Monday 4th February

 

Yesterday we had yet another amazing view from our cockpit of the 3600 feet active volcano of Siau. It was topped with wispy cloud so we were unable to view the summit but a very impressive mountain. Lined with thick forest and only a few newer lava flows, it obviously hasn’t erupted for a while. Buildings, many of them appeared to be churches or mosques, nestled on the steep mountain side. The village we anchored near, which we unfortunately didn’t investigate as it was raining, was pretty with its brightly coloured buildings, church spires and a pleather of boats of every shape, colour and size.

 

After a morning at sea, we arrived at Palau Karakitang where we anchored in a lovely bay with a small sandy beach and steep sided green treed hills. Local fishermen netted the nearby reef all afternoon so the snorkelling was average. Hilltops here have been burnt to make gardens, the first we have seen of lush fruit trees and vegetables.  The main enterprises on these islands are agriculture and fishing which support quite a population.

 

Thursday 7th February

 

Tahuna (03:36.453N 125:30.021E), the main town on the island of Sangihe, is our last destination in Indonesia before sailing to Borneo on the weekend. This is another very pretty town with the usual colourful buildings and boats and busy town streets. ‘Tidak’, meaning no, was a good way for the girls to reduce the cheek pinching in the market. Willow even has had trouble smiling for the pleather of photos she is asked for! Lots of fresh fruit like rambutans, marcrut, a beautiful dark skinned fruit with white juicy lobes inside, long red papaya and sweet pineapples now line the galley. Noodles at a local cafe for lunch were delicious and we enjoyed a walk around the busy town. Loud music blaring across the harbour until 3 am then the Muslim call for pray at 4.30 am made it a little difficult to sleep but the colourful lights of the blue domed mosque and the starry sky were a pleasant distraction.