Indonesia so far.....

  After a good sail from Oz we approached Kupang in the early morning,the smokey smell and twinkling lights welcomed us, but it was still dark,and with no navigational lights or markers we were on the lookout ,especially for small fishing boats as we went up the channel,some have lights and some don't ! At first light we saw  about 12 masts already in the anchorage .As the day progressed another 50 yachts arrived.We raised our 'Q' flag and awaited the local customs officers who randomly went to whichever yacht took their fancy! No kind of order. Paperwork is King in Indonesia.We had made multiple photocopies from a list of different paperwork that the rally had advised, the officers were very polite ,we filled out more forms, they  took a look below decks and gave us  clearance to go ashore to start the real paperwork! I must say the rally had organized all 5 different government departments of officials in one building which was extremely convenient and actually made the process of checking in run smoothly. The local bar was next door with free wifi, and cheap cold beer,the local telecommunications people were there with sim cards ,etc etc this bar became the local hangout for all events.our captain was unable to get the answers he needed for our wifi needs so a local guy kindly took him 10 km on the back of his skooter  to the local head office to sort things out, an exciting  ride in the chaotic traffic ,a town with few road signs, and only one traffic light that he could see!( 350,000 population) The local buses are small vans called bemos, with no headroom ( fine for little people like myself) ,that are highly decorated, play loud music ,have 2 benches on each side and pile as many people in as possible.The side door is always open with a young boy (13yrs or so) who stands ready to jump out to stop traffic when they make a turn etc( remember no traffic lights) as you will see from the photos we did a tour seeing the highlights of kupang using a bemo,this included the local wild monkeys,the traditional musical instrument ,and hat maker and,a look around the local museum that was crumbling ,as is most of the colonial dutch and portuguese architecture here. The majority of people are very ,very poor in this region ,and life is lived on the streets.A group of us went to visit the local orphanage,which presently houses 70 + children,the sail Indonesia rally organizes our donations to go to a scholarship fund for some of their brightest students to attend university. We also donated clothing ,other supplies etc .They grow most of their food and raise chickens,pigs, and goats ,the surplus is taken to market to help earn money for the running of the orphanage.it was amazing to see how happy the children seemed ,caring for each other just like a very large extended family.I will post an address if anyone would like to send a red cross parcel ( clothing, shoes, toothbrushes,band aids etc. Next day we set sail for Alor, stopping overnight 10 miles off the east Timor border. The captain mentioned the strange tides and currents we encountered. We have been welcomed here and entertained.Unfortunately there is smoke from the Volcano nearby and trash burning, so breathing  when the breeze has dropped is irritating. We were graciously shown around the traditional village of Talapaka  including inside their houses.There are 2 floors within the thatched roof that can be reached by a precarious bamboo ladder, the cooking area and the corn storage,see photos. The regency governor laid on a dinner for us and honored some of the yachties by dressing them up in ceremonial clothing! We hope to set off again tomorrow  ,the weather here is the dry season, so no rain, hot sun in the day (30 C in the day, 20 C at night).