A Day of Arts and Crafts

Having been a fiber artist for years, I was looking forward to visiting some of the villages where native crafts are done. I was disappointed that we did not have time to go over to Bali as I wanted to find some batik fabrics. However, Dennis arranged a private tour for us to go to several villages with a driver and a guide. They knew what we wanted to see and took us everywhere in an all day adventure.

We had visited the pottery village of Banyumulek and its retail store with the WARC on our tour. Some of the people made pottery with the village ladies while the rest of us watched. It was fun watching the children watch us! As for the children, they are sweet and love to have their photos taken. Unfortunately, my blonde hair scares some of them. The adults say they think I am a ghost!


On the way to the pottery village, we rode in horse carts. Obviously, we are much taller than the locals so it was hard to sit up without hitting our heads. While a little uncomfortable, it was a fun experience. Unfortunately, the big pots I liked would not fit on the boat! We like to leave a little money with the locals so we bought a couple of small items.


The World ARC does a nice job of showing us the culture and people of the various countries through the tours and events they plan for us. It makes it easy to just get off the boat and into a bus. No planning, no hassles! I like it!

We continued to walk through the village and meet people. Of course, they were all trying to sell us little handmade souvenirs, but I have tried not to come home with a bunch of stuff! At the far end of the village, the bus was waiting to take us to the Pottery Cooperative store where they sell everything under the sun made of their red clay.

Cute kids in the weaving village.

On our own, we spent a day with a driver and our guide Alik. We went first to Mataram to find the capacitor for the feed water pump. Success!

The next stop was the ikat weaving village. This is what I wanted to see. We were told that in this village if a village woman does not know how to weave, she cannot marry! So the girls learn to weave from the age of ten.

Winding a warp

I was disappointed that I did not see them using the warp dyed technic, but the pieces I bought are of that type. Since the retail shop is a cooperative, there is a great variety of colors, patterns, sizes and style from which to choose. The are done by different artists so each piece is a little unique.

First we walked through the village and visited the homes where the weavers were working on back strap looms. One pair of ladies were winding a warp for a new project. They use very fine yarns. I never had the patience for that. Better to buy than fight the process. Besides, I donated by whole weaving studio to Wayne State University's Fiber Department when we sold our house.

I can't imagine sitting on the ground in this position everyday. I can't even sit like that, at all!

It amazed me that so much of this fiber art is still woven on back strap looms. Of course, there is a lot of machine woven fabrics that look like they were handwoven on the market. They are the less expensive ones. I doubt that these women are paid much for their finished pieces. They send them to the cooperative store to be sold. No one attempted to sell directly to us. Of course, we were with a guide during the village tour.

Apparently, the men do the warp dyed ikat

weaving, but none were working when

we were touring the village.

From there we went to a traditional village where 27 families continue to live as they have for centuries. Although they have electricity and mobile phones now, their housing and lifestyle is the traditional type. It is somewhat like the Amish communities in the USA.

These are hollowed out pumpkins (or as we would call them,

gourds) that were used to carry rice or water.

Our guide's sister married into this village and lives there. They still store their rice in a rice house like the one pictured here. It is on stilts to keep it dry and allow air to flow underneath. It also keeps animals out of it.

All natural materials are used to build the houses.

They somehow enter through the little door at the top to fill it and retrieve rice. I don't know how they get to the rice at the bottom unless there is another door underneath. It wasn't that far off the ground.

The houses are built up on clay slabs to keep the water out. The walls and roofs are all natural materials and have to be replaced from time to time.

An old way to catch rain water with a

modern touch!

The family barn

I found it interesting that they do not put their cattle out to graze in the fields. Instead, they cut the food and bring it to the cattle.

The community center

A typical cook stove

And, of course, a gift shop on the way out of the village!

Our guide, Alik, didn’t know what batik was. He thought it was ikat. Since a friend of ours had been at the batik gallery the previous day, I knew we were near it. Finally, he found a source that directed us to the right place. It was fascinating to watch the young girls working with the hot wax to create patterns. We bought an interesting art piece. Now I need a wall on which to hang it!

In batik, you apply hot wax to block out areas from the dye. After the first dip into the dye, the fabric is dried. Then you block out additional design areas and tip it into the next dye bath. This process is continued as many times as necessary to get the patterns. If you see white on a piece of batik, the wax was kept in place until all dying was completed. It is a long process that requires patience!

On the way back to the boat, we stopped at several of their beautiful beaches and we saw a wedding procession along the road in one little village. The bride and groom each walk under an umbrella, but at opposite ends of the procession. Interesting!

Crab tracks in the sand

The bride doesn't look too happy!

All in all, it was a very busy day filled with many adventures. We were exhausted and definitely thought the tour company had done a fabulous job of showing us the island and what we wanted to see. Plus we got to buy the part we needed!

A New Country: A New Culture

Local market

Indonesia is primarily a Muslim country where some of the women wear the head scarves and many do not. They follow a more relaxed form of Islam, only praying three times a day instead of five. We try to dress discretely while trying to stay cool. We are less than 500 miles south of the equator so it is hot! My golfing pals know how I dislike the heat!

The people of Lombok are not as strict in their religion as in other areas, but we do hear the call to prayer at all hours of the day and night. Fortunately, we are anchored off a small island (known as a “Gili”) so it comes wafting over the water which is easier to take than being on land near the loud speakers. Due to religious holidays, we heard a lot of messages over the loud speakers that reach throughout the villages.

There are many mosques throughout the main island of Lombok, just like all of the various churches in America. We visited the unique Hindu temple “Lingsar” that was built in 1714 and rebuilt in 1878 and is still pretty much intact.

What is unique about it is that four religions worship there: Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists and Catholics (which probably means Christians in general). What a fine example of Peace on Earth!

Amazing ancient carvings are everywhere.

At the site of the Holy Water fountains.

There are four flowing pipes of Holy Water: one for each of the four religions all flowing from the same source. The practice is to cup your hands and take a small drink and wipe your face with the rest of the water at each of the four. This shows unity. It was also refreshing and since it was raining, no one cared that they were getting wet.

We gals having fun in the rain!

Locals praying at the mosque

The guides all tell us that Lombok means “chili pepper.” They do not eat pork as they do on many islands including their nearby neighbor Bali. Chicken, fish, rice and vegetables are the main fare here.

The food has been very tasty and not as hot as I feared, since I am a “mild minus” kind of gal! I love the peanut sauce and a sweet soy sauce, but anything red is too hot for me! When at the market, I bought a few of the local brands of sauces that I may not find back home.

We are at the ATM to get local currency so we can buy

our SIM and data cards as we are eager for Internet time

Speaking of heat, it is hot here! The grass is even too hot for bare feet. The teak deck is a scorcher! And we have to take our shoes off before entering any structure so we end up on hot cement or stones. OUCH!

For the first stop on our World ARC group tour, we were taken to a traditional daily market about 2 km from where we landed on the mainland. Some villages have daily or weekly markets.

Our Palomino horse cart. A blonde for a blonde!

Like all markets, it is good to get there early for a good selection. There were some interesting things as usual. The Lombok people don’t mind having their picture taken; in fact, they like it and will pose. I always try to get the more natural shot, but did oblige a few of them. However, I thought the markets in the South Pacific islands were much cleaner and had more variety.

Want lunch? Here is a street vendor's cart.

On our WARC tour, we visited the capital city of Mataram and the old mosque. Since we had a huge downpour during the afternoon, the bus stopped at a pearl store and the big mall. It gave us places to go without getting wet. Let’s just say that the pearl store had a good day!

I am the lucky owner of a large gold pearl. Gold pearls are only found in this area. Happy Birthday to me! Or Happy Anniversary to us?

Sweet curious little faces everywhere.

The children are delightful - and curious about blonde hair.

The WARC family table for lunch!

We had lunch of a typical Sasak food “Ayam Taliwang” at the iconic Taliwang Raja Restaurant, which was very good. The restaurant was open -air and had a beautiful Japanese type garden at the entrance. Lunch was wonderful and the presentation quite simple by beautiful. The WARC does a nice job of finding cultural experiences for us.

It was a wonderful meal of things we had never had before.

Our new Indonesian daughter! What's one more?

We were taken to the big (and I think, only Mall to shop, check out the supermarket and buy phone cards. The young woman who helped us called us "American Mama and Papa" and wanted her picture taken with us. I guess we were a novelty to her!

Heading to Indonesia!

Young Endeavor

Leaving Darwin, AU was an interesting experience. First, the WARC had to get all of the boats out of the marina and through the lock one at a time while the tide was high. We were scheduled to be in the lock at 0800 and we were. Once out of the lock and across the mud flats into the channel, we anchored to wait for the 1100 WARC Rally Start.

There was no wind for the Start. Gennakers collapsed

shortly after this shot was taken. Slowest Start ever!

The Start was at Stokes Hill Wharf, with the training ship Young Endeavor as the offshore mark. There was no wind – as in zero! We all tried to sail out of the harbor to give on onlookers a sight to behold, but it was painfully slow. Boats were changing sail plans on the fly. Even the lightest genakers would not stand. And so the motoring began…

We motored, we motor-sailed, and we sailed some. It was very slow 920 nm passage! It took us six days and we motored 44 hours of it. Needless to say, the Rally ordered extra fuel for delivery to all boats. While pleasant without any mal de mare for me, it was boring. I read three books and did a lot of cooking en route since it was nearly like being at anchor.

There was a nasty current against us most of the way!

Trillium’s great fishing team of Dennis and Sheila did not provide any food for the table either! I couldn’t understand why they kept using the same lures every day when nothing was biting them. What is the definition of insanity? At least no one had to clean a fish! We saw a couple of whales and a few dolphins came alongside to swim with Trillium.

On our last night at sea, a large web-footed bird with a long blue beak landed on the dorade on our aft deck.  It looked like some type of Booby.  He stayed quite a while until we invited him to move because he was crapping all over the teak. He flew around us several times and landed on the grill on the aft rail. Since we did not want that whitewashed, Dennis shooed him away again.

This time he took up residency on top of the MOM-8 and hid behind the antennae pole. I think he thought we couldn’t see him. Since his tail was pointed in the right direction, we let him stay there. He rode along until about 0300 the next day. Obviously, the bird was tired or not feeling well. Apparently, when it felt well enough, it took flight.

We did get to fly Big Blue some.

There is not much in the way of marine services there at the southwest end of Lombok. We are anchored off Gili Gebe and have to take water taxis to the mainland. Our feed water pump melted a capacitor and stopped working so we had to carefully manage our water usage en route. Everyone was happy to dive in the water once we anchored! It is a little $4 part, but it can sure shut you down fast. We found one in town and also bought a spare. All is well now.

You can see there is little wind so motor sailing was the way!

Now for the island fun to begin…

Jumping Crocodiles and More!

The wetlands of the Adelaide River.

The World ARC offered a trip to see the Jumping Crocodiles on the Adelaide River. Dennis stayed behind as a tradesman was coming on board to look at something. This had been a tour that we passed on when we were here before. It was so hot in Darwin that I figured a ride in an air conditioned bus was a good idea.

The wetlands extend for miles. When flooded, the crocs

and other animals take up residency.

First we stopped at a Window on the Wetlands Nature Reserve to see the exhibits and learn about the importance of the wetlands. In this area, the tides can be up to 8 meters high which floods inland for miles. Then in the rainy season, the wetlands also flood. Wetlands are essential in the scheme of nature and they are diminishing on earth as man fills them in to build! We all need to be aware of their importance to the whole ecosystem and protect them.

Stuart and Pat on Brizo

The wetlands in this area are inhabited by crocodiles, wild buffalo and many species of birds and fish. The crocodiles are actually protected here. I figured they were a nuisance and could be hunter like we hunt the Michigan White Tailed Deer. Apparently, the rivers and surrounding wetlands depend on the coexistence with the crocs. The Park Ranger gave a very detail description of how it all works.

See the black earth in a distance. The natives knew to burn

the lower under bush and sometimes lightening starts the burn.

Then we were off to see the jumping crocodiles! The group boarded a double decker tourist boat for a trip up and down the Adelaide River, home to over 1600 crocodiles. The tour guide said the better views were inside the lower level, but everyone raced to get up to the open top deck. I headed down and got a window seat. Not only was it air conditioned, but I also got a close up view of the crocodiles right outside my window.

More than 30 years ago, the Australian Saltwater Crocodile was protected as they were believed to be facing extinction. Today there are more than 80,000 Saltwater Crocodiles roaming the waterways for Northern Australia. However, it is relatively rare to see one even though you hear of the rare incident of one killing a human.

Since they are cold blooded animals, they bask in the sun during the cooler months of June, July and early August. Most of the time they are buried in the mud, under the trees in the shade. They like to hang out in the mangroves along the beaches so it is unwise to go ashore or swimming there.

Wild buffalo along the road.

There on the Adelaide River, the crocs know the tour boats and that they will be fed so they come out of their hiding spots to the boat to vie for a piece of meat. The tour guide fed meat hanging on a line from a pole to the crocodiles. The guide splashed the meat in the water to entice these prehistoric creatures to leap out of the water. It is carefully monitored so the crocs don't become dependent on the meat as their main source of food.

This big guy is swimming around waiting to pounce.

I am glad I went on the tour as I learned a lot and it was relatively entertaining. Plus I was in air conditioning all day! Actually, we have been running the two air conditioners on the boat most of the day and night. We only switch it off when we have to move to charging the batteries.


It is extremely hot here in Darwin. We are near a latitude of 12 degrees south of the equator so we are in the tropics! It is going to get worse as we head to Indonesia and get closer to it. I don't love the heat so I am not looking forward to being away from shore power and air conditioning for the next few months! With a new crew guy on board, I will have to dress appropriately, instead of comfortably!

Note: this female has no forearms.

The water is deep here, but they lift themselves up out of

the water. Quite amazing in strength.

Winding our way down the Adelaide River

Soon we will be heading out through the lock of the marina, crossing the reefs at high tide and heading to the Start Line for the leg to Indonesia. It should take 5-6 days to get to Lombok, but there is no wind predicted so it may take longer. We can't use up a lot of fuel this early in the trip as we have thousands of miles to go and not many places to refuel. This may become the slow boat to China.

We are at the blue dot in the lower right corner.

This year I got to celebrate my birthday in Australia. Last year it was in Vanuatu and in Fiji the year before. What a lucky lady I am! Dennis and I had a date night with dinner in the city away from the sailing gang.

Sheila surprised me by decorating the boat for my birthday.

Note: I have scheduled these posts to come out while we are at sea and without Internet. I may not be posting live again for a couple of months.