And still we wait...

News of our outboard repairs sounds positive – we may just have it back today or tomorrow or.... but we're not staking our lives on it. Things have a way of moving at a different pace here in Indonesia, something we were warned about extensively prior to our arrival. For those not used to a third world environment, this can be highly frustrating. Fortunately, we have experienced plenty of the third world habits over the years and do what is advised; just smile. Any other reaction can be positively counter-productive.

We could certainly be stuck in a lot worse places; the weather here is perfectly fabulous, the sunsets a picture every night and, when we go ashore, we can have a meal and a drink for considerably less than I could cook on board given that all our provisions were bought in Australia.

A couple of other boats have arrived having had problems back in Darwin I suppose. The others left behind have engine, steering, gearbox or outboard hassles so we're not alone in our boat miseries.

Meanwhile, we sit back and enjoy the town. Kupang and in fact, the entire island of Timor, has had an incredibly chequered history with Dutch and Portuguese conquerors and influence. It was also the final destination for William Bligh when he and his men were set adrift near Tonga in a seven metre open boat after the mutiny on the Bounty with nothing more than a sextant and a pocket watch. Having just recently passed through the Endeavour Straits south of the Torres Straits, it's more than amazing that he managed to traverse these waters and arrive safely in Kupang, a distance of over 3500 nautical miles.

We've just learned of a major volcanic eruption north of Flores where, sadly, six people have died. This mountain had been rumbling since last year but apparently many villagers had become accustomed to the volcanic activity and ignored a mandatory evacuation order. This area is known as the Pacific Ring of Fire and has numerous live and smoking volcanoes, some which we hope to see in our travels – from a safe distance.