After saying goodbye to the magical Western coast of Australia, we were rocked to sleep by the gentle movement of the Timor Sea and awoke rested and ready for an action-packed day at sea.
Breakfast was served in the outdoor café, where we all noticed the humidity that seemed to have increased overnight. Everyone enjoyed a relaxing start of the day after waking early on most previous days.
At 09:30 our National Geographic guest lecturer Lawrence Blair delivered a very interesting and entertaining lecture called “Indonesia: Land of Waking Dreams.” He gave us a great introduction to the fascinating culture of Indonesia and shared some intriguing stories to get us more in touch with the place we will visit over the coming week. At 11:00 our National Geographic photographer Michael Melford shared with us many funny and exciting stories in his talk, “On Assignment with National Geographic.”
And just in case we hadn’t had enough to eat, a beautiful Greek lunch was served in the outdoor café. Lots of chitchat filled the back deck as we talked about the coming week. Later on, the expedition team handed out wetsuits for everyone interested in water sports in Indonesia.
After lunch, naturalist Chris Cook gave a great overview of the tropical fish we may see over the next few days. In between his jokes, he also gave tips on identifying the many species within the Coral Triangle, the world’s coral reef hotspot.
After afternoon tea, Expedition Leader Darrin Bennett gave a presentation called “Aboriginal Perspectives: Land & Life,” which gave us insight into the contemporary Aboriginal culture in Northern Australia and shared with us some personal stories as well.
At 18:15, during our nightly recap and briefing, we learned about tomorrow’s activities on Jaco Island. Following the briefing, Chef Lothar Greiner invited us to his fantastic seven-course gourmet dinner in the dining room, where we enjoyed being spoiled by the very qualified galley team.
After dinner, it was time for some star-gazing with the expedition team. With just a quarter moon, the stars lit up beautifully and many of us used our star apps on our smartphones to identify the different constellations and planets.
It was a great day at sea. We learned a lot, laughed a lot and ate a lot before once again being rocked back to sleep by the gentle movements of the Timor Sea.
