The Moluccas: Splendors (and Struggles) of an Archipelago Unknown to Tourists (page 6 of 7)

Hey there!

Your trip sounds amazing! I’ve traveled through a bunch of places like that in Indonesia too. But one thing I don’t get—especially since it’s not your first time there—is why you didn’t pick up some Bahasa Indonesia? It’s not a super complicated language to pronounce or conjugate, and it’s a total game-changer for communicating in spots like that. 😉

Hi Philippe, Thanks for the tip about Bunaken... but unfortunately, I’m no longer in Indonesia 😜... all good things must come to an end.

Yeah, I know the public boat—cheap, really nice with water bottles and people playing cards. We took it twice in 2016, and it’s true that crossing the market is amazing (they don’t make much effort for tourists to find this boat—it’s all about business with the private ones): This year, we treated ourselves to a private boat for the outbound trip and took the public one on the way back (since we arrived at the port at 9 AM and didn’t feel like waiting until 2–3 PM for the public boat—schedules are flexible, as we saw last time).

You mentioned Lorenzo, whom we chose in 2016 for the reason you mentioned: it drops you right in front with a clear passage through the mangrove (otherwise, it’s not easy at low tide). This year, we wanted to try somewhere else—the rest is in my upcoming trip report!

.... Why didn’t you learn Bahasa Indonesia? It’s not a very complicated language to pronounce or conjugate, and it’s a game-changer for communicating in places like this.😉

Out of laziness... and because I’m not great with languages 😛 Plus, I’ve read multiple times that Bahasa isn’t hard... bummer

Hello, Great travel journal, thanks! And sorry you couldn’t make it to Hatta. That’s what’s holding me back from planning a trip there, as a huge snorkeling fan.

We almost crossed paths in Bunaken (Seagarden and Panorama) by just a few days. I was there in October, and I can confirm the white-tip reef shark (we saw it in front of both resorts) isn’t dangerous. We also spotted sea snakes, and rarer critters like the cowfish, black triggerfish, porcupinefish with turquoise eyes, dartfish and fire gobies, nudibranchs, tons of moray eels and different scorpionfish... In short, an amazing spot for snorkeling.

Looking forward to the rest, and any info on the SITARO and SANGIHE archipelagos.

We almost crossed paths in Bunaken (Seagarden and Panorama) by just a few days. I was there in October, and I can confirm the white-tip reef shark (which we saw in front of both resorts) isn’t dangerous. We also spotted sea snakes and rarer critters like the cowfish, black triggerfish, porcupinefish with turquoise eyes, dartfish and firefish, nudibranchs, tons of different moray eels and scorpionfish... In short, an amazing spot for snorkeling.

Hi, Is that Bunaken in your avatar photo or somewhere in the Philippines?

I confirm about the white-tip reef shark (we saw it in front of both resorts)—it’s not dangerous. We also spotted snakes and rarer creatures like the cowfish, black triggerfish, porcupinefish with turquoise eyes, dartfish and firefish, nudibranchs, tons of moray eels, and different scorpionfish,

I saw 2 or 3 harmless snakes (but I still don’t like them much) and 1 whose bite is deadly (this was in 2016, according to Lorenzo, who we were staying with). BBBBbbrrrrr, luckily it almost never bites 🤪 The next day, we were a little nervous in the water!

... Anyway, it’s an amazing destination for snorkeling.

YES 🙂 . In 2016, we hadn’t planned to go, but a couple from Austria we met in the Togians strongly recommended it... we didn’t regret it since we went back in 2018, when it wasn’t planned either (to be continued in the next episode 😄)

I can’t wait for the rest, and for info on the SITARO and SANGIHE archipelagos.

The Bunaken trip report is taking a while to come 😛 (tomorrow, I think), but SITARO and SANGIHE—it’s not me!

Hello, No, this is a photo of Paradise Beach on Koh Yao, Yao Noi in Thailand.

@Eiger, some say the snake’s mouth is too small to bite us unless it manages to grab an earlobe. In that case, its venom is deadly... but it’s not aggressive (unless you really annoy it or block its breathing).

On the other hand, I came across two bigger ones, yellowish, in Alor (Indonesia) that seem really dangerous and more aggressive (if the internet isn’t lying to me). They were busy with some romantic stuff 😉, so I didn’t stick around...

That cute little striped knit? It was in 20 cm of water next to a cone (a pretty deadly seashell too...). Komodo



Watch out for this seashell...

According to the Bajau, it’s almost impossible to get bitten—they told me it’s on the skin between the thumb and index finger—but they’re also shy despite their venom being stronger than a cobra’s. The cone shell, though, is no joke at all...

On the other hand, that cone shell isn’t funny at all...

Back in the 75/80s, you’d see a lot of them in Indonesia and the Philippines. For years now, I haven’t seen any again—like many other shells, they’ve pretty much disappeared. As for the snakes, I’d seen ones similar to the photo but with yellow and black stripes, all standing vertically with their heads poking out of holes in the sand at less than 10 meters deep.

The "banded sea krait" or banded sea snake. You see them very often while snorkeling. Their bite is deadly—it’s actually one of the most venomous creatures in existence. But it almost never bites because its mouth is too small. As mentioned earlier, it can only grab the skin between fingers. The only known accidents involve fishermen who got bitten while manually emptying their nets.

And how exactly does the "cone" kill??? I’d never heard of a deadly seashell before...

It has a deadly stinger on its tail. It shoots out super fast and is super powerful. ..

🏴‍☠️ oh yeah, nice! Anyway, if you don’t know anything about diving... don’t touch anything!

🏴‍☠️ Oh yeah, nice! Anyway, if you don’t know anything about diving... don’t touch anything!

Whether you know about diving or not, the rule is not to touch the animals or the coral.....

🏴‍☠️ Oh yeah, nice! Anyway, if we don’t know anything about diving... we don’t touch anything!

Whether you know about diving or not, the rule is not to touch the animals or the coral.....

+1

Whether you're into diving or not, the rule is not to touch the animals or the coral.....

A bit like lions in South Africa...😏

According to the Bajau, it’s almost impossible to get bitten—they told me on the skin between the thumb and index finger—but they’re also timid despite their venom being stronger than a cobra’s.

That’s what I’d heard, but when you’ve got a sea cobra 1 meter away, even if you tell yourself it almost never kills, it’s not exactly fun . As for cone shells, I didn’t see any in Komodo, but I’ll keep the advice in mind. Like Régis said, I always follow the rule: "don’t touch the animals or the coral."

Whether you're experienced in diving or not, the rule is not to touch the animals or corals.....

A bit like lions in South Africa...

And yet, I was more tempted to pet that big cat 3 meters away from me in the Serengeti than any creature in the water... but I didn’t try either. It’s a bit like the sea serpent: the guide assured us there was no risk, but with a little jump, *whoosh*, it was on us 😕

Hello, that photo is amazing!

Most sea snakes are dangerous and can attack humans. For those interested: www.google.com/...P0kTsiJdmlX4DHjjB1Xo

caledonie-csm.e-monsite.com/...ations-serpents....

Anyway, I was already charged by a big yellow-striped sea snake off the coast of Ouvéa, and I can tell you—even though I’ve never been afraid of snakes (I used to raise them as a kid)—well, that time I was really scared. It might’ve just been curious, but that wasn’t written on its forehead!

As for the geography cone in Marifb’s photo: Check out this short video to understand—plus, there’s apparently no antivenom. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SvYnNR9byU

So stay cautious, especially when you’re hours or even days away from a hospital. See you on the forum!