vickygoestravelling

my journey to health and well being via exotic destinations

Tag Archives: Indonesia


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Asian Odyssey: getting mucky at Black Sand Dive Retreat

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It’s 3 am on Easter morning and we are woken by gospel singing blasting out full volume. This continues until 5 am, when various competitors join in from the surrounding villages. We are near Bintung, a Christian stronghold in the majority-Muslim Indonesia and the singing marks the beginning of an Eater procession. We have come here to finish our holiday with some muck diving at Black Sand Dive Retreat. Ross has been here twice before, and I once – Manado is short hop (three hours) from Singapore and was on our long weekend itineraries. Continue reading →


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Asian odyssey: eat, dive, sleep on the Dewi Nusantara

We arrive in Ternate to the sound of the Imam calling the faithful to prayer. It is the height of Ramadan and we are in the North Maluku archipelago where we are to board the Dewi Nusantara for the fourth time. We speed out past a huge green mosque where our three-masted home for the next few days is anchored. She really is a splendid vessel, 5 metres wide and 60m long. The staterooms are luxurious with huge king size beds and a spacious en-suite with piping hot water – just what’s needed after an hour-long dive.

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Asian odyssey: Singapore to Siladen

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The first port of call on our thrice-postponed diving trip to Raja Ampat is Singapore. Since my broken and dislocated shoulder at the end of December I have been doing my physio religiously every day and having acupuncture, cranial osteopathy and massage. I’ve brought with me three different wet suit combos to see what I can actually fit my shoulders into so I am well prepared. Continue reading →


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Hanging out with the Orangutangs in Kalimantan

 

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Mother and baby – well probably 4-5 years old – delight in regurgitating banana

I am awake at 3 am. Not to find out the score between France and Belgium, but to prepare for the next stage of our adventure: a trip to Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) for a river trip to see orangutans in their natural habitat. Continue reading →


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Village life in Papua

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My new friends on Roon island

No dive trip is complete without a shore visit. The first village is on the island of Roon where they have just had their 2018 festival. We are greeted by the village elder and his tiny daughter decked up in a grass skirt and looking overwhelmed. The welcome committee extends to a local band playing on bamboo flutes and locally-made drums, and then a procession of grandmas, sashaying along the main road, at right angles ot the extraordinary statue of a missionary that dominates the square. Continue reading →


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Diving with whale sharks in Papua

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Me with a whale shark, Kwatisore Bay

We arrive at Manokwari after 4 flights and 36 hours of travelling, bang on time and with all our luggage. The Dewi Nusantara, just out of dry dock gleams in the half light – the rain lashing down as we motor out to her by tender. This is our third trip and the welcome is warm, many faces familiar. Continue reading →


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The Singapore chapter closes, but a fresh page beckons

 

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Enjoying Singapore’s national dish – Chilli crab

Here I am sitting among boxes as I wait for the packers to remove our final belongings as we prepare to leave Singapore. It’s been an experience, mostly wonderful. We came here as refugees – from the emotions surrounding the loss of our daughter Louise and the wish to mourn in a private and fulfilling way, by adventuring and ringing the changes. The deep sense of grieving never goes away and, as I have said many times, time is NOT a healer; but it is possible to fill your mind and your heart with happy experiences that take the raw edge off that insistent nagging realisation that every day you wake up is another without her. Continue reading →


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Of Komodo dragons and manta rays

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Me chilling above the reef (photo Janusz Draminski)

Eleven days ago we set off for Bali to kick off another bucket list adventure: a trip to dive with manta rays and see the Komodo dragons, aboard the luxurious vessel, Dewi Nusantara (we sailed round Raja Ampat on the Dewi 18 months  ago and loved it so much we vowed to return!) Continue reading →


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Diving Granny-style in Wakatobi

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I am gliding over the coral reef, like superwoman. Fan corals stand proud from the reef wall, pink and purple, hiding their pygmy seahorses, while the hard stag corals resonate in blues, oranges and greens, interspersed with waving fronds of anemones, complete with their Nemos, guarding eggs. Butterfly and surgeon fish dart in and out of the intricate fretwork and shoals of fusiliers dart by in a flash of silver before disappearing into the blue.

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