Traveling With Laura

Back in Bali - more specifically in Kuta. But luckily for one night only. If I had planned things a bit better, I would soon be sitting in a night bus but well, cannot win.

I was a bit sad to leave Flores and Labuanbajo behind today. It was really amazing place and I would love to go back one day. I think I liked it so much because it was not so crowded with tourists and it felt almost like a real Indonesian town. And the diving was amazing!

Yesterday Ned and I went to see the Komodo dragons. We had a bit of a late start as two Italian guys, who were diving with us the day before were supposed to join us but at the end decided to stay in Labuanbajo and sleep. So with the waiting and discussing we left a bit later than we wanted to. We had been given a name of a boat that could take us there. We spent some minutes trying to find “Alba” but could not find the captain. Two other guys offered their boat for 400 000 rupias and we gladly accepted their offer. Of course, it is not as simple as that. We had to pay half before we left so that they could buy petrol and then we had to wait around for port manager’s stamp. I think we finally left around 11 am. The boat was quite slow, it took us 2,5 hours to get to Rinca - which is closer to Labuanbajo than Komodo and has also the dragons. I did not mind the slow traveling that much as at first I sat front of the boat enjoying the sun and then the crew put some mattresses on the floor and I had a morning nap.

When we got to Rinca, it was really hot. We walked to the park headquarters and asked about the different options to see the dragons. The park rangers said that they could not guarantee the dragons for one hour hike but for two hour hike he could. We really did not feel like hiking around for two hours but at the same time, I was not going to go all the way there and not see the dragons. We made a compromise and asked for 1,5 hour hike. The funny thing was that as soon as we agreed on that (with extra costs for a longer hike), we saw the first dragon without even leaving the headquarter and office area. So I was a bit doubtful about the need for longer hike but this is what we had agreed on so off we went.

The hike was nice, tiring, it got very hot. We saw quite a few dragons in the beginning, they are about 1,5 to 3 meters long. Can eat a deer at one go, can kill people, run 40 km per hour (I think, might be mistaken). Our guide was walking in front of us with a long stick and he also had a knife in case something really serious happens. Nothing happened. Except that we got lost and had to walk for quite a bit more than we had asked for. The scenery was amazing though and I really enjoyed it.

After the walk, it was already 4 pm so we got back to the boat and started heading back to Flores. I was, again, taking a nap and reading on the mattress. Around sunset (6 pm), it started raining so we were offered some space at the captain’s cabin. I sat there for the rest of the trip and was quite glad when we finally got back to Labuanbajo safely. The boat had no lights, no radio so getting stranded somewhere in the middle of the ocean was not something that I was wishing for.

When we got back, I was so exhausted. We had walked quite a bit and I had not drunk enough water. The smart solution would have been to drinks loads and loads of water and go to bed early but I am famous for my not so smart solutions. We went to a lounge bar, met up with the Italian guys and drunk beer until 1 am. At which point I realized that I need to pack and spent the next 45 minutes packing - amazingly I did quite a good job even though I cannot say that I was that sober.

This morning we got up quite early as we were supposed to be at the airport at 10 am for check-in. Ned was flying to Eastern Flores and I back to Bali. The airport was very small and not so organized. They had two flights leaving almost at the same time and people were all queuing to one counter. At the end, of course, everyone got their tickets and we still had at least half an hour before the flights took off. When the plane took off, the scenery was amazing, turqoise water, small islands here and there - an absolute paradise. I really hope that I can go back to Flores one day.

It was nice to sit on the plane for 1,5 hours and be back in Bali. I had no second thoughts about flying as I thought that the other option would have been again the 32 + hour bus, ferry, bus, ferry combination or 4 days and 3 nights on a crappy boat. No thank you. Flying is sometimes necessary.

I got back to Kuta, staying in a same hotel I stayed when first arrived here. My first task was to get a bus ticket for tomorrow - my plan was to take a bus to place called Probolinggo and from there to go to a volcanic mountain for a day. Well, it is the end of Ramadan and it seems like the whole of Indonesia is on the move to go and visit family and friends and to celebrate the end. This also means that the buses are full. Don’t know for how many days but there are no space tomorrow and I really don’t want to stick around in Kuta for longer time so…I am flying again. And, honestly speaking, 45 minute flight versus 12 hours on a minibus - not too bad!

So I am flying tomorrow to Surabaya and hopefully can catch a bus from there to the mountain. If not, then the mountain will stay where it is and I will move along to Yogyakarta earlier than planned. I have realized during the last few weeks that I am not that keen on trying my best to see something if it seems too difficult to do. So let’s see where I will end up tomorrow. Might get stuck in Surabaya - if all the buses really are full for the whole next week. I doubt it though.

Now I will go for an early dinner and then an early night in. I desperately need my sleep! (I just saw that there is an Italian guy that I met in Flores in the same Internet cafe - to talk or not to talk…let’s see how much I value my early night in… ).