Blogs from Flores, Indonesia, Asia - page 13

I’m writing this offline sitting off the back of a ferry, which might not be a great idea as a small crowd has gathered behind me, I guess by how they react to this I’ll see if they can read English or not. My ferry ticket said that the ferry leaves at 04:00, and the office told me to be there at 02:00. So I dutifully arranged a car to pick me up at 01:30 for the half-hour drive. When I got there we were met by a young guy in jeans and a T-shirt who told us that the ferry would now leave at 07:00. So that was a trip all the way back again, and arranging for the guy to meet me again at 06:00, and a few hours’ sleep, woken up as someone ... read more

Labuanbajo (Flores) Aaaah... Even een paar dagen geen busreizen en waardeloze hotels. We hebben genoten van drie dagen duiken in Komodo National Park. Al bij voor het inschrijven voor het duiken hoorden we verhalen van grote hoeveelheden manta's in de wateren rond Komodo. Niets was minder waar; we hebben een aantal geweldige duiken gemaakt met grote scholen vissen, haaien en manta's (zie blog: duikfoto's Indonesie). Op een duikstek, genaamd 'airstrip', lagen de manta's in rijtjes in de stroming om het planktonrijke water langs hun kieuwen te laten stromen. Voor ons een flinke inspanning; op sommige plekken was de stroming zo sterk dat onze wangen gingen flapperen! Rinca Op Rinca leeft de grootste populatie Komodovaranen in de wereld (we horen jullie denken: 'was dat niet op Komodo?') en besloten een duiktochtje te combineren met een bezoekje aan ... read more

Greetings all!  The last week has been a whirlwind of boats, dragons!, sunrises, and deserted beaches ringed with coral.  We spent the first part of the week with eighteen fellow travelers aboard the vessel KLM Salawasi on a three-day trip from Lombok to Flores, via Komodo and several smaller islands.  The first evening, we watched the sun set and ate a dinner of just-caught fish around a campfire on a tiny private island shadowed by Lombok's highest volcano.  Our mellow was harshed, however, when the crew had us sit together by nationality (we were the only Americans) and told us that the night's entertainment would be each group performing a song from their country.  For a minute we thought no one would bother, but we realized we needed to get to work when the French group ... read more

I could have filled a suitcase with all what I failed to pack: a sweater, toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, razor and lotion, a swimsuit, sunscreen, translation dictionary and travel diary whose pages I could fill with all the sidetrips I forfeited either for lack of time or money; to hot springs, buffet dinners, boat dives, guided day trips, to distant hilltop villages where old women weave ikat and chew beetel nut, to the undeveloped north coast around Riung, to visit the whale hunting peoples east of Larantuka, to see old remains of the Portuguese missions. I tuck my unwielding tangle of hair inside a borrowed baseball cap and ride the bus westward mumbling about the price hikes for foreigners in these parts. The road twists and turns, trucks and motorbikes squeeze by and detour the many construction ... read more

Greetings from Pulau Flores, in the Nusa Tenggara island chain of Indonesia. Flores is quite a change both physically and culturally from tropical and lush Bali. Formed from volcanic activity, Flores is pretty arid and mountainous, kind of looking like Colorado, although the mountains aren't nearly as tall here. It's about the size of Florida if you were to chop off the panhandle and turn the remainder on its side. The fact that it's pretty mountainous - and since even the best roads resemble well beaten logging roads - means that many of Flores' towns and villages remain pretty isolated from one another. There are many villages where centuries-old tribal customs and traditions are still practiced. Now don't get me wrong, there aren't any bare-breasted women or guys with bones through their noses walking around (although ... read more