North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Manado

Manado, the capital of the province and cultural center of the Minahasa people for a long time Manado prospered through trade with the Philippines and in the vicinity of the spice trade with the rest of the world. Ah, the bombing of the Second World War and the suppression of a local insurgency in the 1950s flattened most of Manado's older buildings. 

As I travelled from Sam Ratulangi Airport to Bitung, I was strucked by the number of churches along the way. Crucifixes adorn the landscape from hillside to roadside. On the main roads, you will see bigger ornate churches while the small pristine houses of worship on the side streets.  As most of the Manadonese have Chinese or Philippino blood there is little chance of racial tension but in fact a very ethnically stable region with a tolerant and pluralist society.

Bitung

Sharing a taxi

Bargain taxi

Lembeh Straits

Lembeh Straits is a 12 km long stretch of water separating Lembeh island and the mainland. The direct translation of the word "Lembeh" is "soft" but some have suggested its meaning as "unwanted". Bitung is actually the point midway along the banks of the Lembeh Strait. The boat journey is about 20 minutes. It can be reached by car (1.5 hours) from Manado. 

Lembeh Straits is one of most popular and interesting marine habitats we have heard around the world, a great macro paradise and muck diving! This pristine section of water in North Sulawesi is home to many unique marine animals including the pygmy seahorse, Mimic Octopus, ghost pipefish, and many other species. There are over 50 dive sites for underwater photographers and the diversity of the smaller creatures responsible for many memorable photo opportunities.  Underwater temperature I experienced was about 26 degree celsius on rainy days. 

Muck Diving

So it was my first experience diving in sandy conditions.  I was indeed surprised that within the bad visibility we could find the weirdest creatures on earth! It was astonishing to see the Mandarin fishes mating which has always been one of the achievements for diving Lembeh Straits. The other critters we saw were too many to mention, some we do not even know the generic name.  The most commonly found are the nudibranchs, scorpionfish, lionfish and all kinds of shrimps and harlequin shrimp. We also saw white octopus, wonderpus, different kinds of seahorses, local pufferfish, stonefish, frogfish, Ambon scorpionfish, dragonet etc.

After 2 morning dives, we could have a shower and lunch back at the resort or just stay on the boat to standby for the 3rd dive. The kitchen would send our lunch by boat to our next dive site. Night diving is awesome in Lembeh and a total different experience. As I descend into total darkness, I felt handicapped like a blind man. I struggled with the torch, switching camera lens, looking out for my guides, The torch did not work well enough, I panicked. I rented a torch for the next 2 night dives but it was attached with the head lights facing upwards! OMG, another thing to handle!

After our last dive for the day, we went back to the resort to wash up and have our meals  as usual, together with Deky, the Operations Manager. Back at the cottage, there is no need for a fan or air-condition at night. We would go through the critters and dive log with the 2 guides - Dovan and Andre. 

With a wide verandah, a blanket is important to get a peaceful sleep. As the afternoon sun shines in, you may need to turn on the air-condition.

      

Froggies Resort

When I arrived at Froggies resort @ Lembeh, received a warm welcome from all the staff who passed by.  Another land of smiles uncovered.  Despite the language barrier and their lack of experience, their excellent service and hospitality throughout my stay  did not quite affect me much. 

The beachfront cottage offers a panoramic view of the straits and Bitung harbor. It gave me the tranquility of solitude though it was total boredom after dusk.  The perfect place to relax and reflect.  Silence, except for the sound of waves hitting the rocks below my cottage and the insects buzzing away as well as from my ears.  The only way to counter the  buzzing was to play music from my laptop and stay underwater.

My two cute and lively guides, excellent critter hunters. 

For without them, I could have gone home with an empty SD card.

My Movies .. with GoPro Hero 3:

without LCD display, with and without red filter, with and without close-up lens