Last July, I went on a 10-days backpacking trip across Nusa Tenggara with Cici and my office mates. As we explored those islands, every moment was a thrill, and I felt a sense of freedom and joy that I hadn’t experienced in years. Fun fact: I brought my new Osprey bag pack, and my old friends couldn’t believe it! They couldn’t believe that I still do backpacking at this age.
We started our journey from Labuan Bajo and our first stop was Wae Rebo, a small isolated traditional village in the highland of Manggarai district. Visiting Wae Rebo is like a dream come true, I’ve been waiting for almost 10 years since I heard about this village. It is a heaven; I love everything about Waerebo.
Back to Labuan Bajo, we set off on a diving trip to the Komodo Islands. It was a pleasure to return after 10 years. Komodo Islands is another heaven in Flores, I was still struck by the incredible beauty of the islands, from the pristine private beaches (most of the time we were the only visitors) to vibrant underwater life (just picture yourself diving in the crystal-clear waters and swimming alongside manta rays).
Sunrise in Padar Island still one the most stunning sunrise in the world, it is incredible.
From Flores, we boarded a ferry for an 8-hour journey to Sumbawa Island, followed by a 6 hours’ drive to Labuan Jambu. Our next destination is Saleh Bay in West Sumbawa.
The tranquil waters of Saleh Bay are home to a unique group of whale sharks that stay throughout the year. Make it stands out as one of Asia’s best destinations for swimming with these majestic creatures. Swimming (free diving for Cici and my friend) with whale sharks is another dream come true. I guess the whale shark is my 2nd favorite sea creature after dugong. However, I have to admit that whale watching in Saleh Bay is not the ethical one, I will write in more detail later.
Last but not least, our last destination in this trip is Lombok. After saying goodbye to the sharks, we boarded another ferry to Lombok. It took 4 hours’ drive from Labuan Jambu to Pototano Port, followed by 2 hours ferry ride to Kayangan Port in East Lombok and another 2 hours’ drive to Mataram.
We only arrived Mataram at 10 pm and I had lovely surprise from Mba Hani, my blogger friend who are living in Mataram. She was waiting for me since afternoon and finally we had opportunity to meet again after 12 years. It is a beauty of blogger’s world, actually we rarely talk to each other, but Mba Hani is like my old friend, and we had a really nice conversation until pass midnight. She is doing an amazing world in tourism and conservation in Lombok and Sumbawa, I definitely need to write dedicated post for it.
The highlight of Lombok is free diving trip in Gili Meno. Actually, I was a bit skeptical because these three Gilis (Air, Meno and Terawangan) are famous as party center. As expected, the island was bustling with tourist. Fortunately, we started early, as early as 6 AM and the water situation was okay. I ended up enjoying the trip, it was just nice. We went to the underwater statues in Gili Meno and highlight of the trip was swimming alongside turtles which was truly unforgettable.
That’s all for the intro, I couldn’t help to smile while I am writing this. The excitement made me feel like I was 20 again, carefree and full of energy. Okay, maybe not exactly – my creaky joints and aching muscles were a constant reminder that I’m not as young as I used to be, but the Tiger balm helped me power through!”
Thank you to my beloved friends (also my daughter and my husband), thank you for the beautiful journey together, see you in Raja Ampat next year haha.
