Rangko Caves
2月2日, インドネシア ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
I’d been doing some reading and discovered we were not far from Gua Rangko (Cave), which looked interesting.
Of course, the government ban on tourist boats is still in place (been extended to 9 Feb), but we figured it was worth a look.
We went by dinghy - it didn’t LOOK far. On the way there, the water was calm and we had blue skies and sunshine. Oh boy this place is glorious under a blue sky!
The trip was about twice the distance it seemed, but pleasant enough, despite the prevalence of trash in the water at times.
A long wooden pier told us we had arrived at the correct beach. Once we were on land there were a myriad of signs, so we followed the trail up into the forest, which rapidly became rougher then petered out completely. We had noticed just before that a lookout that had been cleared, a rough sign ‘Janlgan Sampah’ which we figured must be another ‘Point of Interest’, so went back for a look. A hole beside the track had stone steps leading down to a cave - the cave we were looking for! We wondered why it didn’t say ‘Gua Rangko’ and thought it must have a local name too. No, the sign says ‘Don’t litter’ 😂😂😂
The cave is in the limestone hill, and has stalactites and stalagmites, has a salt (very salty) water pool, that when the light hits it, is turquoise. Just beautiful! It obviously extends underground to the sea, but we couldn’t see where.
We had a snack and a drink, then went down to explore it. The water was cool, and so easy to float in! And we had it all to ourselves. I’d have happily stayed to late afternoon, but eagle-eyed Dale was eyeing the sky!
Back to the dinghy and off we went.
This time the water decided to make it more exciting, and gave us some nice swell to fight. I have finally learned how to ride the waves and not just sit there and let the waves crush my spinal cord. I still missed a few and got a sound whack, but being proactive and reading the waves sure saves a lot of tail bone and lower back beating - though a bit of shoulder strain from hanging on to the rope! The threatening storm skirted us, and we got back to Eden safely, thrilled with our outing.
To finish the trip on a high note, we decided to go to the upmarket resort next door for dinner. It was a lovely night, and a fitting end to a really memorable trip. And in keeping with the rest, getting there was an adventure - see the Waecicu ‘footprint’ as I’m all over the place!
Til next time …もっと詳しく
Pantai Waecicu (Waecicu Beach)
2月3日, インドネシア ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
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 ❤️もっと詳しく
Best Laid plans
4月5日, インドネシア ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C
The problem with adventure travel, is that sometimes it’s a bit … well … adventurous!
While I was back home living reality day to day, Dale remained in Indonesia, to continue sailing. He actually spent about 4 weeks in beautiful Waicicu Bay, before collecting two young Backpackers for the next leg of the journey to Sorong.
These adventurous 25 year olds - Leon, German, and Karmen ftom South Africa, were travelling cross country aiming ultimately for Australia, but asked to sail with Dale to Sorong so they could explore Raja Ampat. They aren’t sailors, but young, fit and energetic and good company.
During his time at Waicicu, he took care of a few maintenance items, and accidentally scratched his leg a little when he slipped. Very minor injury, life goes on. Or does it?
They started their crossing towards Sorong - a 7 to 10 day passage.
A couple of days enroute, Dale commented that he might be coming down with a virus - aches, and feeling tired. He sent me photos of his leg, as it ached a little. Seemed like a very minor scratch, not red. He started treating it with antibiotic cream we had on board.
By sunset when they anchored at Tomea Island in the southern Wakatobi area, he was ill, high fever and his whole left from the knee down was swollen and shiny red! I shared the photos with a nurse friend, who advised getting to a hospital. A bit of online sleuthing established that the closest regional hospital at Bau Bau was 22 hrs sailing away, and a decent one was 36 hrs north in Kendari. No airports anywhere nearby either. Obviously medical help was urgent, but it was too dangerous to try to get to land without at least moonlight, in an unfamiliar bay.
I spoke with Leon and Karmen about Dale’s diabetes, and asked them to set an alarm to monitor him (and his Glucose levels, every 3 hours. With fever making him a bit delirious, I was concerned that he wouldn’t manage to monitor it himself, and the last thing we needed was him losing consciousness due to low sugar.
The morning saw the trio in the dinghy, heading up shore. Due to the low tide, the dinghy motor soon became inoperable. Leon and skater tried paddling but that wasn’t really getting them anywhere, so Dale jumped overboard and pushed the boat to shore. The worst thing you can do with open, infected wounds!
There is a common belief in cold climates, that bathing wounds in seawater in beneficial. If that is the case in some climates, it most definitely isn’t in the tropics!
Dale at the medical clinic where he was treated with broad spectrum antibiotics by IV, and given a course of oral ones to start, pain meds and antiseptic etc.
The following morning they set sail at dawn for the crossing to Ambon - about 3 days sailing (24 hrs a day). I called at about 8:30 to check in on the patient. He reported feeling better - no fever, and the leg was painful, but manageable with pain killers. Then he sent photos of the leg which had developed a series of large, dark purple patches, with a black lumps erupting in the centre of each patch. It looked like aliens were trying to escape from the flesh.
Again I consulted with medical friends - Dr daughter and nurse friends. They were unanimous- get to a hospital - preferably in Australia. I called him and suggested turning back to Tomea, and lying down with his foot elevated until they arrived. But as they say, if it doesn’t rain it pours - in this case they were in the middle of a storm so changing direction - managing sails etc was difficult, and not without risk, even for an experienced sailor. Without doubt, it was beyond the abilities of our backpacker guests. Dale actively managed the boat through the storm and back to Tomea.
As soon as they returned to Tomea, they went to the local hospital clinic. Dale was given a double IV infusion, the leg dressed, and a transfer arranged to Hermina Hospital in Kendari, a city to the north for the next day.
After treatment they returned to the boat for the night, then by 6am Dale was back on shore. Leaving his precious yacht in the care of 2 young travellers who he’d known for about 4 days.
The arranged transfer consisted in being booked on a ‘fast ferry’ which left from the other side of Tomea, and a ticket on the local inter-island ferry. Dale got a lift on a scooter across Tomea to the first ferry, then from the dock at the next island, Wanci Wanci, to the main ferry wharf there, to catch the local ferry. All of this with a hugely infected, very painful leg.
The main wharf area at Wanci is bustling, chaotic and very ‘colourful’. Wonderful to experience when you are well. Dale wasn’t well! On arrival at the boat he had to go back to the street, to the ticket office where he showed his digital booking, and buy his physical ticket. And of course get back onto the boat.
He’d been advised to request a bunk, but of course being the end of Ramadam, the major public holiday, they were sold out. The boat was absolutely crowded. His ticket merely gave him access to the boat,
Boarding these ferries is via a steep, narrow gang plank. Carrying luggage makes this quite an effort when you aren’t ill or injured.
The ferry ticket does entitle you to a bunk if you arrive early enough. There are no seats on the ferry, so if you can’t get a bunk, your options are to stand, sit or lie on floor. As the ferry was at capacity (most like at double its intended capacity) all of the floor area in the lower decks and passageways were full. The unlucky were the top deck, open to the sun for the 10 hours.
Dale found a sheltered nook between stacks of cargo, in this case, polystyrene boxes. He spread his towel on the deck, elevated his keg using his bag, and slept for a couple of hours.
On waking he found he was lying in water - oozing from the seafood on ice, that turned out to be in the stacked polystyrene boxes. Fishy water.
This wasn’t the only thing that was oozing. Dale’s bad leg was oozing liberally - through the bandages, filling his thongs, and dripping on the floor.
When the ferry docks at Kendari, hopeful porters, taksi motor (bike) operators and mobile (car) taksi drivers swarm the boat looking for customers, adding to the noise and chaos of disembarking passengers.
Hermina hospital is a 30 minute drive from the ferry, with road traffic typical of Indonesia- cars, trucks and a multitude of motorbikes and scooters dashing in and out of the traffic.
Hermina is a private hospital and although the surrounding streets seem rather ‘rustic’, the hospital was surprisingly modern and clean. And seemed to be similar to hospitals at home.
The ED wanted him to go straight to surgery, but as none of the Drs he saw that night spoke English, he demurred. He was concerned he’d wake up with his lower leg amputated. I was concerned that without the surgery, he wouldn’t wake up.
Instead he was cleaned up (towel 🤢 thrown out), given an IV and sent to bed. Around late morning a doctor who spoke good English, examined him and spoke to both him, and me, via video call.
She was able to explain that they needed to surgically remove infection and remove suspected gangrenous tissue. We queried whether he was receiving antibiotics in the IV. She confirmed that it was only saline due to his dehydration, but they would now add the antibiotics. Best of all, it would be a epidural anaesthetic, so if they suddenly decided to get out the saw, he’d be awake and could protest!
A nurse videoed the procedure for him, and the surgeon removed the necrotic tissue around the black patches that had appeared, debraided (scraped out) the remaining infected tissue and expressed the huge channels of infection that had developed in his leg.
Post op, Dale video called and he was bright, pain free and optimistic. He commented that he accepted that it had been a serious problem, and that it’d be 3 or 4 days until he was able to return to the boat. As I said, post-operation, he was delusional!もっと詳しく
旅行者It certainly was Gail. We get back this afternoon. He’ll be here for 3 months, or until he’s fully healed up.
Gail WoodwardWhat a find!! The cave is stunning.
旅行者It is! I’m so glad we went.