Sailing Adventures Indonesia

We decided to end my trip with a few days on land. After seeing Waecicu bay, we decided it was the perfect spot - handy to Bajo, therefore the airport, but quiet, sheltered and had stellar views. We went there in the dinghy to have a look at what options there were.
Waecicu Eden was the pick for us. 10 cute individual bungalows, scattered up the hill, so everyone had 180 degree views and absolute privacy. The restaurant area was a huge thatched pavilion right on the beach. Low key, natural and authentic.
It also had a couple of mooring balls just off the beach, so Dale dropped me off then went back and moved Thetis over so we could keep an eye on her.
When I showed the young man on the counter my booking, he seemed surprise to have an impromptu booking (I’d booked 1/2 hr prior). My booking was for a standard room. Turns these are at the very top of the complex. He says ‘Madam I will upgrade you, okay? Standard is too high’. Did he take pity because of the grey hairs, or did he want to avoid a medical emergency if we had to go right to the top ? That is the downside of these bungalows - stairs - oh boy! We sure had good cardio work here!

Just as Dale arrived with the boat, a storm came scudding across the bay. It was amazing watching it from on high (when I’m high and dry on land!). 😅😅
The first night we were the only guests, although 3 more couples arrived over the next few days. The others were all Europeans - Dutch or German I think. They were very restrained and not interested in talking, so who knows?
On the beach there were lots of blue-green pebbles, and larger ones had been collected and set into the concrete stairs. I asked about them, and they are the same as at ‘Batu Baru’, (AKA Blue Stone Beach) - a beach famous for its blue pebbles. Apparently they are volcanic in origin and high in copper and feldspar and are ‘silicised’ making them a geological phenomenon. There may be a handful in my luggage!

The other interesting thing was the huge population of centipedes. They were everywhere- ground, beach, paths, stairs, even up on the balconies and bathroom at our room. They don’t bother you, just crawl along seemingly pointlessly.

On our last night, we kayaked to the next resort to eat at their restaurant. I hitched my dress up and tied it in a knot around my waist (you always get a wet bum in the kayak) and off we paddled. Between our resort and the next is a really long wooden jetty, with X style bracing between the posts. To save paddling all the way out and around it - almost a km, I lay down flat and squeezed between the bracing - just! Let’s just say it would have been more comfortable if I’d had a flat chest and smaller noggin!
When we got to the restaurant we hauled the kayaks up onto a timber deck, I untied my dress, shook it out, then wandered in among the movers and shakers. (This place charges at least 3 times per night what ours does).
Dinner was nice and the view great. It was a nice way to spend our last night. After we finished, we disappeared down the stairs, grabbed the kayaks, put on our headlamps, hitched the frock and paddled into the night.

This morning I packed, and after breakfast, sat and enjoyed the view. The staff told me there were monkeys in the forest, but we hadn’t seen any. Then Dale spotted a couple on the beach. The male was excavating a crab hole, and trying to extract a crab breakfast. He gave it a good go, but gave up and headed back to the forest.
The tide was very low when we loaded the dinghy. I sat in it with the luggage while Dale kind of scooted it along (with one leg like on a scooter) until we were deep enough! 😅😅😅
On the plane from Bajo to Bali, I was seated next to a local lady who clearly hadn’t flown before. She didn’t know how to use her seatbelt, so I helped. She then called out to her companions across the aisle and said something in Indonesian. Next thing she’s grinning like mad while her friend took photos of her with me. I’m such a celeb! Or maybe just odd looking? Hmmmm…
Now I’m in Denpasar, waiting to check in, and finishing this record of the trip. It has been fascinating, at times a bit hard, and sometimes not glamorous, but what an experience! I am fortunate ❤️Baca selengkapnya