Bunaken Entrance Fee System

• Based on ground-breaking provincial laws, with agreement of PHKA (Dept of Nature Conservation)
• Fees reflect value of resource to user (willingness to pay)
• Designed with aspirations of tourism sector:
  • Practical and efficient system that does not inconvenience visitors, dive operators, or patrol team.
  • No per dive/ala carte charges – one time fee!
  • Revenues must remain with the park for local conservation programs
• Dual system
  • Foreign guests (numbered plastic tags): Rp 150,000/year (~$15)
  • Local guests (ticket) Rp 2500/trip (~$.25)
• Distribution of entrance fee revenues
  • 80% BNPMAB–specifically for Bunaken conservation programs
  • 20% local government – North Sulawesi, Minahasa district, Manado city, Jakarta
• Soft opening on 15 March 2001 – with auction
• Fully operational by 3 May 2001 after extensive socialization to tourism sector (meetings, articles, FAQ sheets, announcements, billboards).
• Entrance gates, patrol system to check compliance.
• In first year, collected ~$42,000 from 5194 foreign visitors and 9872 local visitors.
• In 2002, increased entrance fee from Rp 75,000/year to Rp 150,000/year
• Added one-day ticket for foreigners (~$7.5/day)
• Almost tripled the proceeds from 2001 with 2002 revenues of $109,305.

Visitors in Bunaken NP

Entrance Fee System Summary

Accommodation and Transportation Bunaken

Hot Water Pool at Koya Village, West Tandano

On the island you have the choice amongst a number of homestays, with rates starting at around Rp. 50 000 per day and person incl. fullboard. If you only go for the cheapest option don't complain afterwards if the water in your mandi (bathroom) doesn't get filled up regularly, or food isn't quite as nice as you had hoped for. Life in North Sulawesi in general isn't as cheap as in other regions of Indonesia, and most things on Bunaken have to be brought in from Manado.

Depending on the season even fish can be pretty expensive. Better think twice before you try to bargain down prices which are already cheap; for the locals it could mean the difference between being able to eat 3 or only 2 meals a day, or buying school books for the children or not.

Some of the dive operations on Bunaken are offering more upmarket accommodation with running water ((Living Colours) and even hot showers (Cha Cha Nature Resort).
Bunaken's much smaller neighbour Siladen only offers few accommodations. Most popular among budget travelers seems to be Martha's Homestay.

The most upmarket resort within the boundaries of the Bunaken National Park is Siladen Resort & Spa which started operations in 2003. The eco-friendly luxury boutique resort places high emphasis on the protection of the Marine Park and the environment.

The public boats from Manado to Bunaken are leaving daily around 2 p.m (depending on tide), except Sundays, from Pasar Jengki near Manado harbour. Back from Bunaken to Manado usually early in the morning, around 7-8 a.m. Even on Sundays there might be boats, just go to the harbor and ask people there. To charter a boat is about Rp. 150,000 - 200,000 OW. If you want to go to Siladen it is better to inquire first at the harbour, but usually there are several boats as well. The fare to Siladen is also Rp. 15 000.

Bunaken National Park Entrance Fee

All visitors to the Bunaken National Park (divers and non-divers) are required to pay an entrance fee, in accordance with North Sulawesi Provincial Government Provincial Law Number 9/2002. The entrance fee for foreign visitors is Rp 50,000 per daily ticket (approximately US$6), or Rp 150,000 (approximately US$17) for a waterproof plastic entrance tag valid for the full calendar year.
Entrance tags and tickets can be purchased direct from all NSWA members, or from ticket counters on Bunaken Island and on Siladen Island. They must be carried at all times that guests' are within the park boundaries, and tags can easily be affixed to guests' diving or snorkeling gear or on backpacks. Enforcement of the entrance fee system is conducted via spot checks by park rangers on land and at sea.
The entrance fee system has been adapted from the well-known Bonaire Marine Park system, and the proceeds from the sales of the entrance tags are managed by the Bunaken National Park Management Advisory Board (BNPMAB), a multi-stakeholder board that NSWA is a member of. The system has been very successful in raising over $250,000 for conservation programs in the Bunaken Marine Park since its inception in 2001.

General Information Bunaken National Marine Park

The Bunaken National Marine Park was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's growing system of marine parks. The park covers a total surface area of 89,065 hectares, 97% of which is overlain by sparkling clear, warm tropical water. The remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Although each of these islands has a special character, it is the aquatic ecosystem that attracts most naturalists. The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park are extremely deep (1566 m in Manado Bay), clear (up to 35-40 m visibility), refreshing in temperature (27-29 C) and harbor some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. Pick any of group of interest - corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges - and the number of families, genera or species is bound to be astonishingly high. For example, 7 of the 8 species of giant clams that occur in the world, occur in Bunaken. The park has around 70 genera of corals; compare this t oa mere 10 in Hawaii. Although the exact number of fish species is unknown, it may be slightly higher than in the Philippines, where 2,500 species, or nearly 70% of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific, are found.

Oceanic currents may explain, in part, why Bunaken National Marine Park is such a treasure trove of biodiversity. Northeasternly currents generally sweep through the park but abundant counter currents and gyros related to lunar cycles are believed to be a trap for free swimming larvae. This is particularly true on the south side of the crescent-shaped Bunaken Island, lying in the heart of the park. A snorkler or diver in the vicinity of Lekuan or Fukui may spot over 33 species of butterfly fish and numerous types of groupers, damsels, wrasses and gobies. The gobies, smallish fish with bulging eyes and modified fins that allow them to attach to hard surfaces, are the most diverse but least known group of fish in the park.
Biologists believe that the abundance of hard corals is crucial in maintaining the high levels of diversity in the park. Hard corals are the architects of the reefs, without them, numerous marine organisms would be homeless and hungry. Many species of fish are closely associated with particular types of corals (folious, branching, massives, etc.) for shelter and egg-laying. Others, like the enormous Bumphead Parrotfish, Balbometopon muricatum, are "coralivores" and depend on hard corals for their sustenance. Bony mouth parts fused into an impressive "beak" allow these gregarious fish to crunch corals like roasted peanuts.
Some 20,000 people live on the natural resources of Bunaken National Marine Park. Although there are inevitable conflicts between resource protection and use by people, the Indonesian government is taking a fairly unusual and pragmatic approach to park management. The idea is to promote wise resource use while preventing overexploitation. Local communities, government officials, dive resort operators, local nature groups, tourists and scientists have played an active role in developing exclusive zones for diving, wood collection, fishing and other forms of utilization. If successful, Bunaken Marine Park will stand as an important example of how Sulawesi, and the rest of Indonesia, can work to protect its natural resources.

Travel In Bunaken

If you are really serious to be a diver and want to have an unforgettable scuba diving travel, I suggest you to visit Bunaken in North Sulawesi,Indonesia. I think, if you are great diver, I do not have to explain so much about this great Marine Park because I believe that you have already known that Bunaken Marine Park has approximately 3,000 different varieties of reef fish and large numbers of pelagics; including barracuda, sharks, whales, dolphins, giant manta rays and turtles that call the steep walls home. On the east coast of North Sulawesi lies the incomparable Lembeh Strait, a macro photographer's Paradise and Muck Divers heaven. Their motto is " If you can't find your macro critter here, it probably doesn't exist."

In Bunaken, you can have a great stay, beautiful view and of course, you can have your professional pic-taken there with various sea creature and the best thing here is, you can be in the nearest destination (more than you expect) with the school of fish. Mm…What a great Scuba Diving Travel,especially if you are in your cheap honeymoon with the one you love.

ps.bunaken also has many great souvenirs so, do not forget to purchase one

Paradise Lose, Bunaken Sea

Do you wanna see some kind of Heaven under the sea? If you say yes, then you’re on the right track by reading this. :D

I would like to introduce the famous Indonesia Marine Park, called Bunaken. This place is the real heaven for underwater lover, especially the one who loves diving. Bunaken area, which consists of 5 islands (Manado Tua, Bunaken, Siladen, Mantehage, and Naen) has the highest levels of marine biodiversity in the world.

The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park are extremely deep (1566 m in Manado Bay), clear up to 35-40 m visibility, refreshing in temperature (27 to 29 °C). More than 70 genera of corals (Hawaii for example, only have 10), 2,700 species of fish, around 10 species of giant clams, live in this 75,265 hectares area of warm tropical water.

Scuba diving lover, will have unforgettable moment while dive in this marine park. There’re 20 main dive spots, the deepest spot is around 1344 meters under sea level. But don’t worry, if you can’t dive, you can still enjoy the beautiful of this park by snorkeling around the surface.

Remember, you’ll never see another marine park in the world that have this high level of marine biodiversity. Come to this spot, and you’ll know that it’s a real paradise.

Water In Bunaken

We installed our first hot water system into Standard Cottage 1. This is just a trial for now, we want to see how the loading on our electricity is affected. We installed a new & larger generator a few months ago but the power need of a hot water unit is very big and so can affect the rest of the resort.

If all goes well, we will be putting in hot water into Bunaken in the first quarter 2009. This will make night dives much more enjoyable!

Bunaken Sulawesi Indonesia

Alright just wanted to post a quick note (Internet isn’t the best here). We arrived safely in Manado three days ago, boy what a flight, I really do hate flying. This side of Indonesia is pretty nice, much better than Banda Aceh on the west side of Indonesia! We were picked up at the airport in Mando and taken to our boat for the 45 minutes to the island we will stay on for a week right in heart of the Bunaken Marine Park! Oh we had a one night layover in Kuala Lumpur thankfully we had enough time to download a few episodes of Heroes, House, Prison Break and Chuck. We need something to do when we aren’t diving! The resort here in Bunaken is pretty nice, way better than Pulau Weh. The rooms are not as nice as Pulau Weh but the food and dive boats are much better. The diving is pretty nice too! The view from the resort at sunset is fantastic, nice volcano which the sun sets right next too! Plus we can freely drink beer and eat during the day!! Much different than Pulau Weh! We will be here till Friday and then off to Lembah Straits which is the other side of the island we are staying on. There we will meet up with about 8 people we dove with in Koh Tao so it should be a pretty nice reunion! We will try to post more in a few days also maybe actually respond to some emails!! Miss you all!

Scuba Diving in North Sulawesi

Full of natural wonders, and offering an almost unparalleled levels of marine biodiversity, North Sulawesi has become one of the worlds premier destinations for ecotourism and adventure travel in recent years. Today, large numbers of scuba divers travel to this distant part of Indonesia, to sample some of the finest dive sites to be found anywhere throughout South East Asia.

The diving in North Sulwesi is focused in two main areas, the Bunaken National Marine Park and the famous muck diving capital of Lembeh Strait. There are other destinations where good diving is on offer in North Sulwesi, including the dive sites in Sangihe Island and Pulau Bangka, however it is the dive sites in Bunaken and Lembeh which draw large numbers of scuba divers here year after year.

The Bunaken National Marine Park was established in 1991, and the deep waters of the park offer one of the greatest levels of marine biodiversity to be found anywhere in the world. A home to over 70% of all fish species found throughout the Indo-western pacific region, the waters of Bunaken are home to an incredible array of coral and marine life.

The scuba diving in Bunaken is predominantly characterised by the awesome vertical walls which almost surround the island. Along these walls, an array of cracks, caves and crevices are home to a wide range of fish life during the day as well as the night. Dive sites including Fukui Point and Black Rock provide divers with access to stunning corals as well as stunning array of smaller marine life.

Lembeh Strait is widely acknowledged as being the ‘muck diving’ capital of the world, and offers what can only be described as a truly unique experience in diving. The diving itself is shaped by the black sandy bottom of the ocean in the region, which is home to a wide selection of critters and smaller marine life. It is for this reason that underwater photographers often choose to make the longer journey out to Lembeh Strait, to sample some of the finest opportunities for underwater macro photography to be found anywhere in South East Asia. Octopus, flying gunnards, frogfish and dwarf lionfish can all be found throughout the numerous dive sites in the Lembeh Strait.

Diving is possible in North Sulwesi throughout the year, although the best conditions are to be found from late March through to November. From January through to March, heavy rains and strong winds can be found throughout the region, leaving the conditions unfavourable for scuba diving.

Without doubt, the scuba diving in Sulawesi is of the highest standard, and the region fully justifies its claim to be one of South East Asia’s leading scuba diving destinations. The superb dive sites of Bunaken and Lembeh undoubtedly ensure the longer journey time to reach here is worthwhile, and leave you only thinking of when you can return!

Diving in Celebes sea Bunaken

Diving ... holidaying... is all about good experiences and living in different conditions, meeting people, having a good time.

One thing I love about this trip was staying at the Bunaken Cha Cha resort on the Island of Bunaken. Its similar to Sipadan. Swim out 30m from the shore and you're at the drop off point, overlooking a blue sea abysse. Great for snokellers and free divers. They say its what Sipadan was like 20 years ago.

The weather and sea conditions were a bit choppy at times. Overcast conditions mostly. We had to forfeit one day diving due to a storm; no charge. On two of the wall dives - there were swarms of thousands of baby trigger and yellow angel fishes. It looked like a Windows Computer Screen Saver.

Had trouble breathing for some reason. I just couldn't relax. Turns out that there was a setting for my breathing regulator- it may have been turned down to low.

The Bunaken Cha Cha resort has a lot of rustic charm going for it. The chalets are built into the side of a tropical jungle forest. The buildings are well made- and use plenty of concrete for their foundation and flooring. Teak is used for the bedroom and verandas. It feels so idyll lying on the hammock by the veranda and looking into the sea. Surprisingly very few mosquitoes. I don't have any bite marks at all.

Its also very exclusive- the resort only had about 10 guests when we were there; it could fit 20 guests in total. We had 2 - 3 senior dive guides on all the dives.

The resort also has broadband internet connection and mobile phone reception.

Bunaken Cha cha resort

Kungkungan Bay Resort to Bunaken Cha Cha and Back in exactly 24 hours. You wouldn’t believe the mission.

In the morning we were taken on a market tour and school tour with one of the ladies from the KBR (Kungkungan Bay Resort), nutty that she was we saw a lot of things you wouldn’t normally get a chance to see if you just stayed on resort. For those who are interested, and have a strong stomach there are some pictures of a certain mans best friend, which appears to be food in this country. The fish market was great, all the local fisherman go out on a 12 hour shift at 6.00pm and arrive back in port in the morning with whatever they caught and trust me they caught a lot.

The primary school we visited seemed a little military but you can see where the Indonesians get their discipline from. Very strict, I think we might have got some of them in trouble for not facing the front, they were much more interested in the two white men who had come to visit. Tourists don’t often visit, which in my mind just isn’t good enough, don’t come to these countries and not experience the local life, you will just be visiting a resort and you might as well stick to the package holidays and save yourself the flight time.

After KBR have seen us off we are off to Bunaken Cha Cha ( BCC ) the notes that follow were made on the following morning and I make no excuses for not editing them, I refuse to re-write a review of the place.

Drive to Bintang - Change money and Apoteka, funny how some of the latin still makes it through to these far off cultures.

Arrive Manado Port

Boat waiting.... wooden, tidy, not what we expected perhaps.

I was in the mood for a bit of adventure, Tom wasn’t too sure about putting customers on a boat like this, but this is Ultimate Diving, only for the adventurous though.

Wet landing at Bunaken Cha Cha, easy peasy and the resort looks beautiful, set in a forrest of Palm Trees. Having some difficulty focussing on the direction of conversation already and feeling a little lost.

Random is the word that sums it up so far. Not too sure what the pitch is here.

Arrived to coconut drinks on a veranda which is a fantastic view of the bay. 2 3/4 hours of conversation in a montage leads us to start to question where we are and why there are currently no guests.

For paradise, which ultimately is what you find when you visit BCC there seems to be some trouble that we cant quite put our finger on, the staff don’t seem as happy as the other resorts we have visited though the facade is as good if not better than the other resorts we have visited, as you scratch the surface you find irritations that not even Toms wonderful Tiger Balm will stop you wanting to itch.

There is something about travelling to these places and diving that involves trust, consistency, professionalism all of which are detached from the resort, it's staff and it's sustenance. It is the brand leader which drives the customer experience overall and what we have ended up with is the perfect location, which is being spoilt, not from lack of effort from staff, not from poor food, certainly not from lack of quality, this is the one resort on Bunaken island which has HOT water. But it isn’t a place we want to stay, we don’t want to dive here, we don’t want to send customers here.

Under new management, this place would be a diamond site for those willing to take that extra step. Well worth the visit and a jumping board to some of the amazing dive sites of Bunaken National Park. In its current state I wouldn’t recommend it. Any PADI qualified Diving Instructor willing to confess to putting divers through a difficult dive swimming into current because they kept him up the night before, is not somewhere we would ever want to send customers to and certainly not someone I want to dive with. My foot is firmly down on that one.

First thing in the morning we are busting a groove. Toms left his mask at KBR so we will head back that way and try to get over to Gangga Island, let’s find the normality of Indonesia we have come to expect, happy staff, safe diving and less of the "let me tell you why"

That sums it up…. No more needs to be said about BCC. Good bye and good luck.

Bunaken In China

10月4号早上，收拾好大包小包，我们离开了NAD前往机场。风子和大胜踏上回国旅程，snoopy和我将要继续行程去Bunaken。

原 来在email里面沟通好，NAD会和我们在Bunaken的潜店Cha Cha联系好如何接头。我在出发前也和NAD的经理Simon确认过没问题。可是到了机场，NAD的司机根本没有找人接头的意思，把我们扔在机场就准备走 人了。我拉着他问，结果他回了我一句：NO English。

好吧，那只能靠自己啦。snoopy看行李，我往机场到达区走去。我们到的时间正好没有飞机到达，到达区冷冷清清，估计也正因为如此，我很快就被Cha Cha雇佣的司机认出接上头。

一 个多小时后，来到Bunaken Cha Cha Resort. 但下船成了一个问题。ChaCha门口有一片很浅的海滩，涨潮的时候船可以驶入，而退潮的时候船就只能远远停下。我们到达的时候正好是午后退潮。我们的船 只能停在玻璃水和蓝水交界处，我们只能下船涉水100多米到岸，还好一堆的行李船夫负责扛了。

Bunaken是印尼的国家海洋公园，岛上 的基础设施相对比较简陋。Cha Cha是唯一一家提供热水洗澡的resort，也是价格最贵的一间。其实Chacha也不大，一共10间房，最多接待20个客人。我们预订了便宜的 Standard Room，有热水，没空调。ChaCha依山而建，而Standard Room在最上面，每天上上下下都是很好的饭后散步。

我们的从房间远眺Cha Cha的海岸。



房间就简陋多了，不能跟NAD的bungalow相比，蚊帐蚊香一应俱全。Snoopy一直羡慕我的房间是一张大床（她的是一张小床），偶睡觉的时候才发现，这是两张小床拼起来的，只是用了一张大床的床单而已。

洗手间提供的肥皂竟然是“蜂花牌”。

收拾好东西再下来到餐厅吃饭。餐厅、休闲区都在一起，屋檐下挂着一直风干的炮弹鱼。

进入休闲区和餐厅就不许穿鞋了。

吃的东西不是自助餐，都是一份一份的，每个人的分量都相同。做的也不算难吃吧，西餐、印尼、日本餐都有过，不过每个人都一样感觉没有自助餐的选择广。大家都是在这条长桌上吃饭，号称有些Family Feel，还好老板Raf比较风趣。

休息看海的地方吧台，旁边是书橱。
Cha Cha是个很与众不同的resort。它的位置很偏，走路到最近的村落要30分钟，所以，你不要指望酒吧之类的，这是个安静的地方。第一天吃晚饭的时候， 坐我边上的是一个在曼谷生活的澳洲人，做水果进出口生意的。他说他7，8年前就来Bunaken了，这是第7次了。每次都住Cha Cha。他说ChaCha很少做广告，基本都是回头客。他喜欢这儿的安静，光这次就待了3周，潜了四五十潜。准备12月底再来第八次。

Chacha很讲究和动物共处，所以一共有5只狗，4只黄白色的，还有一只黑狗只有6个月大，名字竟然叫“Gekko”。

Gekko
在这儿潜水也很多规矩。因为是国家公园，所以要买门票150,000RP一个人，给你一个小牌牌可以挂在BC上，门票一年有效（只是当年，所以我这次买的门票只能用到08年12月底）。为了保护珊瑚，不许戴手套，不许用流勾。第一潜Check Dive不许带相机下水。

晾装备的地方

OK。一堆的琐事做完，下午3pm第一潜。去一个叫Living Color的潜点，不在任何一个潜点图上，潜导说是个Surprise。反正第一潜不许带相机，就慢慢潜喽。

Bunaken 的潜水就像Sipadan，典型的Wall Dive，峭壁潜水。有点平流，时大时小。我们基本放流而行。一共两个潜导：一个当地人，一个日本MM，带了5个人，除了我和Snoopy还有三个澳洲 人。潜导一开始说可能看到Barracuda，拿破仑，鲨鱼。结果，下水都没有看到太多东西，这个点的珊瑚的确不错，但大鱼很少。潜导是一个狮子鱼也敲 瓶，一只普通的海兔也敲。三个澳洲鬼佬看的很兴奋，Snoopy和偶大眼瞪小眼，很快我们俩就变成领队了。整潜Snoopy发现一条黑鳍鲨，一只海龟；偶 敲了一只洞里的大石斑。我怎么都觉得snoopy和我像潜导。

第一潜好失望，snoopy直接放弃了夜潜。结果只有那个日本MM做潜导陪偶去夜潜了。中午吃饭的时候偶问日本MM，你来这儿做潜导多久了？日本MM回答：一个星期。偶@#￥%@#￥%#

夜潜就下在Cha Cha的House Reef，叫Cha Cha I。

这个怪东西个头挺大以前没见过，一开始还以为是个螃蟹，后来查了书才知道竟然是龙虾的一种。


小蟹

大蟹

日本MM见着海胆也指给偶看，算了拍一张吧

石头鱼，在蓝碧见多了，不过这边的是正常Size的。

这只龙虾算是日本MM比较成功的发现。

下午潜没啥太多东西，夜潜下来也没啥东西看，真是打击信心啊。

吃晚饭的时候和水果先生聊天，请教这个来了7次的人哪个潜点比较好。他推荐了3个点：
1. Cha Cha II, 据说有Barracuda风暴，他说他早上下午都潜过，都有。
2. Fukui， Bunaken的招牌巨蚌
3. Lekuan I, II, III中间选一个，典型的Bunaken Wall Dive

于是，我跑去跟日本MM说了，明天剩下的三潜我们想去这三个点。日本MM满口答应。希望，明天的潜水有点看头。

Bunaken and Lembeh Island

Equipment: Due to luggage constraints I left the 5D behind and used 2 40D bodies with my Subal housing. Lenses Canon 60mm EFS, Sigma 10-20 and for the first time Sigma 10mm fisheye. I love the FF Sigma 15mm fisheye so I thought I would try its new brother. It did not disappoint - very sharp in the corners at all apertures I used. Also slightly less fishy making it great for topside and split shots.

The trip: Tailored to family diving vacation ( two adults and two teenagers )and organised by Jeremy Barnes from Safari Tours and Travel in Manado - very highly recommended. Everything went very smoothly.

Accomodation: Bunaken- Cha Cha resort. Simple but very comfortable with fantastic atmosphere. Our kind of holiday. Kids loved the dogs and the jungle and mangrove exploration. Diving very well organised and very relaxed. Some serious current on a few occasions but all part of the fun. Owner Raf is a hoot and goes the extra mile for you.
Lembeh- Kasawari Lembeh Resort. Beautiful classy resort. Amazing diving set up with best UW camera room I have ever seen. Expensive but worth it. First time to dive in Lembeh for me and it certainly lived up to its reputation.

Bunaken Cha cha Fried Rice (Testimonial)

My husband and I had this fried rice for lunch when we stayed at Bunaken Cha Cha, a nice relax resort in North Sulawesi. As usual, I would ask the recipe where possible since it would be a nice alternative to the fried rice with sweet soy sauce that I usually make.

When you see the colour of the fried rice, it is with fresh green tinge. Also, the base ingredients are very simple but oh my.... it's like you want more and more. Good thing, the chef is not stingy to share his precious recipe. Thanks, Rinto.


Editing note: I made this fried rice again today (20/7/08) and used more vegetables and had to add more chicken stock and a dash of salt. Otherwise, the taste would be a slightly bland.


Ingredients:
This ingredients have been modified just slightly according to the stock in my pantry.

Rice: 360 mL uncooked rice; cook according to the instructions on the packet but with slightly less water. Cool the rice. (original - 2 bowls of cooked rice)

Scrabled egg: 5 eggs + a dash of white pepper + a pinch of nutmeg + a pinch salt, cook to soft scrambled egg. Put aside. (original - 2 eggs)

1 Tbsp sesame oil
(original - use 2 spring onion but i didn't use)
4 tsp mince Spanish onion (original - 4 shallots)
4 tsp mince garlic (original - 4 garlic)
4 pieces rindless short bacon, cut finely (original - use 2 streaky bacon)
16 stalks baby choy sun, mince finely (original - use 2 stalks choy sun)
3 tsp chicken stock powder, Massel (original - use 2-3 Knorr chicken blocks)



Directions:
(Saute spring onion for 1-2 minutes)

Saute onion and garlic with sesame oil until the garlic is slightly brown. Add bacon and cook until fragrant.

Add rice and buck choy, stir. Then, add chicken stock powder and egg. Stir until well mixed.

Serve warm.



This is the fried rice that I had for my lunch in Bunaken.

Bunaken National Park Sulawesi Indonesia

Pink anemonefish

Twelve members of Orca Divers, based in Chorlton, Manchester, enjoyed a week's scuba diving in North Sulawesi using the Thalassa Dive Centre, based at the Santika Hotel near Manado.

We dived in Bunaken National Marine Park which includes the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Manado Tua rises to 820m above sea level but its walls plunge to over 1000m into the Celebes Sea. Each of the islands is surrounded by a dense coral reef and provides excellent wall diving, drift dives and stunning coral slopes. The visibility is generally around 25 to 30 metres and the water temperature is a very comfortable 29 to 30 degrees C! Bunaken has a great diversity of marine life, from tiny pygmy seahorses and nudibranchs to sharks, huge turtles and a manta ray (which I missed!).

Bunaken has one wreck, that of a steel-hulled German merchant ship which sank on 22nd February 1942, just 5 minutes from Molas beach. It was found in 1980.

Around two hours drive away is the Lembeh Strait, famous for the variety of rare macro life on the volcanic sand. Lembeh Island creates a calm, narrow channel and the waters are rich due to currents bringing a rich supply of plankton, accounting for the poorer visibility (around 10 to 15 metres). Buoyancy control is vital so as not to disturb the sand. My first introduction to 'muck diving,' this area is one of the best sites in the world for rare and unusual marine animals.
An hour's journey by boat takes you to Bangka Island, off Sulawesi's northernmost tip,for more superb dive sites.

The photos are my first attempt at underwater photography. I used a Canon G9 with a waterproof case and Photoshop CS2 'tidied' the original shots. A web album on Picasa saved converting the images for the web. If you have time to look at that album I would be most grateful if you would vote (giving the picture numbers by way of a comment on this posting or a separate email via the 'Contact us' button on our website) for your two favourite underwater images - that's how many I'm allowed to enter in the Orca photography competition.

Thanks to Nick and Caroline of Orca for organising such a superb trip, and for their photography tips.

Frogfish

Travel at Bunaken Sulawesi Indonesia

If you have travel vacation plan, get holiday at north Sulawesi, northern Indonesian to constitute best option and you will never disappointed get holiday over there. My travel vacation at north Sulawesi have is more than 5 last years, but memory is beautiful is still feel until be now hopefully a while we can visit again, that my expectation.

There are many place which can be visitted at north Sulawesi, well aught isle sort, lake, event and culture and beach that really pretty available in here and of course the sun shines which warms to fresh add holiday atmosphere. And don't forget camera to take image. I come at this north Sulawesi pass through the's porting of Bitung which is located in Lembeh strait's port, because I by the way of oceanic. Yeah.. that is we a sailor …….

If you utilize plane, I perceive to pass through airport at singapore or domestic even airport at Indonesian as from Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya, Ujungpadang, such is Garuda Airlines's usa, Mandala Airlines, etc. For transportation and lodging or hotel even a lot of is met, so doesn't fear( no need pitches a tent.. he..)

One of that prettiest is bunaken' s national sea garden, It is only 30 minutes trip from Manado to Bunaken Island by speed boat. The Bunaken Sea Garden is very well known around the world is one of the most beautiful sea garden in the world, visited by foreign and domestic tourists because bunaken island, One of the worlds most beautiful coral environments, with an almost unbelievable variety of teeming sea life, superb visibility and spectacular scenery. Bunaken is the chief attraction of North Sulawesi specially for diver, with much of the best coral and so many different kind of fish, small and bigger.

Snorkellers too can enjoy the shallow reefs filled with clouds of colourful fishes. Schooling pyramid butterfly fish are common along the reef crest.




3 thing who shall be tried at manado is 3B( Bunaken, Bubur manado, Bibir manado)/(bunaken, manado's pap, and is manado's lip), he.. he … it says friends of sailors … and B the latest (Bibir)/(lip) no need been tried …oke… but it was given up by you … and happy enjoy ………bond voyage. Source photo or image : Rykers.org

Bunaken Indonesia Manado

Hello guys. Have you heard about the coral reefs off Bunaken National Park?
This island located about 15 km from Manado, capital province of North Sulawesi in Indonesia. These magnificent virgin reefs are still relatively unspoiled. The drop-off walls at Liang cove are not only rare in the world, with caves, gullies and caverns, harboring an immense wealth of marine life. Spectacular formation of reefs begins with flat at about 5 m depth. These plunge downward to form underwater vertical crevices with often reach depth on several hundred meters. On these beautiful reefs, a wonderful collection of marine life thrives.

The Bunaken reef is a chain of over 40 five star dive spots. The Marine Park is spectacular with the greatest concentration of tropical fish, coral species and world famous wall diving.
Clear, warm waters with sea temperatures usually range between 27-30 Celsius degrees, light currents and calm seas allow easy access to the underwater attraction awaiting visitors to the five-islands of the Bunaken-Manado Tua National Marine Park which sits directly offshore of Manado. Bunaken is the standout favorite, with the highest density of schooling fish and the greatest probability to see larger species such as turtles, sharks, and napoleon wrasse. There are enough sites here to keep any diver happy for over a week without going elsewhere.

Getting Bunaken is easily. If we reached from Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, takes about 3 hours by plane to Manado (there is one hour time difference between Jakarta and Manado where Jakarta's time is 1 hour advance than Manado), then from Manado by motorized outrigger boat start from Manado harbor, Molas, Kalasey and Tasik Ria beaches. The public boats from Manado to Bunaken are leaving daily around 2 p.m., except Sundays, from Pasar Jengki near Manado harbor. Back from Bunaken to Manado usually early in the morning, around 7-8 a.m.
On the island you have the choice amongst a number of homestays, with rates starting at Rp. 40,000(about US$ 4.5) per day and person including full board. Some of the dive operations on Bunaken are offering more up-market accommodation, and even running water.

Bunaken Marine Park Minahasa

Indonesian Underwater Paradise

Bunaken is part of the Bunaken National Marine Park, which has some of the highest levels of marine biodiversity in the world. Scuba diving attracts many visitors to the island. Bunaken is located at the north of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs administratively to the municipality of Manado.

The Bunaken National Marine Park was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's growing system of marine parks. The park covers a total surface area of 890.65 km², 97% of which is overlain by sparkling clear, warm tropical water. The remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Although each of these islands has a special character, it is the aquatic ecosystem that attracts most naturalists.

The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park are extremely deep (1566 m in Manado Bay), clear (up to 35-40 m visibility), refreshing in temperature (27 to 29 °C) Pick any of group of interest - corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges - and the number of families, genera or species is bound to be astonishingly high. For example, 7 of the 8 species of giant clams that occur in the world, occur in Bunaken. The park has around 70 genera of corals; compare this to a mere 10 in Hawaii. Although the exact number of fish species is unknown, it may be slightly higher than in the Philippines, where 2,500 species, or nearly 70% of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific, are found.

Oceanic currents may explain, in part, why Bunaken National Marine Park is such a treasure trove of biodiversity. Northeasternly currents generally sweep through the park but abundant counter currents and gyros related to lunar cycles are believed to be a trap for free swimming larvae. This is particularly true on the south side of the crescent-shaped Bunaken Island, lying in the heart of the park. A snorkler or diver in the vicinity of Lekuan or Fukui may spot over 33 species of butterfly fish and numerous types of groupers, damsels, wrasses and gobies. The gobies, smallish fish with bulging eyes and modified fins that allow them to attach to hard surfaces, are the most diverse but least known group of fish in the park.

Biologists believe that the abundance of hard corals is crucial in maintaining the high levels of diversity in the park. Hard corals are the architects of the reefs, without them, numerous marine organisms would be homeless and hungry. Many species of fish are closely associated with particular types of corals (folious, branching, massives, etc.) for shelter and egg-laying. Others, like the enormous Bumphead Parrotfish, Balbometopon muricatum, are "coralivores" and depend on hard corals for their sustenance. Bony mouth parts fused into an impressive "beak" allow these gregarious fish to crunch corals like roasted peanuts.

Some 20,000 people live on the natural resources of Bunaken National Marine Park. Although there are inevitable conflicts between resource protection and use by people, the Indonesian government is taking a fairly unusual and pragmatic approach to park management. The idea is to promote wise resource use while preventing overexploitation. Local communities, government officials, dive resort operators, local nature groups, tourists and scientists have played an active role in developing exclusive zones for diving, wood collection, fishing and other forms of utilization. Bunaken Marine Park has become an important example of how Sulawesi, and the rest of Indonesia, can work to protect its natural resources.

Bunaken Heaven Marine

The heaven marine of Bunaken..

For to night, lets talk about the Bunaken as the news and culture posting. Bunaken is located at the north of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs administratively to the municipality of Manado. Bunaken is part of the Bunaken National Marine Park, which has some of the highest levels of marine biodiversity in the world. The scuba diving attracts many visitors to the island.

Oceanic currents may explain, in part, why Bunaken National Marine Park is such a treasure trove of biodiversity. Northeasternly currents generally sweep through the park but abundant counter currents and gyros related to lunar cycles are believed to be a trap for free swimming larvae. This is particularly true on the south side of the crescent-shaped Bunaken Island, lying in the heart of the park. A snorkler or diver in the vicinity of Lekuan or Fukui may spot over 33 species of butterfly fish and numerous types of groupers, damsels, wrasses and gobies. The gobies, smallish fish with bulging eyes and modified fins that allow them to attach to hard surfaces, are the most diverse but least known group of fish in the park.

The Bunaken National Marine Park was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia’s growing system of marine parks. The park covers a total surface area of 890.65 km², 97% of which is overlain by sparkling clear, warm tropical water. The remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Although each of these islands has a special character, it is the aquatic ecosystem that attracts most naturalists.

The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park are extremely deep (1566 m in Manado Bay), clear (up to 35-40 m visibility), refreshing in temperature (27 to 29 °C) Pick any of group of interest - corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges - and the number of families, genera or species is bound to be astonishingly high. For example, 7 of the 8 species of giant clams that occur in the world, occur in Bunaken. The park has around 70 genera of corals; compare this to a mere 10 in Hawaii. Although the exact number of fish species is unknown, it may be slightly higher than in the Philippines, where 2,500 species, or nearly 70% of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific, are found.

The biologists believe that the abundance of hard corals is crucial in maintaining the high levels of diversity in the park. Hard corals are the architects of the reefs, without them, numerous marine organisms would be homeless and hungry. Many species of fish are closely associated with particular types of corals (folious, branching, massives, etc.) for shelter and egg-laying. Others, like the enormous Bumphead Parrotfish, Balbometopon muricatum, are “coralivores” and depend on hard corals for their sustenance. Bony mouth parts fused into an impressive “beak” allow these gregarious fish to crunch corals like roasted peanuts.

Some 20,000 people live on the natural resources of Bunaken National Marine Park. Although there are inevitable conflicts between resource protection and use by people, the Indonesian government is taking a fairly unusual and pragmatic approach to park management. The idea is to promote wise resource use while preventing overexploitation. Local communities, government officials, dive resort operators, local nature groups, tourists and scientists have played an active role in developing exclusive zones for diving, wood collection, fishing and other forms of utilization. Bunaken Marine Park has become an important example of how Sulawesi, and the rest of Indonesia, can work to protect its natural resources.

And for the last words, do you know that the Bunaken National Marine Park is the most beautiful National Marine Park in the world? It’s true, so lets protect and care our Bunaken, friends…