To go on an expeditionary trip is unlike anything else. It has become a lot more comfortable over the years, especially when you’re on a ship as amazing as the National Geographic Orion. In saying that, one still needs to bring a sense of adventure and an open mind as to what one may or may not find; it is the wild and we are travelling through Borneo after all!
Today, we went to an island that that the expedition leader had researched and thought it looked good but had never been. That sounds like a true expedition to me. Directly upon arrival the expedition team went out scouting to check for its suitability and to find the best location for our activities. People made their way over to the island, which at first looked like something out of a blockbuster movie and then the skies opened up. It started raining in a way only the tropics can. Now this is where the spirit of adventure is needed. People could have as easily given up and gone back to the ship, but the opposite happened. People came, they jumped in the water, and they stayed. The winds did stir the water making the visibly a little less than perfect, but for the patient and for those who took their time, there were many things to see. The island has a beautiful array of coral species, the water was teeming with small fish, and all of the other critters one would expect to find in the biodiversity hot spot that we have found ourselves in.
Now, I must admit it was easy to keep our spirits high when the water was the perfect temperature, but I thought it was fantastic people shrugged the clouds off and went exploring! Those who kept their sense of adventure were rewarded with more fantastic experiences connecting with the underwater world!
The expeditionary spirit is alive and well!
