Fun in Manado = Funado...?

We had a lot of fun on the mission trip to Manado. I enjoyed being silly with new friends and experiencing things that expatriates don’t normally get to experience, especially when they have only been in country for less than a month.

1. We rode in bemos quite a bit. That is the cheap transportation in Indonesia. It’s a small van. A small van with large possibilities, that is. We crammed a lot of us in there. No personal space? No problem.

 2. We drove to several lakes one day. We were disappointed in the rainy weather because, apparently, the lakes change color during the day. The locals said that the lake can change from green to blue to purple to red. Maybe there will be a next time??

3. After kids camp, we spent Thursday afternoon at a lake (just a regular, non-color changing lake this time). The boat men were going to take us out, but they ended up taking a break instead. So we just took pictures. Lots of pictures.

4. I was asked to be in so many people’s pictures this week. I felt like a celebrity. There are not many “boo-lay” who travel to the smaller villages, so when they saw Carrie and I and the pastor’s daughters, they all wanted pictures with us. They were also sooo interested in… well… boo-lay rear ends… and not just the kids who can't help their self control yet. The moms. While taking a picture with a mom and her kids, I got goosed.

I decided that the next person to ask me to take a photo with them, I would get one of them as well. These girls were more than a little surprised. haha

5. Bunaken. I’m just telling you that my pictures won’t do justice to how beautiful the snorkeling was in Bunaken (So, basically, you should google it and look at the images there). It’s a snorkeling and diving destination in Indonesia. We spent our last day out in the ocean. It was disheartening to see a lot of pollution in the water, but everyone’s response was, “That’s Indonesia for ya.” Our boat driver ended up taking us to a more secluded place to snorkel where there wasn't floating garbage. Amazing. I could look down and see 15 different types of fish swimming through the coral. I liked to just float above and look at all that was happening. It was as if I was in another world. The water was “take-your-breath-away” clear, and it seemed as if all the fish had personalities.