11th - 19th February 2012
For once it was me who got us a deal on a room, check me and my bargaining skills! Despite being a good size room and an attached bathroom with a shower, it wasn't as much of a bargain as we originally thought, it was more of a heat and mosquito trap with mattresses that had seen many people and better days. Still we used it as a base for a couple of excursions and the banana, doughnut and coffee breakfasts didn't hurt either.
We woke up on our second day feeling groggy, with nothing to get up for we slept well past our usual wake-up call time of 5.30am. It was delicious. We spent the day at Tree Top Café and seriously abused their free wifi, after a couple of weeks without a decent internet connection all my photos and diary entries were piling up and it made me nervous to not have an online back up of our recent photos. After a day in front of the screen we decided to take a break from all the uploading and go back to chill out in our hot room and chill out. We left the beautiful view of the harbour and headed back down the road to Mutiara where we were staying.
The night we arrived we pumped mosquito spray (petrol) everywhere and there were very few mozzies that lingered onto the second night, so we lay back and watched three episodes of Dexter before going to sleep.
Rinca and Komodo
The following day, Monday, we left for our two day, one night boat trip to see Rinca and Komodo. I worked out for the first time in a while (ouch) and after our doughnuts and coffee we had a last minute dash to buy stuff for the trip (super-glue and crackers mainly) and then waited outside the little office while the others rolled up. In total there were eight of us: two French couples; Stephanie and Jordan, Myriam and Cami, a mad Dutch girl, Sharon, a UK lady, Sheila and myself and my Brazilian, the guys were all really cool and we had a fabulous couple of days. We walked to the harbour and loaded our things aboard a smallish boat, it was mid-morning and the sun was already baking but the sea breeze when the boat got moving was heavenly.
We passed by lots of Flores and then made our way along the in-and-out coast of Rinca, pronounced Rincha (all 'c's in Indonesia are pronounced like the 'ch' in church). The view was superb, the sky was blue and the islands and little islets were green and rugged. We pulled into a little bay and docked at a small jetty near the entrance for the National Park in Rinca. The island looked much drier up close than from afar, there was plenty of bare drying mud and even the river further inland was a trickle (in the dry season no less). We paid our park entrance fees and a bunch of other ticket prices that covered rangers, the boat docking and cameras and walked round the corner to find exactly what we were there to see, Komodo Dragons.
Sitting outside the canteen where several of these prehistoric monitor lizards were kicking back in the shade of trees or in the grass under trees. Most of them were between two to three metres in length and were deceptively mellow, some of them slumped in the dust like murder victims. We were all overcome by the same condition, itchy shutter finger. All you could hear was the sound of cameras clicking and our quiet awe-inspired mutterings while we tried to get good angles. After a good half an hour of happy snapping we started out on our little trek around part of the island.
Our young guide was very charming and showed us dragon dung, white from all the bones they consume and dragon nests, which they commandeer from a species of bird that build the main tunnels and lay eggs in. He also told us about people who'd died from dragon bites (they have extremely septic mouths), many local people and also possibly one Swiss tourist who has never been found since disappearing one a trek not dissimilar to the one we were on. The heat was on and we followed each other in single file through the woods trying to catch a glimpse of a baby dragon. Until they're big enough to look after themselves, at about three years old, the baby dragons live in trees to keep out of the way of their cannibalistic families, that includes Mum and Dad. After that they are big enough to not be such easy prey and are safer on the ground. The eggs which are laid in underground tunnels are looked after by the mother for a few months and then she goes off to look for food and the eggs are fair game for anyone, including Mumsy, as soon as the eggs hatch, after an incubation period of eight to nine months, the little lizards scamper up the nearest tree to take themselves off the menu. They live on anything and everything that moves, birds, lizards and bugs etc. We were all fascinated that the animals eat each other and their young and that there are still plenty of them despite eating each other.
The path soon left the protective but hot forest and we walked through some grassy fields. Out in the open there was a delicious breeze and absolutely loads of Lontar Palms (my new favourite palm tree) We saw couple of buffalo and plenty of mud baths where they go to cool down. We were also really lucky and passed by a dragon in the wild, lazing under a tree and keeping cool, we took a few (dozen) photos before moving on, each of us taking care to keep our distance, when some of the dragons had moved back near the canteen it made us all feel very nervous, these leathery beasts can move quickly – up to 18 kmp/h.
Our two hour walk ended with a stroll along a ridge that looked out over more the green rugged mountains dotted with Lontar Palms and views out over the water. It was midday when we finished and we were all hot and sweaty, we thanked our cheerful young guide and then got back on the boat eager to cool off in the water.
We had to wait a couple of hours before we reached Pink Sand Beach where we jumped in the water for some snorkelling Unfortunately most of us had cooled off during the time it took us to get there, it was late afternoon and the sun wasn't so hot or bright and so the visibility wasn't that great either. The life was superb though, huge areas of mixed corals, hard and soft and lots of reef fish. There were also a few jellyfish in the water which gave off little stings wherever they touched skin, that wasn't so pleasant. Some of us stopped on the beach for a little bit, and saw that the sand really was pink – probably from tiny pieces of broken red coral mixed in with the white sand, it was beautiful. I swam with Djalma round the bits that I missed, he kept on making me laugh and my mask kept filling with water, annoying (but cute). The water was cold and with poor visibility and the light quickly going we didn't hang around much before getting back on the boat to dry off and head to the mangroves where some flying foxes slept.
We sat on our boat and in-between watching the light change we waited to see some of the bats which the guys were trying to stir up. We were too far away to really see anything which was a shame and a waste. The sun set behind a hill and made the water pink and orange, it was completely gorgeous. Djalma tried a little paddle in one of the small canoes of the several guys who hung around the small enclosed bay (with their small boats they were able to get closer to the bats to wake them up, our boat was too big). The boat was skinny and tippy although when he got back he said it wasn't nearly as difficult as when he tried to paddle in my brothers kayak. The mangrove was full of mosquitoes and so with the light quickly changing from a fierce rose blush to black we motored a little further on and docked for the night opposite a small village. We had dinner, another excellent meal cooked by one of the two young boys/men helping the jolly pot bellied captain (lunch was at some point after our trek on Rinca). The little on board generator was turned off after thin mats were laid out on deck and we all crammed in to get some rest. We were all keyed up from the dragons and the beauty of the island and the sea but it didn't take long to go to sleep.
At some point during the night nearly everyone was rudely awakened by some heavy snoring, I thought it was Sharon who told us she snored - I had assumed she snored like a lady – but this sound was from the gut, I didn't think anything of it until the next morning when I complimented her on the strength of her nasal passages and she told us that it was actually one of the deck hands who had joined us to sleep. At some point during the night, presumably after some heavy drinking with the Captain, both the guys joined our already cramped group and snuggled up to Sharon and Sheila. It was an odd sleeping arrangement but they were gone by the time everyone else had woken up. The Captain could be seen sprawled in his little bunk behind the wheel of the boat trying to get some extra sleep while his two boys did everything.
We were all up early and after packing our mattresses, sheets and pillows away we had normal and battered bananas for breakfast washed down by plenty of coffee. We motored a short way to the entrance of the park on Komodo Island and after paying the ranger fee we set out with another ranger to explore the medium range trek on the island.
I felt a little sorry for this ranger because we'd all been told about the dragons and their habits during our trek on Rinca. Still, we followed him through the Sherwood Forest-esque woods and out into open, following a route that took us to another lookout point and much to our joy, another dragon.
It was lazily laying on a point where we could easily climb round and have our photos taken behind it. Partway through the people exchange we witnessed a rare sight, I thought it was a yawn and others thought it was a sign of aggression or irritation (perhaps Monsieur Lizard didn't like the paparazzi attention?). Either way it was an impressive sight, it's mouth was huge and pink and for something septic it looked very clean. It then got up and wandered off, we all stood back but as close as we dared and watched the dangerous beast lumber up the hill and disappear into the woods. It was an excellent almost end to the trek.
On the way back to the ranger station and through more of the woods, our guide spotted a flying lizard and after a little chase managed to catch the poor wee thing. Hung upside down by the tail it sun round fruitlessly trying to get free, it was a beautiful little thing and after everyone had their fill of photos he released it back into the air, more of a throw than a release really.
On our way back to the station we were treated to several more dragons, this time they were all spread out. There was one at the end of the park ready to greet us, as I walked round it to get a different shot it followed my movements with his head (and I was a little afraid).
Further along another sat metres away from a small group of deer, or in other words, lunch/breakfast/dinner. Perhaps the dragon had eaten in the last couple of weeks because it made no attempt to catch any animal old or young (they only need to eat once a month).
There were a couple more nearer the buildings and moving slowly we were able to climb up some steps and take photos looking down. The detail of the thick bumpy skin was just amazing especially because you could still see ribs through it. We left the lizards alone after that, well satisfied with the dozen or so dragons we'd seen between the two island visits, more than any of us had expected to see I think.
Back on the boat we had more bananas and cooled off after our walk, making our way back to Pink Sand Beach for more snorkelling After a good half an hour of people splashing about (I didn't go in) we sat down to lunch and our boat headed to Manta Point.
After some careful looking we saw small back tips and given directions by the crew in the boat we all steamed our separate ways in the water to see the Manta Rays. The water was full of jellyfish the size of small walnuts, the stinging was frequent and not very nice, I got close to a Manta and was awed by it's size and proximity, I was also damn scared – after a short while I got out of the water and was given a, slightly over-familiar, hand in getting into the boat by one of the crew. It was incredible to watch everyone else though – they were all buzzing from the experience, everyone was zinging with excitement especially my water baby. He was the first one in and the last out and was awed by the experience – he had a huge amazed smile plastered all over his face for the rest of the day, it was adorable.
After all the excitement, people began to get back on board and rub sun cream and bite lotion into the jellyfish stings, we stopped at one last beach for more snorkelling and then headed back to Labuanbajo and a beer.
It was a great group of people and the wonderful atmosphere on board carried onto dry land. We met up for a drink and to swap photos a t the Tree Top restaurant and while we were chatting a huge spectacular rain storm swept in at sunset. The one beer turned into an all night session that lasted into the wee small hours of the morning when we turfed out by the tired restaurant staff. We made plans for a little road trip the next day and met up at 10 the next morning feeling decidedly un-fresh.
Labuanbajo Day Trip
All of us, with the exception of Sheila who was flying to Bali at midday, rented scooters and helmets and set off in search of one of the waterfalls in the area around Labuanbajo. The morning was hot and bright, the sky home to big white clouds that over the course of the morning gathered and started to look ominous. We sped up the road twisting round the steep bends that led out of town, we stopped several times and asked for directions. At some point Stephanie and Jordan turned back because she wasn't feeling so well and we carried on for for another half an hour looking for a likely road that led off to the waterfall.
We ended up backtracking and following a guy on a scooter who led us to one of the waterfalls, possibly not the one we were aiming for but as there weren't any signs or names it was hard to tell. After some negotiation we hired a guide to lead us the rest of the way on foot. The five of us and the guide passed through a small village and said hello to curious children and friendly women, mats with nuts drying in the sun were laid out on the grass outside houses and clean washing was laid out on bushes to dry.
We followed the guide and the road got larger and the earth redder, we turned off again and the rest of the trip was following a trail through dense forest. The path was well defined but the earth was heavy with clay and slippery, the green was gorgeous (of course), the guide cut some sturdy shoots and gave them to us to use as staffs – we felt like proper explorers and it definitely made negotiating the clay path lot easier.
We eventually came out by a river and followed it up to the waterfall at the end. The other swam up part of the river but I wanted to take some photos so I had to do a fair bit of rock jumping and climbing to join them. After a little while I reached them, it wasn't far but some of the gaps between the rocks were quite big and I had to wait for Djalma to come back and give me a hand across. The water pounded down and was surrounded by a sheer semi enclosed tube, we could see the fall from a certain angle but it was shielded from where I was standing. After a few photos they started shouting for me to jump in as well. It was a six metre drop. I watched Stephanie doing it, for the second time no less, and so after much ado and a far bit of calming myself down and psyching myself up I made the plunge as well.
I forgot to block my nose and the river water went shooting up my nose and through my sinuses, I swallowed a fair bit too and to cap it off, in between the choking and the theatrics I was uncomfortably aware of a huge chunk of my bikini bottoms wedges firmly between my cheeks. I felt mightily undignified and to cap it all off my husband filmed most of my choking and spluttering before coming to help me – it was painful to watch the film afterwards. We swam about in the cool brown water trying to get close to the fall but pushed away by the strength of the current, Djalma managed to get closer than any of us but not without feeling slightly out of his comfort zone.
The clouds closing in, we decided to get out, the rest of the group followed the river back to where they'd left their clothes and I climbed up to where I'd left mine and my camera where a big black and blue butterfly was attracted to me and my sunglasses. I sat still and it landed on me and when that felt a bit weird it sat on my glasses and licked the lenses. Djalma filmed it but the GoPro ran out of battery before the camera got close enough. Gutted. We climbed back and joined the others, doing the return walk in light rain which made the forest even more beautiful.
By now the others were feeling really hungry – Djalma and I had eaten a Padang brunch before meeting with everyone at 10am and we were fuelled for the day. We got back on the bikes and headed back to town stopping only at the top take take photos of the beautiful view of the clouds between the mountains.
Back in town we all had a Padang lunch, arranged to meet again at the Tree Top café and then went our separate ways for showers and a change of clothes. At the café we met up with Stephanie, who was feeling much better, and everyone else, we left the beers alone and all drank the healthy fruit and vegetable juice which was a luminous green. I was tired and grumpy, not really fit for sociable company so I headed back early while Djalma stayed on and had another dinner before heading back.
Suraya Island – Overnight Trip
The next day after some debate we joined Stephanie and Jordan and went to Suraya Island an hour away by boat. We had two breakfasts, the doughnuts and coffee at out hotel and the Padang food at the usual restaurant. We packed overnight bags gave our hotel some laundry and set off.
The little boat left with just the four of us and some supplies for the hotel. The island was tiny with electricity between 6-9pm and fresh water between 6-8pm, it was so quiet and really beautiful. The trip there was lovely, we passed by several small islands, all of them green and rugged and the water a deep blue. As we neared our island we made out a small thin strip of sand backed by several bamboo bungalows, it looked like a slice of heaven, as we got much closer the water got clearer and we got a glimpse of the coral we would be swimming over in an hours time. Feeling excited and a little hot, we didn't waste any time getting out kit off, our snorkelling gear out and into the water.
Djalma and I started at one end of the beach and swam out to the drop off which stretched down gradually and then out into the blue, it was gorgeous. We followed the drop off which just got better and better, the patched of beautiful coral and the fish getting denser the further along we went until we couldn't see any sand at all.
There were plenty of little jellyfish but although they were annoying they didn't drive us out of the water. After an hour and a half in the water we reached the other end and got out amongst the mangroves, the roots loomed up gradually and suddenly underwater, the clear white sand giving way to big black roots was quite shocking and by then I was glad to get out of the water.
We sat on our little balcony and drip dried while we read our books, the writing I'd been itching to do that morning happily pushed aside in favour of enjoying the beach in the best way, by relaxing on it. We ordered dinner which had to be done in advance and arranged to meet the French guys to climb to the top of the hill behind our bungalows and watch the sun set on the other side of the water. It didn't take us long once we'd found the path and within a few minutes we were at the top enjoying a beautiful breeze and a couple of beers.
We were up so early that well before the sun went down we ad fished our beers, Djalma ran down and got a couple of reinforcements and we sat and chatted about cameras and photography and stuff enjoying the view. The water looked incredible from that height, we could see all the eddies and ripples that weren't visible from the ground, small boats made trails through the blue and when the sun eventually went down the clouds turned fluorescent pink and orange, it was magical.
We climbed back down to dinner with caution, the stars were coming out and the light was too dim to really illuminate the crumbling path properly, we made it without any broken ankles or sore derrières and sat down to wait for our fish dinners in the restaurant.
Dinner was huge and beautiful, we got huge chunks of fresh, perfectly cooked fish covered in a rich tomato sauce and rice or potatoes, not realising just how generous the portion sizes would be when we ordered Djalma and I also requested a gado-gado which was equally enormous but full of much needed greens. We tucked in with enthusiasm and finished utterly replete. We sat and played a game of dice which Steph and Jordan had been taught in Laos which they now teach to everyone they met on the road. It looked like I was set to win with an unusual lucky streak but Djalma made a surprise (and unwelcome) comeback and totally thrashed me. We said goodnight after that and went back to our little bungalows to watch some TV on our computers.
The night was long and just a little too warm to sleep comfortably, Djalma like a trooper woke up at 5am and went out to take photos of the sunrise, I leaned to the end of the bed, looked out the window and went straight back to sleep. Before breakfast I worked out on the uneven wooden floor and Djalma went for one last snorkel and saw a turtle a stingray, a lion fish and starfish but at the expense of some stings from very active jellyfish. We had our breakfast; coffee and a tiny bit of scrambled egg in a heavy white bun and quickly scribbled down some last minutes tips from Steph for Sulawesi, our next stop.
We got back on the boat at 8.30am and made the hour return trip with plenty of other people I hadn't even realised were on the island. We arrived back to a room full of mosquitoes and spent most of the day in Tree Top uploading the rest of the photos and blog entries getting completely (almost) up to date with everything online. We met up with the effervescent Sharon in the evening and had dinner together, and some beer and some surprisingly good red wine. We went to bed early to be ready for an early start and a day of travelling the following day.
Labuanbajo to Sulawesi
The next day was Saturday the 18th, my Mum's birthday (Happy Birthday Mum!!!) unfortunately Djalma and I spent all of it on planes or buses or waiting for one of the two. I got up at 5am and worked out, we had packed the night before so after a double decker of doughnuts and some coffee we got a ride to the airport and waited for our first flight to Denpasar in Bali. The flight was an hour and a half, I read my book for most of the way while Djalma looked out the window. Despite our connecting flight to Makassar in the South of Sulawesi due to take off almost as soon as we landed, we had to wait an hour before boarding, enough time for a quick nasi goreng (mixed fried rice) from the airport café The plane was huge, two aisles of three seats aside, the biggest plane we'd flown in for months, Djalma in the middle had to contend with the powerful body odour of the man next to him and spent most of the hour long flight bent over me breathing in the slightly fresher air.
We killed time at the huge airport in Makassar mainly in KFC but we also booked a couple of flights within Sulawesi and got advice on getting to the bus station for the overnight buses to Rantepao in Tana Toraja.
After several hours in KFC we decided a change of scenery would be nice and after a shuttle bus and a pete-pete (minibus) ride we pulled up in Daya Terminal, one of at least three in Makassar. We bought our tickets and spent the next five hours waiting for our bus to depart, which it eventually did at 10.30pm, half an hour later. We sat, read, walked around, ate cassava chips and chocolate ice-cream, charged the computer in one of the shops then bought a big pack of Oreos from her to show our gratitude, went to the loo and all the other things that you do during a long wait at a boring bus station.
The ride was uneventful, I was really stressed out by the music being played over the speakers and by the guys talking behind us. The toilet right next door wasn't particularly pleasant either and I spent my night facing the window. The seats however were big and comfortable, we were given blankets and pillows and it was the most comfortable bus ride I've ever taken. In the morning the toilet stank non stop and I was relieved to get off despite leaving behind a really comfortable seat. We were driven to Wisma Maria 1 who was charging higher prices than we expected, after a quick look around town we decided to stay there anyway and had hot showers with pleasure.
