What a marvelous day in the Natuna Archipelago! We wake up to yet another beautiful sunrise and cannot believe our eyes - are we still on the ocean? Not a ripple disturbs the surface of the water. Surrounded by tropical islands, our current home National Geographic Orion floats on what seems like a lake. What a perfect day for water activities! But before we can discover more of Indonesia’s stunning underwater world, we marvel at all the different shades of blue as we make our way towards Tanjung Kumbik. Lots of smiling faces greet us as we reach the dock of this colorful little fishing village. After a warm welcome, we get treated to another traditional Indonesian dance performance and have some time to stroll around the village, enjoy local treats, and of course take lots of photos (or are more photos taken of the exotic looking people who just arrived on a big ship?!).
Touched by the friendliness of these people, we wave goodbye and return to National Geographic Orion with big smiles on our faces. The sun is now high up in the sky. It is time to refresh ourselves in the crystal clear water of the Pacific. Still not one wave in sight. Myriads of colorful reef fishes surround us as we gaze at a stunning diversity of hard corals - it feels like we are swimming in a giant tropical aquarium. After a wonderful cultural experience and the opportunity to discover the reefs surrounding Pulau Setaih, we enjoy a spectacular sunset as the ship sets sails towards its next destination.
