2004-10-31 - 10:07 p.m.
Labhuanbajo
I am, of course, back in Ubud preparing for my return to Canada on Wednesday but I thought I'd begin to record my trip to Komodo and Flores before I forget some of the details (it will be awhile before that happens, I'm sure.)
Wayan was knocking at my door at 3:30 a.m. on the 22nd (he is always at least one hour earlier than he is supposed to be - unlike most Balinese who use Jam Karet (rubber time) and show up whenever they feel like it. We, of course arrived at the Denpasar airport two hours early for a domestic flight. Wayan was terribly excited because although he has picked up many, many tourists from the airport, it was the first time he has ever been inside the airport. Here only people with tickets are allowed inside - all others have to wait outside.
However, the wait gave us time to eat some Nasi goreng and settle ourselves for our flight to Labhuanbajo.
My heart sunk when I saw the plane in which we would be flying. It was the same Fokker 27 (50 seater) that I had been in with my husband and son many years ago when our trip to Flores was aborted. Obviously it has still not crashed but it certainly is not better for the extra miles that have been put on it: cockroaches in the lights, seats that are broken, a cockpit in which the front windshield is covered in newspaper (I guess to keep the glare down - but what are the pilots able to see from the one square inch they leave open?)
We were assigned seats in the third row but the first three rows of seats were completely broken so we were told we could sit anywhere - there were very few passengers on the flight. We finally settled into the 10th row with Wayan in the window seat so he could get the best view.
The plane shuddered, then creaked into motion, lurching, and spluttering all the way down the runway. Unlike last time, however, we were able to gain altitude and were soon up and away, seats in permanent recline position. Wayan was so excited. He kept exclaiming, "Look, look, you can see the cloudy from the top!" and "I think I am dreaming, I am dreaming, right?"
The flight wasn't too bumpy and it was low enough that we could get some feel for the islands we passed over - Lombok, Sumbawa, and Komodo - volcanoes and small twisting roads.
After an hour and a half we landed in Labhuanbajo, a fishing village on the northwest coast of Flores. The airport is really only a grassy strip with a one room thatched roof shack beside it.
Immediately after disembarking we were swarmed with touts showing pictures of guestrooms (that looked more or less O.K.) I searched for a tout who could speak English and found a boy named Mikil whose guestroom picture looked fine and who had a car and driver lined up in hopes of catching a tourist and reeling them in.
Off we went with Mikil to the village of Labhuanbajo (only a 3 minute drive maximum from the airport.)
I had been able to find such limited information on the island of Flores so my expectations were pretty limited as to what we might find there. But, as it has been a long time since I have left the relative comfort of Bali and ventured to some of the other islands I have to say that I had to take a deep breath and some very big swallows while I began to adjust to the level - I'd forgotten how poor that poor can be. Labhuanbajo was poor, dirty, full of rubbish, and 40 degrees!
Mikil took us to his hotel - the Wisata Hotel on the main street (there was only one street.) I would not have let my dog sleep there (I've forgotten the places I've had to bunk in the past.) I asked him to show us the other places to stay in the area. Every place was just as bad - poor, dirty, broken furniture, rubbish everywhere. I finally said, "Take me to the very best accommodation that Labhuanbajo has to offer," and we ended up at a place called Ecolodge, a two year old resort on the beach built by an Australian couple who hope their investment will pay off. They are anticipating more and more tourists will arrive in Labhuanbajo in the coming years as it is the base from where you can charter a boat to Komodo to see the dragons.
The Ecolodge was the first and last decent place we found in all of Flores. In Bali this place would be considered just O.K. In Flores it was 'exclusive.'
It was clean, albeit full of mosquitoes.
After a 'welcome drink' of coconut milk we settled in and started serious negotiation with Mikil regarding finding us a boat and captain to take us to Komodo Island the next day. This took some time and we finally settled on a price ($50 for twelve hours if we brought our own food, $55 if Mikil provided it.) I asked our hotel if they could provide food for the next day and they said 'yes' - I was relieved. Mikil was also to find us a driver, and a good car, to make the overland trip from Labhuanbajo to Maumere on the following day. He promised to report back.
The next morning, after a fitful, hot, sleep under a mosquito net, I awoke at 5:30 to the sound of both Wayan and Mikil banging on my door. Mikil had come to fetch us to take us to the harbor at 6:00 a.m.
The harbourfront is under construction - some Japanese developers are trying to improve it for the Flores government. It is hoped (by everyone) that Labhuanbajo will be a future tourist destination. I think they have very high hopes. Anyway, we had to walk through a warehouse, then over some planks, onto a big rock, and then a dock of sorts where a boat awaited us - and it didn't look too bad at all. My experience of chartering boats in the developing world is quite different ( Joan, you will remember our trip to Trunyan!) Our boat was a medium sized one (not a dugout, I don't think I could do 4 hours in a dugout) and it had a canopy on top. The deck was wood and had a new, green artifical turf carpet on it. The hotel had packed us a cooler full of water, rice, chicken, and fruit and we settled in for the four hour ride to Komodo and the closer island of Rinca, waving goodbye to Mikil on the dock (who had promised us we wouldn't have to pay any extra or hidden costs - ha!)
I have to say that being on the calm water, riding slowly between the barren, moonscape, islands of this area was absolutely delicious because it was cool and the ocean so clear you could see into the depths. I sat on the bow and just thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.
The small islands hold tiny, tiny, fishing villages, mangrove swamps (full of salt-water crocodiles) and life there is much as it has been for thousands of years. The villages (such as the one on the top) are picturesque from a distance but in actuality they are pretty squalid. Temperatures here vary between 40 and 45 degrees.
I'll end here and try to get another entry in tomorrow. Komodo is coming!
Lovingly,
Karen
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