50 days in Indonesia

12 August 2015
50 days in Indonesia

Java - Bali - Lombok - Sumbawa - Flores -

Highlights:

Diving in Komodo National Park- Wicked Diving Liveaboard
Driving a motorbike across the many islands
Mel visiting us from Seattle
Watching women weave blankets
Using our hands and body language to communicate with locals

Our adventure in Indonesia is coming to an end and during the nearly two months we've been here I've crashed a motorbike, had my phone stolen out of my hand, had a malaria scare, been on a dive boat so small it almost capsized, gotten food poisoning, missed our departure flight, and had multiple scratches on my body that instantly turned into volcanic eruptions of puss; it is time we say adue.

The beaches here have been something out of a dream with the turquoise water and white sand and amazing snorkeling and diving beneath. We have constantly been on the go to find the next hidden gem or the next great dive site and it seems our bodies are telling us we need to rest. Brandon has been sick on and off for over two weeks now, and today my body finally broke down with aches and we decided a full day of rest was needed.

Kuta, Lombok

After almost a month in Bali we slowly made our way to the island of Flores, via motorbike - a 500 mile (one way) land journey and three ferry crossings.

Motobike Journey across Indonesia

While the overland journey was long and sometimes exhausting, we were able to see parts of the country that most tourists miss out on. The thankfully well paved road followed the coast for much of the way winding in and out of villages lined with traditional stilted houses, while the faint odor of sun dried fish lingered in the background. We saw kids going to school in uniform, and marching to the sound of a whistle, and the constant call to prayer being projected through a megaphone from mosques along the way. Sumbawa is a muslim island, most of Indonesia is actually (with exceptions of Bali- hindu and Flores- Catholic), however most of the country is "modern muslim" which means they are not as strict as traditionalist. In Sumbawa however we found the island to be extremely conservative and traditional, with women being covered head to toe, and some even dressed in burkas that cover everything but their eyes. At one point in our trip we were actually stopped on our motorbike by members of the mosque because prayer was about to start. We waited patiently on the road as cars and motorbikes stacked up behind us while service commenced for the next 45 minutes. I've always been one with an open mind but the way religion is pushed in parts of Indonesia is almost as if you are forced to be muslim. Freedom of religion is definitely not part of their culture.

Nasi Campur

One of very few road hazards

Four days later we arrived in Labuan Bajo, Flores. Dirty and exhausted after a 7 hour ferry ride and days of travel we stagger to the first hotel open we find and crash for the night. Knowing very well we were located right next to the mosque and would be getting an unwelcomed wake up call at 4am.

Labuan Bajo is a dirty little fishing town that has absolutely nothing to do but is home to arguably the best diving in the world. After getting newly advanced certified we were excited for our upcoming splurge on a diving live-aboard, four days of straight diving. To say it was fun would be an understatement. The liveaboard exceeded our expectations with the most incredible dives we've ever been on, delicious food for every meal and great staff.

We began our trip by making our way to the central part of the Komodo Islands. Since it was mid afternoon we only had time for one dive our first day. Our instructors called it a "check dive" where they insure that everyone will be okay in the more difficult to navigate waters. Komodo is also home to some of the most technical diving in the world, with its extremely fast currents. The first dive while only being a check dive was wonderful, but it was only a teaser to what would come the following days.

The next three days were as follows:
Wake up around 6am enjoy a coffee and the sunrise and a small breakfast of cereal and juice. Dive.
Big Breakfast usually with eggs, rice, toast, pancakes, and fruit.
Dive.
Relax/ lunch
Dive.
snack/ relax
Dive.
Dinner/ relax/ play cards
Sleep/ repeat

Dive sights in Komodo are all so different from one another. We had 12 dives in total and in those dives we had sensory overload. Colors shooting at us from all directions. The spectacular fluorescent colors of the reef intertwined with thousands of patterned fish, electric soft corals, massive schools of barracuda and travalies, big sharks, manta rays, and fast currents. I mean really fast, so fast you stop looking at things and just focus on not drifting away fast!

We did bring a go pro with us while diving, but unfortunately the color is completely lost after 10 meters. Below is a glimpse of what we saw in Komodo, and if you're a diver, I recommend taking your next vacation here!

We were asked at the end of the trip what our favorite dive was, and while its nearly impossible to pick a favorite, one in particular stands out. As we descended into the water to our max depth of 30 meters we had to fight a current to get to stay with our dive guide. Not being briefed much on what this dive was going to entail I fight with all my might to stay up with him. I grab on to a coral head to catch my breath as the current continues to try to pull me back and my instructor is nearly out of sight. I look down at my air gage, Ive already blown through 40 bars of air, only 7 minutes into the dive, that's nearly a quarter of my air supply. I'm not going to make it very far at this rate. I slow my breathing, catch my breath, and with Brandon by my side we signal to each other to continue forward. Finally, we beat the current catch up to our instructor and he signals us to clip into a rock. We do as told and soon enough the current is back, but this time all we have to do is hold on and look into the blue. The coral wall we're attached to drops of steeply and when we look out we just see ocean to our front. We see some white tip sharks and giant travailies begin to circle around the area as big schools of fish dance in the swift current. I am amazed by the tranquility of the water down here, even as I'm holding on for dear life in the current; it's as if the fish don't even notice it. All at once the fish dive towards the coral wall and back up. They are completely synchronized. A few more sharks are in the area now. I try counting but loose track as a travailie makes a move at a fish! He gets it but only a piece of the fin. In come the sharks only 1 meter away from us. More than 10 of them circling and thrashing around going at the surrendering fish. I hold on to Brandon hoping we dont get caught up in the feasting frenzy. A minute goes by and its all over. Blood pumping through my veins and my eyes as wide as the triggerfish below, I can't believe what I just witnessed. A silent party goes on below between my dive guide myself and brandon and the other few divers that were lucky enough to witness the event. Fists pumping in the air, we unhook ourselves from the rock and let the current take us to a calm spot to finish off our dive.