As we mentioned in our last post, throughout the month of August it was Ramadan in Jakarta. This is a time when Muslims fast for the entire month and at the end they have a holiday called Lebaran where the fast finishes. Everyone in Indonesia gets about a week off for Lebaran. At this time there is a mass exodus from Jakarta as everyone goes back to their hometown to be with their families. So Nat and I thought it would be a great opportunity to get out and see some of Indonesia and as we knew that it would be crazy in the Muslim-populated areas of Indonesia we opted for a trip to the predominantly Christian island of Flores.
The view from the water from a hill in Labuan Bajo
Flores was spectacular! The landscape was completely different to anything we had ever seen in the South East Asian region. It is the dry season at the moment and it was completely dry! We flew into Labuan Bajo which is the fastest growing city in the province of Nusa Tenggara. This is because Labun Bajo is the gateway to Komodo and Rinca Islands where the unique and dangerous Komodo dragons can be found. However, Labuan Bajo does not resemble much of a city it looks more like a haphazard construction site.
We ventured out of Labuan Bajo on a two-day, one-night trip to Komodo and Rincah islands. The boat we took had no life jackets and no radio, even though we had been assured that these would be provided - welcome to Indonesia. We cruised around a number of different islands en route to Rincah island. Rincah is the less-famous and smaller version of Komodo. Here Komodo dragons can also be found as well as monkeys, wild buffalo and bird life. When we arrived on the
island we were greeted by our first Komodo dragon that was sunning itself by the entrance to the island. The guides on the island took us around with a stop off at the kitchen used by the rangers. Underneath the kitchen were heaps of Komodo dragons. They are not fed by anyone but they apparently come because they can smell the food. After this we went on a big tour of the island and saw the nests in which the female Komodo dragons lay their eggs. We eventually came to a watering hole where three wild buffalo were bathing. Lying near by, quietly, were two Komodo dragons waiting for their opportunity to bite and kill the buffalo.
Trekking Rincah Island
Komodo dragons
A Komodo dragon can eat half its body weight in food. To kill a buffalo they will attack it while it is in the watering hole and bite it. A komodo dragons bite has over 60 types of bacteria in it therefore the bite will eventually kill the buffalo. It can take up to two weeks for the buffalo to
die but the Komodo dragon will wait patiently and then gorge itself on the buffalo. Komodo and Rincah are actually quite big and way too large to walk around in a day. There are even villages on both islands which existed before the whole area was gazetted as a national park. The locals havegrown used to living with Komodo dragons and everything is on stilts. Komodo dragons have been known to kill and eat humans (especially children) so it’s worth taking precautions.
On our way back to our boat we went by the kitchen again where we spotted two Komodo dragons passionately mating (as it is mating season at the moment)! What a sight!
Komodo dragons mating
Our trip continued on with some snorkelling around the islands. It was amazing and so colourful with millions of fish. However, you can see the damage that tourism and fishing are doing to the reefs and I am not sure that it will look so beautiful in years to come. We visited the famous “Pink Beach” which has a pinkish tinge due to red coral in the sand. Unfortunately while snorkelling we were all attacked by thousands of little prickles in the sea that must be related to jellyfish. They stuck to our clothes and hair and stung like hell! Nat: I have still not been able to identify these thorn-like creatures but perhaps they were jellyfish larvae.
The random prickles that attacked us
That night we slept out on the boat, which literally meant we slept on some mattresses on the deck of the boat. It was so quiet and so nice to be under the stars.
Pink beach - where the sand looks pink
Sunset
The next day we continued onto the famous Komodo island. The scenery here was spectacular and we saw many more Komodo dragons sunning themselves in the morning sun. We also saw jungle chickens, wild boar and deer. The island seemed to be teeming with life. After Komodo island we went to some deeper waters to try and find manta rays! What an experience that was! As the boat sailed through the water we found huge manta rays flipping there fins above the surface at the same time the guide on the boat told us to jump in (with our snorkel gear on) and follow the rays. Candice saw a couple but Nat was too slow in jumping in and missed most of the rays.
Komodo island
As close as Nat dares to get
For our last two days in Flores we went out to another island (Seraya Island) and stayed the night in some very cute bungalows. It was very relaxing and nice to lie on the beach. Nat went for an exploration of the island and found many goats running around, some were even in trees.
On our last day in Flores we headed inland to a beautiful waterfall. It was incredible to see the ever changing land scape of Flores. The people up in the villages were extremely poor and it was
a bit of a shock to the system after seeing all the wealth in Jakarta. We trekked through rice fields and forest to get to the waterfall while a hoard of local children followed us and taught us words in their local language, Manggarai. The waterfall was beautiful and freezing and well worth the trek. Once we trekked back to our staring point we sat down and some of the other people who were with us shared their food around with the local children. It was amazing to see the children break biscuits in half and share them with the other children. No one asked us for money and no one tried to sell us anything. They were a group of people who were as intrigued to see us, as we were to see them.
To cap off our trip we popped in to Bali for a couple of days to visit fellow-volunteers Dennis and Deborah. Whatever the criticisms of the fact Bali is too touristy, we have to admit Legian beach has beautiful sunsets!
