Sulawesi Scuba Safari

Hong Kong knows how to do holidays. If you're looking into relocating due to the lack of vacation days in your contract, Hong Kong is your place. Who wouldn't agree that one New Years just doesn't cut it... enter Chinese New Year. A time to eat, EAT, give out red packets of money to single people, and more importantly a time for the yearly mass exodus of all Caucasian people.

I imagine this is the only time of the year in Hong Kong when pedestrians aren't plowed off the sidewalk and when one might even consider venturing into a movie without a ticket bought one week in advance. But this is all speculation, as during these apocalyptal events, I was 30 meters under water in Manado, Indonesia ringing in the lunar new year (and Valentines Day) with plenty of nitrox air, gorgeous fishies, and my boss.

Yes that's right, my boss and I vacation together. Don't get any ideas, his lovely wife was accompanying us too, and thank goodness for that, hailing from Indonesia she proved to be pretty handy. Manado, North Sulawesi has bragging rights to some of the best scuba diving in the world, and maybe its near-inaccessibility has something to do with it. No Chinese tour buses here....can't think of a better way to kick off the Year of the Tiger.

The diving was spectacular. Kind of surreal. Straight out of a National Geographic places-you-must-see-before-you-die-but-most-likely-won't video. Incredible enough to warrant spending most of the vacation underwater (a huge feat for a guilty sun worshiper). We did it all - cliff diving, drift diving, muck diving....I think I might have even slept in my wetsuit? And thanks to Tania's uncle, we had access to all of the best dive site often off-limits to visitors - Bunaken National Park, Lembeh Island, and Pulisan.

I quickly learned the Manadonese will find any excuse to throw a party, and there were plenty of reasons to celebrate while I was visiting - Chinese New Year, Valentines Day, and a guest appearance by some overworked Hong Kongers. Tania's Uncle, Oom-San, threw us a big Chinese New Year celebration complete with some stellar Indonesian food, live music, fireworks, and even a Chinese pinata.

Food highlights: Rambutans, roasted swine, and bat (yes. BAT)

GONG HEI FAT CHOI

The last two days in Manado were spent at Oom-San's private beach, Pulisan, where we dived right off the shore, caught our own fish for dinner, went to bed when the sun set (no electricity!), and reconnected with the elements. Not only was the beach and marine life absolutely stunning, but I indulged in the mental decompression of living off just the bare necessities. After spending so much time amid air conditioning...chandeliers...marble floors, all of the sudden things like clean air...quiet...untainted nature become the ultimate luxury - such an irony.

Surprise Dad! my next job is going to be putting my Masters degree to use selling durian fruit on the side of the road. I knew you'd be proud!

HAPPY YEAR OF THE TIGER