As I mentioned in the last post, our timing for a visit to Australia was not the best as tourist destinations were crowded because of the school break. It was also the wrong time of year since the seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere and Australia was in the middle of their winter. We knew this and expected Perth to be cool (and it was - and rainy too) but thought the temperatures would warm up as we drove north. After all, we were destined to drive across the Tropic of Capricorn four times so most of our time in Australia we would be in ‘the Tropics’.
Didn’t quite work out that way. The first night at Cervantes was very cool (13 C) and the house had only one small, portable heater. We had to move it around from room to room, depending on what we were doing. Getting a shower was a challenge as the heater was easily out-worked by the bathroom exhaust fan which came on with the light. Nice choice - shower in the dark but keep warm or see what you’re doing and shiver.
Even in Coral Bay, though the days were nice, the nights were very cool. Too cool to sit around outside without a sweater or jacket. We hadn’t packed for fall-like temperatures. And, though walking the beaches was very pleasant, it was too cool to get in the water so we didn’t get to snorkel here. As for the manta rays at Point Maud and the reef sharks at Bateman Bay - familiar refrain - ‘wrong time of year’. Heard that again when we checked out Eagle Bluff at Shark Bay Marine Park.
Our biggest disappointment awaited us at Exmouth when we learned that the whale shark season had pretty much run its course and sightings in recent weeks had been few and far between. The excursions were too expensive to undertake with no guarantee we’d be able to snorkel with these creatures. It’s a good reason to come back. Other than this disappointment, Exmouth was a very interesting area and well worth exploring. We did get to snorkel at Oyster Stacks and Turquoise Bay while we were in Exmouth so we didn’t have a complete wash-out with regard to the Ningaloo Reef.
There were some great drives in the Cape Range National Park. Yardie Creek Gorge was not quite as ‘spectacular’ as the guide book indicated but Charles Knife Canyon drive was way better than expected. Vlamingh Head Lighthouse offered spectacular views and a nice, if crowded, sunset spot. Doreen loved the tide pools at Surfer’s Beach and the sunset here was even better with surfers in the water trying to catch that last wave.
On the drive back, we stopped in Denham for a couple of nights and checked out the dolphin feedings at Monkey Mia. It was somewhat underwhelming, probably because we’ve been lucky enough to swim with large pods of spinner dolphins on several occasions in Hawaii. After you’ve been in the water with dozens of these creatures, watching 8 or 10 come close to shore to be fed doesn’t really cut it. Nice, but.
We also stopped at Kalbarri National Park and checked out the views. ‘Nature’s Window’ was spectacular - well worth the visit - Hawk’s Head was great and the Z-Bend was interesting. Wish we had allowed more time to explore the park. Especially since, when we got to Perth, it was cold and rainy and our plans for a walking tour of the downtown area of the city got shelved. We spent our last afternoon in a motel room out by the airport watching the rain hit the parking lot. You might say our Australian adventure ended with a whimper.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Wandering in Western Australia
The first thing you need to understand is that Western Australia is big - really big. On a comparative basis, it’s almost twice as big as Alaska and almost four times as big as Texas. In Canadian terms, it’s almost three times as big as our largest province, Ontario. We flew into Perth on July 11th , picked up a rental, drove as far north as Exmouth and then back to Perth to begin the trip home on July 21st. At one point, I checked the GPS we’d rented and it showed our destination some 700+ kilometers down the road with a right turn coming up in 340 klicks. You don’t want to run out of gas here or have any kind of breakdown–not a lot of traffic.
In ten days we drove 3600+ kilometers and used 244 liters of gas at an average cost of $1.62 AUS/liter (that’s $6.14 AUS/gallon) with the price peaking at $1.708 in Exmouth. The cheapest gas we found was in Perth - $1.395/liter ($5.28/gallon). And we think we’re paying a lot for gas. And in all that driving, we saw live kangaroos exactly twice - a single just outside Cape Range national Park and a double on a side road in Greenough after we’d missed our turn.
Everything in Western Australia is expensive. The economy is booming and prices have risen accordingly. And Australians love to travel and see their country. And we were there during a school break when families are also on the move. The result was a dearth of available accommodations at the budget level. We spent $100/night for a hostel room with bunk beds and no private washroom facilities in Coral Bay and slightly more for a cabin in Denham where the washroom facilities, though private, were in a separate building.
Eating and buying groceries followed the same trend. Think $20 for take-out fish and chips and $4.25 for a small coke to go along with that. Or, how about $13/kg for bananas? At home, people get upset when the price of bananas gets to 99 cents per kilogram. The sticker shock was exacerbated by the fact that we’d just come from Bali where we could have a lovely lunch in the Lemon Grass Café for just 100 000 RP (about $12 Canadian).
Driving in Australia requires certain adjustments. Because the driver sits on the right of the vehicle, I wanted an automatic - changing gears on a manual transmission with my left hand was more than I wanted to try. Hard enough to remember left hand for wipers and right hand for turn signals. Surprisingly, I had little trouble with that in Australia this time (some problems in 2000) but, in the first week I was home, I had several instances where I used my right hand to signal a turn. Go figure.
The driver sits on the right of the car and you drive on the left side of the road so the driver is closer to the middle of the road. That also takes a little getting used to - it’s like a mirror image of the North American road and that changes the perceptions. Doreen never quite felt comfortable and had a tendency to drive very close to the shoulder of the road. The sparseness of traffic made it easier to settle in and allowed leeway for mistakes.
The main highways in Western Australia were basically two lanes (one in each direction) with a paved shoulder and semi-frequent passing lanes to allow you to get past road trains and slow moving campers and trailers. The speed limit on these highways was 110 km/h - a little faster that the 401 in Ontario. When you got off the main highway, the paved shoulder disappeared (so did the passing lanes) but the speed limit only dropped to 100/km. When the road became too narrow for a center line, the speed was dropped to 80/km. And everywhere there were warnings to be careful about wildlife on the road.
Outside the urban area, Australians don’t seem to believe in stop signs. Even in urban areas, they rely on round-abouts to facilitate traffic flow. You just have to remember to look right as you approach the round-about. In the north, they just leave it to the driver to watch for traffic. This grabbed me one day as we drove back to Exmouth from a snorkel trip to Turquoise Bay. As we approached the intersection with the main highway, our speed limit dropped to 90 and I began to brake in anticipation of a stop before entering the highway. Surprise! No stop sign - not even a yield sign - just make a right turn and continue on your way. Definitely wouldn’t work around here.
In ten days we drove 3600+ kilometers and used 244 liters of gas at an average cost of $1.62 AUS/liter (that’s $6.14 AUS/gallon) with the price peaking at $1.708 in Exmouth. The cheapest gas we found was in Perth - $1.395/liter ($5.28/gallon). And we think we’re paying a lot for gas. And in all that driving, we saw live kangaroos exactly twice - a single just outside Cape Range national Park and a double on a side road in Greenough after we’d missed our turn.
Everything in Western Australia is expensive. The economy is booming and prices have risen accordingly. And Australians love to travel and see their country. And we were there during a school break when families are also on the move. The result was a dearth of available accommodations at the budget level. We spent $100/night for a hostel room with bunk beds and no private washroom facilities in Coral Bay and slightly more for a cabin in Denham where the washroom facilities, though private, were in a separate building.
Eating and buying groceries followed the same trend. Think $20 for take-out fish and chips and $4.25 for a small coke to go along with that. Or, how about $13/kg for bananas? At home, people get upset when the price of bananas gets to 99 cents per kilogram. The sticker shock was exacerbated by the fact that we’d just come from Bali where we could have a lovely lunch in the Lemon Grass Café for just 100 000 RP (about $12 Canadian).
Driving in Australia requires certain adjustments. Because the driver sits on the right of the vehicle, I wanted an automatic - changing gears on a manual transmission with my left hand was more than I wanted to try. Hard enough to remember left hand for wipers and right hand for turn signals. Surprisingly, I had little trouble with that in Australia this time (some problems in 2000) but, in the first week I was home, I had several instances where I used my right hand to signal a turn. Go figure.
The driver sits on the right of the car and you drive on the left side of the road so the driver is closer to the middle of the road. That also takes a little getting used to - it’s like a mirror image of the North American road and that changes the perceptions. Doreen never quite felt comfortable and had a tendency to drive very close to the shoulder of the road. The sparseness of traffic made it easier to settle in and allowed leeway for mistakes.
The main highways in Western Australia were basically two lanes (one in each direction) with a paved shoulder and semi-frequent passing lanes to allow you to get past road trains and slow moving campers and trailers. The speed limit on these highways was 110 km/h - a little faster that the 401 in Ontario. When you got off the main highway, the paved shoulder disappeared (so did the passing lanes) but the speed limit only dropped to 100/km. When the road became too narrow for a center line, the speed was dropped to 80/km. And everywhere there were warnings to be careful about wildlife on the road.
Outside the urban area, Australians don’t seem to believe in stop signs. Even in urban areas, they rely on round-abouts to facilitate traffic flow. You just have to remember to look right as you approach the round-about. In the north, they just leave it to the driver to watch for traffic. This grabbed me one day as we drove back to Exmouth from a snorkel trip to Turquoise Bay. As we approached the intersection with the main highway, our speed limit dropped to 90 and I began to brake in anticipation of a stop before entering the highway. Surprise! No stop sign - not even a yield sign - just make a right turn and continue on your way. Definitely wouldn’t work around here.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
On the Road to Bali
That’s the worst thing about Bali - the roads or, more precisely, the traffic on the roads. It was horrendous. It took forever to get anywhere. We hired a car and driver on three of the days we were in Bali. Each time we laid out an agenda that we thought was doable based on the guide books and maps and each time we found that we had to pare our schedule because we were crawling along in traffic and it was taking much longer to get from point A to point B - no matter where those points were.
We stayed in a small hotel just outside Ubud - a lovely spot and one that gave you a sense of what Bali could be and probably was, twenty years ago. We’re just too late. We heard that the northern part of the island is still relatively unspoiled so that would be our target should we be fortunate enough to return. And we would like to return. For all its maddening traffic, Bali is magical. When you get away from the urban, tourist areas, it’s hard to imagine a more beautiful island. And, it’s populated with the nicest people - the native Balinese, not the invading hordes of Indonesians.
We arrived in Bali late on Sunday night. Wednesday was the start of Galungan, a ten-day festival held in Balinese temples to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. The Balinese believe that all the gods come down to earth for the festivities. Every village has three temples and every family complex has its own temple. Walking around Ubud on Monday and Tuesday we would see people getting ready. Every house was being decorated and offerings were placed everywhere. Of course, the birds and the monkeys, no respecters of religious intent, were having a field day. (To a lesser extent, so were the dogs.) Our hotel was just down the street from Monkey Forest so the neighborhood was crawling with monkeys.
On Wednesday morning, we decided to walk down Nyuhkuning Road and were treated to a steady parade of Balinese dressed in their Sunday best and headed to the local temple with their offerings. It was a wonderful experience and we took lots of pictures. Later on the walk, we passed another temple behind the Dangin Lebak Community Hall and found the same, large, happy, colorful crowds of temple goers. On Saturday, we visited Pura Luhur Batakan while there was a ceremony in progress. We were allowed to enter the temple grounds (wearing sarongs) but not the temple itself. It was magical and colorful
In contrast to the serenity and sense of purpose that pervaded these temples, our experiences at several of the major temples were not as memorable. On Saturday we also visited Pura Dalem Batur and on Sunday we went to Tanah Lot and Ulu Watu. To say that these temples are tourist attractions would be a major understatement. They’ve really become tourist traps - they’re crawling with tourists, touts and tacky souvenir stands. All in all, major disappointments.
Speaking of touts, one gets the feeling that at least half the men in Bali are taxi drivers. You can’t walk ten steps in Ubud without having someone ask if you want a taxi. We found the same thing in Denpasar when we visited there on Sunday morning. Doreen was looking for some batik and had decided to check out the fabric stores on Sulewesi Street. First, we got waylaid by a tout in the market area where we’d parked and then we kept attracting them as Doreen browsed for her fabric. She finally got fed up and we left without any batik.
Two things stand out about Bali - the quality of the light and the shades of green. Early morning light was great for picture taking. I can understand why Anak Agung Rai uses the term ‘Golden Hour’ in reference to his morning walks. Good thing we had gotten into the habit of early rising on the boat. It came in handy here. Rice fields in Bali, especially in the Jatiluwih and Sidemen areas, offer endless picture possibilities. The only other place I can recall having as many shades of green was Kauai.
The one thing we did in Bali that I regret was the bicycle tour. It sounded so good - a chance to see the countryside up close, a downhill ride so not a physical challenge. The guide was very good, breakfast and lunch were terrific and we were with a nice group of people. I even had a new bike. So, what was the problem? In a word, the roads. The back roads we traversed were not well maintained. I was concentrating so hard on avoiding the potholes and not running into other traffic that I saw very little of the countryside. Also, who would have believed that sitting on a bike for a couple of hours with little pedalling could be so tiring. My legs were cramping by the time the ride was over. We saw much more from the cars we hired.
We had made a conscious decision to concentrate on the Ubud area and rural Bali and avoid the beaches. We did want to see the Kuta area and thought we’d be able to spend a couple of hours there on the way from Tanah Lot to Ulu Watu. Traffic conditions made that impossible. The only beach we visited was in Jimbaran where we overnighted because we had an early flight to Perth. It was a gorgeous beach but rain was threatening and we didn’t spend a lot of time. Another reason to go back!
We stayed in a small hotel just outside Ubud - a lovely spot and one that gave you a sense of what Bali could be and probably was, twenty years ago. We’re just too late. We heard that the northern part of the island is still relatively unspoiled so that would be our target should we be fortunate enough to return. And we would like to return. For all its maddening traffic, Bali is magical. When you get away from the urban, tourist areas, it’s hard to imagine a more beautiful island. And, it’s populated with the nicest people - the native Balinese, not the invading hordes of Indonesians.
We arrived in Bali late on Sunday night. Wednesday was the start of Galungan, a ten-day festival held in Balinese temples to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. The Balinese believe that all the gods come down to earth for the festivities. Every village has three temples and every family complex has its own temple. Walking around Ubud on Monday and Tuesday we would see people getting ready. Every house was being decorated and offerings were placed everywhere. Of course, the birds and the monkeys, no respecters of religious intent, were having a field day. (To a lesser extent, so were the dogs.) Our hotel was just down the street from Monkey Forest so the neighborhood was crawling with monkeys.
On Wednesday morning, we decided to walk down Nyuhkuning Road and were treated to a steady parade of Balinese dressed in their Sunday best and headed to the local temple with their offerings. It was a wonderful experience and we took lots of pictures. Later on the walk, we passed another temple behind the Dangin Lebak Community Hall and found the same, large, happy, colorful crowds of temple goers. On Saturday, we visited Pura Luhur Batakan while there was a ceremony in progress. We were allowed to enter the temple grounds (wearing sarongs) but not the temple itself. It was magical and colorful
In contrast to the serenity and sense of purpose that pervaded these temples, our experiences at several of the major temples were not as memorable. On Saturday we also visited Pura Dalem Batur and on Sunday we went to Tanah Lot and Ulu Watu. To say that these temples are tourist attractions would be a major understatement. They’ve really become tourist traps - they’re crawling with tourists, touts and tacky souvenir stands. All in all, major disappointments.
Speaking of touts, one gets the feeling that at least half the men in Bali are taxi drivers. You can’t walk ten steps in Ubud without having someone ask if you want a taxi. We found the same thing in Denpasar when we visited there on Sunday morning. Doreen was looking for some batik and had decided to check out the fabric stores on Sulewesi Street. First, we got waylaid by a tout in the market area where we’d parked and then we kept attracting them as Doreen browsed for her fabric. She finally got fed up and we left without any batik.
Two things stand out about Bali - the quality of the light and the shades of green. Early morning light was great for picture taking. I can understand why Anak Agung Rai uses the term ‘Golden Hour’ in reference to his morning walks. Good thing we had gotten into the habit of early rising on the boat. It came in handy here. Rice fields in Bali, especially in the Jatiluwih and Sidemen areas, offer endless picture possibilities. The only other place I can recall having as many shades of green was Kauai.
The one thing we did in Bali that I regret was the bicycle tour. It sounded so good - a chance to see the countryside up close, a downhill ride so not a physical challenge. The guide was very good, breakfast and lunch were terrific and we were with a nice group of people. I even had a new bike. So, what was the problem? In a word, the roads. The back roads we traversed were not well maintained. I was concentrating so hard on avoiding the potholes and not running into other traffic that I saw very little of the countryside. Also, who would have believed that sitting on a bike for a couple of hours with little pedalling could be so tiring. My legs were cramping by the time the ride was over. We saw much more from the cars we hired.
We had made a conscious decision to concentrate on the Ubud area and rural Bali and avoid the beaches. We did want to see the Kuta area and thought we’d be able to spend a couple of hours there on the way from Tanah Lot to Ulu Watu. Traffic conditions made that impossible. The only beach we visited was in Jimbaran where we overnighted because we had an early flight to Perth. It was a gorgeous beach but rain was threatening and we didn’t spend a lot of time. Another reason to go back!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Raja Ampat Revisited
I may have titled the previous entry “Raving about Raja Ampat” but, after re-reading it, I realize I did little raving. So, time to rectify that. Raja Ampat deserves better.
This snorkel trip had been on our wish list for several years. We had read accounts and seen pictures and it sounded and looked too good to be true. Besides which, it was hellishly expensive for two retired teachers who try to maximize the value of their budget travels. This year, since we aren’t getting any younger (or healthier), we decided to bite the bullet and pony up the money when spots were available on a charter being organized by Wendy in California.
We’ve had a fair amount of snorkeling experience though we certainly wouldn’t be considered much more than dabblers. A couple of years ago, we had our best day ever when we signed up for a snorkel tour in Palau. We were the only ones on the boat and the guy took us to six of the best spots in Palau–the German Channel, the Ngemelis Drop-off, the Blue Hole, the Blue Corner, Turtle Cove and Cemetery Reef. The sites ranged from great to terrific to awesome.
We have fond memories of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Mana and Waya Islands in Fiji. We’ve always liked the turtles in Maui. The single greatest experience was being in the water with a pod of a hundred plus spinner dolphins one morning in Lanai–a magical hour that left us with sore necks from all the gaping. Maui was also the place where we watched eagle rays swim a racetrack course and where we heard whale song while we snorkeled. And you can always count on ‘Turtle Town’.
Palau had blown all these previous experiences away. Now I was reading that Raja Ampat would make Palau pale in comparison. You could say I started this trip with a certain amount of skepticism. I expected the snorkeling to be good but how much better than Palau could it realistically get. I’d settle for as good as.
We were on the boat for twelve days and managed to snorkel twenty different spots. Dave and Din do a masterful job of finding these places–Batanta Dayang, Alyui Bay, Wofoh, Wayag, Dantecastreaux, Firwin , Penemu, Kri, Tear Drop Bay, the Spooky Channel. Batang Pele would have joined the list but, just after we anchored for the night with snorkeling planned for the next morning, one of the crew spotted a saltwater crocodile–no snorkel here!
So, how did the snorkeling go? I wasn’t a big fan of the visit to the mangroves but it was interesting enough that I’m glad I did it. However, having done it once, I would pass on a second visit. All the other spots followed a fairly predictable routine–Din and/or Dave would check the current, the boat would drop us off, we’d start snorkeling over the coral and, 90 minutes or so later, we’d make our way back to the dinghy. In all that time, we’d not had to backtrack but kept exploring new territory with prolific coral and fish life.
I gradually came to realize how great this was. There was no one, single moment like my jaw-dropping experience at Ngemelis, just a seemingly never-ending procession of wondrous sights. Even in Palau, we’d gone back to the same (great) sites each time we went out on a boat. The cumulative effect here was outstanding. This goes to the top of the list of adventures I’d like to re-do. Where are my winning lottery numbers when I really need them?
Part of the reason why this was such a great trip had to do with the professionalism and personal touch of Din and Dave. They were beyond great. Part of the reason had to do with the other members of the tour. Usually we’re either on our own or with a couple of friends like Anker and Arlene or Laurie and Sandy. Here, we were in the company of eight other enthusiastic snorkelers who were all experienced travelers with a diverse range of previous travels. Lots of cameras to record the underwater world. Lots of discussion on the boat afterwards and sharing thoughts and pictures.
Generally, I’m interested in coral and fish. Throw in the odd turtle, dolphin, ray, shark, octopus, eel and such and you up the satisfaction level. We saw lots of corals - both hard and soft - most of it in pristine condition. And we saw lots of fish - so many at times that you were overwhelmed - so many new species that we lost track. We didn’t see as many of the ‘specials’ as I would have liked but we did see our first wobbegong shark. That was different.
Doreen generally has the same interests. But, as the week progressed, she found that she was becoming fascinated with nudibranchs and other small elements that we had previously overlooked. Some of that was a result of the ability of Din and Dave to spot the little critters and some was because of the enthusiasm of Jeff, a marine science teacher in a California high school, who was only too willing to share his knowledge. Might there be macro photography in her future? Not me–even with a prescription mask, my vision isn’t good enough that I want to search out a nudibranch.
Lest I give the impression that this was a perfect trip, let me end on some weather notes. When we first boarded the boat on Wednesday, Dave told us that the rainy season had already begun - a month early. Indeed, we had lots of rain that Friday and some again on Saturday. Rain isn’t a real problem when you’re snorkeling (you’re already as wet as you’re going to get) but it does affect visibility. More importantly, the gear doesn’t dry between snorkels. Everything was soaked. Putting on a wet ‘wet suit’ isn’t a joy. But we survived. And then the sun came out.
The weather kicked up again on our last full day. After a morning snorkel near Tuluk Kabui, we were headed to the Dampier Channel for our final outing. However, the wind picked up, the seas started running heavy and Dave decided to head straight to Sorong, our start/finish point. The boat was really rocking in the open sea and the spray was flying. When we woke up the next morning, we were anchored in the harbour and our adventure was over. Sitting around the boat until it was time to leave for the airport was kind of anticlimactic.
But we’re left with a ton of memories, hundreds of pictures and a burning desire to do this again.
This snorkel trip had been on our wish list for several years. We had read accounts and seen pictures and it sounded and looked too good to be true. Besides which, it was hellishly expensive for two retired teachers who try to maximize the value of their budget travels. This year, since we aren’t getting any younger (or healthier), we decided to bite the bullet and pony up the money when spots were available on a charter being organized by Wendy in California.
We’ve had a fair amount of snorkeling experience though we certainly wouldn’t be considered much more than dabblers. A couple of years ago, we had our best day ever when we signed up for a snorkel tour in Palau. We were the only ones on the boat and the guy took us to six of the best spots in Palau–the German Channel, the Ngemelis Drop-off, the Blue Hole, the Blue Corner, Turtle Cove and Cemetery Reef. The sites ranged from great to terrific to awesome.
We have fond memories of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Mana and Waya Islands in Fiji. We’ve always liked the turtles in Maui. The single greatest experience was being in the water with a pod of a hundred plus spinner dolphins one morning in Lanai–a magical hour that left us with sore necks from all the gaping. Maui was also the place where we watched eagle rays swim a racetrack course and where we heard whale song while we snorkeled. And you can always count on ‘Turtle Town’.
Palau had blown all these previous experiences away. Now I was reading that Raja Ampat would make Palau pale in comparison. You could say I started this trip with a certain amount of skepticism. I expected the snorkeling to be good but how much better than Palau could it realistically get. I’d settle for as good as.
We were on the boat for twelve days and managed to snorkel twenty different spots. Dave and Din do a masterful job of finding these places–Batanta Dayang, Alyui Bay, Wofoh, Wayag, Dantecastreaux, Firwin , Penemu, Kri, Tear Drop Bay, the Spooky Channel. Batang Pele would have joined the list but, just after we anchored for the night with snorkeling planned for the next morning, one of the crew spotted a saltwater crocodile–no snorkel here!
So, how did the snorkeling go? I wasn’t a big fan of the visit to the mangroves but it was interesting enough that I’m glad I did it. However, having done it once, I would pass on a second visit. All the other spots followed a fairly predictable routine–Din and/or Dave would check the current, the boat would drop us off, we’d start snorkeling over the coral and, 90 minutes or so later, we’d make our way back to the dinghy. In all that time, we’d not had to backtrack but kept exploring new territory with prolific coral and fish life.
I gradually came to realize how great this was. There was no one, single moment like my jaw-dropping experience at Ngemelis, just a seemingly never-ending procession of wondrous sights. Even in Palau, we’d gone back to the same (great) sites each time we went out on a boat. The cumulative effect here was outstanding. This goes to the top of the list of adventures I’d like to re-do. Where are my winning lottery numbers when I really need them?
Part of the reason why this was such a great trip had to do with the professionalism and personal touch of Din and Dave. They were beyond great. Part of the reason had to do with the other members of the tour. Usually we’re either on our own or with a couple of friends like Anker and Arlene or Laurie and Sandy. Here, we were in the company of eight other enthusiastic snorkelers who were all experienced travelers with a diverse range of previous travels. Lots of cameras to record the underwater world. Lots of discussion on the boat afterwards and sharing thoughts and pictures.
Generally, I’m interested in coral and fish. Throw in the odd turtle, dolphin, ray, shark, octopus, eel and such and you up the satisfaction level. We saw lots of corals - both hard and soft - most of it in pristine condition. And we saw lots of fish - so many at times that you were overwhelmed - so many new species that we lost track. We didn’t see as many of the ‘specials’ as I would have liked but we did see our first wobbegong shark. That was different.
Doreen generally has the same interests. But, as the week progressed, she found that she was becoming fascinated with nudibranchs and other small elements that we had previously overlooked. Some of that was a result of the ability of Din and Dave to spot the little critters and some was because of the enthusiasm of Jeff, a marine science teacher in a California high school, who was only too willing to share his knowledge. Might there be macro photography in her future? Not me–even with a prescription mask, my vision isn’t good enough that I want to search out a nudibranch.
Lest I give the impression that this was a perfect trip, let me end on some weather notes. When we first boarded the boat on Wednesday, Dave told us that the rainy season had already begun - a month early. Indeed, we had lots of rain that Friday and some again on Saturday. Rain isn’t a real problem when you’re snorkeling (you’re already as wet as you’re going to get) but it does affect visibility. More importantly, the gear doesn’t dry between snorkels. Everything was soaked. Putting on a wet ‘wet suit’ isn’t a joy. But we survived. And then the sun came out.
The weather kicked up again on our last full day. After a morning snorkel near Tuluk Kabui, we were headed to the Dampier Channel for our final outing. However, the wind picked up, the seas started running heavy and Dave decided to head straight to Sorong, our start/finish point. The boat was really rocking in the open sea and the spray was flying. When we woke up the next morning, we were anchored in the harbour and our adventure was over. Sitting around the boat until it was time to leave for the airport was kind of anticlimactic.
But we’re left with a ton of memories, hundreds of pictures and a burning desire to do this again.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Raving about Raja Ampat
Sensory overload. In spades. The snorkel tour through the Raja Ampat Islands was everything we’d hoped for, and more. We had a couple of days in Kuala Lumpur and saw a little of the city. There was a great park just across the street from our hotel behind the KL Convention Center. It had a large wading pool/wet area (free for kids - adults only to supervise) and a huge selection of playground equipment with lots of areas for kids to expend energy.
The park also gave us our first views of the Petronas Towers, KL’s signature building, an impressive sight. We also had a good look at the Towers from the infinity pool at our hotel. Later we had lunch at the revolving restaurant atop the Menara KL Tower which provided great views of downtown KL - like seeing Toronto from the CN Tower. KL isn’t a great city for walking since sidewalks are constantly closed for construction sites. I’ve never seen so many building cranes in one city before.
Then we were off to Indonesia. We flew into Makassar for an overnight stay and then on to Sorong. We got a chance to eat lunch in a local bakery in Makassar while on a stroll to the waterfront area. We were somewhat of a curiosity as the only Westerners in the place. Language is a problem and we’re not always sure what it is we’re ordering. So far it’s worked out.
We met up with the American contingent at the airport in Makassar the next day as we waited for our flight to Sorong. They had just flown in from Jakarta. Once we arrived in Sorong, things went smoothly. We were met by Din, the hostess for the boat we were chartering. She’s a young lady, originally from Germany, who’s been organizing things for the Shakti (the boat) for the past four or five years. She had everything under control and we were quickly off to the harbour where the Shakti was anchored.
Under Din’s direction, the crew quickly ferried us and our luggage out to the Shakti where we met the skipper, Dave - a transplanted Scot. Cabins assignments were made and, while we unpacked, Dave raised the anchor and our adventure began.
The park also gave us our first views of the Petronas Towers, KL’s signature building, an impressive sight. We also had a good look at the Towers from the infinity pool at our hotel. Later we had lunch at the revolving restaurant atop the Menara KL Tower which provided great views of downtown KL - like seeing Toronto from the CN Tower. KL isn’t a great city for walking since sidewalks are constantly closed for construction sites. I’ve never seen so many building cranes in one city before.
Then we were off to Indonesia. We flew into Makassar for an overnight stay and then on to Sorong. We got a chance to eat lunch in a local bakery in Makassar while on a stroll to the waterfront area. We were somewhat of a curiosity as the only Westerners in the place. Language is a problem and we’re not always sure what it is we’re ordering. So far it’s worked out.
We met up with the American contingent at the airport in Makassar the next day as we waited for our flight to Sorong. They had just flown in from Jakarta. Once we arrived in Sorong, things went smoothly. We were met by Din, the hostess for the boat we were chartering. She’s a young lady, originally from Germany, who’s been organizing things for the Shakti (the boat) for the past four or five years. She had everything under control and we were quickly off to the harbour where the Shakti was anchored.
Under Din’s direction, the crew quickly ferried us and our luggage out to the Shakti where we met the skipper, Dave - a transplanted Scot. Cabins assignments were made and, while we unpacked, Dave raised the anchor and our adventure began.
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