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October 1, 2005
Bombs in Bali + Mick's boat Reach
LOCATION: Cilacap, Java
SEE WHERE WE ARE - NEW!
NAUTICAL MILES KAYAKING: 849
STANDARD MILES BIKING: 476.6
Just read the news about the bombs in Bali, at least one at the tiny community of Jimbaran Beach where we were based less than 2-weeks ago. Hope our friends the Huddlestons are OK? Doesn't seem to be a lot of news about it yet but it sounds like one of the bombs went off at the seafood restaurant area just a few feet from where we were staying. Hard to believe, not least because the majority of people we saw eating there were local Indonesians rather than tourists.
Today we biked to the coastal town of Cilacap in search of Mick Bird's oars. Mick found himself having to make an emergency landfall here in the summer of 2001 while rowing his boat 'Reach' from Thursday Island, Australia to Madagascar off the coast of E. Africa. But without a cruising permit he lost everything to the local harbour police.
Being a Saturday I thought perhaps all the relevant harbour offices would be closed. They were. But when I asked the security at the harbour entrance if they knew of anything about Mick Bird's boat they seemed to know exactly what I was talking about.
There then followed a wild goose chase around town in search of an outboard motor mechanic who was supposedly the man to speak to about this. When finally we were sitting in the front room of his house with chickens and small children running around our feet, I explained the situation; that I was a friend of Mick's and that we were looking for the oars from his boat 'Reach'. A few minutes elapsed after which the paddle from a dugout canoe was produced. "No, I need the original" I said. There was another pause, during which someone was again despatched into the local neighbourhood.
At this time I thought it helpful, to avoid any more confusion, to draw a picture, which I did of a stick figure of Mick rowing Reach and of one of his oars, with the figure of '3 metres' beside it. The mechanic in turn took the pencil from my hand and drew a picture of a saucepan of rice with a fire underneath it.
"Oh, so they're being used to stir large pots of rice?" I offered with rising hope.
He stabbed his finger at the fire underneath. It was then that the realization dawned that they'd been chopped up for firewood.
"Well, is there anything left of the boat, for a memento?" I asked.
"No. An old man is using the cabin as a chair. He is very old so we don't want to disturb him."
Clearly there was nothing to be salvaged, even with a $100 reward for an original set of oars up for grabs. Sorry Mick. Guess the old girl is up in the big boat yard in the sky.
Posted on October 1, 2005 2:20 PM
Comments
you know... According to that nifty little Google map feature on your web site, you only have about 3" left to go!
Don't feel bad, but with the same effort that moves your mountain bikes to 20 kph, I can do about 45 kph in my new bike:
http://www.adventuresofgreg.com/HPVlog/10-04-05.html
We'll have to get you something like that once you are back onto modern roads. Good idea?
gk
Posted by: Greg at October 5, 2005 9:41 PM
Bummer about Mick's boat and oars! Did you let him know the news yet? Hey - if you have his email handy, I'd love to say hi.
You guys are doing a great job - keep it up!!!
Posted by: Greg at October 5, 2005 9:34 PM
Jason,
Back here in the real world (or should that be the other way round?), your Mum has just arrived for a three day visit to Doddington. The Kenyan flag that I commitioned specially for the occasion hung lifelessly on my flag pole because there wasn't a breath of wind. She has now retired early, completely talked to a standstill!
Love and best wishes to you both,
Ian M-L
Posted by: Ian Macalpine-Leny at October 3, 2005 9:57 PM
whoa!
you guys are riding bicycles across java?! absolutely crazy!
i rode my motorcycle from jogjakarta to pangandaran and batu keras return while studying in jogja. it was at least 7 hour trip, and was not short of hair raising moments. the edge of my handlebars missed oncoming, speeding, overtaking buses by inches sometimes. my indo friends thought i was nuts, i cant imagine what theyd think of bule naik sepeda from east to west.
take care
Posted by: aidan at October 3, 2005 6:15 PM
Hey Jason,
I'm sorry to hear of such a sad ending to Mick's oars and surely it must be frustrating for you to find out... but I found it kind of funny. You really have a knack for writing and sharing your experiences =) I hope April's feeling a lot better and will get well soon. Please take good care! Tropical diseases can be scary.
Best, Jeanne
Posted by: Jeanne at October 1, 2005 6:27 PM