Our Own Little Paradaise



Bongoyo Island



Our Boat



Our Beach Hut

 Today was amazing! We woke up early, took a couple of dala dala’s to the coast, and then got on a boat to head out to Bongoyo Island.  The boat was a single masted small ship, that had just enough room for all of us to fit in it.  The sea was fairly calm, although we had a few who felt a little motion sick toward the end of the ride.  We reached the island and our eyes met beautiful white sand, turquoise blue water, and rustic cabana style huts.  The island is a fairly small one, and we had it completely to ourselves until about 10:00 when another ship arrived with tourists.  The island boasts one restaurant, which serves fish and chips, as well as beach huts and snorkel gear for renting.  We changed and snagged some snorkel fins and headed back out on the boat to the snorkeling area around the bend.  We jumped from the ship into the water and were immediately immersed in an array of sea life.  Now I have to say, I am very spoiled in that I learned to snorkel in Hawaii, where the fish and reefs are absolutely stunning, and unfortunately, all other snorkeling now pares in comparison.  However, it was still neat to see the fish, coral, anemones, and sea urchins.  I even saw a box fish!  The water was about 10 feet deep and somewhat murky, but contained lots of coral and sea plants.  After climbing back in the boat, we headed back to shore for some lunch: the local special of freshly caught fish and fried chips (French fries).  This was my first time eating a whole fish and I was very proud of myself!  Looking at the fish’s eye while eating it is somewhat creepy, but we all managed to get over that part.  Then it was off for a hike into the inner part of the island.  Mr. Godde, Colleen and I went for the hike and followed a trail that led to the other side of the island.  When we went to take a different trail back, we ended up getting lost, and it took us about three times as long to get back to our cabana as it did to go to the other side of the island.  But, on the bright side, Colleen and I were master shell hunters and found two HUGE conch shells that we plan on adding to our collection.  While on the beach, we also saw a tide pool that was filled with enormous eels (think 4 inches in diameter and 3 feet long).  They looked like something out of Harry Potter!  And, much to Trudy’s dismay, we saw a giant python curled up on a rock off of the trail.  The highlight of the day was definitely….EVERYTHING.  It was an awesome adventure and I can’t wait to see what the other weekend trips bring.  Supposedly they are even better!  All of us are salt covered now, and waiting for dinner at 8:00 which is at the Godde’s house.  Yet, none of us are able to take showers because the water is out yet again.  I think I may start a count of the days where we have both power and electricity for the entire day.  So far, our count would be zero.  Anyway, talk to you all later!

Erin