Tag: Domino

Cats of Indonesia

We saw a lot of exotic animals in our travels around Indonesia. The giant mantas, gibbons and orangutans and Komodo dragons were incredible to see in person. But, did you know that Indonesia is one of the most cat friendly countries on Earth? More people have cats as pets in Indonesia than anywhere else in Southeast Asia. We learned this while meeting many cute cats of Indonesia. In between petting them and enjoying their company, I took lots of photos. So strap in, cat lovers, this one is for you!

Where We Saw Cats of Indonesia

From the day we landed in Kupang, Timor, to our last stop before checking out near Singapore, we saw cats and kittens. They were on the streets, in the marinas, and at shops, hotels, and restaurants.

cat at a resort, Labuan Bajo, Indonesia
A cat at the resort in Sylvia, Labuan Bajo, Indonesia

And, I can happily report, the cats of Indonesia were healthy, friendly, and cute, and mostly amenable to being photographed. Cats are called kucings in Indonesia, pronounced coo-ching. It’s fun to say.

white cat relaxing
A relaxed cat in Lombok
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Down Time in Lombok

We arrived in Lombok, Indonesia in late November. After three weeks in Indonesia getting to Lombok, we settled there for a bit and got to know the area. During that time, we went to a festival, visited some satellite islands, and enjoyed some down time in Lombok.

About Lombok

Lombok is an island east of Bali and west of Sumbawa. While its closest neighbor is Bali, Lombok is part of the province of West Nusa Tenggara. 4,607 square kilometers in size, Lombok is surrounded by several islets, a few of which we visited. It has a healthy population of over 4 million very friendly people. We spent most of our down time in Lombok in the northwest quadrant, north of the town of Senggigi, and east of the Gili islands. We also sailed to some islands on the southeast, visited waterfalls, and even rented scooters.

beach in Lombok Indonesia
A Lombok Beach
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Getting Go Back on the Water

After our “Worst Wave” incident, Go was stuck in Port Macquarie for almost five months. Go was a mess. Everything got soaked from our windows being smashed in. Our electronics, engines, books, appliances, and more. We knew early on that getting Go back on the water would be a massive effort. Here’s what it was like.

Getting Insurance Approvals

The good news was that we got Go to safety in the marina in Port Macquarie. In between trying to get the insurance company to help us, we cleaned and dried what we could and moved off the boat for a few weeks.

We tried to dry things out the best we could but we were hampered by the seasonally terrible weather. Over the period we were there, Port Macquarie had floods at least twice, and a lot of rainstorms. With our smashed front windows it was hard getting and keeping things dry.

Go's cabin after being smashed by the worst wave
Go’s cabin after being smashed by the worst wave

Once our insurance company realized the size of the job, they sent an assessor to look at the boat and report on the damages. He took a few weeks to submit a report and then we waited. We went on several trips while for insurance.

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