Sweltering Siladen
By Lothar. Filed in Indonesia |
We arrive on Pulau Siladen (Siladen Island) on Wednesday, August 19th. Our private water shuttle picks us up at Barracuda Pier north of Manado, Sulawesi at 11:30. The jetty on Siladen Island is a ruin and we walk across 2 other boats, through shallow water up to the village. It is very hot, as we walk through the high noon heat. Gabi is using our guide’s flip-flops. His feet can stand the burning ground ,walking down the dusty “Main Street”. The villagers are greeting us with a friendly hello and wave, as we walk by. The houses are made of corrugated tin walls and roofs (with some holes), wood, bamboo or stone. There are even some newer houses, built with cement and regular windows and roofs.
After about 10 minutes, we enter through the bamboo gate of the Siladen Resort. Our bungalow “Violet” is the furthest one from the pool and restaurant. We have a nice lunch, and next want to check out the pool. There are about 20 other guests lounging on the beach, but nobody is in the pool. Then we notice why! The salt water pool is filled with floating pieces of green algae. So much for cooling off in the pool! Let’s hit the beach and ocean instead! We walk down to the beach, but the ocean has disappeared! It happens to be low tide, and the locals are searching for clams in the ankle-deep tide pools, as far as I can see. The water has disappeared to beyond the fringing reef, about 400 yards from shore! Next, I inquire about snorkeling. The only snorkeling spot is at the broken jetty on the other side of the island. We digest all this and realize, that in order to reach water, we have to hike through the searing heat. My first impression of Siladen Resort is disappointment. I guess we are spoiled and in the past have stayed at nicer tropical places.
Our next move: walking back to our air-conditioned bungalow and getting out of the heat. Gabi and I take a long afternoon nap on our four-post bed with mosquito curtains around us.
At this point, it does not look good. I don’t think we will have the energy to go scuba diving here!