The air was fresh with excitement for what was to come, and very early in the morning, we made our way towards the airport. Our journey begins in Bali, where my flight took me and my friends to Labuan Bajo, which is about an hour. From there, we were brought to the docks to exchange the land for the water. This whole trip was one to never forget and has been one of the most insightful and special experiences so far for me personally. I invite you all to embark on this journey with me and let yourself be influenced to book a trip like this yourself!
At 8:05 in the morning, we took off to Labuan Bajo, from where we would start to make our way towards Komodo Island. As we took our places on the boat, the sun was shining brightly and starting to burn my skin. This was going to be a trip filled with sweat and sunscreen for me; nevertheless, this was not going to take away my fun! The boat had everything except luxury; we had no chairs or tables, and the toilet was a hole in the deck. Still, we left the shore full of enthusiasm. After about 2 hours of sailing and taking in the amazing views, we made our first stop. We got off at Kanawa Island to snorkel and explore the underwater world for the first time during this trip. Here, I saw some beautiful fish and coral, and even though I am usually scared of fish, I discovered that if I can see them for myself, they are not as scary! After spotting the whole Finding Nemo cast, we headed back to the boat.
After some time, we had our second stop for the day somewhere in the middle of the ocean: Manta Point. This was one of the most insane activities for me, as I never knew how giant mantas actually were; some seemed to be at least 5 meters! For our second island, a sandbar in the middle of the ocean called Taka Makassar Island. We could take a dip in one of the most crystal-clear waters I have ever laid my eyes on, with a beach that had a beautiful pink glow to it. Here, I spotted my very first starfish, the color of which was a vibrant blue that could be seen from miles away, thanks to the water.
Now, it was time to make our way towards our home base for the next two nights. Once we arrived at Komodo Village, the women had to cover their shoulders and legs, while the men got to wear their shorts. As men and women are not allowed to sleep together (if not married), we were divided. We slept in the houses of the locals, and most of them sleep in open spaces on the ground with as many people as they see fit. For the following nights to come, we had a bedroom with a double mattress, which turned out to be for 4 people instead of 2, and yes, the four of us did indeed sleep here! Three of us shared the mattress, and one person had to sleep on the carpet. The room itself was next to the kitchen and toilet, so all the different smells could be enjoyed in our room, and on top of this, there was neither tap water nor some sort of shower or way to wash yourself properly. It was all bottled water (but not too much), wet wipes, and disinfectant gel; it really was back to basics for us, but quite the experience, I would say!
In the afternoon, we played with the children on the island until dinner. Seeing how social these kids were and their eagerness to interact with us was really fun. They were so happy to include us all in their games, and the older kids tried to make conversation. They found everything pretty and really put their efforts into remembering us by name—a beautiful interaction if you ask me. The way they live and grow up so closely to one another is something you would most likely never see in Europe. Here, there is no anonymity, as everybody knows everybody. You can feel it is one big community that shares their sorrows and happiness with one another. Adults and children alike, they were all interested in exchanging stories and just enjoying each other’s company.
Since it had been a long and demanding day for us, we made an attempt to go to sleep, as we needed to get up at 3 a.m. to watch the sunrise the next day. This was very hard, as you could hear every noise, and the heat in the room was unbearable for me. A terribly short night later, we were woken up to get ready to watch the sunrise. We got on the boat and sailed towards Pulau Padar. As we made our way up to the top, we crossed paths with almost 900 steps, and let me tell you, this was killing after the night we had. However, the reward was what kept us going, and we were not disappointed by the view we got to take in. Soon after, we sailed to the other side of this island, Long Beach. You can typically spot turtles here; unfortunately, this was not the case for us.
We again made our way towards Komodo Village, where we were cheerfully welcomed by all the children. After a quick lunch, it was time for some real danger: the infamous Komodo Dragon. These animals have venom in their systems; if bitten, there is no antidote for it. Within 24 hours, you will die, which adds to the scare factor. On top of this, they can smell if you swing your stuff around and your blood (open wounds or, if you are a woman, your period), which can be a trigger for them. If that’s not scary enough, they can run 18 km per hour, which is not a speed I can keep up with. Together with multiple guides, we went looking for these dangerous animals, and we did not have to wait long. These animals lay between the greenery no less than 300 meters away from their houses. There are about 1500 of them on Komodo Island, and they do sometimes eat their goats and chickens. When asking the kids about these animals, they told us they found them scary. To even think they have to grow up in the same territory is crazy to me.
After the encounter with the Komodo Dragons, we again made our way to the boats to see the sunset. Here, we chilled with the group, put on some music, took a dip in the water, and saw a group of dolphins in the distance. The boat crew members reported that bats were hiding in the mangrove close to us. With all the boats, we tried to make as much noise as possible to ensure we would see them. A lot of them came flying out, and let me tell you, these bats were huge! As our second day came to an end, we had to survive one more night in our overheated room.
Luckily for me, this night went better than expected, and I got some more hours of sleep before we started our third and final day. At 8 in the morning, we made our way to the harbor, where we had to say our last goodbyes to the island and the lovely people and children who we met and let us have this unique experience. For me, this is always a bittersweet moment. I was happy to go back home and feel fresh again, but I will most likely never see these people, with whom I shared some beautiful moments, again in my life. But that is part of life and a good sign that I had an amazing time!
All in all, this experience is one I am really grateful for. You can clearly see these people care deeply for one another and also like to share this kindness with their visitors. Nobody is ever alone in this village; it genuinely looks and feels like a big family. This journey brought me new connections and interactions with people I would otherwise never have met. I do have to say I have never felt that dirty in my life before, and after 3 days, my skin only consisted of multiple layers of sea salt, sweat, and sunscreen, which, in combination with the sleep deprivation, got me agitated with myself from time to time. Still, experiencing their way of living, even for just a few days, gave me valuable new perspectives and excitement to see more of what life and its people can offer you!
