perhentian 2

still here. food and a roof, bed, air conditioning and a hot shower for the minimal work we’re doing is too good to pass up.

the other day in the heat, the high-pitched mechanical sounding tune of the crickets our soundtrack, covered in a layer of sweat, we followed the power lines and hiked to the non-functioning (the island uses diesel for power) wind turbines and solar panels at the top of the north end of the island. we saw a monitor lizard that must have been two metres long, and scores of butterflies. tom led the way armed with a stick he waved frantically in front of himself to destroy the webs of the army of spiders in our way.

at the top, we stood and looked down at the view (pictures to come): turquoise stretching away to the horizon, lush green, and a huge staircase to nowhere. we descended, and tried to climb the rocks back to long beach. after about forty-five minutes of rather strenuous exercise we turned back, out of water and energy. we stopped at a drizzle of water from a spring that made a natural shower in a crevasse in the rock. deliciously cold and drinkable, it gave us what we needed to go on.

it seems everything needed to go on is here. it’s the most relaxed and beautiful place i’ve ever been.

soon we’ll be taking our open water diving course, enabling us to dive anywhere in the world. snorkeling itself is almost enough: just off the shore there are thousands of fish of every colour and size you can imagine. the other day tom saw a shark, and i saw a squid. the island and the ocean around it is teeming with life.

well, i’ll leave you here. saya rindu awak kawan (“i miss you friends” in the local dialect).