6/30/23

We cruised with Middletons for two weeks, making our way west via the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort and Namema Reserve dive site (the inspiration for Finding Nemo), the Mamanuca Islands (where Tom Hanks’ Castaway was filmed), Musket Cove, and several other anchorages that checked the boxes of “full breeze, flat seas, noteworthy sunset, and a sandy bottom.” Marilia and I were great partners in the galley, enjoying our meal prep and organization/cleaning time. John and Frank talked and maintained “all things systems,” showing endless enthusiasm for their passion in this realm. On June 24, we said “farewell” to Nogal and the Middletons, and boarded a plane to Singapore. Frank Marilia Julia & Sophie stayed aboard their Nogal, getting back to the way it used to be! They are now enjoying a month of cruising with friends in Fiji and we’ll meet back up with them at the end of July.

We had a brief overnight layover in Singapore and enjoyed every minute. We then caught an early morning flight to Lombok, Indonesia, where our new friend and local Lombok Scuba instructor, Anton, met us at the airport. Anton took us to a delicious lunch at a yoga retreat overlooking the beautiful Bali sea. We drove another 3 hours to our hotel, which was a modest seaside group of bungalows. Pondok Siola seemed as if it was knocked off its feet by Covid and just now regaining its footing. The owner, Harry, was incredibly kind and welcoming. Dalton and Hall met an orange tabby cat named Betty, who had a curly tail and rapidly won their hearts!

Anton spent a month aboard Nogal with the Middletons during their time in Indonesia during their circumnavigation. Frank introduced us, and Anton helped us plan our month in Indonesia. Anton, his wife, Yanti, and their son, Ocean (10), live in west Lombok where Anton runs his business, Lombok Scuba. Anton took us snorkeling on some of the best reefs we’ve seen and what we hear from other divers/snorkelers are some of the best remaining in the world. He took us to Gili Kondo, a white sand island in the Alas strait (which separates Lombok and Sumbawa), where we had lunch and explored the island. Yanti and Ocean joined us, and the kids played for hours on the beach.

Our last day in Lombok was Eid-al-Adha, a Muslim holiday. The locals were transporting cows and goats in pickup trucks for the holy day sacrifices. The chanting at the local mosques started the previous night, woke us at 4am, and continued throughout the day. We took a 45 minute boat ride with all of our luggage to Sumbawa, where we met our driver Amin and rode 2 more hours to our hotel. Our 4 bedroom villa is large enough for another family to join us! We are loving the pool and quiet of this place. As of today, our second day here, we are the only guests. We are grateful for laundry (John and Hall have been wearing the same pair of shorts for at least 5 days).

Our alarm went off at 3:30am this morning, which is a difference I can almost taste when compared to my typical 4:20am alarm at home in Charleston (especially after not using an alarm for 4 months!)! In a dim trance, we boarded a boat with all of our snorkeling gear. Fai (a local dive master), a deckhand and a captain took us two hours east into Saleh Bay to swim with the Whale Sharks! The Whale Sharks return to this bay each year from June-Aug to birth their young. We watched the sunrise and drank instant coffee while we waited for the perfect light to visualize these massive, peaceful creatures. Snorkel gear on and cameras ready, we dove into their abyss and swam and played, laughed and remained in awe of them for nearly 2 hours! The Whale Sharks come to the surface to eat krill, so we floated among krill, baitfish, and jellyfish (heedless to their existence and odor), as we floated and frolicked within inches of these gentle – almost friendly- beasts. By 9am, the sunlight was too strong for their preference, and they retreated to their depths of 100 meters. We retreated to reminiscing and a delayed breakfast during our 2 hour boat ride back to the hotel. Back at the hotel, lunch, the refreshing pool (sans krill), and naps were awaiting us!

We are here until July 5 with few plans, other than at least one more snorkeling excursion. Plenty of photos to come on Instagram!

s/v Nogal (ashore!)