I am at it again, and i have something special planned for this year.
The beginning: I had a shock at 1am the morning of my flight that was supposed to leave at 3:30pm for the beginning of my trip, first stop Indonesia. It would be delayed, which meant that i might not make my connection in Chicago. I just don't trust that the plane would really leave at the newly scheduled time. I made some calls and got on a wait list for the 6am flight (no guarantees). Some of you know me well enough to know that i tend to procrastinate a bit. I was 'pretty much' packed, a few piles here and there, but i thought i had 5+ hrs in the morning. Frantically, i stuffed my bags and got to the airport in Kzoo, to see if i would be lucky. The flight was full, but i spent a lot of time with the 'guys' that checked me in, telling my story... and they, somehow, got me on that flight. Good to know that my Guardian Travel Angels were with me again. Now in Chicago at 6AM, for a flight that leaves at 6:45 PM. Last year i had the same amount of time scheduled, and paid for a One Day Pass to American Airlines Lounge. It was a good investment last year, and a good one this year; although the price increased by $20 :) It is quite peaceful there: lots of food and drink, and places to rest... i even found a quiet sleeping lounge were i took a nap. It is called 'traveling' ... and i know to be ready and not let it upset me, too much :)
The flight left on time and 14hrs later, landing in Doha, Qatar. A plus, there was no one in the middle seat, but it is still a long flight. I had 8hrs in Doha, so i took a bus tour of the City. We had an American woman who had moved there 15yrs ago, it was great to be able to understand her. I took a video as we were riding on the bus, but it is only helpful to hear what she has to say. I have few photos, some taken from the moving bus, and generally on the 'wrong' side of the bus :) It was night there, and the city is lit up like Christmas.
I've tried to do a summary below. If you are not interested, just skip down.
Qatar: Don't hold me to any of these statements; check the internet if you have questions :)
-was British Protectorate from 1916, in 1971 became independent, so all this was built in 53 years.
-Qatar is pronounced Gut'-ar, the people are called Qatari's 'Gut'taries' ... check YouTube :)
-current leader is 42yrs old, has served for 10yrs
-more men than women ... 'good place to look for a husband'
-only 10-15% of the population are citizens ... there was a great need for educated and uneducated people, .. so they came, and stayed
-100 yrs ago, was a quiet desert w/few jobs: pearl diver/merchant, goat/camel herders, date palm farmer, fishing, ..but mostly the pearl culture business
-early last century, Japanese man discovered how to seed oysters and made cultured pears... killed the native pearl businesses
-then discovery of oil & gases (more than one gas), main source is liquid natural gas LNG, which is... chilled methane
-now #1 exporter of helium and propane .. NAAS is their biggest customer
-there is NO unemployment, and NO crime. You can leave your lap top and phone on the table, and go to the bathroom, and it will still be there when you return. i did not test this theory.
-realized their wealth was based on finite resources ... so need to build for future ... need to diversify: infrastructure, mfg, banking, tourism ... and host sporting events.
-1982 Sheraton was first 5star hotel, it looks like a flat-topped pyramid. Our Guide recalled flying into Doha in 1999, and that was the ONLY thing she could see in a vast desert.
-Won bid for World Cup in 2010, had 12 yrs to build infrastructure needed... metro system underground , hotels, business centers....
-974 Stadium was modular designed of 974 shipping containers, so it can be disassembled (first of it's kind) ...and shipped to a poorer country that needed a sports stadium
-country 'opened up' in 2011
-Natural Museum of Qatar, inspired by the gypsum Desert Rose Crystal, found in Qatar. It is made from 539 discs, there are no right angles.
-Their flag is an unusual in that it is twice as wide as it is tall
-There is a cruise ship port.
-World's second largest population of Dugong's (similar to a manatee), herds of 600-700, Australia is first
-National animal is the Oryx, a gazelle, with long spear-like horns, white with a beautifully marked face.
-National bird is the Falcon
-Weather: Oct-Mar is good.... Mar-Oct is unbearable. A woman actually bakes cookies in her car ... 50C... 122F
-Downtown building structures have a clad overlay, that provides shade and keeps the buildings cooler. And maybe it's easier to put lights behind them, because they are all lit up.
-Pigeon Towers are typical on farms in dessert. They house pigeons, ... pigeons pay their rent by providing fertilizer, ....bird poop. There is one right downtown... not sure who/how poop is collected.
-The word 'Islam' means Peace
-Minaret at the Central Mosque. A minaret is tower-like structure that historically a person climbed to announce the Call to Prayer 5x per day, ... now it is recorded.
-Important for Traveling: If you need a toilet... find a Minaret... the will always be a toilet nearby.
-We got to walk around the Cultural Village, which includes the Mosque. 'We' are allowed in, but too much time, shoes off, proper clothing, etc. Also includes an amphitheater, opera, planetarium, orchestra, luxury shops, restaurants, markets, bookstore, pharmacy....
-First we used the toilet and also saw this area where the Ablution (ritual washing) takes place, before you pray.
-Small canals along the walkways... cool the air as the water evaporates. I like this idea
-We saw the Falcon Hospital ... what? ... in downtown Qatar?
and, then the Falcons ... this is the last thing i thought i'd see in Qatar ! Falcons sell for 30,000 to 1million riyals ... = $8,240 - $250,000. Strong bonds are created by Falconers... i guess so !
The have leather hoods over their eyes to keep them calm. You can buy a leather hood as a souvenir.
-We had 5min to catch a sandwich, then back on the bus.
-Got to see the camels on the way back to the bus ... nice 'digs' for a camel
On to Tulamben:
Then back to the airport, and on the plane to Bali. Another 10 hours. Bonus again, no one in the middle seat! Uneventful... that's good, .... no doors flew off the plane WTF ?
4:30pm arrival. Pay for 30day visa, immigration, customs, and out the door. Pena, who has been my Driver, and now Friend since 2019, was religiously waiting for me at the airport for the 3hr drive to Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia.
This is what the trip looks like. If you look at the map of the world...you will see that it is really the wrong way around the earth to get here ... but hey, it's the airlines ...
Matahari Tulamben Dive Resort: i was here last year at the end of March for over 3weeks. It's the only place i've stayed that has a pool! They cater to divers, i doubt there is anyone here that doesn't dive. I don't know what they would do. There literally is nothing else... a few small local restaurants, and IndoMart (7/11 type) with limited offerings. If you do want to walk somewhere; watch where you are walking, and use a light if you go at night!
A flower along the sidewalk
If you want to do sightseeing, there are other cities/places that would be a better choice to base yourself. But this is perfect for diving.
Mt Agung is in the distance. It is an active volcano, and at 9,800',
the tallest point in Bali. It last erupted in Nov 2019... i was there
in March of that year. It was spewing ash, no lava; but still a
formidable threat.
My first activity was to get Certified to dive with Nitrox. I had never understood the advantages of diving with Nitrox, until i did my last 4 dives here last year with Star and Cathy from Taiwan. When you are under water, your Dive Computer calculates how to keep you safe. It tells you how much time you have left at the particular depth you are at.
Back up a minute … I had never given this a thought. As far as i knew, you just had to be sure to check your gauge and make sure you had enough air in your tank! Simple enough! Because i never had a Dive Computer, it was understood that i would never go deeper than my Dive Guide. He had the computer, so i would be safe, if he was. Once i got a Dive Computer it was my own responsibility to keep me safe and not stay down too deep for too long a time. So, last year, i noticed that i ran out of time before they did. My computer said that i had 2min, and theirs said 18-20min. They could continue photographing where we were at that depth, but i had to go up shallower (not return, or get out, …just go up until i was in the safety zone again). I hated it! i felt like the bad child that was being sent to my room or the corner; while the rest of the group got to keep ‘playing’. That was when i understood the advantages of diving with Nitrox. So that was first on my list this year.
I met with a Dive Instructor, of course, now it is ‘e-learning’ … you go on line, and have to teach yourself. They still charge the same of course. There would be questions at the end of each section, and then a written test with the Instructor. Oh man… school again. I got through most of it, but when they started talking about partial percentages of oxygen and nitrogen, and tables, and graphs, … i was lost. My brain does not work like that, even my young brain didn’t work like that! I did the best i could, and scored enough to pass. Mom and Dad would not have been happy with my grade. I knew the important stuff that i needed to know. I really don’t know how to mix the air … that is someone else’s job! So what is it you ask?
Air is 79% nitrogen & 21% oxygen
Nitrox is 68% nitrogen & 32% oxygen
You are diving with more oxygen and less nitrogen, and that’s a good thing. .
So i am a Nitrox Certified Diver; and i don’t have to go sit in a corner while everyone else can still play !
i have been asked, and it never occurred to me, that you might not know exactly how this kind of diving works. So, here are the answers to the questions. Some of you may be thinking white sand beaches ... you could not be further from the truth!
It was a New Moon last night, so the tide was WAY out this morning. At high tide, there are barely a sliver of rocks exposed. If you paid attention in school, you probably know that the Moon controls the tides. I won't go into too much detail, because i didn't pay that much attention. :(
You saw the volcano ... black rock and sand is what you find diving here. And, the tiny critters that I share with you, LOVE this environment. This is where a Nudibranch lives. That is why i am here. You also might be surprised to learn that we do not get in a boat, go out, and dive in from the boat. No, we suit up and WALK into the water. Yes, it is difficult. You have a 40# tank on your back like a turtle, and a 6# weight belt. The rocks move when you walk, and once in the water, they are slippery, and you cannot see where your feet are. Make sure you have one foot firmly placed before you take the next step. Luckily, we don't have to walk far before we are in water where we can float.
I took this photo of some guys, coming out of the water. They were free-diving, so did not have the disadvantage of a tank on their back. It's best if you don't fall, it's a bitch getting up, and it's not pretty. That is another reason why i have a young Guide, not only with good eyes, but one that can steady me in and out of the water.
This is me and the 'terrain' that we are diving in; not much more than sand. This is where Delon finds the nudibranchs, and other tiny critters... not very pretty you think. A few corals and few fishes as we finish up our dives, but that's it.
Having said all that ...
I did 11 dives, and one was to the Liberty Wreck. It is NOT a Muck diving site! It is a ship that is not far off shore here, so it is not very deep. I have avoided doing the dive, although 'everyone' says that everyone should dive the Liberty. Yes, 'scuba divers come from all over the world'. bla bla bla The ship itself has an interesting history. The short story is So off we went. I am probably the only person in the world who didn't really enjoy the dive. It's just not my 'thing'. It is HUGE, and there is a big open area that you can go in. There are some beautiful colorful corals which i never see Muck Diving
and of course lots of Fishes, ...Sweet Lips ... one of my favorites from my snorkeling days
and the eerie ghostly feeling you get ... even though i don't think anyone ever died on the ship.
Now if anyone asks me ... Yes, i have done a dive on The Liberty :)
When I got to Matahari, Delon a Dive Guide, asked me if I would like him to be my Guide for diving. I had been diving with him the last several dives i did last year. I was very happy, because he is VERY good at finding the microscopic critters that are so intriguing to me, and you. So it's been just Delon and I, no one else. I pay extra for that, but he is worth it. I am not just being modest saying that i can't find them, i honestly can't. He knows the types of places each one would call home, and can see them.
I bought an external light for my camera right before Covid and never used it. Last year, when i got here, it would not turn on. I had it on at home, but no response here. When i got back home, i sent it back and they kindly sent me another one even though it was out of warranty. So i am now diving with a light that i really don't know how to use. It will take a lot of practice. Delon is willing to help me with that too. Here we go.
Most of what i photograph are called Nudibranchs or Nudis. They are sea slugs, ...very tiny, as small as 3mm, and usually very colorful. If you are interested in learning more about these critters, go to the right side of this Blog and scroll down to "2019, February, Snorkeling vs Diving, Pt 1" This is the first year i discovered Muck Diving, and in my Blog posts i described in detail many interesting facts about Nudis, along with their names and identifying photos. The other Parts describe in detail the other critters that you will see in my Blog. Onward....
As soon as we descended our first dive, he pointed. It wasn't that small, so i could see it. This is the first photo i took using my new light. The idea behind the external light is that you should be able to light only the subject, and the rest of the frame should be black, no distractions, so it really stands out. This is not easy to achieve, so you can imagine my delight when i saw this photo. The regular flash on the camera is good, but it lights everything. Beginners luck, and you won't see many like these 2 Mexichromis Nudis, almost 1" in size.
This is how it goes: I follow along with Delon, looking, but generally not finding anything. Eventually he motions to me, and like a puppy dog, i am there. It wasn't long before he found these two Harlequin Shrimp. I have seen these, but not often, and not as large and in full view as these. Many critters are tucked inside or in between corals and are not easily photographed. These were 2 beauties, i was very happy !
I am trying to remember to take more videos,.. they really let you 'see-understand' more.
This little FrogFish was smaller than my little fingernail. They are so dang cute, with their grumpy face.
These are called Doto Nudis, or Grape Nudis. They are VERY tiny and not easy to find nor photograph. They are on a hydroid, which is their food source. I think last year was the first year i saw these.
Another Doto, this one called a Donut Doto, but i like Pancake Doto better
This is a rather common Nudi, Hypsolodoris
This is a Mourgona, but it was so very very tiny, sitting on a toothpick size rod ... and so pretty !
This is a Cyerce elegans, or ButterFly Nudi, since it looks like butterfly wings with veins in them. This looked like a piece of fuzz. I saw this one here last year for the first time. One of my favorites!
This is Cyerce kikutarobabai, a cousin to the one above. i have never seen one like this before, and was shocked how beautiful it was when i saw it on my computer ! Another favorite !
This is a Goniobranchus hintuanensis, 16mm
This is a shrimp, almost translucent, Anemone Shrimp. It is living on an Anemone, and that's where you will find them. You will also find Nemo there.
Another Nudi i've never seen before, it is a Dark-Dotted Mourgona about 20mm Aren't they amazing ?
A Dark Margin Glossodoris
I don't see many fish, but this juvenile Emperor AngelFish was hiding in some coral... about 1". So cute!
Another FrogFish, also tiny. The appendage out front, is their 'Fishing Pole'. At the end will hang a lure, that they dangle to attract prey. They can open their mouths and suck in prey larger than themselves !
This is not a Nudi, it is a soft coral ... i was practicing my lighting... on something out in the open, that wasn't moving, and that i could see. It's much easier if those parameters are met !
A video of a very pretty slow-moving Glossodoris.
Another impossibly small Eubranchus, that was dangling on a moving piece of coral. Again, i didn't know what it looked like until i saw it on my computer.
My right ear gave me some problems after diving. I could equalize during the dive, that's the important part, and it wasn't painful ... just a little discomfort every now and then. It just didn't feel right. I was hoping it would just go away. But after 10 dives, and knowing that i had a LOT of diving ahead of me, i did the smart thing. I asked Pena to take me to a Clinic. I told him that i didn't need a hospital, just a clinic where a nurse could put a scope in my ear. So we went. I was a pleasant experience. There were only a few people waiting, and the staff spoke English. I felt very comfortable with the diagnosis that i did have an Ear Infection. I left with 3 meds and ear drops, and a caution not to dive until i felt better.
Since I was taking a break from diving, I'm going to end this Blog here. I'll continue the rest of Indonesia in the next blog.
See you then !
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