Exploring Batu Moncho and Golden Passage

Today was all about the snorkeling, with two excursions planned – the first one to Batu Moncho and the second to Golden Passage.  Overnight, we had completed a long relocation sail and had arrived off the coast of Batu Moncho, within Komodo National park just before breakfast.  I had discovered that wet suits were available so had borrowed a short one to see if that would help keep me warm.  I also loosened the strap on the mask to hopefully secure a better fit without my face going numb or having to endure the Circle of Shame for hours afterwards.

There was the option for an early morning tender ride at 6.30am with the potential for wildlife spotting.  I fired up my big camera lens and headed out (ManpanionTM decided to bank a few more zzz’s) and was rewarded with some fairly decent shots of a white-bellied sea eagle.  There were also a couple of Beach Stone curlews (also entertainingly named the Beach Thick-knee (seems a little harsh to me)) doinking around the shoreline, so they were fun to watch too.  The landscape was one of oddly shaped limestone hills – apparently, they are nicknamed the “Tellytubby Hills” so that gives you an idea of what they looked like!

After the tender ride, it was time for breakfast ahead of the first snorkel of the day, exploring the waters around Batu Moncho reef.  Courtney very kindly agreed to share some of her photos and videos with me from our excursions – I may have muddled some of the locations and dates up, but you get the general idea!!  As a result of the modifications I’d made to my kit, I was a whole lot more comfortable during our snorkeling and so enjoyed it more, rather than gritting my chattering teeth and wondering whether it would be over soon.  It’s pretty zen to float above the coral, letting the current take you, just watching all the fishes and wondering what they think about.   Dean had said the snorkeling would be even better today – and he was right.   We saw turtles again, as well as some bigger fish (sorry, can’t remember any of the names!) so it was definitely worth it!

The second snorkel excursion after lunch in a place called Golden Passage was similar to the morning – with the added bonus of some lovely hot spots of water where it really did feel like you were in a bathtub! (I was again grateful, though, for the wetsuit).  For most of our excursions we were split into 2 smaller groups – both to fit into the tenders and to make the group size more manageable for our guides but also, I think, to corral the children into just one squealing, overexcited group.  I did not envy Dean his job of keeping them (and their parents!) in line while also keeping the peace and maintaining a relaxed atmosphere.  The man is a diplomat extraordinaire.

After the last snorkeling excursion, there was another episode of “Ring of Fire – An Indonesian Odyssey” offered downstairs in the Salon.  I gave it a miss and instead caught up on my blog and just chilled out on the deck.  Dinner brought a wonderful surprise – Dean and the crew had set-up a private dining area for ManpanionTM and I down on the swim deck (the area where we get on the tenders) and so we got to enjoy a SUPER romantic dinner, just the two of us, under the stars.  It was lovely – the lights on the back of the boat occasionally illuminating some fish swimming by, with our Spotify playlist of mushy duets connected to the Bose speaker that had been set up to provide some background music (we made sure not to connect to the whole boat by accident!).  It was a really thoughtful gesture – I’m not sure quite how much ManpanionTM was involved in setting it up vs Dean – but it felt really special, so thank you Dean and crew.  What a unique experience with which to celebrate 10 years of togetherness.

And with that, another day over and our time onboard starting to run into its final few days.  This part of our trip has really felt like a true vacation – the combination of chill time and activities, the spacious and comfortable quarters, the friendliness and cheerfulness of the crew, the cool and interesting people we’ve met (we’re not the youngest!), the OUTSTANDING food that proves that it doesn’t have to be made out of weird rubber to be tasty, all combined with the luxury of padding about barefoot while on board (I am SO grateful I found time to get that pedicure before we left!) has really made these few days feel very luxurious and relaxing.  We are DEFINITELY going to be doing this again.