Indonesia
Selemant
Blaze is in Benoa Harbor on Bali. We are headed to Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Penida, coast of Bali. The weather is sunny and breezy! At last some wind to move Blaze through the Adaman Sea. Our sail across is heavenly. I am joined by my sisters Colleen and Denise. They are not particularly sailors but definitely up for adventure! Listening to the water rush down the side of the hull is calming. A true Balinese Zen experience. Our first stop is Nusa Lembongan. Seaweed farms line the shore. Peolple are working in the water pulling seaweed out and piling it in their small canoe type boats. Most of the seaweed grown here is for the Asian cosmetics industry.
Lembongan is hectic in the day with the tour boats arriving from Bali. But by late
afternoon we have the place to ourselves. A local paddle boat arrives at the stern of Blaze. The man is holding up a healthy sized fresh tuna. Luiz negotiates a price and before we know it the tuna is on the grill.
The next day we opt to go explore inland. We have a local driver for the day who arrives in an open air bemo. That is a local way of saying old mini pickup. The canopy is a worn canvas and the seats are wood slat benches running the length of the truck. We hold on as we bounce along on the rutted roads. We pass through small villages with small shops selling sarongs, shells and carvings. The views out to the water are dazzling with sun reflecting off the turquoise water. In some areas we can see the seaweed fields below the water. Each “field” is defined with boundaries. Men wearing the traditional bamboo cone shaped hats are working the crop. Children sit on the roadside with homemade tables to sell their “beauties”. Shells, colorful rocks and some woven bracelets. The weather worn grandma crouches nearby keeping an eye on the kids and helping with the sales. The children are sweet and eager to have their picture taken to see themselves! They giggle a lot and are very polite.
As we continue our ride around the island we see children on the beach flying kites made of plastic trash bags. We stop at the river and wander through a local "neighbor hood". A woman talks with us…she speaks English and asks if we want a ride in the mangrove. We manage getting in the boat without falling into the muddy water. An elderly man stands on the back of the canoe using a long stick to push us through the mangrove. It is beautiful and so quiet except for the chatter of birds. The water is still with an amazing relective quality. A very calming experience. We spend the next few days taking in the quiet island. Life here is simple. In the villages people live at a slower pace and seem happy, content and spiritual. We are welcomed to enjoy their 
island. One day a local takes us in his small outrigger boat around the island. There are limestone cliffs with diving platforms, blow holes and occasional restaurants on the sand beach. There is an unusual suspension bridge between the 2 small islands. It is painted bright yellow. The bridge is very narrow only wide enough for pedestrians and motorcycles.The construction of the bridge looks questionable at best
Lembongan is hectic in the day with the tour boats arriving from Bali. But by late
afternoon we have the place to ourselves. A local paddle boat arrives at the stern of Blaze. The man is holding up a healthy sized fresh tuna. Luiz negotiates a price and before we know it the tuna is on the grill. The next day we opt to go explore inland. We have a local driver for the day who arrives in an open air bemo. That is a local way of saying old mini pickup. The canopy is a worn canvas and the seats are wood slat benches running the length of the truck. We hold on as we bounce along on the rutted roads. We pass through small villages with small shops selling sarongs, shells and carvings. The views out to the water are dazzling with sun reflecting off the turquoise water. In some areas we can see the seaweed fields below the water. Each “field” is defined with boundaries. Men wearing the traditional bamboo cone shaped hats are working the crop. Children sit on the roadside with homemade tables to sell their “beauties”. Shells, colorful rocks and some woven bracelets. The weather worn grandma crouches nearby keeping an eye on the kids and helping with the sales. The children are sweet and eager to have their picture taken to see themselves! They giggle a lot and are very polite.
As we continue our ride around the island we see children on the beach flying kites made of plastic trash bags. We stop at the river and wander through a local "neighbor hood". A woman talks with us…she speaks English and asks if we want a ride in the mangrove. We manage getting in the boat without falling into the muddy water. An elderly man stands on the back of the canoe using a long stick to push us through the mangrove. It is beautiful and so quiet except for the chatter of birds. The water is still with an amazing relective quality. A very calming experience. We spend the next few days taking in the quiet island. Life here is simple. In the villages people live at a slower pace and seem happy, content and spiritual. We are welcomed to enjoy their 
island. One day a local takes us in his small outrigger boat around the island. There are limestone cliffs with diving platforms, blow holes and occasional restaurants on the sand beach. There is an unusual suspension bridge between the 2 small islands. It is painted bright yellow. The bridge is very narrow only wide enough for pedestrians and motorcycles.The construction of the bridge looks questionable at best
Off to Nusa Penida. This island is the largest in the group but the least populated. There is little rainfall here and as a result not enough fresh water for crops or consumption. Most foodstuffs and water must be brought in. The island has great cultural and religious significance. When we were on Lembongan I mentioned to one of the locals we were going to Nusa Penida. He looked at me a bit confused. He told me the island is a place of evil spirits and people avoid living there. At first I thought he was kidding me. But he went on to say people shun the island. Some believe Jero Gede (the evil spirit) can bring disease and floods to Bali. The Hindu Balinese make annual pilgrimages to Nusa Penida to pray and make offerings to appease Jero Gede. The temple on the island is Pura Penetraran Dalem. It is quite large due to its spiritual importance. The Hindus bring flowers, food, and incense to pray to Ratu Gede (the good spirit!) to protect them.
Today Ann has arranged another Bemo and local to driver to help us explore the island. Rod “King of d Beach” greets us with a huge white smile. You immediately like him and his gregarious personality. His English is excellent. He is quite proud to tell us he has a Facebook page on which he calls himself the King of d Beach”!( The world continues to get smaller with internet everywhere!) He is a devout Muslim (for his generation) Rod is the son of a military man stationed in Java. There is not much in the way of tourism here but I think Rod could create it! His personality and laugh are contagious.
We are off to explore. Rod says the locals are very happy to share their island. We head for a sacred cave on the east coast of Nusa Penida, about 4 kilometres north of Suana village. From the road there is a steep concrete staircase leading to the entrance of the cave. Once uptop we found 5 men in traditional white dress around a table. There was a small altar with incense burning and the usual flower offering in a basket. Each had on a head band of white fabric tied in the back. Here we were given a sarong and sash so we could enter the temple cave appropriately. How anyone found the entrance in the rock is a mystery to me. We had to stoop down to about knee height and inch our way down into a black pit.
Once inside a few more steps in a stooped position. At one point we are o our hands and knees to manuever our way in. So much for the beautiful sarong. The rock opened up to a huge cathedral type cave. Close to 310 meters long. The "floor" was dirt and rock. In one section there were large spot lights where a crew of locals were working on an intricate tile design for a walkway. The sheer size of the cave was spiritual! This is a place of strength for Hindus. There were stalagmites and stalactites. A fresh water spring slowly ran along a section of the dirt floor creating a muddy swath. The locals consider the spring holy and collect water from it. Our“guide” who spoke no English stayed with us as we wandered around. There were a few modest Altars randomly set up. One area had kneelers for prayer. Our guide points to a grand stair case that leads up to another cave. The staircase is quite ornate with Hindu scenes carved into the sides and ornate hand rails. We climb the steps to find another small altar. The shrine is for the main spirit Goa Giri Putra. Our guide points to an offering tray on the altar. It has coins in it. We all look at each other wondering who has any Rupyiah? I find a few coins and put them in. He waits expectantly but there is no more money! He lights more incense and we fold our hands as he does. Next he finds a bowl with what I assume to be holy water and uses a small reed brush to sprinkle the water over us. We all stand quietly and pray. The positive energy from the temple filling our souls. My first Hindu experience. !!!
We are off to explore. Rod says the locals are very happy to share their island. We head for a sacred cave on the east coast of Nusa Penida, about 4 kilometres north of Suana village. From the road there is a steep concrete staircase leading to the entrance of the cave. Once uptop we found 5 men in traditional white dress around a table. There was a small altar with incense burning and the usual flower offering in a basket. Each had on a head band of white fabric tied in the back. Here we were given a sarong and sash so we could enter the temple cave appropriately. How anyone found the entrance in the rock is a mystery to me. We had to stoop down to about knee height and inch our way down into a black pit.
Once inside a few more steps in a stooped position. At one point we are o our hands and knees to manuever our way in. So much for the beautiful sarong. The rock opened up to a huge cathedral type cave. Close to 310 meters long. The "floor" was dirt and rock. In one section there were large spot lights where a crew of locals were working on an intricate tile design for a walkway. The sheer size of the cave was spiritual! This is a place of strength for Hindus. There were stalagmites and stalactites. A fresh water spring slowly ran along a section of the dirt floor creating a muddy swath. The locals consider the spring holy and collect water from it. Our“guide” who spoke no English stayed with us as we wandered around. There were a few modest Altars randomly set up. One area had kneelers for prayer. Our guide points to a grand stair case that leads up to another cave. The staircase is quite ornate with Hindu scenes carved into the sides and ornate hand rails. We climb the steps to find another small altar. The shrine is for the main spirit Goa Giri Putra. Our guide points to an offering tray on the altar. It has coins in it. We all look at each other wondering who has any Rupyiah? I find a few coins and put them in. He waits expectantly but there is no more money! He lights more incense and we fold our hands as he does. Next he finds a bowl with what I assume to be holy water and uses a small reed brush to sprinkle the water over us. We all stand quietly and pray. The positive energy from the temple filling our souls. My first Hindu experience. !!!
Today we are heading for Lombok. We have glassy seas. With little wind we motor sail with our Genoa out. After and hour we run into heavy current and now Blaze is fighting the tide. Our Speed drops. We opt to stop over at Gili Gedde. We drop anchor in a bay with pristine sand beaches. Later sitting on the bow we listen to the call to prayer. It seems to emenate from the lush foliage of the jungle. We sit in silence as the sun slowly drops into the sea.With our sailing adventure coming to a close we focus on our land excursion. We are off to Ubud in the north of Bali to find our "inner artist". This may be my bigggest challenge of the year! Hope everyone is well and enjoying a beautiful spring.
Selemant Jalan,
Captain Molly
and Swabbies Colleen and Denise