Brilliant - Gili Lawa Laut, Komodo National Park, Indonesia
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Sun 12 Sep 2010 14:04
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08:26.890S 119:34.122E
September 1st, we motored 15 miles or so through more swirling
water, but otherwise calm conditions to Gili Lawa Laut (the Indonesian word 'gili' means small island or islet). Gili Lawa
Laut is a small, uninhabited, bone-dry rugged place surrounded by extensive reef
and the clearest water we've seen since Vanuatu. We parked over a sandy
patch 45 feet below us, and could see every detail of the bottom even while
swimming without a mask. It was our very own 45 foot deep
swimming pool. A short swim closer to shore and we were floating over
coral of every size and shape, and swimming next to schools
of small electric blue fish with flashy yellow tails.
It was the haven we were hoping it would be -
probably the nicest anchorage we've experienced so far in Indonesia - and one we
only had to share with another sailboat, a couple of live-aboard tourist
dive boats......and two Komodo Village boat boy putt-putts. We didn't
think the boat boys would venture this far afield, but there they were,
waiting for us, when we entered the bay and set down the
anchor. We had not met these two sets of boat boys before, but they
fit the same persistent, relentless mold we had come to know and if not
love, then at least tolerate. After a good twenty minutes of their hard
core sales pitch (more Komodo dragon carvings and pearl necklaces), we finally
had to tell them we were hot, tired and wanted some privacy so we
could swim (we don't like to parade around half-naked in bathing suits
in full view of the usually very modest Muslim locals). They backed off
and didn't bother us for the remainder of our two-day stay. That was the
last we saw of the Komodo Village boat boys. All of our subsequent
anchorages were apparently beyond their reach. Either that, or they knew
the real money was back in Labuan Bajo where most of the rally fleet were
assembled for the festivities we opted not to attend. We can only hope
they sold enough wooden dragons to keep Komodo Village going until next
year's rally arrives.
Picture 1 - Harmonie spent a rare few hours completely
alone in the bay on the morning of our second day as we climbed Gili Lawa Laut's
steep and crumbling ridge.
Picture 2 - Looking south from the ridge at Don (white
spec in the middle) surveying the island's other side.
Picture 3 - Fellow American boat Scarlet O'Hara at
sunset in the shadow of Gili Lawa Laut's small peaks.
Anne
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