Raja Ampat, West Papua, New Guinea, Sulawesi, and Lembeh Strait. Most people say, “Where’s that?” Then you say Bali and they know you are speaking of Indonesia. There are thousands of islands that make up this region of the world. Everyone knows of Bali but there is so much more. The area is just north of Australia. Getting there is about a 2 day trip with numerous layovers in LA, Seoul, Korea and Jakarta. It is a definite trek to get there but well worth it.

First, Raja Ampat; an island area off of West Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) of the island of New Guinea. A week aboard the live aboard boat Archipelago Adventurer II, a luxury boat just about 115 ft. long and very wide so the staterooms are spacious. The cuisine was incredible with a chef trained in Bali and with over 20 crew members and only 11 divers, everyone was treated incredible. Diving in this area is fairly new and is probably the least dove place in the world. A school of barracudas, large humphead parrot fish, and massive amounts of soft coral make up a part of these reefs.

Raja Ampat, West Papua, New Guinea, Sulawesi, and Lembeh Strait. Most people say, “Where’s that?” Then you say Bali and they know you are speaking of Indonesia. There are thousands of islands that make up this region of the world. Everyone knows of Bali but there is so much more. The area is just north of Australia. Getting there is about a 2 day trip with numerous layovers in LA, Seoul, Korea and Jakarta. It is a definite trek to get there but well worth it.

First, Raja Ampat; an island area off of West Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) of the island of New Guinea. A week aboard the live aboard boat Archipelago Adventurer II, a luxury boat just about 115 ft. long and very wide so the staterooms are spacious. The cuisine was incredible with a chef trained in Bali and with over 20

crew members and only 11 divers, everyone was treated incredible. Diving in this area is fairly new and is probably the least dove place in the world. A school of barracudas, large humphead parrot fish, and massive amounts of soft coral make up a part of these reefs.Then off to Lembeh Straits on the island of Sulawesi. This area is world renown for muck diving. Muck diving? you ask “What’s that?” Volcanic sand is dark and murky on the bottom of the ocean floor. It may not sound or look interesting but with experienced dive masters you find the most incredible critters or marine life in the world. A Stargazer Snake Eel, Pegasus Seamoth, Helmut Gurnard, Frogfish, Porcelain Crab, Lion Fish, Ribbon Eels, Sea Snakes, and loads of nudibranchs (colorful sea slugs). No big stuff, but it has to be the most interesting place to dive and the best place for macro (close up) photography so a photographers dream!
Accommodations are at the Kasawari Lembeh Resort outside the town of Bitung. The resort offers a waterfront view where you dive right off the resort as many dive sites are just a couple minutes ride. The dive and photo facilities are a full set up for everyone. Walking outside the resort, you find a small village with 2 churches and lots of kids. One can feel like the pied piper walking down the street. The people come out of their hoses to greet you and stare at a white person but greet you with a hearty hello. Indonesia has to be the friendliest place as all people wave at your when you walk or drive by. They are genuinely interested in saying hello. Taking a photo of them is fun especially when you show them the picture on your digital camera.

When you aren’t diving you can see the small zoo, fish market, and local markets of the area. The best time to see the fish market is early so a 5 a.m. wake up got us there by 6 a.m. This area is well known for the Tersius Monkey which is the smallest monkey in the world. One can go into an enclosure to see them close up. They have a lot of different animals and the large monkeys were fun to interact with. Then off to Bali. We fly in to Denpasar and then a short ride to Ubud, the place you may recognize from the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. The Kejane Resort in the middle of town is a surprise with beautiful walkways landscaped with flowers and then sets of 4 bungalows. You can’t be treated nicer than at this place. They take care of you as most places do in Indonesia. In Indonesia, motor bikes are the mode of transportation and even young school kids start driving at the age of 9 or 10 though you don’t get your license till the age of 17. The roads are pretty tricky but a ride was definitely on the schedule. No helmet was offered but the ride was pretty safe on the back with my 30 year od driver Ketut. $10 took care of a whole day of riding around to Mas, the town with massive and intricate wood carvings to the Elephant Cave of Bedulo.
      

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