Komodo & Flores Flow

In the harbour of Denpasar (Bali) we board our ship towards Komodo and Flores. In former days it belonged to the British navy; today it’s rebuild to a small cruise ship. There’s room for thirty guests but only 21 showed up. Most guests are from South America.

After a small welcome speech by guide Glenn we sail out of the harbour. We admire the views, sit on the after deck among our fellow travellers, enjoying the several welcome drinks. The Chardonnay loosens the tongues so the inevitable socializing starts. Spirits are high. After all we look forward to a lot of snorkeling, sightseeing, good food and nice wine!

Towards Flores – First, Moyo Island

Next day we reach Moyo Island. We visit Labuan village. Walk around a little. We drive (and hike) to a beautiful waterfall called Hatu Jitu. It’s fun to swim in the small pool next to the waterfall. A local boy gets very close to the waterfall.

Every end of each day we assemble on the top deck to enjoy a sundowner. We watch the sun go down and touch the end of the ocean. Beautiful colours, very nice view. Sipping some Chardonnay leads to nice thoughts and feelings too.

Following day we rise at five. In Saleh Bay we try to spot Whale sharks. And we succeed. Because the animals are fed they show up willingly. You snorkel among four or five of these big animals. Watch out for their tail. If they hit you they can break your arm. Nice photo opportunity though!

Excursion to the extinct Sattonda volcano – which now is a big lake on Sattonda island. Do we like to kayak here? No. Luckily we meet the son of the islands caretaker. His name is Dading and he shows us around. He’s very good at spotting birds. Nice guy, nice trip.

Komodo Islands

Visiting the Loh Wenci Ranger Station is a big experience. Here we encounter several Komodo dragons! A prehistoric beast! These animals are big, fast and very dangerous. When they bite you a poison ensures your wounds keep bleeding; you literally bleed to death. During this process the dragons eat their victims.

The station is surrounded by wooden stakes. At a certain point in small groups we leave the station to watch the dragons from – relativity – close by. We are glad the rangers are carrying guns. Back on our boat there’s room for snorkeling and diving again. Happy to know these dragons don’t like to swim!

To please the guests the kitchen chef organizes an Indonesian cooking course. We are surprised to see that many guests make pictures of every single action. First they photograph all the ingredients, then every movement. Tasty snacks are the result. Nice kind of food!

Padar Island. You hike to the top and are rewarded with a beautiful view. A view in all directions, very nice. It’s worth the climb. The tourist shops are closing. A few Russo Deers come to eat the leftover coconuts…

That evening we are treated with a romantic special dinner for two because of our forty years marriage anniversary. A table on the front deck, flowers and music. Dolphins visit. How lucky we are!

Flores

We arrive at Labuan Bajo and are being picked up by our driver/guide Nelson. Nelson is 54 years old, has 5 children and is already a grandfather. He is a freelancer and hired a (rather small) car for the job. His experience leads to the fact he adjusts a lot to the program. And where ever we are – he knows fairly everyone.

Our first stop is at a cave. On the parking lot a big group of people are busy doing gymnastic exercises. The leader in front shows them how and how fast. Although it’s early in the morning it’s intense working and sweating. You see this kind of things often in Asia.

The cave is called Batu Payung. Trainée Yentl shows us around. Besides an Umbrella Rock she leads us through a big cave – really impressive. Every time she says something to us we see her look it up (in English!) in google translate. ‘Take picture please’.

Flores Eco Lodge

We make a coffee stop. A nice simple place with a view. Coffee and looking around. Lots of mountains, lots of green. Lots of flowers. Also along the road: flowers everywhere. Hence the name ‘Flores’! We spot a beautiful bird called Ornate Pitta.

Finally we arrive at Mbeliling Mountain Eco Lodge. Nice place, nice house for the night. Because the place is built on a mountain site most paths here are very steep! In the afternoon Eddy the Birdman takes us for a birding hike. It’s a nice walk but alas no birds. Later, between the houses we spot two kinds of kingfishers. And a beautiful sunset.

Next day we rise early. At the reception yesterday they told us our house is an excellent place to spot monkey’s in the early morning. Well – not today. During breakfast – peaceful & quiet in the eco lodge – a pig is slaughtered on the other side of the road. Not a nice start of the day…

Spider Rice Fields

Stop at a view point. First coffee at the ticket counter. On places like this lot of people (family, friends) assemble to talk about the day and other things. It’s cozy and always nice to talk with local people. Two Spanish talking men arrive. ‘You ‘re from Spain?’ I asked. One of them almost gets angry. ‘We are NOT from Spain, we are from CATALONIA!’.

We climb the stairs and in about twenty minutes we arrive at the top of the mountain. Then we see it: the rice fields look like a big spider web when you see it from above. A beautiful view. The guy from Catalonia makes a nice picture of us.

Hobbit Cave

We arrive in Ruteng. Visit an ATM for some cash money. Check in in the Spring Hill Bungalows. Lunch here, small pieces of beef. After a little nap we drive to the Hobbit Cave. The road to the cave is very, very bad. We don’t understand this. The Hobbit Cave is a landmark in the history of mankind. Why then make coming there so unfriendly and almost inaccessible?

The cave (officially Liang Bua cave) is impressive. The female caretaker points out the location where the Flores woman was found. This human being was small, in size looked like a hobbit (hence the name). It’s one of the types from the human tree that didn’t develop to now-a-days humans. The ‘Homo Floresienis’ lived some 50.000 years ago. We walk around, together with the caretaker’s dog called Cambas. You almost feel the history here! The small museum is very nice, very informative. By the way; the guys from Catalonia were here one hour ago.

Heaven’s Door

We visit a brewery where they make Arak. It’s a kind of local whiskey. A simple process, but nice to watch. A young boy tells the story of the brewery. Afterward I shake his hand. He takes my hand, makes my hand touch his forehead. A sign of respect.

Lots of hot springs here due to many volcanic activity. The one we visit (Malanage Hot Spring) combines a cold and a very hot stream. Sitting in the small lake feels very good. We grab a cup of tea and enjoy watching a baby monkey eating bananas.

In the evening we arrive at Manulalu Jungle Bungalows. The bungalows are all scattered on the mountainside, the reception and the restaurant are on the top – 2245 meters high. The house we stay has a terrific location. A kind of a viewpoint of itself. Even while using the toilet you have a magnificent view!

For dinner Nelson drives us to the main building. We drink an Arak cocktail. The dinner is nice, the view superb. Back in our house there’s no electricity. We manage though. These fall-outs occur often here…

Blue Stone Beach

Next day a long trip with a long of hairpin bends in the road. Finally we arrive at Wolobobo Hill. The view here even beats that of yesterday. Surely worth the trip!

Now and then we stop and walk a little. One of the nice things we see is a bathing buffalo.

We arrive at Blue Stone Beach. We already saw black sand beaches, pink sand beaches but here the beach looks light blue, due to the blue stones. Very nice. We lunch close to the beach. Fish of course!

In a small village we visit the (or better: ‘a’) museum of Soekarno – the first president of Indonesia. They also call it Soekarno’s house. Soon we discover he only slept here a few times. Some pictures from those days and – of course – the original bed are on display.

Kelimutu National Park

We arrive at Kelimutu Eco Lodge. Nice place. The tropical garden there is beautiful. We cannot say this for our room. Very small, partially wet floor and not that clean. Because we stay two nights here I ask the reception people for a better room. This night the place is fully booked. Next day they give us the best room they have (it’s actually pictured on their website).

Few days later a lady from our (local) travel agency comes visit us and returns in cash the difference in room rates for the two rooms. It turned out we originally booked (and paid for) the better kind of room. Good service.

We take the dinner of the day on a nice terrace. Lot of groups join us. Even a group from our own country. We go to bed early this evening. Very early next morning we hear our fellow travellers. They’re going to see the volcano at sunrise. Not us. We go there after breakfast, counting on a less crowded area then. That turns out to be right!

Kelimutu volcanic crater lakes

The Kelimutu volcanic crater lakes are situated at 1,400 metres above sea level and the water in the lakes is known to mysteriously change colour. Over the years the lakes have changed from white, turquoise and red, to black and walnut, to stunning shades of green. We walk around in the park, pretty much to see here. Few people. An Indonesian family want to join us for a picture. Later more Indonesian people ask us the same thing. There are lots of stairs here. 800 steps to the best viewing point. I try and I’m the only one to make it to the top. I ask a nice guy there to make a picture of me – as a proof!

You have to watch out for the several monkeys here. They are so cheeky, sometimes they take your bag or your camera! We visit the arboretum, Latin name for garden of trees. Then a cup of coffee. Nice talking to some local people working here.

More Exploring Flores

We drive to the village called Moni. We descend on a steep path to a waterfall. Lots of butterflies to see. Hence the name is butterfly creek. In the lodge we swim and relax a little in a small river close to our place.

Visit to Koka Beach. To get to the beach you have to drive two private roads. Both owners of these roads collect a small fee. Pay twice to go to the beach. Koka beach is made up by two beaches with a very big rock in the middle. Coffee with a view! On it goes to Sikka village. This once was the first Portuguese settlement in now-a-days Indonesia. There’s also a Dutch church dating back to 1849. The weaving museum no longer exists.

Lunch in Maumere, in Resto78. Smiling girls and nice food. My wife buys a sarong on the local market. We wander around a little in the harbour. Arrive at Coconut garden beach resort. The welcome drink is … a coconut! In a nice sea view house we will spend some days. Days of rest, snorkeling, strolling along the beach, drink a little, eat a little. Absorb our experiences.

The evening before we leave we are served a romantic dinner. Close by in a tree we spot a yellow snake. I ask the waiter what kind of snake and its name. He responds: ‘If it’s a snake and it is yellow we call it a yellow snake.’