Time for Landlubbin'

Hey guys!

Well, after three months with the William T Piquette, it's time for me to head home. The time I've had the privilege of being aboard this boat and part of this adventure has been incredible beyond words. I will be very sad to put my feet back on dry land and bid farewell to the crew.

There have been more cherished moments than I can even remember, let alone list, but for now I'll share a few snapshots of my favorite memories.

Fifteen Indonesian voices and four American voices cheering as the anchor chain was freed in Kisar. The fog rolling back from Kelimutu color changing lakes to reveal the deep craters and bright colors below. Lying next to Siswi the orangutan at Camp Leaky. Fifteen wild dolphins jumping simultaneously into the air as they raced our boat through turquoise waters. The smell of spices, incense and flowers that pervaded the streets of Singapore and Malaysia during Deepavali.

I cannot thank the crew, all the classrooms following us, and all the amazing people I've met on these travels enough. You've all made it amazing. Thanks for letting me live the dream.

And so, farewell!

Read more »

Playing With My Food

One of the things that I've really been enjoying about Malaysia and Singapore has been the huge selection of different types of food. Indonesia was great, and the food was good, but there's only so many times you can eat nasi goreng (fried rice) and nasi mie (fried noodles) before you get rather desperate for some variety.

Well, Malaysia has definitely provided me with more foods than I could possibly try. With all the Chinese, South Indian and Malay options, menus are much more daunting, but also so much more exciting. I've found many favorites but the best food experience I've had was down in Johor Bahru at an Indian restaurant.

When I walked into the restaurant, I saw what I wanted. I pointed and then the fun began...

First the waiter put a two foot banana leaf in front of me. This he heaped with rice until I put up my hands in surrender. Then another waiter came by and poured chicken curry sauce all over the rice. After that, yet another waiter came over with four jars of different types of sauces and food including cassava, bitter gourd and two types of chili sauce. He dabbed these along the top of my banana leaf. The first waiter then returned with another spicy sauce and put it on the side. Then I was given some soft chips on the other side, a small cup of soup and absolutely delicious mutton curry in a small dish at the top corner. I looked at all this food, incredibly excited by the bounty in front of me and ready to dig in. However, there was one small problem. I had no utensils.

I looked around surreptitiously at the other customers. None of them had any utensils either. Instead they were eating with their right hands. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right? So I washed my hands and, quite literally, dug in. I made sure to use only my right hand- in many cultures the left hand is used for unsanitary work and is otherwise restricted. It was so fun to eat with my hands. The rice was squishy and the various sauces all had different textures. It really connected me with my food in a very different way. Not only could I taste, smell and see my food; I could also touch it. Even though the waiters later brought me a spoon, I ignored it. I was converted. It was too much fun to stop eating with my hands.

The food was delicious and the experience was as liberating as playing in the mud. I didn't even get that messy, though I could smell curry on my hands for the rest of the day.

Read more »

The Many Faiths of Indonesia

It's our last night before we set out for the long trek to Malaysia and Singapore. Though I'm excited for the new places we'll see, Indonesia has been a lot of fun and I'll be sad to say goodbye. I won't forget the beautiful reefs of Adunara, the generosity of the locals in Flores, the rich culture of Bali and the orangutans of Kalimantan. I've loved it all, and hope some day I can come back and have even more adventures.

One thing I've found really fascinating in Indonesia has been the variety in religious beliefs and cultures. I'd heard that Indonesia was over 90 percent Muslim, so I had not expected to see many other religions. However, Indonesia is a big, spread out country; we crossed through three time zones and covered a lot of ground... so to speak. Each island was very different from the others and the locals took great pride in their individual island's culture and main religion.

Kisar was predominantly Christian, the village of Mokko on Adunara was entirely Muslim, while most people in Flores were Catholic. Bali stands out as the only Hindu island in the country and Kalimantan's population is mostly comprised of Muslims. For us, this meant that, except in Bali, where the Hindu religion is very tolerant of Western culture, we tried to keep our dress very conservative. Well, sleeves and longer pants are all well and good, and have their place, but I might argue that that place is not on tropical islands. Bali was quite a relief as far as clothing was concerned and I definitely appreciated getting to wear tank tops and shorts on land.

In all these places, people seemed very dedicated to their faiths. The Hindu women in Bali spend up to 30 percent of their time making religious offerings. These offerings, made of woven palm fronds, flowers, candles and rice, can be found in almost every doorway in Bali and make it necessary to traverse sidewalks with care. And even when the careless foot does crush an offering, as must happen with so many tourists and residents wandering the streets, it matters little, since all the offerings are refreshed every day. In Kelimantan, the call to prayer has been a constant soundtrack, since the many mosques broadcast it through huge speakers five times a day so the chanting fills the air for miles around. When we wandered through the town a few days ago, we saw the lovely outfits the locals change into for the evening prayer. On Kisar we arrived in town on a Sunday and were met by many of the locals after they'd spent the morning at church, and in Macoh, the centerpiece of the village was the mosque.

And oh, how beautiful these temples, mosques and churches have been! Tanah Lot, in Bali, was built on the tidepools, out of the rock itself, and is backlit by the sunset every evening. Here on Kalimantan the mosques are topped with beautiful, brightly colored bulbs. Everywhere we go, places of worship are beautifully crafted and well taken care of.

So while I've never been much of a student of religion, I've very much enjoyed learning about these different faiths. It's made it that much richer and deeper an experience.

Goodbye Indonesia and thanks for all the memories!

Read more »

Monkey Pool Party!

The Monkeys of Ubud's Monkey Forest are very friendly!

Read more »

Here Be Dragons?

No cruising trip in Indonesia is complete without a trip to the largely uninhabited, hot, dry and inhospitable island of Komodo. So on our crossing from Flores to Bali, we stopped briefly on Komodo island for some dragon hunting.

As we sailed up to the island, Amanda and I debated the habits of Komodo dragons. She searched the hills, anticipating large herds to be loping gracefully across the grassy hillsides. I scanned the cliffs and rocky areas, expecting to find cave dwelling, grumpy, fire breathing specimens. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you which one of us was correct. As it turns out, Komodo dragons are considerably more elusive than we gave them credit for, and though we searched high and low (nervously), they evaded us.

When we arrived, Alan and I made an initial foray onto the island. Komodo in the late afternoon felt eerie. The beach we landed on was fenced in by mangroves and we were already feeling wary of crocodiles which purportedly live in the same places as Komodo Dragons. Cautiously, we made our way through the low trees, ducking through narrow vines that hung from some branches and avoiding swampy looking ground. Beyond the mangroves was a large dry mudflat scattered with driftwood, abandoned sandals and the odd sun-bleached bone. A few nearby trees were blackened by fire. It truly felt like dragon territory.

We went carefully. Our cruising guide informed us that Komodo Dragons could grow up to 3 meters, weigh 150 kilograms and run 30 km per hour (I now understand why they are not simply called Komodo lizards). If that wasn't daunting enough, we also knew that dragon bite was extremely dangerous. Komodo Dragons have paralyzing bacteria in their mouths, so once they bite you they can take their time eating you. As we walked, we stopped often, and peered around for potentially hungry reptiles.

Our fears were unfounded; there were no dragons nearby. We saw two wild boars but otherwise returned unimpressed. The next morning we searched again. Amanda came with us this time, and in the blazing sunlight the island felt less menacing. Even so, we were careful to look everywhere and stay on high ground as we combed the savannah-like hills. Again, no luck. We returned to the boat drenched in sweat (there is a reason these islands are homes to giant lizards- so incredibly hot and dry), unbitten, and unsatisfied. It was time to move on.

And so, no dragons. I think we will look for them at Bali Zoo. This is sad, but the moral of the story is… um… wild animals are wild? We should not expect them to come at our beck and call. I suppose this is why zoos were invented.

On the topic of dragons: What is the difference between a Komodo Dragon and a dinosaur? Komodo Dragons don't breathe fire, nor do they fly. Why aren't they Komodo Dinosaurs? Do Komodo Dragons like treasure? Do they kidnap innocent young maidens?

On a similar note- isn't a Pterodactyl a fireless dragon?

Read more »

Mother Knows Best

Summer has always been my favorite season. Growing up next to the ocean, my favorite summer activity was going to the beach and my memories are laced with splashing in waves and building sand castles. However, I always hated putting on sunscreen. Like every other child, I cringed away as my mother slathered lotion on my unwilling limbs. Even now, I dislike the activity and conveniently forget to reapply all the time.

This habit often leads to minor sunburns, but sometimes has much more painful consequences. Last week on the island Adunara, the crew had a play day. We hoisted our downwind parachute sail (the spinnaker) off the bow, and used the power of the wind to fly out of the water up to heights up to about forty feet in the air. It was great fun and we wore ourselves out with all the spinnaker flying, swimming and laughing.

A little later, I began noticing that much of my body was beginning to feel a little singed. I realized that I had completely failed to put sunscreen on any part of my bathing suit clad body besides my face. In the tropics, on a hot and sunny day, this was a terrible mistake. I turned red as a lobster. Even through their sunscreen, Adam, Amanda and Alan also suffered sunburns. Now, the days later, it still aches. Sigh.

What have I learned from this? Well, I will be careful to apply sunscreen from now on, especially so close to the equator. Also, as I am often reminded, mother knows best.

Read more »

Rockin the Sway

It's crazy to finally be here. I've been planning to join the crew for a few months now, so it's quite a weird feeling for it all to be coming true. Even on my 40 hour transit (from Korea, to Malaysia to Bali to Australia), I couldn't really believe that it was really happening.

Leaving Korea was quite an undertaking, since I'd gone with cheaper flights, I'd ended up with a rather crazy path to the boat. My first layover was in Malaysia for 20 hours, so I made a trip out to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, for the night. I got to see the PETRONAS Towers, which are some of the tallest buildings in the world, and experience some local cuisine and culture. In Bali, my second layover, I stayed at the airport and chatted with a Malaysian man. By the time I got to Darwin at 3 AM the day after I'd left, I was ready to put down my bags and stay for awhile.

Darwin has actually given me a bit of culture shock coming since I've been in South Korea for half a year. Suddenly everyone speaks my language again, I don't stand out and no one stares. Joining the crew has been quite a change as well. I've gone from entertaining and teaching Korean kindergarteners to provisioning for crossings, repairing the boat, learning how to run the dingy and the various boat appliances, and exploring a brand new country. I'm still trying to break my Korean habits- people look at you a little funny if you bow your head when you are introduced and exchange money with your left hand on your right forearm.

One thing that has been constantly reminding me about my new home is the constant swaying motion. After only 7 nights on the boat, my inner ear has adjusted to me getting rocked to sleep by movement of the waves. This means that when I'm on land, everything gently rocks. It's a bit alarming to be stretched out on a lawn and feel like the ground beneath me isn't stationary. The rest of the crew says I'll get used to it, so now I'm just hoping that happens sooner, rather than later.

Read more »