Im on a Boat

We were both certain we would be making our way out to Flores to see the Komodo Dragons, we just didn’t know how we would get there. With our options being pretty limited, either an expensive flight or a four-day boat tour that would allow us to meet people and see some islands along the way, we opted for the boat tour. The itinerary didn`t sound bad: four days and nights sleeping on the deck of the boat, meals included, unlimited drinking water, stopovers at small islands for snorkling, hiking, waterfalls and tours of Komodo and Rinca islands, the only two islands in the world with Komodo dragons, and all this for $155. 

Days 1 & 2

On the first day we were driven to the port where we boarded our boat, met the crew, met our guide (Vick) and joined the other 16 passengers for our tour. We were very fortunate to have an amazing and very international group of people - 4 Americans, 4 French, 2 Dutch, 2 Italians, 2 Austalians, 2 Spanish and of course, 2 Canadians! This is the first time we saw our sleeping accommodations. 18 barely one inch mats lined up side by side to cover the entire top of the boat and tiny blankets made for 5 foot tall Indonesian people. We chose two mats at the front of the deck as there was a little more space for my feet to stick out (the mats weren't even 6 feet long and I didnt want to have my feet on top of someone elses head!). 

The tour started pretty slow; we sat in the port for 3 hours because our boat's battery was dead. They tried to figure something out, but finally told us we would not be seeing any islands on our first day (they explained it to us by saying the itinerary we were given was no longer up to date - this was all part of the program). Instead we would motor through the night to another island where they could get another battery - we got a boost from another boat so we could get there, but this meant our boat couldn`t stop until we got to the big island. Motoring through the night meant freezing wind, small gusts of water (for those of us lucky enough who chose to sleep in the front of the boat) and rough waters. And to describe sound of the motor, imagine a helicopter landing next to you, all night long. We didn`t step off the boat for our first 18 hours on the boat. When we told our guide the night was horrible, he said that was only «level 2», the rocking was level 1, the bad first nights sleep was level 2, and level 3 would be our second night, as Vick put it ``a nightmare, where you think you die, but you survive.`` He was right! The only good thing about this was that Vick was able to buy us some beer at this island as I has planned pretty poorly and didnt pick up any beer in advance.

NIght two was terrible! Neither of us felt well for the entire evening (about 18 hours lying down), we just lay upstairs on the deck and listened to music as the boat drove through rough waters from 5pm onward. During the night the boat was swaying from side to side, bags were flying across the top deck, people rolling on to each other, 4 of the girls were sick and at one point around 2am everyone was awake with their flashlights looking at each other thinking WTF is going on!?! We covered ourselves with towels to keep warm and tried our best to sleep through it.

I have to admit our American friends were strong enough to sit in the front of the boat and drink for most of the evening... as we sat on the top deck feeling naucious, all I could think was I wish my stomach was strong enough to let me be down there drinking with them! 

Days 3 & 4

Once days 3 & 4 came around, everything changed. The waters were calm, we snorkled everywhere, went hiking, on day 3 we made it to Komodo island and saw the Komodo dragons for the first time. On day 4 we made it to Rinca island to see more (and bigger) Komodo dragons. We docked for the nights and had smooth sailing all day. We finally had the strength to drink the 6 Bintang we bought after the first night. Wild dolphins swam beside our boat, flying fish were everywhere, we saw flying foxes at night (they're like giant bats). These two days made us forget the first two horrible days. 

Day 3 was Komodo island. We trecked on the island for 2 hours, but weren't lucky enough to see the Komodos in the wild, we only saw them at the cafeteria where the park rangers cook. They are drawn in by the food. Never the less, they were an amazing site. We also saw deer and wild boar on the island, the primary food sources of the Komodos. 

While the food on the boat was always good, this third night we were treated to fresh chicken. We know it was fresh, as they killed the four live chickens at the back of the boat. Unfortunately, they did this where they left us off the boat to go snorkling. AJ and I were snorkling through the water and we came across a floating chicken head! They throw all the waste into the water. 

We had an amazing time on this third day.  At the end of the day AJ and I were running low on beer, but fortunate for us we were ancored near an island. The local kids came out in canoes to try and sell us Komodo statues (the same ones we turned town on the island). 

One of the locals brought Bintang for sale. It was 4$ a bottle, but considering delivery in the middle of the ocean, it seemed pretty reasonable - we bought two. 

The last day brough us to Rinca island. This is a much larger island, with monkeys and water buffalo, and lots of Komodo dragons. When we arrived on the island, our park ranger gave us a quick briefing and asked if any of the girls were menstrating - Komodo dragons can smell blood from over a mile away so it would be dangerous to go hiking on the island if this were the case. Unfortunately for AJ and another girl, this was the case. They were told they had to stay at the lodge/cafeteria. I trecked off with the rest of the group for two hours and saw one baby Komodo and one water buffalo. 

AJ stayed at the lodge with Cybil. This is the same lodge where we ended up seeing the Komodo dragons as they just hang around where there is food. AJ and Cybil saw some monkeys around the lodge so they asked a ranger who was hanging around if they could walk around a little bit. He accompangied them as they walked towards the monkeys until a baby Komodo jumped from the roof of a building (only the babies can climb, once they are big  - 3 yrs old - they stay on the ground) and charged at them. The ranger was terrified as he fought off the Komodo. The baby dragon left, but only for a little while as he ran around the building and charged again. After a second fight with the dragon, AJ and Cybil gave up on the tour and went back to hide in the cafeteria. This proved to be the most adventure anyone on the boat would get while visiting the islands, and they didnt even have to walk two hours in the heat! 

All in all the boat tour was worth it because we saw some amazing things and met some amazing people. After Rinca island the boat was parked at the dock of the town where we would spend 3 nights. We chose to get the hell off the boat, book a hotel room and skip our last night on the boat (12 other people did the same thing!). The opportunity to have a shower for the first time in four days was too big to pass up! We hung out with our boat friends for two nights as our group dispersed. I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to see the Komodos, just don't go with Kencana Adventures! 

Lombok - Senggigi, Senaru & Kuta

After the amazing experience in the Gili Islands, Lombok was very different. We started with a night in Senggigi, which all in all, was a pretty lousy place. Not much to do and our accommodations were terrible! The only good thing about Senggigi was meeting a nice Irish & French couple (both living in Cork, Ireland) with whom we would continue our travels with for the next week.

After a quick night in Senggigi we moved on to Senaru, up in the mountains and jungle of Lombok. The village’s claim to fame is its two waterfalls as well as the fact that it is the base for hikes up the biggest mountain in Lombok, Mt. Rinjani. We wouldn’t be climbing Rinjani, but we did go for a five and a half hour trek through the jungle, rice paddies and local villages to see all the sites.

We saw monkeys, the two waterfalls, locals working in the rice fields as well as the local men carrying the 25kg bags of rice into town barefoot (1 hour each way, all day long). Our accommodations were terrible; we were very happy to have our mosquito net (special thanks to my friends at Aimia) to keep cockroaches, preying mantis’, spiders and everything else off of us for the night.

After a terrible night’s sleep in Senaru we got a driver with our Irish friends and made our way to Kuta beach in the south of Lombok. The highlight of the five-hour drive was when our driver stopped in his hometown along the way to have us taste pancakes made at his families food stand. He explained that if the locals saw tourists eating there, they would also eat there; it was a win-win for everyone! We also stopped in a small village where Sarongs are made by hand; they dressed Anne-Julie in the ceremonial wedding dress.

Kuta beach was great. We had amazing accommodations with hot water! It had been almost two weeks since we had a hot shower; only cold and sometimes salty water everywhere else. The locals from all across Lombok vacation in Kuta. It would appear that many of the kids had never seen white people, which made AJ and I famous for a day as they all lined up to take photos with us.

In Kuta we rented scooters and toured the entire area searching for the best beaches. We tried out all the local bars, constantly got harassed by the local kids selling bracelets (we entertained a couple of kids for an entire night), and ate at a great restaurant who on our third night allowed us into the kitchen for an impromptu free cooking lesson (the video is coming soon!).

Gili Trawangan

After our brief time in Kuta, Bali, we moved on to the Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok. The Gili Islands are a small chain of three islands, Air, Meno and Trawangan. Trawangan is the largest of the three and is known as the party island. This is where we headed. Even though Gili Trawangan is the largest island, it’s still pretty damn small. It is only accessible by boat, has a population of approximately 800 people and there are no cars or motorbikes on the island. Once on the island the only means of transportation is either bicycle or horse and carriage. A generator powers the entire island, and most of the places have no fresh water, only salt water for showers and washing (except some of the fancy resorts which have their own filtration system). The population on the island is a mix of Hindu and Muslim. Three times a day the Island’s mosque blasts the prayers on a loud speaker than can be heard across the entire village. This, combined with the roosters around the island, makes for an interesting wake up call at sunrise.

The locals on the other hand have continued to be absolutely amazing. The people are so nice and they have an uncanny knack for remembering names. As soon as you introduce yourself it’s printed in their brain. Every day, Ahmed, Oaky Doaky (we think his name is Oaky, but he tells everyone Oaky Doaky) and the other guy (we’re not nearly as good at remembering names) stop us and say hello. They love to make small chat and hear about our day. It’s really nice to feel that people on the island know your name and want to learn about you. 

The island is pretty packed with tourists from everywhere in the world, we’re no longer only surrounded by Australians. The Euro Cup has helped us quickly figure out where people are from. Ireland hasn’t done so well; the English on the other hand have found reason to celebrate (get drunk), not that they were really looking for an excuse. We got a nice 5am wake up from our neighbours when England beat Sweden (the first game starts at midnight, the second game at 2:45am). What’s been really surprising is the number Quebecers we’ve met. We have come across at least 10. Many of the locals also speak French, having picked it up from different Quebecers or other French people they have come in contact with over the years. As soon as you let them know you’re from Canada, they ask if we’re from Montreal and then begin speaking to us in French. It’s really very cool. On a personal note, Anne-Julie met her Grandmother’s cousin’s son here on the island; he is training to be a dive instructor… small world!

Our accommodations have been pretty reasonable. Our first night we stayed at a place owned by a couple from Quebec. We were welcomed with a big Quebec flag outside (no red square); for breakfast they had eggs and toast, but the toast had maple syrup on it. Pretty nice touch! But, it was $27 a night for a double room with AC, so we only stayed one night and ended up moving next door for a comparable room at $15 a night. The place was a little dirtier, the bathroom was a complete mess, but it was ok with us as we had AC and didn’t really plan on spending much time in the room.

As for what we did on the island, well, we didn’t do that much partying. On our second day on the island, we decided to become PADI Open Water Scuba Diving certified. The classes were great, albeit a little draining. Up at seven every day for scuba diving practice in the pool at 9am and then the real stuff in the ocean in the afternoon, followed by watching theory videos in the evening (mind you watching them in a little open aired hut facing the ocean was pretty damn nice. We saw tons of fish, including clown fish, puffer fish and tuna, as well several sea turtles, which were absolutely amazing to see as they effortlessly coasted through the water. Definitely a highlight!

Another day we rented bikes for the entire day, 3$ each. We did a tour of the island hanging out on different beaches and snorkelling around. The beach isn’t that nice, there is washed up coral everywhere, but the positive side, is if you go in the water, you can start snorkelling just a couple of feet off shore and see some amazing fish. It took us about two and half hours to bike around the island, including the snorkelling stops and lunch. There is also a hill on the middle of the island that you can climb to see the sunset, we went up one day and got a nice view of the sunset over Lombok (which is the closest large island where most of the food, water and beer are boated in from each day).  

There are lots of bars on the island where you can eat and drink. There is fish being cooked up on barbeques everywhere, but for the most part, we use the bars for drinking. Every night a food court opens up in the middle of town where all the food stalls setup and you can buy great food on the cheap. Our favourite has been Anna’s and her Cashew Chicken, a huge plate with steamed rice for 3$, and of course, a large Bintang for another 3$. Anna is pretty famous on the island; all the dive schools and party boats order their food from her. When she mentioned this to us, we told her she was also in a book we have, to which she responded, “I know, Lonely Planet, I am more famous than Lady Gaga!”

Here is a little video we put together of some of the stuff we experienced on the island!

À la demande de plusieurs, spécialement Véro pour ne pas la nommer, voici le premier blog en français.

Après 1h30 de route entre Kuta, Bali et Pandangbai et 1h15 de speedboat, nous sommes finalement arrivés aux îles Gili, plus précisément Gili Trawangan. Sable blanc, eau turquoise nous acceuillait. Beaucoup de coraux rendent l'entrée à l'eau difficile. Par contre, ces coraux rendent le snorkling très agréable un peu partout sur la plage qui entoure l'île. Nous avons finalement décidé de faire nos cartes de plongée certifiée PADI. Trois jours de cours du matin au soir avec des devoirs. Trois jours plutard... c'est réussi ! Belle expérience, beaucoup de poissons et quelques tortues. Les coraux profonds n'offre pas beaucoup de couleur. Aprés un certain ouragan, il y a longtemps les coraux sont généralement "mort, mais beaucoup de poissons. Nous avons eu la chance de rencontrer le fameux Némo, qui se cachait dans son anémone ! En plus, des scorpion fish, trigger fish, rock fish, box fish, puffer fish, thon, Napoleon fish, concombre de mer, étoiles de mer bleue, et plus encore. 

Mis à part les cours de plongée et le snorkling, peu à faire que demeurer relax, se contenté d'une Bintang (bière locale) et d'entendre la Mosqué trois fois par jour. Comme à Kuta, Bali, les gens sont extrêmement gentil et aidant. Ils ont en plus une mémoire phénoménale pour se souvenir des noms. Finalement, tu finis par connaitre plusieurs personnes sur l'île et tu les rencontres à chaque jour et chacun s'informe de comment leur journée s'est passée. Gili Trawangan est très touristique, mais si familier en même temps et on se sent proche des gens qui y habitent. 

La majorité des aliments proviennent de Lombok. L'importation semble se faire quotidiennement et les aliments sont frais. Un petit food court est installé au centre de la rue principale. Il y a plusieurs poissons cuit sur le grill, des satays et des plats typiquement indonésiens. Nous avons goûté à tout. Merci à Anna pour son excellent service et joie de vivre du haut de son 4 pieds 11 pouces. 

Sur l'île, on y retrouve beaucoup de chats. Petite particularité, plusieurs d'entre eux n'ont pas de queue ou une très courte. Selon la légende, ce serait génétique.

Après avoir planifié que quatre jours, nous quittons après 7 jours ! 

Direction Sengigi, Lombok. 

Kuta, Bali

After 30 hours of travelling we kicked off our journey in Kuta, Bali. Kuta is a bustling beachfront surfer/party town. Given that it’s only two hours from Perth and six hours from Melbourne, saying that the place is overrun with Australians would be an understatement. They are everywhere! So much so that all the local hawkers welcome you with a fake Australian “G’day Mate!” as they try to charm you into buying some of their junk. We let a few of them know we were Canadian, until one of them responded “Oh yeah, Justin Beiber!” and that was the end of that.


The Balinese people are all extremely friendly. Hindu is the main religion on the island. Everyday they make three offerings to the gods. Small handmade baskets are left everywhere with what ever they can offer and a stick of incense. Its really special to see. The smell of incense is everywhere on the island. We don't know if its the religion, but there is no doubt that the people as nice as anywhere we've ever seen or been.   

Kuta beach is nice and it has great waves for surfing; the water is packed with surfers and the beach is lined with surf schools. We didn’t try any surfing, but it was fun to watch. Behind the beach are all the beautiful resorts. We quickly figured out that you don’t need to be a resident at the resort in order to benefit from the facilities; all you need to do is buy a drink. Once we figured this out we ended up spending a couple of afternoons in some beautiful resorts with giant endless pools and picturesque scenery.

The back of the beach is lined with chairs and mini-fridges with locals selling ice cold Bintang, the local Indonesian beer for 2$ a bottle. As soon as you would sit down the sales people would be all over you offering necklaces, woodcarvings, sandals, sunglasses, manicures and massages. It was pretty easy to turn them all down, but the fun part was that after we made it clear we wouldn’t buy anything they would pull up a chair and hang around and chat with us. We got to know their names, and if we went back the same beer vendor the next day, they would all remember us and chat away again! Of course, we also got to enjoy a couple of beers with some of the many Aussi’s in Bali, they definitely made for good company when having beers on the beach.

We went out a little, but not too much, we were only in Kuta for four days, and one of them was a wash due to the jetlag. Our most adventurous night was when we went into an Australian bar we received a flyer for; they said theyt had live shows every night. Not exactly what I expected, but AJ did get to meet Katie Perry (have a look at the picture - it’s a dude). We’re now headed to the Gili Islands.   

Getting to Aisa

About 25 hours into our travels and we are now sitting in the Thai Airlines First Class lounge in Bangkok, talk about roughing it! We left Montreal and flew with Air Canada to Paris. This leg of our flight was in economy, and while we were fortunate enough to get an emergency exit row (extra leg room!) we were also in the crying baby section.


After this 6.5 hour flight, we had a five hour layover in Paris. Fortunately for us, our next two flights would be with Thai Airlines in First Class and Business Class respectively; thank you Aeroplan! We enjoyed our five hour layover waiting in the Star Alliance First Class lounge, with unlimited drink, snacks and comfortable chairs. We then went off to catch our first class 11 hour flight to Bangkok. 


WOW! Never did we imagine what a first class flight could be like. I think the Air Host summed it up when we asked for a glass of water and he said with a big smile that he would bring it as soon as possible, and then immediately said, "That means right away!". Dinner menu, wine list, champaign, caviar, pyjamas  and a bunch of other fancy stuff that was really too much. Oh, and did we mention that our seat had a guest seat, and that between the two of us, our space on the plane was bigger than our bathroom at home? Made no sense at all, but we're not complaining!


We're now waiting in the Thai lounge in Bangkok for our next flight to Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. This lounge takes up a whole wing in the airport, we have a full menu, and everyone bows when we walk by. We both know our trip will be nothing like this, but its a pretty damn good start!