Indonesia tends to be more populated and touristy in the west surrounding the capital Jakarta and Bali, then it tapers off the more you go east, especially in low season which I am technically in. After living the surfers dream in Kuta, Lombok for a few weeks I wanted to go east, all the way to Flores, to a small town called Labuan Bajo, where my friends Jordy and Santi are living as scuba diving instructors. I met Jordy and Santi at my yoga teacher training in India and wanted to take this opportunity to visit them before my Indonesia visa kicks me out of the country. There are a few ways to get to Flores from Lombok. I could fly, it only takes a couple of hours, but it’s pretty expensive and I’d miss all the islands between Kuta and Labuan Bajo. Another option is a public ferry, this is the lowest price but will take over two days, non stop, and I heard horror stories about the public ferry from my friend Alix when she was forced to take it back to Lombok after all flights were canceled because of a volcano irruption (typical Indonesian problems). I decided to go the scenic route, the one that most backpackers take: The Komodo Tour. Yes, like the dragon.
The Komodo tour is 4 days, 3 nights. It’s a big wooden boat where 45 backpackers are crammed together. We’re strangers at first but when you’re forced to sleep inches away from one another on 2” thick mattresses that scatter across the deck, you get pretty close. There are two outdoor showers, only two toilets, three Indonesian meals served a day, and no phone service (my favorite part).
Hugh, Esther and I booked this trip together. I mentioned them in my last blog post, I’ve been traveling with these Australian love birds for almost three weeks at this point. I had so much fun being their third wheel. Hugh can make friends with literally anyone and has endless amounts of knowledge on more topics than I’ll ever know in my life. Esther is so sweet, generous and outgoing. We have the same sense of humor and equal love for card games. The three of us became a trio and I’m so glad I booked this tour with them.
The tour looked like this:
Day 1: we arrive to the port and board our ferry. We ride for about 5 hours until we reach a small island to watch the sunset. Then we board again. The boat will drive thorugh the night.
Day 2: wake up at 5am and jump into the sea because there is a WHALE SHARK waiting for us. Then, we travel east for 18 hours nonstop. It rained the entire day.
Day 3: wake up at 6am because we made it to the Komodo National Park and it’s time to find some Komodo dragons. When I was a kid I was obsessed with Komodo dragons and would beg my mom to take me to see the one that lived at the Minnesota zoo. If only I could tell little Hannah she’d see them in the wild, in their native place, 20 years later. We continue more east after this, stopping at two pink sand beaches, swimming our way to shore after jumping off the top deck.
We ended this day with one of the most outstanding sunset spots I’ve seen in my life, followed by a last boat party under a portable disco light.
Day 4: wake up at 7 for a quick snorkeling stop to hopefully see sea turtles (we didn’t). Then we headed to a small, white sand beach that is home to the famous baby shark. I still can’t get that $#*&! Song out of my head. After this we arrive to Labuan Bajo, say or goodbyes and part ways.
After the Komodo tour I decided to take my Advanced Open Water Scuba Diving course with Jordy at the company she works for, Dive Komodo. Advanced Open Water means that you can dive down to 30m/100ft. This included six dives: Drift Dive (diving with the current), Deep Dive (30m), Peak Boyancy Performance (perfecting my boyancy), Navagation (how to use a compass underwater) and Underwater Imaging (how to be a scuba diving photographer) and a fun dive. Jordy was free to be my instructor and I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
Hugh and Esther joined us on our first day. We saw manta rays, sea turtles, reef sharks, the entire cast of Finding Nemo and some of the most beautiful coral I’ve ever seen in my life. I did my Open Water, which is the level below Advanced, in Koh Tao, Thailand last spring. I remember being so focused on my gear, my breathing, just getting used to being underwater for long periods of time that I didn’t pay too much attention to the sea life around me. This time, it all came back to me like riding a bike, plus the comfort of my instructor being someone I know and trust made the experience 10x better. I was relaxed as we slowly floated around mountains of coral reef with more diverse sea life than I may ever see in my life. The only sound is my own breathing and my bubbles rising to the surface. I really felt like I was one of the fishes, my favorite part was just hovering over some coral and watching the action of what seemed like Fish City. The occasional sea turtle, reef shark or manta would pass by and put us in a trance of awe. I can’t even put it into words. If you’re reading this and thinking that scuba diving might be for you I can promise that it’s worth the fear that may surround it. Just like how I find peace thousands of feet up a mountain, I find the same peace hundreds of feet under the sea. It’s like a meditation, the addictive kind.
I said goodbye to Esther and Hugh first, and then after a few nights of crashing on Jordy and Santi’s couch I had to say goodbye to them too. I’ve been surrounded by the sweetest couples the past few weeks. This was such a good reminder that these kinds of things can exist and it’s actually quite beautiful. Thanks for helping me believe in love again guys, lol. You’re the best.
Now my time in Indonesia has come to an end. These past two months flew by. I never know what to expect when I come to a new place and I can say now that I had no idea what an adventure Indonesia would turn out to be. I’m leaving the country with life long friends and memories to look back on that make me laugh and remind me how incredible this life is. It’s also hit me that I’m leaving South East Asia with, at this point, no plan on coming back in the near future. There’s a reason why South East Asia is considered the top place in the world to backpack. I feel the safest, the most welcome, and free here. I don’t have to think twice about being alone on the beach or walking a few blocks in the dark. I know if my scooter runs out of gas or if I get lost, I will have an abundance of help by the locals that call this part of the world home. I can live without a schedule or plan, not even knowing where I’ll end up the next day and somehow it always works out. I can walk up to any food stall on the side of the road and be served a delicious meal that costs an eighth of the price at home. People are friendly because they’re simply friendly. Not expecting anything in return. The structure of SE Asia feels lawless when compared to the west but I actually feel safer and more protected here than I do at home. Even with all of this aside, this part of the world is absolutely stunning, lush and full of abundant and resultant nature. South East Asia has been in my heart since I first visited Thailand in 2021 and I know I’ll continue to carry it with me; the hospitality and deep respect for others, wherever I go next.
Speaking of next… as I write this, after 22 hours of travel, I have arrived in NEW ZEALAND. I already have so much to say, I can’t wait to update you all soon.
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