The weather remains very warm with temperatures in the high 80’s and high humidity. Yesterday at Komodo Island we reached the furthest point east we would travel and we have now begun our journey back west towards Singapore. We attended a lecture by Barry Dreyer who spoke on the Dutch Colonization of Indonesia, the competition with the East India Trading Company and the events that led up to the Japanese conquests of WWII.

We enjoyed lunch in the dining room with a couple of lesbian’s Claire and Heather from Toronto. They are very sweet and filled a lifetime of stories and experiences.

The afternoon included a lecture by Valerie Mock on how coffee and cocoa are contributors to the Indonesian economy. Then we attended another Q&A session with the Rotterdam singers and dancers and a behind the scenes tour.

The evening was a gala or formal dinner where guests were encouraged to wear sarongs and batik dresses or shirts that they had purchased in Indonesia. The entertainment was a young woman by the name of Sarah Chandler who played the saxophone.