INDONESIA AND BALI

Sadly Indonesia has a litter problem. The only means of disposal seems to be by burning. However, the people are delightful. The children row out in their dugout canoes and like to come aboard for sweets. Be wary of small fishing boats as the trail nets up to a mile long. It was one of these that we ran into and wrapped the net around our prop. We anchored in the Gili islands off Lombok where there were nice beach bars. We took a ferry across to Lombok which was green and lush compared to Rinca and Sumbawa. We swam under gushing waterfalls of fresh water. These are fed by underground springs and never dry up as they do in Australia. Lombok has rice paddy fields and in Bali the paddy fields are terraced.
Bali is a disappointment. It is very touristy and the street hawkers are very persistent. The streets are very busy but there were some very nice restaurants which were very inexpensive. We visited Kuta where they were hosting the First Asian Beach Games. We watched the surf competition. The memorial to the 2002 Bali bombing was very moving. There is very tight security everywhere and all vehicles are closely examined for bombs. Bali is Hindu compared with the neighbouring island of Lombok which is Muslim. Hindu temples are everywhere. We are having our teak decks repaired before moving on to Kalimantan to see the Orangutangs.