Puteri Harbour marina

You get a good impression of the new and grand developments in building when you enter the very spacious and luxury Puteri Harbour marina. In the background you see the new State administration offices. The modern 'marina clubhouse' is air conditioned, has a roomy reception with very friendly staff and on the first floor you'll find an extended maquette with the future developments in the area. A beautiful garden with palms in front of the clubhouse offers shadowy patches and the views from the terrace of the restaurant are the best.

And then the surprise when we discover there are three more yachts with (ex-)Dutchies from which two are our friends Hans and Fien from 'Pelikaan' of Sydney! We have a sushi-party on board 'Alexandra' and get to know the nice couple Rob and Jacqueline of 'Mary Eliza'. When there is a request from the marina management to join a small sail pass, we decide to go together as Dutchies and decorate both the boat as ourselves. Hans of Fien makes a top impression with his Thai cap and also Fien succeeds in a very subtle hair covering. Rob turns out to be an excellent trumpet player and it doesn't take long that a canon of real Dutch songs sounds over the Johor Strait. Also Henk and Loes of 'Gentle Lady' who emigrated 50 years ago to western Australia, join in enthusiastically. Coming back into the marina Rob starts with some international songs and also on board the other boats we hear singing and see them clapping. Great fun everywhere!

Another evening we have a musical session by several yachties and also Rob is playing some real good tunes there. The known songs are joined in by all of us and dancing is very popular under yachties. The staff of the marina has started a tasty BBQ and again we have a very good time together. On November 12th we start with a serenade of Dutch birthday songs on trumpet and in the evening we have a good party on the jetty next to 'Alexandra'. The upside down dinghy we can use as a table and Hans is like a magician when he suddenly pours light into a few metre of plastic hose by which the area is cosy lit. Several shipcooks succeeded to offer some fine bites to accompany the drinks.

Slideshow PuteriMarina

Sail Malaysia Rally

In Danga Bay near Puteri marina in the south of Malaysia we have some interesting presentations about sailing in Malaysia and exhibitions about the future developments in the state of Johore. Sometimes you get the impression of the Dubai area here: futuristic buildings for working and living: if anybody is interested in investing in a luxury appartment, you should do here and now!

In the evenings we were offered very good buffets with all kinds of local food, but the first night we were happy to have our umbrella's with us while the rain is pouring down. Happily we could place tables and chairs on the roofed veranda's, so we still could enjoy the fine food. The next evening the weather was working with us and all the dancing and performances worked out very well. Especially the finale where all the yachties were invited to join the professional dancers was a great happening together.

We join the tour in and around Johore Bahru. The Sultan Abu Bakar mosque is a fine piece of architecture build between 1892 and 1900 with a lot of detail as is the State Secretariat building with the 64-metre-high square tower overlooking the city centre. Everything you want to know about the growing and culture of pineapples you'll find in the special 'Muzium Nanas'. Then we find ourselves on the most southern tip of Malaysia and SE-Asia and we are overlooking the Johor and Singapore Straits with always a lot of boats at anchor. The new Secretariat Buildings and Administrative Center of the State Johore are planned in a new area where there is room enough to build as if all building have to be palaces. Very impressive is also the monument where you can read the history of the southern part of Malaysia.

Slideshow SailMalaysia

Singapore

A short flash back to our entering of Singapore on October 30th. In the early morning we see the contours of Singapore city and the anchored tankers and containervessels. There is a lot of activity on the oil rig platforms at the beginning of Johor Strait. On the northern border (the Malaysian side) Singapore has set up a fence and we see signs and hear tapes with the message not to enter the island illegal. If Singapore would allow all people that are interested to come and live there, the island the population would almost double and the island is already too small for the recent inhabitants.

We exchange our Asia airmiles for a ride with the new big wheel in the middle of Singapore. The recently placed Christmas decorations make the streets festive. We are quite lucky with the weather during our airtrip: it is not raining but there are dark clouds hanging around. Just before we enter the cabin of the wheel with 8-10 other visitors we get an audioguide that corresponds with a map and the area we can see with the most important buildings and higlights of Singapore.

Very slowly our cabin rises and we see the sea and the different area's. Singapore is the 'lion city' and the 'merlion' is the symbol of Singapore, a statue half mermaid and half lion. In the new harbour there are many buildings and works under construction. Interesting is the open air stadion where the tribunes are on the land and the football field is on a big pontoon in the water. We've heard that there is also a pontoon with tenniscourts that can replace the footballfield pontoon.

In the end we get a good sight on the 'dourians', the two new theatre complexes in Singapore. The dourian is a tropical fruit with a special scent (some say they stink) and special taste (some call it heavenly). With these special shape and look Singapore hopes to get attention to her theatres like the Opera House in Sydney and the Stopera in Amsterdam. The 'spikes' on the dourians are also very practical sunshades on the side and roof of the buildings.

Slideshow Singapore

Belitung and farewell Indonesia

Belitung island is situated on the southeast coast of Sumatra and the welcome is warm and friendly. There are beautiful and sometimes funny presentations with music and dance by both adults as by the children of the island. Every day on arrival at the beach our dinghy's are well lined up on the shore and the activities in the air attract a lot of local people and families. With regularity students take initiative to a conversation with us to practice their english. Of course they want a friend to take a picture of them together with the foreign yachties.
The welcome dinner, also the farewell party for the participants of the Rally through Indonesia, is a wonderful event with special music, the exchange of presents, an elaborate Indonesian buffet and again a lot of dances and music. The expectation is that we also make a contribution to the dances.

By bus we visit a layang layang festival, a kite happening with kites in all colours, shapes and sizes. It is a feast to walk around and see the the movements in the air. In a traditional wooden house with veranda beautiful girls perform a welcoming dance after which we are invited to have lunch. We sit in small groups on the floor around a bowl of rice and several dishes of meat and vegetables. According to the tradition we have to eat the food with our (right)hand, so no cuttlery has been supplied. Interesting and wonderful is our next visit to the Kampong Bali, the village where people from the island Bali live and keep their traditions alive. Music, dances, special snacks and then the youth of the village that try to scare us off with their real big and terrifying puppets, bad spirits probably. Lots of fun both by the youth as by the visitors!

After the last formalities with the Indonesian authorities we can leave. The first two nights and days we have no wind at all, so the engine has to do the job. We also pass once more the equator. Wednesday evening we approach the Strait of Singapore and we have to do a good watch to cross the shipping lanes without accidents. There is some breeze around here and during the rest of the night we continue under sail. In the morning we can see how many tankers, freight and container ships are anchored and also in the shipping lanes we see pass big vessels every 15 minutes. We follow the coastline of Singapore and sail into Johor river with Singapore on our right and Malaysia on our left side. A lot of harbour activities and we are happy to be moored in a spacious berth in the new and luxury Puteri marina near Johor Bahru in Malaysia.

Slide show Belitung

Java

With a small group of sailors of the Rally we make an organized tour by coach over central Java. In Solo we visit a batik atelier annex showroom. By waxing patterns on cotton cloth and immerse them in dye baths of different colour, beautiful designs appear.

The Hindu temples of the Prambanan temple complex are the best preserved remnants of the Hindu period in Java, although the restauration is still under construction, also due to an earthquake a few years ago. Most impressive are the sculptures on the great Shiva temple. In the evening we enjoy in an outdoor theatre the colourfull and spectacular Ramayana musical/ballet, telling the story of Rama and Shinta.

A visit to the Kraton of the sultan, his palace, is one of the highlights in Yogyakarta. The guards of the Kraton, you can regocnize them on their blue tunik, brown batik sarong and on their back fastened 'kris' (short dagger), are volunteers, faithfull and wise men, who are on duty once in a fortnight.

The Borobudur is a intriguing monument, expressing the Buddhist vision of the cosmos in stone, build on a hill. There are 9 terraces with fine and detailed mural sculptures, every level expressing a next step on the way to Nirvana, the Buddhist heaven. The higher we come the more serene-faced Buddhas (in stone) you encounter and on the top three terraces you find the so-called stupas.

We also visit local restaruants, ateliers for wood, leather and silver, small shops, a museum and every night we are expected in a good and welcoming hotel. A pleasant and interesting week away from the floating home and discovering some treasures of central Java.

Karimunjawa

The archipelago of Karimunjawa is situated 80 km north of Samarang on the north coast of Java and we are anchored on the west side of the main island Karimunjawa. On Saturday we are invited for a welcoming party and everybody has done its utmost to make it a succesfull evening. There are a few speeches, a local singer, a tastefull buffet and a gamelan orchestra with not only female dancers but also a nice group of young and cool male dancers. After the meal wonderfully dressed figures from the old legends appear on stage and there are real fights between the good and bad characters. Once of a sudden we are also part of the play and with a wooden mask tight on our nose we do our best to tune in and dance with the other heroes.

Sunday morning we meet the local people that are gathered on the central square in town. Once more there is gamelan music, dances, tai kwondo fights and something to eat and to drink. These are also festivities for the inhabitants of Karmunjawa and we can see how they enjoy the the presentations. Quite a lot of the ladies have prepared fish and snacks and small bites and we try the local specialities. After the happening we make a 'jalan jalan', a walk through the village and end up in the harbour with the fishing boats.

Slideshow KarimanJawa

Bali

Sailing along the north coast of Bali we see several high mountains on the island, some of which with vulcanic power, an impressive sight. Lovina Beach is again a gathering place for participants of the Sail Indonesia Rally. On the tour over north Bali we visit a Hindoe temple, the local market and the museum of the area. Lunch starts with the tasting of several beers of the local brewery Storm, followed by an excellent buffet. In the peacefull gardens and buildings of the Buddhist monestary we can stretch our legs, after which we visit a silversmith family before taking a refreshing dive in the baths feed by a hot water spring (just below the temperature of the environment).

In the evening on the beach we sit next to the gamelan orchestra that performs traditional Balines music on gongs, xylophones, drums and flutes. Handsome and slender girls in colourfull costumes make complicated dancepasses, athletic headnods and subtile fingermovements. We experience a lot of atmosphere and on friday night there is a spectaculair music and dance show to welcome the complete sailing fleet, followed by an extended and good dinner in one of the restaurants on the 'boulevard'.

Sunday evening we start with a colourfull performance of the very young Balinese talent, after which we take a seat before or behind the screen of the 'wajang' theatre, also build on the beach. Behind the screen an oil lamp is burning and the wajang storyteller has been settled with his 'kulits' (the flat wajang puppets of dried animal skin). Next to him are the musicians of the gamelan orchestra with their instruments. It's a pity we don't understand 'Bahasa Indonesia (the Indonesian language), but with a lot of music and an extended story of the narrator the different characters of the old legends come as shadows on the screen to life. The presentation can take for hours while the spectators empathize with the good and the bad fellows to pick up, chastened by the wisdom of their heroes, their daily lifes again.

Slideshow Bali