"Farewell"

I didn't write much in Bali . I was trying to find a solution to my latest idea . I woke up one morning in Serangan and had the surprise to discover that the friends i'd left in Kudat , Juan and Jane , had arrived during the night and where anchored next to me . I jumped in the dinghy and went to their boat , so happy to see them again . "What are you doing here ?" i asked , "We stopped for a day or two , we're on our way to Chagos" . I loved it , Chagos is at least a three weeks trip from Bali . Nothing in between , just open ocean . And then it hit me , and hard ! That was the original idea , that's what i was dreaming about when i got a boat : to be able to go anywhere i wanted . But after cruising for a year and a half on the Duck , i realized that on a powerboat it was a bit more complicated than what i though . It takes a lot of planning , making sure you'll have enough parts , fuel , oil , ... You also hope your engine will not break on the way . And then there's the noise , constant . It kinds of kills the poetic side of being out there on your own .
I needed a sailboat ! I realized my motor cruising days where over . So i started thinking how to make this happen . And i stayed at the same spot for 3 months , afraid to do the wrong thing : if i go to Australia , will i find a buyer for my boat ? Should i ship it to America where they're used to Trawlers ? Go back to Hong Kong and try to sell it there ? I changed my mind everyday . I almost lost my mind . And then i decided to forget about it , and finally decided to hang around Asia for a few more seasons . My boat was working well in that area , i didn't encounter a lot of wind going from Hong Kong to Bali , except for the typhoon incident :) So i forgot about the "dream" and left for Singapore . The last time i updated the blog i was just entering the "pirate infested" malacca strait , on my way to Thailand ... I'm now writing this from the 24th floor of the Nikko hotel in Kuala Lumpur . I don't own a boat anymore , I'm Homeless !
After two days sailing up the strait , i stopped at the dirty smelly Port Klang , which is the main harbor for Kuala Lumpur . I'd been in contact with that guy Amir who wanted to check my boat . he didn't seem too serious about buying , and anyway i'd made up my mind , i was not going to sell it . But he came the next morning and happened to be a really cool guy . I liked him instantly . He toured the boat , we went to have lunch at a local indian joint and by the time we finished we'd struck a deal . He was going to be the next owner of my ship , it was written . It was time . Time to turn the page and write the next chapter of the trip .
It's funny , since i started this all thing , when i tried to plan things in advance , it almost always failed ... But when i followed the "No plan" plan , i then got to the right places , met the right people and had a great time . I guess the Force is with me :)
So what's next ? Another boat of course , with sails :) and i after planning to go to the U.S to find one , i just located what could be my next home up in Hong Kong :) Back to where it all started ...
See you soon for the second episode .
Cheers
BenBen

"Tanker's Highway"

Taxis , A/C , Prada , Gucci . Gap , Zara , Visa . Amex , Malls , Food Courts , Tasteless Franchised Restaurants . Giant Billboards , Constant Brainwashing , Vulgar Ads . Fat Spoiled Kids , Snobby Locals . High Class Marina , Low Class Services . Million Dollar Plastic Yachts , Underpaid Crew . Singapore is probably the worst example of what "extreme capitalism" can do to people . While Hong Kong has managed to retain a good mix of tradition and modernity , it seems to me that Singapore has lost it completely .
I though i needed to get back to civilization , do a bit of shopping and enjoy the "Modern world" for a while . And i did , my credit card almost melted . I'm not a hippy , but my idea of a good time is not spending my week-ends in giant air-conditionned malls , hiding from the heat and humidity and spending my time looking at loud demonstrations of the latest whitening cream from Loreal . Fuck That !!!
I might have lost my mind , spending too much time in more "down to earth" places , But if that's the path the world's taking , i'm happy not to be part of this joke anymore . I do think we live in a great time : we have unrestricted access to information , we can travel all around the world in a flash , but still most people waste their lives on meaningless things . What's scaring them so badly that they don't think for themselves ? Humans are slowly turning into little frightened animals , and they can only blame themselves for it . Being curious is still free . But they get lazy , they need to belong to something accepted by all ... Wear the latest trendy shirt , Drive that car , Make tons of money and you'll get that Blonde ... There's tons of other ways to get her :)
So i'm slowly making my way out of this place , cruising through hundreds of supertankers and giant container ships , up into the Malaca Strait , 600 miles to Thailand . I still managed to meet of few interesting people , and that made this stop over a good one .
Free your Mind , And your Ass will Follow .

Finally arrived Singapore . And here i go all over again . Left all the friends behind , but new ones will surely materialize somehow ... So here's a few pictures of friends and family from Bali , just to make sure i won't forget them :)


"Papa & Mama" , my balinese parents in the village of serangan . They made sure i was well fed everyday by providing me with copious amounts of Nasi Goreng , tuna satay and grilled mahi-mahi . Hard to leave such a place .


Bonnie & elliot . My sister and her boyfriend decided to come visit me in july , just when i was getting ready to leave for Oz ... And all my plans changed at that time :)


I've known Gilles for more than 15 years . He came to Bali around 12 years ago , walked into a store and met his future wife Jenny . They were my second substitute family on the island :)


Pier the crazy danish and his girlfriend Wiwin . Pier actually made the trip from Bali to Singapore on the boat . He needed to renew his visa and decided it was more fun to spend 9 days at sea instead of two hours in a plane . Good on you Mate :)

There was many more people , some of them didn't want to have their picture taken for "security" reasons , some i just didn't shoot because i was too lazy .

Next time maybe ...

B.

"Up On The Mast Mandarine Rooftop Shot"

Finally on the move again . 6 months in Indo , and most of it in Bali . I guess i wasn't in the mood for traveling around too much , and Bali is the perfect place to do such a thing . Cheap place , lovely people , good food , sunshine , waves : i slowly tuned myself to the local groove and let time fly .
The best part of this episode was being reunited with my good friend Gilles who's living on the island . I got to meet his lovely balinese family and in no time i felt like i belonged in this place . I was even thinking about buying some land and settle down ... Then i woke up one morning and realized this could go on forever . I had to go . I was supposed to go down to Oz , but I'm now heading towards Singapore , then probably Thailand ! The "No plan" Plan is in full effect :)
Got to go , the Java sea is a busy place and the thunderstorms tonight make navigation an interesting thing .
Will write more from Singapore , i promise :)
cheers
Ben
somewhere off the coast of Sumatra

"Friends"

Seven days cruising non-stop , 870 nautical miles , two hemispheres , two seasons , two thunderstorms , a broken computer charger , no pirates , a few dolphins and lots of crazy milkshakes ... That's how you you go from Malaysia to Bali in style ! We even managed to stop the boat right on the equator and jumped overboard to swim across it :) Since it was our first time across the mystical line , we avoided paying our dues to King Neptune with that little trick :)
We've been working a bit on the boat today , washing and doing a bit of maintenance and we'll be ready to go cruising around the island of Lombok tomorrow ... the Surfing part of the trip has begun :)
Cheers
B.


"The Captain swimming under the equator"

"Stefan and a Friend"


"New York , New York"


"quote : I left Spain ten years ago , i was only planning to cross the Atlantic"

I'm not Solo anymore !!! I have my first guest onboard :) My friend Stefan arrived a few days ago from switzerland to help me go down to Bali . We left Kota Kinabalu on thursday , leaving behind us the crazy New Yorkers , stopped in Kudat to say goodbye to some other crazy friends and yesterday we finally caught our first fish , a pretty good sized mackerel . We then proceeded to overdose on sashimi ... We were both turning a bit green today .
We've now stopped in a little bay on the east coast of Malaysia and we'll be entering Indonesian waters tomorrow . Another part of the trip ends ... My Stay in Malaysia has been pretty much uneventful , most of my time spent at the marina to do some maintenance , but i've managed to meet new friends in both Kudat and KK . And that's more important than anything else . Hope i'll see them again soon !
Keep in touch
Cheers
B.