Journal of Kay Goon

Paradise DOES exist ! My last weekend spent in the islands of the Coral Triangle was the nearest I got to Paradise ! I did not know what to expect and I think that this made the trip even more fascinating and awesome. At the end of the 3 days I came away with an experience that included primeval landscapes, prehistoric creatures, cool clear bright and deep blue seas, dazzlingly white sands, smiling Kampung children who have so little in life but are happy because they know nothing better, friendly simple and innocent fishing folk living in a world apart from ours and coral amd marine life that in your wildest imagination you cannot conjure up both in variety and sheer beauty. I now realise that in our lifetime we will still never know the bounty, marvel and untold riches of nature. It was an experience that was both humbling as well as unbelievably enriching for the human soul. Nothing in life can compare to the value of what nature has given us for free !!

Last Friday, we flew to Bali for a short overnight stay . The next morning our Group of 14 flew to Bima on the island of Sumbawa where we boarded a propeller plane for Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores. A charming village town reminiscent of Mersing but more heavily populated. From Labuan Bajo we took a speedboat to our 'live-aboard " vessel the Sea Safari - a charming replica of a Bugis schooner with wooden decks and cabins - which was to be our home for the 3 days. Sunset on the top deck curled up in a comfy deck chair with the breeze in my hair was one of many highlights of the trip !