The mystery of how Santa Claus gets around the world to all the little boys and girls has been solved! I’ve gotten close here with two hilarious German females and a social-butterfly of a young Bolivian woman, all of whom celebrate Christmas on the 24th instead of the 25th. Its up for debate when Santa actually goes to Germany but two options are the night of the 23rd and then everyone waits until the night of the 24th to open gifts or the day of the 24th while all good boys and girls are out to church. Gifts as well are opened on the 24th in Bolivia.
So, already going to have an unconventional Christmas, I thought, lets throw caution to the wind and celebrate on the 24th!
So, already going to have an unconventional Christmas, I thought, lets throw caution to the wind and celebrate on the 24th!
Overall I can’t complain, we went to some beautiful places and I did see plenty of great underwater scenes with colourful fish and intriguing coral formations. I think why maybe these islands are so popular for snorkeling is due to the ease of access to the reefs as opposed to the area being truly one of the best snorkelling spots. Many portions of the reef start only meters off the shore, and that, combined with the beautiful scenery and a relaxing feel, make it a hot spot for underwater explorers. In comparison though with places like Bunakan in Sulawesi, this is an average snorkel location.
What a great way to spend Christmas though, in a tropical paradise and swimming with fish I recognized from Finding Nemo!
What a great way to spend Christmas though, in a tropical paradise and swimming with fish I recognized from Finding Nemo!
Christmas dinner was had a Zipp Café, a favourite of mine here because of the variety on the menu, the great prices and the AMAZING barbeque. Opting for the evening barbeque specials is a must do here. You can get huge kebabs, real steaks or full fish grilled up with custom sauces and served with large sides of potatoes and veggies. Christmas dinner for me was a beef kebab and a great choice!
Zipp also had a live band playing throughout dinner, however, the night really started around 11:00pm as they cleared the tables for a dance floor, a DJ started mixing, and the island dwellers came out of hiding once again to throw back Bintangs and shake there groove things. In addition to this, fireworks sporadically were set off along the coast, fire spinners worked their magic and a huge bonfire was stoked with bursts of gasoline. | By 4am once again I found myself as one of the only foreigners on the beach enjoying the awesome beats and thrashing around without inhabition. Merry Christmas Everyone !! Travel Tip: Go to Nani’s Shop for the cheapest snorkeling on the island at 70,000 a person for four stops and a couple hours on Gili Meno Highlight of the Day: The island transforming into Santa’s workshop with trees being decorated, staff donning Santa hats and red and green covering everything in sight. |