Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine February 2019 | Page 102

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Travel | Alor
Irwan is pointing to what looks like
a few bits of seagrass attached to a lump
of sand, but after staring at it for a few
moments, the outline of the elusive
Rhinopias appears almost by magic.
Alor is home to many quiet fishing villages where the
local kids help their parents by fishing for their daily meals.
I snap a few frames with my camera; the
underwater flash brings out the rich red
hues of the scorpionfish. I never imagined
I’d have the chance to see one of these rare
creatures up close. As the air in our scuba
tank runs lower, Irwan signals a ‘thumbs
up’ – time to return to the surface.
We ascend to see the afternoon sun
sparkling above us, golden light glowing
on the palm trees lining the beach nearby.
The underwater flash brings out the rich red hues of the
Rhinopias scorpionfish. I never imagined I’d have the
chance to see one of these rare creatures up close.
“I sure could go for one of those right now,”
Corey says, pointing towards a clump of
emerald coconuts high in the trees.
A drink of fresh coconut would be the
perfect end to such a busy day, but how to
get one down?
Paddling by in a local outrigger perahu canoe,
a local boy named Jhon comes to the rescue.
Before we know it, he’s organised his friends
into a group to help him climb the coconut
tree, using a machete to cut down enough
green kelapa muda for the entire crew
and passengers aboard.
As we return to the ship, Jhon and his
friends paddle over with their outrigger
canoes laden with coconuts, joining us to
watch the last light of the day fading over
the Savu Sea. Diamond stars begin to glow
in the sky as night falls on Alor.
Tonight we will begin our journey back to
the port in Maumere, leaving the wonders
of Alor behind. We’ve only been here for a
short time, but the magic of this amazing
archipelago has captured my imagination
and filled my camera’s memory card.
I know I’ll be back for more adventures
in this incredible corner of Indonesia.
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An Alor village boy
spearfishes the coral reef in
front of his village in search
of food for his family.
“Ting ting ting!” Three sharp taps from
Irwan’s metal pointer let us know he’s
found something. We swim over to see
what he’s discovered.
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