In Reply to: Flores posted by marcus on Friday, 2. February 2007 at 10:54 Bali Time:
My husband and I spent about 10 days in Flores in May last year and really enjoyed it. We traveled from Maumere to Labuan Bajo, staying in basic accommodation and enjoying the incredible journey. Wasn't Kelimutu as experience? On the morning we went there was a small landslide near the top of the road and we had to walk the rest of the way in the dark before starting on the little trek to the top...but we got there just in time for the sunrise (and the banana pancake and kopi man!). The hot springs near Bejawa were the loveliest (and least smelly) I've ever been to! They were an absolute bliss after a day of traveling and it was the only hot mandi we had whilst in Flores - luxury!
One of our greatest experiences was staying on Seraya Island, a short boat trip from Labuan Bajo. We stayed in one of ten bungalows right on the beach and it was so beautiful, falling to sleep and awaking to the sound of the ocean just ten meters from our bed. Our days consisted of snorkeling, reading, playing games with the local children, chatting with other travelers, eating, sleeping and relaxing. It was an amazing place and from here we hired a boat for a day to visit Rinca to see teh dragons (horrible things!) and to do some spectacular snorkeling around the little Angel Island. We dream of renewing our wedding vows here, booking all ten bungalows (well, it is only 100,000 per bungalow per night!) and having a great party with friends and family. They have a website - just search for Seraya Island.
During that Indonesia trip we also went to Sumatra (Medan - Bukit Lawang - Berrestagi - Lake Toba - Bukkitingi - Padang) and Sulawesi (Makassar - Mamasa - Makassar). Afterwards we spent a week or so in Bali, for a bit of R&R. All up we had an amazing seven weeks in Indonesia, exploring incredible places that you couldn't imagine, meeting lovely people, eating strange foods and experiencing a life unknown to most Bali visitors. I was really pleased that we pushed ourselves to get out of our comfort zone and experience it. Next time we will probably journey to the Malukus and explore more of Java (we have only been to Yogya).
I would highly recommend traveling to other parts of Indonesia. At the very least, a quick side trip to Flores to spend a few nights at Labuan Bajo or on Seraya Islands, with trips out to Rinca or Komodo to see the dragons, is a fairly easy journey and shouldn't be a great challenge to most tourists. Go for it!