22 July.
The Spanish math teacher and I chartered a boat for a short snorkeling trip today, but it was a bit disappointing. Most of the coral was dead.
Much more interesting was the school of big Napoleonfish I observed after we returned from the trip, just off the beach. I counted 12 individual specimens.
Small coconut crab hiding in snail house.
Napoleonfish.
School of Napoleonfish.
Enjoying the sunset.
21 July.
The Danish couple left for pulau Kadidiri today, so it is only me and the Spanish math teacher left here, apart from the 3 employees.
More snorkeling and reading.
There is no electricity here, only a generator that runs for a few hours in the evening, if there is gasoline, that is.
There is no water either. All water is brought from the village.
My cottage.
The bathroom/toilet.
20 July.
Malenge Indah seems to be a rather isolated place. It is 45 minutes by boat from Malenge village, and during a walking trip today I saw only one bamboo house nearby, on a clearing in the forest.
Here they also include two fish meals a day plus a simple breakfast in the price, which is Rp 100k.
The beach is white and the sea is clean. Lots of fish can be seen.
In the evening, we saw coconut crabs.
Malenge Indah.
View from top of the hill.
Napoleonfish.
Coconut crab.
19 July.
The cost of chartering a boat from Bomba to pulau Kadidiri was Rp 300k, shared among the four of us going that way. It was a scenic trip on calm waters.
Upon arriving on crowded pulau Kadidiri, only a few pricey rooms was left among the three establishments on the island. I decided to give it a miss altogether, and let the boatman take me to the nearby town Wakai instead, where I waited an hour or so for the ferry to Malenge island (this was the ferry I had missed the day before). I said goodbye to the other three travelers, who chose to stay at Kadidiri.
On the Rp 20k ferry from Wakai, most passengers crowded together under deck, but it was a great day, a bit cloudy and no wind, so I sat on the roof of the ferry with a few others passengers. Two of them offered me Cap Tikus (mouse brand), a rather strong alcoholic drink, which I accepted without hesitation. It turned out to be an entertaining afternoon boat trip.
It was dark when the ferry reached Malenge village. A woman on the boat represented a place called Malenge Indah Cottages, and I decided to stay at that place. There are only two accomodation establishments on Malenge anyway. The last 45 minutes stretch from the village to Malenge Indah was done by a small boat. In addition to me, three others from the ferry followed as well: a Danish couple and a Spanish math teacher. We were the only people staying at the place.
Enjoying Cap Tikus on ferry from Wakai to Malenge.
One of the villages along the way.
Boat from Bomba to Malenge.
18 July.
I had planned to leave Poya Lisa today and catch the ferry to Wakai (for pulau Kadidiri), together with two other travelers (a Canadian and an Indonesian). Since the Wakai ferry doesn’t stop in Bomba, the owner of Poya Lisa suggested us trying to border the ferry mid-ocean using his boat. He explained that this was common practice. We tried and we failed. The boatman approached the ferry and waved frantically, but it didn’t slow down, so we were forced to return to Poya Lisa. Not a big deal for me. The three of us decided to charter a boat the next day instead, together with a fourth traveler. I chose to stay the last night in another cottage.
In the evening, we saw coconut crabs (Birgus latro), lured out from their hiding places using flesh from a coconut. They are hiding in the cliffs during daytime and sometimes come out at night.
Later at night (2-3), I woke up of rustling sounds from a bucket hanging in a tree. A big coconut crab had fallen into the bucket! I released the crab after documenting it with my camera.
Failed attempt at bordering ferry mid-ocean.
Coconut crab.
Coconut crab hiding in the rocks.
Big coconut crab trapped in bucket.