We have reach Flores, a long, narrow island, and at last we have found a little traditional village that is clean, neat, and delightful. We are anchored in a small bay very close to the rocky shore. These volcanic islands drop straight into the depths of the sea. so in the centre of the bay we were in more than 200 m. A couple of boats put stern lines out to the cliffs on one side, but we had a rocky beach behind so thought we had enough depth if we swung. Children paddled canoes or swam out to see us when we arrived, hoping for pens and exercise books (though they don't pester and always say thank you). The men come hoping to sell bananas and drinking coconuts and asking for fishing lures.
On shore wooden dug-out canoes and larger boats designed to take a motor are being built. No road access at all, so a motor boat with a chugging diesel engine is used for all communication. Not even a mobile phone mast here, though most villages of any size do have one these days. The village was up a steep track, past a suprisingly large school where all the children rushed to doors and windows as we passed to shout 'hello mister'. The houses are wooden with thatched roofs, and little patches of cultivated ground for banana, papaya and a few vegetables. All neatly fenced as protection from the pigs and chickens.
How we wish we could speak a bit more Bahasa Indonesia, the national language (a second language for most people) We can manage the basic good morning, how much, good, thank you etc. and it is a very simple language (eg breakfast is eat morning, lunch is eat midday). We asked for water and had taken a small jerry can with us, and while it filled a group of women were chatting and laughing around us. The water seems to be piped from the mountain behind, and looks good though we only use it for washing clothes and ourselves, keeping the Aussie tank water for cooking washing up and drinking.
On the way to the village from our last anchorage we anchored off a reef for a couple of hours to snorkel. The water was incredibly clear, in the high sunlight you could see the bottom 15m below the boat. The coral was beautiful, lots of different types of soft corals, sponges, and feathery worms. Very very few fish though, and the ones there were were of home aquarium size. This whole area is very fished out - the markets are selling fish that we would normally put back in the water. Not that we have caught anything at all recently - and were very happy to be invited to dinner on another boat as they had managed to hook a mahi mahi and a large wahoo on one day. The only two fish we have heard of anyone catching around here.
In fact this rally is not an epicurian feast! We have eaten out in the small towns we have been in, and have had various 'gala dinners' of welcome, but it is very rice based, and any fish or chicken is very over-cooked. Vegetables are quite good, so it is a good place for vegetarians. On board we still have a vacuum packed ham, but will soon be eating tins of tuna, stew and bully beef if no fish appear.
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