I’m so happy to be finally writing this blog after several months of uncertainty. It’s even more serendipitous that it’s all come together at New Year, a symbol of regeneration and new beginnings. This is BIG news, and big changes are afoot for us.
Continue reading “New Year, New Beginnings!”
We return from Sorong after our latest visa extension run to find that Hans has started building a new house over the water. His parents are still away in Waisai trying to sort out the ownership dispute over the nearby small island (Pulau Dayan Kecil), so Hans has singlehandedly managed to build the foundation and frame and has already started on the roof in the one week we’ve been away.
Continue reading “The House That Hans Built”
We’re willing guinea pigs for Hans, who’s setting up a homestay at Dayang and wants to work out what adventures his guests might like. So we’re more than happy to oblige when he asks us to play tourists for the day.
Continue reading “Waterfalls, Barbecues, and Sunsets”
When you’re cooped up on a boat with someone 24/7 and there’s scarcely any other company, sometimes the conversation takes a bizarre turn. Any flies on the wall would assume we’ve gone barking mad (and they could be right). A recent topic of conversation on board Toucan started with the question “Do geckos like potato chips”? Before you run screaming for the hills, let me explain….
Continue reading “Do Geckos Like Potato Chips?”
Goodness, has it really been two months since the last post? Apologies – in the last couple of months most of our time seems to have been spent shuffling between Sorong and Batanta every couple of weeks. Not by design, but from the necessity of having to do our monthly visa extensions plus ongoing boat maintenance, none of which has been particularly exciting stuff. Still, it’s all part and parcel of the cruising life, so we can’t complain.
Continue reading “The Sorong Shuffle”
If you’re heading to Raja Ampat, Batanta is the first large island you come to after leaving Sorong. We often use it as an overnight stop on the way to the other islands, but this time we thought we’d spend more time exploring the north coast of Batanta itself. And what a gem we discovered!
Continue reading “Beautiful Batanta”