Sukamade to Coffee Plantation (Aug 30-31)

After an amazing evening under the stars, Tracy and I figured we were in for a let down, but boy were we wrong. As set off from Kalibaru, our local guide, Juno, and Hari gave us the option of stopping on the way out to check out a beautiful local beach called Green Bay, which only the locals really know about. We of course jumped at the chance. After a short hike (~3 kilometers), we arrived at the beach along with some local kids in tow who wanted to get some pictures with us, western tourist rockstars ;-). We were immediately struck with the beauty of this place. Perfect white sand and clear bluish-green waters with nice rock formations on either side. Better yet, it was as secluded as promised as there was no one else on the beach. Juno informed us that it was totally safe to swim as he brings his daughter to the beach, so we immediately grabbed our masks and snorkels and hit the water. (Note: Praise to Tracy for insisting that we bring these despite my objections to carrying more equipment). The first time in the water, we stayed to the right of the bay and didn't see many fish or coral formations. The second time was a completely different story however. We went left and after a few minutes large shelf like coral formations started to appear. First there were lime green ones, then mauve's, then more colors and formations started appearing. While we didn't see many large fish, we saw a massive variety of small reef fish. Several of the fish from Finding Nemo were even visible (Hello Scar!) much to Tracy's delight. We probably spent about forty-five minutes exploring and the second swim and never got bored. Unfortunately, we knew we had to set off again, so back in the Juno's ride it was, but in only a short time, we passed through the a small village where a traditional ceremony was taking place. What appeared to be the entire village was gathered together listing to music and watching a performance by two men in elaborate costumes in makeup. We found out that this was a circumcision celebration which typically takes place when a boy turns seven, and if you look closely at the photos you will notice the costumes match the theme. Anyway, as we approached with Hari in the hopes of quietly observing the ceremony, the villagers, especially the kids, started to take notice of us. Our rockstar status was in full affect, and soon, even the main performer noticed us and mentioned something on the microphone (I think about wanting to kiss Tracy). Before we could escape, some of the people invited us in and insisted that we have some food and enjoy the proceedings. Let me just say how wonderfully polite and hospitable the people of this town were. The food was delicious, and we had a wonderful time. Tracy and I only hope that we didn't disrupt their event too much and we wish each and every one of them the best. Soon the performance was wrapping up with the two men fighting it in a bloody mess. We were informed that they were both in a trance which allowed them to endure the fight. After that Tracy and I decided it was time to set off, so we jumped back in Juno's truck and headed for his house. From there we set off for our next hotel with Hari. The following morning (August 31st) we jumped back in the car with Hari and travelled to a coffee plantation near Mount Ijen. Once at the plantation, Hari gave us a tour of the facilities. Tracy got her usual amount of attention and there are some great pictures of her having a laugh with the women who sort the beans. Next, we headed for a hike to a nearby waterfall. On the way, we passed through the workers' village. As we did so, the local children came asking for photos. Hari had previously informed us that if you take photos of the kids they would expect some type of treat in return, so we were totally prepared. We snapped away and a mini-Halloween commenced. We soon made it to the waterfall, which we forced Hari to explore with us for some time. Finally, we headed back to our home stay for very nice meal surrounded by a bunch of European tourists and a small bob tailed cat, which Tracy of course adopted and fed all of our chicken bones too. We were soon off to sleep in preparation for an early rise the next morning.