Sept 25-Oct 12
Hi All,
We are now back aboard Mystic after a very delightful and relaxing 2 week vacation to Wakatobi and Bali!!! We now have about 2 weeks to put Mystic to bed for a few months while we go back to the USA to see our family and friends!!
Wakatobi: We spent 11 nights at the Wakatobi dive Resort….8 at the Resort and 3 nights on their liveaboard dive boat called Palegian!!! Last year when we dove Komodo the dive masters debated which was the best dive location in Indonesia……some liked Komodo, some liked Wakatobi and some liked Raja Ampat…..well, we have now dove 2 out of the 3 and both are world class dive locations!!!! We hope to do Raja Ampat the winter of 2019 when Mystic is in Sitka Alaska and we need a break from the cold!!!!
“Wakatobi is a luxury dive resort in southeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia. In a tranquil island setting far from crowds and cities, with no other divers for at least 100 miles, Wakatobi seamlessly blends five-star amenities and civilized comforts with a pristine natural environment; a pairing that has secured its reputation as one of the world’s finest resorts……”
Indeed we will rate this dive resort 5-stars……probably the best dive resort we have visited……the Service was the best, simply outstanding…..can you say hot, steaming mint scented towel when you finished your dive…….a new standard on Mystic now…yeah right:)))) The food was also some of the best we have had in quite a while….fresh wahoo and tuna, Australian beef tenderloin, ribeye and lamb as well as local Indonesian dishes like Gabo Gabo and Soto Ayam.
Wakatobi is famous for it’s small, micro size critters…..like the pygmy seahorse……there are certainly other locations where we have seen larger schools of fish or bigger animals but the beauty of the reefs with the huge variety of fish and other critters was….well, mind blowing. In fact, Kathy and I usually dive 2 dives a day….2 in the morning and then relax in the afternoon……but these dives were such a “wow” we started doing a 3rd dive in the afternoon….whoa!!!
In fact we dove so much that I ended up with an ear infection….oweeeee….not want you want on a dive vacation……I’ve never had ear issues but then again this is the most diving I’ve ever done in such a short period of time!!!! It was on my 17th dive……3rd dive of Day 6 when I started to go down I had tremendous ear pain……came back up…..pain went away…..tried again…..oweeeee……no go, aborted the dive. Went to see the Resort nurse and yep, you have an inflamed ear canal….all red et al……whaaaaa!!! Fortunately Kathy brought some strong antibiotics, so we dosed me with the drug and some ear drops and I did not dive for 36 hours……I then tried a morning dive on Saturday……no go……but then on Sunday…..our last day to dive…..I was able to do the last 2 dives albeit I had to stay shallow……mainly 15-25′ although I did get down to 38′. Even as I write this blog……5 days since diving I still have some fluid in the ears……arghhhhhh!!!!! In all we both did about 20 dives…..we could have done close to 24!!!!!
I have now taken over 6 days to sort through all the Go Pro pictures and videos. We have close to 200 underwater pics some of which are really, really good…..amazing!!! I’ll go ahead and post the underwater pictures and other photos of our trip and then post the videos when we get back to USA and have better internet. Kathy posted about 50 pictures on Facebook and got some great repsonses!!!
Bali: Last year while spending time on the Rally in Lovina (north Bali), we did several day trips and one was to Ubud which we just loved. It is such a different world…..very peaceful, picturesque with all the Hindu temples, terraced rice paddies and lush tropical rainforests. We stayed at the Warrick Ibah, which was built by a Royal family and looks very much like an ancient Royal Palace.
https://warwickhotels.com/ibah/
“In 2006, secluded luxury found a home when Warwick Ibah Luxury Villas & Spa opened in comfortably lush Ubud, Bali. The open walls of the resort not only invite in Balinese beauty but also beckon guests to savour the natural serenity. Rustling foliage and trickling water are but a backdrop to the sumptuous styling and modern accommodations expected from the Warwick name. Hand-carved furnishings, stone walls and thatched roofs are present throughout the resort’s villas, suites and meeting facilities. Paired with service as calming as Ubud itself, the choreography of comfort and elegance creates a stay that is truly Balinese. Welcome to Warwick Ibah Luxury Villas & Spa.”
One of the reasons we went back to Ubud was for the art. We went to a coop of over 150 artists….many grand masters and just fell in love with the various paintings. But, last year, we naively concluded we couldn’t get the paintings back on Mystic and to the USA safely….au contraire…..we heard from several of our friends that said they had gone to Bali and had the various galleries ship the art back to the USA….duh!!! OK…..we have a mission…..and unfortunately I gave PK no budget…..you would think after 41 years of marriage I would know better……but, of course, Kathy found “THE” painting from a grand master and we both were mesmerized……ok, I was born to negotiate and after 15 min of negotiating we had the painting….but oh wait……PK says but I like our second choice too…..so another round of negotiating and we now are the proud owners of 2 paintings….oh, the memories!!!!
In the 2+ days we were there……we went to the art galleries, to the Tegallalang rice fields (last year we went to the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces which we like more…..Tegallalang was much smaller but quite beautiful as well), had a great late afternoon lunch at Bridges, lots of shopping, went to a Legong traditional Balinese dance performance and then concluded the whole affair with a 90 minute Balinese massage….. then the last meal at Bebek Bengil for the crispy duck…..a local Balinese specialty…..yummers!!!!
So…..that was it…..a 14 day true vacation!!!!!!
The Plan: We have both been rigorously working off our “to do” list to put Mystic to bed for a few months and get her ready for the long passages in 2018. I’ll post another blog next week to summarize all the projects we have been doing before we head back to the USA on October 25th!!!
Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
Kota Kinabalu Malaysia on Borneo
PS: 2 galleries on the website:
http://mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/Wakatobi-Bali
http://mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/Wakatobi-Underwater-Dive
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