Lembeh Straights - Indonesia - A macro photographers paradise - Pt1

Back in December 2016 I went on a holiday with my parents to New Zealand to see family and then afterwards to Indonesia for a week and a half. After the long flight to Indonesia I landed in Manado where a taxi waited to take us to Kungkungan Bay Resort (KBR) where we would stay for the duration of our holiday.

My parents had raved about the wild life in the Lembeh Straits from a previous holiday and how incredible the service of the staff and the dive guides were. This place had a large amount to live up to after my parents’ praise.

As we were driven to KBR through the busy roads of North Sulawesi I saw glimpses of dense rain forest that covers large quantities of the island. Later we seemed to be going deep through this rainforest that had farming estates dotted along the roads with their prized Bulls tied up and grazing.

As we got closer to KBR I could see how we descended out of the rainforest into the resort. It was quite literally like nothing I had experienced before. What appeared before me was hidden paradise carved onto a beach with the rainforest leaning over trying to creep its way back. The taxi pulled up and several of the resort managers were there to greet us. They had met my parents before and warm welcomes were exchanged. We were taken to a table ready set out with the paper work for us to fill out and told that I would not be in the room that we had booked but instead upgraded to one of the better rooms next to my parents, Result!

We were taken to our rooms, although the resident cats did distract me on the way, and I could not have been prepared for the quality of the rooms that I saw. Wooden stilted structures protruded up from the ground. They pointed me to my room (the right one in the image below) and I marvelled at the almost tree house feel of it. As I ascended the steps and opened the door I saw two double beds, a table area and my own large bathroom. This would be perfect for storing my camera gear with space for setting up and the view out across the Lembeh Straits from my high vantage was breath taking, I truly was in a tropical paradise.

Oh, and the food was divine!

More to follow in the coming weeks on the underwater life, and some other sights as well!