Exploring The Islands Of Flores

We woke up really early (fought over the bathroom :P) because we didn’t want to be late. After packing, we went straight down for breakfast. Even though the food was just toast, eggs, and fruit, because the place and the crowd were so fun, it somehow felt really delicious!

At exactly 8 o’clock, we started walking toward the dock. We were a bit nervous about finally meeting the Le Pirates Explorer, which we’ve had our eyes on since last year :) The walk from the hotel to the dock wasn’t far, around 10–15 minutes. When we got to the dock, Ms. Teressa was already there waiting. We were asked to get on a small boat that would take us to the Le Pirates Explorer. And there it was, The Explorer!

We got on board, met the crew, and then arranged our things in our “room” located on the upper deck. After that, we went down and took photos — of course, right? The photo session didn’t last long though; after that, we just enjoyed the trip... lounging around... laughing... eating... and repeating it all!

The Le Pirates Explorer has four rooms. The curtains dividing the rooms can be opened and closed. On the lower deck, there’s the crew room, a “living room” that can be transformed into a cinema room at night, a kitchen at the back, and a toilet. Everything was just perfect for us. If there’s one downside, it’s the toilet. For flushing or showering, we had to pump with our foot — once or twice is fine, but by the third time and beyond, our legs started to get tired :(

Midway through the journey, we stopped for snorkeling. I don’t remember the names of all the spots, but most of the water was pretty clear, even though the coral reefs weren’t particularly impressive.

It's Alya..!

It's me!

Fitri & Bang Ufi

From this spot, we went to an island that had tons of starfish (ugh, I forgot the name, oops!). The island was quite popular and had a lot of visitors. Fisca even ran into a friend from Jakarta here, totally unplanned :) Check out the starfish in the photo below, that’s just a small sample of the thousands that were on the island.

We then continued our journey to Komodo Island. Komodo Island was okay — we didn’t join the trekking tour at the time, so we only went as far as the first post, where there was one Komodo dragon “on standby” for photos. Just a reminder: don’t get too close to this animal. Because once it starts chasing you... well, you know how fast it can be, right? better be safe than sorry, really!

The Birthday Boy

By late afternoon heading into evening, we had anchored in a calm lagoon. After dinner, we watched a movie from a DVD — unfortunately, it was a pirated copy :( Since we didn’t feel right about watching a pirated film, we only watched for a short while, then continued chatting until midnight.

The activity on the second day was visiting a beach with pink sand — but not the Pink Beach :) forgive my fading memory— then we continued to a lagoon filled with non-stinging jellyfish. It was pretty cool! This place only appears when the tide is low.

Next, we went snorkeling at Manta Point and Batu Bolong. Manta Point was truly amazing — the mantas were everywhere, swimming around like it was a busy market. The underwater view at Batu Bolong was also incredible, but the current was strong. So we only stayed there briefly before deciding to head straight back to Labuan Bajo.

Our decision was the right one! Not long after, a storm rolled in. The journey back to Labuan Bajo took about 3 hours, with the sea getting quite rough. If I’m not mistaken, Fitri and Fisca even started feeling seasick!

Did that make us give up? Of course not! Whenever we get the chance, we’ll definitely come back to sail, snorkel, dive, and trek across these beautiful islands of Flores!