by boat, they include some basic items for diesel engines,
outboards and boat repairs. In Pulau Jemaja, we hired scooters
and rode around the interior. It is a beautiful island with a wide
valley that has been turned over for farming both livestock and
arable, including those birds’ nests. We were welcomed into a
school and shown round by one of the pupils. ‘Where are you
from?’ he asked.
‘England.’
‘Wow, that’s cool. Welcome!’
A WARM WELCOME
But most of the rest of the people live in tiny fi shing villages
scattered around the centre of the archipelago. Because the
land rises sharply from the seabed, the houses are built on
stilts over shallow reefs. Wooden homes are joined together
by pontoons, which all lead from one connecting path that
runs along the shoreline. It’s a predominantly Muslim part
of the world, so there are no bars, just a few coffee shops
(usually the front of someone’s house) and the occasional
warung (a family-run café). Each village has one or two shops
in the owner’s front room selling basics – shampoo, washing
powder, crisps. We spent days with various families in different
villages, laughing uproariously while we discussed life using
the Google Translate app. We drank sweet coffee for which
they refused payment, until we insisted (less than 10p per cup).
Our Indonesian bahasa (language) improved as the
conversation fl owed, and once over their shyness, our
hosts practised the English they had learned at school.
Towards the end of our trip, Jamie found another settlement
on Google Earth with no name, tucked away in a shallow
channel. Air Putih (white water) turned out to be our favourite
village. As we pulled up the dinghy on to a sandy patch, we
were greeted by Bajar, a chatty boy of 10, who took on the role
of tour guide. Like a pair of pied pipers, we soon attracted
a raggle-taggle group of his friends. Whenever we went ashore,
it was always the children who came running to greet us.
Mums with babies would wave from windows and doorways,
sometimes coming up
to hug me and get their
photograph taken
together. Everyone
stopped what they were
doing to shout ‘hallo!’ Air
Putih was no exception,
but there was something
innocent and joyful
about the people. First,
we inspected a new
pompong (local small
fi shing boat) being built,
then Bajar took us to his
school, closed thatThe Anambas
Islands are only
accessible by boat.
BELOW: We were
given a warm
welcome wherever
we wentIN 11 YEARS OF CRUISING, THIS IS ONE OF THE
MOST BEAUTIFUL A NCHORAGES WE HAVE SEEN
ADVENTURE