aah- we are leaving this beautiful island:(

Ahh! We are leaving this beautiful island.(16/9) I have really got comfortable here.

We anchored close to the shore and yet 2 days ago i put goggles on and went for a swim around the boat and we were in 20m deep water! White sandy bottom and one little fish was all i could see:) 

Yesterday was so exciting (as usual!) It started off not so exciting as there were flies everywhere! I decided to quickly vacuum the carpets and then Brent started to clean the cockpit-much to Cody's horror as he stood one foot on the yacht and the other on the duck, surfboard under his arm while we were all scrubbing furiously.

I must admit, what a difference to the feeling of the boat after a whirlwind springclean.

Finally we headed out to find some surf!

This time Louie stayed behind to look after Micah .

Brent dropped Caden and I off on the palm filled island. I had 2 cameras, sunblock, towel, bottle of water and Cadens lunchbox! We had to walk along the beach for a bit and then deviate through the palm forest along a little path- that seemed to take us straight through their village!!! Huts peeked out through the perfect palms. I pulled my sarong over my shoulders and draped it over me -despite the heat- to "cover up" as we were told that the Indonesians are a muslim country and hence women must be covered up. I felt so overdressed:)

I peered nervously as the huts got closer. I anticipated people peeking shyly (hopefully, not hungrily:) ) around corners and sending an interpreter ( or a cannibal assistant chef) out to communicate with us...

but just silence and isolation greeted us...

There was no thriving bustling village! The whisps of smoke trailing lazily each day from the smoking palm trees was just from burning coconuts. It appears that the locals come here every day from the main island and they harvest coconuts, which they then pack into bags and store under one of the dilapidated huts to sell to a ship. Who knows, these coconuts may travel long distances and eventually end up on the Pick n Pay shelf at home:)



Our skipper Louie and Brent using a t-shirt to map
our voyage:)

Caden and I forged our way forth winding our way through palm trees that casually leaned in various directions. Caden with his little fishing net over his shoulder carried a  large pretty shell in it and walked with

trepidation ahead of me...we poth peered nervously into the silent foliage as the path took us undercover. I was nervous incase we bumped into some of the local men. Maybe even my legs exposed out from under my sarong would be too much flesh for their eyes:) Caden had more serious fears-Giant Indonesian Tigers!I had mentioned to him that Brent said that the virgin forests in Indo were so untouched that tigers still roamed around the more dense areas. Now this little flat island inhabited so far by only the fearsome squawking bird:) ( which by the way we never saw:) )took on a menacing feel to Caden. Shame- we are both such fearful creatures:)

At last 20 minutes later, we spotted ocean and enthusiastically left our path to make our way down the rocks.I had spotted the first sign of human life up ahead of us and was relieved to leave the path and not make contact.

As we walked, I saw the duck anchored in the channel next to the surf spot. The surf was much kinder and smaller here than their last session yesterday. I saw Vince sitting on the jagged dead coral- bodyboardLESS!- AGAIN:) I was not sure if he was injured as he did not seem to be moving. Cade and I had rock shoes on-thank goodness, so walking along the sharp tsunami blackened massacred coral was okay. Suddenly Brents voice started calling me from my bag? I forgot I had a radio in my bag for communication. Apparently they had all started to worry as Caden and I had disappeared into the jungle for quite a long time!

We checked on Vince and he was alright but as he had no shoes, we had to carefully trek over a long distance of daggerlike rock to get his board for him.

I settled into my photographic position, ready to freeze those precious family surfing moments, when suddenly 2 local men appeared next to us! I was so self-conscious. But , when they saw "we" were harmless:) , there were lots of smiles and awkward conversation, and then the children ran out of the foliage and came down to have a look at us:) Caden immediately  openend up his lunchbox and rummaged through collecting his little jelly tots which he then distributed fairly amongst them all. It did not take long before Caden became a "trader:", trading his hot peanut butter sandwhich for two little fish and then he was given a huge orange coconut which an old local man skillfully cleaned with his bushknife and gave it to us to drink its cold clear sweet refreshing coconut mild:))) It was so delicious and thirst quenching. We gave the growing crowd- the thumbs up!

Of course- in all of the negotiating and socialising with the local people, I missed Brents two best waves!

All in all , they all caught some good waves while the local children squealed and clapped for them everytime anyone stood up on a board or caught a wave on a boogy board:)