The island of Bunaken

At the time of writing this post, I am sitting by the pool side, drinking my cool Bintang and enjoying the scenic views of Ubud - the cultural capital of Bali. The story from Bali will need to wait, however, as the story of Bunaken has not been told yet. And so it goes...

Being fed up with all the downsides of Jakarta, I was in real need of change. Not the kind of dramatic change that one may think of when being stuck in traffic and cursing all the traffic jams that have become the daily bread of Jakartans. Simply leaving the city for some time was good enough, and the island of Bunaken appeared to be a safe refuge for all those who want spend some time in peace and harmony. This rather tiny island, located off the coast of North Sulawesi, is a paradise of a kind. The Marine National Park that Bunaken gave the name to attracts divers from all over the world and is considered one of the best diving spots in the whole of Indonesia. It is not for no reason that people feel an affection to this island, and many, after having spent their holidays here, decide to stay for a bit longer, open up a little resort and enjoy their days with a steady source of income.

Personally I did not plan on diving. Probably I would not have even come here if it was not for my house mate, Kamran, but I am glad he convinced me to undertake all this effort. When we arrived by boat from Manado, we were welcomed by the employees of the resort and showed to our bungalows. I could not believe it was so quiet! We were the only tourists there, mainly because it was not the perfect season for diving, but it didn't matter. What really mattered was that there is no single car on the island and only the few motorbikes there were provided any form of motorized transportation. To begin with, there were no proper roads, only one main concrete path that surrounds the island like a loop that keeps it from being devoured by the sea.

It was about a kilometre and a half to reach the nearest village, and thanks to the hospitality of our hosts, we got a free motorcycle ride on our first day. Don't get me wrong, it was not my laziness that kept me away from walking; it is just that there was almost nothing but a banana tree forest on the way and looked kind of creepy at first sight. The village 'supermarket' as I named it did not provide too many shopping opportunities, only the very basic stuff that one may need. Equipped in bottled water and candies, I returned to the resort and got ready for my first dive since I was twelve.

Yes, diving was not in my to-do list of things, but the emerald water of the sea was so unique that I instantly changed my mind and looked forward to take a dive and admire the underwater wildlife. Bunaken has a lot to offer to those fascinated with the fauna, as more than 70% of all the fish species of the Indo-Western Pacific occur here, so the Wikipedia says, and it has seven times more genre of corals than Hawaii does. These are just statistics but what is really important is that, if you are a diving newbie like I am, I guarantee - you will get hooked!

I had two more occasions to go the village, and every time I have explored a bit more. The most exciting visit was just a few hours before we had to take a boat back. Walking through the Muslim part of the village (the island is predominantly Christian but there are also Muslim enclaves) and having re-entered the Christian part, we have seen a crowd of slowly moving, nobly dressed, people being accompanied by an orchestra. I could not believe our luck, it was a traditional wedding procession! It was so interesting to see all these people pass by, all looking astonishingly elegant, with pure happiness on their faces despite the gravity of the situation. Somebody, some two persons, were about to take a life-changing step. How exciting!