if not centuries, up till around 1950, taxes were based on the width of buildings. When we inquired why buildings were still being built that way, the answer was that it's what the people are familiar with.

Many building were a mere 3 metres wide (including the thickness of outside walls) with some even narrower, and anywhere from a few stories to several stories high. What they lack in width, they make up for in depth. One art gallery in the Old Quarter is just over 2 metres wide! The hotel we stayed at was about 4 metres wide and 9 stories.

A few skinnies - a mere 2.2 metres wide

A hotel - 4 metres wide, 10 stories

A traditional outdoor entertainment of the humble lives of the rice farmers was water puppetry. We attended an authentic popular reproduction of this at the indoor Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre.

Included in the repertoire of 400 of the ancient wooden puppets were human figures, dragons, frogs, a fox, ducks, fish, a unicorn, and a mythical phoenix bird. The scene was of a pagoda in a waist deep pond where, behind a screen, up to 8 puppeteers operated.

Pagoda stage with band at left (photo copied from web)

The puppets effectively did their splashing and cavorting to a storyline while attached to unseen strings and submerged control rods. We were warned that "water scooping" would happen and those in front rows could get wet, but no one did during the performance we were at. Water scooping involved the puppets splashing scoops of water with their paddles.

"Rowing" merrily (photo copied from web)

The entertainment was supported by a small band and singers who also provided the voices for the puppets. Even though it was in Vietnamese, it was still to the delight of even this modern audience (www.thanglongwaterpuppet.org).

Lots of movement (photo copied from web)

A day out

Back at Danga Bay Marina (Malaysia), it was out with the auto-pilot and off to FedEx it back for repairs. So we were faced with waiting time.

We don't usually go on group tours, you know the type, "round them up, load them up" where you feel conversing with words like "Mooo." But we were not keeping busy with anything else so we said why not join the day tour arranged by the Rally organizers! We weren't even sure what the tour included.

So we were loaded on the bus as we kept a close watch for the cattle prods and off we went. The driver managed to get lost twice before finding the first stop which was for some quick "brekkie". In a small seaside town where the residents were a strange ethnic mix of Chinese, East Indian, and Malaysian and most evidently of the Muslim persuasion, we had a chance to sample the locals' typical breakfast.

We watched a woman swirl around her dough to make home-made roti at her sidewalk stand and decided to join the breakfast lineup. Simple and tasty!

Roti production

The next stop was at a 40-hectare fruit farm (100 acres) promoting eco-agriculture. A guide walked us all through the farm pointing out the different fruits and herbs, some we had never heard of before. We later were treated to a colourful and large buffet of all the fruits from the farm along with cold lime juice and hot tea made with the herb called Cat Whiskers.

Cat Whiskers herb

Fruit feast

A list of some of the fruits, vegetables, and spices grown: Basil, breadfruit, cocoa (to make chocolate), curry leaf, daun belalai (claims to be an anti cancer agent), dragon fruit, gourd, Hawaii papaya (NOT from Hawaii - just the name of this type of papaya), jackfruit, jambu, lemongrass, mango, mangosteen, mulberry (the leaves of which are favoured by the silk worm),  noni and durian (both of which are stinky), pamelo (similar to grapefruit), pandan (to get rid of cockroaches), passion fruit (I wonder what it claims to do?), pink guava...

At a point in the walking tour, we stopped for an exotic drink made fresh from their fruits. As a first for us, we tried the one made from the Rosella fruit and really enjoyed it.

We saw hives of small black stingless bees. Normally I am quite frightened of bees but these tiny fly-like bees were great in their busy bee business.

There are many, many types of bananas throughout the world and here they had several. One very unusual type had a stalk of very teeny tiny bananas growing solid on a stem over 2 metres high...

1,000 Fingers Banana

Another oddity was the poisonous banana. How can one tell? The flower is purple and is unique in that it grows pointing UP. So be forewarned for your next marauding foray.

Purple means poison

There was also a mini zoo at the fruit farm that had ostrich, monkeys, tortoise, python, pygmy chicken, rooster, many goats, and the cutest rabbits! I couldn't resist holding and feeding carrots to this little one...

Next we attended a short lecture on a variety of honeys and their associated properties and qualities, with lots to purchase for those in need of sweetening.

Another stop was at a palm oil factory where we were hit with an earthy, fetid odour from the culled compost pile. Unripe fruit clusters cannot be processed and are made into compost so there is no waste product. This factory at Felda Semenchu produces about 100 tonnes of oil per day.

Palm oil production

Next up was lunch where we watched a few traditional dancers, drummers, and a mock wedding while we feasted on a delicious vegetarian meal except for 1 chicken dish. Weddings in Malaysia are very costly for the families, easily running in the 5-figure sums. When guests leave, they are given a hard-boiled egg signifying new life (then the egg would be part of their next morning's breakfast).

Another stop was at Kota Johor Lama historical site on the banks of one of Malaysia's largest rivers. In the mini-museum, we learned that this was the site of the Old Johor fort built in 1540 by a Sultan who was driven out of the north by the Portuguese. But it came to ruin in 1587 when the Portuguese sacked and burned it. The museum contains recent archaeological finds including weaponry and artifacts of daily life.

Final stop: again on the river banks, a privately owned crocodile farm (Taman Buaya) with over 1,000 crocs. Evidently, there roam the escaped crocs that now skulk the rivers and estuaries of southern Malaysia.

"Hmmm, why are so many sailboat dirty bottoms around here not cleaned?" News too little too late for Jordan. He had been diving to clean Sea Turtle's prop!

Crocodiles are cold blooded reptiles and can live to be 200 years old and one here is 155. There were some impressive specimens laying about in a petrified stance. Our guide would yell loud in Malaysian and bang on the wall to get the attention of the reptiles before a feeding.

At the den of the larger ones, he would toss frozen chickens onto the dry concrete area where the big crocs would depart from their still pose to advance slowly, mouths agape before snapping up the morsels. What type of chickens did they use? Stupid ones. The smart ones we saw were running around just outside the dens.

You snooze, you lose

In the den of the juveniles, they were all gathered in the shallows like a listless bunch at the mall. They wouldn't listen to their moms who would say "Get a job or you are going to end up as a purse!" But all hell broke loose as the guide heaved in a shovel load of chicken pieces!

Snack time

As well as older and larger crocodiles, there were also tiny ones and deformed ones. These had a variety of abnormalities like missing or deformed tails or limbs, kept separate no doubt to protect their self image. The baby crocs were kept separate in a "kindergarten" away from their cannibal elders.

These crocodiles were farmed for food and products like belts and purses. How do they taste? We were told "like the other white meat" but Jordan and I won't be sampling!

In the shadows

Let the ties go?

We dropped the ties to the dock of Danga Bay Marina (Malaysia) at 13:30. We had to make sure the tide was high as the inlet just outside of the Marina gets very shallow at low tide. We motored down the west channel that separates Singapore Island from Malaysia mainland where we were under constant surveillance by vigilance of the small Singapore border patrol boats.

After a couple of hours, we had to go under a bridge. Even though we were following Sea Turtle's inbound GPS track, it was still nerve wracking for me as I was at the helm. Is the bridge high enough for our mast? Is the water deep enough for our keel? I haven't been at the helm since we anchored at Mentok (Indonesia) back in mid-January. But I guess it's like riding a bicycle...it's something you never forget.

Half an hour later, where the channel widened, we dropped anchor (N01°19.200' E103°37.410') close to a very small Malaysian island. Did you know it is illegal to anchor anywhere in Singapore waters?

So this small Malaysian island is a good spot, just outside the busy freighter area and it provides for an early start in the morning to make it all the way around Singapore Island before once again being able to anchor in Malaysian territory. Then just before sunset, 3 catamarans and 1 sailboat pulled up and anchored.

During our transit down the channel, the auto-pilot refused to work properly. Jordan checked and tried various things but to no avail. We had internet connection from cell phone towers so after Skyping the manufacturer, it was determined that damage was done when the wires were cross connected during re-installation.

Our only wise option was to return the next morning to Danga Bay Marina and send it back to the USA manufacturer for repair. Double darn...this will now delay our distant explorations.

Oh well, what can one do but go with the flow, so we settled in with a relaxing sundowner in the cockpit. It was a pleasant change to be at a quiet anchorage for the night with no loud bar music...what a treat!

Back at Sea Turtle

Back at Danga Bay Marina (Johur Bahru, Malaysia) from our trip to Canada and with not much to do, we spent a lot of time in the Marina's air conditioned library/internet room where a few other cruisers hung out. It was a good time to bring our blog more up-to-date and get out of the heat. With internet in Indonesia being so poor, and far between connections, we had gotten quite far behind.

We thought the Marina was rather pretty at night with all of its bright lights. They were in the man-made trees, running along the bottom edge of the dock, strung above the dock, fancily lighting up poles, etc. Especially vibrant were all the lights on the Danga Cruiser 8 at the dock.

A local cruising yacht

A disturbing sight was the garbage that would collect in the waters all around the boats after rainfall would wash it downstream and out into the bay. People here can be indifferent towards using the open waters to toss their waste out of their hands, but not as bad as the Indonesians. What an ugly shame. Hopefully as we continue our passages to other places in Malaysia, out and away from the heavily concentrated populated areas, we will discover more pristine locations.

Drifting from shore towards boats

There are 2 dining establishments and 2 drinking establishments, 1 being very loud from 10 at night till 3 in the morning! And did we mention there is no hot water? But that is not a negative situation as it's so blistering hot that a cool shower feels pretty good.

We were surprised at the number of people who attended a potluck since we had seen a lot of boats tied up but hardly ever saw any cruisers hanging around! Food was excellent and karaoke provided for entertainment had both good and bad songsters.

On our trips to the large city for groceries and miscellaneous, we have noticed so many similar available businesses as back home: Honda, Panasonic, LG, Sony, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Domino's Pizza, Kawasaki, and the list goes on. Not so foreign in a foreign country!

Motorcycles here, as in other Asian countries, are a main means of transportation. We learned that here the motorcycle repair shops are open 24/7. These service hours are crucial for the masses so that their vital means of daytime transportation is without interruption. When bypassing these shops, they always seem to be full. Motorcyclists don't concern themselves with the little things such as broken rear lights, etc. so defensive driving is a must.

May is the start of the rainy season, the southwest monsoons. It's the time of year where the Intercontinental Convergence Zone (ITCZ) here is extremely potent from the moist winds of the Northern Hemisphere colliding with the Southern Hemisphere moist air. The results are frighteningly huge thunder clouds with their intense lightning displays. During more than 1 of these storms, the frequency of lightning bolts was about 2 seconds apart.

The lightning, now almost daily, has been striking very close to the Marina and boats. A boat was just hit causing a great deal of damage. Apparently, it damaged most of their electrical systems including taking out their alternators, chart plotter, and other cockpit devices and they said daily they are discovering further damage.

The boats from the "Sail Malaysia Rally" were passing through making the Marina and city a major stop. This particular rally's route is from the general area of west Thailand down to the eastern water of Indonesia via a northern route (over the top of Borneo). It tends to accommodate Australian sailors making their way back home.

The major sponsor of the rally is Tourism Malaysia. We were invited to attend a "Sail Malaysia Rally" dinner at the Marina's Convention Centre one evening even though we had not signed up for the Rally. The meal was excellent and consisted of several courses, thankfully with a short break in between each course. Entertainment consisted of dancers in costumes performing Malay traditional dances as well as pop singers.

Dancing for the diners

Jordan re-installed the repaired auto-pilot and the refurbished watermaker that had sprung a slow but constant leak after 5 years of use. But lo and behold, once again the auto-pilot did not work! We just had it repaired.

Jordan tried different things but nothing worked so he contacted the manufacturer of the unit and explained the symptoms. He told Jordan where to zero in on the problem and sure enough, Jordan found a loose crimped connection which explained why we occasionally had one type of intermittent malfunction during the last few years.

After a quick fix, Jordan reconnected everything but unfortunately he inadvertently crossed the positive and negative wires. He switched them back again hoping for the best for our departure the next day...

Together again

Jordan had made the passage from Mentok (Indonesia) to Danga Bay (Malaysia) without me as I needed to return to Canada at the end of January. Once he arrived in Malaysia on February 16th, he was able to quickly check in and book his flight to join me.

Upon arriving in Victoria BC, Jordan had a good catch-up visit with his son Aaron and daughter-in-law Dee and started to get all the necessary items we needed for Sea Turtle replacements and repairs. He then joined me in frosty Alberta where we spent much needed time with my parents and helped out as much as we could.

We spent our days at the hospital where I discovered something new about my Mom that I had unbelievably never noticed before - she has 1 blue eye and 1 green eye!

Unusual eye colours

I felt very lucky to be home for my Mom's birthday. My daughter was also in town for the event making for a joyous occasion. We celebrated with a homemade dinner of Mom's favourite ribs, cake, and presents in a separate dining room that the hospital had graciously allowed us to use. Mom was soon exhausted and upon her retirement, we returned to the house.

A long but happy day

Another day when energy levels were a bit higher, I convinced my Mom to dance to the music we were listening to in the room. It had been awhile since my parents danced but I believe both enjoyed the short waltz to a tune of Willie Nelson.

Dancing once again

Unfortunately, too soon, it came time to leave. I sadly said my goodbyes and we then drove towards Penticton BC where we spent a couple of days with Jordan's parents. It was a worrisome drive as we were hearing constant avalanche warnings on the radio. We had to holdup a night in Canmore BC because the highways ahead were closed due to avalanches. But the next day all was fine.

Our journey back next took us through Seattle and Bainbridge Island in the States to pick up our auto-pilot that had been repaired.

Once back in Victoria, we continued to mark everything off on our list of things to do and things to pick up to bring back to Sea Turtle. We also found time to visit friends.

A few years ago, Jordan's close friend passed away just after he finished restoring a classic 1966 MGB Roadster. His widow offered to sell it to Jordan. He gladly accepted and we had some fun running around in it. It will remain in storage for our future returns.

New toy

Finally on April 8th, we boarded a plane for the lengthy flight to Malaysia. We crossed the International Date Line and lost a whole day! It was so nice to have had the family visits and we will miss them greatly, but it was also necessary to return to Sea Turtle.

There was such a huge weather difference from Canada's -40°C freezing winter to Malaysia's 30°C rainy season and high humidity!

Squirrely sailing

I now know how a squirrel feels when attempting to cross a Los Angeles freeway in rush hour. After a full week of waiting on Indonesia Customs and Immigration to clear me out of Batam Island, I finally got the green light. So February 16th at 07:00, I headed out into the large channel that separates Indonesia from the island nation of Singapore for a 1-day solo sail to Malaysia (Judy was back home giving support to parents).

This is probably the world's busiest channel with ships of all sizes and types coming and going and from all points of the globe.

B U S Y !

My destination was the Danga Bay Marina (Malaysia) which is across a much smaller channel that creates the border on the north side of Singapore.

For the 1st couple of hours, I sailed west with a nice breeze on the starboard beam and with a 2-knot current. I paralleled the designated shipping lanes which is noted on the charts, a redundancy because all 1 had to do is observe the string of ships going in either direction to know where you shouldn't be. However, I had to cross those lanes at a prescribed place, which I did as I jogged around the hugest mega super tanker that was evidently loaded.

At any 1 time, I could count 50 to 100 ships either in route or anchored or berthed. I would guess that there are at least 1,000 ships in this immediate area at any given time.

1 of the smaller freighters

Once I had passed along the south side of Singapore, I turned and started up the Perkins to motor up the smaller channel on the west side heading north towards Danga Bay Marina. It was later in the afternoon when I turned into the Marina, and as the tide was at its lowest, I had only 1 metre under the keel at 1 point.

I tied up (N01°28.44' E103°43.38'), and just as I made the last snap on the sail cover, the sky opened up for a short but heavy shower. But this squirrel was safe and snug and to boot, Sea Turtle was getting a nice rinse off which is always good after a passage.

Assault on the senses

Indonesia (and Bali especially) is often stated as an assault on the senses. Now we understand why this is said. There is so much to see, smell, taste, hear, and touch that you become overwhelmed at times.

Sight: Our first impression was of all the sights and scenes that we absorbed as we travelled along scenic paths and roads or through picturesque terraced rice paddies; as we strolled quaint alleys of villages, towns, and cities; as we contemplated the unique traditional architecture as we passed or entered buildings, residences, and temples; as we watched the beautifully decorated traditional dancers. Everywhere the sights were amazing. Handmade carvings of wood, stone, marble, etc. were beyond words to describe. 

We watched as traffic cops helped pedestrians to jaywalk, stopping traffic as they led the pedestrian across! And even more surprising, was seeing so many, very young, motor-scooter drivers. These capable youngsters would ride them to and from school and all around the towns or villages. After all, they grow up as passengers on them from the day they are born.

How old are you?! (courtesy of Aaron)

As well as young drivers on motor-scooters, we saw adults on loaded motorcycles or bicycles with their wares to sell. This man on bicycle is actually moving down the street, fully loaded!

He must be in there somewhere...

Smell could be positive or negative. When walking or driving past areas where garbage had been dumped was very bad. We would have to plug our noses until we passed by! The smell of smoke could be rampant as almost all men and most women smoke in Indonesia. (There were also many large billboards advertising cigarettes, something no longer allowed in North America.)

But the aroma of delicious food cooking was very enticing and the odour of stunning flowers intoxicating.

Come close...

Taste: And speaking of food, we found the food in Indonesia to taste delicious whether from roadside stands or restaurants. I can't handle real spicy foods but when we asked for mild, it almost always was. We tasted many dishes that we have never even heard of before and it was usually something that we thoroughly enjoyed.

A large lunch buffet

Due to high humidity, liquid sugar was served with coffee, etc. What we lacked for our taste buds was good wine! It was very difficult to find any wine in most of Indonesia, and when we did, it was quite expensive, so come well stocked.

Hear: Our ears could hear all sorts of different sounds. Throughout the day at specified times was the sound of the Muslim call to prayer. For us, at time, this was an annoying sound but we soon learned to blank it out. And of course there were the typical roosters crowing in the morning. In larger centres, blaring bar music.

Gleeful laughter of adorable children

But there was also the sound of silence when in the outlying areas which was a nice change from city noise.

Touch: What can we say about touch? Well, all the new fruits and vegetables never tried before; the soft leathery pads of monkey and orangutan paws, the soft sands on our feet, the tickle of the butterflies when they would alight, and all the different textures of cloth such as the exquisite silks, linens, cottons, etc.

Super soft feel

Riding in a van bus assaults several senses. Drivers honk their horns as a warning of their approach, quickly swerving through hand-drawn carts, pedestrians, and hundreds of motor-scooters. It's a mystery how they can see where they are going as their windshields are tinted and cluttered with many small round mirrors, gadgets, stuffed animals, etc. usually stretching from 1 side clear over to the other side.

This is 1 of the less cluttered windshields with several items hanging from the rearview mirror, 3 round mirrors stuck to windshield, 5 Happy Faces, stuffed animals all along the dashboard, and tinting at top and bottom, leaving only a narrow strip of clear vision...

All in all, the new and unique stimulating senses added to the memories that we cherish. Yes, Indonesia was definitely a fabulous assault on our senses!

Official dollars and time

Following is a summary of facts of Indonesian officialdom for the 2 of us, and many other sailors, with costs indicated in US dollars:

Prearranged Cruising Permit (CAIT) must be applied and issued prior to entering Indonesia. Cost: $200 for agent fees. Time: 3 weeks. The 90-day clock started ticking on this day before we even reached Indonesia.

Prearranged personal 60-day Visa is required before entering Indonesia. Process done at the closest Indonesian Consulate, which for us was Fiji. Time: 2 days.

Checking in for us was at a rather remote city in Tual. Cost: $130. Time: A frustrating 6-day process mostly do do with Custom procedures (officials not familiar or up-to-date with sailor-related privileges).

Renewal of personal Visas for an additional 30 days while at Bali. Applied on Wednesday, paid the fee of $160 on Friday, then returned for the 3rd time on Monday to pick up passports with new stamps. Time: 5-day process.

Renewal of CAIT. Cost: another $200 for agent fees. Time: 1 month.

Renewal of personal Visas for another 50 days while at Pangkal Pinang. Cost: $450 including 4-day overstay penalty, local agent assistance, and travel. Time: 5-day process.

Renewal of Jordan's last personal Visa. Cost: $85 including ferry. Time: 4-hour process.

Indonesian checkout. Cost: $125. Time: 1-week process.

Total cost of officialdom for our 4-months in Indonesia: $1,350

Indonesian checkout

I had arrived at the Nongsa Point Marina from Mentok on Saturday, February 8th. This is an Indonesian checkout spot that many westbound sailors use for its location and as the Marina staff facilitates the checkout officialdom. It is on the Island of Batam right across the strait from the island country of Singapore and would be the last stop in Indonesia. (Judy was still in Canada helping her parents.)

I soon found out that I had arrived on the final day of a week-long annual sailboat race/regatta that the Marina hosted. Most of the boats were stationed in the area, but the crews were from all over. I took advantage of fresh shore water to give Sea Turtle a refreshing shower.

Upon registering my arrival at the office, I informed them that my personal Visitor's Visa would expire the next day and asked them if they could process my checkout pronto. They said "If you bring up your paperwork, it should be no problem." (Hmmm...I think I have heard that one before.)

"Do you have a wheelbarrow?"
"What?"
"Never mind."

So staying positive, I presented all of the reams of official Indonesian papers that we had accumulated and let them tell me which ones they needed. But apparently, I didn't have the proper Import Permit, and the one we had, had expired which they decisively pointed to. I felt like asking them if they had ever travelled to China, and if so, could they read Chinese? All the forms are in Indonesian and nobody explained that we even had an Import Permit much less explained that it expired.

We were always made aware when our Visitor's Visas and our Cruising Permit (CAIT) was about to expire, no one mentioned anything about an Import Permit. This apparently was going to need some consultation with the Customs head office to sort it out.

I could see that this was going to take more than one day, so I decided to do a Singapore Visa run the next morning, the day my personal Indonesian Visa expired. But the Marina facilities here were great with restaurant, bar, showers, and swimming pool, so in the meantime, I decided to heed the call of the cold at poolside.

Refreshing indeed

I was up at 05:15 the next morning to catch the shuttle bus for a short ride to the ferry terminal for the 06:00 Singapore run. Before boarding, the Immigration stamped my passport as outgoing. It was a short 30-minute ride across the strait where I went through Singapore Immigration and they stamped my passport giving me a 30-day Visitor's Visa for Singapore. (Thanks, but I only need about an hour.) I had a quick runny egg breakfast, then got back on the ferry for the return ride.

So on landing back in Indonesia, of course, it was through Customs Immigration again as an incoming tourist. "Would you like a 7-day or 30-day Visa?" they asked. Now normally, I am a positive and optimistic person, but after 4 months of cruising in Indonesia and dealing with bureaucracy, I was being cured of that condition and I was being swayed over to the dark side. So it was with an unapologetic pessimist attitude that I paid the extra and went for the 30-day.

The days started to tick by with no progress. My inquiries yielded small dribbles of insight as to the goings on of the officialdom out yonder, beyond my control. Evidently, the normal agent, for the normal of fee of $25 couldn't handle my problem with Customs. It required a different agent.

By Thursday (5 days later), I finally was informed that everything was sorted out and the Customs would clear me, however, the agent needed a $300 US payment to cover Custom fees, penalties, and agent fees. I was getting a distinct whiff of a fattened rodent.

I informed him this was exorbitant and I asked for a breakdown of costs for Customs, penalties, and agent fees and that I would take it up with our agent Raymond in Jakarta who we had used for our original incoming processing. Well, it turned out that when pressured, he said it was all just agent fees. I told him that was too much and it should be no more than $100 US. The next day, he texted me a simple blunt message "I cannot act as your agent." I replied with a not so simple and not so nice retort.

Raymond in the meantime inquired about the problem and apparently we were originally given a commercial type of Import Permit that was a comprehensive bundle of bureaucratic redundancy that needed attending to, however it was mostly done and I could finish it.

Surprise, surprise - the next morning I got a text that the agent would finish the process and the charge would only be the $100 US. So I gave him the go-ahead.

So by Saturday, the whole clearing out process was done and I was free to go. One week to check out of a country! Unbelievable. Raymond, our agent in Jakarta has been working with Tourism Indonesia to simplify this complicated bureaucracy, but the wheels are rusty.

The upside...it was a nice place to be held hostage. The resort facilities were at my disposal. I practiced up on the pool table at the bar beside the pool which I swam in everyday. A good fast internet was included! Life could be worse.

February 16th at 07:00, I departed the clutches of Indonesia for a solo one-day sail to another marina in Malaysia.

Sea Turtle ready to leave Nongsa Point Marina

The battle in my brain

It seems that just before a departure on a passage the opposing poles of my psyche start bantering like fighters in the ring. The venue is my grey matter. The longer we have been in port, the more intense the fighting goes. This departure was no different. My middle mind acts like the referee at ringside as Apprehension, the opponent on 1 side, battles it out with Enthusiasm on the other.

Apprehension throws a solid: "It's a good practice to add 10 knots to the weather reports and expect bashing into unexpected short steep waves that halt you in your tracks."

On the defensive, Enthusiasm counters with: "So what's the worst, we have to tack an extra day for the first leg."

Apprehension: "The longer you postpone your leave, the better the seasonal strong winds will abate, so just wait."

Enthusiasm: "But our friend Sam told us that the latest up-to-date news was that the supply ships, after being weather bound for so long, were now heading out because it was calming down considerably."

Undeterred, Apprehension lands a solid 'one-two': "Did you forget already getting beat up trying the passage from Kalimantan or that horrid night trying to make the last 10 nautical miles around the point to the Bali harbour."

The battle seemed close at times but, in the end, the optimism of undefeated Enthusiasm won the match, making it now 26 & 0.

This is a battle that plays out in the fickle minds of more than just this sailor. I've seen world class sailors in various ports permanently hunkered down, frozen with the fears from their last rough passage blinding them of the remembrance of those good ones.

So the late afternoon of February 4th, I spent stowing and lashing and sending off emails giving notice to loved ones that I would be severing Mentok's hold early in the morning. Judy was home in Canada giving some support to parents so I would be solo sailing, a 1st for me.

The 1st day would be the breaker. If I made that open stretch okay, the rest should be much easier.

Goodbye Mentok

Shortly after I pulled anchor, I was around the point and heading into the wind that was coming directly down my rhumb line. It was about 12 to 15 knots, just enough to make waves the size and spacing that stopped Sea Turtle if she tried to go directly into them. So I fell off about 35° and motorsailed to keep it as close as possible into the wind, tacking my way north across this 50 nautical miles of open sea.

Not more than an hour out, the auto pilot started to act up and then quit completely. I spent an hour troubleshooting and determined it was unfixable by me. I could hear Apprehension mumble something from the corner of my mind. I ignored him and undeterred I attached the self-steering windvane rudder and kept going. The windvane requires a certain amount of wind for it to function adequately and that I had for the 1st day and night.

It took tacking back and forth all of that 1st day and night to make it across the 1st open stretch. It was not unpleasant at all. "Take that Apprehension!" I am fortunately wired so that I can fall asleep within 15 seconds of putting my head down. So with a timer placed close to my ear and set for 17 minutes, I woke regularly for my checks throughout the night.

I enjoyed greeting the early morning dawn rested, and perked up with a cup of java. On the north side of the open sea area that I had just crossed, and close to my planned route, the charts showed a wreck. There are many wrecks noted in this part of the world but almost all are below water, however this was noted as parts above water. Sure enough, there it was, a not too old freighter sitting mostly out of the water with its back broken, slowly being recycled by nature. I wondered what it was like on the bridge at the moment she ran aground.

It was on the charts...

Captain to 1st Mate: "What was that rumble?"
1st Mate: "I don't know Captain. Maybe you should check the charts."
Captain: "Ahhh, yes Mate, good idea...where do we keep those?"

My route from that point on took me mostly on the west side of a string of islands or between them. The wind predictions were 10 to 14 knots from the NNE, so with a little of lee from the islands, the wind was that or much less most of the rest of the way. But the windvane needs a stiffer breeze that that and likes it more on the beam, so I was hand-steering for the rest of the way.

Hand-steering didn't require constant vigilance behind the wheel as I had feared. I mostly sat under the dodger reading my Kindle e-book and only occasionally making slight adjustment to stay the course. I was even able to pop to and from below to make meals, etc. while making way.

The 2nd night, I was able to find a nice anchorage (S00°39.8' E104°20.5') at the south end of Singkep Island around 05:30 and was able to watch a movie before retiring for a full night's sleep. Up at 05:00. Coffee on. Check engine oil and clean up bilge. Up anchor and off at 06:00.

1st anchorage

About 07:00, I was passing a settlement where I had marked my charts as the anchorage our friends used 1 night on their passage. There I noticed what looked like cell phone towers so I pulled closer to shore to see if I could get reception for my cellular Wi-Fi. Even though reception was the speed of sap in winter, I was able to get and send a couple of emails and even get a Buoy Weather report. The forecast was still good. The site track cost me an hour but it was worth it.

The tide/current was with me all morning and I noticed it mostly passing between islands. However in those conditions where I was encountering current against even the slightest winds, it created short, steep, little waves that would bounce Sea Turtle causing the bow to pound into the face of each wave, almost stopping her at times. Once out in more open waters though, it was easy going.

The skies were hazy in the mornings but clear and sunny during the days.

At 17:35, it was another milestone for Sea Turtle. We crossed into the Northern Hemisphere on February 6th. Sea Turtle had been cruising south of the equator for 2.5 years (crossed southbound off the coast of Ecuador on August 16, 2011). I celebrated alone in the warm velvet evening setting sun by cracking open a cold beer and downed it in quiet but happy contemplation of the places this good little ship had carried us. Those moments were almost perfect. Almost, because I was missing my 1st Mate.

Crossing the equator northbound

Later that evening, I dropped anchor (N00°06.65' E104°19.25') on the lee side of an island for another peaceful night. Rarely do I come in to anchor in the dark, but before the evening light faded, I could see the island's features and then with radar and depth sounder, I very slowly moved in safely. Again, I noticed a cell tower. Weird for such a remote place. I tried Wi-Fi again and actually got some emailing done as slow as it was.

Early in the morning, I pulled out for the next day's journey. Shortly after getting underway, I noticed some other sailboats at an adjacent island. This was a curious sight as very few cruise these waters at this time of year. I radioed but got no response.

I was in an area of beautiful islands with hilly topography and sandy beaches. Definitely a great cruising area. I thought maybe that was why I was seeing other sailboats. Maybe Singaporeans down for some cruising?

Singapore is an island country that punctuates the bottom of the Malaysia Peninsula. My destination was a marina still in Indonesia on the Island of Batam, just across and on the south side of the Singapore Strait which runs east and west. I would have to go up another strait between Batam and Bintan Islands that run north and west. My last night anchoring (N00°48.6' E104°21.3') was in that later strait.

At that point, I was seeing not only other sailboats, but increasing marine traffic. Also very evident was development. I was leaving remoteness behind. Again I was able to slowly get and send some emails.

Up and away at 06:00, it was my last jaunt. Going up the Strait, I was constantly dodging small fishing boats as speedy passenger ferries were constantly dodging around me as they transitted back and forth from the 2 bigger islands. The further I got up the channel, the more commercial traffic - either coming or going or at anchor or at the port's piers.

The last 8 nautical miles gave me good gap winds on the beam, so I extinguished the purr of the Perkins for a pleasant 6-knot sail right up the entrance of the Nongsa Point Marina (N01°11.8' E104°05.8') on Batam Island on February 8th. I pulled in along with sailboats who were returning.

It had taken a relatively comfortable 4 days + 5 hours - including my 3 nights at anchor - and covered 275 NM to make our destination. So take that, Apprehension!

Memorable times in Mentok

Alone on Sea Turtle for the 1st time. Normally Judy and I at any time are no more than a boat's interior distance apart. Some have asked us how we could live so close together 24/7 but it just seems right to us. Now with her half a world away, it seems strange. But boat jobs fill some of the void.

Still in Mentok (aka Muntok, Indonesia), I daily talked to Arthur on Morning Glory to compare weather predictions that we each pull off our favourite internet sites. Right from the boat I got 3G internet using the cell phone system so I kept in touch daily with Judy while she was in 50° below zero Alberta weather.

Judy and her Dad in cold Canada

Sam and his wife as well as his parents, all of Chinese ancestry, have adopted me and make the delay in this port memorable. They are a well known and respected fixture in the happy community. There is a diverse religious mix here - Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu - and they all are proud how they accept each other with absolutely no prejudice or judgment.

Sam insisted I spend 2 days with them for Chinese New Year's, a big thing for Chinese all around the world. The 1st day, as tradition dictates, Sam opened up his garage door and set it up for visitors, replete with light eats and customary snacks where anyone known or otherwise was welcomed in for pleasantries. I was an honoured guest that Sam graciously introduced to each and every visitor. The next day, I went with the family to make their rounds to their friends where we were in turn catered to.

Far left: Sam's parents, left next to parents: Sam & wife, far right in back: Jordan

Yet another display of the wonderful friendly local hospitality was shown when I was invited along with Sam and family to an annual feast put on by a large extended Chinese family of Buddhist persuasion. (Sam and family are Christian.) The variety and abundance of dishes, many I had never tasted before, was a symphony of delights.

I reciprocated the only way appropriate and had Sam and family all out to the boat for snacks and refreshments. I dug out some ancient prized Chinese tea that we were given by our Chinese friends before we left Victoria. They were quite impressed with our floating home and the tea.

Another day, Sam and I hiked to the top of a hill just outside town that was the exiled home of Indonesian royalty during the turmoil of Indonesian independence.

Strange rock erosion

And on it went. Another day for dinner at Sam's parents. Another night when the dinghy was high and dry in the mud by the time for my return to Sea Turtle, Sam insisted I stay once again with them.

When Morning Glory detected some predictions for slightly less wind, they decided to make a run for the north. They are a faster boat with a family of 4. I would be single-handing so I was not quite comfortable with the prediction. So I was left as the only and lonely sailboat.

Finally though I saw a comfortable forecast for significantly lesser winds so decided to make my departure. When I was in port to say my goodbyes, the confidence of my decision was strengthened when the news in town was that the commercial boats were about to start moving which delighted them because town supplies were getting low.