Komodo: Finally It Happens! Sailing Flores to Lombok 4D3N

Flores to Lombok 4D3N, Day 1

Finally, it happens! My impulsiveness of taking this trip and only preparing a month before this trip is finally coming, see how it began and you will be surprised!

After the staff gives me the cabin key and showed me around the boat, the boat trip then started. We left Labuan Bajo and the staff gathered us and gave us a briefing about where we would go that day and how long it will take to reach the places the mentioned. They write it all the places and the estimated hours of every distance on the board, they did it so everyone can see it.

The view from the harbor towards our first location is really amazing, even though it took us for about 3 hours but it was fun and the scenery is amazing. That 3 hours also means everyone can have time to make friends. I was the only local there, it was a bit hard at first for me to make friends. But I already knew some people when I had my snack in the lower deck before the briefing started, so it's fine.

The crew told me they worried if I couldn’t make a friend there. It made them always checking me out and always tried to make me feel comfortable and welcome there. I know why they worried though, maybe because I’m the only local tourist, a woman, alone, and I wear hijab. I always said to them to not worry about me, I can taking care of myself and I’m an adult by the way so I'll manage. It's uncommon for a woman to have their trip alone in our country, so I understand them as well.

We reached our first place in Rinca Island, we hiked there to find the Komodo Dragon and we saw two of them outside the resort place. It wasn't what we were looking for actually, Komodo Dragon on the wildlife not near the resort that just laying around and does nothing and look like in a drug. The staff told us that the Komodo came near to the resort because they can smell the staff’s cooking. And because it was in August and the weather is really hot, the Komodo need to stay somewhere in the shady place, that's why they rarely appear in the wild forest. But after we walked towards the forest and hill, we met 2 of them in the forest. The first one was on the grass and between branch, I can barely see it though. Then when we were crossing the small bridge to hike toward Loh Buaya ViewPoint we met another one who walked from our small path to the place with trees and tried to avoid us actually.

After the Komodo is nowhere to be seen, we continue walking and hiked to the hill until we reached The Loh Buaya ViewPoint. We reached the top and the thing we see first is the sea that facing us with the wind hitting our body. It was so beautiful (look at my first picture above). I was too mesmerized and enjoying taking pictures here and there until I didn’t realize everyone was leaving already. I was so thankful when Patricia called me. If she didn’t call me, I would really flustered because the place is suddenly empty and I'm the only one who left.

We reached the resort again and saw 2 big of Komodo near our rest area. Patricia asked me to taking picture of her with the Komodo from the closer she can get to the Komodo. I was terrifying actually, afraid she might get attacked by the Komodo. I also felt so embarrassed as well actually because everyone saw us from the rest area that is a bit up from the Komodo area. When it's done we entry the rest area and bought a cold drink because Rinca Island is so hot that day.

Done with Rinca Island, we head down to the starting point and head back to the boat. We went to our next destination Pink Beach and sailing again. On our way to Pink Beach, we had our first meals together. The meals were pretty good for the foreign tourist, but for me, it was a little bit bland. Maybe the crew made the meals less spicy because foreigner tends to dislike spicy foods, I try to just enjoy the meal and blend with them. I couldn't complain though.

Two hours later, we arrived in Pink Beach. The crew prepared the snorkeling gears for us and let us use them to snorkel, the gears are not in a good shape but still bearable. They briefed us again and told us we can go hiking and snorkeling on the pink beach and it's okay to only use sandals or flip-flops. Since I still have my ambitiousness and eagerness to do both of them, so I did, hiking first following with snorkeling. 

The view from up there was nice, it was a bit steep but I manage to be on the top with many breaks on the way. When we reach the top the view paid it of though, so beautiful. I was there for a long time enjoying the view and the silence up there. I went down snorkeling afterward and suddenly I accidentally hit the coral when I swam to see the fishes. I don’t know why I hit that, I feel like I don't see the coral before because I was snorkeling from the back and just circle around. I hit it really hard until my leg becomes numb and couldn’t hold the numb anymore. I tried to swim to the seaside with one leg upward since I couldn’t swim with my both legs. Fortunately, I managed to reach the seaside and try to wash my injured leg with clean water.

Hiking in Pink Beach

I wait and sit on the seaside until the crew asking us to come back to the boat. Arrived on the boat I try to wash my injured leg again with clean water until someone saw my leg and gave me some first aid. They were Nina and Mars a young couple from the Netherlands. I remember they were on the same flight as me and on the same row as well since Bali to Labuan Bajo. We never knew we would meet again on the same boat as a boatmate. I thought they were a brother and sister when we were on the flight because they look so cute together.

Our boat continued sailing to Komodo National Park, it was an hour ride or more from Pink Beach. We arrived there with many deers running around the Beach seems ready to greet us. Ale was murmuring while taking pictures of the deer beside me, 

“I’ve never seen the deers on the beach,” he said with eyes full of awe. Well, me too Ale.

We walked towards the Komodo Island to see the Komodo but the Komodo was nowhere to be seen on our track. Instead, we saw pigs and deers everywhere.

Deers running around on the beach.

Then again, we gathered around near a restaurant in Komodo Park and there was 2 big Komodo laying around and ready to be captured by the tourist. After several minutes, we walked towards our boat again and before we reached the boat, we stop on a place that looks like a dock with a nice view of a sky turning yellow. People taking a picture there while I confusingly asking someone beside me, 

"What's going on there, why people gathering in this place?" 

and she answered, 

"Oh nothing, it just because the dock looked okay,"

She was a local tourist from another boat and we managed to accidentally meet again in Padar Island. 

at the dusk in Komodo National Park

We head back to the boat and the boat goes to Padar Island, it was our first night on the boat so all of us were coming to the deck and we did stargazing together as the stars were shining on the sky and looked so clear to be seen with our bare eyes. Our dinner was ready at 7 pm, we ate together and lining up to get our food. And because we can't stargaze again as the wind and current were getting stronger, so we decided to rest and sleep since tomorrow we have to wake up early to hike and see the sunrise in Padar Island. I also take my medicine to anticipate seasickness that night because I don't want to feel sick because tomorrow we will be hiking to the Padar Island.