10 Days in Paradise - Togian Islands (Malenge)

The ferry ride to the Togian Islands already gave us a taste of the upcoming 10 days. Besides flying fish, we were able to admire a school of dolphins putting on a jumping show in the distance. After 5 hours, we arrived in Pulau Papan and were already expected by Popoi. We then continued to our accommodation for the next days - Bahia Tomini, with the speedboat.

The small resort consists of only 4 bungalows, so there is never more than 8 guests accommodated. The owners Eva and Kike, a couple from Spain, have created a true paradise with great attention to detail. Besides the team, there are also 4 dogs (Mimi, Dabu, Chulo, and Silva) as well as the rooster Manolito with hen Sofia Lauren and their chicks. In the afternoon, the little black tip sharks also come by directly under the bungalow.

Completely isolated from the world and without internet, we enjoy the peace in the hammock, while snorkeling, playing a round of ping pong, and with excellent food. After a lot of rice and meat in the last few days, we enjoy the abundance of vegetables, fresh fish, and homemade bread.

Already at our 'house reef' we swim among colorful schools of fish and greet Nemo and the rainbow fish. But on snorkeling trips to reefs in the area, we could explore even more and saw a giant Napoleon fish and an eagle ray. (The date of the action cam is incorrectly set).

However, after a few days in the hammock, we also ventured through the jungle to explore the village of Malenge on the other side of the island. With the help of Chulo (a dog), we easily found the way. We actually wanted to take the boat back, but the waves played a trick on us and we had to walk.

The next trip to the villages of Kadoda and Pulau Papan was then made by speedboat. Pulau Papan is a stilt village that houses former sea nomads, as the government requires a fixed place of residence. The village is actually connected to the island by a 1km long bridge. However, due to past storms, there are a few meters missing in some places, so we could only climb up from the boat.

Actually, we also wanted to take a trip to the volcanic island of Una Una to climb the active volcano. However, there was no more gasoline for the boats on the entire Togian Islands. Eva and Kike just shrugged and said 'Welcome to Togian'.

But in paradise, it doesn't get boring, especially not when coconut trees are being felled. Since some of the palm trees around the bungalows pose a danger, they have to be removed. An 8-man strong crew from the village (plus Magnus) therefore fells the trees with pure manpower. With more luck than sense, no bungalow is buried.

The days fly by and we enjoy the sunsets, the starry sky, and time together!

After 10 days, there is finally gasoline again, so nothing stands in the way of our ferry ride to Gorontalo. Popoi drives us back to Pulau Papan, from where we take a public boat to Wakai, the capital of the Togians. Since we have a longer stay there before the ferry departs in the evening, we make a detour to a small waterfall.

In the evening, the overnight ferry will take us to Gorontalo...