This is my first time setting foot in Labuan Bajo, I am very enthusiastic and curious about what I will find on my trip. Preparation is certainly an important thing that we must do before we travel. My preparations started with clothes. Because this was a trip at sea and most of the activities were swimming and snorkeling. I prepared some swimwear and change of clothes, sunscreen, sunblock Spf 50 or more, and some snacks for snacks on the ship. and some light medicines as preparation. For your information, I took part in an open trip/sharing trip for 3 days 2 nights which I bought from CAN Tours, and I chose Aimar Pinishi because apart from the ship being clean and comfortable. I consider the price of the trip using Aimar to be the most appropriate to what I want. The price is also in accordance with the facilities they offer. The day before leaving, I had to send my ID card and passport as a manifest requirement before sailing.
Day one Sailing Trip
In the morning we were ready to wait for pick up at the hotel lobby, the driver of can tours contacted us and promised to pick us up at 8.30. he came with a nameplate with our names on it. after being confirmed we headed to the port, upon arriving at the pier, we verified the data and waited for the motorboat that would take us to the pinisi ship. I couldn't wait and wanted to get on the ship immediately. to kill time, I took some photos at the pier. until the boat came and picked us up. upon arriving at the ship, the guide immediately gathered us and gave us a briefing before leaving the port. the guide also showed us the room according to our reservation. There are several types of rooms, some are sharing and private cabins. Incidentally we booked a private room because besides being safer for goods, the private cabin also makes us calm when resting or changing clothes. the room is quite comfortable with air conditioning and a private bathroom. in addition, the large glass windows allow us to enjoy the view of the Komodo National Park ocean freely. not long after sailing, we arrived at Kelor Island. A small uninhabited island with a hill in the middle. the ship can only stop in the middle of the sea and we return to use a motorboat to dock at Kelor Island. the wooden pier is very nice for taking pictures, but I chose to go up the hill first so that it would not be too crowded. when I arrived at the top, an extraordinary view was displayed before my eyes. the blue sky, the greenish brown color of Flores Island and the gradation of the clear sea water really spoiled my eyes.
I did not forget to capture the moment by taking pictures. After about 90 minutes and we were quite satisfied in this place we returned to the pinisi ship using a motorboat. upon arrival at the pinisi ship, lunch had been prepared and we enjoyed lunch on the ship which was slowly moving towards the next destination, namely Manjarite. The time spent was approximately 45 minutes from Kelor to Manjarite, an uninhabited island with very clear sea water. we can see fish swimming to coral reefs from the boat. many of our group were impatient and immediately jumped off the boat including me. the water was quite fresh although not too deep. we swam and snorkeled seeing various marine life with various sizes and colors. the greatness of God that we can enjoy in the world. this is a hidden paradise for lovers of the underwater world. after being satisfied we returned to the pinisi ship and continued the journey to the closing destination of our trip today, namely Kalong Rinca.
As you might guess, this place is a location where we can see giant bats that like to eat fruit. This type of bat usually sleeps in a quiet place in the morning and looks for food at night. The moment the bat moves from Kambing Island to Rinca Island to look for food is the moment when millions of bats will fly across the twilight ocean. The ship will park in the middle of the sea between the two islands under millions of bats that fill the sky. The reddish twilight sky, the reflection of the sun on the reddened sea water and the flying bats are a once-in-a-lifetime moment that I have ever witnessed with my own eyes. What an amazing and memorable romantic moment to close my trip today. After that, the ship will look for a place to take shelter for us to rest while enjoying dinner on the ship that is moving.