Welcome to Menjangan!

After dealing with immigration, yet again, and the rigorous anchoring process, the only thing on our minds was jumping in the water and snorkeling in the beautiful bay.  Satyavan, Yasmina and I took off the first chance we got.  The water was warm and crystal clear.  The beach was littered with sanddollars and the bay was full of life.  There were tons of colorful fish, a free swimming eel, several nudibrachs, and a cave full of mudskippers grazing on rock algae.  It felt incredible to finally have the freedom to swim around in clean waters AND set foot on land.  We were finally going to stay in one place for a while.

We found out that an earthquake occurred in Denpasar the night before, so immediately I was concerned about Mason and Stefanie, who were hopefully out of harms way near Ubud.  As we scanned the web searching for news and contacting our friends still in Denpasar we learned that there was little damage; and of course, Mason and Stefanie were unreachable.

Our first evening, we were invited to a welcome dinner at the Menjangan Tower.  The entire crew was going to attend the event, enticed with traditional food and entertainment.  More bad news quickly arrived via sat phone…The Earthquake off the coast of Japan.  Scientists were predicting the tsunami waves would hit us 6 hours after the earthquake.  When living near the ocean, the safest place is on a boat in the open sea; boats are designed to take the fluctuating tides and even large waves.  Unfortunately for us, we had just dropped an anchor and we were surrounded by land inside of a bay!  Our captain had to make the final decision, either weigh anchor and head for open ocean, or ride it out and hope for the best.  The entire crew was on high alert, ready to man our emergency positions at an instant’s notice.  We had constant reconnaissance from oil rigs further north and updates from the web.  The decision was to hope the predictions would be right, that Bali was sheltered from the wave by land obstacles.  The captain stayed on board the ship and the crew went ashore to higher ground in the Menjangan tower to enjoy the welcoming party.  Fortunately, the only effects felt in Bali was the sudden rise and fall in tide.

On the drive from the jetty to the tower, we came across the famous Menjangan deer, they have long necks and swim to the island of Menjangan for food in the spring, and the dwarf deer species.  We arrived at the tallest tower on Bali which rose into the darkness of the forest canopy.  Awaiting us inside were the VIPs staying at the resort for the weekend, Michael (from Singapore), the heads of a mining company, and a group working on Menjangan Resort publicity.  The evening was full of delicious Balinese food and desert (black rice pudding and Bali coffee), traditional music found only in that region of Bali (played on instruments made of Bamboo), traditional Hindu dancing, and good conversation.  Both men and women were adorned in beautiful costumes performing to the beat of the bamboo instruments; Their eyes were always wide open and fingers outstretched, intending to create fear in the observers.

Although the dancers did not frighten us, they managed to take our minds off the frightening events occurring in the ocean and around the world.  I hope everyone is safe where ever they may be.  Im sure Hawaii and even California is experiencing much worse effects from the tsunami, we are fortunate here in Bali to be protected.

Final Voyage: My Last Leg

I arrived back onboard as people were still in their morning meditations, finishing deck yoga, and others were waiting by the coffee pot for the last REAL coffee before the voyage.  We were supposed to leave at 11 AM, but during morning meeting we pushed the time back 4 PM.  After shipshaping the galley, the deck, Bosuns, and my bunk, I had some time to call my mom for her birthday and change my flight from Singapore to the UAE; two important tasks I had been putting off. 

We finally set sail and began our journey around the west coast of Bali, towards the narrow straight with a 6 knot current protecting Bali from Java.  I was exhausted from my evening with mason and Stefanie, but I did my best to force myself to stay awake and see as much of the Balinese coast as I could during the daylight.   

My first official shift began at midnight (0000 to 0400): Sailing from Benoa, off the west coast of Southern Bali, we were hit by several squalls accompanied by unrelenting rain.  When I was at the helm, I was completely soaked through, and when inside, I was constantly mopping up leaks, moving buckets, and trying not to be surprised when another spot started dripping.  At the helm, I motored us through complete darkness, rolling fog, and unknown sea.  The only time I could actually see the weather all around the ship was when the blinding lightening turned everything white, burning the shape of the bolt in my line of sight.  Alone in the rain, cold and wet, I sang to the constant bass sound of the humming engine and the splashing percussion of the falling rain.  The only interruption was the deafening claps and booms of thunder telling me we were only getting closer to the storm.

I woke up around sunrise, just as we were entering the narrowest part of the channel.  Rounding the furthest north-western tip of Bali, we turned down and made our approach on Menjangan.  Off the coast of Menjangan near the Ganesha Temple we dropped our final Blue Marble, completing the journey from Malta to Menjangan.  Everyone was excited to see the island we would be diving off of for the next two months and anxious to get to the bay and set our anchor.  As Laser and Carol sped off in the Zodiac to check the entrance of the bay and mentally prepare Mir’s navigation route, a Brutus whale breached along side of our ship; it was a sign to Gaie that we were home!

Inside the bay, it took us three attempts to drop our anchor in the right spot.  The first time we let it out over 300 ft, which then had to be completely pulled in so we could move to another spot.  The anchor has to be manually winched up, which is quite a lot of work (it didn’t help that I was still feeling my night out with Mason and Stefanie).  By the time we finally set our anchor in a place we were happy with, we had winched in around 600 ft of anchor chain…a great endurance workout!  Again we were quarantined to the ship while we checked in with the local marine police, who kept visiting us, showing off their machine guns.  The police were looking for any reason to tax us, which is incredible since they had a huge stack of papers in front of them showing that we had cleared into Jakarta, the capital, and Benoa.  Everyone is out for their own interests! A weight was finally lifted when we were officially at Menjangan, anchored in the bay out of harms way.

Spring Break 2011: Bali Edition

Mason and Stefanie arrived at the Marina after dark during a downpour.  They had their huge backpacks and had just paid more than double the standard fare for a cab from the airport.  We decided not to tour Mir since it was very wet and dark, so we headed out to the famous Kuta Beach.  Our driver kindly took us to his friend’s hotel located at the end of numerous twisting alleys off of the main road across from the beach.  Free of our bags, the three of us went in search of a Balinese meal.  Per the advice of Prita, I introduced Mason and Stefanie to Gado-Gado and Nasi Goreng; boiled vegetables and tofu with peanut sauce served cold and Indonesian fried rice.  The dishes were an instant hit…delicious food!  Kuta Beach is full of brand name shops and is known by the locals as a place to find drunken Aussies fighting outside of bars and clubs.  We walked around the streets in the rain for a bit dodging umbrella sellers and hurdling offerings placed in front of each shop.  The general feel of Kuta is very similar to the small shopping districts in Hawaii, surf shop after surf shop, billabong followed by quicksilver followed by yet another billabong.  The night didn’t provide any of us with much sleep, Mason and Stef struggled in the very small beds, and I kept waking up shivering and dizzy.  My first night in 2 months with air conditioning and back on dry land after a rough sail from Jakarta…the entire night I felt like I was rocking.  Our first day together, we spent the morning on Kuta beach; luckily we arrived after the daily beach clean up.  I later learned that every morning the locals clean a layer of trash off of the beach to ensure that the tourists keep coming back.  The water was dark and full of floating trash, but against better judgment, the three of us went body surfing.  There was very poor visibility in the water and we kept getting plastic bags and noodle packs stuck on our legs and chests.  We were able to catch a few good waves and watched as beginning surfers kept wiping out.  At noon we headed over to Sanur, which is less commercialized, and in my opinion a much better scene.  The shops were smaller and more local, the streets were dirty, the beach was clean, and the water was crystal clear.  We found a nice home stay and headed out for the beach.  At the edge of the beach, we got dragged into the Sanur Beach Market where everyone was very friendly and offering a good price since it was a slow day.  I was looking at artwork and wood carvings, Stef was looking through sarongs, and Mason was getting a free sample massage.  We finally made it to the beach and enjoyed the crystal clear waters.  We found many fish and crabs and starfish, enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the neighboring islands, and got a beach massage (which was quite poor for $5 each!).  We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening walking around looking at shops, wandering down local streets, and searching for a market.  We had a great meal consisting of various Indonesian dishes, except for the potato fritter that I specially ordered which turned out to be French fries.  We found a reggae bar and enjoyed mangosteens (quite possibly the best fruit on the planet) and a taste of arak, the local home brewed alcohol (nothing like vodka despite what the locals say).  We quickly discovered that the Reggae was a tribute to Bob Marley, and although they played a few songs more than once, they had great energy and provided a nice environment for the three of us to catch up.  After closing, we made our way to the next live music bar, enjoyed 2 for 1 fruity cocktails, several games of pool, the company of guys from Holland on holiday, and a rather humorous band; they sat in a row on benches and couldn’t really get the English words quite right.

It was a great evening, awesome to catch up with Mason and Stefanie and to hear about their experiences, but in the morning I was off early…had to catch my ship bound for Menjangan.  We said our goodbyes and planned to hopefully meet again in the north.

Balinese Preparations

We had meeting lined up for the following two days.  The first was with some Australian scientists who have been conducting studies in the same area.  We were advised on methodology, all of which sounded very familiar to my ecology lab days at Kenyon.  We also met with some locals to help organize public outreach and reef awareness.  Again getting ideas on how to approach the locals and the issues at hand.  We refueled for the 2 months in Menjangan, and caught up with some old friends who live on Bali.  The conversation I was listening to covered so many topics, from global economics, to conspiracy theories, to the amazing power of the brain.  It was an amazing discussion conducted by some very intellectual and interesting characters.  It brought me back to the glowing dolphins…same kind of mental state!  I met a guy who has been living in Bali for a few years, he sailed out from California.  Very excited to see our large steel ship!  I discovered that he lived in Colorado for two years and attended Cherry Creek for a year, AND played Kent in Lacrosse!  What a Small World.  I have finally made my plans for Bali and the end of the trip, which is getting harder and harder to say good bye to after meeting all of these phenomenal people and hearing about the projects to come.  I will stay aboard Mir until April 4, primarily helping as a boat crew for the research team; driving the zodiac to dive sites, filling dive bottles, and cooking.  Afterwards, I will spend a few days travelling through Bali, back to Denpasar and fly home to Abu Dhabi via Singapore.

Tonight a new adventure begins as my long lost friends arrive in Bali.  Mason and Stefanie are due in a few hours!!!!  Its crazy how things work out!  1 year ago I was with a group of friends in Daytona, now in BALI!!!!

I hope everyone back home is doing great, its been amazing to get email from people and hear about your lives!  Soon I will be back in touch with reality…teaching sailing in the Arabian Gulf!

Nyepi

We arrived into Bali on the eve of Nyepi so that Adrien could get back to Jakarta ASAP.  Her tour of Europe showing off her film at numerous film festivals required her to be present for Visas and what not.  Satyavan, Jasmina and I were put in charge of shopping for fresh fruits and veggies for the weekend; everything is closed during Nyepi.  We ended up at a mart, reminded me of Sam’s Club, where they had EVERYTHING!  Instead of shopping carts, you had to pull around a trolley.  We loaded up on fruits and greens, many of which I have never seen before, relaxed with a coffee and ice cream (ice cream is always the first thing we get after arriving in a new port, after a week with nothing cold, it tastes SOO GOOD!), and haggled with cab drivers.  Luckily a couple from LA offered to give us a ride home!  They were very kind, and so we gave them a tour of Mir, very excited to see this part of Bali and get on a boat. 

A few of us walked into town to view the eve of Nyepi celebration.  Nyepi is a Hindu celebration, the start of a new year.  You remain at home, no work, no lights, just reflect on the past year and all the evil you have done.  During the day, as the evil spirits pass over, they do not see you because you are in a state of self reflection; they simply leave you to start a new year clean and pure.  The night before Nyepi, the communities make large statues, ogu ogus, to represent the evil spirits from the past year.  They are put on display in front of the hindu temples, and when darkness sets in they parade them around town.  Fireworks are launched from the streets, a procession of fire torches leads the way, followed by the ogu ogus, and announced by a crew beating on drums and gongs bringing up the rear.  The roads are closed, the cars and motor bikes are made to wait.  As the procession made its way down the street and out of sight, we decided to follow and be part of the action.  We ended up joining at the back of the parade, only to realize they were turning around a few kilometers down the road.  We walked back along side the dancing spirits hoisted high above the heads of the masses.  Now waiting at the original intersection, we spoke with many happy, friendly Balinese, learned that the spirits would travel down the streets in the 4 directions, and then be carried to the harbor and tossed into the sea or burned!  While we were waiting for the spectacle, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a tasty Warteg and saw spirits arrive from other parts of town.  Eventually, they completed their route, lined up and lit off a dozens of roman candles and flares, dancing each spirit through the smoke.  The drums picked up intensity, and one by one, the spirits ran into the middle of the intersection and the children jerked them from all sides, shaking and rattling them until they fell to pieces.  Many were made so their heads would fall off.  The pieces were thrown down the street leading to the harbor, and after each one was dismantled, they were kicked and beaten before the children would run off with souvenirs of heads or arms or serpents.  We then followed the remnants as they were carried towards the harbor.  We watched as they were piled up and the Styrofoam was lit on fire!  We continued down the road and stopped at our new friend Agus’s place for Indonesian coffee.  It was a spectacular evening!

The day of Nyepi was reserved for catching up on sleep, which we had all been depraved of the past couple of nights, meeting with each other, catching up on work/emails, and simply enjoying the peace of the day.  It was so quiet, no lights were turned on; I have never experienced anything like it in a city!

Half Way Around Bali

Woke up from a deep sleep to lukewarm coffee and a fresh squid drying on deck.  As the sun came up, we had a beautiful view of Bali.  In the morning hours, while we were off the north coast, we had a clear view of the islands most sacred volcano mountain and the sunrise.  It was a morning of natural beauty after the night’s company of surreal glowing dolphins.  Carol and I fried up homemade doughnuts for breakfast and we watched numerous outrigger sailing canoes motor close by to say hello on their way to the local fishing grounds.  All of this to the beautiful back drop of the Bali mountains, quite an amazing way to start a day!

We sailed around the North coast of Bali, full of beautiful mountains.  We then turned south down along the east coast.  Again, the land was very green, but flatter.  We saw lots of fires and smoke billowing up to the sky.  A massive storm system was building behind us; it seemed to be growing with each puff of smoke, which looked like demons being cast out of Bali.  As we neared our anchor sight in Sanur, the storm finally caught up with us.  We pulled into a gorgeous bay surrounded by white sand beaches, children playing soccer, and one high rise.  We anchored during sunset and as the storm was clearing.  With our rations of rum, we enjoyed the final glow of the day behind the lush island, caught glimpses of dolphins leaving the bay, and saw a possible dugong.  We saw a large animal breach the surface of the water three times along a line out of the bay, all near the boat.  The first was the closest, and right in front of us.  It appeared to have a face, very fleshy body, and no dorsal fin.  We are going with Dugong!  We spent a short, hot night off of the beautiful coast, protected from the sea by the bay, rotating through brief night watches.

At 4 AM we had a wake up call, loaded up on coffee, then raised the anchor…which really gets your heart pumping early in the morning!  We began sailing towards Benoa in the dark, eagerly awaiting the rising sun to light our way into the narrow straight to the harbor.  We discovered that the sand in the harbor shifts rather easily; the first clue was the dredger that sat just outside the docks, the green triangle markers sitting above the water just outside the dredger, and finally the sand bar we slid into on our first approach.  After expert orchestrating, the entire crew running back and forth across the deck trying to rock an 80 ton steel ship, we were clear for a second approach.  We got to the dock and found our agent.  Cleared into Bali by noon, very simple compared to Jakarta!!

Dolphins Made of Light

After a very calm sleep, I found my self standing upright on a flat deck.  The squalls seemed to be behind us, finally we had entered the waters which were predicted!  The sea was completely calm, most likely because we had rounded Madura and entered a protected bay.  The sky was lit shortly after 5, and we had consistent wind, steady and favorable to drive our sails.  The days seem to last forever when you begin them at 4 Am, and as this one dragged on, it became calmer and calmer, hotter and HOTTER.  The sea was completely flat, the air stagnant and humid.  We were barely moving forward, at the steady pace of just over 2 knots.  We stopped for a much needed swim.  The ocean was clear and full of fleets of purple jellyfish, but we were all so hot that we were jumping off the bow carefree.  The water was cool and extremely refreshing!  It was a much needed break from our arduous bobbing under the baking sun.

During both my morning and evening shift, I saw several dolphins.  They only stayed around for several breaches, but we think they were small spinners; they were tiny, I thought maybe babies, but they could have been a particularly small breed.  The evening was calm, but we entered a downpour!  The rain was thick, producing a slight mist above the sea and deck and forming an impenetrable curtain around the entire ship.  Visibility instantly dropped to 10 feet onboard, and when you shined a light off the side, you could only see 5 feet away from the hull.  It was very treacherous sailing because you couldn’t see anything other than the helm, and the compass, it felt like sitting on a movie set waiting for them to say action and turn on the lights.  During a deck check, I noticed the sea was glowing from time to time.  Fluorescent plankton were illuminating where ever there was a disturbance in the water.  The waves created by the bow of the ship and the white caps in the sea were turned into glowing clouds beneath us full of individual specks of light, and the rain drops striking the water lit up upon impact.  It was an amazing sight to see a living light show created by the interaction of animals and nature.  The reefing team was called upon again…I am proud to say that we are now very efficient and methodical, ready at an instants notice.

Back in my bunk, again everyone was ready to sleep, we heard Satyavan running around on deck clapping and making a strange noise.  We knew it had to be dolphins!  4 dolphins were surfing on the bow of the ship and we could see them jumping under the light of a flashlight.  When the light went out, we sat in amazement and watched the sea light up.  The sky and the sea were pitch black, but illuminations in the shape of dolphins were clearly visible under the water.  We sat in awe as 3 dimensional glowing dolphins cut through the water, jumping back and forth from port to starboard, swimming in streamline unison and making loops off of the bow.  Their paths continued to glow, showing their playful patterns in the sea.  For 20 minutes we watched a spectacular show, applauding and whistling; it was unreal seeing dolphins encased by light playing with each other in the surf and interacting with us as we were hanging over the side of Mir!