Saturday 7 September Sail Komodo Gala dinner

busy dinghy dock

rapt audience

Sail Komodo is a tourist board initiative to encourage more yachts to visit the country. The rally began in Kupang 5 weeks ago and reaches it conclusion in Labuan Bajo next week with a visit by the national President. Tonight the Labuan Bajo festivities commence with a gala dinner for all the yachties in town and invited local dignitaries. Our instructions were to rendezvous at sunset at the beach closest to town where we could leave our dinghies with security arranged and hop on to one of a fleet of buses which would take us to the venue.

We loaded on to one of the buses and it took us all around the town following the one way system and brought us back to the centre close to the vegetable market. A small city of tents had been erected on three sides of a square with a stage on the the fourth. There was an area for the dignitaries opposite the stage, an area for us foreigners and then other seating for other guests who never met or talked to. By chance David and I were directed to a front row on the side. Gradually the audience took their seats, a multitude of onlookers looked on from behind us, above us and from balconies overlooking, but never in front. Any child which dared to sneak forward was quickly ushered back.

the honoured guests

What they were trying to watch was dancing. Villages from around Flores had been invited to perform for us and to take part in a competition with cash prizes up for grabs. There was the dance with whips where one poor chap caught a lash which drew blood, another of elegant ladies who seemed to be sewing rice and another where the bride was looking for her husband. The Regent gave a speech (in Indonesian and later translated) where he thanked all yachties for being brave and crossing the dangerous seas to be here tonight. We didn't let on we were only here for the food and as there hadn't been enough wind to sail the seas were extremely benign. We smiled. We clapped.

And then we were welcomed to the buffet table – a long trestle of lovely food from fish satay to the local equivalent of roast beef, veg and chips. A handsome feast.

While we ate the musicians serenaded us. There was more dancing and then the highlight of the evening, the prize giving. By now it felt like all the people of Labuan Bajo were in the square watching too.

Our night finished with an air conditioned mystery tour back to the beach where we'd parked our dinghied. It was a mystery to us where we were going and a mystery to the driver too as we went the wrong way up a one way street causing a jam and only getting out of it by taking narrow roads back to the main road and then he took another wrong turn and we were heading back where we came from. None of us were complaining though as the bus had full air conditioning – a welcome respite from the warm night.