As my journey across Indonesia was coming to an end in Java, I headed further east to the islands of Flores, including those that form Komodo National Park. Here I saw mighty Komodo Dragons, which have long been a standing bucket list item for me (check)!
Seeing these huge beasts up close, with them watching your every move is quite an experience. Their big reptilian faces are actually kind of cute but at the same time you know they could lunge at you and bite you with that big, bacteria filled mouth!
After this island hopping I headed for the hills, up to the mountain town of Ruteng to see the Spider Web Rice Fields and the “Hobbit Cave“. I returned to the coastal town of Labuan Bajo to fly out for a quick stop in Bali before going back to Malaysia. So here goes, my time in Flores and Bali summed up in 5 photos…
Bucket List moment – I see you! A mighty Komodo Dragon on home turf – Komodo Island, Komodo National Park, Flores (May 2018)Padar Island in Komodo National Park is quite unique, as it has pink, black and white sand beaches. I was so sea sick that morning from spending a night asleep on a top deck of a boat, rocking back and forth in choppy waters, this was the sweetest land I had ever set foot on! Padar Island, Flores Indonesia (May 2018)Homo floresiensis is an extinct species in the genus Homo and is known as the “Flores Hobbit”. The remains of an individual, nicknamed “Flo”, who would have been about 1.1 m tall was discovered in 2003 at Liang Bua in this cave near Ruteng. Since then other “Hobbit” remains have been found. They have been digging around in this area for 40 plus years and have also found animals such as a pygmy Elephant, Giant Stork, Komodo Dragons and giant rats! As luck would have it they only conduct work here 2 months of the year and I happened to be there in that time. I had a chat about the place with a Canadian anthropologist/archeologist whilst there – funding has come from Australia, the United states and other countries over the years. Some of the old locals have been working here since the 1970’s, too old to now work in the rice fields they depend on that 2 months of work! Liang Bua, Flores Indonesia (May 2018)The Lingko Spider Web Rice Fields near Ruteng. This is the traditional style of the local Manggarai people – Ruteng, Flores Indonesia (May 2018)Beaches? Pffft! Here is an abandoned Boeing 737-200 located in a random old quarry near Pandawa Beach south of Kuta on the Bukit Peninsula, Bali (May 2018). It is believed to be a failed tourist destination or restaurant project (there are a number of such aircraft on Bali and nowhere near an airport!)
Deano's Travels 