NDO'O AND SABU

 NDO'O SUNSET

We left Ba'a on Rote on the 8th of august with the intention of sailing to an island called Ndao, but found the anchorage very deep and rolly. Since we don't do rolly we decided to check out the nearby island of Ndo'o. What a delightful little island, uninhabited, white sandy beach, clear clear water and very peaceful. Definitely no rolling! And the sunsets were just spectacular. Spent two nights here and then off to our next stop which is the town of Seba on the island of Sabu.

SABU

SEBA HARBOUR

We arrived early in the morning after sailing all night. There are 8 boats travelling together at present and as we had all been up all night, we were pretty tired and looking forward to a sleep before the festivities that evening. Well we should know better by now, everything here is island time. As we had arrived early they put on a welcoming ceremony on the beach at 10 o'clock!! We were taken to a beach by ute, yes; we were all in the back of the ute on the floor. As usual communication came late as we were supposed to land on the beach in our dinghies where Captain Cook also landed. In the traditional village that we visited there was a rock carving of Captain Cook's ship.

WELCOME BOAT

There was welcome dancing and singing, and then a little boat made out of palm leaves was launched to wish a safe journey in the future. Once again we were presented with an “ikat' or scarf made by the local weavers. Quite a fascinating process.

The island is very poor and dirty; rubbish is just thrown on the ground and eventually ends up in the sea. It doesn't have much to offer in the way of tourism, which is what they are trying to promote. No modern buildings, the ships are still unloaded by hand, and very little produce available for export. All very sad really. One thing worries me though, every island we visit we are assured that the army and navy are looking after us and we are safe. Is this because we need protecting or is it because we are important guests and all VIPS get this treatment?

This is the only place where we encountered thieves. Some young men were trying to load one of the dinghies onto a truck, and when told the police would be called they just laughed, until someone proceeded to take their photos. The police were able to I.D. them, and when confronted swore they were only trying to help put the dinghy in the water. After that there were guards constantly looking after our dinghies.

To us, our dinghies are our transport. They are the equivalent of your car if you live out in the country. No car, no go. With us, if we have no dinghy we have no way of getting ashore.

 SABU DANCERS

The dancing here is quite different, they wear little woven boxes on their feet, these contain rice and dried beans so that they rattle at the slightest movement. All the emphasis is on feet movement, and the sounds they make. these girls are competing against other groups for the honour of being able to perform on Independence Day.

Our next stop is Sumba, 110 n.m. from here, so that will be another overnighter.