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.

SULAWESI, TANGKOKO - HORNBILLS, TARSIER AND JUNGLE - 8 JULY 2017

We were woken at 4:45 am, dressed, had breakfast and were driven to the start of the Tangkoko National Park jungle trek. Our guide was a local lady named Rina.

We walked along the dirt service road surrounded by rainforest until we reached a house for researchers. There were a lot of black monkeys there - walking around, sitting in the trees and playing.

Next, we turned off the service road and onto tracks into the rainforest.

The tracks were easy, narrow and fun. Along the way at the beginning, we heard lots of birds and saw glimpses  of them high in canopy - a kingfisher on a low branch, hornbills high in their nest and flying.

We stopped at a tree which was really strangler vines left behind after the tree had inside had died. It was hollow in the centre and the vines were like a ladder. I climbed up to about 6 metres. I couldn't go to the top as there was a hive of bees.

Rina spied a juvenile eagle on low branch. We watched and listened as it made a long screeching call.

Towards the end of the hike, we saw a tarsier inside a tree hollow. They are so small with large eyes like a possum.

Just at the end, we stopped at tree with a small  hole. Around the hole was a mass of baby tarantulas. They swamped quickly inside when they sensed our presence.

It was a fun five and a half hour trek -hot, sticky, long with things unexpected.

Back at the hotel we cleaned up, had lunch and rested.

Late in the afternoon, we wandered down to the village and the black sand  beach and watched the locals at play and the lap of the waves on the shore.

SULAWESI, TANGKOKO - DRIVE, HIKE AND SWIM - 7 JULY 2017

We woke, had breakfast, lazed about the hotel room, checked out and were on our way to Tangkoko National Park.

The drive took 2 hours from Manado through traffic then narrow roads and finally along narrow and windy mountain roads.

We arrived at Tangkoko Hill Cottages, met Franky - the owner, and settled into our room. The room was clean, aircon/fan, a good bed and a small verandah. Thee room was 400 000R per night with three meals (+6281340302444) 

Lunch and all other meals were serve in a large dining area on a small hill inside the property. The lunch was rice with about five dishes of meat and vegetables. It was very tasty.

Later, we went for a walk along the road and through the village to the black sanded beach.  As we walked, we smiled and said hello to lots of people who smiled back and said hello.

The beach was long, steeply sloped, strewn with local boats, black sand and cresent in shape. One end of the beach which was at the far end of the village had a headland and the other end stretched off towards Tangkoko National Park. In the water, boats were anchored a little offshore and there were a number of large wooden fishing platforms moored close to shore and out to sea.

We walked along the beach and sat in a quiet shady spot under a tree. I had a swim in the ocean. It was eerie swimming as the sand was black, the water clear and the current strong.

We wandered back to the hotel and had dinner. We met two lovely Swiss girls and two German guys - Felix and Jo. One of the girls, worked in an Internayional School in Singapore that other lived in Switzerland. The girl from Switerland was beaming with excitement over her whole trip. It was so nice to see such enthusiasm and geniune happiness.

Malaria tablets night.