The Relaxation Station

The Raja Ampat trip was one of total relaxation for me. It met my three requirements needed for a perfect vacation: plentiful food, entertaining activities, and nice living quarters. The beautiful scenery and abundance of wildlife was a bonus to all this. The only downside to the trip was the fact that my perfect pet, Newt, wasn't there. She stayed with our good friends the Miles.

Most of the days we just hung around Kri Resort playing badminton, sculpting sea creatures out of sand, racing hermit crabs, or lounging on bean bags at the “relaxation station” (a covered dock with lounge chairs, bean bags and a hammock). On some occasions we were taken around by boats to see exotic see creatures; these trips were nice opportunities to get out for a while. There was a lot of sea life I had never seen before that I saw on those few trips.

An afternoon badminton game

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The infamous “relaxation station”

There was never one moment when we were bored. We would go take a swim, dry in the sun, get a snack of coffee or tea and cookies, and lounge on the bean bags. We named any creature that was recognizable. Jim and Dwight were the two pufferfish often seen, Lord Septimus was the huge barracuda, Crushette was the turtle, and Marahute was a bird of prey that would swoop down into the water and catch fish every evening.

Right off the dock at Kri there was a bit of a current, so we could jump into the water at the far right and drift to the ladder which was to the left. The current actually was really fun but also exhausting after fighting it for a few minutes. There was one place we went to by boat where two islands were really close to each other, causing the water flowing between them to be really strong. We got out of the boats and enjoyed floating swiftly down the current. It was there that Dani showed us two really big caves, which we entered from the water. Both caves had open ceilings, and because the walls were solid rock, it was quiet in the caves compared to the loud, fast flowing water right outside.

At the end of every day, we were pretty tired, but that wouldn’t stop us from taking strolls along the beach. As soon as the sun set the beach would come alive with ghost crabs; we and the Brown girls would try to catch them, but ghost crabs are very fast. The relaxation station was also a favorite place to be during evenings because of the cool ocean breeze.

The nicest thing I experienced at Raja Ampat was the low tempo everyone had and the peacefulness of being on the water. I know that true peace only comes from the Creator, and Paul teaches us that Christians can find peace in any circumstance whether we have much or little, whether I'm in the mountains or in a tropical paradise. To be at peace or to be stressed often depends on the situation a person is in, but to be truly content in all situations shows true trust in God. Raja Ampat was also the backdrop for our third DVD, Paradise Lost. Come adventure with us! You won’t regret it.