Today we explored more of the island of Bawean. We started our exploration by visiting the endemic and endangered hog deer in their enclosure in the mountains. There are believed to be less than 250 hog deer in the wild. We continued along the roads, observing beautiful rice fields in the village of Gunungteguh. We enjoyed an incredible cultural performance and local food tasting. The afternoon was filled with snorkelling and diving, and we observed some very healthy reefs. To top it all off, the day ended with the spectacular National Geographic Orion crew show.
9/26/2023
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National Geographic Orion
Pulau Belitung
On a calm, tropical morning, National Geographic Orion anchored off the coast of Pulau Belitung, an island in the Java Sea off the east coast of Sumatra. By Zodiac, we landed at the beautiful beach of Tanjung Kelayang to a warm welcome with a dance performance by members of the local community. The beach is very photogenic with many colorful longboats anchored beside the white sand. Under cover and protected from the hot morning sun, we were entertained by the reenactment of a traditional Indonesian marriage ceremony, complete with the requisite gift giving and financial negotiations between the families before the union could be completed! Before heading back to the ship for lunch, guests enjoyed snorkeling around the spectacular granite boulders in the area, which is formally recognized as a UNESCO geopark.
