Togian Islands / Sulawesi

I heard from other travellers that this part of Indonesia should be very beautiful and quite untouched and remote. As my final destination in Indonesia I decided to spend three weeks on Sulawesi and found out for myself.

It took me two internal flights (Denpasar-Makassar-Palu) to reach the North of the Island followed by a 13 hours car ride at night through the mountains to reach Ampena which is the gateway to the Togian Islands. I was lucky to enjoy a lift from our resort by speedboat to reach the Island of Kadidiri where I would spend my first week. The boat ride took 1,5 hrs on open sea but at some point the Islands appeared and you could see the beauty from the sea. Some of them were habitat with villages but others looked very remote and deserted. I felt I was in for a treat so when we reached Kadidiri I could hear Chris Martin sing “para para paradise, para para paradis “ and I felt I’ve just reached it. The sea was so clear you could see the reef and fish, the beaches were sandy and yellow with little beach fronted huts on it.

The resorts are on full board basis as there are no restaurants or shops on the island, there were 3 resorts on this side of the island so there’s a big community feeling as you meet with everyone 3 times a day for your meals and spend time at the beach or diving.

The rest of the afternoon I adapted to this situation and relaxed in the sun and sea before having my dinner.

On day two I was ready for finally testing my diving skills so I planned two dives for that day to get under water. We went out with a full boat to go to Catacombes to see some coral and fish, the water was very rough so I started to get a little bit worried how to deal with this on open water. When we finally reached ‘the spot’ the boat was moving up and down and one of the instructors asked us if we were OK to dive with heavy current…….. now I really got worried and for a nano second I thought I had to aboard this dive and try again. When I finally got in I was anxious and nervous for the first half hour as I needed to get comfortable again under water and master my buoyancy correctly before I could enjoy the rest of the dive and spot a stingray, cleaner shrimps, squat lobster, clown trigger fish and beautiful corals. The last 15 minutes I felt comfortable and was able to enjoy the underwater world again which gave me the push to continue and get my Advanced Adventure certificate in the next couple of days. My second dive that day would be part of my course so we went to the Mini Canyon for a deep dive (max 30 metres) which would allow me in the future to dive deeper than 18 metres which is the max depth if you only  have your Open water certificate.

So I went to Mini Canyon with Irish instructor Nick and travel/dive companion Teemu.  I had troubles with my left ear again to get used to the pressure so the first 5 minutes I just had to float around to get comfortable. During this dive we would do some exercises to test our skills but we started with some fun after we’ve reached the depth of 27 metres. Nick took an egg out and opened it so we could play ‘ping pong’ with the yolk, it didn’t break at all due the high pressure. 

Day three was a cloudy and rainy day again which everyone said was very unusual for the time of the year. The morning dive was to the B24 bomber which came down during 

WWII and made a perfectly safe water landing which resulted that the wreck is complete intact! It’s only 12 metres deep so the underwater vision is great to explore and swim around the wreck. Due to the aluminium it’s not eroded and the fish, coral, plants and other species have taken over the plane. It’s too small to get inside but you can see the inside of the cockpit and you can almost take a seat behind the steering wheel.

There are many lion fish – which are poisones – and I spotted a beautiful shell which is called tiger cowries. This dive was the only one for that day which in the end was a good thing as I’ve caught nasty bacteria so I was banned to stay in my room for the rest of the day. 

Day four, unfortunately I still was suffering from the bacteria and felt very weak from the loss of the fluids so I couldn’t do any dives this day and just crashed in the hammock for most of it taking in the daily life at Kadidiri. Usually after breakfast people leave for diving or just stay at the resort to relax. There’s a nice big cabana overhanging the water to lounge in one of the many cushions or deck chairs, crash on one of the bean bags which are scattered around the coastline too. The only entertainment are the dogs, our resort had Rocky, Masker, Dive, Suntu (dive watch) which became one of my best friends and Rocky tried to sneak into my room every night and sleep under the bed. One day we came back from our dive when the staff said that Rocky was locked up in our room (without us knowing) so I had to deal with a stressed dog, ripped curtains and smelly room!

They are all males to avoid an outbreak of dogs on the island - the owner tries to have a no female policy on dogs but the neighbours didn’t co-operate- so there were three adorable puppies next door to get some puppy love and cuddles.

At the end of the day I felt I was on the mend with the help from donated medications so I planned to have a dive the next day.

Day five I continued with my course, the morning dive was to test and improve my perfect buoyance so we went to Little Lempeh which was a sandy area suitable for this dive. After the exercises we searched for underwater life and saw scorpion fish, sea cucumbers, emperor shrimps, squat lobster and chocolate chip starfish.

The afternoon I had time to relax for my planned night dive; this is a great experience and so different than a dive during the day. You make your way when it’s dark to your dive site which was in my case called China Town (lots of Mandarin fish) kitted with two torches and briefed what to expect.  I was excited and anxious at the same time so after we ‘rolled’ into the water I felt a bit uncomfortable and had to adapt to the environment which is only lit by a torch. After we set off and started searching for night life I got used to and enjoy it. We had a bit of a boring night out and didn’t see much unfortunately so Nick our instructor said that this shouldn’t put us off for another one as usually you spot very different sea life which is very exciting.

Day six; today a full day with two dives to Una Una which is a Volcano Island and five quarters of an hour’s drive by fast boat.

So a group of six advanced divers went to this site which was supposed to be the best site in the area. Our first dive was at ‘Apollo’ and famous for the schools of barracudas so I was hoping to see these too. After a decent from 5-30 metres along a sandy slope we suddenly reached a strip of beautiful, colourful reef with many fish. It felt if I was transported into an aquarium as there were fish everywhere.  It was a colourful sight with still in tack reef with plants, shells and indeed the school of barracudas. It looked surreal but amazing and for me the most beautiful sight I’ve seen as a diver. We also spotted a Moreno, many shrimps, trumpet fish, needle fish, batfish and (clownfish).

After a lunch and needed rest on shore we packed up and the captain drove is in the pouring rain to the next site called ‘Pinnacle’ this is a reef which unfortunately has been affected by dynamite fishing. This is in my eyes a very lazy way of fishing; you dump some dynamite into the sea which means that the fish its bladders gets blown up which helps them to stay underwater. The fish die and the fishermen just rake them in with nets and have month’s supply of fish and money. Most importantly the dynamite also blows up the coral reef and this won’t be able to recover any more or at least for the next half a century.

As soon as we jumped in and went underwater we were able to see fish, corals and this massive ‘wall’ of corals ahead of us. This area is very deep but you’ll see most fish around 12 metres so we just circled around the pinnacle to see explore this amazing site. At some point I just didn’t know where to look anymore as there were fish everywhere! The only thing you could see were colourful schools of fish, eating from the healthy coral or chasing each other. We slowly swam around the pinnacle and just took in the surroundings, at some point we saw turtle no 1eating and later on turtle no 2 who came to us to find out who these bubble blowing creatures were. Before we went up to the surface we saw a school of jack fish and some of us an octopus.

Day seven; after a couple of days of diving my left ear was in need of a rest so today no underwater fun planned. After a late breakfast and talking to other travellers it was time to enjoy the sun from the cabana and later on exploring the island. In the afternoon I wanted to walk through the jungle to an empty beach but people at the resort were quite protective about that and say you shouldn’t go too late and take some dogs! So we left with food, water and 3 dogs who would guide us through the jungle to the beach. It didn’t take long but the jungle is dense as there isn’t a path at all. The beach is beautiful with nobody else and due to the biscuits the dogs stayed with us too. After a couple of hours we made our way back but that was a bit more of a jungle trek as the dogs took another route more suitable for dogs rather than humans but we found our way back long before the sun would set.

Day eight; I had to finish one dive for my course which was the search and rescue dive with Teemu. We went to a dive site called little reef to do our exercises with instructor Nick. Once we were underwater we played ‘treasure hunt’ this meant that Teemu and I had to find a hidden plastic bottle in the sand by searching the area metre by metre. Angel was in the middle with a rope and Teemu at the other end of it swimming a 360degree circle and look for the treasure, after each circle I released the rope with a another couple of metres until we found it. The second task was to find the treasure (plastic bottle) to follow a 10 metre line of rope both from one end, when arrived at the other side we both measured 5 metres further and repeated the same until we found the treasure.

Then it was time to ‘recover’ some weights to the surface with a bag full of air (you blow air from your mouthpiece into the bag bit by bit until it start moving upwards) ones up you go down again to switch places and do it all over again. 

After we successfully finished this it was time to have some fun and explore the reef but we used a lot of oxygen so not much time left to see that this reef is still intact and beautiful with lots of fish.

That was the end of my course and diving at Kadidiri and as a tradition you need to celebrate that with the locals. That evening after dinner our Indonesian dive assistants Jenley and Fenley took a guitar and some bongo’s to the cabana and started playing songs. After we gathered a crowed it was time to get some Arak (local palm tree wine) to finish the evening in style. Jenley told us that we had to go to next door accommodation and ask for it and it shouldn’t cost more than 50.000 rupiahs. Teemu returned with 3 plastic (freezer) bags of clear liquid for that price which filled half a jug and many glasses. As this is a much cheaper way to have fun we went back for a refill later on as for 50.000 rp 6 people could drink two cocktails which is the same price as for one large Bintang beer! We continued the evening listening to music and singing till lights went off at 23.00.  We enjoyed the amazing sky with many stars for a while before heading back to our rooms .

Nick and Zena thank you so much for all the dives, instructions, patience and moral support which took diving for me to the next level. Both you are stars and made my stay at Black Marlin such a success and my appetite for diving.

Jenley and Fenley your enthusiasm for diving and the masters in finding the most little shrimps or fish between the anemones will stay with me for ever including your big smiles at any time of the day. Keep on enjoying diving and become a dive instructor!

Hope to see you all at some point underwater…..

Time for the second part of the Togians; after a 2 hours boat trip to the Island called La Bomba I arrived at a place called Island Retreat for a week of chilling. This resort is very small and is focused on treating their guests to good food and service. 

On arrival there was only one other guest and the newly arrived dive instructor Jazz who would stay there for the next 6 months.

The resort is very quiet and my beach fronted cottage has a big veranda with two hammocks for Teemu and me. The many dogs and cats are as chilled as the Island so it must rub off on you after a while. Soon after our arrival we enjoyed a delicious lunch which looked promising for the other meals to come. The rest of the afternoon I enjoyed the sun from my hammock till the rain came in and it got a bit colder too. The retreat has a beautiful garden with grass and now I understand why as there’s enough water to feed it!

The evening meal was a big fish with beans, salad and fried rice which may sound a bit boring but they use and know how to season food here so my taste buds love it very much after a week of bland, basic food.

The rest of our stay we enjoyed some trips to a Gypsy village, watching sunset, snorkeling and diving with the other guest as within 2 days the place was almost fully booked. You enjoy your meals together in the open air dining area so that creates a bond and you might go for a dive or snorkel trip later that day. Unfortunately, after 2 sunny days it was cloudy and we had lots of rain – even a storm- which was a real shame but good for catching up on my blog and reading e-books. Leaving the Island Retreat I will miss the Western style food from Ujung and the chilled time on my terrace watching the beautiful views. 

It was time to slowly get back to internet, supermarkets, restaurants/bars, ATM’s and noisy/busy traffic.     

Room with a view at Kadidiri

Island Retreat jetty

Sunset at Island Retreat

Una Una diving trip

Like fish in the water....

or maybe turtle....

WWII plane wreck 

My Indonesian birthday

After returning from Mt Rinjani I was in need of a couple of day’s rest which started with the next day as it was my birthday . My Indonesian birthday in Senaro / Lombok started with a Happy Birthday, sang by guesthouse owner Yusuf, his wife Umi, daughter Letha (pic 8) and Teemu. A local backed a heart shaped cake at 3am in the morning including text and candles so that was my breakfast followed by pisang goring and chocolate sauce (pic 1).
It’s really strange to celebrate your birthday in another country while you’re traveling. Due to the time difference you have to wait half a day to claim your birthday wishes or speak to relatives in Europe. Due to my massive cake I treated the neighbours and local children on a piece of the cake and made instantly friends. Later that day Lim and Jen came over to share Mt Rinjani stories and experiences while we enjoyed tea and birthday cake but the real celebration was that evening when Yusuf and his friend Bruce took us to local traditional dancing. After a 15 minute motorbike ride which ended in a dark bumpy road near a local house with roughly 100 locals (adults and children), load music was playing and three ladies dressed in traditional clothing were on the ‘dance floor’ (sandy pitch). We sat down and Bruce bought a bottle of the local rice wine which they brew themselves and sell in plastic water bottles. The liquid is bitter and awful but most of all lethal as you can get really drunk after drinking a couple of shots but combined with some lemonade it tastes better and reduces the chance of getting drunk (pic 2)…. We were clearly the only ‘white’ people there and especially the children were very interested in us so I tried to have a conversation and made some pictures (pic 4). We were forced to have a dance too as that would amuse the locals so I had a go with one of the ladies (pic 3). After a couple of hours we left the party and I thought it was a great way to end my Indonesian birthday.

The next day we went with Yusuf and Bruce to a stick fight, in a nearby village. This is apparently a tradition in Lombok . On arrival I could see this is a social event for the locals; women and children sell (homemade) food and drinks, the men are sitting together eating, drinking and chatting. On a raised platform three men were playing some instruments with high pitched music that kind of agitates you and later on I understood why (pic 1). We had some drinks and food till most of the men created a circle in the middle of the field and started shouting (pic 2).The whole fight is a bit of a theatrical play with two ‘coaches’ pointing at men and pushing them into the circle to invite them to fight. If one is chosen they look at the other coach as it’s his turn to find someone in the audience to fight this person. Of course money is involved so people start shouting as it could be that this wouldn’t be a fair fight between these guys. This could go on for a long time till finally 2 men were chosen and the bets were fixed so the game could begin. Both fights didn’t last long as it all goes very quick and they hit very hard (pic 3). The stick is a wooden stick with some wire wrapped around it at the end and the shield is a plastic one with a handle at the inside. You can hit anywhere and only  the referee decides who wins or if it’s a draw. The rules weren’t really clear but maybe there aren’t any. Sometimes the men run in the heat of the moment towards the audience so you have to be on the ball and get out if needed. It was fun to see and quite entertaining. When both fights were finished a guy came over to us and apologized, I asked him why and he said that the fights were a bit tame and only two of them as usually is it is a lot more exciting! I said I’ve seen enough to get an idea and was grateful to have experienced this. He told us that the next day a big fight was planned in another village so most of the key fighters were there and not here to show the real thing. I thought it was really kind and endearing of him to explain this to us.

Pisang goring for breakfast

Local rice wine

Local Lombok dance

Stick fight; the music

Stick fight ;the equipment

The fight

Umi, Letha and Yusuf

Mt Rinjani / Lombok

The three day and two nights started with a 6.30 am breakfast (banana pancake and coffee) at John’s Adventures in Senaru before meeting our guide Sar and our porters (Amel, Amed and Ari). A pick-up truck was loaded up with lots of baskets, equipment, food, water and our backpack (pic 1). We were seated in the car and drove off through a very bendy and hilly country side to the starting point of the track. After we registered at the office (they need to know who’s in the park and you’re required to pay a fee) we started trekking from Sembalun Lawang. I was only carrying my camera and Teemu a small day pack with water, snacks and raincoats so we could focus on walking without any extra weight. The porters were carrying our rucksack, tents, chairs, food and water for the three days track. We started walking at 7.30 am with green hills and rice fields as views, slowly we got higher and had some climbing to do but before I knew Sar our guide said that we’ve reached Pos 1 at 1300metrers where the porters were preparing a lunch for us in a small concrete cabana. Within 5 minutes we had a warm cup of tea in our hands and were requested to sit and watch the four men prepare a lunch. I could see that they’ve done this many times as it was a clockwork operation with chopping wood for fire, chopping vegetables and cooking rice. They do cheat a bit with a camping gas stove to boil the rice but after half an hour I was presented with a big meal of noodle/vegetable soup and rice followed by a whole pineapple as dessert. Unfortunately, this was only for us and not for the porters and guide, they had rice and a bit of chicken so I felt immediately guilty but also knew that I needed the energy to climb the remaining 1372 metres in height for that day. Meanwhile, the clouds and drizzle came in so the next three hours we had to climb heavily which made me realize that this was not going to be easy. Sometimes I only could walk 10 steps and had to wait to catch my breath before taking the next 10 steps. The combination of humidity, height and climbing was really challenging but encouraged by guide Sar and Teemu that we were doing extremely well kept me going. We finally reached pos 3 at 1800 metres in clouds and completely soaked –more from sweat than rain- and only saw the amazing view of the crater later when the sky opened briefly (pic 2). It made me so happy to see this and it gave me the needed energy to walk the remaining half hour to our camp at Sembulan crater rim / 2679 metres (pic 3). Now we could see the benefits of excellent and experienced porters as they’ve arrived ahead of us (with 30 kg of luggage) to secure the better spots in the camp. We had a small spot with the view of the crater lake in front of us and not based at the big patch with many others and less privacy. Within 5 minutes I had a warm cup of tea in my hands and could take a seat in one of the camping chairs while they put up our tent. Dinner was again a massive meal but I had no problem in finishing it after my long day of trekking. By 8pm I was ready for bed as we would be woken up at 2.30am for our 3 hours climb to the summit the next morning…..

Day two started at 2.30am with a wake-up call with hot tea and jam sandwiches from our porters. After a quick check we went with guide Sar on our way to reach the summit for sunrise at 6am. It was dark, cold and after an hour the rain came in so not the best circumstances to climb. It also got harder and harder by the minute so I was really struggling at some point but cheered up when Sar said that we were doing really well that at some point we had to wait somewhere for half an hour otherwise we would arrive to early at the summit where it would be freezing could. It got busier and busier with people climbing and I never will forget the last half an hour that I had to climb which was sand so it was three steps up, rest, three steps up and rest…. Finally, Sar said the words I wanted to hear “we are here” so the remaining climb was so liberating to reach Mt. Rinjani Summit at 3726 metres! Unfortunately, the clouds made it impossible to have the wanted views (pic 4,5,6) of the surrounding area but it was the personal achievement which counted for me.  After half an hour at the freezing summit we made our way down which is a lot easier! You can ‘ski’ down the sand and run parts of the rest of the track so 2 hours later we were enjoying the banana pancakes, spring rolls and fruit salad breakfast. I was ready for a rest but there was no rest for the wicked as Sar said it was time to decent to the lake. The porters will break up camp and join us later so there we went down a very rocky path down from 2679 metres to the lake for our lunch time break. It took us three hours to get to the lake and I was exhausted and feeling my legs who worked overtime but the thought that I only had to walk for 1,5 hrs. after lunch kept me cheerful. Of course during our decent we were taken over by our three porters so they were waiting for us with lunch at the lake but we had one more stop before that and that was the hot springs. What a treat to strip down to your swimwear and sit in hot water for half an hour and relax…… After this treat I enjoyed the lake view and lunch which was Gado Gado with fried tempeh. After lunch I was planning a little nap before our 1,5hrs trip to our camp for the night but Sar had other plans and said “better to leave early and have more time there to rest” So off we went again and my tempo was clearly a lot slower as my legs were complaining and not happy with all this exercise. After we left the lake behind us I could only see a very high wall in front of us and I started to fear the worst. I started to ask questions to Sar and Teemu but they just said keep on walking one step at the time. After two hours I knew that it was going to take a lot longer than the 1,5hrs to get to the top of the crater rim and my mood dropped by 1000 metres. My two men said that I just had to take it easy and one step at the time but in the end we had to reach camp at some point and it should be worth it. When we climbed higher and higher we could see stunning views of Mt Rinjani, the lake and the mini volcano in the middle of the lake. That gave me spirit and energy and you could clearly see the route we’ve already achieved that day. After 4,5 hrs. I could see the end of the hell of a trek and my camping chair waiting for me. With clear skies and sun we reached the Senaru Crater rim at 2641 metres and again we had a top spot with one of the best views of the lake, Mt Rinjani and the second volcano in the lake. I was so tired and couldn’t move my legs but felt amazing as it was a hell of a day/trek but so worth it. We had dinner by sunset with views to the lake but also to the Gili Islands and Bali; it was just stunning (pic 7). My body and mind were clearly tired and after sunset it was freezing cold so it was time to warm up in the tent and my sleeping bag.

Day three after a long but cold sleep I had breakfast and sunrise from my chair before our final trek all the way down to Senaru village. My legs hadn’t recovered overnight so I was prepared for this when we started our trip at 7.30am.  The decent was a mix of rocks, sand, jungle paths and climbs but with some stops and lunch at pos 2 (1300 metres) we finally reached the final destination where a car was waiting for us to take us back to the village. In a way I wasn’t tired but more excited of the three day track but my body was in need of a lot of rest for the next couple of days.

I could kiss the ground the porters walked on as I have total respect for these guys who walk this track in their flip flops, shorts and t-shirts and 30-40 kg of weights on their shoulders. The two baskets are attached to each other by a bamboo stick which they support on one or both of their shoulders. I couldn’t walk 2 metres with it but they walked or better to say ran as mountain goats up and down the track as it was a piece of cake. Most of these guys start when they’re 16 yrs old and say that they cry the first time but they are told to get on with it and after a couple of times you just get used to it. When I’ve asked them how many times they’ve walked this route they couldn’t tell me as it could be hundreds of times. Some of the porters become guides after a couple of years so they lose the weight but not the climbing! If you ever follow my footsteps you will understand what I’m talking about and agree that this is a hard job and in my opinion totally under appreciated by travel agents and tourists. Amed, Amel and Ari (pic 8) thank you so much for all the lovely food prepared with big smiles and while having fun, motivating us during the trek and entertaining me in the evening with your care and stories but most of all for carrying my backpack as that made it a lot easier to climb this damn mountain !

our luggage for 3 days........

at 1800 metres

view from basecamp 

Mt Rinjani summit

View from Rinjani summit

View from camp at lake crater rim