Day 8 - Snorkelling

Today we were up and out by 0830. We had a 2 hour drive to the place where we would be getting the boats to go snorkelling. On the 17th August it is Bali’s Independence Day and so for the last few days traffic has been a nightmare due to having to drive around school children marching around the city. They all are in their outfits, singing and marching about practicing ready for the 17th.

We arrived at the location to meet the boat and tour leader, collected our life vests, snorkels, masks and flippers and got on the old and decrepit wooden boats and set off on a 30 min trip to the coral reef we would be snorkelling around.

The day was hot, around 34 degrees by 10am and so we were really thankful that we would be spending the day at sea and in the water (which was also really warm). We arrived at the coral reef, jumped in and entered a totally different world. I’ve been snorkelling before but I have never experienced fish like it! All colours, all sizes and all very inquisitive and happy to investigate this new person to their world. I managed 6 mins of GoPro footage before my camera turned itself off but what I got I was really pleased with. This coral reef was nicknamed “the wall” and I’m not surprised at all. The reef itself was huge but suddenly you came to a huge drop off where there was nothing but a vast open ocean beneath you. You’d carry on swimming and suddenly there would be another wall of coral. Very strange but utterly beautiful!

After an hour of swimming about and seeing clown fish and blue starfish, we climbed back on board the boat and headed to an island for lunch. We sat, watched the world go by, ate our lunch and then headed back to civilisation on the boats. What a morning!!

The rest of the afternoon was a free afternoon and I sat and read and just enjoyed a bit of nothingness before we headed out on foot for dinner. We were taking to the beach closest to our hotel and just round the corner where a large table with 13 chairs had been placed for a private dinner. A lady had spent all morning preparing our dinner for us which consisted of plates and plates of wonderful things such as Blue Marlen, Satay Chicken, Shrimp Crackers, Noodles, Fried Rice, Green Bean and Corn mixed with chilli and various other dishes. We spent a few hours eaten and chatting and laughing and joking about the differences that Canada, England and the USA use such different words for the same thing. After dinner we thanked the lady “sooksamah” is Bali for thank you and headed off for a cocktail with the group, then bed! It had been a long day!