Lasting Impressions
Posted by Scott Calderon on Saturday, October 2, 2010
After having done the most adventurous thing I have ever done in my life these are the impressions I am left with. Indonesia is filled with many, many islands, The color of the water is absolutely beautiful. I saw colors that cannot be reproduced. Colors that can only be seen in nature. I saw the komodo dragon in it's home. This was a great feeling for me as this has always been a dream of mine. The boat trip was perfect. I was so lucky to have the boat all to myself. The food onboard was so good. The staff was very nice (I just wish they didn't chain smoke the entire time). Labuan Bajo sucks. When I was buying my ticket back to Bali they asked me when I wanted to fly and I basically said how soon can I leave. If I ever do this trip again I will pay for a nice hotel in Labuan Bajo (there is only a couple) and I will probably charter a bigger, nicer boat with a cabin. I have the experience of roughing it and I will never forget it, but I don't need to do it like that again. I didn't shower for about 3 or 4 days. That was gross. Now I know a little more about how a homeless person feels. I felt like a greasy, smelly, dirty person. I was one. It felt so good to finally shower in Bali. The boat trip made me feel like I was in the middle of nowhere and then I kept going to the end of the earth. I swear I expected to see dinosaurs at one point. The scenery reminded me of Jurassic Park. I thought I was going to come across a valley filled with dinosaurs or see a pterodactyl fly overhead. The journey was definitely part of the adventure and memories I created. I have never felt so far from everything. It was like being in a whole other world. But my limited time in Bali has also showed me that not all of Indonesia is like this. The more populated islands are more like what we are used to. I think if you want to experience some of the real Indonesia you need to go to some of the smaller islands off the beaten track and I wasn't even that far off the beaten track. Imagine what other wonders wait out there in Indonesia.