📙 Part 2: Describe a place you have been to and would like to recommend to others

This episode's vocabulary

Marine reserve (noun phrase) – an area in the ocean set aside for the protection and conservation of wildlife. → Jaco Island is part of a marine reserve where fishing and hunting are prohibited.

Sustainable (adjective) – able to be maintained over the long term without causing harm to the environment. → The wildlife in the reserve is kept at sustainable levels.

Tourism (noun) – the business or activity of attracting and accommodating visitors. → The island’s natural beauty makes it a hotspot for tourism.

Relative safety (noun phrase) – a condition of being safer compared to other situations. → You can swim there in relative safety because there are fewer dangerous animals.

Crocodile (noun) – a large, predatory aquatic reptile found in tropical regions. → The water is relatively safe since there are fewer crocodiles around.

Square kilometre (noun phrase) – a unit of area equal to one kilometre by one kilometre. → The island is only about 2 or 3 square kilometres in size.

Easterly (adjective) – situated toward or facing the east. → It is the most easterly point in the country.

Mountain range (noun phrase) – a series of connected mountains. → The island is located behind a mountain range.

Treacherous (adjective) – dangerously unstable or unpredictable. → It takes about three hours to reach the island because you have to travel on a treacherous road.

Magnificent (adjective) – impressively beautiful or grand. → Once you arrive, you’re treated to magnificent views of the sea and nature.

Undisturbed (adjective) – not altered or affected by human activity; pristine. → The island offers a glimpse of largely undisturbed nature.

Exceptionally (adverb) – to an unusually high degree; remarkably. → The people who live nearby are exceptionally friendly and helpful.

Tourist facilities (noun phrase) – services and infrastructure provided for visitors. → The tourist facilities include charming wooden and straw huts.

Suspended (adjective) – hanging or held up in the air. → The huts are suspended above the ground on sturdy platforms.

Platform (noun) – a raised level surface on which something is placed. → The huts stand on wooden platforms right next to the beach.

Sheltered (adjective) – protected from harsh weather or danger. → The huts are sheltered by trees, ensuring a cooler atmosphere.

Flooded (verb, past participle) – filled or overrun with water. → The design prevents the huts from being flooded during heavy rains.

Social enterprise (noun phrase) – a business that aims to achieve social or environmental benefits rather than just profit. → The reserve is managed as a social enterprise to help support the local community.

Funnelled (verb, past participle) – directed or channelled into a specific purpose or place. → The money spent by tourists is funnelled into preserving the reserve.

Priceless (adjective) – so valuable that its worth cannot be measured in money. → Visiting the island is a priceless experience that offers unique natural beauty.

Questions and Answers

Rory: Well, I don't think many people have been to Jaco Island, so I'll talk about that.

It's part of a marine reserve in a country called East Timor. So people are banned from hunting, fishing, or living there to allow the local wildlife to remain at sustainable levels. It's also great for tourism for that reason, and the fact that you can swim there in relative safety since there are fewer crocodiles in the water.

To tell you more about the place itself, I think it's only about 2 or 3 square kilometres in size and it's located to the east of the country. Actually, I think it's the most easterly point, to be honest. It's located behind a mountain range, so it takes about 3 hours to get there by bus because you have to go up this very treacherous road in order to actually reach the place. But it's well worth the trip, since once you get there, you're treated to these magnificent views of largely undisturbed nature, and people who live nearby are exceptionally friendly and helpful. Not only that, but the tourist facilities there are amazing. They have these wooden and straw huts that are suspended above the ground on platforms right next to the beach. But they're sheltered by the trees, so you can go to sleep hearing the sound of the waves, but you don't have to worry about being flooded, for example.

As if that wasn't reason enough to go, the very fact of you being there contributes to the local economy and the general upkeep of the reserve, since everything is run as a social enterprise. So the money that gets spent there gets funnelled into supporting and preserving things for people to enjoy in the future.

I feel like all of these reasons are good enough to go just by themselves, but they make for a particularly winning combination. I think if people never get the chance to go, I would say they're missing out on something that's not just special, it's kind of priceless.

Maria: And will you go there any time soon?

Rory: No, because it's on the other side of the world, so it's difficult to get to.