Indonesia Trip 2019: Labuan Bajo (July 25th)

This was one of the most exciting days of the trip. We got up early and got on a little motor boat to begin island hopping.

Our first step was a gorgeous panoramic point. We had to walk up a bunch of steps to get to the top of the island, but I don't think it was as bad as the waterfall.

From there we went to Komodo Island to see the Komodo dragons! There are a few islands that have dragons, the ones I remember are Komodo Island as well as Rinca Island. We only went to Komodo Island. There are a couple guides on the island, and we trekked through the forest to find some dragons.

The first dragon we went after involved us speed walking off the path in an attempt to see it. It was well hidden in the bushes and the only way we could see it was when it was walking. This was a treat because they are cold-blooded creatures, so they will most likely be basking in the sun instead of walking, so that was very cool.

The next thing we saw was a dragon laying down close to the middle of the path. We were disheartened to hear that it was dying, and as soon as it died, other Komodo dragons would come in and eat it. These creatures are quite scary. Even from birth they start eating each other. Also, the small dragons are able to climb up trees, they can run up to 12 mph (20 km/h), and our tour guide has seen them swimming from island to island.

We were lucky enough to see a couple more dragons within the shrubs in the forest. It was very neat! They're huge.

We thought we were done with seeing dragons and took a stop at the cafe on the island, but then our nature guide pointed out a dragon that was sitting under the stairs. We were able to get some really cool pictures with it!

After that, we went to the pink beach to do some snorkeling. It's honestly not that pink, near the water you can see it's more pink, but it's not a vibrant pink. It's mostly sand with some flecks of pink.

Here's an FYI for those who want to come here, there isn't a bathroom at the pink beach. So, you may want to wear your swimsuit underneath your normal clothes, so you don't need to try and figure out how to change under a towel.

From there we went to find manta rays. Our tour guide hadn't seen a manta ray since around spring time, so it was amazing to get to see them. They are huge, majestic creatures that fly around in the water. Honestly, this was one of the coolest moments in the entire trip. We were somewhat in the middle of the ocean, so there were a lot of waves that were a little frightening.

After we saw the manta rays, we hopped back into the boat to try and find some sea turtles. Most of them were sitting on the ocean floor, so if you're like me and can't see without glasses, it's hard to see them. We were able to see a couple swimming up to the surface, so that was really cool as well.

And with that, we headed back to Labuan Bajo. Here's a note from me, make sure you dry off and put on some clothes, because later that evening I caught a cold which plagued me for the rest of the trip. We finished the day by watching the sunset on the water. It was also very pretty.

Indonesia Trip 2019: Labuan Bajo (July 24th)

The morning started with us getting on a flight from Denpasar/Bali to Labuan Bajo, the closest airport to Komodo Island. It's a very small airport.

First, we visited a cave where there were bats and spiders. None of us were cool with spiders, so when the tour guide asked if we wanted to see, there was a resounding "no." It's a small and kind of hard to maneuver cave, so if you have time, go and check it out, if not, it's not that big of a deal.

After that, we drove around the island a little bit and took some panoramic photos of the area.

There wasn't much to do after that, and we took the time to hang out at the hotel. It was a very nice hotel, and since it was right along the beach, we gave snorkeling a try. Since the day after we were going to go snorkeling, we wanted to practice it. (Especially since my younger sister was terrified of going into the ocean.)

It was an easy day after a few days of constantly running around.

Indonesia Trip 2019: Bali Day Two! (July 23rd)

The day started with a gorgeous sunrise overlooking rice paddies and a fog slowly dissipating from the treetops.

After we ate breakfast and packed up, we headed out...to eat...again. That was a bit of poor planning on our part, but the food in Indonesia is delicious, so we wanted to try as much as we could. Again, I don't remember where we ate, but we ate some good duck.

We then went to see the GWK/Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park. This is a huge statue. You can see it from the moment you land in the airport, and according to our tour guide, from base to top, it's even taller than the Statue of Liberty. There were a lot of cool statues along the way, and we got a bunch of cool photos. 

The Garuda is on the National Emblem of Indonesia, and just so happens to be an airline as well.

From there, we went to see a Kecak dance. A very cool cultural dance. When we watched it, there was a point when they put bundles of hay in a circle and brought out a torch. When I saw it, I thought, "they're no going to do it, are they?" They did it. They set it on fire. The area was jammed pack too, so get there early!

After this, we went to eat some food on the beach, which was very cool. It was near the airport as well, so while our feet were in the sand, and food was in our hands, airplanes flew overhead.

Tip: Check your visa!

In most (if not all) countries, when you go through immigration, you get a stamp in your passport. Make sure you check this! The immigration officer may not have put ink on the stamp before they stamped your passport, and it may end up very faint. My visa into Indonesia showed up very faint, and when I tried to leave the country, the officer told me I used a different passport to go in because he couldn't find it. This was really frightening, and I had to point out that yes, I had a visa, but it was super faint.

Moral of the story: Check your entry visa stamps! Make sure they're clear!

Indonesia Trip 2019: Going to Bali (July 22nd)

Komodo Island is one of the few islands that have Komodo lizards, and my cousin wanted to go and visit it. So that's what we did. We flew from Jakarta to Denpasar/Bali, and on the way, we passed by some mountains formed by volcanoes. As someone who comes from a mountainous region formed by plates moving instead of volcanoes, I found this pretty interesting.

When we landed, we went straight to our first destination, the Tegenungan Waterfall. It's very beautiful, but there are a lot of steps. We had to take a couple breaks to catch a breather. There's also a waterhole at the bottom, so if you want to take a dip, you are free to do so! We didn't want to because we didn't want to get our feet wet with no way to dry them. Plus, some of us were wearing jeans, which was a mistake. 

From there we went to get some lunch. Our tour guide kept on describing it as suckling pig (which my uncle disagreed with), but nevertheless it was very good. Unfortunately, I forgot to get the name of the place. 

We then went to a monkey forest in Ubud. Which was quite an experience for me. There were monkeys everywhere, and they're not afraid of people. Our tour guide warned us that the monkeys are not afraid to steal from people. So leave your food in the car, hold onto your phones and cameras, and take off shiny things like necklaces and watches. I'll add my own advice here, just take off anything dangling from your bag, because a monkey took one of my key chains. I had a colorful pink, beanie baby sort of toy that was hanging off my backpack, and a monkey just leapt onto me. It was on my back, so I didn't do anything, for fear of getting bitten. I just let it do it's thing. I heard a snap, and it leapt away to munch on my poof.  

After that, we left (the monkey kept the poof, we didn't try to get it back) to go to the Tirta Empul temple. Which is a temple famous for its holy spring water, and many Balinese Hindus go there for ritual purification. When you arrive, if you are wearing shorts, you'll be requested to wear a sarong. Which is kind of like a long skirt. Also, if you're a female and are menstruating, you're not allowed to enter. The carvings everywhere are very pretty, and it's overall a gorgeous area. You can go around to the back and see a pond where the water comes out. 

If you visit there, you might see some swastikas over the doorways. This isn't the Nazi swastika. Nazi swastika's are rotated a little bit, so it is standing on a point, versus a flat edge. 

From there, we ate more food before checking into our hotel and going to sleep.

Tip: International Flights

I've noticed that in some airports, you can't do the check-in by yourself. You need to go up to the front desk where there are people from the airline helping passengers, and get something checked off on your boarding ticket. For example, a stamp.

I'm not really sure why they do this, especially since we still scan our passports in the self-check-in, but it's definitely something to keep in mind, so you don't end up rushing through the airport trying to get to your gate on time!

Indonesia Trip 2019: Day Two in Jakarta (July 21st)

Since it was my grandmother's birthday a few days ago, my uncle was hosting a party to celebrate.

My mother wanted to get some flowers for her mother (my grandmother), so we stopped by a flower shop on the side of the road. There were a lot of cool and pretty flowers.

When the party came around, many relatives (who I had no idea how I was related to them), came by. There was food, there was talking, there was cake, there were flowers, and I spent a lot of time just talking with my cousin (because we're all awkward and don't know how to hold a conversation).

All the grandchildren in one place!

After the party, my parents went to meet some friends, and we decided to use the MRT system, a brand new subway/light rail system in Jakarta. It was a pretty nice experience. It wasn't too crowded when we went, and it's nice and cool in the train cars.

Unlike where I live, malls in Indonesia are still very much in use. People go there all the time, and it's a great meeting spot. So we went to the mall and met friends. I was still somewhat jet lagged, so by the time 9PM came around (they use military time in Indonesia, by the way), I was falling asleep in my chair.