Gam, West Papua, IndonesiaBreakfast at our homestay on the Isle of Gam is at seven.
Today, it’s a couple of small doughnuts with chocolate inside and black coffee. By ten-after-seven we’re back in our cabina making ready for a snorkel. All I can think about is the rice and vegetables we’ll have for lunch. There’ll be seafood or chicken to go along with it, but oftentimes sparse quantities make this part of the meal an undependable guessing game. I never in my life thought I’d find myself craving rice and vegetables, but that’s where I am ... just four hours and 50 minutes till our next feeding.
.
Our cabina has the basics: a mattress on the floor w/mosquito net. Outside on the porch there’s a wobbly, broken cardboard table with an equally wobbly bench-seat. To keep us on tetanus alert there are rusty nail heads and ends popping out of the floor and walls.
.
It was a welcoming surprise when our friends Dennis and Christina arrived the other day from Ukraine.
Dennis walked into their cabina and immediately burst out laughing. It was one of those what have I gotten myself into? laughs.
.
An older Dutch couple we met on Mansuar Island are staying just a few doors away. I asked the lady how she liked the food at the last place compared to this place. She smiled and said the food was equally excellent at both places. As I stared at the gaping holes in the roof of her cabina she went on, saying the accommodation at both places is superb too. I felt as though we’d all become characters in a Margaret Atwood novel.
.
The flip side of this coin though, shows the marvellous difference humans can make. On Mansuar Island, our neighbours were the unforgettable Soni and Jay from the new country of England. Then here on Gam we got to once again meet up with our Ukrainian amigos. Dennis and Christina are from the beleaguered Eastern Ukraine, an area the Russians would like to claim as theirs.
From a psychological point of view it’s always good to have Dennis around. He listens wide-eyed to our petty concerns, then says the same four words, “You worry too much.” It’s oh so heart warming to hear this with that thick, doctor-like Eastern European accent.
.
We also made friends with the really cool couple, Rodger and Maureen, from Canada of all places. Without these six, Elenka and I might have one day walked into the beautiful waters, snorkelled over the pristine reef, and not stopped until we reached the endless horizon.
.
.
Back in Bali
.
Bali‘s Kuta Beach area is way different than most of the rest of Indonesia. Elenka and I dine nightly at the Balcony Cafe. It’s part of Un’s Hotel where we’re staying. This evening, after dinner, Elenka went back to the room while I went across the street to the convenience store to buy a before bed beer. On my way out I crossed paths with a young woman who said, “You want sex?”
I thanked her for the proposal, saying I’d had some just before dinner, and at the moment didn’t think I needed any more. We exchanged pleasant smiles, then parted company.
Matej
2020-02-12
Jack, that looks like one of the best places for snorkeling you visited, isn´t that truth? And the shabby cabina looks like a place I would choose on a puropose, if I had a chance to spend some time there:-D
Irene
2020-02-12
Thanks for that morning smile, you lit up my day with gorgeous color, Jack, I love your stories, don't ever stop. I am a fan for life! Thanks you two for inviting me into a portion of your lives.
dpbaril
2020-02-12
Once again, amazing photos! I had read that the coral reefs there were amongst the few unspoiled ones left in the world and these photos certainly show that. I also assume that you figured out your difficulty in transferring photos from the camera to the iPad. Curious to know about the underwater shots, are they taken with a another camera or do you have a case for your HX80?
Renate
2020-02-16
Really amazing. I agree, the snorkeling photos are the best I have ever seen. Thanks.
Margo
2020-02-18
You sure bring the Isle of Gam to life. You had me laughing Jack. How nice to meet up with friends and be able to share the memories. I can't even begin to pick a favourite snorkel pic. I'm thinking print them all. They are breathtaking.