Minahasa Hotel Manado

... us from one side of the jeep to the other. Tired and a little nauseated we arrived in Gorontalo at the middle of the night. Got a hotel, fell on our bed like stones and slept (that is, after killing a fist big spider which seemed comfortable at the end of my bed).<br><br>Today we went to a 30 meter waterfall outside the city. With only flip flops on our feet we were not really prepared for the sharp rocks that were our path, but somehow ...

... be found at that depth or deeper, and are tiny, tiny critters that almost require a magnifying glass to spot. And they blend incredibly well! It was like looking at one of those "Where's Waldo" things trying to spot it. Once you do though, they're quite a sight. We wish we had photos of our own to share, but they didn't turn out very well. It was very difficult to focus on such a ...

... in the daylight. We were greeted warmly and ushered into the dining room area, where we were given the briefing on the resort and dive center operations. With that out of the way, everyone made way to their cabins and unpacked before returning for dinner. The food was excellent and in many ways better than Minahasa. The staff was very friendly but everyone seemed to miss ...

... gives staff an opportunity to identify problem divers, but none were to be found with this very experienced group. Our first site was Malcolm, and is considered a "muck" dive in that the bottom is composed of black volcanic sand. It gives the appearance of a lifeless moonscape, but when you look closer you see all kinds of ...

... 2 weeks holiday, which I wisely used to head to Manado in North Sulawesi with aussie friends-come-fellow-volunteers Carlena, Jess, Inger, Ian &amp; Will (who lives in Manado). Manado is famous for two things- diving &amp; Christianity. It is now also famous for Alex's second worst snorkelling sunburn in Indonesia (Aceh still takes the cake), lazing in hammocks, UNO tournaments, pimped Mikrolets, decapitated pigs, getting lost on volcano walks, sea ...

So I booked myself a two week diving holiday to North Sulawesi in Indonesia. I stayed one week on Lembeh Island (east side of Sulawesi) and one week on Bunaken Island (west side of Sulawesi). I stayed with Two Fish Divers for both weeks. The trip nearly started in disaster when the taxi I called decided to pick up another fare rather than me, and so they had to send another taxi. I got to the train station with a minute to spare. I ...

... guides. Somehow we get rid of them that night, only to have them turn up the next morning saying they have a boat reserved to Bunaken Island for us. Brian meanwhile had met a different guy working on Bunaken at Panorama Cottages named Siddhartha. What a nice guy! We arranged to stay with him, and just took the boat ride to smooth things over with the mafia! Panorama turned out to be great.... &am p;am p;nb sp;

... that was right in front of me. We had Junko, the Japanese head instructor, and Ade, a local Indonesian guy, most of the time. Both were great. Later in the week, we had planned to move on to Tomohon, in the highlands (around 4,000 feet) for a little cool air and some volcanic scenery. The problem was that there was a national gynecological convention in Manado that had booked out all of the hotel rooms for the weekend. We kind of felt like Cha ...

... every surface of yourself, shoes and socks as well as your hair before entering the forest. Failure to do so will be met with immense suffering for you.' We went in fully armed for the mossies. There is a beach adjacent from the forrest, about 20 minutes walk. It was the first black sand beach I've ever seen. It just went on and on. The sun was shining and the skies clear blue. It was a beautiful day! Later ...

... chien pimente (une si bonne bidoche! sisi j'vous assure) et escargots lacustres a deguster sans fourchette (genre la coquille c'est la paille). Mis a part ca y avait aussi d'autres plats qui sont devenus maintenan des classiques : couenne de porc marinees dans leur gras et quand meme des trucs tres bons. Le lendemain on est partis pour Tangkoko national parc, havre de paix au milieu de la foret tropicale, sans electricite ni eau ...