Ships, ships...

Once at the Pelni Port, I was unprepared for the madness that was awaiting me. People were congregated everywhere, perhaps waiting for or seeing off loved ones and in order to get to the ship, I had to elbow and kick my way through the crowd. Once in view of the spectacular ship, I was paralyzed by the sheer size and beauty of the vessel. I was pleasantly surprise to see that it was a legit ship that could easily stay afloat for the near 20 hour journey but as I scanned the facade, old fears returned. The ship was dreadfully overcrowded and almost as prominent as the white paint, was the tanned skin of Indonesian seafarers. The number of people wanting passage seemed endless as a huge herd was fighting its way up the narrow ramp, not even allowing passengers off. Scared to tackle the ramp myself, I waited for direction from my equally stunned friend Jorge. Luckily for us, he had an expired police card from his old days as a volunteer so he flashed it at an officer and we climbed up a less crowded ramp. Once on, we stepped over people lining the floors of the hallways and sitting even on the steps. We climbed up, literally for there were no steps and I had to be hoisted up with the help of onlookers, to the top deck and sat waiting in awe. Slowly the touris banded together and six of us sat together, sharing travel stories, listening to Peter play the saxophone. We slept badly, huddled on the floor with the ship's engine buzzing through our bodies and were awakened by the ships loud horn which signaled our arrival in Labuan Bajo. Although on my feet, It felt as if I were in a dream, entering an archipelago of lush green islands being set ablaze by the rising sun. It was like a scene from Jurassic Park and later, once meeting the Komodo dragons of the island, one would see that the movie may not be too far from reality. The ancient monitor lizard can reach up to 3 meters, their saliva containing so much bacteria that it can kill an animal as large as a buffalo. Why the massive beasts with ferocious teeth and fiery tongues exist only in Rinca and Komodo island is a mystery but after seeing Flores' main attraction, I along with my newly made friends, headed for the island paradise of Seraya.


Once in Seraya Island, we spent our days laying on the white sandy beaches, snorkeling in the pristine blue waters, eating coconuts, and climbing the two large hills to get a panoramic view of Seraya and the surrounding islands. With only 15 bungalows, it was not hard to feel as if I was in a deserted island waiting to be rescued. After dinner with my island family, for there were only about 10 of us who ate dinner on one large table, I watched the infinite sky and saw many shooting stars and even a comet being disintegrated by the earth's atmosphere, its fiery tail fizzling out against a dark screen. The sea was also set ablaze with many green plankton swimming up to shore at night and during the day, by the diversity of the marine life and the colorful corals. Leaving Seraya was one of the hardest thing I've had to do this trip and I have still not found a place that can matched its untouched beauty.