Jocara Newsletter
Sep 8, 2004

We don't usually wait this long between newsletters, 2-3 days is what we 
aim for, but we really didn't want to send yet another newsletter from 
Merak. As one day blended into the next, forever waiting for the FedEx 
package with our new inverter, it began to feel like our own version of 
'Groundhog Day' in Merak.  Casper came down with a fever of 39 deg. C on 4 
Sept, then had his birthday on 5 Sept., in Merak.  He got a flying saucer 
that seems to have gone down well, despite the limited space inside the 
boat in which to fly it. We also got a special dinner treat of grilled 
lamb chops and oven-baked sliced potatoes with garlic, some of Casper's 
favourite foods, followed by a DVD movie (I robot) played on our laptop.  
Funny, we never watched movies on our laptop when we lived in Singapore. 
On the 6th Sept we got the news that our package had been cleared for 
delivery in Jakarta the previous day... and the local office told us it 
would take until 9 Sept. to get it to Cilegon, just 100 km further.  Some 
remonstrations resulted in the package making it to the local depot late 
on 6th, so we were clear to pick it up first thing on 7th and then leave.  
Of course, this is Indonesia, and 'first thing' starts out as 9:00, but 
the pick-up boat doesn't arrive on time, so we start a little late, then 
there are complications; the car overheats, the passports have not all 
been stamped as they were supposed to be, we have to put in an extra visit 
to clear quarantine... the usual things.  So we finally get everything 
taken care of around 1700 and it's way too late to leave for Krakatau at 
that point, so we went to bed early and set off this morning.  A CD-ROM 
with our chatty log and pictures is now winging its way to Singapore to be 
distributed and also has an updated website to be uploaded soon.  

Today dawned hazy and still, the heat building already by the time we left 
at 0900.  After 7 hours gentle motoring against a mild counter-current, we 
have arrived at the famous site of Krakatau.  The remnants of the islands 
daunt us as we look up shear faces of rock split asunder in a moment of 
chaotic violence 121 years ago.  Rakata is the largest part remaining, a 
steep mountainous peak under which we have anchored just 50 m off the rock 
in 30 m depth of water at 6 deg. 08.69'S, 105 deg. 25.72'E.  To our North 
lies the strange and foreboding volcano island they call Anak Krakatau 
(child of Krakatau), the emerging little island that is not so little 
anymore.  It is growing several cm each day on average, its sides coal 
black and devoid of vegetation, like a mountain of dark sugar, or coal, 
poured into the sea.  Where we look across the expanse of water that lies 
between our anchorage and Anak Krakatau, Krakatau itself used to fill this 
space.  We have motored in across an area that used to be occupied by a 
mountain, but where the water depth is over 100m just a few hundred m 
offshore.  The explosion of Krakatau left a very large hole indeed!  Now 
we are relaxing as the sun goes down, the sounds of monkeys (actually 
Casper and Alex, exploring ashore) ringing out across the water and 
listening to the birds chattering in the trees.  Three brightly-painted 
local fishing boats have just finished repairing their nets, picked up 
their anchors and have headed out to sea to fish for the night.  For an 
evening, this once cataclysmic site is quiet and ours to sit and wonder 
in.