Lembeh Strait: Last Day Diving + Resort Review

Wow! Has it really been ten days? It feels almost surreal to be going in for my last dive. Diving all day every day makes it seem almost like it would never end. It's like a routine you've gotten used to. I didn't even know I could dive this much in such a short period of time. I probably logged the most dives here than I ever had anywhere else!

Plus, time underwater goes by super fast when you're focused on doing something, especially trying to take candid shots of marine life. I never once found myself bored in any of the dives no matter how long we were down there for. And believe me when I say we were always under for quite some time.

Here are the creatures I found today:

Shrimpy!

Peekaboo, little eel.

A hairy orangutan crab.
I wish I have flowing hair like that.

Spikey hermit crab.

Two emperor shrimps on a sea cucumber.

And this crab making his escape and protecting himself by carrying a fire urchin.

This huge, ugly sea worm. Blegh!

An agitated pufferfish.
He's in the process of deflating.

A fishy disguising himself with the floor.

This. This psychedelic hermit crab.

Did you know that sea cucumber's poop is white and SUPER sticky?
Our guide "tickled" this guy with a pointer, and he totally all out pooped!

This seahorse has the audacity to glance at me over his shoulder.

A napoleon snake eel poking his head out.

Little green box fish with blue dots.

Mimic octopus!
We saw so many of these, especially during the night dives.

"Me lives in a bucket!"

Finally, a wonderpus!
They have funky looking eyes!

Dive Site:
1.  Madidir

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Resort Review

Kungkungan Bay Resort, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Overall:  4 / 5

Accommodations:  4 / 5

Food:  4 / 5

Diving:  5 / 5

Spa:  3 / 5

A view of the houses along the beach.

The restaurant and bar on the water.

The jetty.

I was very happy with my experience here at Kungkungan. The staff are very friendly and caring. They give their best efforts in making your stay the most pleasant it can be. The house/room is clean, beautifully decorated, and comfortable (refer to the first blog post on this trip for pictures). The dive: excellent (as you can see from all the pictures).

Although the food didn't particularly agree with my mom's taste buds, I thought they were pretty good. On top of that, their menu offers a variety of option from eastern to western cuisine. I enjoyed and would recommend Soto Ayam and Spaghetti with Basil Sauce.

Soto Ayam is a local dish that can probably be described as Indonesia's version of chicken noodle soup. It is a noodle dish in chicken broth with chicken meat and some vegetables. I always substitute the egg noodle that the dish originally comes with with glass noodle.

And I would assume you would, or at least be able to imagine, what Spaghetti with Basil Sauce looks like.

One criticism I have for the resort concerns the spa. The massages were all good and relaxing. However, one day I signed up for a package that includes getting a massage, a facial, and a hair treatment that ended up being quite horrible. The massage and facial went wonderfully. For the hair portion, we had to switch from the massage room to a room with a hair-washing bed. By golly! That room has never been used in forever!

The masseuse clearly didn't prep the room before I went in. The room is not air conditioned, which made it unpleasantly humid and warm. Moreover, there were mosquitoes EVERYWHERE! Geckos on the ceiling and some flying beetles unable to find their way out. I was anxious about getting mosquito bites the whole time I lay on the bed getting my hair treated. Finally, after a few times that I had to swat away what felt like mosquitoes landing on my skin, the masseuse finally sprayed some mosquito repellent. But even that didn't drive away all of them. I celebrated silently every time I saw a gecko devour the little fiends, all the while worried that the flying beetle will eventually fall onto my face/body the next time it flies into one of the lights instead of going out the door.

Bottom line is avoid the use of that room at all costs!

The whole spa itself just gives off this feeling that it hasn't been used in a while. And a spa should never feel that way, neither should its facility reflect this in its condition even if that is the truth and the spa hasn't seen a single customer in months. If a spa is to be kept, it must always be in the best of condition, ready for any unexpected clients.

Other than that, Kungkungan Bay Resort is an excellent spot for diving and relaxing. I would definitely recommend this resort to friends and family who enjoy diving.