Torong Besi Church, Reok, Flores

Took a road trip to Reok on the North coast of Flores and along the way I spotted a church right on the beach. We drove in to take a closer look and I was really glad we did. It was the most peaceful place with the church facing straight out to the ocean. It was so picturesque and the inside had simple benches for the parishioners. I can only imagine that it must be a wonderful place to go for Sunday mass, with the waves being the accompanying music to the service.

Ruteng Pu'u, a traditional village

Ruteng, situated in the centre of Manggarai province is an ideal base for exploring the surrounding sights.

Just 4km outside the city, you can visit Ruteng Pu'u, a traditional village.

There are two traditional homes there with the circular structure and thatched roof. There is also a kompang in the centre of the village, which is an ancestral  burial ground and shows the typical design of how villages were constructed in the past in Flores. Tickets cost 20,000 to enter the village. In the main house, you can meet the village elder dressed in traditional costume and he might just invite you to join him for a photo and deck yourself in a traditional Manggarai cloth too. 

Many of the houses have been reconstructed in more modern materials but this doesn't take away from the beauty of the original houses and the circular construction of the village.

Traditional house

Kompang

Salted fish hung out to dry

On the way...

After our stay at the beach, it's time to head up into the mountains to Ruteng. Transportation in Flores can usually be done on small buses and the most popular company offering this service is Gunung Mas. For 70,000 you can get from Labuan Bajo to Ruteng. Travel time is around 4.5 hours. The scenery is amazing as you wind your way along twisting roads with hairpin bends. There is no quick way to get anywhere in Flores. Every road hugs a mountain. As you begin to get higher up, you will also notice a change in temperature and suddenly you'll be glad you brought that jacket with you. Mist hangs low over the mountains and brings a refreshing coolness and moisture to the air after the dry heat of Labuan Bajo. As we weave our way through the mountains I find it hard to stop taking photo after photo of the beautiful vast landscape as it enfolds before me...

Pesona Bali Restaurant, Labuan Bajo

Persona Bali Restaurant is a small roadside eatery in Labuan Bajo. Offering mainly Indonesian dishes, the menu has a good selection of choices. I felt like some gado-gado and chicken satay. The food took awhile to come forth from the kitchen but as long as that means it has been freshly prepared then I don't mind. When the food was brought to the table, the portions were generous (not always the case in Indonesian restaurants!) The gado-gado was full of vegetables with a flavourful peanut sauce. The chicken satay was also generous with large chunks of meat on the stick (anyone who has eaten those skinny meat satay sticks will totally appreciate what I mean!) It was also accompanied by a healthy serving of salad and rice. Prices were reasonable which can be hard to find in Labuan Bajo these days with the recent opening of many new Mediterranean restaurants with Mediterranean prices to match! And of course, there's the view...which certainly helped me enjoy my meal that little bit more.

Golo Hilltop, Labuan Bajo

Before we made our way to Kanawa island, we had to spend one night in Labuan Bajo. Flights to Labuan Bajo are increasing but still limited and as we didn't arrive until after 2pm we missed the daily boat to the island that leaves at midday. After browsing Trip Advisor to see what was on offer, I was rather dismayed to see that many hotels had received poor reviews. Complaints ranging from poor facilities to mismanaged staff. Eventually I settled on Golo Hilltop. Situated just outside of town but withe views across the harbour, it seemed to be the best of the bunch. When we arrived, we were picked up at the airport by the hotel driver. Unfortunately he seemed to have left his manners at home that day and left us to carry our bag up the stairs by ourself with not even an offer of help. Not a good start. When we reached the reception, we stood around for awhile feeling a bit lost while a member of staff talked to another couple. Eventually someone else approached us and asked us to fill out a form. I was rather disappointed that we weren't offered a friendly greeting for even a welcome drink of coffee or tea which is part and parcel of life here in Flores. Being married to a native of the island, I have visited many homes here in Flores in the past and never once have I not been greeted with a smile and handshake nor an offer of coffee.

After filling in the form we were shown to our room. The room was simple with an AC and four poster bed with a mosquito net. There was a shelf unit with a safe as well as an empty small fridge. There was also a kettle with some coffee sachets and tea. The toilet was fairly basic too offering the necessities of a sink, shower and toilet. The price was 350,000 for the night. When asked if we could have some water for the room, we were told we could buy it at the restaurant. To be honest, a complimentary bottle of water in the room would have been much appreciated after our journey from Jakarta. The saving grace of this hotel has got to be the view. When you sit outside your room you have a wonderful view across the harbour and it certainly allowed me to soak in lots of uninterrupted sky. We wanted to rent a motorbike and asked one of the staff to help us. There were two motorbikes parked in the car park but the staff member said he didn't know where the keys were and went off on his motorbike to ask the boss. He never came back! We had to organise the motorbike ourselves by contacting a friend of my husband.

The next morning, we arrived in the restaurant for breakfast and were told we could have eggs and bread or a banana or pineapple pancake with coffee or tea. We were given the choice of how we wanted our eggs cooked...whoopee do! Breakfasts in Indonesia never fail to disappoint me. I think the only time I have ever been blown away by the standard of breakfast served was when I visited Bali Starling homestay in Canggu. Otherwise it is disappointment after disappointment. Pancakes are usually thick and stodgy so I generally avoid them and stick with the basic eggs and bread. The sad thing is that I have been travelling in Indonesia since 1997 and the breakfast options have not changed a single bit. It's very disappointing for someone who adores breakfast and understands it's importance as the first meal of the day. Anyway, I continue to live in hope.

This hotel has a lot of potential but still has a long way to go in respect of customer service, which let's face it we are all looking for when we go on our holidays.

Kanawa Beach Resort, Labuan Bajo, Flores

If you haven't heard about Kanawa Island then you really are missing out on one of Indonesia's hidden gems. It's a small island located one hour by boat from Labuan Bajo. There is one resort on the island that has a choice of bungalows, bales or tents for accommodation. The accommodation is nicely spaced out so you don't ever feel too close to anyone else. 

We opted for a bungalow for our four night stay. At a price of 460,000 per night I must say that I was expecting a little more luxury. I was a little disappointed at the sparsely furnished bungalow (bed and shelf) and the pretty basic toilet. However, whatever might have been lacking in the accommodation department was more than made up for by the beautiful white sand beach, the crystal clear waters and the amazing snorkelling. During the four days stay I swam with turtles, stingray and even sharks! I also saw an amazing array of brightly coloured fish like clown fish, angel fish and trumpet fish. The reef was breathtaking. I really just didn't want to get out of the water.

There is one restaurant on the island that serves mainly pizza and pasta. However, there are also a selection of daily specials that include local dishes. Service is not the fastest. Staff are pretty laid back with orders and we rarely got our food at the same time. However, tables are situated close together and there are plenty of opportunities to get to know fellow travellers visiting the island and exchange stories.

The resort also offers day trips to surrounding islands Rinca and Komodo and also has a dive centre where you can organise dives. We didn't do very much. I've been to Komodo and Rinca before and was just excited about unplugging from the grid (there's no internet connection and limited phone service). I was able to switch off and completely relax. That was my aim and Kanawa Island was the perfect location. Whatever the resort might have been lacking one can completely overlook as you fall asleep to the sound of the waves and wake up to pristine surroundings. We'll definitely be back...

Falling in love with Flores all over again...

So it's school holidays and of course I'm away on my travels. This holiday it's all about Flores. I'll be spending a month on the island, travelling around and visiting my husbands family. First stop is Labuan Bajo, the main town in Flores and the general entry point for tourists. They've just built a new airport as the fact that the Komodo dragons won one of the natural wonders of the world allocations has meant there is a considerable rise in tourism. From Labuan Bajo, it is easy to organise a boat trip to include both Rinca and Komodo where you are bound to see a Komodo dragon. These creatures are both terrifying and amazing and if you haven't seen them you really should. Labuan Bajo is also the perfect spot for organising your dive trips or doing some island hopping. We decided on a trip to Kanawa Island and when I review it in my next post, you'll be wanting to go too. 

Labuan Bajo