OMG, OMG!
So, we were lucky enough to visit a sea turtle sanctuary earlier on in our trip to Bali. But this was a whole new level of awesome.
Tina woke up one morning and was pursuing Facebook. When she came across this facebook page that had announced that they had about 100 baby seat turtles that they planned on releasing that afternoon. We didn’t have much planned so it was a no-brainer really.
Tina was so excited, it was like she was a little kid again waking up finding out Father Christmas had been.
We had to get down to Kuta and in the heat, we were experiencing, there was no way we were going to walk it. Besides, taxis are so cheap it was only a few quid to get there. We were expecting a massive crowd but it was dead (we were about an hour early). In fact, it didn’t really start heating up until about 15-20 minutes before it was meant to start.
So a long story short, we were given this Tupperware box. A teeny, tiny sea turtle inside itching to get out.
“Put your hands over the top” we were all told as we were marched down to the beach front.
Giddy with excitement and after what seemed like an eternity. We were told we could release the little creatures.
“Get behind the rope” I could hear being screamed from down the other end of this seemingly endless line of people.
There were in the end about 200 baby sea turtles being released this afternoon. The only one I was focused on was the little guy that I was trying to help go home. Willing it with all you have, watching it struggle at first, then watching its instinct kick in. Baring in mind there was only an hour old at this point.
Then within metres of the sea, the wave hit them. Pushing them back, but after a few pushbacks, he never seemed again. At one with the sea, home where he belongs.
This is a memory that will live with me for the rest of my life. Something that I would never ever have the opportunity to do again.