I only found one tiny sliver of beach to rest during my 5.5 hour journey between the two campsites. Other than that there is nothing but rock wall.
There is a long open water crossing. The night before my trip began I was in Kraemer's Bar/Restaurant and I was told that when the wind blows in a certain direction the waves get high and dangerous for a kayaker in the channel. That morning of my crossing the lagoon did not look the way it had the previous two days. No longer was it smooth as glass but ripples were flowing on the water. The previous day I had attempted to explore the Ulong Islands a bit (I did not go into the inner channels since I had no maps and was afraid of getting lost). I did not get far before I was scared back by high waves. I had been told by my shuttle captain that my kayak was overloaded and thus susceptible to tipping over. I was scared.
I paddled slowly, the waves were heading towards me. Yes, there were rolling waves. I sailed over them smoothly. It took me about a half hour to paddle past the Ulong rock wall to where I could see the channel. It did not look bad. I focused on a spot on the other side, I just concentrated (I felt that concentration was the key to keeping balanced and not tipping over). I glanced back at Ulong and saw a magnificient yacht that had was anchored in the inner channel. Strange that someone else was living so close to me on Ulong. In the middle of the channel I saw a sea turtle paddling along with me. That was thrilling.
On the other side of the channel it was tricky as I wasn't quite sure of where to go. Planet Blue had neglected to pack the maps for me nor had they bothered to deliver them the following day when they arrived with other missing supplies. Taking a break and eating a snack I heard a boat approach, it was Planet Blue. There were 3 men aboard, delivering my maps. I still had a long way to go. I finally saw one tiny sliver of beach. It was wonderful to get out and stand on land (and scoot behind a large rock for a much needed toilet break).
The tide turned before I finally got to Ngchus. Paddling the last few hundred feet was the hardest. Ngchus was hopping with a large group of Korean tourists having a barbeque. I said what's for lunch as I paddled up. It was wonderful to be on dry land and I felt so proud of my self.
