Labuan Bajo -> Surabaya

Time to leave Flores after 2 weeks. Hidde and I are both heading to Java and to mt Bromo so we’ve decided to do that together before going our separate ways! So our flight was at 14.30, so just had a slow before heading to the airport. We’ve had pretty amazing weather here given it’s rainy season but it actually was raining by the time we go to the airport which was a sure sign it was time to leave.

They announced the flight was going to be delayed due to the weather but actually we took off only 10 mins late so we landed on time in Surabaya. Took a grab ( the Asian version of Uber) to the hostel. Quite a shock to be in a big city again (it’s the 2nd biggest in Indonesia after Jakarta) and not a particularly pretty city (as these big Asian cities often aren’t). A lot of traffic.

It’s not a particularly big place for backpackers- most people just pass through on their way to or f Mt Bromo so our hostel was ok but nothing special. The owner gave us some options on Bromo so we headed out to the nearby mall to browse and think about what to do. I needed to replace a lost pair of sunglasses and watch which i managed to do successfully in H&M and a Casio shop (£5 each ✅). We decided in the end to do Bromo without a tour as it’s loads cheaper and just to get a Grab for the 3 hours to Ceromo Lawang and then walk ourselves. So nothing to book so just went for dinner nearby (in the pouring rain) and then had an early night after chatting to some of the other people in the hostel.Read more