From Darwin to Bali
With Anna from Germany and Sietse from the Netherlands we left Darwin for the 460 miles passage to Kupang in Indonesia. Unexpectedly we could sail most of the distance and had a pleasant trip.
The clearance procedure in Kupang was one of the most unsatisfying experiences so far. Dealing with an agent and paying various "fees" for the officials is necessary to suceed getting your paperwork done. I wrote a summary of all this, which was published on the popular Noonsite Webpage (Noonsite.com)
Luckily after Kupang and a 250 miles passage to Rinca we could experience the famous Komodo dragons, which were treated with considerable respect at a intense fotoshooting on the beach.
The following days we sailed along the north coast of Sumbawa and Lombok towards Bali, where there was another crew change. Bali is totally different fromt he rest of Indonesia: Touristically very developed and culturally diverse as it is, it was a welcome change compared to the simple and sometimes lonely places we had visited in this country. And it was a chance to meet old and new cruising friends, most of which would have the same itinerary for SE-Asisa up to Thailand in late December...
