Day 3 - 15 July - Under the Sea

Thank God that our beauty sleep was not disrupted by some prayer calls in the early morning, hahaha... However, it was still an early "rise and shine" for us. MightyMouse started off her day by walking around the villa and she happily snapped away with her camera:

This day was the key highlight of our stay. We headed to two nearby islands for our first-go at snorkeling. The villa staff arranged for our trip - we paid Rp$500,000 (S$72.64), inclusive of rentals of the boat, lifejackets and snorkeling 'fins', as well as lunch. For hygiene purpose :), we brought along our own snorkeling goggles and mouthpiece for the trip. The boat (perahu fishing boat) is the same one that the villa staff used to ferry guests to-and-fro the main building and the villas.

The shores of the first island that we went to - just look at how clear and inviting the waters are:

It took me quite a while to get used to the snorkeling gear and getting a grip of the breathing technique. The water is so very salty. Grimlock adapted quickly. It is a pity I don't have photos to show what I saw under the sea. Lovely corals and all those beautiful marine fish. My maiden snorkeling expedition will remain as an unforgetable experience for a long time to come. No wonder why some people get hooked on to snorkeling. This may set the direction for our future vacations :)

We were taken to another island for lunch and then more snorkeling. This is a private island awaiting further development into a tourist area. In the meantime, the island is taken care of by the locals. Scenic and peaceful surroundings - I'll let the photos speak for themselves. The snorkeling was so-so; not as many corals (these were mostly "dead") and marine fish in sight.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. When we got back to the villa, it was more sunset for us...