Happy isles

We hadn't had enough of the Gili islands, yet we headed back to Lombok from where our 5 night/6 day boat trip would start on monday. The idea of the tour package was to sail to Flores and back, and to make stops nearby several islands on the way. First we got a short briefing about the program and after that we proceeded to Kenawa island, a small, hilly island. We walked up one of the hills, because on top was the best place to watch the sunset. We saw Gunung Rinjani looming in the horizon, and shared our experience of the climb with the rest of the group.

Back on the boat we had dinner on the deck, and the view of the moon was spectacular. It was rising behind the mountains, and its size appeared huge. My curiosity just made me do some research on the moon on Google, and apparently the most recent occurrence of a super moon was on the 10th of August. Our boat trip started on the 11th, but still the size and brightness of the moon that evening must have had something to do with that close approach the moon made to earth. We spent our evening watching a movie all together, at least with all the people of our age: Grown Ups.

A great first day it was, until we entered our cabin. Some people just slept on the deck, but we had reserved a cabin just in case it would rain during the trip, not being aware of the boat being a pirate ship with a roof. Anyway, the cabin seemed reserved by someone else as well as there was a huge cockroach nonchalantly walking over our bed. I thought I got used to these in Costa Rica, where they would welcome me in the bathroom almost daily, but the opposite was true. When it disappeared after we tried to catch it, both of us freaked out. Playing hide and seek is not so much fun if we are the ones to lose.

By the morning we had reached Satonda island, where we spent a few hours on the beach before we moved on to Komodo island. The journey took ages, but we couldn't care. With our legs dangling overboard, and the wind playing with our hair, we watched dolphins as well as the beautiful island we sailed along. When the motor was turned off, and the men found out they could jump off the boat, they all turned back into boys: Grown Ups. We had lots of fun now we still could. The next day things would get more serious, since then we would visit the rare Komodo dragons.

Wednesday, the third day of the trip, was beyond any doubt the best one. It started off with a breakfast in bed as the boat moored at the jetty at Komodo island.

This is one of the three main islands of Komodo National Park, and is located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores. The park was founded to protect the Komodo dragon, which is the world's largest lizard. As the dragon is a vulnerable species - there are approximately 4,000 to 5,000 living in the wild - the park was declared a UNESCO world heritage site. It was a great experience to make a walking tour over the island and spot a few of these dragons. Later that day we sailed to Pink Beach, which is an uninhabited and fairly remote area. The beach gets its name from the red coral that breaks off and washes ashore leaving a pink hue to the sand. It really stands out against the turquoise coloured water. Around 5 PM we arrived in the harbour of Labuan Bajo, where we could spend our evening before sailing back to Lombok via a different route. Quite some people got off the boat here as they only booked a three day trip instead of a six day trip, and a few new ones arrived in return.

Labuan Bajo is a small fishing town that can easily be traversed on foot. Here we ran into the Tree Top restaurant. A fun, triple-decker art cafe set in the hills overlooking the bay. The sunset was the most amazing one we have ever seen, we both agreed on. The whole bay as well as the islands in the distance tinted orange while tears streamed down my cheeks. The unprecedented beauty of the surroundings made us realize how precious life is, and therefore how truly blessed we are. One life, live it, Wout added to the conversation.

Since the newcomers hadn't seen any Komodo dragons yet, we also visited Rinca island the morning after. Walking around this island was even a greater experience than walking around Komodo island, because there were many more animals and the dragons were much more active. We got to a little harbour where some colourful fishing boats were anchored. Our pirate ship kept back, and the small motorboat that had been dragged along for a few days brought us ashore, in rounds. The scaffolding was surrounded by mangrove trees, and both were filled with monkeys. I had never seen them so close to the waterfront, but they obviously knew where the bananas where to find. Free and easy they climbed upon the fishing boats. During the two hour trek that followed, we watched male dragons fighting, a female dragon protecting her nest, and a baby dragon trying to find its way around the area. From the top of the island we had a great panorama view, and even spotted a water buffalo.

This time we were glad to be surrounded by local rangers. In case a dragon would be aggressive, they would hold them back with a strong piece of bamboo. Yet, in case a water buffalo would be aggressive, we would all just have to run, as fast as possible. Luckily the animal was just grazing in the fields.

The rest of the day as well as the last two days of the boat trip we mainly spent playing cards, reading our Lonely Planet, having heavy conversations with others, collecting sand dollars, and snorkeling nearby the three islands we visited on the way back.

Most of the time it is a common assumption that you need to scuba dive in order to see the best parts of the coral reefs and marine life in any given place. I used to believe this too, and even started to regret that I didn't do it on the Gili islands. Gili Trawangan is known as a tropical diving mecca, and it was filled with backpackers in search of scuba certifications. However, my thoughts totally changed when we paid a visit to the islands around Sumbawa and Flores. As we arrived there, I just assumed that the snorkeling either wouldn't be that decent or that the good stuff would be too deep or too far from the shore to get a proper look. Boy I was wrong. The water was so shallow that diving wouldn't even be possible, which made it a paradise for snorkelers, for us. We spent hours in the water. Where else can you literally find nemo just feet from the beach?