Kupang
Gaviota
Wed 10 Aug 2016 09:19
Other
than the rolly anchorage we ended up having a brilliant week in Kupang. The Rally had organized loads of events and
the people of Kupang all seemed delighted to have us there and couldn’t do
enough to help. The Mayor hosted a
wonderful gala dinner which was held at a very up market venue called Beer
& Barrel which we were taken to by coach and treated to traditional dancing
and an Indonesian buffet and BBQ, live music and dancing followed until
late.
During
the week we visited Monkey Cave and fed the Macaque Monkeys and watched them
playing. We also saw the Crystal Cave
where you climb down the rocks into a cavern which has a crystal clear pool
inside it that you can swim in, the water was full of minerals and had hot
springs bubbling in it keeping the water lovely and warm. We also visited an amazing fruit and vegetable
market which resembled a Morrocan Souk, without the guide we would have got
totally lost it was so big.
On Sunday
we joined the Hardrock Hash Kupang and were taken by Grand Master Hard On On
and his family by car into the country surrounding Kupang where we did a 6km
run on a great trail, then joined the other 100+ people (all locals) to the
after Hash and got to sample some wonderful food treats that the local people
had made.
The grand
finale was another gala dinner kind courtesy of the Mayor which was held at the
beach bar (Teddy’s Bar) next to the
anchorage where a presentation was made to a representative of each country
that was taking part in the Rally – Syd received the presentation for UK and
was given a lovely piece of woven cloth which you traditionally drape over your
right shoulder. The buffet was superb
with the opportunity to try a lot of different dishes (if you are not a chilli
fan definitely do not eat Indonesian food it is hot hot hot! We even got given chilli flavoured popcorn!)
Our week
flew by and we were actually sad to leave but the schedule is a tight one and
festivities were already gearing up in Winni
another 80 miles up the coast. We
decided we would sail straight on to Alor which was the third stop on the Rally
as we had been told it was worth spending time at and is one of the top dive
spots in the world.
We left 3rd
August with very bad hangovers following a very late night saying goodbye to
our friends in Kupang. The wind was
blowing and we had a lovely short sail 15 miles along the coast and anchored
and swam before the sunset.
Early
start next day and we had planned to sail up and anchor in another uncharted
bay (very little is charted accurately in Indonesia and though we had purchased
an Indonesian Cruising Guide it lists very few anchorages). One of the main hazards sailing in Indonesian
waters is fish traps – they come in all shapes and sizes, some obvious and
others a clump of palm leaves floating on the sea. What is underneath these is pretty horrendous
and any part wrapped around a propellor could seriously delay your
travels. Add to this the horrendous
rubbish issue in Indonesia – you run the risk of not only being stopped with a
tangled prop but plastic bags blocking water inlets. As water making is essential (fresh drinking
water is only available in bottles) together with a water cooled engine, fridge
and freezer blocked water inlets are a serious issue!
