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A Birthday Present
by Zona Sage
Excerpts:
It was her 45th birthday, and she said she wanted macaques on the beach as her present. We were in a remote part of Sulawesi, an Indonesian island just south of the Philippines. Fortunately, the monkeys lived nearby, in Tangkoko-Batuangus-Dua Suadara National Park. But we had already endured a four-hour round trip to the park by four-wheel drive over what the locals called a road — not something we wanted to repeat. The only alternate route was by sea.
I asked the manager of Kungkungan Bay Resort if they could whiz us to the park in a boat. “We’ve never done it before,” he responded, “but we’ll check into it.” I pleaded just a little, explaining that it was her birthday. After a few days of investigating whether the staff and the boat were up to the trip and whether the currents were favorable, we got a green light. We also got the news that Uchi, a staff member whom we had requested, would accompany us as a guide. Uchi was young, petite and charming, and always had a smile on his face.
The birthday arrived, ushered in with a soft breeze off Lembeh Strait and thick Sulawesian coffee delivered to our seaside bungalow. Uchi escorted us to the boat. “Happy Birthday, Miss Nancy. We have surprise for you tonight: We sing, play guitar, have happy birthday cake and light candies. It is very exciting.” He was so cheerful that we didn’t spoil it by explaining what the word “surprise” means . . .
