SULAWESI, TANGKOKO - DOLPHINS, MOTORBIKE AND NEW FRIENDS - 9 JULY 2017

We woke up early for a boat trip. It was great. 

We motored out into the bay and saw dolphins that were surfacing very close to the boat and at one stage one breached the water vertically about 5 times. After that we went looking for a second pod of a different species of dolphins but no luck on that one.

We continued onwards towards the shore and into a small estuary. It was narrow and lined with mangroves. It was very tranquil.

Next, we motored to a small island called Palau Komang. We walked carefully over the rocky shore and climbed the recently made steps to the top of the island. At the top, there was a large fenced tiled area with the best views up and down the coast - so pretty. We walked carefully down the steps that were designed three times the regular height for steps.

Back in the boat, we prepared for a snorkel on the reef next to the island. There were corals and a variety of small fish. The water was clear and warm. There were a lot of lice biting us but we relieved the bites with fresh water when we were back on the boat.

We next circled a rugged rocky island outcrop that had a number of birds roosting on it - herons and a type of eagle.

Finally, we motored back to the village and beached the boat on the sand. What a great trip.

Back at the hotel, we cleaned up, had lunch and made arrangements for tomorrow's transport to Tomohon and rested. 

In the afternoon, we hired a motorbike from Franky, the owner and rode through the village, up a steep hill and then down a rugged dirt track/road to Canada Beach. Jacinta had to walk the last ten metres as the road became too steep and loose for the two people on the bike. We parked the bike and walked along the white sand beach. The tide was low and the water too rocky for pleasant swimming. We wandered to the end of the short beach. Jacinta sat under the shade of a large tree and I scrambled around the rocks. Before long Jacinta was surrounded by friendly locals wanting to talk have photos taken. It was fun.

We said goodbyes to our new friends and rode off into the sunset. Well, not really but we rode up the steep dirt track and followed the main road through the village and back to the hotel.

During the rest of the afternoon, we hung around the hotel.  We met a lovely young Austrian couple from Vienna. The guy was returning home and the girl was headed to Yogyakarta for seven weeks of volunteer environmental work. It sounded very inspiring. We also met a lady with lots of paper lists, a guy who was very thin from Melbourne and an elderly couple and their grand daughter from Newcastle.

Dinner and sleep.