The Coral Islands and Flying Foxes of Riuing

I sleep long and well and without the need of a sleeping tablet. Alisha and my alarm sound in unison at 7:00 A.M. and we prepare our snorkeling equipment and day pack for the boat. The day before our flight to Indonesia, I purchased a new snorkel and mask.  When I unpack it and clean the mask with anti-fog gel, I notice several ants in our clogged bathroom sink. I dutifully rescue them from drowning only to discover that my entire snorkel is filled with large black ants. I rush outside with the snorkel and lay it in the sun and watch a parade of ants exit from the open end. How and when did they take up residency? 

Ants in my snorkel

Breakfast at the Delmar Hotel

Breakfast is an overcooked and over salted omelette, sweet papaya and mangos and weak coffee. We depart at 8:30 A.M. to drive the few short blocks to the fishing dock. 

Riuing fishing village

A block from our guesthouse, Yanze reminds me that we will need to pay 100,000 each for park fees. ($8 each) I tell him I have left most of my money back in the room and suggest that we turn around but he tells me he can pay the park fee for us and that I can pay him back.  We sign the register and pay the fee but there is an additional $15,000 each ticket fee for snorkeling and I dig into my day pack for the additional $3.00. Our barbecue fish lunch on the beach will be included and prior to the snorkeling fee, I had enough money to tip our two boatmen for the day trip, but I am already worrying and scolding myself for not having brought along an extra $5 or $10 dollars. We walk along the long pedestrian dock to our long wooden boat and meet our captain and cook. Our weather worn boat is painted blue, turquoise and white and half the length is shaded by a blue tarp; the other half by a red tarp tied to overhead supports.  I take note of the colors so that I will be able to identify our boat from the others that are motoring to the islands today. Except for the spinning tape in my head, worrying about being short on tip money, the morning is blissfully perfect. The morning sunlight reflects off of the harbor water, wooden stilt house stand askew along the shore and the coral islands float weightless on the clear horizon. 

Motoring out to the coral islands

Islands on the horizon

On the way to our first snorkeling stop, we pull alongside a small fishing dingy and our captain, Achoo buys a freshly caught, 2 foot fish for our beach barbecue lunch. Great fun to be going to the fish market on the open ocean.  

Achoo buys a fish for our lunch

Yance catches a reef fish

20 minutes later we anchor off shore from our first snorkeling spot. Alisha and I have decided not to wear sunscreen and contaminate the water but we are wearing long sleeve rash guard shirts and shorts over our swimsuits for sun protection. We climb down the three rung wooden ladder and slip into the water. The ocean is calm and bathwater warm and after adjusting our snorkels and masks we swim weightlessly along the edge of the coral reef. Initially, I am disappointed by the lack of live coral, but there is considerable fish life and healthy coral away from the anchoring area for the boats. My new mask works wonderfully and I am grateful that I discovered the ant invasion before donning my mask and inhaling a stream of ant bodies. We snorkel for an hour slowly working our way along the outer edge of the reef and towards the strip of beach where we will be picked up by our boat. At this snorkeling stop, perhaps 30% of the coral is thriving and we see many anemones caressing their resident pairs of clown fish. Alisha has her go-pro and dives down to capture two brilliant orange and black clown fish within a lush burnt orange anemone. They dart towards the camera, scolding Alisha for intruding on their privacy. Alisha records their antics with her GoPro and believes they may be protecting their eggs? Tiny lime green fish hover and dart among blue tipped stag horned coral and small fish of all shapes, colors and patterns are plentiful. I point out a small Tridacna clam burrowed deep within a rock and Alisha dives down to investigate it’s fleshy blue and purple lips. I stop comparing this snorkeling site to our over the top snorkeling experience off of Apo Island in the Philippines and focus on the remarkable jeweled undersea wonderland that surrounds me. We wade up onto the beach and my prior water weightlessness combined with a sudden cramp in my leg causes me to fall face forward in the sand. Alisha and a tall handsome European man haul me up and I struggle to release the leg cramp and regain my dignity.

A walk to the end of the island

We motor a short distance to another island and once again, slip into the ocean. The coral here is considerably more lush and teeming with life. I spot a large barrel shaped coral some 10 feet below and grab Alisha’s fin to show her. There is an open cavity in the center and Alisha dives down and reports that there are 3 – 4 lion fish taking shelter within the dark cavity. Alisha motions to a group of three young men nearby and directs them to the lion fish cavern below. Both at this stop and the prior stop, there are less than 20 snorkelers in the water and Alisha and i are two of the last to exit the water. Our Dutch friends, Jan, Marije and Famke are on another boat and they alternate sunbathing and swimming in the shallow water. Alisha asks Jan the father, what his favorite thing was that they saw snorkeling? He replies, “the sea turtles.” Alisha’s mouth drops open and he laughs and tells her he is only joking.

An island lunch break with Jan, Marije and Famke

While lunch is being prepared, Alisha and I walk to the end of the island. We find a few hermit crabs and pick up some trash until it is obvious that we cannot make a dent in the litter. The Dutch family eats their lunch on the sand but our captain suggests we eat on our boat which suits me fine. I have a bench to sit on and the tarps shade me and there is no sand in my food. The captain uncovers a round picnic bento box that his wife has prepared. The bottom layer is steamed rice, followed by spicy vegetable noodles and a cold vegetable salad. I say a silent prayer that we will not get sick and take servings of it all. The barbecued fish is excellent and Alisha and I share a nice filet and then go back for more. I feel badly that our guide, captain and deck hand wait for us to finish before serving themselves.

Yance and the crew eat afterwards 

Lunch on the boat

I am still worried about being short on a tip and when Alisha takes a quick snorkel after lunch she asks Jan if he has an extra 100,000 Rupiah to spare until we get back to our guest cottage? Fortunately he does and discretely passes Alisha the bill.

The coral reef surrounding the final island is by far the best and we swim weightlessly above the wonderland of coral. At the edge of the reef are corals that I have never seen before. Huge ochre petals, many 4-6 feet across, cling and descend down the outer bank of the reef.

Castaways

In clouds over in the late afternoon as we motor over towards the mangroves to see the “flying fox” bat colonies. Alisha is awe of the trees dripping with thousands of large fruit bats.

Flying fox colony in the mangroves 

Mangroves trees dripping with fruit bats

Mangrove trees dripping with fruit bats

We are able to anchor very close to the bats and before I know it, Yance begins throwing coconut shells and hooting at the roosting bats. Many take flight and their reddish transparent wings are backlit in the late afternoon light. It is a spectacular sight but I know it is wrong. I was here 10 years ago and a female naturalist guide who had left the rat race in Canada to join the bat race in Riuing, was trying to change the habits of the locals by insisting that the bats be left undisturbed. After Yance’s initial flurry of coconut throwing, the bats slowly return to roost. We watch for 30 minutes more, our boat peacefully rocking in the shelter of the mangroves. When the bats are settled again, Yance stands to throw more coconut bits but I ask him not to disturb them again.

The flying foxes in flight

Bats in flight

Alisha watching the bats

We motor back to the tiny Riuing harbor, tip our boatmen and drive the short distance back to our guest cottage. It is late afternoon and when we arrive and the generator has not yet been turned on. Last night we needed to take showers by flashlight and so as not to be left in the dark, we take our cold showers immediately and notice that the backs of our legs are beginning to flame with sunburn. We may not have added to the pollution on the coral reefs by using sunscreen but we both will be paying the price with terrible sunburns. With the salt rinsed from our bodies, we lather our burns with lotion and Alisha and I walk into the village. Last night, we were not prepared with lollypops but this evening we pass out sour apple pops to the beautiful, curious children who we encounter. Most ask to have their photos taken and we show them their photos on our phone screens and delight in their giggles. One precocious little girl, Alexis, intuitively scrolls backwards and forwards on the screen with her finger.

Riuing village children

A mother sits on her front stoop, her brood around her and bathes a fat baby boy in a tub of soapy water. She beckons us to come into her yard and her photogenic and happy family crowd around her.

Bath time for the baby

Mother and daughter in pink

Back at our guest hotel, we sit in the open air restaurant, watch the gecko channel above and share a large Bintang beer. (The gecko channel is one of my favorites in tropical climates. It is a life and death battle between the insects and the geckos that takes place nightly around bare electric bulbs.) We order chicken skewers and fried potatoes but before the food arrives my vision goes dark, narrowing to a pinprick of light in the center and I begin to spin. This happens in an instant and Alisha sees my unfocused dazed eyes and walks me the few steps to our room. I am hot, faint and my sunburn is blazing but back in the cool dark of the room, and after using the bathroom, I feel better almost instantly. Alisha helps me into bed and I assure her that I will be O.K. and insist that she go back out to the restaurant and enjoy herself. 30 minutes later she returns to the room with an offering of two chicken skewers. I nibble on one, drink some water and fall asleep. Alisha attributes my faintness to too much sun exposure.