Today was volcanoes and ships day. This might sound like a weird combo, but in true expedition form, we landed at Sangeang Island, an active volcano, made some local friends and they brought us hiking up the alluvial outwash to find a cave with swiftlets nesting. Afterwards, our Bugis friends took us to their village where they were deep in the construction of an enormous, traditionally built wooden Phinisi ship. A climb inside gave us an appreciation for the scale and craftsmanship (the Bugis have been ship building for 400 years). As the sun set, we headed back to our own beautiful ship even more appreciative of National Geographic Orion’s beautiful form and comforts.
7/4/2024
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National Geographic Orion
Satonda
This morning, we woke to high winds and a considerable swell from the south. As ever, Expedition Leader Lucho ventured to find us more sheltered water. We settled on the northern side of Satonda Island, a large crater island with a fully enclosed saltwater lake. After a successful scouting trip, we lowered the Zodiacs for a snorkelling session on the shallow reef that fringes the coastline. Those in the water were treated to sights of anemone fish, moray eels, and large schools of varying reef fish. Once snorkelling was complete, we ventured out to the island of Sumbawa for a cultural visit. Here we got to witness the fantastic dance and musical talents of the local community. We also watched a local custom which involves children attempting to climb a greased pole to reach the prizes suspended at the top. It was another great day aboard National Geographic Orion .
