Sulawesi - the underwater paradise

Arrival in North Sulawesi in Manado. After the airplane landed only on the fourth attempt, oops. The destination is Pulau Bunaken National Park, one of the most beautiful diving spots in the world, about 1 hour by boat from Manado. Even upon arrival, I couldn't close my mouth, wow wow wow, it's so beautiful and idyllic. Our accommodation right on the beach, full board and the food was soooo delicious. I now love all kinds of fish so much. And anyone who knows me better knows it's crazy to hear me say that :) but what can I say, I love it so much! Our room with a view of the sea, falling asleep and waking up to the sound of the waves - how lucky am I! The underwater world fascinates me, I love it sooo much. Sometimes I have to control myself underwater not to swallow half of the sea. So beautiful, so different, so amazing. I really love it. The corals are so fabulous. Turtles, manta rays, Nemos, hundreds of other fish. Wow wow wow, once again the feeling of doing everything right. Being in this place and being able to experience it right now! Indescribable. It makes me so happy and satisfied. And that's exactly how we spent our days there - underwater. It was crowned by a dive. I was allowed to dive down to 12 m with my guide. Bigger fish, even bigger turtles. I absolutely have to get my diving license, that's for sure! The only thing I didn't want to see, but how could it be any different, I always see snakes - a sea snake. 2 m long and poisonous. Fortunately, that was on the way out of the water and hey, when it matters, I'm a really fast swimmer. I don't like snakes. I saw too many in Australia and they could all kill me :)

After 5 wonderful days, we headed towards the Togian Islands, a group of islands in Central Sulawesi in the middle of the sea. The journey there, 10 hours in a minivan and another 12 hours on an overnight ferry... Phew, quite exhausting. Especially since the original plan or information was that we could rush through in one go by train, but the ferry only operates twice a week. Forced stay in Gorontalo, but we made good use of it. Time for the hairdresser. Time to treat ourselves :) new hair color is needed. Copper red. I feel like I'm 16 again. Hahaha, I had red hair back then too. Funny feeling. And once again, we were the absolute attraction. During our entire time in Indonesia, we have taken more than 150 selfies, no joke, everyone greets us. Sometimes, or very often, with 'Hey, Mister' or 'cantik cantik', which means beautiful woman :))) But, and this is the most beautiful thing, seeing the glow on their faces. Just because they can take a picture with us, it's priceless. I feel like a rockstar, some kind of a moviestar. I don't want to know how many pictures of us are now on Facebook or Instagram, because they share them right away :) the most intense moment was the end of the school day. 100 children, all saying 'Hello Hello', you just walk through and wave to everyone. It won't happen to us again anytime soon hahaha definitely. But all of this also characterizes Indonesia, this warmth and friendliness towards us. A strictly devout Muslim country, where faith is lived out very liberally. We never felt uncomfortable or received strange looks when we wore shorts, no, they were simply happy to see us, I emphasize US.

Then the ferry departed at 7 o'clock in the evening. We have 12 hours ahead of us. And how do you make the best use of the time, yes, with beer. It was so awesome. 'Let's go up to the deck' and what was there, a bar. Perfect for drinking a Bintang or two with our new Dutch friend, Andre, and playing cards.

Arrival at the Togians. Now only 2 hours on a small fishing boat to reach our island. Only 1 'hotel' right on the beach with initially 7 guests. A German and French couple, us and Andre. That was it. On a whole island! This tranquility, this wonderful turquoise water, shining blue, white sandy beach. It was a dream. No cell phone reception. And our biggest concern was, where can we get alcohol :) Because Andre's 32nd birthday was the next day and hey, a birthday without alcohol, that's not possible. So off we went again with the owner, on the boat to the nearby islands to get something and yes, we succeeded. Hahaha, this time it was a kind of white wine! Great evening! And that's how we also spent the days here, snorkeling. I saw my first sharks! Yes!!! One day, we all went out on the boat. Hotel California, a coral settlement in the middle of the sea. Wow wow wow. I couldn't stop marveling. And another highlight, the Lake Jellyfish, a saltwater lake with hundreds of non-poisonous jellyfish. When you snorkel there, it looks like those Japanese or Chinese lights rising into the sky (you know what I mean). Unbelievable! What am I allowed to experience here. The evenings were filled with card games, bonfires on the beach, lots and lots of Arak and my 'birthday playlist'. HIP HOP Baby again! All night long! Definitely one of my most beautiful times in Indonesia.

Out of paradise, into reality. A strong earthquake and a tsunami hit Pulau, a city only 200 km away from us. We were so lucky that the earthquake was too weak for us to feel anything. But it occupied our thoughts! We saw many people crying, nothing else is shown on TV here. Cruel images are shown. And our family and friends were so afraid for us and couldn't reach us. The inevitable change of plans to leave the islands one day later, as fortunately no ferries were operating, didn't make our family and friends any less worried. I usually only receive so many messages on my birthday! It touched me deeply how many people thought of us!

Our plan was then to leave the area, straight to the south. Maybe it was somewhat cowardly not to help and stay there, but it really scared me. So off to Makassar, South Sulawesi. Here we spent the last few days very relaxed. The hottest days ever on Sulawesi. Before heading to Vietnam via Bali.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Sulawesi! For your breathtaking underwater world. One of the best times for me in Indonesia. I will never forget it! You are deep in my heart! A declaration of love!

The first big part of the journey together is over. Unbelievable! Experienced so much so quickly. Moments and experiences I will never forget. The feeling of living and being happy. In the right place. The right decision. A milestone. Hats off, Indonesia! Just follow your heart!