Labuan Bajo was OAT’s home base for four of the post-trip’s five nights.
Wouldn’t you know, THIS hotel doesn’t have a lounge, and is located quite a way from where the action is. It’s a half a mile to the closest ATM, but the sidewalks are unbroken, so the walk wasn’t challenging.
On the plus side, it DOES have a gorgeous pool, and it is alongside the ocean. Unfortunately the beach had more than its fair share of trash, which I unwittingly added to. (read on for details).
Despite that, the beach sunsets were pretty spectacular.
The day we arrived we went to the center of town to watch the sun set from a different vantage point.
Okay. No more sunrise/ sunset photos. I promise.
It’s probably good that the trip is ending tomorrow, because I’m rapidly approaching sensory overload. The days are getting jumbled together. It has become apparent to me that photos help me remember where I’ve been and what I’ve done (thank you, Steve Jobs). Oh, the memory is a terrible thing to lose.
And it’s not the only thing I’ve lost. See that Yellowstone cap? It has joined the flotsam and jetsam of the Indian Ocean.
I lost it after our trip to Komodo Island, where we were fortunate to watch MANY of these prehistoric looking creatures, strutting their stuff.
Next, our motor boat whisked us to a pink coral beach
where some of us snorkeled and swam, while others decided to collect copious amounts of sand in our swim suits, while we watched the Chinese young ‘uns record their TicTok videos and Instagram shots.
The hardest part was getting on and off the boat, which helps if you have long legs, but the downside is you could smash your head if you aren’t careful. ( I wasn’t and I did).
It was not ALL water sports. We also visited Cecer, a remote village to learn about the Manggarai culture.
Talk about a warm welcome! The entire village turned out, including the rooster who was handed from person to person. ( It’s their traditional welcoming ceremony).
The community gathering room had a list of rules that none of us had any difficulty following.
After imbibing arak ( that’s what’s in the gourd —the Indonesian version of moonshine ),
we chatted with the tribe, and then exited to watch dancers “ shake their booties”
Time for a group photo. Even with our tribal garb, it isn’t hard to distinguish the villagers from the OAT travelers.
We had our share of nighttime adventures. Our first night here, Laurie, Davis and I joined Widi to walk the mile back to our hotel after dinner. We decided we needed a way to work off all the great food we’ve been inhaling.
One of our dinners was at this picturesque restaurant with an “OMG” view.
I chose to forgo the trip to the night fish market, because growing up in Fairhaven familiarized me with the smell of fish (fresh and otherwise). Davis and his sister Jeanne opted to join me at “Made in Italy” restaurant, which had been recommended by a friend on the OAT Facebook page. My dinner was very good—waygu beef, grilled vegetables, mashed potatoes and Chilean red wine — all for about 40% of what I’d pay for a similar meal in the USA.
Our last full day in Labuan Bajo was spent on a large(r) ship,
slowly cruising to Rinca Island. Visiting this smaller site gave us another chance to encounter Komodo dragons. We also saw water buffaloes, and macaque monkeys.
Had I been more alert, I’d be posting a video of a macaque attempting to grab Davis’ bag. Fortunately, our guide and Davis were paying attention, so Davis got to keep his purchases. Was it his swift reaction, or did the monkey smell that the bag contained nothing edible? .
Our last night here in Labuan Bajo was supposed to be “ on our own” but six of us decided to dine together, with Widi and Gusti, at Alma. Quite honestly, I MUCH preferred Alma to Made in Italy. Both restaurants sent a car to pick us up and bring us back to the hotel, but Alma had a much better view, and a far better menu.
Here are the islands we visited.
- Komodo Island, where we were lucky to see TEN different dragons (via speedboat)
- Pink beach
- We got on a dinghy at this pier, then motored out to our ship
- The second viewing of Komodo dragons, water buffaloes and monkeys
- Our last beach, which we had almost completely to ourselves
We are flying to our last hotel, near the Denpasar airport. I managed to catch Ruth’s cold which will make the trip home “ interesting”.
