Day 13: NOT Travelling to Bijawa

We calculated where we wanted to go in Flores and how long it would take for us to get there and decided that we had one extra day. We might as well spend it in the middle of Flores and leave Labuan Bajo today. That was the plan anyway. Apparently that bus had passed. All of the buses had passed when they left at 7 a.m. while we were still sleeping. Guess we’ll spend that extra day here in Labuan Bajo!

The Italians had stopped by again this morning and their own plans had changed due to them sleeping in as well. They decided they would go and get a boat and go to this island, Kenawa, which apparently has amazing snorkeling. They loved to snorkel (even carrying their own snorkeling gear alongside). We had already priced buses, and Pallavi had chatted with some Spanish girls who were thinking about going to Bijawa tomorrow as well. With that tentative plan in place, we went along with the Italians (and the Canadian joined us) to go snorkeling. Again back to the fisherman. These Indonesians are funny – it feels like they put a price on the nap we’re interrupting at noon to ask for a boat. No other reason makes sense for why some quoted us 1.2 million Rupiah! After a long time we found our boat captain from yesterday, and Pallavi convinced him to take us to where we wanted to go for the price we wanted (300,000) by telling him he could drink Bintang and sing Adele like he had the day before.

This snorkel was an epic snorkel. We have never seen so many different varieties of sealife in one location, so easily. I was sputtering for air with a malfunctioning snorkel (at least I thought it was malfunctioning, in reality I’m sure it was user error, but I still insist it was malfunctioning), but during that time, they saw multiple reef sharks, a sting-ray, some huge ginormous fish of unnamed origin (maybe Rhino, maybe Bull, we can’t quite find it), star fish, clams, sea turtles, sea grass-hopper, pearl-kind-oysters, sea slugs, clown fish, Finding Nemo, you name it. It was way better than Gili Air. There were very different varieties of fish than on Gili Air. But such a jungle under the sea. We must have snorkeled for 2 hours. This was about an hour longer than I am game for at a time, but they all just loved it!

That night we came back, and the Spanish girls considering coming with us hadn’t made up their mind. We got gung-ho, and just booked our bus ticket for 130,000 Rupiahs. 5 minutes later and we ran into them saying they could get a private car for 80,000 Rupiah pp. We went back to the agent to try to get him to give us a car for the same price, but I’m not sure what was wrong with this guy. When we asked him, so you don’t want more money, he said yes. I think you 3 take the bus, and you 3 pay somebody else. Whatever. His loss. The bus leaves at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow, so we got our accommodation to give us breakfast at 5:45 (instead of 6:00), and we should be all set. I just need coffee! We also got lots of food at the local grocery store, so hopefully we won’t have to risk our stomachs tomorrow as well.

The Italians then invited us to go to some Night Market that exists in town. It’s just filled with mostly fish mongors. You pick the fish, they cook it. Pretty simple. Now, Thomas’s father is from Sicily, and he worked at a fish mongers. We learned so much about fish. He picked the freshest fish, had them make it the right ways, told us how to eat it to avoid bones, and it was potentially the best meal that we’ve had so far in Indo! 

Day 9: Gili Air

Another lazy snorkeling day on Gili Air. Only this time we finally got a good price for our snorkels & fins, and went out for two amazing snorkels. Our first snorkel was in deeper water with rich coloured big fish. Every time I go snorkeling in tropical waters I always think back to playing the kids travel version of ‘Go Fish’ – the ones with Angel Fish, Clown fish, etc. And that, my friends, is my reference for fish identification. Not some sort of Audubon’s guide to fish of the sea. Nope. Kids Large Card Go Fish. What else do you need really?

Okay, maybe a proper guide that says don’t touch these fish or those fish. But those are minor details. I’m scared enough of fish as it is. I’m not about to go up and touch one, especially after hearing the sound of the largest smorgasbord of fish dining on coral while in the water. It was like being at a table with people talking all with their mouth full – only with fish.

The second snorkel we saw our sea turtle! Despite much sputtering, slight drowning, and many bad photo attempts made by me, the sea turtle couldn’t have cared less about us.

It did care, however, about trying to snack on as much coral as it could. We again ran into a few schools of small fish who only put us into a minor panic when we got too close and the fish split and started going towards us.

I got my second sunburn! I’m going to pretend like all of this sun is just prepping me for my first real tan – or skin cancer. I’m going to stay in ignorant bliss and call it a real tan. However, bathing in sunblock continues to be a morning, afternoon, and evening ritual.

Tomorrow we start our big adventure to get to the Isle of Flores. Not quite sure yet how we’ll get there, but 24 hours later, it should be a go! 

Day 8: Gili Air

We finally got a chance to snorkel and see what all of this whole “Dive Gili” thing is about. After another morning at a local ‘warung’ or diner, making friends with locals who love Bollywood (again), we got a deal on some snorkel gear and hiked our distance to a restaurant we’d been a day before to get out in the water and see if we can go and find some sea turtles that everybody had been saying you could see pretty easily.

I had no idea there was so much sea life so close to the shore! We saw sea urchins, rainbow coloured fish, grass-green coloured fish, some snake-like thing in the water, a whole school of fish (100s if not 1000s of fish), and some big fish (who I’m sure is actually not that big, but it sure felt like it at the time!). It was pretty incredible. The water is so warm to go

in there is no transition at all between sitting on the beach and being in the water. No awkward, uncomfortable getting cold when you get in or out here! Tragically, after we came out and had our fresh juices, the tide had gone out – and when the tide has gone out here, your ship has sailed on snorkeling. Remember those sea urchins? It’s so shallow, that if you try to snorkel over them and you’ve had a big lunch, you may be at risk of getting deflated by one of those sea urchins! No thank you! Tragically, we didn’t see any sea turtles!

Time to get out, try to play the ukulele I brought with, attempt to get better at playing chess and prolong the defeat that is going to be delivered to me by Pallavi, and have a few beers on the side of the water, looking at the volcanos of the isle of Lombok across the water from us.

One more day on Gili Air, try to see sea turtles, repack the bags, figure out how to get to Flores, and gear up for our early a.m. off the day after. But that is for future me to figure out.