Labuan Bajo and back to Bali: September 2015

Walk from the airport to the hotel.

This was a first for us, we decided to walk from the airport to our hotel. Thankfully, it was mostly downhill. We stopped at the hotel we were thinking of staying, inquired, and decided to check out other options. We walked to the town center and had some breakfast. We shopped around for a hotel, and ultimately wanted to stay at one towards the top of the hill. Everything about it looked great, only problem, there was no vacancy. By now, we were really hot and sweaty. We walked down the block to another hotel with an available room and stayed there instead.

Sushi night in Labuan Bajo

We eventually walked back down the hill to walk around and have lunch. On the way back up, we stopped by a sushi place, and arranged for them to deliver sushi for dinner. We felt so fancy. 

Back at the hotel, we showered and relaxed outside to watch the sunset. From the deck at our hotel, we had a beautiful view overlooking the water. Now, we’ve seen beautiful sunsets before, but this one really takes the cake. The sky was gorgeous. Hues of yellow, orange, red, blue and purple. But what really made it stunning was the fact that there was an island in front of us, and in the bay were several little clipper ships scattered here and there.

Sunset in Labuan Bajo

I’m not going to lie, it looked like a scene from Peter Pan. I thought I was being a bit dramatic, but then Javier turns to me and says, “I think this is the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen.” Well, I guess it’s not just me. Just as the sun dipped below the horizon, our dinner arrived. Yay!! It seemed like the perfect ending to a good day, unfortunately, we were in for a fight with the mosquitos all. night. long.

So much for sleeping! We were up early and waiting for our pickup. We hopped in the Jeep with another couple and were whisked to the dock. On the way, we introduced ourselves and met the rest of the crew once on the boat. Now, I have to describe this boat. It was wooden.

The Ship and the crew

There was a small area at the front where we could lie in the sun. There was a covered area with a small table, benches on either side, and some beanbag chairs. There was a small toilet and hose to rinse off in the back, but other than to jump off and climb on before and after snorkeling, we didn’t spend any time back there. Suffice to say, the boat was cozy, definitely had personality, and the crew was excellent. We had a driver, a couple other random helper guys, and our guide, Alfredo. On the boat were a German couple, an Italian couple (who didn’t speak English), two American girls, a Canadian guy, and us. It turned out to be a really fun group. Just too bad we couldn’t interact with the Italians too much. 

Sunset hike. Flores sea.

Our first two stops were snorkel stops. The water was clear and chillier than anticipated. We saw some fish, but not much. It was a relaxing day on the boat and in the water. We were sleeping on one of the islands for the night, and when we arrived, our tents are already set up and ready. After settling in and a quick snack, we all put on real shoes and set out for a hike to the top of the island. From up there, we could see the archipelago and took some beautiful pictures. When we came back down, dinner was waiting.

Grilled fish. Camping on the beach.

It was grilled fish, and it was delicious. We watched the stars and agitated the waters causing the plankton to light up bright green. Javier and I brought a bag of marshmallows, so we grabbed some sticks, passed around the bag, and everyone roasted some marshmallows over the fire for a sweet finish to our great day. 

We didn’t know it yet, but we were about to experience one of the our most amazing days yet. We were off in search of manta rays. There is an area where they feed, and since we were a little early and the tide was too low, we spent some time snorkeling and hanging out on a sand bar. The boat had drifted and was stuck on the reef…yikes! They were able to free it, but not before scraping and destroying what lied beneath. Javier and I were the only ones still in the water, and were getting dragged along the reef as well. Not good. Once we were safely back on board, we moved to the feeding ground.

Swimming with the Manta Rays 🙂

Alfredo told us to look for the tips of their wings. None of us really knew what to look for, but once we saw it, there was no mistaking it. We saw our first manta, and I was pushing my way to the back to get my mask and fins and jumped into the water. I started swimming towards it as quickly as I could, and realized I had no Javier! Where was he?? And more importantly, where was the camera!?! Javier was coming with the rest of the group. I checked in, took the camera and was gone. We were told to stay in a group, and we did for the most part. I found myself following the mantas and realized I had strayed a bit.

Swimming with Manta Rays

There were other boats in the area, but they hadn’t seen the mantas. There were probably 10 of them- different colors and sizes. They would come out of the dark with their mouths open. It looked prehistoric. Did I mention the mantas are big. Like maybe 10-15ft across? It was the most amazing experience. We swam with them for about an hour before being called back into the boat. We were the last ones in. We just couldn’t get enough.

The Komodo National Park

Back on board we made our way to Komodo National Park. This was supposed to be the highlight of the trip, but the mantas were too amazing. At Komodo National Park, we walked with guides who carried long sticks with a “V” at the end. If the dragons started to get aggressive, they would place the “V” on their necks and hold them in place. It was hot…really hot. The Komodo Dragon, or as the local people call it, the “Land Crocodile,” which is a much more accurate description, is the largest lizard in the world. The dragon’s saliva carry several strains of bacteria, which is only one small part of what makes them deadly. We were told that we needed to report any open wounds, and well as if any women were menstruating!

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Kamodo Dragon

These guys apparently have a great sense of smell, and blood=food. Fortunately for us, the dragons were quite lazy. We saw several, and many walking around, but they weren’t too interested in us. Our guide says that they eat about once a month and can eat almost their entire bodyweight. They range from 6-10 feet long, and are known to take down pigs, people, and buffalo. Apparently, they’re fast little boogers too. We saw a female protecting her nest, and were told that the males eat the eggs and baby dragons, so she builds fake nests to trick them. The babies don’t have mom’s help after birth, so they live in the trees until they are big and strong enough to live on the ground with the adults. 

We’ll never forget this sunset. Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.

It was starting to get late, so we walked back to the boat and made our way to our last destination. We had dinner, and moored the boat in prime location, facing a small island of mangroves. We waited for the sun to go down. Once it passed the horizon, almost like clockwork, the show started. Hundreds…thousands of bats flew out of the trees and straight into the sky. They then flew directly overhead to the mainland a few miles behind us where they would spend the night eating from the fruit trees, only to return to the island in the morning.

Mangrove bats during sunset, Labuan Bajo.

We watched as they ascended from the shadows of the mangroves into the red horizon. As they flew, they passed through orange, yellow, and the many shades of blue sky. It was so incredible. I have never seen anything like it. Javier was busy taking pictures, and I just started in awe. What a perfect ending to our already perfect day. It’s days like these that remind us that we are on a truly amazing adventure, and we feel so blessed to be able to share it with each other. 

Labuan Bajo American Crew

Back on Labuan Bajo we stopped for dinner with our American friends, and decided to check out their hotel, since we didn’t have anything booked. We said good-night and good-bye to them before turning in. 

For some reason, Javier thought we were leaving in the afternoon. I don’t know why, but he double-checked the time when we were up and lounging around. He had made a mistake, and our flight was leaving in 30 minutes!!! We threw our stuff in our packs and ran downstairs. Our hotel had a shuttle service, so we jumped in and told him to step on it. Thankfully, the airport is only 5 minutes away by car, and there is no traffic on this tiny island.

Yes! We made our flight!!!!

Our flight was slightly delayed, but even at that, we had about 20 minutes from the time we were through security to when we actually left. We have never been that tight on time before, and had it been anywhere else, we wouldn’t have made it. We were giggling about the ridiculousness of the whole thing, and whaddayaknow…we were on the same flight with our American friends!!

Back in Bali, we check back in to the same hotel. We really like our first room, and had asked for it.

Movie nights

They said it wasn’t available and put us somewhere else. Javier didn’t like the layout of the room, and asked if there was anything else. They noticed that we had stayed in the hotel before, and cumulatively, booked several nights. They upgraded us to the family room!! It was HUGE!!…and had really cute little people-lamps. Javier was most excited about the in-room DVD player 🙂 So, that night, after dinner, we picked up a few boot-leg DVDs to watch on our player. 

We spent the next 5 days seeing more of Bali than before our excursion. We walked to the next beach, Seminyak on a hunt for some ceviche. Our hunt took us to a restaurant called La Favela, where Javier ordered two ceviches. I mention the restaurant by name because it is quite possibly the coolest restaurant either of us have stepped foot in.

La favela Restaurant, Seminyak. Bali, Indonesia.

On our walk back, we stopped at a restaurant on the beach. There were brightly colored bean-bag chairs covering the sand in front of the restaurant, while the restaurant itself opened up to the beach, and looked like a colorful shack. Here, Javier decided to eat another ceviche. That’s three servings of ceviche in a row after a 3-month hiatus from any sort of raw fish, and well over a year since actual ceviche. Let’s just say he was not a happy camper later that night. 😉

Ceviche all day. no bueno.

We were on a mission to find an unlocked pocket wifi, as well as a New Balance store. Our search took us to several different malls, including some very local-only places, and to Kuta beach, the party place. Our search was fruitless, but we sure got around!! On our spare time, we planned for Australia, read a lot, relaxed, and drank lots of yummy coffee. 

The day finally came to leave for Australia, yay!! We left for the airport early in the morning. It was still dark, and as we drove, we passed by a building on fire. I only say this because it is the only time I have seen a building truly ablaze. It was frightening, and I prayed there was no one inside. 

Jackie. Labuan Bajo, indonesia.

While we were happy to be moving on, I have to say that Bali and our experience in Labuan Bajo redeemed Indonesia. While I stand by my statement that I will not be returning to Java, I would love to return to Bali. 

To see more pictures of one of the best experiences in this trip so far, click HERE.

Jackie got really close to the unforgettable Manta Rays 🙂