living on the east

 Recently I lived in a land of the dragon. And yes, I mean Labuan Bajo or famously known as Komodo. for people who don't know, when I said that i lived in Komodo, does not mean that i literally lived on the island! The majority of people and tourist are living in Labuan Bajo, and if people wanted to go to Komodo Island, it will only take about 3 hours or so with a boat. Other than Komodo, there is also Rinca Island which you can see the komodo dragon. Having been living there for 6 months, I am going to tell you things about Labuan Bajo. You're welcome ;)

 Where to see sunset:

• Paradise bar. Probably the most infamous bar there is in Labuan Bajo. 
• Any restaurant that is facing the beach, including TreeTop, Blue Marlin cafe, The Lounge's sky Bar
• Padar Beach, especially if you sneak a swim in Bintang Flores Hotel (which cost you Rp 50.000,-)
• Bukit Cinta. In order for you to get here, rent a motorbike up to Paradise Bar street and go beyond that. If you starting to see the ocean and all the little boat, you're there
• Puncak Waringin. It is actually the top picture. Just imagine the view when the sun is setting

Where to eat:

• Warung Mama. Indonesian style food. The most delicious one I think is the rendang. But the juice is not made from fresh fruit, but it made from frozen fruit and it just plain weird.
• TreeTop. A lot of good seafood. My favorite and my go to food (especially if I need a good wifi ;)) is fried squid seasoned with salted eggs. There are also oyster with peanut sauce and fried fish with spicy lemon sauce. Be careful if you're ordering the Sapo Tahu. Ask first if they're using tofu rather than local tahu because if they're out of tofu, the taste will be unbearable
• Bajo Bakery. Sandwiches, muffins, quiches, brownies, everything there are delicious!
• The Lounge. I especially love their cheese burger. The best burger i've ever tasted! Don't forget to try their sodas too because it's good. Accompanied by live music, even better
• Coto Makasar. It is located in Padar Beach street, so it's a bit far from the town center. 
• Kampung Ujung. It is not a restaurant or a food joint, it's actually street food carts which you could find many things there including soto, bakso, gado-gado, gorengan, and lots of fresh seafood

Where to dive:

• Karang Makassar. Or some poeple said Manta Point. Well I guess it's obvious that this site is the go to diver if they want to see some mantas! No mantas? Don't be too disappointed. You could also see turtles, white tip sharks, and even barracudas! (i've seen one)
• Batu Bolong. Probably the most famous dive site in KNP today. A great wall of corals and fishes, it's like you're in an aquarium! Nudibranches, moray eels and more are waiting for you there!
• Wainilu. If you're a macro lover, this is the place. All the macros looks like they came from a different planet
• The Cauldron. The most fun dive site if you like currents. There is a small pathway that they call Shotgun, which basically will suck you from 15 meters to 2 meters in seconds! But it was a hell of a fun ride!
• Other than that, there are Castle and Crystal Rock, Mawan, Siaba Besar, Manta Alley, and many many many more my diver friend

Where to stay:

• There are a lot of hotels ranging from good to okay and from Rp 60.000,- to Rp 1.000.000,-
• If you're planning to stay there more than a month, there are a lot of kosan or a house that you can rent. Just make sure that you have good access to a clean water all the time including the dry season
• If you're on a budget, try to find some friends there. Good luck ;)

PS: There are some flights that goes there but you have to transit in Bali first. I don't think there are direct flights yet to Labuan Bajo. There are no flight up from 6 pm because it's a small airport. For people who want to dive there, you must have a diving certificate or else you have to take your license there. You can choose if you want to dive with daily boat or live aboard. Any question? Don't hesitate to ask dear :)

69 years of freedom

for this year Independence Day, Ranny and I (as we are a MantaWatch alumni), celebrate it the truly MantaWatch way: with style! every place is a photo op: up on the boat after we finished our first dive, even in Karang Makassar dive site where there are currents. whatever we do to get an 'Independence Day' picture. and thankfully i had the perfect one! thanks to Fabi i got legen... wait for it... dary (as Barney used to say it) photo! opening the Indonesian flag underwater with a manta in the background. nothing gets better than that if you ask me ;) thanks to friends from Dive Komodo for the awesome dive day!

how was your Independence Day celebration?

June 8th means...

World Ocean Day! and this year, i was lucky enough to participate in Dive Around The World in Komodo! we displayed this banner in Karang Makassar a.k.a Manta Point with friends from Dive Komodo. too bad we didn't see any manta. but all in all, June 8 was such a great day and the event went successfully, both in Komodo and all other dive sites around the world. plus, i got closer to Dive Komodo crew, and found a new friend :)

i'll be seeing you

I am the first MantaWatch internship alumni back in 2012 along with Ichsan. MantaWatch internship is an event you don't want to miss, especially if you love to dive and conservation. But this internship is not all about mantas. It is also a great opportunity for you to practice your English and communication (of course, both with English and Bahasa).

By receiving this very prestigious internship (this year would be given to 6 lucky students!), it would open many doors to your future career. Look at me now! I am now a part of the MantaWatch team! I am the new Liaison Officer for West Manggarai and Komodo region. Basically, i'll be maintaining a good relationship with all dive centers there and also hold a couple of informal meetings with the DKP if necessary. I consider myself a shy person, so this job definitely will be a challenge. Nevertheless, it will also mean that I could improve my communicating skill to a whole new level (well hopefully). The best part of this job would be the fact that I will be living in Labuan Bajo for a couple of months.

This internship, among thousands of benefit, will make you a lot more confident, not only in communicating and presenting something scientific (yes, at one point you HAVE to do that in front of tourists) but also on your diving skills. The mentors are really helpful and understanding, so do not hesitate to tell them if you don't feel like going diving.

For this internship, just be confident! Trust me, it will take you a long way. Good luck applicants! I'll be seeing you in beautiful Komodo :)