HERE'S WHERE YOU NEED TO GO:
THE KOMODO ISLANDS
Hello dear Amayzers, I'm back! I missed you all terribly, but because I first had to meet a deadline and then went on vacation, I didn't have time to come to the editorial office. But from now on, I'll try to be there one day a week again, okay?
That vacation, I have quite a bit to tell about. In a next post, I will share my favorite Bali spots with you. But actually, I would like to say: forget Bali, you need to go to the Komodo Islands! Or even better: do both. From Bali, you can fly in an hour and a half to the nearby island of Flores. There, you board a small boat that allows you to sail for a few days among the most paradisiacal islands. And as a bonus, you visit the namesakes of this island group: the Komodo dragons.
The plan
Send a message to Mo: +44 7767595140. Mo is the nicest man in all of Indonesia who also speaks good English, so that makes life a lot easier. He can arrange the whole trip for you. And while you're at it, send him my regards. We booked a simple fishing boat where we slept on mattresses on the deck. Quite romantic, under the starry sky. If you prefer more luxury, there are all sorts of other cruises to book, but I found this a particularly charming way to travel. Mo will also join, which makes communication super easy. Additionally, there is a captain and a cook on board, who serves simple but delicious Indonesian meals.
With the boat, you sail mainly along uninhabited Bounty islands in various whimsical shapes in 3 or 4 days. You can also stay longer, but it is quite primitive on board, so maybe after a while, you would want to shower under a decent shower (we washed ourselves along the way with fresh water from a barrel). Along the way, dolphins regularly swam around the boat, and once the captain thought he saw a whale shark, but we're not sure if that's true.
You stop at various attractions, such as a pink beach (there are only seven in the world!), a place where you can see Komodo dragons, and a random island where you can snorkel wonderfully or search for shells on the beach.
Your new friends: reef sharks and manta rays
I've snorkeled quite a bit in my life, but I've never seen coral as beautiful as here. And the special thing is: each little island seems to have a completely different type of reef, with spectacular coral species and fish. I saw reef sharks, turtles, and this was quite spectacular: manta rays!
If you don't know what a manta ray is, just Google them. These animals can have a wingspan of up to about five meters. And you can just swim among them! There is a spot in the Komodo Islands where they all come by. At first, it is quite intimidating to swim among these giants, but fortunately, they do nothing and always avoid you (although sometimes at the last moment). This is seriously one of the most spectacular things I've ever done.
‘Hello, Drake. Uh, dráák, I mean’
On three of the islands, Komodo dragons roam. You are not allowed to walk around alone there. Someone must always accompany you with a forked stick, so you can fend them off. These dragon-like monsters have a very peculiar hunting method. Their mouths contain so many bacteria that they only need to give their victims a little bite, and then they calmly follow their prey for a few days until it drops dead from a bacterial infection. Scary stuff!
