I left Myanmar already, Snif! Snif! It was a love story really but before giving too much money to the government in overstaying fees, I had to move on. It was not without shedding some tears on the way to the airport though!
I had a bad flight schedule because it is quite difficult to plan a trip with connections leaving from Yangon. The number of airlines deserving that city are limited. So I booked a flight to Bankok and then I book a flight from Bangkok to Manado in the Northeast corner of Indonesia with a stopover in Singapore. So far, the Singapore airport is the best. I got there at 1h in the morning and many stores and restaurants were still open. It felt like I was too tired to sleep right away so I went shopping. Life is really good to me I believe…. When I got to the electronic section of a store, I saw what I’ve been shopping for for a year now. There was a 400$ reduction compare to what I would have paid home and no taxes, so I bought a Nikon camera. It’s been few days now and I still haven’t done much pictures with it though, it’s too new and I have no time to read the instructions carefully and actually no time to take the time to use it and learn how to take the best pictures. I have to find something to do during my summer holidays after all! The second reason why I think it’s the best airport, is that I had to find a corner to sleep and they have longing chairs in some areas. Of course when I got there they were all occupied. I laid down on the floor instead and it is carpeted so it was not that bad. I believe I have slept on harder mattress than that in India. A woman actually came around as I was setting up my pillow to give blankets! Isn’t great?
Anyhow, when I got to Manado I was exhausted and dealing with a new country demands energy. I knew I was looking for microlet taxis which are little blue vans that can sit maybe 7-8 people. They are the cheapest way to get around and I had changed just enough money at the airport to cover that cost since the exchange rate was crap. As soon as you get out of the airport 15 people offer you a ride at various prices and when you say I want to take the microlets, they say they don’t come to the airport. Not more than 1 minute after you get onto the street, you see a microlet passing by. Of course, seeing a tourist fresh from the airport, they tell you an outrageous price like 60000 rupias. I had friends giving me very clear instructions about microlets and I knew that it should not be more than 3000 rupias. I showed the driver the 3000 I had in my hand, he shakes his head no, I take my bags out of the car, he says that since I will occupy 2 seats with my bag, I have to pay double, fair enough! Let’s go!
My final destination was the island of Bunaken so I had a ferry to get on to at 14h. I realized that I could not make it so I spent the night in Manado at the Celebes hotel. I will tell you in a minute why I am mentioning the name of the hotel. It was a good stop since I got a 2 hours massage for 20$ which was much better that anything I experienced in India. They need to work on the atmosphere though and not allow kids having a fit in the area where they give the massages! After that, I was a bit wobbly on my legs and I was showered and in bed before 21h. I also had a shower the next morning and when I got out of my room (shower outside my room), I noticed 2 of the employees sitting on the railing looking through the window. Slackers I thought. When I walk back into my room though, a flashback ran through my head and I bent over to look at a crack between the door and the frame. As I am bending to look out, I am thinking: what a paranoid you are!! Believe me or not, as I was to stand back up again, I saw an orange T-shirt and He was going to look at me changing!!!!!!!! I slapped my hand on the door and opened it so fast saying all bad things. They were fast the fuckers!!! I was so pumped up! Then I raised my head and saw that there was also a small window in the right top corner of the room that looked out on a staircase. I was so amazed because there was no way that I could change inside the room without being seen from one of the 2 spots. I told the girl when I checked out but she did not seem impressed. Do not stay in room 303!
One event like that gives you a bad impression of a city or a country when it happens so early in your stay. I was saved though because I walked through the market to reach the ferry and lots of smile reconciled me with the whole world. People on the ferry shared their fruits and led me to my guesthouse once on the island. Since then, everything as been wonderful and I am enjoying my stay.
The reason I came to Bunaken is to do my scuba diving certification. I started 2 days ago and I love it so far. A beautiful world down there! There is still a problem with American bills though! They don’t accept bills older than 2006 and they still need to be crisp.
My guesthouse is in the village and it is a home stay. The price of the room includes breakfast, lunch and dinner and the cooking is absolutely delicious. The fishes come daily and I was promised a barracuda meal soon.
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