Just after dawn finds a turquoise painted outrigger nearby fishing in the still waters next to the ship. This fellow fishing has one of those excellent conical hats famous in the east. These are the perfect sun hat. Keeps the sun off and yet lets the head breathe – perfect. Got one for myself. His dugout is equipped with one of the outboard motors peculiar to these parts. A rather large loud gas motor on a long straight shaft. The whole affair looks like a weedwhacker with a propeller instead of a spinning thing of plastic wire. He motors up a ship length away, sounds like an old lawnmower, and shuts down his machine to drift. He then tosses a rock at the end of a thin line over for an anchor and casts his net. Hauls in a few small fish. Do that a couple times and he can feed his family. A couple more and he might sell them and get some cash. There are a couple such fishing boats here near the ship in the early morning and late evenings. Charming. The shores are lined with them. Must be hundreds of these pretty brightly painted water-beetles.
Ship’s cook Donald has done one of two big food shops we need to do before sailing. It took two vehicles and two boat runs to get it all out to the ship. Next is the fresh produce buy at the big market in Denpasar. “Pasar” is the same word for bazaar, or shopping area. Thus Denpasar is the big shopping area of yore and today as well. “Copenhagen” in Denmark means much the same thing in Danish. Copen-hagen, shopping-hook or cape, sort of. Coben and shopen – same same.
Dustin is out and about shopping for the deck department. Masking tape, strong deck soap, contact cement, wire clips, bleach, steel wool, toilet paper, fasteners, 40 new pillows, acetone, thinner, paint, sandpaper, 79 liters gas for outboards. And we have ordered some more medical supplies to top up. Spring and the watch are taking advantage of the dry sunny weather to get the decks oiled – this is so good for them, and hard to do at sea. Can’t say as I know much about what the free watch gang is doing ashore.
Mount Agung: It is so clear today we have an excellent view of Mount Agung. This is a very large volcano that towers over the horizon. It blew a few years ago. Quite imposing over the still harbour. Mount Agung is worth a visit. A beautiful lake, temples and rice fields all around it. Hope some of the gang got there. It is a stunning magical place.
As the day advances a sea breeze makes up and is quite welcome. Ferries steam back and forth. Tri-outriggers with their weedwhacker motors skitter all over. Mount Agung hangs up in the sky over us all on this sunny, pretty day at the moorings in Serangan, Bali, Indonesia.
