Indonesia: Part 1

Mike Huber

My visa was nearing expiration in Australia (I had 90 days left), and my speeding tickets were exceeding $1700 Australian.  The speeding tickets were from cameras.  In the United States, the Constitution protects us (you can fight and win those tickets 100% of the time in the USA, but not in Australia).  It was time to choose a new country to visit, at least for a short while. To me it made sense to leave my beloved Oceania and head north.  Looking at the map, Southeast Asia beckoned.

Indonesia, in particular, seemed to be the best choice, and it would be my next destination.  Bali, to be exact.  This would provide a less westernized culture than the previous countries I had visited.  Another advantage was it appealed to my new interest.  I kept hearing how magnificent the scuba diving was there.  So that would be incorporated into my adventures.

After the whirlwind trip through Australia, the first three days in Bali (except for some morning surfing) were spent resting in my hotel room.  I needed the time to recharge and just sit back and pretend I was on vacation.  Yes, I know I am sort of always on vacation, but even with this laid-back lifestyle the constant moving becomes a fulltime job.

Once rested it was time to book several ferries and boats out to Komodo National Park (it isn’t easy to get to).  Visiting this epic National Park would provide me with the chance to see Komodo dragons, the largest lizard on Earth, as well as plenty of opportunities to hone my new skills as a diver. This was an experience that I could not miss while visiting Indonesia.

The day trip to Komodo Island was fantastic.  What made it most memorable was actually seeing a few of these giant reptiles in the wild, as up close and personal as I was comfortable with.  That distance happened to be  about 6 feet for me I soon learned. Even though being in a tour group of 20 people when the Komodo dragon chose a path, our group was instructed to let it through.  The crowd parted like the Red Sea and the giant reptile chose the direction it wanted, and it moved with a purpose!

These giants can move up to 12 miles per hour.  Some weigh as much as 150 pounds.  They can take down local deer and they have no natural enemies.  This meant we were guests on their island and without a stick or other type of weapon we were not on the top of the food chain. It’s always a humbling moment when you realize this.

After a day exploring Komodo National Park with large sticks in hand, I found myself in Flores, Indonesia.  It’s a small island about an hour’s boat ride from Komodo National Park.  Little did I realize how much of a scuba diving mecca this was (see any of my previous articles about my lack of planning).  There were literally dive shops and tours every three to four buildings.  It was that densely populated with the scuba community.  It was perfect.  This would be a great home base for a week or so to dive and continue catching up on rest from the Australia travels. It now was time to book a scuba adventure in Bali, Indonesia.

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More epic adventures are here!