Togean islands, Sulawesi Indonesia. September 2014

From Gorontalo i went with ferry to Togean islands, to Finnish keeping place called Kadidiri paradise. There i was about one week and took 2 diving's, just wanted to save money so that's why so little, of course afterwards i regret that but what can you do? First diving was my first night diving which was nice experience because that was my first time. And second diving was awesome cause we saw about 2,5-3 meters long hammerhead shark from about 20 meters away!!!!! That was so cool, hanging up from us so you could see it clearly from under :)

After that i was just snorkeling but i also liked that, i found by accident tiny seahorse in sea grass, just in very shallow water :)

Kadidiri paradise :)

So there i was about week without internet and even without cell phone because signal there is almost zero. You can get some signal from end of that wharf if weather is good :D

My room and hammock :)

sunset in Kadidiri paradise :)

I have this strange talent to find dog friends where ever i go. So i was watching sunset's with my dog in hammock and enjoying beer and enjoying feeling not to hurry anywhere <3

My dog friend :)

After one week i thought i should continue to more south Sulawesi island so i left with ferry. But i wasn't really ready to leave such a paradise so i was sad when looking beautifull island staying behind. But i was kind of lucky: in half of a way the engine of ferry went broken. So we ended near of little island with resort. It took many hours and nothing really happened so me and some other travellers decided to book one night in that little island called Poyalisa island.

It was tiny island without any dive resort but very chill place, just snorkeling around and using hammock of course :)

So ther i was one more night, could been more but i wanted also have time to travel Sulawesi to south and i agreed to see my friends in Thailand also later so my schedule was unfortynadly problem to stay too long. But i wish some day i could come back, so little paradise <3

My bungalow with hammock, of course :)

So after one night i continued with little boat to south city called Ampana, my plan was still to see funerals in more south that is big thing on Sulawesi island. But thats later.... Keep on same bat channel, in same bat time again later....:D

Bunagen islands to Gorontalo. august/september 2014

Ok last time i was Benjarmasin on Kalimantan island. From Benjarmasin i went to Balikbaban where i waited couple days my flight to Manado, Sulawesi island. From Manado it takes about hour to Bunagen island with boat. You dont need any reservation, just go to harbour in morning. I remember guidebook says 8 am. Its good to be on time there but boat goes when it's full so i think it was atleast 9 before we left from harbour. When waiting you can buy some good delicasy's from morning market. Boat Payment you give with cash to driver of the boat. Just small money.

I didn,t had any reservation on any resort there, i trusted that i find something. When i arrived this beautiful island some young guy asked me do i have place to stay there and i said no. He recommended this Lorenso's cottage and we went to check that. And that was one of best decisions to me in that trip. Mr Lorenso is very very nice person, always happy and he has this awesome band in his resort that they play with evenings and many instruments are custom made but that makes band even more cool. And because when i was younger i played many years drums i found myself on many evenings behind the drums with Lorenso's band <3 It had been years when last time played drums but that was awesome place start again, we had so nice jamming's on evenings :)

bass was custom also, one string but nice sound :)

Custom made drums <3

Mr Lorenso and his band. Lorenso on drums this time

So i was diving, snorkeling and using my hammock on my little bungalow very much, about one week in that time but after year i came back there for little longer time and don't think it's last time, but that' different story.... back to this trip.... let me introduce my little bungalow that i was falling love of. It's tiny and there is bigger also for couple's but cause i was alone that was ok size to me:

my bungalow :)

So there i was relaxing, dog under my hammock, cold beer on table next to hammock, looking waves, taking naps, reading, snorkeling and diving ☺

There is many good diving places  but also snorkeling is nice. From Lorensos place you can snorkel to see this massive coral wall, you can see about 40-50 meters down and its hundreds meters wide, lots of turtles that i love, they fly so nice under water :)

You can also go to dolphin tour and near islands 😊

sunset in bunaken :)

Here is some pictures from place:

On the island there is 2 villages. Bigger one is place where you arive, another, more authestic is another side of island. You can see before other village some orientall bamboo houses, pigs, dogs and chicken running freely, narrow path going through jungle.

One day there was this dead whale on the shore, locals and tourist was looking that, so uncommon sigh. But that was another side of island than Lorenso's resort:

not so happy whale...

Anyway, after about one week i had to continue to south cause my plan was travel opposite direction Sulawesi island than usually people do. I was going to north to south. So i left island, back to Manado and from there i took little van to Gorontalo. Van was going when it was full, that was little more expensive than bus but more faster and comfortable. When i came to Gorontalo i had to wait couple days before my ferry to Togean island's was going, so as i waited there i met by accident this local tuk tuk driver called Muchlis and he's sister Emily and they invited me for couple nights in their parents house, i accepted invitation and we had so good time together. We went to see some waterfalls and some relatives of them i suppose with me, Muchlis, Emily, Renap their friend and some other young people. With Muchlis motorbike :)

some waterfalls

Indonesians are funny people, as we drived with motorbike many peoples were yelling "hellooo". I have experienced this other asian countries also but never like this, i felt like moviestar, everyone yelling hello and wanted to take pictures with me 😊

And in night time we went also on local music studio cause Emily knew people working there, so i played drums again, Muchlis was on bass and Emily was singing, was sooooo fun <3

me and Muchlis :)

So after couple days having fun with Muchlis, Emily and other friends i continued to Togean islands with ferry, but that's next story.... :)

Jungle trek in Kalimantan island. August 2014. Indonesia

So next i made this 2 days Jungle trek with Tailah, my guide and Johanna from Germany. Tailah had machete with him and he gave another machete to Johanna and said that she is jungle-princess. To me it was ok cause i'm used to survive on jungle on bare hands, at least jungle has some opportunity to survive if i'm on bare hands....

So we walked narrow road to the most wildest jungle on earth, laughing to dangers and death. After a while we leave this narrow path and head straight to jungle, using just machetes and my bare hands to go through jungle.

First its quite flat and long grass but after a while it changes more to small hills, everything is green and humidity gets moister when we are on jungle.

Some times we cross little streams and stop washing our faces on water, feels so good because sweating a lot because of humility. Plan is that we are one night in small village. We brought with us some cigarettes to chief and older people and candies to children. So we meet this one farmer from village and offer cigarettes to him and stopping on top of the hill, watching green view and sun going slowly down.

offering cigarettes to farmer.

 Its getting dark soon so we continue trekking, we have head lamps with us when it gets dark.

Soon it starts to get really dark but we still continue. One part we stop to watch fireflies on darkness, its so magical, they are like little fairies dancing on forest... but finally we arrive to village. They take us on this big house where is chief and some villages and lots of food. We bow to chief, shake hands and offer cigarettes to him first and after that offering cigarettes to everyone else and candies to children.

women from village.

village chief and men

Our group eating.

Me and chief.

 Soon we start to eat on floor and taking lots of pictures, everyone are interested of us and want to take pictures together, i think they haven,t seen so many white people. It was fun evening but of source they didn't speak English so mostly communicating with Tailah translating.

But in the end we go to sleep in same house after villagers go sleep also. I lay on mattress on floor, watching candle light and listening voices of the jungle as long i fall sleep. (Which wasn't long by the way...)

On next morning we have breakfast on outside on balcony. There is again villages around us and i see village now because it was dark when we arrive. There is chicken and pigs wondering around, little girls are going to school, about 3-5 little girls  sitting on same scooter. They are maximum 7 years old so they look so tiny on scooter but they are really skillful riding that already. So couple scooters safari is leaving from village to jungle, heading to school somewhere.

Children liked us :)

But soon we say good bye to villagers and start hiking again. We start on small path again and on the next to road is bamboo pipe where is water running from forest and Tailah said its drinking water so we drink it and its so cold and tasty, real water from jungle :)

But after a while we heading to jungle again and some part Tailah shows us how you can drink water from fresh bamboo when you cut it.

drinking water.

On some part we stop middle on jungle and Tailah is making campfire and starts to cook food for us. Near there is little stream where is tiny water fall so you can sit under and bath. So i go there all clothes on for refreshing.

Tailah cooking with boy from village

Tailah made coffee cup :)

Now kids remember part where was bamboo pipe and drinking water? That doesn't mean that ALL water in jungle is drinkable. But i thought so and was drinking that water. Then i came back to camp and watching Tailah making food. After half hour food was ready, served on bamboo leaf. Unfortunately i couldn't enjoy it because when i got food i realized it was huge mistake drink water from stream and was vomiting for a while. So i couldn't eat that day.

Then we started hiking again and in the end we came to river, plan was going rest of the trip with this bamboo raft.

 It was really nice, it was really long river so it took hours to get through it. Some times we stopped for swimming and then continued. View was awesome, green hills around and clear water, small villages going by, little children swimming and waving to us from bridges and from shore, we were middle of jungle!!!! That just was awesome.

Whole time there was this guy paddling our raft and me, Tailah and Johanna as travelers. But in the end guy who was paddling with long bamboo stick allowed me paddle us raft alone, so now i can see i can paddle bamboo raft :)

Me paddling.

 it was cool raft anyway, fully made just from bamboo pipes, tied together with some leafs, so everything was natural. But when leaves got wet, they time to time were loose and cut, so sometimes our raft was falling apart and we had to stop to fix our raft.

everything was natural :)

But that was really cool still. But at least rafting was over and we were heading back to Benjarmasin. The end.

Later i tell more about Indonesia, there is still many stories that i can tell...