The Sleeping Lion

The Sleeping Lion (actually Leon Dormido in Spanish, and for some reason known as "Kicker Rock" in English) just off the Island of San Cristobal in the Galapagos is one of the most impressive formations on these enchanted isles...

This is the view of the 'other side' of the sleeping lion... from Puerto Grande...

Neither of these above photos shows the lion sleeping... but if you get it on the right day, and the right time of day, with the right lighting, from the right angle, (and have the right imagination), you can sometimes see it...

This is the best I've been able to capture it...

Can't fight fate!

Well, so much for the Best Dive Job...

I was under a time crunch to complete the application, but put something pretty good together considering the limited time, and went to submit it... and the internet on the island went down!  For the better part of the day I ran around to all the internet cafes, and wireless spots I know trying to get a connection to upload my application...  Finally, at almost exactly the deadline hour, I got a connection and thought I got it uploaded... I sent it separately in an email, just to be sure it went through.  Alas, it seems the online form didn't work, and the email was passed the deadline.

Aahhh, what can you do!?  Instead of get upset about it, wail and moan at the incredible opportunity lost, I decided that it just must not be meant to be this year.  Perhaps next year...

The Best Dive Job in the World!

I just found out about this "Best Dive Job in the World" in the nick of time - applications are due on Feb 28!  I consider this deadline a fortuitous sign, since it will be absolutely the perfect birthday present for me!  A really do lead a life of luck - honestly, I think you'll all agree, this is the perfect job for me, and I'm the perfect person for this job!

Entries were supposed to be video or written, but since I found out on such short notice, I didn't have time to put a video entry together... so am relying on my savvy written style of prose to clinch the deal!  ;)

I will post it here for you all to see, but for now I'm off to package myself up into "500 words or less"...

Wish me luck!

Best Dive Job

Galapagos Dreams - An Announcement!

Many of you might already know by now that Martin and I are starting a little dive business in the Galapagos... Tranquilo Divers!

I've been working on the website (a lot of learning involved!) - check it out: www.tranquilodivers.com

I just wanted to let you know that if you're starved for my blog (which I've been neglecting a little because of this new focus, and also because I know about the dire internet connection I'm going to have from the Galapagos)... you can also check out the blog that I'm maintaining for Tranquilo Divers:

http://www.tranquilodivers.com/Tranquilo_Divers/Blog/Blog.html


Wish us luck!!!

or better yet...

COME DIVING WITH US!

Merry Christmas!

Yay!!!  It's Christmas!!!

Wishing you and yours a Wonderful Holiday:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I actually took these pictures in the village of Wawiyai way back in June... it seemed to me just the most disjunct thing at the time... but works for this Christmas card!  All the best, Ange xox

Papua Penuh Damai (PAPEDA)

That's the slogan on one of my favourite Papua tshirts (I bought if for Martin last year when he was away)... As my last pre-Christmas post, I wanted to share with you its origins:

Papeda is the traditional staple food (read glue) in Papua.  It comes from the sago palm.

Indonesia is FULL of acronyms and 'singkatan' (putting parts of words together to create new words)... So they expand Papeda to Papua Penuh Damai (which literally translates to Papua full of Peace).  I like it.

Anyway, I started this post to share a little more about Papeda itself.  We have had it a few times aboard the ship... when you buy it in the village, it comes neatly packed in bamboo and banana leaves like this:

Then our cook works his magic, and we eat it with the yummy yellow fish curry...  The fish is not yellow, the curry is... the fish is usually snapper (called 'red fish' here!).

Urotherapy

Is that what I think it is???  Yes, the use of urine for therapeutic reasons... also known as auto-urotherapy.

I heard about this a few years ago, but given that some people think I'm gullible, and often try to put one over on me, I assumed this was just another... and dismissed it as fiction - turns out I was wrong!

After a little investigation I found out that this is anything but a new concept!  It's not a very appealing alternative, and probably makes most people as squeamish as myself just thinking about drinking glass-fulls of your own urine (or having it injected into the bloodstream, for that matter)...  But tell that to the many people who have had to resort to it as a cure to anything from skin and hair problems (like acne, hair loss, warts, wrinkles, psoriasis, eczema and infections) to more serious illness such as multiple sclerosis, colitis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, hepatitis, hyperactivity, pancreatic insufficiency, heart disease, diabetes, herpes, mononucleosis, adrenal failure and allergies.  There is even a World Congress on Urotherapy!

I guess it could make sense... Urine contains 95% water 2.5% mixture of urea and 2.5% is mineral salts, hormones, vitamins, enzymes and antibodies.  There must be something in the combo that could act as a medicine and/or immune booster!?  Unconventional to say the least.



What reminded me of this story was another type of "Uro"-therapy that someone I recently met was attempting.  He was soaking his feet in urine each night to get rid of some fungus or something that was growing beneath his toe-nails.  He thought it was really a great treatment, until he woke up to go to the washroom in the middle of the night and accidentally knocked over the bowl of urine that he had used to do it with!  ewwww....

Again different from the only kind of "Urotherapy" I knew of previously:  cure for jellyfish stings!

Langsat/Duku

While we were in Misool back in May, I learned the way langsat and dukuh grow.  These yummy fruits are almost identical to eachother, I've been enjoying them for years in Indonesia, but for the first time saw a fruit-bearing tree!

Strange isn't it, the way the fruit grows in bunches directly on the trunks of the trees!?

Medusa's Cousin

Yes, it was the mythical one I was thinking of... not the sea-dwelling version.  But we're talking worms... not snakes.  And dried worms at that... and...

...you probably won't turn to stone if you look me in the eyes... although I have been known to stop a few people in their tracks!  haha...

These worms, known as insonem in the Ayau-Asia Archipelago in the north of Raja Ampat, are actually a traditional food... you can read more about that tasty meal in this previous post.

My cousin Caroline came to this area on her visit, and got to try them, as well!  Caro's experience.

Geocaching!

I have been geocaching now since 2006... I don't get a chance to do much when I'm way out in Raja Ampat...  Although I did actually place a cache in a rather exotic, remote location in Wayag.  But it has since gone missing... presumably taken by non-cachers.

I cache under then name bushbabe... a nickname affectionately given to me by my non-bush friends during the times I was living and working in the bush in Canada!  At the time of this post, it looks like I've found 355 geocaches... but I think this tag will update as I make more finds... which I hope to do when I'm home for the holidays!



One of the neat add-ons that one discovers about geocaching quickly is this thing called "Travel Bugs"... they're items that get moved from cache to cache, but their location is logged, so can be tracked.  I was just asked to rescue a bunch of travel bugs from a cache in Bali that was closing down, so I will have to move them all along somewhere soon!

More things on bikes...

I seem to have accumulated a LOT of photos of things transported or sold on motorbikes and/or bicycles in Indonesia.  You can see some that I have posted previously here, here, here, here and a little here.  As you can see, it's a common theme!  Well, here are a few more to add to the collection - who would've thought you would find welcome mats sold on bikes!?!

Penida & Lembongan

For the last several months Martin was in Indonesia he was working as a Dive Guide on Nusa Lembongan Island in Bali.  Lembongan is the smaller kidney-bean-shaped island that is part of the group of islands collectively known as Penida, just to the east of southern Bali.

When I was not on the Kalabia, I would join him there... it is a beautiful island, and although the rate at which development has taken off in the last few years is sad, it still has some of the best diving around Bali.

I only got to dive a few times with him (you can see a few pics from one of the dives here), and mostly I worked while he dived... but at least we enjoyed the beautiful sunsets together.

And one day, we had a chance to go on a little exploration of the three sets of islands, from motorbike, to walking, to rented boat, to another motorbike, we used every kind of transportation possible on the islands and got to even the most remote corners!

stairway to heaven...

We also found out a lot more about the main economic activity on the islands, which I wrote about previously... seaweed farming!

Leapin' Lizards!

LITERALLY!

I was trying not to squirm too much as Martin fumbled to get the camera out quickly to catch this funny moment of a gecko climbing up my arm... he didn't get it.  Anyway, as the gecko got to my neck, it was too ticklish to restrain any more, and I squirmed... the gecko leapt... and Martin caught him in mid-air!!!  He landed as if there was nothing to it, and skittered off.  I guess they're used to it... at our old house, there were always so many of them along the ceiling beams... and they were always dropping from the roof with a great 'splat' onto the tile floors (again, no harm done!)!

Dive Glasses

Kaca Molo, or Dive Glass, are the traditional masks for seeing in the ocean in Papua, and the rest of the Pacific islands for that matter.  They're literally coke-bottle bottoms artfully embedded in home-made wooden casings... gives a whole new meaning to what we usually think of as coke-bottle glasses, no!?!  And they're not as easy to use as these kids make them look!

I tried, and because you have to sort-of scrunch your eyes to keep them in place, it's hard to get a decent seal, and they leak like crazy!  Not to mention the strange sensation for us scuba mask wearers of having the nose exposed... there's another trick to it!  Anyway, everyone had a good laugh at the 'bule' trying out the local-style scuba gear...

Cap Tikus (pronounced Chap Tee'KOOS)

Martin prefers to call Cap Tikus (“Rat’s Brand”) by the more appropriate name, “Racun Tikus” (or Rat Poison). This is the Minahasan version of Moonshine!

Cap Tikus is the local Palm brandy, mostly made in small distilleries in the jungle. It is a VERY strong distilled version (usually 40 - 50%, but sometimes up to 90%) of a liquid they get from a common tree in these parts, the sugar palm. 'Palm wine' is actually a less-fermented version of Cap Tikus, obtained during the beginning stages of the process of making Cap Tikus. Palm wine is a slightly more appealing, although still nauseating, drink!

The labour-intensive distillation process is actually quite simple and basically employs metal ovens and bamboo tubes.

The people around Manado have told me that cap tikus actually has medicinal qualities; they hold firmly to the belief that cap tikus is a health-preserving as well as a health-restoring liquid. It is used when people feel a cold coming on, or to cure digestive disorders... I suppose anything with an alcohol content that high would kill any germ on contact!?

Don't drink this alcohol to excess, though... some locals have gone blind or died because of the high level of methanol in Cap Tikus! Anything in moderation, I suppose. There is nothing pleasurable about the cap tikus experience, so as far as I'm concerned, it's not worth the risk!

Our first encounter with the stuff was rather innocent, but was enough to turn me off the stuff for good. We were simply having a quiet night, hanging out with a few friends on the island and having a couple drinks. When the few beers we had brought ran out, they pulled out the plastic bottle of moonshine. No matter how little CapTikus you had nor how much Cola you mixed it with, it was NOXIOUS! The problem was the cola ran out even faster than the beers... I was smart and decided not to push it, but Martin kept up with the boys and drank a couple glasses of it almost* straight. He was sick for the next TWO WEEKS!  Needless to say, he didn't ever try it again either!

The picture below is actually not from Minahasa, but from Sorong... this is the infamous local hangout called the 'tembok' (seawall)... you can tell if someone is indulging in the captikus depending whether or not he is facing out to sea (getting plastered), or back toward the road (safely tottling tea).  Hahaha.

Christmas Trees in the Sea

This is one of my favouite sea beings... and I can't believe I haven't written about them before!

You can see for yourselves where these colourful, bushy-tailed segmented worms (polychaetes) get their name!

These aptly-named Christmas Tree worms (Spirobranchus giganteus) burrow into massive coral heads to make their home.  They expose only their fluffy tail, which they use to filter-feed as the current brings plankton and other goodies their way.

This featherduster worm is a close, less-colourful, relative!

I am looking forward to seeing another kind of Christmas Tree in the not-so-distant future!

Dream

Mimpi means 'dream' in Indonesian.  It's also the name of the resort where I spent a weekend on the north coast of Bali a few weeks ago, and the subtitle I'm giving to my life for that weekend.  They definitely made no mistake in naming this place - it is seriously like being in a heavenly dream.

The coastal property is sprawling, complete with several natural thermal pools, at least 3 regular swimming pools (although regular is anything but what they are!), spa, mangrove forest, with several villas tucked away amidst it all.

The most stunning area is the beach-front... complete with infinity pool overlooking the ocean and the sunset over the mountains in East Java... We enjoyed a beer here after several nice dives... aaahhh.  Doesn't it sound like a dream!?

I thought I was in a dream underwater as well, as we glided along a very healthy, colourful, fishy wall along the 'back' side of Menjangan island, and I saw turtles, and a spotted eagle-ray.

Ship Food

We are pretty lucky to have a decent cook onboard the Kalabia... I don't call him a 'chef'... he's never worked at 5 star restaurants preparing international fare, but considering his training and experience (none), he's amazing!

He does a few dishes that I would include among my favourite foods in Indonesia: One Eggplant Coconut milk Curry that is scrumptious (I think for cooked veggies eggplant is surpassing brusselsprouts and others as favourites for me now!), and he makes a Chicken Curry that is the closest thing to Indian flavouring I've had in Indonesia (and since Indian food is hands-down my favourite, it automatically makes the cut)!

Of course, most of the food consists of regular Indonesian food... nothing fancy... and almost always, there is fish (apparently if Indonesians don't eat fish at least once a day (and for a lot, every meal), they feel like something is missing.  Dishes like this have made up the majority of my diet over the last few years:

Dragonfly Delicacies!

Yes, dragonflies... although I can't imagine wanting to kill one as a food source, since they have much greater value as mosquito-eating machines in my books!

Here, the Balinese use dragonflies as one of the ingredients to one of their special dishes:  Pepes.

How do you catch a dragonfly?
Well, with a long thin strip of bamboo covered in the sticky sap of the jackfruit tree... not to be mistaken for a fishing pole.

Pepes Preparation?
The legs and wings are removed, and the insect is ready to cook!

Only one of the ingredients?
The cooked dragonflies are added to a pounded mixture which also contains:
coconut paste
fermented fish paste
garlic
chilis
tamarind juice
basil leaves
ginger
and lime juice

The complete mixture (paste) is wrapped into individual banana leaf packets and grilled to make pepes.  I tried pepes once (before I knew of its special ingredient), and I must say, I really didn't think it was anything special... and I certainly couldn't taste the dragonfly flavour!?

Blue Marlin in the Deep Blue!

Well, the only diving I did on this trip to Raja Ampat was to attempt a search and recovery mission for our anchor.  (Which, in case you didn't have the patience or interest to read my previous post, was unsuccessful).  Basically the only thing I saw for the entire 4 days/9 dives underwater was dull sand bottom and deep blue depth.... PLUS...

The second day, only seconds into our decent to the 40-meter depths from which we could see the sea floor (at 50+ meters), a blue Marlin swam within meters of me!  I was in awe and totally intimidated by its size, the very prominent potentially-impaling sword at its beak, and the sheer muscle apparent in its bodily movements... (I can't really find the right word to describe the way it moved, but it was almost like it wagged itself along (in a much more fluid graceful motion than the word wagging seems to encompass for me).)

Unfortunately, I wasn't carrying a camera, since the only thing I expected to see was sand and blue, and *hopefully* an anchor or anchorline.  ;)  But I did manage to gather the presence of mind to get a squawk out in time that my dive mates had a fleeting look as well and can corroborate my story ;)  Now, if it had looked more like this (I borrowed a few pics from SeaPics and SuperStock), perhaps my heart wouldn't have skipped quite so many beats...