Indonesia | Mar 28 - Apr 1 2023 |
The Sape to Labuan Bajo (LBJ, per the airport call sign) ferry is scheduled daily around 9:00 am. So, in order to guarantee to immediate and safe exit from the cringeworthy Sape port, I was there at 7:30 am sharp. Met a Spanish guy who had come the day before, and there was no sailing - so he had two nights there, yikes. Fortunately, I got on the ferry. Though an 8-hour sailing, it was pretty comfortable; the boat was half full and had decent padded seats. Great views of Komodo along the way. Labuan Bajo looked great as we arrived, a harbour full of boats (mostly dive boats - it's the gateway to Komodo national park), a nice-looking town on the hill.
Stayed 3 nights at Manta Manta Guesthouse, a great chill place. A top priority was to find parking for the Aerox; I ended up leaving it with a family next door. Had some reservations about it being in the open, given it had Bali plates. But the Apple Airtag under the seat gave me peace of mind, always able to see that it never moved during the next month. All 3 nights I ate at La Cucina Italian restaurant - Napoli pizza - truly exceptional.
LBJ was my intro to Flores and one amazing thing there (among many): the incredible friendliness of people in that town and on the whole island - it's off the charts.
Next up was Scuba Junkie Komodo for a one-month Divemaster training program at the legendary Komodo NP, some of the best diving in the world! Got my medical done at Siloam Hospital, where they have a decompression chamber (and use it frequently, apparently).
Ride: 8 hr ferry
Stay: Manta Manta Guesthouse $18 / 4/5
