Where are you going? Do you have a ticket?
Kemana kamu akan pergi? Apakah Anda memiliki tiket?
After saying cheerio to all our new friends from the truck we left Singapore a day later than everyone else. With Singapore slings at Raffles and the brunch at the Hyatt we thought we should actually spend a day touring Singapore before flying to Kuta, Bali. We couldn’t believe how busy Kuta was now compared to almost 10 years ago. It seems like night and day difference now. It was actually quite hard to even recognize some of our favorite areas. Now we are here on the shoulder season and not the low season BUT STILL!!! Building happening everywhere! Our second day here there was an earthquake. The ground just started wobbling and rumbling – the walls on our hotel spread apart and then closed up again. We couldn’t figure it out and then the locals all started yelling and running out to the middle of the hotel parking lot – so we did the same!! We didn’t yell and scream though, just headed to a clearing. Then came the second tremor. We all stood and looked at each other and wondered what next? It recorded at 6.1 on the scale and quite a few were injured but only one death that we were aware of. Our first and hopefully our last of experiencing one! And that was nothing compared to Japan!!
With Kuta so busy we decided enough and got on a plane to Flores.
sunset from Labuanbajo was beautiful but the town - not so much
fishing boat on Flores - can dry the fish on the side nettings
Our objective was to see the Komodo Dragons, as we missed them last trip. We thought it would just be a small plane but we were wrong. I guess it is more of a bus with many different stops to many different islands. Landing in Labuanbajo on Flores was quite a surprise for us. It didn’t have the beaches and what it did have was just a garbage dump – not really seeing the tourist side yet!! WE originally thought we would explore more of the island but with what we were seeing WHY?? I guess after 6 ½ months of travelling we just wanted chill out time- relaxing on a beach etc. We decided on a 2 night boat ride along with 30 others to see the komodo dragons on Rinca Island.
Russell calls it my cruise ship
the sail boat I really wanted for the cruise
at the entrance to the National Park on Rinca Island
We got there early in the morning – so the dragons were nice and active. The two guides carried sturdy pronged sticks, one walking in front and one at the end of the line. The guide also told us that if a tourist was bitten – he would be charged and put in jail. When the dragon starts to salivate it means he is looking at a food source – so a slight warning signal. When the one we were taking lots of pictures of started to drool we were out of there.!!!! Their bite with the enzymes and bacteria will kill a water buffalo in 2 days, a human in 7 days (if no medical help). The female lays 20-50 eggs, buries them in the ground and for the first 3 months guards them, then with the rainy season the ground hardens and the smell disappears and the eggs incubate a further 6 months. When the dragons first hatch they climb the nearest tree for protection from adult dragons and other predators. They will stay in the trees till they are too big to climb – nails get too long, bigger than 1 ½ meters, and ready to prey on bigger animals than insects. They can actually run up to 18 km an hour and are found mainly on Rinca (over 1300) and Komodo Islands (have the largest ones),and are the only living dinosaurs alive today.
Komodo Dragon - up to 150 kgs
look at those claws - no wonder adults can't climg trees
On the boat we also stopped and snorkeled many times and walked into a water waterfall – felt nice and cool for swimming. Had a great time on the boat and met some neat people. We started to run into these new mates in the next couple of stops – nice to share a bintang (beer) and a meal with. After the boat we splurged and did a four star hotel – on the beach and got some western pampering – infact we even stayed a little longer than first thought we would. Worth every dime honey!!.
beach at four star hotel Senggiggi
view from poolout to the ocean
dishes made from banana leaves - classy!!
Next we went to Gili Trawangan on Lombok. We remembered it as quite laid back, beach around the island – can snorkel anywhere etc. There must have been at least another 100 hotels – homestays built in the 10 years and the beach was now crowded with extra places to stay. The island is only maybe 6 kms around. Still had our R&R here, tried a different spot for supper on the beach everynight with Happy Hour of course. Even hit a pub to catch the last of the World Cup Rugby games. Of course we were cheering for the All Blacks (New Zealand) but in the final game the rivalry with the French was pretty fierce. Of course our group just cheered louder!!
snorkeling in the blue waters of Gili Trawangan
the boat that didn't make it
It was time to move along and when we found a hotel with the balcony facing the bay and easy access to motorbikes , we knew we had to stay there. Imagine our surprise riding down the road with a noisy horn beeping away at us. We both said *&^&^& pass us buddy!!! It was Sandra and Keith (English couple from the truck). Well what a nice reunion. We knew they were on Bali, leaving Borneo behind. Just didn’t expect them yet! It had only been 2 weeks since we parted but was so great to see them again. Spent the next day catching up and stuff – me eating all Keith’s cheese because we hadn’t seen any yet (he always finds it first! – but neither of us found wine!) they were on their way to meet their first granddaughter Darcie, in Australia while we fly on to the Philippines.
one of the many wet season rains - got caught on the motorbike - YUK
rice paddies still appeal - touring with the bike
found a wood carver
To those back home no one did Hallowe’en here!! Definitely ready to move on and out of the rainy season hopefully the Philippines will be drier as they are finishing the wet season.
all the beaches and Indonesian Islands for an idyllic holiday
Last country before home, stay tuned for the Phillipines.
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