08:13.203S 117:28.929E - The Turn of Another Month
Irene IV - World Adventure
Louis Goor
Mon 3 Oct 2022 07:59
Indonesia lies in the middle of the trading routes that link Arabia, India,
China, and Japan. Evidence of the influences these traders have brought to
this 17,000 islands nation are everywhere – in the religions practices, the
food, the crops, the 300 languages spoken and in the character of this
hugely diverse land. For example, traders from Indian carried pepper plants
to these shores centuries ago adding spice to traditional Indonesian food.
In the 1650’s and 60’s the Sultan decreed that all boys aged 16 or older,
must tend 500 pepper plants! Rob, not a spicy food fan, is not happy about
that! Arabian traders introduced Islam only a few decades after the Prophet
Mohammed died. Animism, once the exclusive religious practice on these
islands, takes a back seat, not fully relinquished, to a myriad of
practices, from Islam, to Hinduism, to Christianity in its many guises and
more. The poorest of villages, in our experience, always has a glittering
golden mosque turret and we are serenaded daily by the imams’ chanting.
Later in the 16th century, the Portuguese arrived looking for the
much-prized spices, cloves, nutmeg, and mace, to liven up their meals. In
turn the Portuguese introduced clocks, firearms, sweet potatoes, and
Christianity. The Dutch wanted to control the spice trade in Indonesia and
ended up running the whole place, which had not been the original plan! They
introduced coffee to Indonesia in 1696. Now, of course, Indonesian coffee is
prized worldwide. We have been told that coffee from the island of Flores is
the best. Coffee drinkers aboard concur.
The last day of September dawned rainy and overcast. We departed for Pulau
Moyo at 08:00 as the rain grew heavier and heavier. At first the rain
brought us up to 11 knots of wind, but this was short lived, we soon had to
turn Peggy (engine) on again. Joe was delighted to be able to wear his new
turquoise raincoat bought especially for the trip! The rest of us moaned a
lot but appreciated the deck wash!
At 13:50, with rain a distant memory, we dropped anchor by the village of
Labuhan Aji on the west coast of Moyo Island. The little village is an
authentic Sumbawanese village and has only recently opened to tourism. The
pebbly beach is not conducive to swimming, but the snorkelling and diving
are up there with the best in the world. A sports bar, which serves warm
beer and ice, is a rambling assortment of sheds, artifacts, lights, and
multi levelled patios. There is a wooden swing on the beach which is dry at
low tide and adds a good splash at high tide. Maleo Moyo Resort, a short
distance along the rutted road, serves delicious food and cold beer, wine is
rarely offered on these more remote islands. The resort has the only dive
shop on the island, run by a Dutch expat, Evert. He is a supercilious
fellow, but a good teacher and knows all the best dive and snorkelling
spots. He teaches George how to successfully breath and relax his body, so
he does not use his air up so fast. George now has bragging rights to yet
another thing!! All good for his teenage confidence!
We were joined at the anchorage on the first day of October by Adalia II,
Seabird and Ruth II. Together we visited Pulau Moyo’s most famous
attraction, the Mata Jitu Waterfall. The 4 kilometre hike up to the falls,
had us dripping with sweat, we are a mere 8 degrees from the equator! We
plunged collectively into the cool water and relished the shock! Some in our
number hired motorbikes up and down the hill. The bikes were mostly
hot-wired and driven by young locals eager to make a few rupiahs. The road
up started off with an even concrete surface but soon deteriorated to a
bumpy, potholed, tooth loosening lane. The waterfall’s claim to fame, other
than its sheer beauty, is that Princess Diana visited in 1993!
Joe, activities director aboard Irene IV, organized a tantalizing dinner for
the 4-boat crowd at the resort, having had lunch with the chef and some
locals earlier and enjoyed a pre-dinner, powerful massage at the hands of a
local iron woman contestant!
A rousing evening was had by all. The 4-boat cortège departed at various
early morning hours the next day, bound for Lombok and the renowned Gili
Islands.