……. So, instead of 8 hours journey from Sumbawa to Labuan Bajo we made it in rather fast and posh style, 2,5 hours by fast boat. Straight from the harbour we went to the dive shop to get all the papers done and got fitted for wet suit, fins size, etc, for the next day we were to board the Ikan Biru for three nights and four days.
All we did while we were on Ikan Biru was, get up as early as 6 am, went for diving/snorkelling, came back for breakfast and relax time, then mid-morning went for another snorkelling or diving, came back for lunch, then another afternoon snorkelling or diving or trekking, then relax time before dinner. In between the boys did the wake boarding and the fathers of our children did the night dive. Then repeat.
In the beginning I was skeptical that I would be bored and was not gonna enjoy the journey on the boat. Turned out, I did enjoy it very much. When we were not in the water, we spent our days either reading books, playing games, taking photos, snoozing, and talking. It was so good for the kids as they didn’t touch their Iphone/Ipod whatever gadgets they had, instead they played chest, games, read their book, or just had a conversation between them. No fightings at all. It’s proofed that life is more fun and less chaos when there is no gadget involved!
Ikan Biru or Blue Marlin boat itself has a spacious upper deck, where we dine and sleep under the stars. Each night the crew will set up our bed with luxurious mattresses that give you absolute comfort. The two decks below are guest bathrooms with hot fresh water showers, and kitchen area. And the lower front deck is for preparation for diving/snorkelling, and it’s an ideal place for catching some sun in between dives.
Our highlight was swimming with Manta Rays, literally, oh my God there were so many of them, it was really amazing! And also for me climbed up the Padar island. Though it was hot and the trek was pretty hard but it worth it!
After spending three nights and four full days on boat, we spent the last three days in Labuan Bajo exploring the area nearby. We visited Todo village, Cuncan Wulang waterfall, did some volunteer at Rainbow Reading Garden library, and went to Rangko cave.
On our way to Todo village, we were scheduled to visit the spiderweb rice terraces. The trekking oh my God! It was a very hot and humid day, and the trek was very difficult and so far, it took us or me should I say almost an hour! The tour guide said it was only 30 minutes trekking, liar liar pants on fire! 😎 Then after saw the spiderweb rice terraces, we gotta trek down again…ughhhh!!
And after we had lunch we continued our journey to Todo village. Todo village is only about 1.5 hour drive from Labuan Bajo. There was only one traditional house that we could find. So, we were not so impressed with the village at all.
The next day, we went to Rangko Cave. It’s called Rangko cave because it is located in village of Rangko. From Labuan Bajo we drove to Rangko village, it took about 30 minutes, then from Rangko village we need to take local wooden boat to get to the beach of Rangko. Then from the beach we had to walk about 10 minutes to the cave. I think in Labuan Bajo every where we went we always had to trek or climb, or walk miles and miles before we got to the destination. There was no easy way, man! 🤓
Rangko Cave or famous as Secret cave is the most beautiful caves in East Nusa Tenggara. The water is very clear and it contains high level of salt. Stalactites and stalagmites were very beautiful. The children jumped from a height of 10 metres cliff to the water. My picture here could not justify how blue and beautiful the water and the cave, it’s worth to see!👍🏻
We also visit another Rainbow Reading Garden library in one of the school in Labuan Bajo. Though it was pretty hot and humid day, we were happy to see all those faces light up when we gave them books and read for them. Priceless!
Then, we had to say good bye to the dusty and hot Labuan Bajo. I left a little piece of my heart in Labuan Bajo, and I hope to go back one day to collect it.
Here is a compilation of our Sumbawa and Flores trip. Compiled and stitched together by my darling boys 😍
Sampai jumpa lagi beautiful!
Note: For some part of Labuan Bajo dan Sumbawa road trip we used Travel Spark to arrange and guide our journey. Thank you to Travel Spark and Nila Tanzil, your people were amazing and very helpful.Check them out, guys!
OhDearRia 
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