The best diving of my life!

Today I've been diving 2 more times. The first dive was looking boring... The instructor says that it was a good place to see sharks, tourtles and Rays. We haven't seen any big fish till the end. When my tank (of air) was almost empty, we've seen a "cloud of sand" (into the water). Usually, the Rays or the mantas remove the sand looking for food, and it was a signal that some ray was there... after waiting a few seconds to the "cloud of sand" disappears, a huge ray starts swimming from there. Was amazing! Only the body (without the tale) was 1,5 meters!!! she moves so fast, but it gives me just a second to take one picture. wow!

On the second dive, in general, was more funny than the first one. Lots of corals, small and colorfull fish, big fishes (no sharks today...) and tourtles. I've seen 5!!! Two of them where together when we found them (provably trying to have sex... excuse me, Mis. and Mr. Tourtle!) I've followed one of them. She was swimming slowly, calmous, and gives me the chance to swim at her side, maybe at 2 meters from her. It was a big tourtle, maybe a bit bigger than 1 meter. She gives me enough time to take a few pictures, a 26" video... and time to watch her... wow! My favourite thing under the water.. and gives me enough time to enjoy a lot the moment!

It's unvelievable the difference between the things you can see out from the water and into the water... on the same area. There's only stones and dust outside. Inside...

Tomorrow will be my last day here. 2 more divings and next morning I'll fly to Bali, then Jakarta, then Kuala Lumpur, then Home...

More adventures in Komodo...

Last night I've founded a snake in my room!!! (first a lizard, then a snake... what tonight???) I know that it's not dangerous, so I let it there.

This morning I went to see the Komodo dragons. It was just a 1,5h trail, but was enoug to see a few of them.

After dragons... diving again! The first thing we've seen was a shark (he's behind me on a picture...). He was there, like on a "relaxing time". It was funny and scary at the same time... but now I know that, if staying at 4-5 meters from him there's no reason to be afraid... now I'll dive more safety! We've seen also a lot of big fishes... and tourtles!!! many of them!!! I've been swimming close to one of them maybe 8 or 10 meters... I love to see how they swim...

Well... tomorrow more divings!!!

Diving in Komodo National Park...

I'm in a place called Labuan Bajo, in Flores island. Is a small town and there's nothing to see here... but after a couple of hours by boat, there's an amazing world under the water. There's a lot of "big fish", like dolphins, napoleon fish, tuna... and sharks!!

I've booked a "3 days diving pack" (yesterday, today and tomorrow). At the moment, I've seen maybe 18 dolphins (always from the boat... I was not in the water at the moment... fuck!) a couple of Napoleons, a few tuna, a lot of different "big fish" (I can't remember the names...) and maybe 8 or 10 sharks! One of them was swimming at no more than 10 meters from us... is a special sensation... but the instructor has gived us a "pre diving" biology brieffing, and she explain us that sharks are not used to be dangerous, but they have a very bad reputation... (too much moovies... my friend!).

I have also seen a tourtle. Was a young tourtle, maybe 60 cm from the head to the tale, and she was swimming in front of us... I love them! I've dived close her (not nearest than 5 meters, to not get her scared), and is lovely to see how they swim... slowly... slowly... it's a sweet moment... my favourite moment under the water is when I'm watching tourtles... I hope to see more tomorrow!

Tomorrow, before diving, I'll go to Rinca island (between Komodo island and Labuan Bajo town). Komodo island gives the name to the dragon, but in Rinca island there's more of them and everyone who I've asked before told me that it's better than Komodo island, so tomorrow, before diving, I'll go there to make a 2 hours walking tour. I hope to see them. I hope to take goooood pictures there! People who was diving with me today explain me that 2 days before they had seen how a dragon haunts a bear... they say that was like being into the TV docummental!!!

Well... I will try to upload again the blog after with new pictures of Komodo dragons...

PD: Jason.. can you see what I'm holding on my hand in a picture of me diving????

Terima Kasih banyak!

I'm in Komodo now. I hope to visit the dragons and dive a little bit on the Komodo National Park during the next few days. Last days I've been thinking about write this message, but I've never finded the moment. Since this morning I've been traveling with Caroline. Jason join us a few days ago in Ubud (Bali) and Ellie join us the last two days too.

Provably you'll feel the same, but it's amazing the amount of memories that come to my head when I see any of my pictures with you... (thousands... I know... it's my default, but I'll survive!). I really hope that you'll feel the same and, as I, you will be proud to say "I was there!". It's not easy to spend 24h a day in a small space, living with 18 another people under the same roof... but we've done it, and I just want to say "Terima Kasih Banyak" to let me live this time with you.

Now everyone of us are running different trails... Jasha was the first going back home, and in a few days I'll do the same... "back home; back to work". I hope you'll have fun discovering amazing and beautiful places around the world. I hope to see you again somewere and spend a few more time together. Remember... if you ever want to go to Spain... "Girona's Ryanair airport is near to my house, and I will be your private Barcelona guide... (I'm good... I promise you!)

Wellcome to the jungle, my friend!

Last days in the jungle...

Well... There's no pleasure that last forever... and the jungle time has gone. We've spended a really nice moents in the jungle. I'm glad to say that I've been living for a 6 weeks in a "non easy place" with a group of a amazing people. Thank's to all of you!

Last week we've working (a little bit) and having a lot of fun with the orangutans of Camp Rasak. They were always very friendly and calmous (except one...). It's supposed that people are not allowed to touch them (to make it easy for them to be as wild as possible), but when you see that one of them comes to you and try to climb at your showlders expecting to you to carry it to the feeding place... how can you say "no" if it's your main desire???

Last day in Pangkalan Bun was the last day all the group together, and also, was Caroline's birthday. We went to Ibu Opit house to dinner and she prepares to Caroline a special birthday rice cake. The food was excellent, but all the time there were sad faces, because all of us know that it was the last time together...

Last days: Camp Rassaw

We can feel that the paradise time is coming to end. There’s just one week to say good bye to this amazing place, to this VERY NICE PEOPLE I’ve meet here.
Now we have the great pleasure of being working in a place that not a lot of people can see. We are on a place called “Camp Rasak” Tourism are not allowed here and is one of the places where Orangutan Foundation releases orangutans from the “Care Center” that I’ve visited a couple of weeks before. Here there are two buildings that other groups of volunteers builded before me, but now they realized that the kitchen was too small and we’ve come here to make a new one. It’s an easy job (looks easy… at the moment…) but the best thing is that we have a lot of time to walk, swim on the river (Indonesian people says that there’s no crocodiles here) and enjoy the moments that the orangutans give us. There’s maybe 15 or 20 orangutans that a few years ago were on the care center, and when they become enough all to be able to “walk alone”, they were released here. They still need the human contact (we are like her mothers…) and hopefully during the next months or the next years they will be enough self confident to live by their own on the jungle. Now, is usual to see one of them walking to you and sit at your side, or trying to climb at your shoulders to you to carry it to another place… that’s great. It’s good to see that an orangutan that once was orphan and provably will die in a few days, thanks to Orangutan Foundation now is still alive and climbing the trees. Hopefully in a 2 or 3 generations the “new babies” will have forget that once her grand mother was killed for human people…
Well… after this boring history, I hope you’ll enjoy the pictures. Here you’ll see just a small part of my great feelings here, but if you want to feel something similar, I’ll tell you how to do it. It’s easy and very nice. Amazing.

Next week will be the last. Normally the last week of the volunteer program, people go to Camp Leakey again, but this year will not be possible. Fortunately, we will be able to stay here all this week, so will be like Camp Leakey but in another place. I hope to take a good pictures!!! I’ll show it to you!

Bye

Another week has gone!

Hi again!
Another week on the jungle has gone!
All of us we are working hard trying to finish as soon as possible the task we have been asked to do, but we also have time for a little bit of fun and pleasures. In Abdy’s birthday (Abdy is one of the Indonesian carpenters who’s living and working with us) we celebrate a big “dressing party”, and I was dressed like a typical British old lady, and everybody says that I was very nice… Some times Ibu Opit (our Indonesian cooker) prepares to us a fabulous cakes and Donuts, another day, Roberta (from Italy) cooks for us a delicious pizza (maybe the best pizza I’ve ever eat???) and I really hope to eat again next week!
The house we are building is almost finished. The walls are done, the painture is done, we’ve builded a cage for the new orangutans before to release them definitively to the amazing jungle. Almost everything is done. Only the toilet and the “cleaning service” we’ll not be able to do it because there’s still water surrounding the building and we cannot work on the floor or burn all the small pieces of wood that we haven’t used during the construction. In a few days (maybe weeks… maybe months…) when the water level will be again lower, someone will have to come here to do it.
In our group, Jasha (from South Africa) is a very good artist (is his real profession), and it takes just a couple of days to paint an amazing orangutan’s face to the house’s wall. I like that man. He is very funny and he has a nice conversation. Is nice and interesting to spend the time talking with him (and also you laugh a lot with him!!)