Labuan Bajo

To All

We spent several quite days viewing the dragons and other wildlife while anchored on the south end of Rinja, we then moved to another lovely spot on it's western shore. Here there were more dragons along with a small gathering of fellow cruisers including our friends on Scarlett O'Hara" whom had taken a different route to arrive there. In this anchorage we had several get together's including a burning of trash on the beach.

Next was the rally stop of Labuan Bajo. This busy town sits on the west end of Flores Is. and is quite a tourist center. It is the hub of tours to see the Komodo dragons and the surrounding scuba dive sites, highly rated around the world. To us a tourist center also means a place where at least a form of western type foods can be had in either restaurants or markets. We did find potato chips to buy but no beef.

The "fleet" now comprised of between 15 and 25 boats, as some came and left, anchored in an area off a number of small beach resorts that catered to the many tourists in the area. The resorts were cruiser friendly and we were welcomed to use there facilities. Our first night on the anchor included a downpour of rain washing away some of the salt and grime. The second night had us enjoying an actual steak dinner for about $9 US.

Being anchored several miles from town we used the services of the local "boat boys". They would ply the anchorage area to sell carvings of dragons, strings of pearls, delivery of fuel or water and also transportation back and forth to town. Here you barter on the price of most everything. Where the first yachts here were given and some paid a price of $20,000 R or $2 US

each way for the trip to shore once the final bargaining was reached it was $20,000 R per yacht round trip. Fuel started at $7,000 per liter. In the end the delivered price was to be had as low as $5,500.

We never did participate in any of the actual rally festivities but enjoyed several trips to the traditional open market, dinner's and lunches out. Kathy managed to find laundry facilities so we are once again stocked with clean clothes.

Now we have moved along to an anchorage on a small island just to the north of Komodo Is. where we have crystal clear warm water. Visibility is perhaps 100' or more with great diving and snorkeling. We spent lots of time just watching the turtles munching away on coral. For the last few days we have also gotten rain which is nice keeping things clean and water in the tanks. In another day or so we'll be off westward again to the island of Lombok.

We wish you all the best and hope that you too are enjoying life. Let us know how you are doing but just remember that on this email you need to always start a new message. J&K