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4. THE BEACH...
On to Blue Marlin, my new home (for one night, anyway). Why the sad faces? Who died? "Terrrribly sorry pak... your room still being renovated." What the..? "But we have booked room at Laprima Hotel down road... lovely beach, no problem?". Sounds OK; was thinking of a night 'beachfront' after a couple of nights on The Hill anyway.
Waiting for the Laprima driver - great opportunity for a jus alpukat (avocado juice... with chocolate; gives a sensational contrast in taste and colour!).
Arrival at Laprima - well, it certainly is quiet. Room with a view - over the slightly muddy bay (blame the rain) but with magnificent islands in the background (as always around here). A walk to the beach... hang on, where IS everybody? An amazing sensation of having an entire six storey hotel to myself (and the staff, of course). "Quiet Season" I'm told. You can say that again! "Quiet Season" OK OK I get it! Thankfully a few other guests straggle in later in the day to help occupy the staff.
So... on to The Beach.
Oh dear! If this is a 'lovely' beach by Labuan Bajo standards, then they have set a low bar for themselves. A heaving mass of rubbish, palm fronds and all manner of other organic and inorganic trash form an almost impenetrable barrier at the water's edge, flopping up on the shore on the incoming coffee-coloured waves. Yeeeuk - I'll try the pool instead!
Braving a walk along the (almost deserted) beach, it wasn't long before I espied one of the rubbish sources - a garbage-filled creek immediately next to the hotel boundary. At the other end of the bay, a similarly flash (and deserted) hotel... with rubbish dumped behind the boundary wall (out of sight/site...?). Perhaps the bay is cleaned for the tourist season... but what of the marine life in the meantime?
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