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Published: April 18th 2012
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Nestled between the islands of Sumbawa and Timor are the islands of Flores, Komodo and Rinca with their jagged hills carpeted in savannah and fringed with mangroves. This pristine paradise is only a 1.5 hour flight from Bali, but a world away. These islands are isolated and unique. The convergence of cold and warm water currents attracts dolphins, sharks, mantas and blue whales. The coral is pristine and there are numerous empty white sand beaches. Tourism is developing in the western part of Flores Island, but we feel fortunate to be able to be here before the “big boom” hits. This blog entry is mainly going to consist of photos as words can’t do justice to the stunning beauty of this part of the world.
We started our adventure with a live-aboard boat trip visiting the surrounding islands off Flores – Komodo & Rinca Islands. What a fantastic experience! We swam with giant mantas, saw numerous dolphins, snorkeled in crystal clear waters seeing incredible marine life and coral. We watched the sunset as we ate fresh fish….life doesn’t get much better!
An exciting part of the trip was trekking (with a guide) on Rinca and Komodo Islands and seeing
the komodo dragons. These dragons exist only on and around Komodo Island. They can get as large as 3 metres in length and can weigh up to 100 kg. They are a protected species and there are about 1,300 in total. They feed on water buffalo, deer, wild pig and birds. It's unknown why males outnumber females by a ratio of 3 to 1. We were lucky to be able to watch two dragons fighting for territory from only about 12 feet away. Gemma videotaped the fight and will post it on Utube when she gets a chance. I was a bit fearful, but the kids and Jeff loved every minute of it.
After our boat trip, Jeff spent three days visiting his Indonesian friend’s remote village 5 hours east of Lubuan Bajo (where we are staying). The kids and I visited waterfalls, canyons and went on day-snorkeling trips out to the reefs.
After Jeff’s return, and after saying good-bye to Lucas’ friend Justin (he flew back to Canada), we decided to “splurge” and take advantage of a promotion offered by a new 4 star resort outside of town and to see how some travelers holiday. Five minutes
later, Jeff started feeling the huge gap between the rich and the poor especially after visiting Arly’s village where sugar for coffee is a big indulgence (when Jeff asked what he could bring as a gift, his friend suggested sugar, beettle nut and tobacco).
Lucas is taking his PADI scuba diving course and Gemma is taking an introduction to diving course. They are all out diving today and I have a day to myself at this fancy resort that has fast internet!!! Don't forget to scroll down and see all the photos.
Namaste, Kevi
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