Banana Boat of Doom
My first morning on the paradise island of Nusa Lembongan and I am jolted from my sleep by a bloodcurdling scream in the distance. I jump out of bed, throw open the curtains and survey the beach to see what was going on.
Was someone drowning? Shark attack? Tsunami? (Can you even say "tsunami" in Bali? Or is it kinda like saying "bomb" on an airplane?).
Following where the screams were coming from I gaze further out into the waters of Mushroom Bay, finally finding the source of the panic.
A group of Chinese tourists were being towed around the bay on a banana boat, screaming as if their lives depended on it.
In the distance, the Banana Boat of Doom traumatising the Chinese tourists
Each day during my stay on Nusa Lembongan, the torture continued. I eventually was even able to learn the timetable of the Banana Boat of Doom simply by hearing the intervals of frenzied screams of the Chinese tourists. I know they were actually screams of joy, but to the uninitated, it sounded downright terrifying.
This had a relatively little impact on my stay, as I usually spent most of the days exploring the surrounding islands or further inland. I do, I did leave the island with a new perspective:
You will never know true fear until you see a Chinese tourist on a banana boat.
