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Firefly - Lombok and Bali



Firefly left Bali this morning, Saturday 3rd October, bound for Karimum Jawa, about 340 miles to the north west. Prior to this we spent 2 nights on Lombok, one each at Medana Bay and Gili Air and 5 anchored off Lovina Beach on the north west coast of Bali.

The trip to Lombok from Sumbawa had ended up being slow. Little wind and a counter current meant that it was almost dark before we reached Medana Bay, the venue for the next Sail 2 Indonesia Rally stop. Medana Bay is one of the only marinas on the route and we had booked a berth. However, on arrival we were put off by both the facilities and the swell that was entering the bay and instead dropped the anchor. The swell increased throughout the evening and all night Firefly was thrashing from side to side - no wind, just waves and very broken sleep.

The morning after we decided to move on and miss the festivities that were planned for the evening - the swell was still coming in strong. Motoring about 6 miles to Gili Air, one of 3 islands, we entered an anchorage surrounded by reefs and finally the rolling stopped. Well for a while, until on frequent occasions various speed boats carrying tourists from the mainland would zoom into the anchorage creating a short blast of waves. It was still a great improvement and having talked to several other rally participants, we were now quite looking forward to a visit ashore. Gili Air is a real 'backpackers venue' and the island is humming with youngsters and full of bars, restaurants, local guest houses and several dive resorts, although the diving is only really for beginners.

The following morning we upped anchor at 0530 with the intention of reaching Ahmed on Bali. After about an hour of motoring the wind appeared at the same time as what initially appeared as hundreds of the now familiar FADs (Fish Attracting Devices - bamboo rafts to attract the fish). As the distance reduced it became clear that it was in fact a fleet of about 100 single handed fishing boats, mostly under sail. These are fast craft, effectively trimarans, as the narrow boat has outriggers on each side and a quite a large lateen type sail, plus a small engine. The fishing boats were all sailing back to Lombok and were probably well laden as the strait between Lombok and Bali seemed alive with fish.

Firefly was broad reaching at up to 9 knots as we approached Ahmed on the north west coast of Bali. Despite the recommendation in the pilot book it was not possible to stop so we made the decision to sail on to Lovina Beach, another 40 miles to the west. There was a period of a few hours when the wind dropped and the engine came on but we sailed most of the time and the current was favorable all day. The large anchorage off Lovina was quite well protected and on arrival, Abdul, in his boat 'Bintang Lima' came out to help us in, say hello and offer us diesel, laundry, water and tours. We liked Abdul, met his family and actually took him up on everything and several times a day while we were there he would drop by to collect or drop something off - great service and always with a smile.

Bali was busy and hot, despite us being on the quieter northern side. Our tour to Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Temple was fantastic and it coincided with a 'full moon' Hindu ceremony, huge amounts of worshipers dressed in their finery, especially the children. From there we went higher into the mountains and visited Munduk village where spices are grown and there are intricate rice field terraces. Up in the mountains it was much cooler and it rained briefly, the first we had seen for a good time.

Bull racing is a popular sport in this part of Indonesia and an event was programmed for the following day. Hitching a lift 3 up on a moped we arrived at the venue, the local football field, not really knowing what to expect. From an animal rights perspective it was not ideal but better than we had imagined - it was not really a race at all, more like a 'dressage' competition. Two well trained trotting bulls, tails high in the air, pulling a cart with skids not wheels and with the driver sitting on a saddle. Three teams go at a time and its not a race, its all about how the bulls look, how in time they are - the driver is also a real showman. The local crowd loved it and after several rounds it was clear to us which teams would likely make the finals and win the massive, but 'tacky' trophies.

A second day of touring, this time with the Rally, started with a visit to the tranquil Brahmavihara Arama Buddhist temple. From there we had a visit to the Umajero traditional village, again high up in the mountains. We expected a normal 'tourist day out' but this was clearly an unusual opportunity to visit a working farmhouse belonging to the head of 5 villages. The welcome, venue, music, dancing and local food were all very memorable. This time the rain was torrential and the villagers were delighted as it was the first major rains for 5 months - they genuinely believed we had bought them good fortune by our visit. Sheltering from the rain it was actually quite cool so it was good that the final stop of the tour was to the Air Panjas Hot Springs. The setting was great and the water just the right temperature, albeit a murky green colour!

The next rally stop is at an archipelago called Karimum Jawa, north of Jawa. We are enjoying some proper trade winds now that we are well away from land and in the Java Sea, the sea between Java and Borneo. We are planning the passage on the go and were planning to anchor for the night behind Rass Island. However, with a 20 knot wind on the starboard quarter and a forecast for the same for the next 48 hours it makes sense to carry on and sail on overnight.

Paul and Susie

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