Departure 2013-Nov-06 - 9.00     Arrival 2013-Nov-07 - 8.30

The day of the overnight-ferry to Labuanbajo was there! I had packed my bags, got enough water and fruits for the ride and was at the terminal on time, two hours before departure. Why I didn't know, I guess just to see the amount of people traveling with you as well as having the chance to pick the "best" bed on the ship. The waiting area already gave me a sense of what the trip would be like: crowded! I spotted one other foreign couple, apart from them Indonesian families with suitcases and boxes.

Getting on the boat and into the tatami (economy) class was already exciting, now finding a spot that would not give me a claustrophobic feeling was the next challenge. All 5 decks seemed to be without an emergency exit and filled up with people. Coincidently, I found a spot right next to one of the doors to a "viewpoint" which gave me a safer feeling, somehow. At least I had a mattress to myself, the family of 8-12 people next to me had three mattresses …

Even though people on board were friendly, interested in chatting with a foreigner and the atmosphere was calm, soon after leaving the harbour my head went into a stand-by mode, hoping this trip would soon be over … Somehow, I felt like being on a swimming refugee camp and wasn't quite sure why I was on it. Anyhow, I slept a little, made some friends, and had a twenty-hour once-in-a-lifetime-experience… that will sure never happen again!

Labuanbajo is the town from which you can best go on dive-trips to Komodo National Park. This area is one of the best dive-spots in the world: its currents are extremely challenging and rather for advanced divers but if you go, you get to see biiiiiig fish! Sourcing a dive-shop that would take me out on an adventure, I found Labuanbajo a small city with a relaxed vibe. A good place to stay a few days to go big-fish-hunting and also get a visa extension...

The boat-ride out to the dive-sites takes around 2 hours, thus days in Komodo start rather early. I went diving for three days and getting up at 6 every morning was well worth it. I had eight amazing, sometimes challenging and always impressive dives. I watched a 3m Manta Ray getting cleaned, saw massive Napoleon Wrasses, a dancing Flatwurm at 30m depth, got into a roller-coaster-like current ... and had a lot of fun. Unintentionally and luckily, I did my diving while the moon was going towards a new moon and the currents were "not very strong" ( ... strong enough for my taste, really!). However, I would always go back to Komodo, and would always try to avoid a full moon.

I finished the last day with trekking on Rintja Island, to see the Komodo dragons. It was extremely hot, and I wish I could have chilled in the shade with these lazy reptiles. Even though they look calm, they can run quite fast and are nasty hunters. Their mouth is full of bacteria and once they have bitten their prey, they wait up to 2 weeks for it to die ... So what's better: crocodiles or dragons?

Departure 2013-Nov-13 - 9.00     Arrival 2013-Nov-13 - 18.30

As the way to Labuanbajo was rather exhausting, I went for an easy option to get to the Gili Islands in North Lombok: I simply took a flight! It was comfortable and easy .... nice for a change!

The Gilis are small islands with nothing more to do then dive, snorkel, hang out and relax. Not that I haven't done these things before on my journey, it is the change of location that makes these "activities" stay attractive... 

The one thing that is really different when arriving on the Gilis is the tourism! Suddenly, there are larger resorts with people actually laying on the beach reading a book. Guesthouses don't let you bargain about prices anymore (even though they are pretty empty due to low season) and everybody seems to be focused on making money. Yes, the beaches are great here and the waters are crystal clear, but somehow it is not as relaxing as it was in the other paradises before.

continue with ... BALI