s/v Field Trip

Story by Michael. Yesterday we woke up at 5:30 a.m!  EARLY ALERT! We hopped into the dinghy and drove ashore. Our taxi arrived, and we hopped inside. Then we drove and talked with the driver. And drove and talked with the driver. Aaaand drove and talked with the driver. The car finally arrived at the fast ferry’s port, and the four of us climbed out. Mom bought a few unknown breakfast foods that some ladies were selling outside the ferry.  None of us knew exactly what was inside the tightly wrapped banana leaf, but we hadn’t had breakfast before we left, so this was it!  The steamed rice, fried egg and tempeh with hot sauce was actually really good!  We waited for about ten minutes, then we boarded the ferry! Boarding Ferry Mark sleeping as we head off to Banda Aceh Our Taxi The ferry drive was 45 minutes long (and really boring), but finally we arrived at Banda Aceh. Pronounced Ah-ch-ā. Not Ache like stomach pains!  We stepped off the...

Yesterday, we decided to plan a family dive for after lunch.  It’s been a while since everyone has been underwater, so we opted for a shallow dive in a partitioned area meant for snorkelers.  The water was less than clear, clouded with particulate.  This gave Elizabeth pause, as she envisioned millions of “zingers” in the water stinging her.  Zingers are the number one deterrent to diving for the kids, but both were so excited to go diving that they jumped in anyway. Within five minutes, Mark and Michael were off exploring, but when I asked her if she was okay, Elizabeth cupped her hands together to signal that she wanted to go back to the boat.  The zingers had won this time.  I swam with her back to the boat and got her settled in, then looked across the surface of the water to see where Mark’s bubbles were coming up so that I could go join them. Michael was having fun posing on the various underwater scenes - sitting at a sunken picnic tabl...