Ndao Ndoo Sabu Indonesia

Ndao – 8 – 10 August.

As we approach the island of Ndao other cruisers already attempting to anchor in Ndao harbor inform us that the anchorage is very deep and very roly. The skipper has been eyeing off a good looking, sheltered, sandy island to our port-side so we head for the little island of Ndoo (we think that’s what it is called) and thankfully put the anchor down in better depth and no rolling, it is much better protected. We are joined by our fellow cruisers after we inform them of the better conditions so our little flotilla has their own private anchorage. We have not had the anchor down long before we have a visit from 5 young men on a well-worn fishing dinghy who come alongside saying “hello” and asking for fresh drinking water and bread. We oblige with some water and the leftover bread (roti) and consulting our English-Bahasa language list we are able communicate fairly well for a few minutes before sending them off to the other yachts to see what they can get. We have two other local fishing boats anchored near us but they don’t seem interested in us – obviously better off than the boys in the dinghy. A walk on the soft sandy beach is very welcome and the crew can add some nice pieces to her shell collection.

A fisherman's hut on the uninhabited island of Ndoo

 

Some of our Sail Indonesia yachts have anchored about 6 nm off the other side of this small island on the mainland of Rote at Nembrala beach and after some discussions by radio we all decide to depart in the afternoon (Tuesday 10th) and do an overnight sail to our next destination of Sabu. It will be nice for the island of Sabu if we all arrive together as numbers are down on this part of the route and after visiting Rote we realize they are expecting many more yachts and people. 

Sabu – 11th – 14th August

Oh dear, poor Sabu is way behind Kupang and Rote. This small community is very poor, dirty and certainly not rubbish conscious – but then what we have seen so far of Indonesia warrants lessons in keeping the streets clean and maintained. Again, the people are friendly and happy and desperate for western influence and tourism. We are treated to a welcome ceremony on the beach, fresh coconut milk and dancing ponies.

 Welcome ceremony

 Dancing ponies

Having sailed overnight with the fleet in very choppy conditions, we arrived tired and anxious to have a rest which we look forward to but only after the official welcome and a trip to a traditional village. At this village, a rock is pointed out to us with a carving of a ship on it. It is Captain Cook’s ship the Endeavour, carved by some villagers when he sailed into the area after he left Australia.

 A carving of the Endeavour

 All the modern conveniences in one of the huts

 Some of our fleet get into the local dress

After a rest, at 4pm the bus arrives to take us to the Regent’s house for dinner. Now, we have been in some pretty poor buses but this one is lucky to be going at all but we smile, climb in, find a seat and hang on. About 45 minutes pass (how far is it anyway?) and the bus stops behind an immaculate 4wd in which the Minister for Tourism, Transport, Communication and as we have dubbed him, ‘Minister for Good Times’, offers a lift for those of us who wish to travel in the car with him. There is a dead silence from the bus passengers for a few seconds (stunned, I think) so the crew takes the opportunity to volunteer and with that two more bus occupants opt for the air-conditioned, soft seated drive into the darkness stopping once to chat to some locals while we wait for the bus to catch up (the Minister knows everybody). The bus arrives not too far after the car at the Regent’s house and we are once again entertained with local singing and dancing after meeting the Regent with whom we shake hands and touch noses – a lovely gesture. Of course, it is polite to join in the dancing and again we hold hands and try to do our best to copy the steps but as always our antics bring roars of laughter and discussion from whoever is watching us. Dinner here is quite delicious, as it has been everywhere previously except for the one meal we had at a bar in Kupang where 4 out of 6 of us had a touch of the dreaded ‘Bali Belly’. We will eat with the villagers thanks. We sit on the floor and eat and chat with the Regent, our representative translating for us.

We had fun trying this dance, but they didn't supply us with the ankle instruments

 

The return trip for those in the car is very good and our Minister for Good Times sings songs from Bob Marley to Elvis, he is constantly happy and singing. The crew is taught how to count to 10 in Indonesian but at this hour she can only manage 1 – 5. Maybe 6 -10 tomorrow. She is however, quite proud of the amount of Indonesian words she can already recall, especially when asking “how much is it?” (Berapa?). We hear later that the bus broke down a few times on the return journey but eventually arrived back at the anchorage safely. We must tell you that Sabu has no ideal dinghy landing and a swell that creates a small surf break on the beach. At high tide a narrow creek can be entered and the local boys help you tie up the dinghy but at low tide the creek entrance is dry and its either the beach landing or tying up to a fishing boat and clambering up the side to their deck, up a ladder that is not tied on, up to the bridge and up a swaying gangplank (on hands and knees) to the jetty. Yes we did - much to the amusement of the locals and many hands offered for stability. The return trip was much better as it was high tide and you could walk across the rocking gangplank to the bridge deck – oh dear! Three of us managed the obstacle and turned to watch the skipper tackle it but he wasn’t having any part of the swaying, surging gangplank until we convinced him that hands and knees was the best way – it took some convincing but he did admirably.

Day 2 is a rest day and we take the opportunity to stroll through the town and just relax a bit.

Day 3 - We fear that there is not much to do or see in Sabu but another trip is organized and after seeing the vehicle and lack of seating – a utility with some sacks on the floor in the back – five of us opt out of the day’s tour and stroll back through town to the yachts. Apparently the trip was very uncomfortable but the end result was a swim in the clear waters of the Sabu “fountain of youth” a natural spring and the participants almost convinced us the ride was worth it. That evening a local café is organizing tea for all of us so we meet on the beach and enjoy a meal on the verandah of the café then walk to the local meeting ground where it seems the entire population has turned out to watch the dancing trials for Indonesia’s National Day on 17th August. We have never seen so many motorcycles in one place. It is the preferred mode of transport on these islands. 

Unfortunately, here in Sabu we have our first encounter with would-be thieves.  A dinghy that was left on the beach while the occupants were in town, was being picked up and carried towards a waiting truck by some local boys. When approached and challenged the boys were less than complimentary and laughed at the mention of the Polisi (police) until a quick thinking cruiser with the help of her camera, was able to positively identify them and eventually they were found and duly berated by the Minister for Tourism and the Police, the boys all the time insisting that they were helping to put the dinghy in the water. We don’t know what happened to them after that.

Our last day was spent again just relaxing before we all departed mid afternoon for our next port of Waingapu on East Sumba.

Rote Ndao Indonesia

Rote Ndao 3 – 7 August 2010

Here is a developing government only having had power since 1999 (the Kingdom disbanded) and desperately trying to catch up to the rest of the world. The capital town of Ba’a is small and friendly and again, they are so happy to have us visit. The streets are small but surprisingly free of litter (until you look down the alleyways) however the streets are in better condition than in Kupang. We have 3 days of tours, travelling what felt like every inch of the island and each night a dinner back in the town with officialdom present. On our first day we arrive too late to join the tour but partake of the Gala Dinner (Rote style) meeting the officials and their wives, enjoying the food, music and dancing into the night. The officials wives are dressed beautifully and we feel a little out of place in our shorts, t-shirts, thongs and sun-kissed cheeks.

Our beautiful entertainment

And then we have a go !

Day 2 - We are informed that the next day’s tour will depart at 0400hrs to take us to a mountain lookout to see the sunrise (they don’t realize we see the sunrise a LOT on yachts). So we all arrive on shore next morning at 4am rubbing sleep from our eyes to pile into the truck converted into a bus (much like a cattle truck) that takes us up into the mountains. Once there we now tackle around 200 steps ascending further up the mountain to a spectacular view of the other side of the island and a slightly disappointing sunrise. The weather is somewhat unusual at this time of year, cloudy, windy and not very comfortable for anchoring and we are a little late in arriving for the sunrise anyway. However, breakfast is served and we enjoy the effort taken to show us this spectacular sight. 

The entrance to the steps - this was taken AFTER the walk - a tired group.

On the return journey we visit remote villages where we can wander through in awe of the traditional way of life on Rote and the friendly waves of the locals – always a hit with the children – and we give our leftover breakfast boxes to the village people. Meandering around the island we visit the ‘old house of the King’ and here we learn that our official government representative host, the Minister for Tourism, is the son of the last King of Rote and this is his old house. He takes delight in telling us that his father had 40 wives and he wants more but his one current wife won’t let him! We are entertained here again by the musical instrument, the Sasando, and traditional dancing and are encouraged to try our hand at this ancient art. Lots of laughs here folks. After lunch at the ‘old King’s house’ we once again drive through villages back to Ba’a for a ‘nap on the yachts’ as is scheduled in our official itinerary (they have thought of everything) and then once again enjoy dinner in the city. 

A traditional dance at the Old house of the King

And again, we have a go ! 

Day 3 – Today we are taken, again in the truck/bus to visit a government primary school in a remote area and as we have been warned prior some cruisers are able to take some pencils, books and tennis balls to give to the headmaster for the classes. So many children here are barefoot as although the government supplies the uniforms, school building and teachers, they have no water and no shoes. We wish we could have brought some thongs with us. The children are happy to see us albeit a little apprehensive as no doubt they have not seen a white person before and the crowded children part like disturbed flocks when we walk through them all the time not taking their eyes off us. By the end of the visit they are happy to have their photo taken with us – more of a joy for us I think, than them. Lunch is then served at Bo’a beach enroute to Nembrala beach, a popular place for surfers from all over the world. Here we can buy cold Bintang beer at the small resort and kick back on the sand for a lazy hour or two before the back-breaking ride to a natural spring to have a well-earned swim in the warm, soft water. Exhausted, we arrive at the yachts to have another scheduled ‘nap’ before a scrumptious farewell dinner. Rote was expecting many more people and yachts from ‘Sail Indonesia’ to stop here in 2010 and the handful that arrived are grateful and honoured to have been looked after so well, we will take away a bit of Rote Ndao in our hearts. Rote government are so desperate for assistance and guidance and tourism, they constantly thank God for our safe arrival and ask that we spread the word that Rote is a safe, happy, welcoming place to visit. We were warned prior to our departure in Australia that Indonesia is a Muslim country and that may be true the further north we go but here the people ensure that they tell us they are Christian, not Muslim and the abundance of churches confirm that the Muslim religion is the minority – maybe not so further north. 

The school children

Day 4 – We can relax a bit today. We take washing ashore to the local Hotel – the poor girl had a fit when she saw how much Bluestone had (we had not done washing since leaving Darwin) but a price is negotiated and the crew is all smiles as she got out of the horrible chore. Yay. Wandering around the small town, children are our greatest fans calling “hello mister” and giggling. Everyone waves and greets us with “selamat pagi” (good morning) and we feel very special. Another last minute dinner BBQ has been arranged by the Minister this evening following his purchase of 100 fish - we suppose he just feels like socializing - however this skipper and crew are happy just to have chicken and chips on board and have an early night. 

The main street of Ba'a, Rote

Day 5 – Another quiet day tidying the yacht, cleaning the cockpit, re-stocking the fridge, trying desperately to connect to the internet (it’s Saturday, don’t think they have internet on the weekend) in fact our attempts to connect are futile at the best of times. So we collect the hand-washed, immaculately ironed and folded laundry and take time to visit our friends on ‘Sunray II’ to discuss the next day’s destination. We will depart Rote tomorrow and head for our next destination of Sabu stopping for a couple of nights at Ndao.