Dear all,
I’m pleased that I finally have a SIM card and phone signal, so I can tell you that all is well and we are having an amazing time on our expedition in Indonesia.
After no less than four days of travel, we had a challenging but wonderful experience trekking and surveying in the jungle in Buton (we were muddy and soggy for five days, but even that couldn’t dampen our spirits). The students have learned a lot about conservation, about surveying and sampling techniques, and about how to survive in the rainforest – including how to stay cheerful when none of your possessions are dry!
It has taken two days to travel by foot, truck, car, ferry and fishing boat to Hoga, a tropical paradise even more magnificent that Phuket, if you can believe it. Today we did our first dives, where our buoyancy and emergency skills have been put to the test and tomorrow we will begin coral and fish identification and we will take a short trek in the mangrove forest.
Everyone is healthy, happy and gaining so much from this tremendous experience (but, of course, missing you all greatly).
Hope all is well at home.
Warmest regards from the Wakatobi islands,
Ms Victoria Young