Breakfast from the 5th storey roof garden looking over the bay back toward Bunaken.
Things grow so well
While waiting for a Grab Taksi school returning from lunch gather in front of us with – “halo, what is your name or my name is…. “Blank looks if you say anything else. One bright voice called” I love you” and did the love heart sign with his hands. I did the same back and they fell about laughing…one quite literally fell over. Ooo I envy the young bones that can commit to the laugh, tumble on to the pavement and bounce back up still laughing
We are off to Tangkoko National Park via Bitung and have opted to take a public bus. We used a Grabcar to bus station . The driver was keen to talk us into not using the vus ie she could take us all the way to Bitung
We could do a private trip for 300 000 rp/ $ 30 to bitung ie halfway ..But we opted for the bus, $2 each, to Bitung. It’s an hour and half . It was terrific, as luck would have it. It wasn’t full, and it was fun. What’s the point if we stay in our own little bubble? We had open door aircon. Chatted a bit to the security guard beside me who was either coming or going to work…I am easily confused. It was fab scenery jungle and coconut palms and fields of corn. And then bamboo ..maybe 10mtall. See it everywhere as scaffolding
Now from Bitung to Batu Putih and Tangkoko lodge.
After a bit of haggling we paid more for the last leg in a mikrolet/suzuki van smaller and in rougher condition than if I’d used grab/ uber for the same section. The deal maker was more dramatic than me. Aagh will have to barter harder. Or maybe not. can’t begrudge the mikrolet drivers. all up we were ahead by 14 dollars .After Bitung the road wound around and round a hundred blind corners, up and up and the mikro chug, chug, chugged and smelt like it was overheating.
*mikrolet -small Suzuki vans
At the Bitung bus station there were teenage girls with trophies from a MacDonald’s store opening . A small vaguely burger shaped cushion and a poly propylene bag for Ji 490 rupiah(50 cents) each.