Ahoy!
June 20, 2021, was a beautiful Sunday! It was also Father’s Day. We were so ready for our next destination! We arrived in Labuan Bajo, Flores island around 11 AM, and we gave a little surprise to Daddy at Ayana Komodo Resort, the hotel where we stayed for the first couple days before we moved to a fairly decent 4-star hotel called Bintang Flores for our last couple of days.
Citilink
It took around 1 hour 15 minutes flying from Denpasar, Bali to Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. We chose to fly with Citilink for the sake of earning more miles for our GarudaMiles, since it’s subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia. Our flight with Citilink was alright, though we did not get any snacks, but I guess it was because of it being less than 2-hours. As usual, they always throw a poem, or ‘pantun’, before starting the trip.
There was a little bit of drama regarding Izzy’s stroller, as I had to let the flight attendant take it and put it with them since it does not have a Citilink tag. I was like okay, I just did not want to cause any hindrance at the entrance. As I sat down, I called the other flight attendant to confirm about our stroller. She said she would check it for me. She then came back, and said that the stroller still couldn’t be put in the cabin. I was like, how come as she did not really give me a valid reason. First, it’s specifically a travel stroller. Second, we have been using it every where, even in a small plane like Citilink. We also flew with Citilink from Bandung to Jakarta last time, and it was fine. We always put them in the cabin, as it can be folded small. Instead of telling me that the main reason was because it does not have the tag, she tried to find another excuse that does not justify their own mistake. She just did not want me to have it, she was grasping at straws, and said I needed to put it in its bag for the stroller to be allowed to put in the cabin. Doh! It was like whatever dude, I’m done arguing, I don’t want to waste my energy and ruin my holiday vibe. I fully understood that I did not have the tag for the stroller, therefore I let them take it. I did not want to make it as a big deal, it was just annoying that one flight attendant was so stubborn and did want to own their mistake. It was not our fault that the check-in staff forgot to give us the tag. We were not late at all, they were just overwhelmed: we were stuck in a super long queue until our flight was boarding. They eventually let us cut the line, and that was how the staff was also rushing. Oh well, I just needed to ‘workout’ more by carrying Izzy from the airplane, down the airplane stairs, into the bus, and into the airport, until we got our stroller back. I tried to put it in my head that maybe they do have their new regulations about the stroller bag. At least, the other flight attendant whom I spoke the first time, the one who took care of the stroller, showed more hospitality, owning their mistake, and apologized to me when I was disembarking.
Komodo International Airport
As we arrived at Komodo International Airport, we collected our bags quickly, then Daddy went to show our e-HACs to the local officer. The queue was so disorganized: many people did not even fill out the online form before getting into the line. They stood up in front of the counter desk while filling out the form. Gah! They were just in the way, so Daddy just cut through to the front, past all the time-wasters. Collection and queueing probably took a total of 15 minutes, which actually isn’t all that bad.
We finally got out of arrivals, and tried to contact the local driver that we hired for our Labuan Bajo trip. The airport was kind of packed, with so many drivers offering their accommodation outside the airport main doors. We had to say “no, thank you” so many times. Our driver was there on time, and he said that the tourism in Labuan Bajo finally got back to its rhythm a little bit, however he heard that there would be another potential lockdown coming. As long as it’s not that soon, during our holiday there. *fingers crossed*
Ayana Komodo Resort
We were dropped off at the hotel lobby by the driver, and he also helped us to unload our suitcases. From then on, the concierge took over. We were welcomed by a friendly woman in East Nusa Tenggara’s traditional clothes, as well as the receptionist. It was around 11:30 AM when we reached to the hotel, which was way ahead of the time we had planned. Amazingly, we were allowed to check-in early. The walk to the lift, through the lobby and lounge area, is open to the elements, so we took the opportunity to look around for a bit. It would be an understatement to say we were mesmerized by the beautiful view of Labuan Bajo. It was amazing!
For the next couple of days we enjoyed the facilities around the resort, including the gym, various pools, day care / kids play centre, and the deck - a long boardwalk the stretches out into the bay. Essentially, we just chilled! It was needed, that’s for sure.
Please click here for further information and review about Ayana Komodo Resort, Labuan Bajo (click here).
Kisik Restaurant
We had our first dinner at the Ayana at Kisik Restaurant. It’s alfresco dining by the beach that served mostly seafood fresh from the grill. They were so delicious and fresh. Since Daddy is not a big fan of seafood, unlike Mommy, he ordered chicken satay and sausage, veggies and corn skewers, I ordered a giant shrimp, seafood skewers, and clamshells. I wish I could have eaten more, but my belly was full, as they also gave us complimentary appetizers; breads, salad, and fish soup. Happy tummy!
Check out my special writing and review about Kisik Restaurant (click here).
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Padar Island
On our 4th day in Labuan Bajo, we took a one-day trip with a speed boat to Komodo Island. However, we didn’t just go there, we also stopped by at other famous tourist destinations, the first one being Padar Island. We had to climb up the thousands steps for us to get to the great spots on top of the mountain. Daddy and I took turns to carry Izzy, that was after the hundred stairs that she climbed herself. Every body was amazed by her: we received so many compliments from people, for her energy and determination, especially at 2 years old. We were not the only one who took our kid there, but Izzy was definitely the youngest one along way. She was so excited, she even refused us to lift her up at first, she wanted to do it herself. Oh, bless her! We always kept our eyes open, and let her walk to the left side of the stairs, as it was safer with the mountain on its left; the right side was next to the canyon and cliffs. When we finally reached the last spot before the highest one, the path was getting narrow, and I felt like it would be so dangerous for us to take Izzy to the top. We decided to take turns, when one climbs to the top, the other one can wait with Izzy. I got to the top first and took some pictures and videos with one of the best beautiful sceneries I’ve ever experienced.
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Pink Beach
Our next destination was the famous beach that has the beautiful shade of blue water, and kind of pink shade of sand, that was obviously why that place is called Pink Beach. We spent three quarters of an hour there, where we took photos, walked along the beach, and swam for a bit. It was definitely beautiful, and so quiet. I feel like we chose the best time to travel there, as the beach was clean and not busy at all. Daddy finally got to use our drone for the first time, despite buying it a couple of months ago. I loved the way he took the videos. Not bad for the first and the second attempts. I only needed to edit it a little bit, combine the video, and make it smoother.
Komodo Island
We were back on water again, and moved to our main destination: Komodo Island. Our speed boat docked in the harbor, and we walked sea wall until we reached the Komodo Island main gate. The local tour guide, the ranger, was waiting for us, ready to give us a tour. The guy was carrying a long wooden stick, I assumed that was what they used to obstruct the komodo, in case they come a little bit to close to us, eh? He explained a little bit about the tour, and asked us whether we wanted to take the long route to the jungle, the medium route, or the short one. He also added that they never guarantee that we will see the komodo, especially during mating season like this. It depends on our luck. He said the previous tourist today got the chance to see one when they took the short route. Oh well, hopefully we are as lucky then, as we also chose the short route. Considering we were there with our 2 and a half years old kid, we did not want to spend too much time there.
We started our trip and passing by some of the local sellers, and walked in through the trees by the beach. The ranger began to explain about Komodo and its habitat, such as: Komodos love swimming on the beach, and they are cold blood animals. Komodos are also cannibals, they even eat their own children, therefore after giving birth, the children normally run away, and climb up the trees. They live in the trees until they are bigger and feel safer to go back to the land. He also said that during the mating season, Komodo tend to hide. I guess that makes sense, they don’t do PDA, and need some privacy. LOL. After walking quite some time, and trying to look around to any komodo, we finally got to see 2 male Komodos that were chilling under the trees. Yay! The ranger said they are waiting for the females, basically single and ready to mingle.
As much as we enjoyed our little adventure and a fun walk in Komodo Island, we were getting hungry, and it was already lunch time - time to go back to the speed boat, and time for food!
Manta Point
We stopped in the middle of the sea, it was snorkeling time, while looking for the giant Manta ray. I saw the manta ray once from the boat, it was huge, however, I was not fast enough to chase it under the sea when I was snorkeling. I did not get the chance to record it whatsoever.
Taka Makassar
We decided to move on, and stopped by a tiny sand bank / island. It was beautiful and clean, and we could play and take pictures around it. We found a starfish by the white sand beach.
Kanawa Island
Our last destination on our day trip, this island has a long deck and beach. We chose to play at the beach first, before going back to the deck, and later we started snorkeling again from there. This island was not as quiet, since there were some other boats anchored there too, including a group of Indonesian Search & Rescue men (BaSARNas). It seemed like they were having a drill or something.
After this we headed back to Labuan Bajo harbor. I had a quick shower with Izzy in the boat, and got changed. As we arrived, the driver who picked us up from our hotel this morning was already there waiting, we asked him to take us to the hospital, RS Siloam Labuan Bajo, to get ourselves tested. We would need to provide the PCR Antigen tests for our flight back to Bali.
Bintang Flores
We moved hotel on our last days. It’s located around 8 minutes drive from the airport, and was definitely way cheaper than Ayana, but the hotel was quite good, and their garden area was quite nice. Unfortunately, we did not get the chance to experience the facilities. At least the breakfast was alright.
Check out more about Bintang Flores hotel and our review (click here).
We loved Labuan Bajo and really enjoyed our sweet escape, and we wished we could stay longer. We will definitely be back one day. Ameen. See you when we see you! :)
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