12th November, 2011
I woke up early, before sunrise, and although I had only had a few hours sleep and I was still feeling exhausted, I got up as I wanted to see the sunrise…and it was so beautiful! It was a really pretty view from my balcony! My first sighting of Pulau Derawan was amazing! I loved it already!
After watching the sun rise in the wide open sky, I sat on the dock outside my balcony and watched Pak Jon feed the turtles – so cool! Pak Jon works for the WWF and is one of the carers/protectors of the turtles on the island. He feeds them banana leaves every morning and afternoon and he also watches over the turtle eggs.
I relaxed on my balcony – had a coffee and breakfast – yummy coconut and palm sugar pancakes! The sun was boiling hot and it was still early in the morning! I went for a snorkle with a turtle – it was huge! It was more than half the size of me! It was really cool to swim around with her…so graceful in the water.
I potted around in my bungalow, organised things and made myself feel at home. I realised that my bungalow has two balconies, one at the front and one at the back…cute! I liked it a lot! The option of two balconies meant that you could either get the sun whenever you wanted it…or…you could hide from it, which is what I did some mornings as it was just too hot to sit in it!
My bungalow at Reza Homestay cost Rp200.000 per night and included a small snack for breakfast and tea and coffee facilities all day long. We had fresh water and electricity all day long and my bungalow had a big bedroom and bathroom and also aircon!
Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that provide us with the most satisfaction. Who knew having aircon and electricity would make me this happy? In some ways, if you think about it, electricity is a necessity and something that you need to live, as, without it, you wouldn’t have any working lights and you won’t have the chance to stay in contact with your friends over the internet, because you wouldn’t have any. That’s why I always try to look for the best electricity rates in my area as I want to make sure that I do have these privileges without having to pay an extortionate amount for it, as I want the chance to be able to save up on some money. At least I will be helping the environment. Speaking of this environment, I can’t wait to explore this one further.
I had lunch at the restaurant on my dock….and met some of the locals and after lunch I lazed around and had a tidur siang – afternoon nap…for 3 hours! This was the beginnings of my relaxing holiday…time to slow down and I had found the perfect spot for slowing down! Pulau Derawan is a small, sleepy island…
In the afternoon, after my nap, I went exploring around the island a bit…and went for a late afternoon swim. Life was slow and cruisey on Derawan!
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