We were very excited to get to the next leg of our Indonesian travels. It would be more about staying in one place and chilling, than moving along at something new every day. And did I mention the surfing?

The flight from Ende in Flores to Kupang in Timor is just under an hour. Much better than a couple of days on a ferry. Once we arrived in Kupang, we met the very helpful Mr. Charles who confirmed what we had suspected might happen – that the fast ferry to Rote was cancelled due to high winds. This was the 5^th day in a row they cancelled the ferry. So no surprise when we found that the alternative Wings Air flight was full. Sad faces all round. No one wanted to stay in Kupang for a night. It’s a city of a million people, and no surf.

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This travel tale is one of escaping the winter chills. With temperatures topping out about 13 degrees at home, the idea of 28 degrees and tropical conditions isn’t hard to make a reality. It’s a combo of some travel and some surf – everyone’s a winner! About a year ago, while we were in the Maldives, the wonders of the internet stalkers prompted me to check out Nemberala Beach on the Island of Rote.

Rice terraces of Flores.

It’s in the far east of the wide string of islands that make up Indonesia, right next to Timor. If only we could fly from Darwin direct to Rote. It would only take about 45 minutes.

So Rote will take care of the surf, and we will make our way there via the island of Flores (home of Komodo Dragons), spending a week travelling from Labuan Bajo in the west, to Ende, which will cover about half of Flores. So it will be Flores first, then to Nemberala Beach on Rote, and finish off with a few days at Uluwatu in Bali. This is one big long post, so keep on scrolling.

Flying Garuda, we weren’t surprised to be departing late. Nor that the inflight service was really, really slow. But you can’t be unhappy with their baggage allowance when you want to go on a surfing holiday. A generous 30kg each, and no extra charge for surfboards, of which we have six to keep us company. No matter that the sign on the back of the seat says, “Live Vest under your seat”. Perhaps it will save itself!  Continue reading →