The best of Octopus

    Octopus management has changed several times since we were there in 2006. The present couple have been there only seven months but they seem to be doing an outstanding job. There has always been a real connection between the resort and the nearby village of Naluwaki whose chief gave permission for the creation of the resort in the first place. Most of the people who work at the resort are from the village and some of them have been there since the first ground-breaking. Their kids are growing up and finding their own jobs at Octopus.
    This year we found an increased emphasis on incorporating the Fijian culture on an every-day basis and on special occasions. Friday afternoon was special as the school-aged children from the village come home for the weekend (they board during the week as four villages on Waya Island share one school). This happens in reverse on Sundays when the families show up at the resort after the church service and the kids are treated to snacks and play before they climb aboard the boats to take them back for another week of studies.
    You can see that it’s hard on both parents and children but they do put an emphasis on education. It gets even worse at the high school level because they have to go to one of the large mainland islands and only get home on school breaks.
    Friday night was dedicated to Fijian culture. The evening started with a presentation of Fijian dancing and singing–a couple of dances from the men, a couple from the women and a couple with both male and female dancers. This was not a professional dance presentation but a celebration of joy from the villagers. They really seem to enjoy life. The dancing ended with the Fijians enlisting the resort guests to join them in a round of ‘Bula’ dancing. (Bula seems to be the Fijian word for ‘hello’ and many other expressions - something like the Hawaiian ‘Aloha’.)
    The entertainment was followed by a dinner that featured Fijian dishes. Not sure what some of the dishes were but there was plenty of edible food even for someone as picky as me. It was a special evening. Of course, not everything was focused on Fiji. On Thursday night we were treated to a fireworks display, presumably in honor of the US guests.
    We did get a chance to catch up with two of our favorite people from the earlier visit. Mariomi has moved into a supervisory role but she was there when we checked in on Wednesday and we had a chance to talk to her the first two days. She was off on the weekend so we didn’t get to say good-bye. Tai Voli had been the leader when we had visited the village for the church service in 2006. He wasn’t around the first few days but he was front and center as he lead the dance parade on Friday night.
    We couldn’t do the church service this year as it coincides with check-out time but he showed up in the afternoon and insisted on carrying my bag to the boat which took us out to the Yasawa Flyer. It was a little disappointing that there was no farewell singing group. The resort has a tradition of welcoming arriving guests and serenading departing groups with a small ensemble on the beach. I think it doesn’t work on Sundays as the villagers focus on church and their departing children. Still, I missed it. I had my camcorder all set to take the movie.

2006 Redux

    What’s that comment about ‘you can’t go home again’. We got up early Wednesday morning for our pick-up and the ride to Denaru Marina. We took the Yasawa Flyer up to Waya Island where we’re staying at Octopus Resort for the next few days. We spent a week here in 2006 and really loved it. The second time around some of the magic is gone. This was especially noticeable on the boat ride where a succession of stops at isolated, beautiful, tropical islands elicited hardly a second look.
    Octopus itself has undergone some changes in the intervening years - some good, some less welcomed. The back-packer tents are gone and, though they do still have some dorms, the back-packer vibe is severely reduced. They have built some new bures and bungalows mainly designed to cater to an upscale clientele. As well, they have made a conscious effort to attract more of the family holiday trade from Australia and New Zealand. Since it was school break time in Australia, there were lots of families (and lots of young kids). You don’t seem to get as much socializing (understandable) in those circumstances.
    The beach is still gorgeous, even if a bit hard to walk as you keep sinking in the golden sand - a nice problem to have. The snorkeling is still very good with lots of fish and coral and even a sea snake. We did try the manta ray snorkel trip on Saturday morning but the seas have been running heavy for the past two days with extreme high and low tides. As a result, the visibility in the channel was very poor. As well, our timing was off - no mantas while we were in the water (at least none that we could see).
    We were back aboard the boat and getting ready to leave when the first manta showed up. Doreen got so excited, she rushed into her gear and jumped into the water without her camera. When that problem was solved, she found her mask constantly filling up with water. Finally giving into frustration, she climbed back on board and discovered she’d tried to put her mask on over her sunglasses! At least her camera got a picture of the manta as the guide took it and dove down to get close enough. Not our most memorable snorkel.

Bula from Fiji

    Talk about a travel day. We rolled out of bed on Sunday morning at 4 am and headed to the Toronto airport to begin our trip to the South Pacific. We landed at the airport in Nadi at 2 pm on Monday afternoon (that’s 6 am on Tuesday, July 2 in Fiji). That’s what time zones and the International Date Line will do to you.
    The first leg of the trip we flew Air Canada from Toronto to Las Vegas. Not a bad trip - 3150 km in 4 hours 20 minutes - except that Air Canada was so busy patting themselves on the back for being voted ‘best international carrier in North America’ they forgot to feed their passengers. I know the airlines are cutting back but no breakfast on a 4 ½ hour flight leaving at 7 am is a bit much. At least we got some orange juice.
    The United flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles was noteworthy only for the pilot’s announcement that the seat belt sign would be turned off for the five minutes between reaching altitude and beginning our descent. A 45 minute flight - blink and you miss it. Unfortunately, things began to bog down in Los Angeles. We knew going in that there would be a long delay because there is only the one late night flight to Fiji. We had discussed renting a car for the day but ultimately decided there wasn’t enough time to go anywhere meaningful.
    Doreen had gotten mixed reviews on Fiji Airlines (recently re-named from Air Pacific), particularly with respect to their reliability and the quality of their food. Initial impressions took a negative trend when we couldn’t even find their counter - seems they don’t have a full-time presence at LAX. They finally opened up at 6 o’clock and we were able to get rid of our big bags. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a check-out line that moved so slowly. I don’t know if it was the airline personnel or the customers - it seemed to be a combination of both - but the whole thing dragged on and on.
    The flight was scheduled to leave at 11:30 and boarding was to commence at 10:30. Fat chance. We kept getting the ‘thank you for your patience’ routine as boarding was continually pushed back by 10 minute intervals. Something about a security problem with the plane at one time, a maintenance issue at another time. Of course, the crew didn’t show up until almost 11:15 and I doubt we could have left without them.
    At any rate, we finally got off the ground only an hour late and things started to look up. We were flying in a 747 and, though the seats were narrow and we seemed to have a very large crowd in the waiting area, we had an empty seat between us so we were quite comfortable. As soon as we were settled into the flight, they served a meal (doesn’t everybody eat at 1:30 am) and it was quite good. Can’t say the same for the egg/cheese biscuit we got for breakfast but maybe it was the hour. The legroom was comfortable and I managed to get a few hours of sleep.
    A long wait for our luggage was offset by a quick transit through customs and immigration. We decided to stretch our legs by walking down the road and across the highway where we’re staying at Raffles Hotel for the night before we catch the Yasawa Flyer tomorrow morning. We’ll be in and out of here four times over the next few weeks as we bounce between Waya Island, the Solomons and Mana Island.

Here we go again!

    Re-reading that previous post from Amed, I realize how depressed we were feeling as we wound down our last trip. We were just going through the motions in Bali and counting the days until we got home. We didn’t really appreciate our subsequent time in Singapore or our return to Hong Kong. Both cities had some special moments (Jurong Bird Park and the ‘Big Buddha’ in particular) but also a lot of ‘blah’ (our fault, not the cities).
    Since then we’ve had short trips to British Columbia, Newfoundland and Cuba to catch up with friends and family and several visits to Atlanta to spend time with the grandkids (and son, and daughter-in-law). Now, we feel rejuvenated and we’re gearing up for another snorkel live-aboard with the crew from California.
    We almost passed on this excursion to the Solomon Islands as the initial announcement came during our darkest time in Bali. We were lucky that we recovered our wanderlust while there were still openings available. We have ten days aboard the ‘Bilikiki’ touring and snorkeling through the Solomon Islands. I have a new camera (Canon PowerShot SX240) and waterproof casing and a new waterproof camcorder (DXG Sportster) which should get a good workout. I’ll try to post a few pictures along the way.
    We’ll stop in Fiji on the way to and from the Solomons. On the way out, we’re spending a few days at Octopus Resort on Waya Island - we enjoyed our time there back in 2006. On the way back, we’ll have a few days on Mana Island (only a day trip there in 2006). We really enjoyed the snorkeling in both places at that time. It will be interesting to see how we feel this year after our experiences in Palau and Raja Ampat and coming on the heels of the Solomons.
    I’m not sure how much blogging I’ll be able to do. Hopefully, Fiji won’t be a problem but I’m pretty sure there won’t be any Wi-fi on the boat while we’re wandering around in the Solomon Sea. We have an over-night at a hotel in Honiara but I have no idea how the Internet connections are on Guadalcanal. We’ll see.
    We’ve already committed ourselves for 2014. We’ll be joining Wendy (our California travel guru) on another snorkel live-aboard in Indonesia. This one starts out from Bali and sails through the Komodo National Park area of the ‘Coral Triangle’. It will also feature a land excursion to see Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. Should be a great way to celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary.
    Time to get packing! 

An end in Amed

    After the quick visit to the medical clinic in Ubud, the driver, Salit, took us on to the eastern area of Bali. We stopped for lunch along the way at the Temple Café in Candidasa. It was a nice drive with stunning sea views but I was in no shape to enjoy it. The whole coast is called Amed but we actually stayed at the Coral View Villas in the village of Lipah
    For the first time we ran into a mosquito problem and Doreen’s face took a beating (or a biting, if you prefer) the first two nights. When the manager asked how things were going, she unloaded about the mosquitos and he subsequently sprayed the room. Afterwards, while cleaning up, Doreen counted upwards of 40 dead mosquitos in our room. For the rest of our stay we saw only two or three. Doreen was convinced the room hadn’t been used in a while and they hadn’t fumigated it before our arrival. She was not happy.
    When the doctor phoned on Saturday night with the results of the blood test, it was a great relief. But it was too late to save this trip. We had started in Pulah Weh with a major setback and, despite some good/great moments since, there had been a series of minor aggravations all along the way. We finally ran out of steam in Amed and now we’re just killing days until we fly home.
    We saw the spiritual side of Bali last year and I’ll always treasure that. This year we saw the tourist side of Bali and it isn’t nearly as attractive. Australians dominated in the Legian area, Germans in Pemuteran and French in Munduk and Amed. We’ve seen very few Americans and only one Canadian (the lady from Montreal via Texas). It’s been different. And, at our age, we’ve found that we don’t do different as well as we did in the past.
    The beach in Amed is a black sand, pebbly beach again. The hotel does not have any beach property as the whole coastline is crowded with boats belonging to the local fishermen. Not a beach for walking. Besides, Doreen’s foot is still bothering her and she finds it difficult even walking on the roads. There was some good snorkeling just to the right of Coral View Villas and we did three trips out there and one in Jemuluk Bay. Better than Pulah Weh and off-the-beach in Pemuteran but a far cry from Menjangan Island.
    The resort has a lovely, little, palm-tree lined pool but the emphasis is on little. They have so many trees surrounding the pool they can fit only four lounges. And the trees effectively screen the area so there was no place to get any consistent sun. A lovely setting but it grew increasingly boring. Enough already. I wanna go home.

To the mountains of Munduk

    A lot less threatening, and a lot greener than the mountains of Mordor. We left Pemuteran on Sunday morning with a driver to take us to Munduk, a small village in the mountains of northern Bali. We stopped along the way to see the monkey temple at Pura Pulaki and, again, at Melanting Temple. Both are fairly small temple complexes but interesting. Pura Pulaki was crawling with monkeys and the worshippers had a difficult time protecting their offerings from these foragers. We spent a short while watching one monkey try to strip a coconut while simultaneously avoiding the assaults of his fellow simians.
     At Melanting Temple we were approached by an old lady who wished to sprinkle us a blessing before we entered the complex. That was a first for us. Usually we’ve just had to wear the sarong. The further we walked into the complex, the more elaborate it got. In the innermost courtyard Doreen was approached by a lady who asked to have her picture taken. She was pleased with the result and Doreen soon found herself in a group of four women and one man. It was a special moment for her.
    We stopped at a supermarket in Saririt to stock up on some essentials before the final drive to Munduk as we weren’t sure what we’d be able to find in the way of ‘goodies’ in the village. We needn’t have bothered. I’m absolutely stunned by the number of small ‘corner stores’ that exist in these Balinese villages. I don’t know how they all survive and make a profit since it seems every second or third house contains a store. Incidentally, I even found one that had plastic ‘water jugs’ so I’m back to boiling water and making tea. (And it cost me about $3 - a lot less than that Austin House kettle.)
    We checked in at Aditya Home Stay. Nice people. The view is outstanding! Hope my panorama works out. Unfortunately we’re back to twin beds and little storage space. The bathroom has an interesting floor with little beach rocks cemented into the floor in a criss-cross pattern (not all of them securely anchored). Makes for a different sensation during a nighttime visit. :)
    We had come to this area to do some hiking so we set off Monday morning to visit two nearby waterfalls. You are encouraged to hire local guides and we had done so for our other hikes which were longer and involved more complex trails. The waterfalls were a short hike and we were told you could do it without a guide. At the time, I believed that. I no longer do.
    We set off with high hopes and a map furnished by Aditya. We actually found the first section of the trail with no problem but, as we ventured further into the forest, things quickly began to go south. You couldn’t tell the trail from the road to someone’s house and people lived in the most unlikeliest of places - and rode their motorbikes to them. We met a couple from Texas (she was originally from Montreal) who were attempting the same trek. Their map was actually worse than ours and it became a case of the blind leading the blind.
    We could hear the waterfall. We could see it through the trees. We just couldn’t find a path that would take us to it. I’m convinced the lack of signed trails is an attempt to ensure that  the guides don’t run out of business. Eventually we found ourselves on a section of the trail that the map indicated would take us to the upper falls so we abandoned the lower ones. It still wasn’t a smooth hike but we finally found ourselves at the foot of Melanting Falls. It was actually worth the trouble.
    Unfortunately, Doreen lost her focus for a moment as we reached the waterfall and  slipped on a bamboo log, jamming her foot so that she found walking on uneven ground painful. So much for our hiking plans. On the way back, we ran into the guide we’d hired, explained the problem and cancelled our hike to the lake the next day. We left the rice field trip open for Wednesday for the moment. Doreen’s foot worsened as the day progressed so it looked like a good decision on our part.
    It looked even better the next morning. I had gone to bed that night feeling fine (Doreen had even tried to convince me to do the lake hike on my own so as not to hang up the guide) but that soon changed. Suddenly I was burning up with fever while my inner core was so cold that I was shivering hard enough to shake the bed and my teeth were chattering. I alternated between fever and freezing all night and got very little sleep. I spent the next day virtually in bed with no energy and little appetite.
    I felt better on Wednesday morning and the guide, Made, and I set out to tour the rice fields we could see from our balcony. Doreen’s foot wouldn’t let her attempt it. Because of my energy level we did only the rice fields and didn’t attempt the hike to the banyan tree which is long and steep. The hike seemed to drain the last of my energy and I spent the next two days drifting in and out of wakefulness. The folks at Aditya Home Stay were wonderfully supportive.
    When we left there on Thursday, we had the driver take us to the medical clinic in Ubud for a consultation. We were afraid I had contracted malaria during our time on Pulah Weh. After a discussion with the doctor and some preliminary prodding, she suggested it was more likely dengue and ordered blood work to be sure. In the meantime she prescribed three sets of medication to fight a mild infection in my throat, to boost my immune system and to fight the fever. When she phoned with the test results on Saturday night it was a relief to learn that it was only the throat infection and not dengue or malaria. For that, the medications were already working. We did, however, lose the best part of a week.

Snorkeling in the Northwest

    On Tuesday morning we checked out of the Amaris Hotel in Legian and had a driver, Wayan Merta, take us to Pemuteran in the northwest corner of Bali. Pemuteran is a resort area near the marine reserve at Menjangan Island. Doreen had booked us into the Adi Assri Resort and had arranged a package of five snorkel trips with a local dive shop, Sea Rovers, who promised groups of six or smaller.
    It was a lovely drive up through the middle of Bali to the north coast and then west to Pemuteran. Wayan is the best driver we’ve had in Bali. His English was very good and his knowledge of the island and enthusiasm for sharing were remarkable. He made several suggestions for stops and they provided excellent picture opportunities. We stopped along the way for lunch at Sanda Villas, a lovely setting. We’ll use Wayan again when we get to Jimbaran.
    We had a big room at Adi Assri with a separate washroom and an outdoor toilet/bath/shower (the shower area was roofless). The room had plenty of storage space but was dominated by a very large four-poster (I think Doreen and I were in different area codes). What it didn’t have was a single chair. There was no place to sit except on the bed and there was no desk area where I could work on my pictures on the laptop.
    It was a nice resort with gorgeous views, two large pools with plenty of lounges, a nice dining area and a friendly. helpful staff. The beach was pebbly, black sand - not great for walking. Your feet got so dirty when you walked the beach that the resort provided foot baths at each beach access point. It was the only way to keep the black out. One trek of the beach for me and, from then on, it was a pool lounge.
    The trip took another major downturn on our third day at Adi Assri when my new travel kettle died (or fried itself). For years I’ve used a heating coil to ensure access to a good, hot cup of tea. That’s also why I always carry a supply of tea bags (PG Tips or Tetley). This year Doreen spotted a dual-voltage Austin House travel kettle at CAA and we decided to try it. Like an idiot, I didn’t bring the heating coil as backup. After a night of abject despair, I discovered that I can get lots of boiling water at the bar. All is not lost!!
    We ate most of our meals at the hotel (breakfast is part of the deal) but Doreen had compiled a list of recommended spots in the area from her enquiries on Trip Advisor and we got a chance to try several. We enjoyed a dinner at Warung Susa, a lunch at Taman Salini and a dinner at Frangipani was so good that we intended to go back for our final night. That changed when we went to Warung Tirta Sari for dinner on Friday night. The setting was lovely, the presentation was awesome, the food was delicious, the service was wonderful and the prices were outstanding. We were back again on Saturday night for another great meal.
    But we came to this area for the snorkeling and, so, much hinged on our experiences with Sea Rovers. On Wednesday we did our first snorkel tour to Menjangan Island and discovered we would have one diver as well as six snorkelers. At least they sent along two guides as well as a boat driver. When we dropped off the boat at our first spot it was very deep (great for the diver) but we quickly reached an area of great coral with lots of fish. The only drawback was an absence of soft corals but that’s nitpicking. A good start!
    After a beach interlude and a somewhat mediocre lunch, we went to our second spot. This was even better. Pretty much the same as the first spot but a little more coral, a few more fish and a lot less water. A great way to spend an hour and a half!
    The next morning we went off again with Sea Rovers to snorkel the local reef. This time there were only four of us with yesterday’s diver and his partner joining Doreen and I. This was the major disappointment of our five tours. It was a divers’ spot and the water never came close to snorkel depth. Everything was so far away I didn’t even turn on my camera. Then we came to a dead area and our guide seemed to disappear, leaving us swimming aimlessly over rubble for half an hour until the boat finally showed up again and we could get out of the water. That afternoon my kettle died. Talk about a bad day!
    Friday we were back at Menjangan Island. Again we had the diver along with three other snorkelers. Again we had a mediocre lunch, this time amid swarms of flies. Again we had a very rough, wet ride back. But, today, none of that mattered. Our first stop was marvelous, easily the best we’ve had in Bali and as good as just about anything we’ve ever done short of Raja Ampat and Palau. The second spot, after lunch, was a drift snorkel and, although not as good as the earlier one, was quite enjoyable. A great way to finish!
    So, five snorkels and, on a scale of 1(poor)-5(great), I’d say we had a 1, two 3's. a 4 and a 5. Can’t ask for much more than that. I wouldn’t rate Sea Rovers as high. I’ve mentioned the mediocre lunches–the boat leaves at 8:30 am, we eat at 11 and they’re serving cold, soggy french fries. They’ve dropped the fresh fruit. Too expensive I guess.
    More importantly their customer service was minimal. The owner with whom Doreen had corresponded was never around. The lady at the office was very friendly and helpful but the other crew did not impress.    There was minimal information about what to expect to see on each snorkel and where to look. Just basically–we’ll drop you here, pick you up later, there are fish and coral in the water. We were supposed to have a snorkel guide for each trip but the diver’s partner was an uneasy swimmer so she got a personal hand-held tour and the rest of us could follow along at her pace or go off on our own.
    After the last snorkel of the day, they never give you enough time to get settled away before they blast off for home. They pride themselves on their fast boats but they don’t adjust for ocean conditions. On the trip out in the early morning the ocean is glassy and speed gets you to the snorkeling quicker. With the waves up on the ride back, speed get you a sore rear end and a good soaking. Especially when the boat driver seems to be doing his best to get his buddies wet, to hell with the paying customers. Not very professional.