We are tendered from far out into turquoise waters, to a hugely long  pier. This place looks like a gorgeous beach destination…. Lovely!!!

I was told about a helicopter seen flying around searching for sharks. Apparently a portion… around the pool area, is netted for protection mind you, I did see a young girl jumping off the pier outside the contained area. The pier is 1.841 kms in either direction. That could be all you need to get your steps in for the day… lol. 

No guide on any part of this tour. 

First stop was to the Ngilgi Cave….. quite spectacular!

Flies, flies and more flies. One lady said “I must smell like shit cuz the flies just won’t leave me alone”. We all had the same problem. 

Second stop was to the Cape Natualiste lighthouse. 

First the talk and later on the 25th/25, I will be seeing them.

Apparently they represent an enormous danger. Variants – largest of monitor lizard. They began life in Australasia along with mega fauna 3.5 M years ago and haven’t changed. Many animals from that time are now extinct….. climate change at that time being the culprit. Australasia used to be larger land mass than just Australia. Besides New Zealand, it also included New Guinea and other islands like Komodo.

They can swim but not large distances. They don’t move from their home location and environment. They are loners and live on only 5-6 islands in wild small volcanic islands.  There are only 3.5 thousand left and are now considered endangered. They never have crossed the Wallace line. 

In 1910 a Dutch lieutenant discovered presence of them after hearing reports of a “land crocodile”. He killed and skinned one sending it to Zoological museum in Java…. naming them in 1912. They have a long forked tongue and sharp claws like “dragon” so got the name. 

Are they dangerous …yes, they are potentially lethal.  They grow to 8-10 feet, 100 kg. Some larger. The biggest being 165 kgs. Females are bit smaller. They look docile but can travel at 20 m /hr. 

Their teeth are triangular and serrated with an iron enriched coating. They have a strong sense of smell through their tongue. They can see well in day but not at night. Their saliva contains an anticoagulant. They are carnivores catching their prey by surprise.   They can eat up to 80% of their body weight having to lay in sun to help digest after eating. They are canniblistic. If food is unavailable they will eat their young. The young live in trees for first few years as a means of survival. 

In 2006 scientists discovered that females are asexual  parthsngenucs… virgin births. 15-20 eggs are laid in September with a 7-9 month incubation period. After the birth,  the mothers stay with the babies for 3 months then abandon them. The Komodo dragons don’t stop growing for 20 years and only live for 30-35 years. 

900,000 population-75% are Christian…surprising, atleast to me. In this predominately  Muslim country. 

Schooling …6-7 years elementary + 3 years for middle school plus 3 for high school. It is not free but costs 1 million rupiah ($85CAD) for school each year… catholic school is 2 million rupiah. 

It’s dry season here now, unlike the rest of country/area. This area that we are driving through, nobody wants to live here because there is no water. It’s a wasteland. 

So many goats…. not for meat but milk.  Fences built from pieces of tree branches that sprout. 

One car in the caravan of private vehicles used for all our tours, broke down so had to transfer people around. 40 cars in line like African safari where everyone is chasing the illusive leopard. 

Went to Savannah…. Looks much the same as the area we’ve driven through …. barren but it is valley with trees that look dead. Apparently they will sprout once the rains come. I think maybe they are acacia as in Africa. 

There are quite a few horses wandering the barren hillsides, are raised to be sold for racing in Java. They are the income to the village we visited.  Throughout the village there are lots of chicks and hens and monoliths….  The whole village is like a graveyard with these stone structures scattered around.

Next we are off to see the waterfall.

We are driven over horrendous roads, steep on the precipice of a lush valley. As we arrive there is lightning and thunder and then downpour that then made it unsafe to see the waterfall. According to the guide it was 242 step down and 242 steps up. Probably would have been the only thing worth seeing on this tour. I would have gone forked to the waterfall but would have had to cross over a metal bridge that given that there was an electrical storm happening, might have been dangerous. The absolute disorganization of the guides and the yelling and indecision was so annoying. All in all disappointed to the tune of $433CAD….grrrr!  So many people were peed off. 

On the return to the port we stopped to see water buffalo rolling around in the mud….. probably as a result of the rain. 

Highlights were seeing the goats, horses and water buffaloes.

Today I didn’t have an excursion so decided instead to just get a taxi to show me around the island.  Less traffic from Bali but lots of garbage. It seems as if the population is poorer… ramshackle homes and businesses. See less motorcycles/scooters here than Bali but many are with 2 adults and 2 kids…. and no helmets. 

10,000,000 rupiah ($842 CAD) to buy one cow but it’s enough to feed 20 people 

Effan is my driver. He asked me if I like mangos…. who doesn’t!  We drive up a small lane to his village. Oh my, so poor. Effan has roosters…. for cock fighting. There,  his wife (only to 25 years old) cuts up fresh mangos, that are green but surprisingly are actually ripe and so sweet. While there I meet his 2 sons (12 & 3), a nephew (8) and his mother (75). His mom is sweet and happy. She is grinding something and I ask what it is … betel leaves.  She is rubbing it on her teeth and around her mouth but not swallowing it. No wonder she is happy!!!

From there we went to a gorgeous resort to relax a bit on the beach. I thought that  the cost to stay there would be out of sight. Alas…. Only about $140 CAD a night, but then it’s low season now.

Later as we were driving back to the port I asked about a pot in middle of road. It is for donations toward the mosque. 

Below are miscellaneous pictures of life on Lombok.

Shrines are built outside the gates …for protection

We head first to Batubulan… batik and weaving. 

Royal Temple-built originally in 1634. 

Tanah Lot built 17th century, is in the sea at high tide. 

June is high season for tourists… strange for us. Right now is rainy season but is the cruise season for Europeans and North Americans.  May to October is the dry season. 30 C+/- now …up to 90% humidity but not today…..is only75%. Still hot and sticky!

Bali is 5700 sq kilometre and almost 4.5 Million pop. 85%  are of Hindu religion. The rest being Muslim. Total of 270 Million population for all of Indonesia, the third largest country population wise in world. 

They have 2 active volcanos on the island.  In 2017 the airport was closed because of an eruption. 

Offerings “outside” of homes and businesses to feed evil outside and not come inside. Offerings inside for are for blessing. 

Entire family lives in compound. Girls have to leave to live with husband’s family. All boys remain with the family. If after all are married they may need to build a new compounds. If new compound is built …have to have priest come …use fengshui for the placement of the different buildings within the compound.  If they have no children, they have to adopt in order to keep the compound going with the adoptee having to participate in community of 100 houses or they’ll gossip about you… lol!

Every family builds a very decorative bamboo thingy that hangs over the street in front of compound, in prep for big festival, held every 210 days, was on last Wednesday… to celebrate victory over evil. Birthdays every 210 days.  New Year’s Day is a silent day… no talking, no tv, no devises, no cooking…. no tourists cuz no hotel employees. Nothing!

Free medical but you have to go to the right hospital. Public school is free too. University is not free and has to be paid in “cash”…. Not in loan business. School 6 days a week half day 7-12 o’clock… too hot otherwise. 

There are no school buses so kids drive scooter underage even if not yet 18 when it’s legal. 

Sihita is the Juliet of Bali to Romeo’s Rama. 

Rice ….2 crops a year, every 6 months. The rice for the most part has been already harvested. After harvest they turn rice fields over ….upside down and let it soak in water for 3 weeks. Each family has small field for own consumption. 1 hectare produces 10 tons of rice twice yearly. Our guides family plot produce 3 tons for 15 people.  The country still has to import from Vietnam. 

Split gates at the entrance to homes or temples etc., if together make a mountain… a place of god. 

In 1945 Bali became a republic with a president.  In 1597 the Dutch came and stayed until 1942. 

Wishnu god with 9 faces. The Balinese Hindus believe in karma and reincarnation. 

The model of scooter is status symbol besides transportation. They have taxi scooter called Grab. 

Cannot build anything higher than 4 stories or higher, no higher than a palm tree so as to not block temples and statues. 

The British naturalist that lived in Malay archipelago, came to a similar conclusion as Charles Darwin…. evolution through natural selection.

He was self taught, becoming interested in botany and entomology. He didn’t complete his education due his family’s lack of money.

He first went in search of beetles in the Amazon, spending 4 years there. He made maps of the Amazon, a skill that he had learned from his brother, a surveyor. He was a naturalist, anthropologist geographer & explorer.  Returning from the Amazon, there was a fire on board on the returning ship… all survived for 10 days at sea but he lost all the samples and all his notes. 

A year later in 1854 he arrives in Singapore.  He spent 8 years exploring 14,000 square miles. He drew all documented species because there was no photography at the time… 125,000 species. He unfortunately had to shoot and kill animals and bird as that was the only way to collect species but he also had help from locals bringing species to him. 

While sick with malaria in 1858, he had a eureka moment. Those that are better equipped to survive the environment they are living in, will survive and reproduce. Those that are not, do not so nature eventually produce stronger and bigger stock. 

Darwin had a 5 year journey on the Beagle, to Patagonia and the Galapagos. He comes to the conclusion if animals can change and so adapt then so must humans. Wallace’s theories independently realized, and sent to Darwin forced Darwin to publish their groundbreaking to theories.  He became the foot soldier of the General Darwin. 

Some of the animals he collected and examined have since become extinct. 

The Wallace Line, named after him, runs through the Malay Archipelago. He came to realize that animals that lived on west side of that line were only Asian and those to the east were Australian, never crossing over that line. Why they didn’t cross over the Wallace line, the Lombok Strait ….because of deep ocean trenches developed during the ice age. That 

area is known as Wallacea in science books. 

Komodo dragons only exist on 5 islands in that area, the proboscis monkeys on Borneo. 

Back to exploring/excursions next.

This may not be of interest for all of you….. but there similarities in today’s world as there was leading up to WW2 and Hitler.

The new movie “Nuremberg” about the trials is accurate except for the depiction of Harry Truman according to our speaker. I might need to watch it.

There were 13 trials… not just 1.  done in concert with different superpowers….. Russia, Britain, France and the US. 22 German bigwigs were tried in the 1st trial with there being 12 subsequent trials to deal with the lesser collaborators including businesses like the one that developed poisonous gasses. 

The trial at the time was unpopular.  

In 1933 Hitler came to power with only 1 vote majority. It was after Germany had been punished, denied all help and subsequently couldn’t even feed itself after WW1. Hitler was the answer to their woes, coming up with scapegoats…. others to blame. He kept adding pogroms, assessing the world’s reaction with each program introduced. No country reacted. Racial superiority was behind naziism. The master race was typically Northern Europeans….. Scandinavians  and Germans. The rest were “mud”. With every conspiratorial thought, some people will believe.  It was taught in school, the superiority of the master race. He had text books changed to support their beliefs. 

In 1935 Nuremberg Race laws were brought forth…. on superiority, that stripped Jews and homosexuals of all rights. He told the world what he was going to do but nobody did anything. With Krystallnaught, in October of 1938, the Nazis had come up with a global plot saying that Jews were taking over the world.  The Nazis went into bars, paid for plenty of liquor, then the drunks were handed a bunch of nonsense that got them all riled up and consequently then took to the streets attacking Jews. And then, Hitter blamed the Jews for the mess, making them pay for the cleanup.

Germany gobbled up surrounding countries to provide a buffer as well as to take minerals, etc. from them . Hitler sold 10,000 kids of parents that were imprisoned for trumped up reasons predominantly for being Jews….to England. It was called “Kindertransport”.  They then offered 20,000 to the US but the US refused.  He tried to tell the world they were “saving” these children. They sent a ship to Cuba with Jews making them to pay to exit. Once there, the passengers were refused entry because many were diseased, mental patients and prisoners. 

Wannsee conference was “the final solution”…..the systematic, bureaucratic plan to mass-murder the European Jewish population, an event known as the Holocaust. 

Global pandemic after the war world… no food had been grown, the dead bodies of humans and animals were rotting, disease was rampant. 

Truman chose the Stinson Plan as a way to proceed with the trial. The US being the only ones that paid. They wanted everything documented. 

Truman appointed Jackson to be judge but the man had never gone to law school.  

“Genocide” was a word developed after WW2. 

Most countries wanted take the Nazis out and shoot them all. Truman decided magnanimous not vengeance was the way to go, that we must “forgive but never forget”. 

Nazi officers demanded the firing squad but were hanged, some considered for only the lower class of which they were not. They we’re tried in their own town….Nuremberg, their symbol of the Nazi regime 

So many of the Nazis committed suicide incl Hitler.  

“To this day, the trials have influenced how war crimes are tried, not just internationally but also within the jurisdiction of the United States” as quoted off the internet and by the speaker but I believe (and the speaker, a professor, author, from LYNN university) the laws (and society) have regressed dramatically since 2016.

Nov 19/25- at sea enrichment lecture on Amelia Earhart’s disappearance 

Amelia Earhart was born in 1897 in Kansas, was raised by grandmother. She was a tomboy. Moved to Toronto where she trained as a nurse. There she met pilots that had returned from WW1 but that did not peak her interest in flying. What did was when she was treated to a flight and was then sold. In 1921 she got her pilots licence ….was one of only 16 in US.  Another one that made waves in flying at the time was Lindberg who flew 33 hours nonstop across Atlantic to Paris. She was invited to join 3 male pilots on a trans-Atlantic flight. It took them 20 hours 40 minutes but ended up in Wales. She was a feminist…. got married. He proposed 6 times till she agreed but refused to take his name and told him that she would need time away from him. She was the 1st woman to fly across US received the U.S. Distinguished Flying Cross and the French Cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor, the Gold Medal of the National Geographic Society, the Harman Trophy, and was posthumously inducted into both the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the National Women’s Hall of Fame. ……  amongst others. 

She became quite political… was friends of Eleanor Roosevelt. 

She became known as the 1st lady of flight. 

In 1932 she flew from Harbour Grace, NFLD, heading east…. Destination Paris. She wanted to emmulate Lindbergh. There was no radar, no radio communication at the time. She encountered terrible mechanical issues, storms, icing, etc. Landed in Derry Ireland.

She wanted to fly around the world at the equator, something had never done. The plane had 2 engines and crew to begin. She was testing the affect on the human body after that long hours of flying.  In March 1937 they left from Oakland west 2400 miles to Honolulu …. For 16 hours with the goal to an island in Kiribati. The Electra plane had tragic things go wrong including the landing gear collapsing and so had to be repaired. She restarted going from west to east with only Fred Noonan as her navigator, from San Diego. They crossed Caribbean Sea  to the coast of South America, across to Africa at the narrowest distance of Atlantic. From there followed land (as shown in picture of route) to 

Papua New Guinea.  She had flown 25 sectors over a calendar month. Goal was to land on July 4th in San Diego. Leaving New Guinea headed to Howland Island, a tiny speck….  an 18 hour flight.  On the day she left a wire below aircraft could be seen in a photo but a picture taken of the plane when it took off on the runway, the wire was missing.… the radio communication wire. They didn’t see the first navy ship USS Ontario that was placed as a navigation aide. Smoke from navy ship USCG Itasca as a “flag” to get their bearings. They could hear her communications but she couldn’t hear them. They had flown 2200+ knotical miles and over 20 hours before running out of fuel.

Last communication heard from her (picture). The search became a needle in haystack…. 

Gardener Island maybe???  Bones were found of a male of 5’8” or maybe female of 5’7”, piece of aluminum from a plane was also found as well some other debris.

She has been an inspiration for women pilots. There is now equality in the air. 

We decided against the 2nd Big Bus route and instead took the cable cars that were crossing above our ship.

It seems that Sentosa Island would be the destination for amusement rides and the like ….. and luxury hotels

BTW…. Cost for the 2 runs on the cable car…$50 Singapore $$$.