Chapter 10 – Coral Kingdom, Turtle Mission & One Last Sunset in Paradise

Chapter 10 – Coral Kingdom, Turtle Mission & One Last Sunset in Paradise

Good morning, Bolilanga!

Forget alarm clocks.

Our wake-up call came free of cost from hundreds of birds having what sounded like their own morning conference.

Somewhere in the background, the waves quietly played their part too.

Now this... is what waking up should feel like.

We walked over to the dining area where only one guest from last night's dinner was already awake, peacefully enjoying an early morning coffee.

No one was in a hurry.

No one was checking emails.

No one was staring at their phone.

Island life had officially slowed everyone down.

Before breakfast, we followed our usual morning ritual—a slow walk to our favourite spot, the long wooden dock where those comfy cushions were placed overlooking the sea.

Meanwhile, my wife had started another important mission.

Collecting seashells.

Every few steps...

"Oh... this one's nice."

Two minutes later...

"Oh wait... this one's nicer."

I quietly became the official shell carrier.

Looking into the crystal-clear water, all our colourful fish friends from yesterday had already started their morning show.

Business as usual.

Destination: Pulau Papan

Today's destination was one of the highlights of Togean Islands.

Pulau Papan.

Anyone visiting Togean will almost certainly have this place on their itinerary.

And after seeing it...

You'll understand why.

After breakfast, Wati and Agunk joined us.

Our boat was already waiting.

Its name?

Green Day.

Naturally, we took a photograph.

When a boat has a name, it deserves some respect.

By around 9 AM, we left Bolilanga behind.

Barely thirty minutes later...

The sea suddenly transformed into shades of bright turquoise that almost looked unreal.

Welcome to Pulau Papan.

The Floating Village

Pulau Papan isn't just famous for its reefs.

It's also home to a beautiful floating village built right above the sea.

Long wooden walkways connect houses, homestays and nearby islands.

Looking through the gaps in the wooden planks, we could already see colourful fish, sea urchins and crystal-clear lagoons below.

It felt like walking over a giant natural aquarium.

There were also several beautiful overwater cottages standing quietly above the sea.

Oddly enough...

They looked completely empty.

Curious, I asked Wati why.

She explained that they were government-owned accommodations.

Unfortunately, maintenance had stopped years ago, and there weren't even restaurants nearby.

Beautiful rooms...

No proper facilities.

A missed opportunity.

If this place were maintained properly, Pulau Papan would easily attract travellers from all over the world.

The Sweetest Souvenir

Wati took us to a local family who ran a small homestay.

Outside their house they had displayed handmade souvenirs.

Shells.

Bracelets.

Rings.

And something we had never seen before.

Wooden swimming goggles.

They looked handmade and incredibly unique.

We immediately bought two.

While browsing, the lady of the house picked up a beautiful large seashell and handed it to my wife.

Naturally, we asked,

"How much?"

Wati smiled.

"She wants to gift it to her."

We insisted on paying.

She politely refused.

That simple gesture touched us deeply.

Sometimes it's not the value of a souvenir...

It's the kindness with which it's given.

My wife looked happier than getting a birthday present.

She thanked the lady several times.

As we walked away, we genuinely hoped more visitors would discover this village and support these wonderful families.

A Village Above the Sea

The sun had now turned into a giant heater.

Every step reminded us that we were very close to the equator.

Still...

We continued walking through the village.

Everyone smiled.

Children looked at us with curiosity.

Communication wasn't really possible without Wati translating, but smiles don't need subtitles.

A short climb brought us to a small viewpoint.

And what a reward.

A full 360-degree panorama of the floating village surrounded by endless shades of blue.

The water was so clear that even in the deeper sections you could see beneath the surface.

Some views simply don't need descriptions.

The photographs can do the talking.

Welcome to the Coral Kingdom

Now...

The moment we'd all been waiting for.

Snorkelling.

Masks on.

Straight into the water.

Instantly...

Another world opened beneath us.

The colours underwater looked far richer than anything above the surface.

Every coral seemed to have its own personality.

Some looked like giant brains.

Others resembled trees.

Some closed up the moment we swam close, almost like they were shy visitors shutting their doors.

Schools of tiny fish surrounded us.

Bright yellow fish.

Blue fish.

Striped fish.

Fish with colours that looked like someone had borrowed paint from a rainbow.

I carried my action camera.

After a few minutes...

I switched it off.

There was simply no way a camera could capture what our eyes were seeing.

Sometimes it's better to stop filming...

...and simply experience the moment.

We swam beneath the wooden walkways.

Spotted deep blue starfish.

Tiny colourful reef fish.

Corals in every imaginable shape.

Without question...

This was the most beautiful coral garden we'd seen during the entire trip.

If you're planning to visit Togean Islands...

Don't skip Pulau Papan.

Seriously.

You'll regret it.

Lunch at the Edge of Paradise

Our next stop was Pulau Malenge, another beautiful island about thirty minutes away.

As we sailed, the sea kept changing colours.

Deep blue.

Emerald green.

Turquoise.

Light green.

It almost felt like someone was changing the colour settings every few minutes.

Eventually we arrived at a gorgeous C-shaped beach tucked between two lush green cliffs.

Each cliff had a small resort owned by European families.

It looked peaceful beyond words.

Lunch had already been packed for us.

So we found a nice spot, enjoyed another delicious meal together, and spent a little time swimming before preparing to return.

Our minds were already thinking about one thing.

Mission Turtle.

Waiting for the Guest of Honour

By around 2 PM we were back at Bolilanga.

Samba was waiting at the beach.

Of course he was.

Probably wondering where we'd disappeared.

Instead of resting, we went straight back into the water.

This time I deliberately left my camera behind.

No more trying to prove what paradise looks like.

Some memories belong only in your heart.

The reef in front of the resort was once again full of colourful fish and beautiful corals.

After swimming a little further, I noticed something funny.

The water was only knee deep...

Even though we were surprisingly far from the shore.

It felt like walking across a giant natural swimming pool.

We slowly floated around while keeping one eye on the seagrass beds.

According to the resort staff...

That's where the turtle comes every afternoon.

Clouds slowly gathered overhead.

Soon...

Rain.

Light at first.

Then a proper tropical downpour.

Everyone rushed back to shore.

Mission Turtle had suddenly become Mission Shelter.

False Alarm...

...Or Was It?

The rain lasted for almost an hour.

By the time it stopped, visibility underwater wasn't great anymore.

The sea had become cloudy.

One of the guests sat on the dock reading her book.

She had seen the turtle yesterday and knew exactly how excited we were.

We almost gave up.

Samba quietly stood beside me while my wife continued searching for shells.

Suddenly...

A loud voice came from the dock.

"Turtle!"

Every shell instantly became unimportant.

My wife reached the dock before I even realised what was happening.

By the time I arrived...

I caught a glimpse of a turtle lifting its head above the water before swimming away.

She had seen it much better than I had.

The other guests gathered around.

One of the staff smiled.

"It will come back."

Honestly...

I wasn't convinced.

Then...

My wife suddenly pointed towards the water.

"There!"

I looked.

"Nah... that's just a rock."

She ignored me.

Kept staring.

A few seconds later...

The "rock" started swimming.

Oops.

Turns out...

The rock had flippers.

Everyone rushed to the edge of the dock.

This beautiful brown sea turtle slowly glided along the shoreline, happily searching for seagrass.

For several magical minutes we watched it swim peacefully just metres away from us.

Mission Turtle...

Officially accomplished.

My wife looked at me with the biggest "I told you so" smile.

I simply nodded.

"Yes..."

"You were right."

Again.

One Last Sunset

As the turtle disappeared into deeper water, we quietly remained on the dock.

Only then did it hit us.

This was our final evening in Togean Islands.

Tomorrow...

We would leave.

The same sunset that had amazed us yesterday somehow felt even more beautiful today.

Perhaps because we knew it was our last.

The sky slowly changed colours while everyone sat together chatting softly.

No phones.

No music.

Just nature putting on its final performance for us.

Strange how quickly we'd adapted.

On our first day we kept checking whether electricity had returned.

Now...

We hardly even thought about it.

Paradise has a funny way of changing priorities.

One Last Dinner Together

Dinner that evening felt different.

The long dining table had become a family table.

People from different countries.

Different languages.

Different cultures.

Yet somehow everyone felt connected.

One guest turned out to be an underwater photographer.

When he showed us photographs from places we'd visited earlier that day, we were absolutely blown away.

I immediately followed him on Instagram.

His stories inspired us all.

He and his partner had been travelling continuously for almost two years.

To our surprise, they'd even visited our hometown in India.

Travel really does make the world feel much smaller.

We exchanged travel stories, laughed over funny experiences, and wished each other safe journeys.

Tomorrow we would be the first ones leaving the island.

Knowing we might not meet everyone again in the morning, we gathered for one final group photograph.

One picture.

Many beautiful memories.

A Sky Full of Stars

Walking back to our cottage, I looked up.

And simply stopped.

The sky...

I've honestly never seen anything like it.

Thousands upon thousands of stars.

No city lights.

No pollution.

Just an endless blanket of glitter stretching across the sky.

On the other side, the moon shone brightly.

Not fully round.

Soft.

Almost glowing like a freshly peeled clove of garlic.

The island had become completely silent.

Only the sound of distant waves remained.

We stood there for several minutes.

No words.

Just looking up.

Eventually we packed our bags.

Tomorrow we would leave Togean.

But Togean...

Would never really leave us.

Some places become memories.

Others quietly become a part of who you are.