SEMANANGGA  ISLAND

Semanangga Island, home to an a variety of people, is an amazing island of stilted houses with a central green recreation area.  There is no land for growing crops - the islanders live on dried seaweed and fish. The nearest island is a 4 hour boat ride away so vegetables and meat are rarely eaten.  Fishermen inhabit the land catching shark, tuna, mackerel, squid and scores of fish, while local sailors and traders are renowned for their locally-built wooden schooners and their voyages to destinations as distant as Singapore and Australia. Upon arrival at the Semanangga Island village we were welcomed by the head of the village and all the villagers. Our guide walked us through the village where we saw the daily life of the fisherman families, from drying the seaweed and fish, repairing the fishing nets and visiting their houses built on stilts. We met with the only fish distributor on the island and looked around his hut of dried fish. We enjoyed a ceremony with traditional dances and songs performed by the village youth club and were treated to local culinary delights. After leaving we repositioned at the remote Pulau Kokoila (an atoll with just a few houses) for snorkelling, then back on ship for lunch and an afternoon of cruising.

PALAU KOKOILA       an atoll with just a few houses