Living on island time in Flores
I am writing these posts from some short notes I made while there, the day after we landed home, the main reason why being that we left our laptops at home. This is the first time since the first few weeks of Vietnam last year that we have taken ten full days entirely away from work. The remote lifestyle is awesome and we work hard for it. I love what I do and Josh does too. Even so, it is always great to get away. The last ten days have been incredible. After having been to some incredible places this year, there was one place that we wanted to squeeze in before 2019 came to an end - and, as it turns out, before the destination closed to the public to focus on conservation effort for the foreseeable future.
Komodo National Park is a place that I have always wanted to go. I found out that the island was going to be closing to the public at the start of 2020 for conservation efforts because this is the only natural home of the Komodo dragon. After we booked our trip over to the island, they decided to keep it open for now. Even so, I was so happy to be there...and before the island gets overrun with tourist activity (both the national park itself and the main island, East Nusa Tenggara - i.e. Flores). Finally getting to go to this phenomenal place was unreal from the very second we landed. The airstrip into East Nusa Tenggara is the most remote airstrip we have flown into by far - and it was so awesome.
When we got to the island, it was immediately clear that this was going to be the most remote destination we have been to so far. There are just a few flights in and out every day. We actually had a bit of an issue with our flights literally the day before we flew to Bali and then over to Flores (it was the cheapest way we could get there), but that's okay. We got there in the end and it was everything we ever could have wanted - and then some. Anyone who knows me knows that I love the prehistoric eras. Komodo was literally like a step back in time right in front of us. When our flight landed, we walked through the charming little airport and organised for a taxi out to our accommodation. And then our taxi took us to our villa and it was honestly that feeling of stepping foot into paradise.
'I was surprised, as always, by how easy the act of leaving was, and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich with possibility.'
Jack Kerouac, On the Road
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The villa we stayed at was in Labuan Bajo on the western side of Flores. It can be something of a mixed bag when you book accommodation online of course, however we were definitely pleasantly surprised (to say the least). Our room was at the top level of a villa that sits on top of the mountain overlooking the fishing village down below. Walking into our villa was so unreal. We got settled in during the late afternoon and we enjoyed having a beer and going down to the village to get some food for our first dinner on the island. We enjoyed a few pizzas and some drink and then made the hike (no exhaggeration there) back up to the villa for the night. The island is a special place and this first night really made that crystal clear.
The one point that we decided that first day on was to hire a scooter. We had a feeling that it would not be as simple as it was in Bali or Vietnam because Flores is obviously much more off the grid (it is true when people say that this place is like a clearer and wilder version of Bali...perhaps it is a representation of Bali thirty years ago before tourism took over in many ways?). We were entirely right. The next morning we walked down the main street and had to go to three little hire places/cafes to find one. We finally got a great scooter for the whole time here which is awesome. The island is incredible and mostly untouched so it was amazing to have a scooter to explore the island more freely and on our own terms.
The sunsets from the villa those first few days were unlike anything I have ever seen - and it only got better from there. In fact, the entire trip just got better and better with every new day. Having cold beers at the villa after the second day was just as relaxing as it was that first night. With an incredible time ahead of us, we settled in for a night overlooking the boats lighting up the reef-peppered waters that surround Labuan Bajo. With no laptops with us it was nice to be entirely on paradise island time with just each other, some good books, and this special place. It was the perfect start to ten whole days in a remote paradise like something out of another world.
