INDONESIA: KOMODO NATIONAL PARK, SNORKELING

 July 12, 2023

I forgot to include one more part of our Komodo National Park experience--snorkeling. I don't know how I could have forgotten to include this because it was BY FAR the best snorkeling we have experienced--much better than the Caribbean or Hawaii and better even than the Galapagos Islands, and by a lot. 

Three things made it better:

1. We were in a very remote location and besides the three of us (our guide Vincent, Bob, and I), there were only one or two other people in the large bay.

2. The water was crystal clear--very little motion, no bubbles, no pollution. It was as if there was no water at all. Extraordinary.

3. The sea shelf was shallow, and we were usually only about 3-4 feet above the floor. We didn't have to swim far to get to the "good stuff." Less than 30 seconds after we got in the water, we were in underwater paradise.

4. The diversity of sea life was unbelievable. There was a huge variety of colorful coral formations, gently waving plants, and darting fish of every brilliant color, pattern, size, and shape. If it had been possible to gasp or swoon underwater, I would have.

Actually, I do know why I forgot about it. Bob and I neglected to bring an underwater camera, so I didn't have any photos of the experience in my files.  No worries, I just WhatsApp-ed our incredible guide Vincent, and within 30 minutes I had a slew of HIS photos. He had a GoPro underwater camera and took some amazing pictures.

I know I have sung his praises before, but I'll just say again that if you go to Komodo National Park, this man should be your guide. He was one of the best guides we've ever had. 

His photos and videos below are a sampling of the underwater cinema we enjoyed.

At one point, Bob pointed out what looked like a snake. Vincent later identified it as a caterpillar snake. 

All in all, I don't think I have ever seen anything as beautiful, surreal, or magical as that underwater world off the island of Komodo. This was one of my favorite days of the trip.

Thanks, Vincent, not just for the pictures and videos, but for a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Here is how to contact him on WhatsApp: Vincent Komodo Paradise: +62 823-4297-4078

He's also on Instagram:

INDONESIA - DAY 2 IN KOMODO NATIONAL PARK: LOH LIANG PARK ON KOMODO ISLAND

 July 12, 2023

During the night, when the tide movements were right (I think around 11:00 PM), the captain drove the boat a couple of hours to another bay. When we got up, we had a not very appetizing breakfast :

But really, it is amazing that they can cook at all in a kitchen this small.

After breakfast we took the small boat to shore to Loh Liang National Park on Komodo Island.

INDONESIA - DAY 1 IN KOMODO NATIONAL PARK: LOH BUAYA PARK ON RINCA ISLAND

 July 11, 2023

Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprises three major islands--Rinca, Komodo, and Padar--and a number of smaller islands. The park covers about 542,000 acres, or 847 square miles.

Rinca (pronounced REEN-cha) Island, one of the three largest islands but with fewer tourists than Komodo Island, is famous for its Komodo dragons. Just over 70 square miles, the island has a population of about 1,800 people and 1,300 Komodo dragons. I believe that is the biggest population of Komodo dragons on a single island in the park (and therefore in the world as Komodo dragons are endemic to this area). And yes, occasionally someone is killed by one of the dragons. Our guides told us that Komodo dragons are not venomous, but have dozens of fatal bacteria in their bite.  Some scientists insist, however, that there is also venom in the dragon's saliva. A human who is bitten by a Komodo dragon at the very least may lose the limb that was bitten, and may even die. Go here to see Smithsonian magazine's list of the most infamous Komodo dragon attacks on humans. 

After being ferried onshore at Rinca Island by Elfrid in his motorboat . . . 

. . . we were greeted by this very large statue of fighting dragons--something we would have loved to see played out in real life.

Bob was about to live the dream he had as a little boy--to see a Komodo dragon in the wild.

INDONESIA - BALI TO LABUAN BAJO TO KELOR ISLAND

 July 11, 2023

We got up at 4:20 AM, feeling sleep depreived, and were in the lobby at 5:30 as instructed. Our guide and driver were 15 minutes late, but we had plenty of time at the airport. 

I liked the reminder to stand to the left on the escalator so those in a hurry can get past you.

Another practical feature are the child-sized toilets in the "mother's stall."  Why don't more public restrooms do this? 

The photo murals are unique . . .

. . . as are the swirling fabric fans suspended from the ceiling.

INDONESIA - BALI PART 1: ULUWATU TEMPLE

 July 10, 2023

We drove the last 20 minutes to Uluwatu Temple, which was (surprise!) quite crowded. 

On entering the temple, everyone is asked to put on a purple skirt/wrap or a gold sash. I remember in Thailand the women often had to cover up with similar wraps, but not the men. I'm not sure if this wrap was for modesty or was a gimmick. Either way, Bob wasn't thrilled about it. Welcome to a woman's world, Bob.

By the way, the sign behind us does not have any English, which tells you what percentage of the tourists speak English.  We did see signs in other parts of the complex in English, however--mostly warning signs, which may tell you more about the tourists who speak English.  

Pura Luhur means "Divine Temple." Uluwatu is regarded as one of the six holiest places of worship on Bali. The six places are spread about the island as a way of providing spiritual balance to Bali. This temple complex is dedicated to Sang Hyang Widhi, the Supreme God of Indonesian Hinduism.

INDONESIA: ON THE WAY TO BALI AND A FEW OBSERVATIONS

 July 10, 2023

We originally had a non-stop flight from Sulawesi to Bali, but because we had to eliminate our Sulawesi portion of the trip at the last minute, thereby changing our departure city, we had to now go through Jakarta, and then to Bali, a much longer process with an afternoon arrival rather than a morning one.

We got to the airport early, and after checking in, we realized they had only given us one boarding pass, but we had two flights. We waited in the check-in line again. The counter guy had to call someone about it, and then told us we had to go to the Super Air Jet airline desk in Jakarta to get the next boarding pass. Bob tried to argue, but it didn't help. When we got to our gate, we asked the attendant there. He also had to call someone and got the same answer. I asked if that meant we had to go out of the passenger area and find the main desk, then go through security again, and he said yes. If everything was on time, we only had a 1 hour 20 minute layover.  It didn't seem possible that it could work.

There didn't seem to be much that we could do, so we settled in to wait for our flight.  I passed up the dried fish . . . 

. . . in favor of a chocolate cream puff at Beard Papa's. I know that is surprising.

It wasn't as good as other cream puffs I have had at Beard Papa's, but it was better than nothing for breakfast, which is what Bob had.

INDONESIA - JAVA: SURABAYA, PART 3 (BEING SICK IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY)

 July 7 - July 10, 2023

Our plan was to spend one day and one night in Surabaya and fly out the next morning to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, where we planned to stay at the Tangkoko Nature Reserve for a few days before flying to Bali on July 10th. 

It didn't quite work out that way.

But first, some information about our hotel in Surabaya, the Hotel Majapahit, which played an interesting role in Surabaya's history. It was built by the Dutch colonizers in 1911, then expanded in 1926 and 1930. Charlie Chaplin and various European royalty attended the opening. As a side note, I have discovered that Chaplin traveled to Java, Bali, and Sri Lanka in 1932 and made an amateur film of his time there. He was well-known and hugely popular on the islands, and I'm sure it was a boost to his spirits during a difficult time in his career.

Anyway, the Hotel Majapahit has changed hands and names many times in the last 112 years. Today it is a five-star hotel and one of the best hotels in Surabaya.

Photo from Hotels.com

The hotel neighborhood is pretty swanky.

During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies (what Java was known as prior to and during World War II) from 1942 to 1945, the hotel was used as Japanese headquarters and renamed Hotel Yamato. After the Japanese surrendered, the hotel reverted to the Dutch, who raised their flag over the hotel. However, on September 19, 1945, a group of incensed young Indonesian revolutionaries who saw the flag-raising as a symbol of Dutch colonial control climbed the flag pole and ripped the bottom blue stripe off the Dutch flag, leaving just the red and white stripes, which happen to be Indonesia's flag. It's a story that belongs in Hollywood.