I've often been asked to name my favourite place in Indonesia and I always reply that it's really difficult to say. Every place has had its plus points and there have been few minuses. The biggest 'complaint' has been about some of the anchorages but there's little that can be done about that.
I have to say that Manggar as a stop would come right up towards the top of the list. Granted the anchorage outside the river is rolly and the beach landing can be a wet affair but in terms of friendly people and generosity Manggar is right up there. I missed the opening ceremony as I arrived on the first morning of scheduled events and I was too exhausted to attend but I'm told that everybody who did attend enjoyed themselves.
The Regent of the area returned from a conference in Hawaii and promptly arranged an unscheduled, informal dinner for us. He attended and spent the evening circulating and chatting. He has plans for East Belitung which include expanding the tourist infrastructure but also building a sustainable city for up to half a million inhabitants. In itself that's impressive but he also says that he will issue building permits for a limited time. If you get a permit and don't build then you're out. That's the way to get things done. He plans to start after the next election, assuming he gets back in and the feeling is that he will.
Cars and guides are available free of charge if there are no scheduled activities and of course I must mention the 100L of free fuel that each boat has received. I'm not sure of the local price of fuel but quite possibly that's a gift of US$100, just for coming and having a great time. I must also point out that Manggar is about the cleanest place in Indonesia that I've visited. Walking around the town, which I've been doing the last couple of days, you just don't see rubbish laying around. Whether it's civic pride or an efficient collection service I can't say but the result is a clean town.
One of the impressive things about this country is the way that the various religions get along with each other. Yes Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world but there are also Christians, Buddhists and Hindus. Their places of worship are respected and they are constitutionally guaranteed freedom of religion. Obviously everybody I meet is keen to project a good image of the country but that said every Muslim I've spoken to has no time for extremists. Several have actually distanced themselves from the Arab countries and openly say that 'we are more tolerant. we are different'. I have to say that I have no difficulty believing that. When I worked in Indonesia 35-odd years ago I thought that people wore their religion lightly and that doesn't seem to have changed. Technology has changed though, boy has it ever! Everybody has a mobile phine with a camera and you're forever being stopped in the street to have your photo taken with the owner of the camera. We all now know how rock stars feel. One advantage of my daily 30 min walk up to the beach is the chance to chat with people and if I'm not careful the 30 min walk can turn into an hour or more. Nobody tries to hustle you though. Sure sometimes the kids go 'money, money' but never the adults. Everybody smiles and is friendly. If this is sounding like an advert for Indonesia well so be it, it's certainly a place I would like to visit again.
All of the local government employees are keen to get our opinions on what could be done to improve our experiences. I have said several times now and I'm certainly not the only one to say it, that if the Central Government would scrap the CAIT (cruising permit valid for three months) and allow boats to stay several years or even indefinitely as Malaysia does then Indonesia would become a major yachting centre. There is so much to do and even the restricted budget of most yotties (including me!) puts something into the local economy. At this point I should mention one of the beach bars here. I don't know it's name but the young son of the family, Luis, is a real go-getter even though he's in his early teens. By day two of our visit his English had noticeably improved, he was making sure that there was a regular supply of cold beer, i.e one out of the fridge to a thirsty yottie so one into the fridge from a new case AND he was bossing 'mum' around in the kitchen. She had to expand her menu, which she has done. She hasn't got around to offering 'cheese burgers in paradise' yet but I'm willing to bet that if Luis heard about them he'd be on to her to offer them! That young man will go a long way in life.
So, today or rather tonight the farewell ceremony. Some boats had planned on leaving today because really the anchorage is quite uncomfortable but the warmth of the welcome has persuaded virtually everybody to stay one last night. I'll leave tomorrow with regrets, I could stay here another couple of weeks, or even months! Manggar is locally famous for its coffee shops and having sampled one I can see why. No hassles, buy a coffee and watch the world pass by. I even think I've been paying close to the local price!
