Days 68-72: Komodo/Sebayur

Paradise found!

Having been on the road for the last 2.5 months, I knew a beach respite was exactly what we would we need. I just didn't realize how perfect our remote island stay would be!

Leaving Bali, we took a small plane out to the coastal town of Labuan Bajo, a launching point for most day trips to Komodo Island and other pristine diving areas. Instead of staying in Labuan Bajo, we decided to head out to a dive resort on a remote island which was even closer to the action. It was a good thing that we did because the boats used to get around were incredibly slow. However, our late afternoon ride to the resort was nice as we lounged on their comfy bean bag chairs, read books and watched the sunset.

At Sebayur Island, the setting is perfect. The entire island is uninhabited except for the hotel, Komodo Resort & Diving Club, which was built just over a year ago. The island is so remote that fresh water has to be boated in daily, yet the chef is still able to serve up some delicious food. The guest huts were built just off the beach, facing west for amazing sunset views and the reef just off the shore was one of the most pristine snorkeling reefs I have ever seen (unfortunately I didn't have my underwater camera to document the beauty). Even after a full day of diving, I would find my way back into the water just to float above the coral with my snorkelling gear and savor the reef's unspoiled beauty.

Our view from the inside of our hut

Our days at the resort pretty much went something like this:

• Wake up and eat breakfast
  
• Get on boat and make first dive
  
• Rest on boat and warm up with hot tea and snack
  
• Make second dive
  
• Eat lunch
  
• Relax at resort / snorkel at their reef in the afternoon
  
• Sundowners on our porch
  
• Eat delicious 4 course Italian dinner (chef and owners were all Italian)
  
• Read a book and fall asleep

The diving was pretty spectacular. The corals were bursting with colors and almost all perfectly healthy, which unfortunately has become rarer and rarer around the world. While these reefs didn't have an abundance of the large schools of fish, we pretty much saw all the major items including sharks, moray eels, sea snakes, turtles, cuttlefish, octopus, and even a massive white manta ray in the open ocean that we snorkeled with!

The dock at sunset

For our final afternoon, we booked a trip to Rinca, one of the 3 islands in the world on which Komodo dragons live. These massive prehistoric-looking reptiles strike quite an imposing figure when seen up close in the wild. They have a vicious bite and can run up to 20 km/h. We even saw a board at the visitor center which listed the number of attacks on humans by the dragons (including fatalities), which averages to over one a year. Fortunately with our guide leading the way, we were able to admire the creatures without incident!

After our trip to view the dragons, we were treated to a sunset cruise to view the incredible scenery around the islands. All-in-all, our dive trip was pretty unique and spectacular. The natural beauty of the land and the ocean was breathtaking. Unfortunately, I can't say it's a place that we would likely return to given how remote the destination is and the trouble it would take to get there from the States. It's a beautiful thing though to know that places this untouched and this amazing still remain in our world.

Sunset over the Flores Sea

Taken with our camera by an expert Japanese photographer