After leaving Scott and Matt behind in Tentena, Danna and I made our way to the Togean Islands. To get there, we had a 5 hour van ride, 2 night stay in Ampana and a 4 1/2 hour ferry ride to arrive at Poya Lisa. The set up of Poya Lisa was very similar to that of the homestays in Raja Ampat. The major differences were the amount of people and the price.
Poya Lisa is situated on it's own private island straight across from a small port town called Bomba. There is no cell service or WiFi to be found here or anywhere near it. If you're looking for a way to completely disconnect with the outside world, this is a great place to do so. There are bungalows on a cliff edge overlooking the sea and they contain some amazing sunset views. There are also other bungalows on a small beach and this is what Danna and I stayed in. There is a communal eating area where you could always find someone to share a conversation with. The island also contained a rambunctious little puppy named Sammy. The poor little guy was always getting scolded in multiple languages at every meal.
There was a revolving door of people coming and going. Because we stayed for six nights, we met a lot of different and interesting people. We took a snorkeling trip 4 out of the 5 days we were there. Two of the trips were day trips where we snorkeled, lunched on a beautiful little beach, napped and snorkeled again before heading back for sunset. The other two trips were half day trips to different locations. On two of these days, we were lucky enough to see some dolphins. They were quite small but very acrobatic. I was more than amazed by the double flips they showed off with.
The snorkeling here was just as fantastic as what it was in Raja Ampat but for different reasons. The fish were not as numerous but the clarity was phenomenal. Off the drop offs, I was able to see farther than what I've ever been able to. It was awesome to see the sunlight sparkling so far below from so high up.
Friday, July 25, 2014
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Waterfalls and motorbikes
Before leaving Tana Toraja for Tentena, we rented motorbikes to visit the market and go for a scenic drive through the countryside. Scott ended up making his motorbike look like a toy because he was way too tall for it. I rode with Matthew and Danna had her own. At the market, I was able to introduce the guys to rambutans, my favorite fruit discovered here in SE Asia.
The drive through this area was indescribably beautiful with the mountains and rice paddies surrounding everything. The four of us did provide some laughs for the locals as well as inspire vigorous waving from those working in the rice paddies. It truly was a perfect way to end the Toraja experience.
That afternoon, we left for Tentena, a beautiful little lake town. The drive itself was not much fun and definitely worse than the night bus journey from Makassar. 11 hours after setting off, we arrived dazed and confused in Tentena. After catching a couple of hours of much needed sleep, we set off in search of motorbikes in order to visit the waterfalls and beach at the lake. We were successful in finding two and for the first time ever, had to sign a rental agreement sheet.
The waterfalls were absolutely stunning and put the ones outside Makassar to shame. Aside from a few other backpackers, there was no one else there. We all went for a swim, climb and got some good group shots in. What I enjoyed most about these falls was the lack of trash! It doesn't seem to matter how far from civilization I get, there is always a bunch of trash lying around somewhere. However, here it was refreshing to see next to no trash anywhere. The water was quite cold and a shocking difference compared to the warm ocean temperatures I've grown accustomed too. (I know, first world problems.) The waterfall was a ton of fun to play in and I would highly recommend visiting it!
Before leaving for the beach, we decided it was time to try getting all four of us on the motorbike and driving it around. Matthew had the privilege of being the driver, Scott went in front of him (I'm still not sure where his legs went), followed by me and then Danna on the back. We provided ourselves with a ton of amusement on the ride, but it was successful! I believe Matthew has decided on a career change and will be moving to Indonesia soon to be become an Ojek driver.
After a few minor motorbike mishaps, we made it to the lake where we had lunch and a short swim before being chased away by the oncoming rainstorm. The lake was beautiful, cool and did not smell of sulfer the way Lake Toba did in Sumatra.
This was the end of our adventures while Matt and Scott were here. I can only hope they had as much fun as I did. I just wish they could have stayed longer.
The drive through this area was indescribably beautiful with the mountains and rice paddies surrounding everything. The four of us did provide some laughs for the locals as well as inspire vigorous waving from those working in the rice paddies. It truly was a perfect way to end the Toraja experience.
That afternoon, we left for Tentena, a beautiful little lake town. The drive itself was not much fun and definitely worse than the night bus journey from Makassar. 11 hours after setting off, we arrived dazed and confused in Tentena. After catching a couple of hours of much needed sleep, we set off in search of motorbikes in order to visit the waterfalls and beach at the lake. We were successful in finding two and for the first time ever, had to sign a rental agreement sheet.
The waterfalls were absolutely stunning and put the ones outside Makassar to shame. Aside from a few other backpackers, there was no one else there. We all went for a swim, climb and got some good group shots in. What I enjoyed most about these falls was the lack of trash! It doesn't seem to matter how far from civilization I get, there is always a bunch of trash lying around somewhere. However, here it was refreshing to see next to no trash anywhere. The water was quite cold and a shocking difference compared to the warm ocean temperatures I've grown accustomed too. (I know, first world problems.) The waterfall was a ton of fun to play in and I would highly recommend visiting it!
Before leaving for the beach, we decided it was time to try getting all four of us on the motorbike and driving it around. Matthew had the privilege of being the driver, Scott went in front of him (I'm still not sure where his legs went), followed by me and then Danna on the back. We provided ourselves with a ton of amusement on the ride, but it was successful! I believe Matthew has decided on a career change and will be moving to Indonesia soon to be become an Ojek driver.
After a few minor motorbike mishaps, we made it to the lake where we had lunch and a short swim before being chased away by the oncoming rainstorm. The lake was beautiful, cool and did not smell of sulfer the way Lake Toba did in Sumatra.
This was the end of our adventures while Matt and Scott were here. I can only hope they had as much fun as I did. I just wish they could have stayed longer.
Burial Sites
Our final full day in Toraja was the most interesting one, from my perspective. We visited three different types of burial sites and learnt all kinds of interesting information form Yulius about the different Torajan traditions, including what the family does with the bodies before having the funeral. Yulius explained that the deceased is embalmed shortly after dying and the placed inside the home on the family bed. It is said that during this time, the deceased is 'just sleeping'. The real kicker is that the deceased does not sleep alone! Other family members will continue to sleep in the same bed the deceased is occupying! Yulius offered multiple times to take us into a house containing a deceased person, but none of us wanted anything to do with that. It seemed much to personal and I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that they sleep with the dead person! Mind blown!
The first burial site we visited, was a village that had grave sites carved into the side of the mountain with huge wooden effigies standing on platforms surrounding the graves. The village was that of a wealthy Torajan class and explained the large number of effigies we saw. The effigies were dressed in bright yellows and reds.
We learnt that there are three different class systems in the Torajan culture and that family lines follow the mother's side. If a male marries outside his class, he moves to his wife's village and their children follow that class system. Also, if the husband dies before the wife, his family will try to get the body back to bury him in their family burial site. However, if the wife dies first, the husband follows where she is buried and the family does not try to get the body back. (This is how I understood what Yulius was telling us about the complicated burial procedures.)
Our second stop was at the Living Tree. This is where babies that have not cut any teeth are buried. A special tree is identified by the Torajans, containing qualities I cannot recall, and this becomes the burial site for the babies. Just like the cliff graves, multiple babies will be buried in one tree. However, unlike the cliff graves, only one baby is placed inside each tomb. A small rectangle is hallowed out and the baby is placed inside with it's head towards the sky. The hole is the covered by a bamboo weaving to keep people and animals out. Over time, the bark of the tree grows over the opening and replaces the bamboo with a permanent covering. The Torajans believe that these babies will be reincarnated and born again, potentially to a different mother. If a Living Tree does happen to fall down, it is left exactly where it fell. The Torajans will only check that the coverings have not come off.
The last burial site of the day was the hanging graves cave. This was also very cool, but a tad eerie as well. For these sites, actual caskets are made from one large tree.The deceased is placed inside the hallowed out tree and then placed quite high up in the cave, either literally hanging from the ceiling or along a natural shelf wall. Placing the caskets this high, helps prevent looting. If a casket happens to fall, the bones that are left are moved off the walking path into a pile of other bones or placed along the cave wall. It is estimated that some of the skulls are over 300 years old! As I said, it was a little eerie because it seemed like it should be a scene from a horror film.
That afternoon, we ended up getting caught in a rain storm on our walk through a different set of rice paddies. Yulius led us to another funeral that was winding down because of the rain and the time of day. The funeral ended up being at the village his father was from, which I found interesting. Again, the generosity was unbelievable! The five of us were invited into another family hut even though we were pretty soaked. We were then given palm wine and freshly grilled buffalo. Even though the butchering was over for the day at this funeral, it was a bit more graphic because of the smells. The hut we were invited into had a huge hunk of buffalo sitting in the corner. Yulius also explained that there had been a funeral just a few weeks before, so not all of the smells had dispersed from that one. Even with all of this, it was still incredibly interesting to watch the family interactions.
In all, I think Tana Toraja is my favorite place here in Indonesia. It is so different from everywhere else and the people are incredibly generous and friendly.
The first burial site we visited, was a village that had grave sites carved into the side of the mountain with huge wooden effigies standing on platforms surrounding the graves. The village was that of a wealthy Torajan class and explained the large number of effigies we saw. The effigies were dressed in bright yellows and reds.
We learnt that there are three different class systems in the Torajan culture and that family lines follow the mother's side. If a male marries outside his class, he moves to his wife's village and their children follow that class system. Also, if the husband dies before the wife, his family will try to get the body back to bury him in their family burial site. However, if the wife dies first, the husband follows where she is buried and the family does not try to get the body back. (This is how I understood what Yulius was telling us about the complicated burial procedures.)
Our second stop was at the Living Tree. This is where babies that have not cut any teeth are buried. A special tree is identified by the Torajans, containing qualities I cannot recall, and this becomes the burial site for the babies. Just like the cliff graves, multiple babies will be buried in one tree. However, unlike the cliff graves, only one baby is placed inside each tomb. A small rectangle is hallowed out and the baby is placed inside with it's head towards the sky. The hole is the covered by a bamboo weaving to keep people and animals out. Over time, the bark of the tree grows over the opening and replaces the bamboo with a permanent covering. The Torajans believe that these babies will be reincarnated and born again, potentially to a different mother. If a Living Tree does happen to fall down, it is left exactly where it fell. The Torajans will only check that the coverings have not come off.
The last burial site of the day was the hanging graves cave. This was also very cool, but a tad eerie as well. For these sites, actual caskets are made from one large tree.The deceased is placed inside the hallowed out tree and then placed quite high up in the cave, either literally hanging from the ceiling or along a natural shelf wall. Placing the caskets this high, helps prevent looting. If a casket happens to fall, the bones that are left are moved off the walking path into a pile of other bones or placed along the cave wall. It is estimated that some of the skulls are over 300 years old! As I said, it was a little eerie because it seemed like it should be a scene from a horror film.
That afternoon, we ended up getting caught in a rain storm on our walk through a different set of rice paddies. Yulius led us to another funeral that was winding down because of the rain and the time of day. The funeral ended up being at the village his father was from, which I found interesting. Again, the generosity was unbelievable! The five of us were invited into another family hut even though we were pretty soaked. We were then given palm wine and freshly grilled buffalo. Even though the butchering was over for the day at this funeral, it was a bit more graphic because of the smells. The hut we were invited into had a huge hunk of buffalo sitting in the corner. Yulius also explained that there had been a funeral just a few weeks before, so not all of the smells had dispersed from that one. Even with all of this, it was still incredibly interesting to watch the family interactions.
In all, I think Tana Toraja is my favorite place here in Indonesia. It is so different from everywhere else and the people are incredibly generous and friendly.
Livestock Market, Palm Wine and Rice Paddies
Our second and third days in Toraja proved to be just as interesting as the first day. Yulius, our guide took us to the livestock market the morning of our second day. The livestock market occurs every 6 days in Rantepao, one of the major towns in the Toraja area. Of course, other items are sold as well, including bamboo tubes of palm wine. Yulius took us to a stand to sample the different kinds before choosing which one we liked the best. Needless to say, Danna and I got the most stares and laughs whenever it was our turn to carry the bamboo.
Upon making this purchse, we made our wayover to the actual livestock area. The only animals I saw being sold were water buffalo and pigs. Yulius took us around and explained the different qualities that are desired in a buffalo by the Torajans. A longer tail, light coloured eyes, and any kind of albinism is coveted by the Torajans and therefore drives the price of the buffalo quite high. We learnt that a small buffalo with a short tail will go for $1500- $2000 USD, while a buffalo containing any of the above mentioned qualities can cost more than $35,000 USD. We even heard rumors of a buffalo there worth $100,000! I cannot comprehend spending this much on a buffalo that is going to end up being sacrificed. However, it is a way of life here and a way of showing respect for your deceased family members. The price helps explain one of the reasons the Torajans spend most of their lives saving for when they or other family members die.
The buffalo are well taken care of once they are purchased by a family. They do not work in the rice paddies, are given ample amounts of food, and get a bath every day!
After the market, we took a very scenic route through the mountains to a hotel/ restaurantwith beautiful views looking down the mountain and over all the rice paddies. The food was delicious and the company pretty stellar as well.
As we drove up to the restaurant, we passed a bunch of boulders with small doors in them. As it turns out, these were tombs for families. Yulius explained that they still chisel everything out by hand and one cubic meter takes about 3 months to complete. Each tomb is around 3 meters, so it takes them at least 9 months to chisel one tomb. We did learn, that they will bury multiple family members in one tomb and a permanent door and lock is placed on it once it is full. Scott informed us that some day, when he dies, that is how he would like to be buried. However, I think he's going to have a difficult time finding someone to do all this inTexas.
The final part of our tour was a short walk through some rice paddies and villages. Just like when my family and I walked through the paddies, we also had a 50% success rate of not falling down. Our clumsiness made Yulius pretty nervous and I got the feeling he cut our walk short. The views were spectacular and there is no other colour in the world quite like rice paddy green. Some day, I'm going to miss it, but for now, I'll take it whenever I can get it.
After our strenuous day of bumpy car rides, laughing and walking, I took Matt and Scott for their first masages. It was very communal experience and comical to listen to their descriptions of what was going through their heads while it was going on. I'm quite certain they did enjoy it in the end. The day was topped off by getting invited to a pork barbecue right outside our hotel to celebrate the end of the presidential election. I even tried liver! Never thought I'd ever say that one!
Upon making this purchse, we made our wayover to the actual livestock area. The only animals I saw being sold were water buffalo and pigs. Yulius took us around and explained the different qualities that are desired in a buffalo by the Torajans. A longer tail, light coloured eyes, and any kind of albinism is coveted by the Torajans and therefore drives the price of the buffalo quite high. We learnt that a small buffalo with a short tail will go for $1500- $2000 USD, while a buffalo containing any of the above mentioned qualities can cost more than $35,000 USD. We even heard rumors of a buffalo there worth $100,000! I cannot comprehend spending this much on a buffalo that is going to end up being sacrificed. However, it is a way of life here and a way of showing respect for your deceased family members. The price helps explain one of the reasons the Torajans spend most of their lives saving for when they or other family members die.
The buffalo are well taken care of once they are purchased by a family. They do not work in the rice paddies, are given ample amounts of food, and get a bath every day!
After the market, we took a very scenic route through the mountains to a hotel/ restaurantwith beautiful views looking down the mountain and over all the rice paddies. The food was delicious and the company pretty stellar as well.
As we drove up to the restaurant, we passed a bunch of boulders with small doors in them. As it turns out, these were tombs for families. Yulius explained that they still chisel everything out by hand and one cubic meter takes about 3 months to complete. Each tomb is around 3 meters, so it takes them at least 9 months to chisel one tomb. We did learn, that they will bury multiple family members in one tomb and a permanent door and lock is placed on it once it is full. Scott informed us that some day, when he dies, that is how he would like to be buried. However, I think he's going to have a difficult time finding someone to do all this inTexas.
The final part of our tour was a short walk through some rice paddies and villages. Just like when my family and I walked through the paddies, we also had a 50% success rate of not falling down. Our clumsiness made Yulius pretty nervous and I got the feeling he cut our walk short. The views were spectacular and there is no other colour in the world quite like rice paddy green. Some day, I'm going to miss it, but for now, I'll take it whenever I can get it.
After our strenuous day of bumpy car rides, laughing and walking, I took Matt and Scott for their first masages. It was very communal experience and comical to listen to their descriptions of what was going through their heads while it was going on. I'm quite certain they did enjoy it in the end. The day was topped off by getting invited to a pork barbecue right outside our hotel to celebrate the end of the presidential election. I even tried liver! Never thought I'd ever say that one!
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Tana Toraja Funeral Ceremony
Holy Cow! We arrived in Tana Toraja around 6 am this morning after a long bus ride. Tana Toraja is located in the Southern Highlands of Sulawesi and is home to a unique group of people. The scenery is stunning with the mountains and rice paddies in every direction you look. The people are unbelievably friendly and usually say hello to us without hysterical laughter that follows a hello in other areas.
Upon getting checked into the hotel, breakfasting and napping, we found ourselves a guide and arranged for a three day tour in the different areas of Tana Toraja.
Now, I mentioned that the people here are unique and that is because of the elaborate funeral ceremonies they hold for their deceased. We ended up at one such funeral today, got invited into a family section for the procession and lunch. As I was sitting there, surrounded by these happy, friendly people, I was trying to figure out how I was going to put the experience into words.
To do this, let me start by giving some background information on the Torajan beliefs. Torajans believe that without a proper funeral, the deceased's soul will not make it to the afterlife. As a result, Torajans spend their lives saving for their funeral and the ceremonies go on for days. Family members will wait for weeks or even months before having said ceremony and buring the deceased to plan the funeral and get relatives living elsewhere back to the area. In all, it is a huge amount of work and an incredible number of water buffalo and pig sacrifices are made during the ceremonies. Our guide informed us that this is because the animals escort the deceased to the afterlife.
Even with knowing all this ahead of time, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I'm not sure if Matt and Scott were prepared for any of it in the slightest. As we were walking up the hill to the funeral, I could hear a bunch of crazy noises and I kept giving Danna a look that was trying to ask if they were indeed sacrificing the animals on this particular day. On getting to the entrance, we were met with an incredibly unreal scene.There were dozens of structures, packed with people, surrounding an open field like area, dozens of pigs hogtied to bamboo poles in and around said field, men leading water buffalo around and a man on a microphone announcing who had donated what. I'm quite certain that my eyes were as big as saucers the entire time we were there. I did my best to tune out the noises the pigs were making.
As we made our way down one side of the field, we were invited into one of the huts for coffee and snacks and ended up being asked to join them for their procession and lunch. It was such an unreal experience, that we all gave each other a look like, "Why not? It's not, like we'll ever be at something like this again." As far as I could tell, the procession was to display your family and the animals you were handing over to be sacrificed in honor of the dead. Now, when I say family, I'm talking about every member of the extended family with well over a hundred people.
The procession we took part in, just involved the family walking down the middle of the field to a special building while the man with the mic announced the family donations to the deceased. After this finished, we went back to our first hut for a lunch of fish, pork satay, rice and veggies. The food was delicious and it still boggles my mind that all this occured today.
For me, the animal sacrifices are very hard to understand but I'm trying to look at it from the Torajan point of view as a culture and way of life. Who am I to judge them for their beliefs and practices? It was an eye opening experience and is still incredibly difficult for me to comprehend and I witnessed it!
Upon getting checked into the hotel, breakfasting and napping, we found ourselves a guide and arranged for a three day tour in the different areas of Tana Toraja.
Now, I mentioned that the people here are unique and that is because of the elaborate funeral ceremonies they hold for their deceased. We ended up at one such funeral today, got invited into a family section for the procession and lunch. As I was sitting there, surrounded by these happy, friendly people, I was trying to figure out how I was going to put the experience into words.
To do this, let me start by giving some background information on the Torajan beliefs. Torajans believe that without a proper funeral, the deceased's soul will not make it to the afterlife. As a result, Torajans spend their lives saving for their funeral and the ceremonies go on for days. Family members will wait for weeks or even months before having said ceremony and buring the deceased to plan the funeral and get relatives living elsewhere back to the area. In all, it is a huge amount of work and an incredible number of water buffalo and pig sacrifices are made during the ceremonies. Our guide informed us that this is because the animals escort the deceased to the afterlife.
Even with knowing all this ahead of time, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I'm not sure if Matt and Scott were prepared for any of it in the slightest. As we were walking up the hill to the funeral, I could hear a bunch of crazy noises and I kept giving Danna a look that was trying to ask if they were indeed sacrificing the animals on this particular day. On getting to the entrance, we were met with an incredibly unreal scene.There were dozens of structures, packed with people, surrounding an open field like area, dozens of pigs hogtied to bamboo poles in and around said field, men leading water buffalo around and a man on a microphone announcing who had donated what. I'm quite certain that my eyes were as big as saucers the entire time we were there. I did my best to tune out the noises the pigs were making.
As we made our way down one side of the field, we were invited into one of the huts for coffee and snacks and ended up being asked to join them for their procession and lunch. It was such an unreal experience, that we all gave each other a look like, "Why not? It's not, like we'll ever be at something like this again." As far as I could tell, the procession was to display your family and the animals you were handing over to be sacrificed in honor of the dead. Now, when I say family, I'm talking about every member of the extended family with well over a hundred people.
The procession we took part in, just involved the family walking down the middle of the field to a special building while the man with the mic announced the family donations to the deceased. After this finished, we went back to our first hut for a lunch of fish, pork satay, rice and veggies. The food was delicious and it still boggles my mind that all this occured today.
For me, the animal sacrifices are very hard to understand but I'm trying to look at it from the Torajan point of view as a culture and way of life. Who am I to judge them for their beliefs and practices? It was an eye opening experience and is still incredibly difficult for me to comprehend and I witnessed it!
Friday, July 4, 2014
Lisar Bahari, Pulau Seram
And they've arrived!!! Matt and Scott got here a few days ago. They were the only ones I could convince to come visit me on my travels. Thus far, we've spent our time in huts right on the water, snorkeling, a hike and attempting to canoe in the bay.
Danna and I picked them up at the airport and proceeded to the harbor to take the last ferry out to get to Lisar Bahari. Unfortunately for us, this ferry time got changed because of Ramadan. So, instead of leaving on a boat at 4, we were stuck at an empty harbor. Luckily for us, there was an English speaking ojek driver in the vicinity. He arranged for 3 others to help take us to a nearby hotel where we struck a deal for them to pick us up the next morning to go back to the harbor for round two of trying to get on the boat.
After a night of wandering and teaching Danna how to play euchre, three of the four drivers showed up at our arranged time the next morning. To add to tne confusion of the missing driver, it began to rain and Charlie (the English speaking ojek driver) told us that the boat was getting ready to leave right then. It was a race to the harbor with Danna, me, my bag, and Charlie on one bike; Matt, his bag and Danna's bag on another bike and Scott on the third bike. Somehow Danna and I fit on the bike. I was quite concerned that half my rear would be hanging off the back, but it was firmly planted on the seat. The 20 minute ride was definitely the most interesting one I've been on in my time here and I can officially check off riding 3 on a motorbike off the list!
Thankfully, the boat had not yet left but tickets were almost sold out. I bought ours and then we got our soaked selves parked in our seats on the ferry. 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time, we were off for a miserable ride! The sea was quite choppy and we did not have much air circulation in our area. As a result, people started throwingup everywhere. I was okay until about 30 minutes from out destination when the noise combined with the motions got to me. I was able to make it to the doorway with Danna and stick my head out the window before anything bad happened.
After that eventful ride, a 90 minute car ride and another longboat ride, we arrived at our final destination. Our rooms are in little cottages right over the water with a common eating area. We took a wonderful snorkeling trip our first full day here. The fish and coral are not nearly as numerous or diverse as they are in Raja Ampat, but they're still awesome.
Yesterday, we took a short trekking trip through the jungle to a bird rescue center in a nearby village. I was very excited for the trek because I thought we were going to get to go up in the canopy lookout for some spectacular views. Our guide told us that the platform was broken. I'm not sure if it actually was, but regardless, I was extremely disappointed that we did not get to go up. The climb itself got a bit hairy at times due to the slippery ground and narrow trail. Of course our guide was barefoot for the entire journey. I'm still amazed by that one! Upon arriving at the rescue center, we were given our lunch and told to look around. We did see some awesome birds, not that I have the slightest clue as to what they are.
Today, we rented a 'canoe' to take out into the bay and go to a nearby umbrellaed platform were we did a bit of swimming and snorkeling and a lot of lazying around. Somehow, all of got scrapes and scratches during this one. In all our canoeing skills are not the greatest and I'm sure we gave more than a few a good chuckle!
*As always, this was written near the ocean and will be posted once I get to an area with WiFi.
**Also, I'm super happy that these two awesome people have come all this way to visit!!
Danna and I picked them up at the airport and proceeded to the harbor to take the last ferry out to get to Lisar Bahari. Unfortunately for us, this ferry time got changed because of Ramadan. So, instead of leaving on a boat at 4, we were stuck at an empty harbor. Luckily for us, there was an English speaking ojek driver in the vicinity. He arranged for 3 others to help take us to a nearby hotel where we struck a deal for them to pick us up the next morning to go back to the harbor for round two of trying to get on the boat.
After a night of wandering and teaching Danna how to play euchre, three of the four drivers showed up at our arranged time the next morning. To add to tne confusion of the missing driver, it began to rain and Charlie (the English speaking ojek driver) told us that the boat was getting ready to leave right then. It was a race to the harbor with Danna, me, my bag, and Charlie on one bike; Matt, his bag and Danna's bag on another bike and Scott on the third bike. Somehow Danna and I fit on the bike. I was quite concerned that half my rear would be hanging off the back, but it was firmly planted on the seat. The 20 minute ride was definitely the most interesting one I've been on in my time here and I can officially check off riding 3 on a motorbike off the list!
Thankfully, the boat had not yet left but tickets were almost sold out. I bought ours and then we got our soaked selves parked in our seats on the ferry. 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time, we were off for a miserable ride! The sea was quite choppy and we did not have much air circulation in our area. As a result, people started throwingup everywhere. I was okay until about 30 minutes from out destination when the noise combined with the motions got to me. I was able to make it to the doorway with Danna and stick my head out the window before anything bad happened.
After that eventful ride, a 90 minute car ride and another longboat ride, we arrived at our final destination. Our rooms are in little cottages right over the water with a common eating area. We took a wonderful snorkeling trip our first full day here. The fish and coral are not nearly as numerous or diverse as they are in Raja Ampat, but they're still awesome.
Yesterday, we took a short trekking trip through the jungle to a bird rescue center in a nearby village. I was very excited for the trek because I thought we were going to get to go up in the canopy lookout for some spectacular views. Our guide told us that the platform was broken. I'm not sure if it actually was, but regardless, I was extremely disappointed that we did not get to go up. The climb itself got a bit hairy at times due to the slippery ground and narrow trail. Of course our guide was barefoot for the entire journey. I'm still amazed by that one! Upon arriving at the rescue center, we were given our lunch and told to look around. We did see some awesome birds, not that I have the slightest clue as to what they are.
Today, we rented a 'canoe' to take out into the bay and go to a nearby umbrellaed platform were we did a bit of swimming and snorkeling and a lot of lazying around. Somehow, all of got scrapes and scratches during this one. In all our canoeing skills are not the greatest and I'm sure we gave more than a few a good chuckle!
*As always, this was written near the ocean and will be posted once I get to an area with WiFi.
**Also, I'm super happy that these two awesome people have come all this way to visit!!
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