South East Asia

- I didn't really have the time to explore Sumbawa, as I didn't for Lombok. Unfortunately the end of my month in Indonesia was fast approaching and I had to be selective.
- In Gili Trawangan I became good friends with a guy that usually worked on the boats to Komodo.
- These boats hopped from Island to island over 4 days and 3 nights in between Lombok and Flores, with a good amount of time spent in the islands around Komodo. This sounded perfect for me as a way to explore as much as possible while being short on time.
- There were a few issues though. The boats left twice a week from Lombok and returned twice a week from Flores. Given that they would be in different places at different times of the day, the plan for the activities was a bit different depending on which way the boat was heading. I ended up deciding to go through land all the way to Flores and to take the boat from there to Lombok. This was cheaper than flying to Flores from Bali, which was what most people did, and it fit my schedule. It was also better for me as I preferred to watch the big bats then swimming with whale sharks. Preferred is a strong word. I would die to swim next to a whale shark, but I don’t think it is ethical to give food to these animals to keep them close for tourists while disturbing their natural migration cycles.
- I bought a ticket from my Indonesian friend. I paid him his commission for the boat, the boat to Lombok and a car transfer from the Lombok boat terminal to the Bus terminal.
- So after a crazy night out, I woke up still drunk to cross the short distance to Lombok in a fast and bumpy boat ride.
- I overslept over my first boat, but luckily there was a second one not much later. I let the guy from the hostel know that I wouldn’t make it in time for my first boat and went to get some pancakes. It was also nice to have some extra time to say my goodbyes to the friends I made there.
- In total I was going to travel for more than 24 hours. Catching a boat, a car, a bus that went on a ferry, later a small van and finally a big boat.
- After my first boat to Lombok I found an excited short man on the other side. He was asking everyone if they were Pedro and was really happy to see me. Apparently he didn’t get the message that I had missed my first boat and was asking everyone at the port for me. So everyone knew my name and I heard several “ah so this guy is Pedro!” from the locals. It wasn’t for the best reasons, but I felt like a small celebrity.
- This driver brought me to the Bus terminal. As soon as I stepped out of the car I was swarmed by locals trying to sell me tickets. I usually don’t react well in these situations, but they were still polite and somehow felt trustworthy. I negotiated the prices with the first one. I had an idea of what to expect, and the price he gave wasn’t too far off, so I accepted.

The driver of one mode of transport would simply bring me to the next transport with the ticket in hand and the left over money for him and subsequent drivers. I found it to be aRead more