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TRAVEL
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April15
Local sights
Bunaken has a couple of local villages, and
we strolled through the centre of the island
to check these out. The path through the
interior revealed a fascinatingmix of coconut
palms, scratching chickens, banana trees,
bougainvillea gardens, kids playing soccer
and naughty black piglets. Motorcycles and
motorcycle utilities (
bahjais
) were the only
vehicles. We discovered that, for a small fee,
the cargo can be unloaded from the
bahjai
and five tired tourists loaded on instead for
a trip back to Cha Cha Resort.
We departed via a glassy ocean on
a day so perfect it felt almost contrived.
Right on cue, our boat was joined
by a pod of dolphins. They rode the
bow wave and rolled over to look at
us, perhaps pondering the question
of who had provided this free surfing
opportunity. As we edged away from
the islands, the dolphins peeled off,
seemingly unwilling to give up paradise
and go the way of the mainland. Given
the choice, I’d do the same.