Day 15 - green

15.05.19

The second scooter day is coming up and we plan to explore more of the inland rather than the beaches. Our first choice is a hiking trail along waterfalls and through the rainforest of this island. So we hop on our motorized vehicle and head straight to the national park. We arrive at a restaurant and a few buildings. In one of them, we have to sign a list: name, date of birth, nationality, group size, start of the hike. The last column, end of the hike, is to be filled out upon leaving the national park; the rangers want to make sure that no one gets lost on their little jungle adventure. By the way, we're talking about a circular route, with the longest route being 2.3 km.

After checking in, we set off on the hiking trail and start walking - by the way, it's quite busy; the feeling of a solitary rainforest expedition doesn't arise. After a few hundred meters, a huge rock wall towers in front of us, framed by the green of the forest - everything here is incredibly green - very impressive.

A little later, we have to decide at a fork in the trail between the normal hiking trail or a short detour to the "View-Point"; we choose the latter. What feels like an incredible wrong decision during the journey is rewarded with a great view at the destination.

We stumble back down the mountain, get lost for a short while, but then reach smaller waterfalls and river streams - so it can't be that wrong. The streams are only filled with very little water - that's why the waterfalls aren't that impressive - but it's enough to cool us down a bit.

We continue to wander around a bit and decide to take the short route back to our starting point because sweat is running into our eyes like crazy. We check out dutifully and hop back on our scooter. We visit more beaches, but none of them have the charm and atmosphere of the first one (see Day 14). We cross the island from north to the very south to Fullmoon Beach, are not very excited about the tourist hot spot, take the same way back and turn onto the only road heading east. The motto 'The journey is the destination' is perfect for our detour. We pass through a national park, which is meant to protect the incredibly impressive rainforest inside the island. The trees are huge and as if we haven't seen enough green today, lianas, ferns, and banana plants line our path. We knew that the path is a dead end and so before the return journey, we take a break at a beautiful (surprise!) beach. The seabed here is sandy and rock-free, which explains why there are so many families with young children. In a relaxed beach bar, we treat ourselves to an ice-cold cola and I (Jonna) participate in a meeting at the office via WhatsApp video ('Holiday Office' works great and I can make the people at the office jealous with the pans to the sea and the beach!). On the way back, we pass a small hut with a sign that reads 'Waterfall'. We park our scooter and walk along the path, which is about 100 meters long. Already now, we can hear louder rushing, which makes us hope for a larger waterfall. When we arrive at the big rocks, between which the water rushes along, our hope is confirmed.

When we arrive back in the city, we want to quickly stop at BigC for shopping. Luckily, there is a small market taking place in the parking lot, where we get skewers, noodles, and something sweet for dinner. With hands, bags, and storage spaces all filled up, we drive back to our bungalow and enjoy our purchases.