"So, did you go back to diving? "I am asked since my return ... Yes! I even realized a dream, combine in one trip two famous spots: Komodo and Raja Ampat.
Continuation of my trip to Sulawesi (Indonesia) in July 2007. Lemo is one of the most famous sites in Toraja country, for its tombs in the cliffs, guarded by the tau-tau, wooden statues representing the deceased.
Batutumonga. This strange and beautiful name is synonymous for me, a fantastic scooter ride in the heart of Toraja Country, in central Sulawesi. Rice fields sublime ... but rotten roads! I almost stayed in the mountains sleeping because of a flat tire.
I'm taking you back to Bali, Indonesia. Amed, exactly, on the northeast coast of the island. Despite the development of tourism in the region, there are still some salt marshes and saunas here.
Through the porthole of the plane, I discover Sulawesi, and the island of Bunaken, where I will spend the first five days. Arriving a creepy hair: it is nice over the bay, but a big rainy cloud settled on the airport of Manado.
Here, there are swarms of sparkling fish and a jumble of multicoloured corals... I take you diving in the waters of Misool, in the south of Raja Ampat.
I like hanging out in Asian markets. During my stay in Sulawesi (Indonesia), last summer, I went for a ride in that of Rantepao, in the heart of Toraja country. Here are some pictures of atmosphere ...
In Komodo, you can' t miss the majestic manta rays. They can be seen either by scuba diving or by snorkelling from the surface. A glorious show!
My stay in Amed, in north-east Bali, ends (sigh). I like this place !!! Here are two souvenir images: a sunset over the Agung volcano and a toad fish photographed in Tulamben.
Here is Learning Indonesian: podcasts to learn the basics of bahasa indonesia, the Indonesian language, close to bahasa melayu, spoken in Malaysia.
Let's go for a little motorcycle tour in the Amed region, in the north-east of Bali. On the program: rice fields, temples, markets and... cockfighting!
Indonesia, sea of Celebes. Under the surface, life abounds! The proof in pictures, with this small underwater video, made around the island of Bangka, in the north of Sulawesi.
Pantai Songean is the perfect beach. A beautiful cove of black sand, discovered a year ago, in Bali.
Among my most beautiful memories of Bali: the sunsets on the Agung volcano in Amed and the molas-molas, gigantic moon-fishes crossed off Nusa Penida ...
I remain under the spell of Pemuteran, in northwestern Bali. Between two dives, I even attended dance rehearsals and preparations for a wedding ceremony.
Wake up at the foot of a volcano and live the dream of Magellan ... what's more exhilarating? Welcome to the archipelago of Banda, the mythical spice islands, in Indonesia.
Nature, calm and pleasure ... In North Sulawesi, Indonesia, I headed for a dream island. His name: Bangka.
Another Indonesian island I love: the beautiful and peaceful Bangka. I take you first under the surface, among the fish, on video.
A new start, very soon ... Three years after my first trip to Sulawesi, I return. On the program: Bangka Island, Lembeh and the Toraja country.
Yes, I know ... The Sulawesi section has remained stale. At the moment, I had excuses: impossible to find an internet connection in the regions visited!
Indonesia and Komodo are far away. I rediscover my underwater photos with a new, astonished eye. I saw all that, me? It's crazy.
At the moment when you discover this message, I will be in the clouds, towards Asia ... The trip will be a bit long, since I had to juggle the specials of air fares, connections , availability and companies, to fly to Bali at a lower cost.
I'm leaving for Malaysia in July, and I still do not know what my route will be. Only certainty: I go back to Borneo, dive to Sipadan.
Derawan's kids are mischievous kids. They love to take the pose and then look into the screen of digital devices. "Photo, photo! "
Sea slugs, called "nudibranchs", abound in Indonesia, and especially in Alor. Small gallery-photos.
I take you diving among the underwater volcanic bubbles of Pulau Weh (Sumatra, Indonesia). These hot springs are a real underwater jacuzzi!
These first two days in Bunaken have been going at full speed. The dives are up to my expectations: drop-offs covered with a variety of incredible coral. Side fauna, all the tropical panoply colorful is there.
Alor Archipelago, Indonesia. It is completely to the east, near East Timor. It is far. It's quiet. It's beautiful. And we dive there.
Now that I am the queen of the mikrolet, I am embarking without hesitation in the first blue minibus that displays "Karombasan" direction "Wanea". Karombasan is the bus terminal south of Manado.
I suck at self-promotional teasing! I should have talked about it earlier here: two of my articles were published on February 15, 2009 in dimanche Ouest-France. They are two subjects inspired by trips I've already told you about, to the Dominican Republic and Bali.
Hammerhead sharks make diving enthusiasts fantasize. These sharks have a pretty awesome head, I must say...
Remember: during my stay on the island of Bunaken (north-Sulawesi) in July 2007, I had dive with the Froggies center, directed by the amazing Christiane Muller, who had been there for about fifteen years .
Kuta Beach, finally! First and short stage of my Balinese journey. But I run fast on a scooter a little further north, where it's quieter ...
March 2013. Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. My new home, for a few days, is called Coral Eye. What a beautiful name!
I'll take you back a few weeks in July 2008. Not quite in Bali, but right next door. A little further southeast, on the small island of Nusa Lembongan. A place I loved, where almost all the inhabitants are seaweed growers.
I can not resist the pleasure of showing you on video the dance of the mola-mola (and, of course, the mola-mola), after having (finally) met this big moon fish in the waters of Nusa Penida.
Today I fly to the other end of Sulawesi with Lion Air. Flight Manado-Makassar, departure 7:55, arrival 8:30. The plane is full like an egg. I am the only Westerner.
Do you dream of tropical beaches? Do not go to Tawau! People are nice, but this Malaysian city in northeastern Borneo is a mochissime. Its only attraction is to be the entry point to Indonesia ...
Back to Derawan ... under the surface. The reef of the island, even if it is not the most spectacular of the sites of the corner, deserves some dives. The little creatures that I adore abound. But watch out for diving safety ...
Off Borneo, Indonesia, the island of Derawan and its archipelago are an incredible place to observe turtles.
Already my last day in Bunaken! I'm a little sad at the idea of leaving tomorrow ... I'm already starting to take my little habits here. To do with mosquitoes (nyamouk), the fresh and salty shower of mandi, grilled fish-rice of the evening, the fabulous lunch buffet at Froggies, the inexhaustible kindness of the locals.
I'll take you back to Sulawesi, in the Toraja country, where I spent a few days in the summer of 2007. On the program: a scooter ride from Rantepao, to discover the sites of Ket'e Kesu, Londa and Tilanga.
The rest of my trip to Sulawesi !!! We are Saturday, July 14, 2007. Departure from Rantepao, in the heart of the country Toraja at 7am, under a bright sun. Arriving twelve hours later, at night, in heavy rain, at Siuri Beach Cottages, on the west bank of the huge Poso Lake.
Small stopover in Singapore, between two planes, at Changi Airport. I'm leaving for Manado just now ... See you in Sulawesi!
Ten days off. Ten days of freedom. From May 10 to May 20, 2014, I left. In Pulau Weh, Indonesia.
In Kuta (Bali), people are photographed in front of the monument to the Bali bombings of October 12, 2002.
A new little film, for lovers of mantas rays ... I finally got down to editing my videos, brought back from Sangalaki! This small Indonesian island, located off Borneo, is part of the archipelago of Derawan, where I stayed for ten days last July.
"Do not stay under the coconut trees," I am told when I arrive at Triton Bay. Yes, the biggest danger here is to get a coconut on your head!
"Where are you going this time? To put it simply, I say, "In Indonesia. In fact, I'm leaving the end of Indonesia: in West Papua! I am going to dive in the archipelago bearing the beautiful name of Raja Ampat, "the four kings".
The Indonesian company Lion Air has a unique trick. With the safety instructions, there is a special prayer booklet for the plane.
The site is called Blue Magic. This is one of my favorite diving spots in Raja Ampat. This isolated reef in the middle of the sea is conducive to fabulous encounters.
Am I still a backpacker? Serious question. I just put away my good old backpack and invest in a wheeled luggage.
The bay of Maumere, in the east of the Indonesian island of Flores, is full of beautiful underwater sites. My favorite dive site is Fish Soup. Here, the fish soup is at sea, to be savored under water!
At night, the reefs are not gray. A blue light and an orange mask reveal the fluorescence of corals and underwater creatures.
This year I discovered freediving. First in Indonesia, then in the Mediterranean Sea. In English, we say "free diving", in other words freedom under water... I love it!
I bring you back to Toraja Country, Sulawesi (Indonesia). After the photos of the traditional funeral ceremony I attended, in the village of Bori, here is a small video that gives a good idea of the atmosphere.
Everyone is scared of sharks. It's silly. There is more danger for divers: the olive ballista, also called titan ballista.
Otdima is a beautiful dive site, teeming with life, swept by a current of madness. One of my favorites in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.
Derawan is a tiny Indonesian girl on the east coast of Borneo. I had already been there in 2009. But for this 2013 trip, I have revised my itinerary.
That's it !!! Finally ! I met him! Today in Crystal Bay. I'm happy, happy, happy! My new friend is called mola-mola, or moon fish.
Here I am in Amed, all east of Bali. The coast is hemmed in by a series of cute coves of sand and black pebbles, where the bright colors of the junkungs, the small fishing boats with pendulums of the corner, line up.
Borneo is adventure! I saw again the Indonesian island of Kakaban and its mysterious jellyfish lake. I even went back to swim there. Video evidence.
It is a desert island in Indonesia near Borneo. In his mangrove necklace, Kakaban holds the water jade of a huge lake, filled with jellyfish ... which do not sting! The proof in video and in photos.
The Kelimutu volcano in Flores (Indonesia) is spectacular. Three craters form giant basins for three lakes with strange colors.
The place is called "Kilometer Nol". Zero Kilometer. This is where Indonesia begins. It is the most westerly and northernmost point in the archipelago, just north of Pulau Weh, near Sumatra.
Diving in Komodo, I dreamed! The reality was beyond the dream ... First video preview, at the fabulous Batu Bolong site.
The drones are the new gadget fashionable travelers ... On the boat that takes me to Komodo, Indonesia, two of my little dive friends have one!
Balinese coffee, or kopi Bali, is tasty and full-bodied. Every morning, since my return, I finish waking up in front of a cup of kopi Bali.
It's just a fish, I know. No misery moved. Still, it's sad to see, a mola-mola in agony ...
![In Indonesia, Obama is the pride of the students of the school in Jakarta where he was in class when he was little. [© Bay Ismoyo / AFP]](https://petitesbullesdailleurs.fr/petitesbullesdailleurs/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/obama1-370x247.jpg)
The election of Barack Obama is the pride of a school in the district of Menteng, Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, where he was in class, child.
The Liberty is Bali's best-known (and most popular) wreck. It is located in Tulamben, near Amed, on the northeastern coast of the island.
Dive without getting wet in Batee Tokong (Pulau Weh, Sumatra, Indonesia), thanks to this little underwater film shot with my Canon Eos 7D.
The photos of the previous trip are not yet sorted, I'm thinking about the next ... And to think better, I've already returned to a little tour in my favorite bookstore in Rennes: Ariane, the travel bookstore.
In Indonesia, in the Papuan archipelago of Raja Ampat, coral grows at the foot of mangroves. Unpublished mixture of terrestrial and underwater life.
The beach, the light, the blue ... I take you back to the southwest of Lombok, Indonesia, filling your eyes with the beautiful bay of Belongas.
If you have ever been to Southeast Asia, you will recognize it. The little music of the ice cream shop is the most famous melody and the best peddle in this region of the world ... From Indonesia to Vietnam, from Thailand to Malaysia, we hear it everywhere!
Here, the volcanic black sand of the beaches disappears under colored pebbles. Blue, green, sometimes drawing on turquoise or mauve ... New geological curiosity of the Indonesian island of Flores.
I had to show you this video, of a manta ray and his girlfriends, met while diving in the archipelago of Komodo, ultimate goal of my crossing of Flores ...
At Bangka Island (Sulawesi, Indonesia), on the cute beach of Murex Resort, it's total relaxation: diving, eating, sleeping. Happiness !
Oh dear ! Not yet had the time to tell all my dives in Amed, that already, I attack those of Nusa Lembongan. And no half measure: I take you directly to Manta Point !!!
Surprise, last Sunday, returning from diving ... There is a crowd on the beach of Gapang, usually almost deserted.
It is called dugong or "sea cow". I was lucky enough to watch this fascinating animal in its natural environment, in Alor, Indonesia.
Here, cliffs covered with jungle strangling the sea. This is one of the mythical sites of Raja Ampat: The Passage.
In Indonesia, the word "biodiversity" makes sense. Here in the Sea of Celebes, the underwater world teems with bizarre and fascinating creatures, often tiny.
Me in jet-lag, back from Raja Ampat in West Papua (Indonesia), on the phone with a friend: "You know, this is perhaps the most extraordinary trip I've done ..."
This shell is a monster. It is not for nothing that it is called "giant holy water". I have never seen one as big as Raja Ampat.
I'm not done with Raja Ampat! Let me introduce you to a bizarre monster, very common in these waters: bearded carpet shark or "wobbegong".
Last day in Lembeh. Time definitely goes too fast! With its rusty freighters and its black sand bottom littered with sediment and rubbish, this strait is really a singular dive spot, far from clichés.
Four days already, I'm in Nusa Lembongan, a small island southeast of Bali. Atmosphere very peaceful, as I like, not too crowded with tourists ...
In the Lembeh Strait (Sulawesi, Indonesia), live underwater monsters that delight divers-photographers!
Nothing is more annoying to photograph than a seahorse-pygmy. Too small. Too much camouflaged. Too shy. But his delicate plastic is worth a few efforts.
The rest of my trip to Sulawesi (Indonesia) during the summer of 2007 ... On the program: the Togian Islands. A little paradise at the end of the world!
My short stay on the small Indonesian island of Derawan last July allowed me to attend no less than two weddings! Two almost identical weddings, with kitschy decor and pop-marshmallow orchestra.
Open your eyes: in the Lembeh Strait in Sulawesi (Indonesia), strange creatures populate the seabed. A treasure of biodiversity, which attracts divers from all over the world.
I had not been back in Bali for a few years. And here there are a lot of little details that I have great pleasure to find.
The picture under water, it's funny. I love it when the fish take suggestive poses. The coolest are not the ones we believe!
The more I dive, the better! I have never seen so many manta rays as last year. The proof, with this new video, brought back from Komodo National Park (Indonesia), where I was in July 2011.
I continue the story of my trip to Sulawesi, a trip in July 2007. I will take you back to the Toraja country for a motorcycle ride in the beautiful rice paddies around the village of Batutumonga, north of Rantepao.
Underwater, we do not look only in the blue. In the archipelago of Alor, Indonesia, it is by scrutinizing the bottom that we find treasures.
Shrek's cat tenderizes you? Do you fall for wet eye pups? This cute little couscous from Indonesia should melt you.
Back to Manado for a day trip, the time to book my plane tickets to the Toraja Country and organize my trip to the Togian Islands. I'm learning to travel in mikrolet, these blue minibuses that crisscross the city ...
Ah! I like the Liberty wreck in Bali. I go back regularly dive, never tired. She is so beautiful...
The Liberty wreck in Tulamben (about 15 km west of Amed) is Bali's most popular dive site in Indonesia. I returned with happiness ... Here are new pictures (photos and video).
Lovina Beach ... The name is nice, but I'm a little mixed about the place. Here, the tourist pressure is certainly less than in Kuta-Legian-Seminyak. Yet I feel to have been more solicited than elsewhere by the indefatigable sellers of sarongs and other trinkets!
It's glory. I am recognized at the end of the world thanks to this blog. I even have fans. If, if ... I swear to you.
Manta Sandy is the most famous dive site of Raja Ampat. Normal, it's a real "spa" with manta rays! The proof in photos and video.
Guilhem, my dive buddy in Derawan (Borneo), was kind enough to send me two underwater videos he made this summer in the sea of Celebes.
Yes, yes, I swear! It's exhausting to walk up and down this beach. From the losmen (small hotel) to the dive-shop (dive shop), then the dive-shop to the restaurant, the restaurant to the bar, then the bar to the losmen ... Crevant, I tell you!
The Dutchman Max Ammer is the "pioneer" of diving in Raja Ampat. A sacred character. He is an eco-adventurer, an enthusiastic explorer and a fabulous storyteller.
I'm in a melancholy mood tonight. I leave Nusa Lembongan to return to Kuta, Bali. The return is approaching. I console myself with a beautiful sunset on the bay of Jungut Batu ...
The dragons exist, I met them! Scales, claws, forked tongue, everything is there ... Listening only to my courage, I went to photograph these big prehistoric lizards or "varans" that live in the archipelago of Komodo, Indonesia.
High up! I take you back to Raja Ampat, on the most beautiful cruising-diving boats, all sails out. The Waow, there is no need to say, it is aptly named ...
The Indonesian archipelago of Raja Ampat sometimes has an air of Jurassic Park. The pretty little island of Mioskon is home to thousands of bats.
Eh yes ! I am a little lucky. I saw a mola-mola today at Crystal Bay again. One time is not customary this morning: excellent visibility and little current, both for this beautiful first dive, and for the second, Toyah Pakeh Bay.
This tiny sea horse is hidden in the branches of the sea fans. In Pemuteran (Bali), we see each dive! I do not get tired of photographing them.
That's the Pascha. Well named boat, on which I lived like a princess, during the six days of my dive cruise in Komodo, in July 2011. Six fantastic days out of time.
There are dives that make the heart beat a little faster. I'm taking you to the south-west of Lombok, Indonesia, discovering The Magnet video and Gili Sarang, in Belongas Bay.
At Pulau Weh, most divers come for the "big", the deep, the current. And I, who never do anything like the others, I'm having fun in a few meters of water on the beach, tracking down the little animals.
The country Toraja, it deserves! From Manado (North Sulawesi), you must first reach Makassar to the south, an hour and a half by plane. Then it's 8 to 10 hours bus ride to Rantepao.
I take you underwater, in the east of Flores, Indonesia, for a special nudibranch sequence, in Maumere Bay.
