Fish Pedicure

Enjoying a fish spa experience in Ubud, Bali.  Basically, the fish eat the dead skin off of your feet (or whatever other body part you put in the water).  Felt like a cross between little (tiny) pinchers, and very light electrotherapy.

 

 

Those fish sure do love human.  Mmmm, mmm!

   
The twingyiest feeling was when they were trying to get in between my toes!

 

(I chose Pr. 50,000 - US$5 for 10 mins.)

Emphasis on “temporary treatment”  ;-)

Diving in Bali

We went diving in Tulamben, Bali, and it was mindblowing.  Inexpensive, high quality, great visibility, vibrant colors, wide selection of aquatic life, etc.  On two of the five dives we did, we took an underwater camera; here are the results!

Immediately following our pre-sunrise dive to see the massive bumphead parrot fish.  Many of the other low light photos are from that morning dive; others are from one later in the day with better light.

 
Each fish was roughly 1 meter (three feet) in length!  They were slow moving, but beautiful!

Lots of tubes!
 

 
Sometimes a fish just poses for you!

 
Curious lobster face

 
Mantis shrimp!  Learn a bit in this comic by the Oatmeal: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp

 
School of jackfish

 
spotted Moray Eel

 
Dark lion fish (usually they’re white!?)

 
Large Box Fish (~1 foot)

 

 
Large sea star (starfish)

 
“All okay / super” –Dive Buddy

 
Turtle up close & personal!

 

 
Octopus swimming!  Captured!

 
Anemone – so spikey!

 

 

 
Dive Buddy at the helm / door lock

 
Trumpet fish getting frisky with someone!

 
Blue spotted stingray!

Other highlights of the trip were more lion fish, cleaner shrimp, mantis shrimp, nudibranchs, giant clams, and two black tip sharks!

Underwater creatures

Just wanted to share a few random shots of underwater creatures!

 

 

 

 

We snorkeled in a giant clam reserve, set up by the government, and within, it’s illegal to hunt the giant clams for food.  These things were massive, and beautifully colorful!

 

 

Some of the empty giant clam shells showed that poaching was still happening.  Sad.

MS and I also visited a tourist turtle reserve (they accept donations of turtles accidentally caught by fishermen, though they don’t return them to the wild).  I didn’t feel great about visiting the site, but at the same time, they aren’t actively capturing or farming turtles.  They literally hung a sign for entrance fee, cut up some fruit to feed the turtles when we rocked up, and spoke no English, and told us nothing else.  Pretty anti-touristy.

Added two videos of the turtles, on a separate post, here!