Oh no, so sorry to hear about the Pearl Islands, it seems this really is a worldwide phenomenon. Make sure your engine's tickety boo if you're coming this way, there's either a lot of motoring or some furious winds. I hope you enjoy it here. We'll probably be gone by the time you arrive (if our autopilot spare ever turns up, sigh) but we'll be in this part of the world. Stay in touch, fella! 🙏⚓ Liz
If you want to cheer yourself up you should have a look at the ocean cleanup project. They are doing practical things to clean up the great garbage patch and coming up with practical ways to stop vast quantities of plastic leaving river systems in the first place. They are making a real difference to the huge problem.
It's such a large problem that it takes time. You should have a look at the project and see the difference it has made, thousands of tonnes already and how the tech they are developing is also being used in rivers to help slow the problem. The more we try, the more practical solutions, the quicker it will make a difference. Don't lose hope just because the results aren't instant. It took generations to create and will take generations to fix.
@emanggitulah4319 Every little helps! We know of lots of small initiatives going on in SE Asia. It's a wide and varied problem that needs to be attacked from many angles, the first of which is education. Cheers, Liz
@oneoldmanontheroad9034 I love what they are doing. At least they are trying to do something about it. We have seen lots of changes of attitudes for the better here along with clean-up initiatives. It will take time, just like it did in 'the West'. When I was a kid everyone just dropped their litter everywhere, now we'd never dream of it, but it took a generation to have that visceral reaction to littering. Liz x
I understand your frustration about the garbage. Here in Vietnam the garbage issue is appalling! Its thrown into the streets, from apartment windows into alleys, and out of cars all the time. The worst occurrence i've been witness too was at a restaurant in Mui Ne. We were seated at our table which overhung the ocean, we were just ordering or food when the old owner came walking by with two garbage bags and threw them over the rail straight into the ocean. I enquired as to why she did that and she said "it go away", to which I answered "cancel our order", and we left much to her surprise. She honestly didn't see anything wrong with it, and there's very little being done about it!
This reminds me of so many stories, David. I saw something similar only recently. A man tidying the area around his restaurant by the harbour wall so it looked clean, and then proceeded to throw the entire contents over the side onto the shore. Just one of many examples.
Great video and even greater photos. The litter is just appalling, but it is good to keep adressing it like you do. It will in the end bring awareness and a change for the better. Keep it up Liz and Jamie.
Thank you for these videos. I just spent time sailing around the Gulf of Thailand and if you are near the coast the trash was so disturbing. If you went to the islands away from people it was better but my heart hurt seeing the beaches looking like your video. I picked up some but soon got overwhelmed. No end in site to the trash. Beautiful beaches covered. I love the people of SE Asia. Keep drawing attention to the mess being made of our oceans.
Yes, we will never stop reporting exactly what we find. But the good in this part of the world overwhelms the bad, and we have seen green shoots of awareness springing up. It will take time, but I believe things will get better. 🤞🙏 Liz
52nd subscriber LIKE, 289th desktop tag-along view. If it's not a secret and you're willing to divulge the info - it would be nice to know at the top of the show the dates each episode covers. :0) Your mileage may vary. As always - the drone photography is a favorite way to see these remote places where you have been traveling. Thanks for sharing all of it. Great still shots, too, Jamie.
Thanks for the observations and words of support! We prefer not to put the dates, but just concentrate on locations. BTW - If viewers want to know where we are in real time, they can easily find us at Marine Traffic (linked in description). Liz 🙏🙂
5:07 it’s actually amazing how much the orange covers have faded, i wonder if you guy’s actually notice? Would be interesting if you still have some original to compare it to?
How do you handle disposal of your own trash while cruising in places that don’t seem to have effective waste management systems? When we cruised small islands of the Bahamas, I got the feeling that if I did find a trash receptacle, which was rare, it would probably end up getting dumped into the sea directly, or onto a pile that would get blown into the sea in the next storm.
Thank you for highlighting the rubbish issue. Depressing as it is, it's important to keep awareness high. It just can't be ignored, as it's a problem that has to be solved eventually. 😞
The upsetting thing is that they haven't even started to address the problem. They're is little evidence of this anywhere except by the odd NGO 🤷 We'll keep shouting about it but it really is a brick wall when this kind of behaviour is entrenched in the national psyche.
There are few few dairy cows in the whole country, mostly in Java. Highly doubt those are dairy cows. Gili Nanggu's North-East side is good snorkeling, usually not much rubbish despite being very close by.
Sailed for Vanuatu to Malaysia , it was clean in the water , Until we were close to Indonesia ! Man all the Rubbish Just Dumped into the Sea was very bad , All the way up to Bangkok Thailand !
Yes, it's bad here. I'm sure some of it comes in via the currents swirling through, but much of it comes from land too. We have seen a gradual shift in attitudes here, but there's still a long way to go. 🙏🤞Liz
@@followtheboat Yes i saw in Panang Island they were Advertising to stop throwing your Rubbish into the water ways , But nobody took any Notice ! Maybe in time they will Change .
Rather then banning plastic straws in Europe our governments should help Indonesia to sort out their garbage problem. Have been there 20 years ago, nothing changed.
Heartbreaking and infuriating. The mentality of, "I can't see it from my house" for many people, has got to stop. It must be a collective effort. The hospitality and kindness of Gary is heartwarming. By chance, do you give him money for produce? I can't help but think they could use it. Thanks for sharing. BTW, love the still shots. 👍
Gary is typical of the people we meet here in SE Asia, the kindness is overwhelming. No, no tipping unless it is for work (the people would be insulted if we tipped them every time they showed us around or engaged with us). The best way to support them is to visit, show interest, buy a drink/meal and spread the word. 🙏🙂 Liz
Beautiful & Hideous. Exhilarating & Monotonous. Good days, bad days. Confidence & terror. Seems that is normal in life. Where you have one thing, there is the opposite. 😉
Hi guys, having watched UA-cam sailing vids for years, my wife and I took the plunge. Retired, sold everything we own except clothes. Bought a live aboard Cat. Anyway, we have her in a boatyard in Batam for a couple of weeks. How do you manage your Indonesian stays i.e visa. Is there any way around only getting 30 days plus one extension at a time before having to leave the country for a day and then come back in?
There is lots of info on the interweb, and one of the best places is Facebook's "Sail SE Asia (Southeast Asia Boat Information Sharing)" group. Join if not already a member. At the time of writing, you can get a VOA (visa on arrival) which lasts 30 days and can be extended for a further 30 days, after than you have to leave and come back. Alternatively apply for a B211A visa by using an agent, which gives you 60 days on arrival plus a further 60 + 60 day extensions. You can get a new B211A when it runs out without leaving the country. Where in Batam are you exactly? That might very interesting to us... Cheers! Liz
Hi Liz, many thanks for the reply. That was really useful. I won’t bore you with the details but we arrived in Singapore to receive our boat last April, but we’ve done very little sailing since. What we have done is constant crossings primarily between there and Indonesia every 30 days to satisfy immigration (hence the question). We initially stayed in central Batam for about 3 months, then went over to Gigi Trawangan for a month and we are now back in Batam. This was following a grounding which didn’t cause significant damage, but we’ve had to wait all of that time for a sail drive and propeller which we lost. There was a worldwide shortage due to a manufacturing issue, hence the long wait. Hopefully it will be delivered next week 🤞Prior to that we have stayed at Nongsa Point marina several times. Let me know if you need any more info :)
Help the local people recycling their plastics into usable materials... there must be a change as more tourists come looking for Trinkets and bobs to buy for souvenirs
There are private initiatives doing a great job, it's gonna take a lot more than a few NGOs or individuals to stem the tide of rubbish. National or local governmental refuse collection needs to be implemented + education... Liz
Oh, definitely, and there's an argument that this is not Indonesia's fault. Having spent some time here now I no longer agree with this. Yes, some of it comes in from the open seas, but it's a mere fraction...
1994 i was there ❤ ... and 1999😢2011😢😢2014😢😢😢2017😢😢😢😢😢2019😢😢😢😢😢😢😢 SOS..... GARBAGE has progressively changed enture ecosystems on the planet. Such is the way of the world, Grateful and dismayed, having lived long enough to see what once was. And will never be again for many generations if not ever. Such a shame.
In some ways I understand your needs to share exact locations, but for the most part feel it's not good due to its locality to Bali..... as i have frequented that "secret" bay for decades. 😢😢😢
We have watched attitudes gradually change in the 10 years we've been in SE Asia, but there's still a long way to go. There are lots of positive (mostly private or NGO) initiatives happening all over the place, and people are becoming more aware of the problem. Nature has a wonderful way of regenerating (coral regeneration here is fantastic, and fast). I'd like to hope that we haven't entirely f****d it up yet! Liz
We will always share the places we visit, have you seen our chat about it? ua-cam.com/video/xMVeE8xKPtA/v-deo.html In this case, the locals want us to, they need the tourist income. 🙂🙏 Liz
Such a shame about the garbage -- I'm going the government can get the message across to people too knock it off. But, yes, otherwise a beautiful place. Thanks for the video.
Yeah a shame about the rubbish, i did ask in group once what’s the answer? Can we incinerate it? Which admittedly isn’t ideal but the less of two evils, but many strongly disagreed.. me personally, I doubt there isn’t a cruiser that wouldn’t pick up some trash if they had somewhere to put it.. I’ve personally seen you guy’s do it.. anyway cheers guy’s! 😊
That's awful to see. I hate it when we inadvertently loose a scrap over the side, or I see another BBQ on a white sandy beach. As sailors the least we can do is leave nothing or better still take a little rubbish with us to dispose of properly. That said for many of these places I guess there is very little choice.
Indeed. In our naivety we used to clean up rubbish from the beaches when we went ashore, but it's just not practical. There's so much of it coming in every day, cleaning the odd breach is only scratching the surface of the problem. Still, we try to be as tidy as possible.
Jamie's still photos are just spectacular, and they way he inter mixes them into the video is well done. Cheers
Couldn't agree more, I think they're superb. Photography is his his first love, and we aim to continue adding them to our videos. 🙏🙂Liz
Like always your photography is awesome Jamie.
Thank you, Michael 😃👍
Same problem in the Pearl Islands of Panama. I maybe sailing to Lombok in a few months
Oh no, so sorry to hear about the Pearl Islands, it seems this really is a worldwide phenomenon.
Make sure your engine's tickety boo if you're coming this way, there's either a lot of motoring or some furious winds.
I hope you enjoy it here. We'll probably be gone by the time you arrive (if our autopilot spare ever turns up, sigh) but we'll be in this part of the world. Stay in touch, fella! 🙏⚓ Liz
If you want to cheer yourself up you should have a look at the ocean cleanup project. They are doing practical things to clean up the great garbage patch and coming up with practical ways to stop vast quantities of plastic leaving river systems in the first place. They are making a real difference to the huge problem.
It's so much plastic. IMHO it's not having a big impact. After a storm the beach is full of plastic again
It's such a large problem that it takes time. You should have a look at the project and see the difference it has made, thousands of tonnes already and how the tech they are developing is also being used in rivers to help slow the problem. The more we try, the more practical solutions, the quicker it will make a difference. Don't lose hope just because the results aren't instant. It took generations to create and will take generations to fix.
@ColeenWest
It's not always China's fault. Pollution here comes from Indonesia. Liz
@emanggitulah4319
Every little helps! We know of lots of small initiatives going on in SE Asia. It's a wide and varied problem that needs to be attacked from many angles, the first of which is education. Cheers, Liz
@oneoldmanontheroad9034
I love what they are doing. At least they are trying to do something about it. We have seen lots of changes of attitudes for the better here along with clean-up initiatives. It will take time, just like it did in 'the West'.
When I was a kid everyone just dropped their litter everywhere, now we'd never dream of it, but it took a generation to have that visceral reaction to littering. Liz x
I understand your frustration about the garbage. Here in Vietnam the garbage issue is appalling! Its thrown into the streets, from apartment windows into alleys, and out of cars all the time. The worst occurrence i've been witness too was at a restaurant in Mui Ne. We were seated at our table which overhung the ocean, we were just ordering or food when the old owner came walking by with two garbage bags and threw them over the rail straight into the ocean. I enquired as to why she did that and she said "it go away", to which I answered "cancel our order", and we left much to her surprise. She honestly didn't see anything wrong with it, and there's very little being done about it!
This reminds me of so many stories, David. I saw something similar only recently. A man tidying the area around his restaurant by the harbour wall so it looked clean, and then proceeded to throw the entire contents over the side onto the shore. Just one of many examples.
Always a pleasure,thank you both,Dirk.
Cheers, Dirk 👍
Great video and even greater photos. The litter is just appalling, but it is good to keep adressing it like you do. It will in the end bring awareness and a change for the better. Keep it up Liz and Jamie.
We will! You can't come here and film all the beauty without showing the darker side. Hopefully Indonesia will change... ⚓ Liz
Thank you for these videos. I just spent time sailing around the Gulf of Thailand and if you are near the coast the trash was so disturbing. If you went to the islands away from people it was better but my heart hurt seeing the beaches looking like your video. I picked up some but soon got overwhelmed. No end in site to the trash. Beautiful beaches covered. I love the people of SE Asia. Keep drawing attention to the mess being made of our oceans.
Yes, we will never stop reporting exactly what we find. But the good in this part of the world overwhelms the bad, and we have seen green shoots of awareness springing up. It will take time, but I believe things will get better. 🤞🙏 Liz
52nd subscriber LIKE, 289th desktop tag-along view. If it's not a secret and you're willing to divulge the info -
it would be nice to know at the top of the show the dates each episode covers. :0) Your mileage may vary.
As always - the drone photography is a favorite way to see these remote places where you have been traveling.
Thanks for sharing all of it. Great still shots, too, Jamie.
Thanks for the observations and words of support! We prefer not to put the dates, but just concentrate on locations.
BTW - If viewers want to know where we are in real time, they can easily find us at Marine Traffic (linked in description).
Liz 🙏🙂
Great shots off the scenery. Plastic bags and bottles are an issue no one wants to address due to the convivence of them.
Come into Pusan , S Korea some years ago & Not only rubbish but Bodies as well from heavy rain in the mountains , Very sad we could do any thing .
5:07 it’s actually amazing how much the orange covers have faded, i wonder if you guy’s actually notice? Would be interesting if you still have some original to compare it to?
Yes, we notice, but that's just the sun for you 🤷
How do you handle disposal of your own trash while cruising in places that don’t seem to have effective waste management systems?
When we cruised small islands of the Bahamas, I got the feeling that if I did find a trash receptacle, which was rare, it would probably end up getting dumped into the sea directly, or onto a pile that would get blown into the sea in the next storm.
Thank you for highlighting the rubbish issue. Depressing as it is, it's important to keep awareness high. It just can't be ignored, as it's a problem that has to be solved eventually. 😞
The upsetting thing is that they haven't even started to address the problem. They're is little evidence of this anywhere except by the odd NGO 🤷 We'll keep shouting about it but it really is a brick wall when this kind of behaviour is entrenched in the national psyche.
There are few few dairy cows in the whole country, mostly in Java.
Highly doubt those are dairy cows.
Gili Nanggu's North-East side is good snorkeling, usually not much rubbish despite being very close by.
Thanks for the local info. Always good to get some insider knowledge 😃👍
Sailed for Vanuatu to Malaysia , it was clean in the water , Until we were close to Indonesia !
Man all the Rubbish Just Dumped into the Sea was very bad , All the way up to Bangkok Thailand !
Yes, it's bad here. I'm sure some of it comes in via the currents swirling through, but much of it comes from land too. We have seen a gradual shift in attitudes here, but there's still a long way to go. 🙏🤞Liz
@@followtheboat Yes i saw in Panang Island they were Advertising to stop throwing your Rubbish into the water ways , But nobody took any Notice ! Maybe in time they will Change .
Rather then banning plastic straws in Europe our governments should help Indonesia to sort out their garbage problem.
Have been there 20 years ago, nothing changed.
Hmmm, I'm not sure Europe stepping in solve a problem in Asia is practical, especially if there is no profit involved! How would you see this working?
Heartbreaking and infuriating. The mentality of, "I can't see it from my house" for many people, has got to stop. It must be a collective effort.
The hospitality and kindness of Gary is heartwarming. By chance, do you give him money for produce? I can't help but think they could use it. Thanks for sharing. BTW, love the still shots. 👍
Gary is typical of the people we meet here in SE Asia, the kindness is overwhelming. No, no tipping unless it is for work (the people would be insulted if we tipped them every time they showed us around or engaged with us). The best way to support them is to visit, show interest, buy a drink/meal and spread the word. 🙏🙂 Liz
Beautiful & Hideous. Exhilarating & Monotonous.
Good days, bad days.
Confidence & terror.
Seems that is normal in life. Where you have one thing, there is the opposite.
😉
Aye! I guess that's just life anyway 😁
Hi guys, having watched UA-cam sailing vids for years, my wife and I took the plunge. Retired, sold everything we own except clothes. Bought a live aboard Cat. Anyway, we have her in a boatyard in Batam for a couple of weeks. How do you manage your Indonesian stays i.e visa. Is there any way around only getting 30 days plus one extension at a time before having to leave the country for a day and then come back in?
There is lots of info on the interweb, and one of the best places is Facebook's "Sail SE Asia (Southeast Asia Boat Information Sharing)" group. Join if not already a member.
At the time of writing, you can get a VOA (visa on arrival) which lasts 30 days and can be extended for a further 30 days, after than you have to leave and come back. Alternatively apply for a B211A visa by using an agent, which gives you 60 days on arrival plus a further 60 + 60 day extensions. You can get a new B211A when it runs out without leaving the country.
Where in Batam are you exactly? That might very interesting to us... Cheers! Liz
Hi Liz, many thanks for the reply. That was really useful. I won’t bore you with the details but we arrived in Singapore to receive our boat last April, but we’ve done very little sailing since. What we have done is constant crossings primarily between there and Indonesia every 30 days to satisfy immigration (hence the question). We initially stayed in central Batam for about 3 months, then went over to Gigi Trawangan for a month and we are now back in Batam. This was following a grounding which didn’t cause significant damage, but we’ve had to wait all of that time for a sail drive and propeller which we lost. There was a worldwide shortage due to a manufacturing issue, hence the long wait. Hopefully it will be delivered next week 🤞Prior to that we have stayed at Nongsa Point marina several times. Let me know if you need any more info :)
OK. So exactly where in Batam? Drop me a message if you'd prefer not to say here. Liz
No problem at all Liz. Happy to share it on here. For future reference if needed though do you mean contact through your webpage? 😊
LOL, see what I mean. I tried to paste a snapshot of a map for you here, but it wouldn’t let me ;( it’s my age
Help the local people recycling their plastics into usable materials... there must be a change as more tourists come looking for Trinkets and bobs to buy for souvenirs
There are private initiatives doing a great job, it's gonna take a lot more than a few NGOs or individuals to stem the tide of rubbish. National or local governmental refuse collection needs to be implemented + education... Liz
Great video. Could it be that the ocean currents cause the rubbish to congregate in that area?
Oh, definitely, and there's an argument that this is not Indonesia's fault. Having spent some time here now I no longer agree with this. Yes, some of it comes in from the open seas, but it's a mere fraction...
Exploring the ring of fire, sounds like the day after a good curry 😂😂😂
Or when your reaching for the preparation H and grab the Ben gay and it burns burns the ring of fire
🤣🤣🤣
1994 i was there ❤ ... and 1999😢2011😢😢2014😢😢😢2017😢😢😢😢😢2019😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
SOS.....
GARBAGE has progressively changed enture ecosystems on the planet.
Such is the way of the world,
Grateful and dismayed, having lived long enough to see what once was. And will never be again for many generations if not ever.
Such a shame.
In some ways I understand your needs to share exact locations, but for the most part feel it's not good due to its locality to Bali..... as i have frequented that "secret" bay for decades. 😢😢😢
We have watched attitudes gradually change in the 10 years we've been in SE Asia, but there's still a long way to go. There are lots of positive (mostly private or NGO) initiatives happening all over the place, and people are becoming more aware of the problem. Nature has a wonderful way of regenerating (coral regeneration here is fantastic, and fast). I'd like to hope that we haven't entirely f****d it up yet! Liz
We will always share the places we visit, have you seen our chat about it?
ua-cam.com/video/xMVeE8xKPtA/v-deo.html
In this case, the locals want us to, they need the tourist income. 🙂🙏 Liz
Such a shame about the garbage -- I'm going the government can get the message across to people too knock it off. But, yes, otherwise a beautiful place. Thanks for the video.
It's a dichotomy, Daniel. The beauty offset by the garbage.
It’s not just an outrageously hot nasi goreng then?
😂😂 they're never hot enough!
Yeah a shame about the rubbish, i did ask in group once what’s the answer? Can we incinerate it? Which admittedly isn’t ideal but the less of two evils, but many strongly disagreed.. me personally, I doubt there isn’t a cruiser that wouldn’t pick up some trash if they had somewhere to put it.. I’ve personally seen you guy’s do it..
anyway cheers guy’s! 😊
You can incinerate safely but it has to be at ridiculously high temperatures. What's worse, burning on a bonfire or dumping in the sea?
Modern incinerator plants make electricity out of GARBAGE and the smoke too.
@@followtheboat i say the sea, purely because (plastics) are a far more effective marine killing device..
That's awful to see. I hate it when we inadvertently loose a scrap over the side, or I see another BBQ on a white sandy beach.
As sailors the least we can do is leave nothing or better still take a little rubbish with us to dispose of properly.
That said for many of these places I guess there is very little choice.
Indeed. In our naivety we used to clean up rubbish from the beaches when we went ashore, but it's just not practical. There's so much of it coming in every day, cleaning the odd breach is only scratching the surface of the problem. Still, we try to be as tidy as possible.