Sedona Manado

... water of the hot springs from the sulphurous area, as well as (Jane don't read this next bit) cat, bat, rat, dog and snake.......we declined the offer to taste any of these. Marine-wise, it was magnificent - coral gardens and abundant fish - including a dangerous close encounter with a stone fish (David), and me - a dance with a Newcastle supporter (oh all right - a sea snake)...calm, clear, warm water .... a bit stony with black sand, but the most amazing views and sunsets.

... oli iltapaivalla nousussa ja samassa vaiheessa taas aamulla. Aamusnorklauksen lopetimme vahan suunniteltua aikaisemmin, koska pienet meduusat pistelivat meita niin ikavasti. Pieni haaveri sattui kylla myos ensimmaisella kerralla, kun Antti kolhaisi polvensa teraviin koralleihin kesken kaiken ja polveen tuli useampi pieni vuotava haava. Siina sitten odottelimme, josko polvesta valuva veri olisi houkutellut haiparven kimppuumme, mutta onneksi niin ei sitten kaynytkaan...

... 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).

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 ...

... soup. So you thought you were tired of all of the ads and such regarding our recent election? You should see it over here. The Presidential election isn't until next June, yet every village is dotted all over with the colorful flags of each political party, as well as numerous billboards displaying the candidate. Almost all of the candidate posters fit into one of two ...

... about our last full day here in Minahasa. Back to Bunaken for one last fix! Andy has been trying to convince Pam that we could sell our house and just live at the resort permanently considering the tradeoff of the resort cost versus a mortgage. Of course we would still have to work, and the 23 hour commute by plane just isn't gonna cut it! Sigh. Going to have to wait for retirement.

... along the way, we enjoyed views of the ocean and tiny islands that surround North Sulawesi. We finally arrived at the snorkel site where the corals are plenty and the fish can be seen swimming all around the boat. My father and the rest went in the water. I stayed on the boat, because I can't swim. Haha. It's too bad, huh? But I still enjoyed the time spent there as the water was clear and the marine life can be seen from above. We stopped at an ...

... fins, and a black scaley skin. The fish also had a somewhat rounded headed and looked almost like a dogfish, and was half buried in the black sand next to the reef. I was very curious and could not believe my eyes. I poked it with a piece of coral after calling EMily over, and it went crazy. I think the fish was a missing link type species between fish and lizard evolution. The reef is very close to Lembeh, and hosts a number of unique animals. Next on our list of ...

... No eno sem izzrebal tudi jaz, so me zagledali med samimi domacini in sem takoj postal atrakcija. Ker sem mimogrede na odru izdal tudi, da navijam za Nemcijo, sem bil zvezda tudi naslednji dan, saj so vsi vedeli da je Italy "bagus" in Nemcija "tidak bagus". Koliko uvrstitev na svetovno prvenstvo pomeni za promocijo drzave, nama je tudi ze postalo jasno, ko naju vsi hocejo imeti za Sveda in nimajo pojma o Sloveniji, Hrvaska in Srbija pa sta jim cisto jasni ...

... avec des milliers d'especes a repertorier....J'etais parti pour quelques jours et j'y suis finalement reste 12 jours. Mon programme de la journee s'est resume a plonger ou faire du snorkeling, manger, dormir et jouer aux cartes...Ca c'est la vie ! Je me suis retrouve en pleine enclave francophone... Il y avait Marie et David, un couple belge qui mettent en place un programme de conservation et developpement dans le parc national, Marion, une ...

After my last update we (the Togean crew) rented a van to Manado, a surprisingly pleasant and uneventful nine hours, if a little cramped. Manado had been described as a "clean" and "modern" place that you might like to stay for a while. Well, I'm guessing that the mayor's brother wrote that because, while not a bad place, it is pretty much like all the other Indonesian cities we've been to. Actually, with a few exceptions, anywhere you go, "cities are cities". Yeah ...