Day 5: Sick But Still Diving!

I didn't feel too well today. Got a runny nose and was just under the weather. I think I caught Steve's cold, who caught it from Jutta, hahaha. My immune system has been incredibly weakened from the trip here. I blame that ridiculously cold refrigerator of a cabin in Sriwijaya Air. And the flight attendant's lack of insight in adjusting the temperature.

I decided not to go diving because I was basically scared out of doing it. First, it was Steve who warned me about getting a reverse block, which was like, okay, whatever. Then, it was Max who relayed his painful story of once getting a reverse block that I decided to skip the first two dives. I waited to see if I would feel any better in the afternoon.

For the first dive I tagged along on the boat just for good measures. I mean, I just woke up and drank coffee so I couldn't go back to sleep anyway. Before going in, Jutta told me I could go back if I wanted because the sea was a bit choppy. But I was determined to push through with it. Pfft! Choppy sea? I've been on boats too many times to care about that! The sea is in my blood! Argh!

Once we dropped my mom, Jutta, and Eddy in the water (literally less than a minute away from land), James, the boat driver, took me around this small island right in front of the resort. A free little boat tour, which was really nice.

The homestay on the island.

A homestay is a cheaper and more eco-friendly way to stay here. It's a totally different experience. There is no electricity or running water in the house. It is basically this freestanding hut on the water. I was surprised when I figured this out. How are you supposed to go to the bathroom? Well, you pee into the ocean, of course. That's a no-brainer. Everyone does it, even though it has been ingrained into our brains not to pee in the water, especially in the swimming pool.

But what about number two? I mean, I would feel bad if I had to do that to the fish! Apparently you can do it in the woods or dig a hole or something. I'm still not totally sure what's supposed to happen. I guess if nature calls then you gotta do what you gotta do. :S

Anyway, the cool part is that you get food delivered to you by local villagers when they pass by the homestay. But really, I think that's the only cool part. The rest, well... maybe it just all seems too much like I'm being stranded.

It's so cool how the trees are right on the edge of the cliff.

The island is surrounded by blue water and little caverns on its cliff face.

After touring the little island, James took the boat back to Kri and around to this little cove. He said he was going to show me a traditional Papuan game.

Fedrick going to find the material for the game.

The "material" turned out to be this green, round fruit picked from the trees along the shore. You peel the fruit, which has a thick outer skin similar to that of an orange, to reveal a peach colored ball inside. It looks almost like a smooth version of a small brain because of the many fissures going around it. Surprisingly, it falls apart quite easily once it is peeled. But that is the point. You're supposed to let it separate into different chunks, mix the pieces up, and try to put it back together. That's the game. A simple, puzzle game.

Here are the chunks of one of the fruits.

James putting the pieces back together.
He's really good!

You might think this is an easy game, a fourth grader could do it. Think again! You have nothing to work with except the different faces on each of the pieces. It's like a jigsaw puzzle but harder because it's 360 degrees with no distinguishing picture on it. And remember how I said the sea is in my blood? The sea is clearly not in my blood while I was playing this game. Having to concentrate on figuring out which piece is next to which while the boat constantly drifts up and down killed me! My head was turning, and I was miserable. I had to look up at the horizon more than a couple times. But, of course, I feigned everything was fine. ;)

After the divers surfaced, I went back to take a nap while they went on to the second dive. Like all midday naps, I woke up feeling groggier than before with a whoozy sensation in my head. Despite all this and my left ear still feeling a bit muted, I decided to join the third dive of the day. Hey, it's not every day you live in a tropical paradise with one of the most ecologically diverse diving experience ever! There was no way I was gonna let a little cold stop me from going in!

For this dive, we went to Sorido Wall. The visibility of this site wasn't as good as the others that we've been to, but it was still beautiful. There was a little current so I just drifted with it. The attraction of this dive, I think, would have to be the big group of blue triggerfish in the area. By the way, I didn't even realize they were a kind of triggerfish until I did some research later. I referred to them in my log book as "those blue fishes with what looks like fangs," hahaha! They really do have these little protruding fangs from their mouths! I actually thought they were really pretty, especially when there are a whole bunch of them swimming around. Almost like blue butterflies of the sea.

We also saw more pygmy seahorses in the fan corals. The ones we saw today are a bit bigger than the ones we have been seeing so far, so that helps with identifying them a lot. Then, while we were ascending, there was a big wobbegong sleeping under a block of coral. His face was hiding inside so we only saw his tail. Thankfully, I didn't have a problem equalizing, thus, no reverse block. I made sure to go really slowly though. I guess it also helps that the reefs aren't too deep either.

Can you see the pygmy seahorse in the yellow circle?

Here's an enlarged picture. I think he's pregnant, too!

Another nudibranch!

I still felt out of it going to dinner. I think I was glazed over most of the time that we were talking, so I couldn't really remember what the topic was. I just remember pushing myself to concentrate on listening and responding at the right moment. Hahaha! That's just sad. But I do remember still being thoroughly entertained. Alas, the night was not wasted by my drunken sickness. :)

Talk about getting sick, I recall an earlier conversation with Jutta when we first arrived about how people nowadays are overly hygienic. People are so hygienic to the point where it's counterproductive. I seriously believe that all this cleanliness is creating a generation of people with weak immune system. You don't even have to search far. Look at all the people with their weird and common allergies! The most ridiculous, in my opinion, is when someone is allergic to peanuts (not to say that I think it's their fault or anything), and they're living in Thailand (most are foreigners; I don't think I ever came across a Thai who's allergic to peanuts).

It's like we live and breathe peanuts! Are you kidding me!

I remember the school prohibiting us from bringing any food/snack with peanuts as part of the ingredients because just a whiff of the thing can actually cause an allergic reaction. Seriously? At that point, I think it's just psychological. It's like saying I'm allergic to ibuprofen, and by seeing Advil I will start to swell up. But hey, I'm not the scientist, so I could be wrong.

Anyway, back on topic. I think most citizens of the first world countries are so concerned with diseases that they don't let their or their kids' immune system build up and get stronger. And guess how the immune system gets stronger? By being exposed to the nasties of the world! Wow, what a concept! Well, it is a concept. It's basically Kelly Clarkson's "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" concept. Your immune system works the same way.

It also doesn't help that the majority of kids nowadays are spending more time indoors than outside playing. Where are the good old days of swing sets, slides, and playing around in the mud? Now it's all just Ben 10, Angry Birds, and Bejeweled without even as much as a glance out the window, let alone a whiff of fresh air. So that's the problem, isn't it? Technology. It's just sucking the life out of people, literally. And what an ironic world we live in, seeing how I am conveying this message through the use of an electronic medium. I guess it's one of those paradoxes where you can't live with or without it.

So please stop saying some country's food isn't clean, causing you to contract food poisoning. The rest of the population doesn't seem to have your problem. Kindly blame your inadequate and snobby first-world immune system. Thank you!