Our journey through the South China Sea continued with a stop at Pulau Mentebung in the Badas Islands, roughly 100 miles off the southwest coast of Borneo. It is hard to believe that this remote community of about 500 people gets many visitors, so the presence of a large and permanent ‘Welcome’ sign in English was a bit puzzling.
Once ashore, we explored the settlement and paths across the island, which gave us insight into daily life in a remote Indonesian village. Meanwhile, the morning turned into an official day off for the local school kids. A version of the World Cup was played out on the local field with honors shared between locals and the international team from National Geographic Orion.
