Artisan Wellington

It's been four months since I moved here from Singapore, and I was getting a bit restless in New Plymouth. To be honest, I have found it difficult in New Plymouth, despite getting into a routine of work, soccer and hanging with a handful of newfound friends. It could have been the rainy winter or the very uneventful weeknights, but I suppose it was time to get out and explore again, especially since I got my new camera a month earlier. More importantly, I had recently befriended a sweet girl by the name of Nicola (through Marco), a New Plymouth local then based in Wellington, and she was keen to show me around her city.

I left the office a couple of hours earlier to make the 5 hour drive down, which was rather uneventful, taking a rest stop at Wanganui to try the Brazil Burger at McDonald's (World Cup fever!). I arrived in Wellington around 2045hrs, checked into the Cambridge Hotel, and contacted Nicola. I met her for a drink at Matterhorn bar along Cuba Street, and caught up a bit, as well as plan how I was to spend my short weekend in Wellington. So in point form, here is what I did in around 48hrs:


Wellington - full of delightful street art

Friday evening:
Arrive in Wellington
Drinks with Nicola at Matterhorn, Cuba Street
Had an Old Fashioned at the Library, a very hip cocktail bar

Saturday:
Relocated my car to a free parking zone, and explored the residential area

Spent 3hrs in Te Papa, the national museum of New Zealand - great stuff! Horde of knowledge on geology, New Zealand history, flora and fauna of New Zealand, and cultural development.





Te Papa museum




Sweet aroma of chocolate fills the Wellington Chocolate Factory


Checked out the Wellington Chocolate Factory - artisan bean to bar chocolate factory in the heart of the city

  

Last bag of peanuts at Fix and Fogg - Business is good!

Quick tour of Fix and Fogg peanut butter factory - just a stone's throw from the factory, but amazing set up. One main work area for processing the nuts which doubles as a store front (bottles of peanut butter are sold through the window!), one room to store glass bottles, and a restroom. about 50 square metres to produce all that goodness for the entire Wellington!

Great to see how local enterprises are well supported and packaged extremely well

Caught up with Eva, a Czech couchsurfer based in Welllington, for a craft beer tasting session at the Crafty Tavern. This turned out to be the cheapest booze fest, where $10 got us unlimited tasting of Tautara craft beer.

Met up with Nicola for dinner at Havana - a hip restaurant with great ambience and decent tapas
We then proceeded to Hawthorns for a couple of digestifs and great conversation
Around midnight after Nicola left for home, I caught with Eva again for another round of drinks. I met Eva and her friends at Heaven's Pizza, and then proceeded to her place for a house party with her housemates, where we spoke about modern music, played guitar, drank wine and tried some local Garage Project craft beer. I think I stumbled back to the hotel at 0400hrs.

Sunday:
Woke up to watch the 3rd/4th place match between Netherlands and Brazil, and lost money on my bets (Brazil to win; under 2.5 goals - Netherlands won 3-0).
Drove up Mount Victoria to catch a view of the city. Not great, but the rain and sun produced a fantastic rainbow for some pretty decent pictures.

Catching the rainbow on Mt Victoria

Got back to the city for some shopping and stopped by the Six Barrel Soda Co. for some locally produced soda.

At Six Barrel Soda Co.

Walked up Aro Street to buy myself some local beer from the Garage Project, and made my way back to Cuba Street to say farewell to Eva, and stuff a fantastic burger from Ekim.


Brewery at Aro St Garage Project

 I then caught up with Nicola to catch La Traviata at St James Theatre, which was very well performed, as expected.


La Traviata performed by the New Zealand Opera

I then bade farewell to Nicola, and made the 5hr drive back to New Plymouth, stopping at Bulls for a quick dinner. This did not turn out too well, as the food made me real sleepy, and the last 40km in the darkness and fog could have turned pretty nasty if not for some good fortune. I tried to roll down the windows, sticking close to the street lines, following cars in front of me, stretched, turned up the music, but still found myself spacing out and wondering what happened a moment ago.

Thankfully, the ride was uneventful as before and I made it back to my place at 2230hrs.

Lessons learnt:
Small enterprises can do well with the right location, packaging and marketing & distribution channels (symbiotic relationships amongst fellow small businesses)
Wellington is a walking city with everything you need accessible by foot
One should rest after 2hrs of driving (recommended by GPS)
Don't eat too much before a long drive

 

Conquering Mount Taranaki

Upon receiving notification of my posting to New Plymouth, I googled and Wikipedia-ed my future place of abode to have an understanding of what to do in the region.

Mount Taranaki, from a distance

The most prominent landmark, without a doubt, would be Mount Taranaki, a 2,518m high volcano towering over the entire region, and in my mind, I was sure I would conquer this mountain, regardless of difficulty.

I'd done quite a bit of hiking in Norway back around 200-2009, and in Asia, I climbed Mount Ophir and Kota Kinabalu in 2012. Mentally, I knew that I would be able to do it in my current state of fitness, but the actual effort exerted was beyond my imagination.

The Puffer

The trek started with a loose concrete path known as the Puffer, which took about an hour to complete. This brought us to the only public toilet before the remainder of the treacherous journey. Close by the toilet was an antenna station as well as a lodge for hikers. Apparently its called the Puffer due to the way you end up puffing for breath after the route's completion.


The Lizard

After the Puffer, the route appeared more straightforward as the Mountain was clearly in sight (though quite a distance away). It was still around 0700hrs in the morning and the sun was just rising above the horizon. As we moved to the next section, known as the Lizard, mist and cloud started to form around the mountain. Looking downwards the ground was beginning to be shrouded in mist, but the peak ahead remained a clear objective to be conquered.

The challenging terrain of loose rocks throughout The Lizard

The terrain was difficult to manage. It consisted of rocks of varying sizes, often giving way under my weight. I had to use my hands for support for a large part of this section, as each step upwards resulted in a half step slide downwards. I tried to step on larger rocks for support, only for them to sink inwards, disrupting my balance. I was struggling, and decided to fall behind the pack, retracing the steps taken by my hiking mates, knowing that these footprints would have borne the weight of others before me and hence, more stable to support my weight.

I also learnt that an old sports injury would finally affect my hiking performance. My right ankle felt weak, and incapable of adapting to the sinking rocks with each climbing step. This slowed my progress considerably, as every step upwards with my right leg would be about half the height achieved with my left.

Reaching the Peak

Closer to the peak, the loose rocks became more firm, and I was using quite a bit of upper body strength to pull myself upwards on the large steps, almost like rock climbing, without a harness.

The crater was filled with snow and ice, where every step taken would require a hand for support to prevent slipping on the ice. This descending down the crater and climbing to the peak took about forty minutes.


Looking down the crater

I was exhausted when I reached the top. I was the last in the group to arrive, probably a good 20 minutes after the first in our party. I was in survival mode. I was more concerned about hydrating, consuming some food, and keeping warm. It was probably a good 15 minutes when I popped out my camera to take pictures and a video of the surroundings. After which I fished out a bottle of Asahi to reward myself for the effort.


Standing on the peak - frowned upon by the Maori

Descending

Going down the mountain took around 3.5hrs, which I felt was a lot less stressful than going up, contrary to what many other climbers experience on this hike. There was lots of stress on the knees and quadriceps, and thankfully, I was better able to cope with that stress than to rest my weight on my right ankle during the ascent. At times going down the loose rocks reminded me of skiing, and I knew that I would be able to skip and slide down the slopes if I'd a stronger right ankle.



Lush valleys at the base of the mountain

Back at the carpark, we stripped down to dry clothing, and had another beer to celebrate a hike well done.

Many thanks to Marco (Italy), Tugdual (France), Nataliya (Ecuador), Kewen (Singapore Kiwi), Arnold (Dutch), and Arnan (India?) for organizing, motivating and making this a fun and memorable journey.

Lessons learnt

- Slow and steady gets you there. It's not a race
- It's not important if you take the left or right route, as long as you are heading up
- Plan better - at the end of my hike, I still had 4 apples, a box full of chocolate peanut energy bars, and 2 litres of isotonic drink. That amounted to around 3.5kg of extra weight carried for 7.5hrs
- Pack ALL equipment the night before. I was sure I did that, but somehow left my jacket hanging by the door on the way out. Thankfully it turned out a blessing in disguise - my fleece and raincoat were adequate
- Another successful trek with SAF boots
 

Exploring the White Cliffs Walkway

It was Easter Sunday, and I managed to convince my 2 colleagues Don and Darren to make a trip down to the Whitecliffs Walkway in Urenui, about 45 minutes drive from New Plymouth city centre.
I had picked Darren up after Sunday mass to have lunch at Don's place, and over the course of the meal, I managed to convince Marco and Sarah, 2 great people I've befriended in the month or so here, to join us on the trip to Whitecliffs.




Marco, Sarah and myself. Note my inappropriate attire

Based on online resources, my impression of the walkway was a simple to long hike, which included walking along the beach when the tide was low. What I experienced was waaaaaay beyond my expectations.

The first half was straightforward as what I read online - a gentle upslope through privately owned farm estates. As expected, along the way were cows, sheep, cow dung, strong winds, possum traps, wild grasses and flowers, the raging Tasman Sea, periods of bright sunshine, and sudden downpours.
 
Don and Darren had returned back to the car before the halfway point, and it was just Sarah, Marco and myself to complete the loop. We were contemplating heading back the way we started, but were persuaded by a Kiwi family to continue onward with the path, onto the beach and take the flat and scenic route back to the car. After all, I was thinking that Don and Darren were already tired of waiting for us, and the quickest route would be the best option.

True enough, it took just 20 minutes to get down the hill to the beach. However, the tide had not receded according to schedule. The beach was not to be seen, as waves continued to crash against the sheer cliff walls.

 
Sarah and the Kiwi family thought we could avoid getting drenched if we ran ahead each time the waves receded. Marco agreed. I had no choice but to follow. I packed my muddy leather loafers into a plastic bag and placed them into my splash proof camera bag. This, on hindsight, would be my biggest boo boo in a long time.


"We can make it if we just make a run when the waves recede!"

Barefoot, with both my mobile phones and camera in a splash-proof bag, I followed my fellow hikers along the beach as fast as I could, which wasn't fast at all. I lost my footing several times under the slippery uneven surface.

I was in a horrible state. I was drenched and off balance. I feared for my possessions. My watch bracelet had unlatched itself on my left hand. In my right hand, my all-weather camera, and the waves were smothering my camera bag. I tried to stay close to the cliff thinking that the ground would be more firm, but the waist-high waves crashed against the wall and rebounded onto my face and further drenching my camera bag.

The terror lasted about 15 minutes. Thankfully the tide did recede, and the beach cleared up revealing a gorgeous stretch of glossy black sand. We hustled back to the start point (boat drop-off point), taking some pictures and picking souvenirs along the way.

No point crying over wet equipment...

Sarah told me later on she thought we'd be in the next day's papers for a drowned Singaporean at Whitecliffs walkway. I checked my belongings. Both my iPhone 5S and my HTC One mobile phones were drowned. My DSLR would not turn on. My zoom lens had water within the lenses. Hopefully 'll be able to claim insurance on the damaged items.


Age has caught up with me. In the past 5 years, I've put on weight, spent more energy on building a career, and I think more importantly, stopped pushing my body to its physical limits.

Time to get back in shape, and New Zealand has all the right elements to make that happen.


Whitecliffs Walkway

Lessons learnt:
The Tasman Sea is not as salty as Asian waters
Be prepared for all weather conditions
 

Moving to New Plymouth, New Zealand

5 March 2014.

The date I arrived to New Plymouth for my assignment as a Finance & Admin Manager for my employer's New Zealand office.

I've taken an approximately 15% net pay increase to relocate to one of the more remote placecs of the Earth, to leave my family, friends and Ben's Den, in the name of career progression. Personally I think its a crap deal financially, but I'll try to take things positively and see where this assignment takes me on an experiential basis.

 

 I'm writing this one month plus into the assignment now, and here are some points I'd mention (good,  bad and neutral).

- I stay in a 2 bedroom house with a deck with a seaview, which is larger than Ben's Den. Being a rental property, it lacks the character of my apartment in Singapore. My company pays less rent than what I am charging for Ben's Den in Singapore.

My outdoor "dick"

- I now drive a Ford Focus, which is serving me a lot better than my second hand Fiat in Singapore

- It's windy over here! Temperature is cool between the teens to low twenties, and frequently switching between rain and shine is not uncommon.

- The city centre is quiet on most evenings, and locals usually hit the clubs after 11pm on weekends. The latest nightspot closes at 3am.

- There are quite a number of Asian eateries here, but the food does not taste the same as back in Asia. Not disgusting, but just not as good.

- There is one mall in the city centre the size of I12 Katong Mall in Singapore. Specialty shops are further away (located in the Valley). New Plymouth (or New Zealand generally) is not known as a  shopping heaven.

- I've registered as a member of Peringa Football Club, and training twice a week now in a bid to improve on my fitness. I'm eligble to play for their games on weekends in the Taranaki Premier Division, but I think I'll work on my fitness first before risking limb and life for this club.

- I've bought a mountain bike, and it has abused me (cycling in the Redwoods of Rotorua).

- Kiwis tend to pronounce their "e"s like "i"s. So my name is often called as "Bin", and people like to have barbecues outside on their "dicks"

It's been quite an adventrue settling in and feeling my way around. It is a small town vibe, but at the same time it does not lack anything. There are amazing beaches along the coast line, and the natural landscape around the region is breathtaking.

I will continue to post memorable travel experiences as they arrive.

The old chimney with Mt Peritutu on the left

One month assignment to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

In mid-Nov'13, I was told by my boss that I would be posted to the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) office for a month to stand-in for the office manager, who was to go on leave throughout December. I was initially upset with this piece of news - I would have to forego Christmas with friends and family in Singapore to man the Vietnam office; and it appeared likely that my assignment to the New Zealand office in the first quarter of 2014 would similarly prevent me from celebrating Chinese New Year with my dear ones.

Despite arriving in HCMC with a heavy heart, I made efforts to settle in quick. The daylight hours were spent in the office, learning the ropes of how to manage a satellite office; and most nights were spent with William, one of my ex-colleagues stationed with HCMC with one of the Big Four accounting firms. William had been a wonderful host, taking me to his favourite bars and restaurants in HCMC, and I swiftly discovered the food and cultural diversity amongst the organized chaos of motorcycles, taxis, shopping malls, tall office buildings, and little alleyways.

I first came to HCMC in 2010 for a three-day management conference. I had a little taste of the local and french cuisine, and made time to visit the Cu Chi tunnels, Cao Dai temple and Mekong delta tour. To be honest, I was not impressed during this virgin trip. I found the traffic situation chaotic, the distances between landmarks too far for walking, and the highlights did not give me that "Wow" factor I so enjoyed throughout my travels to other cities.

On this second visit in 2013, William turned my impression of this city 180 degrees. There was always a cafe around the corner, excellent bars/restaurants at a fraction of the cost of Singapore, and nightlife options aplenty. In one month, I had tasted authentic Vietnamese, French, Singaporean, Indian, Middle Eastern, American cuisine. And did I mention the best streetside breakfast of baguettes each morning!

Lesson learnt:

As a traveller, my focus was to see as many highlights within the short duration to maximise experiences, whereas as an expat living in a foreign land, the focus would be on quality of life.

HCMC has proven that despite its stigma of being a developing South-East Asian city with chaotic traffic, this city is constantly sprouting up little surprises to keep foreigners entertained whilst still retaining strong local traditions and culture.

Work-Related Travel Beckons - and my first set of wheels

6 September 2013

It has been a few months since my boss mentioned that I was to be posted overseas to take a field office admin & accounting manager position, and in these months living in Singapore, I assessed what I had - a decent job; a small but great apartment; good friends; and I even picked up a number of new skills (cooking and bottle-cutting(!)).

I obtained my driver's license in 2000 and had less than 20 opportunities to drive a car over the past 13 years in Singapore. I have incessently bitched about the prices of cars in Singapore, though I did get by with the public transport system. I presumed the lack of a car reflected a lower social status and a key reason why I remained single. I shall not share my views on materialism and the Singapore girl.

My Aberdeen experience provided me much needed driving practice, and since those 4 weeks and 1,100 miles covered in June 2013, the seed of owning a vehicle had been planted in my mind.

The evening of 6 September 2013marked another milestone in the fulfilment of the material-based Singapore dream. I BOUGHT A CAR. A second-hand Fiat Grande Punto. Despite the ridiculously high prices, the dodgy car dealer, the free rides my friends have been providing me all my life thus far, and more importantly, the fact my boss told me in confidence that I will be posted overseas for a long term assignment within 2 months from 6 September.

Impulsive but necessary. That's how I felt. I was not going to let a few words from my superior determine my lifestyle. After all, the messaege was only verbally communicated and nothing had been presented to me in writing.

It has been less than a week since I collected the vehicle - there are loose parts vibrating at startup, the car has transmission issues on occassion, and I am threatening to take legal action against the dodgy car dealer. But my life has changed. I feel empowered. I can go anywhere, meet anyone, fetch a friend, at anytime. My only limitation would be to drink less alcohol to stay out of trouble with the law.

And then this posting to New Zealand kicks in. New Plymouth to be exact. Population 50,000. 4 hours away frrom the nearest major airport. At least a year or two away from my friends, family, apartment, and now my very own new used car.

FML.

Thoughts on Home

It was a sunny Friday afternoon. I had knocked off at noon, and drove to Stonehaven hoping to catch pictures of Dunnottar Castle in the afternoon sun. The sun was not to last though, as fog overcame the town within minutes of my arrival, which was followed by storm clouds, then rain.

Whilst waiting for the rain to subside, I had lunch at the Marine Hotel bar, one of the oldest establishments at the Stonehaven harbour, and it was with great fortune that an elderly man and his son of 40ish years sat at my table. I came to know the following during our half hour chat:

• The old man lived in the southwest of Scotland, and his son was based in London. They were in Stonehaven to visit the old man's sister, who was 81 years of age.
• The Marine Hotel used to be the only 'local' around, and it has grown and become more family-friendly over the past 60 years.
• The old man still enjoys his beer and an occassional whiskey, though Laphroaig would be considered too peaty.
• The old man was born in Stonehaven, and despite living and experiencing many parts of Scotland, still considered Stonehaven his home.
• The son had left Stonehaven aged 9, but had a lot of affection for the town, as he had many pleasant memories upon returning each summer.

The last 2 points set me thinking. I have lived in Singapore most of my life, changing residences 5 times in my 30 or so years, each time within the same district. The question is - How attached is one to his place of birth/first residence?

Personally, I feel quite attached to District 15 of Singapore, the East Coast District. It could be due to a number of factors:

• I was born here
• I attend church here
• Many friends (previously from church) live around the area
• It is close to the beach, where the air is fresher without the smells of industry (e.g. chocolate, paint etc)
• It retains a sense of history, with the neighbourhoods of Katong and Joo Chiat granted Heritage status to be "preserved", despite the rest of the district redeveloping at a rapid pace
• I feel it has a majority English-speaking community, with a large number of Eurasians living in the Siglap area. I could be wrong here, but it's just the vibe I get.
• I do not feel enveloped by high-rise buildings unlike other "new town" neighbourhoods

These 2 Scots, both older than me, had their own reasons for calling Stonehaven home, having spent a majority of their lives many more miles away from "home" than I have been.

I guess there is not much of a point to make here, but I do hope that in 40 years time, I can walk around District 15 with the same positive feelings the 2 Scots have towards their hometown, with all my reasons above intact.

Scottish Humor/Driving in Aberdeen

In May and June 2013, I was posted to Aberdeen, Scotland for a rotational assignment.

I had a wonderful time here, most memorable for it was the first time I had a car - in 13 years since I passed my driving test, I had probably less than 20 occassions to take the driver's seat, including an incident when I reversed into a carpark pillar. Julie never let me drive her around again...

My first introduction to Scottish humour was upon seeing the allocated vehicle. I had requested for an automatic transmission car, preferably a small model, which would be easier to maneuver around the narrower streets of Scotland. What the car rental company offered was a Kia Sportage, a 2 liter SUV. I managed to scratch the side of the vehicle on the first day, destroying a parking lot post during a hasty 3-point turn. Guess the joke was on them this time.

I am still overly grateful to my employer for financing my driving practice, and giving me the opportunity to explore the Aberdeenshire.

I am also hoping that they can increase my salary soon such that I can finally afford a car in Singapore to boost my social status.

The Elusive Northern Lights of Norway!

Seeing the northern lights is on many a bucket list, and I am glad I managed to cross it off my list aged 34 and 2 months. For readers who wish to know more about the aurora borealis, this link is pretty useful.

It took four trips, yes, FOUR trips(!) to arctic Norway, three of them in Tromsø and one in the Lofoten Islands, before I got to see the lights in their full splendour.

Before getting to the pictures, a summary of my three failed attempts:

November 2008 - Tromsø, Norway - 1 night - camped under the stars with David, my Czech colleague, next to a sami tent (lavvu) for four hours in -20 degrees celsius temperatures - clear sky; no lights

February 2009 - Tromsø, Norway - as above, with three Singaporean girls on an university exchange program, this time in -25 degrees cold - cloudy; with some green spotted through the gaps

April 2009 - Lofoten Islands, Norway - 6 nights - My solo trip to the Lofoten Islands. Winter was ending, and I missed the final northern lights show of the season as I was on the wrong side of the mountain 

Success arrived in March 2013 - Tromsø, Norway - 4 nights - This winter was said to be the best year for northern lights in 12 years. I made sure I gave myself adequate number of nights to increase my chances of catching the elusive lights.

Night 1 - Just arrived at 2200hrs. Decided to defrost and rest.

Night 2 - Booked a northern lights hunting tour (5-7 hours for NOK 950) to chase the northern lights around the islands. Efforts from Lionel and Terje, our northern lights hunters, was commendable. After 2 hours of driving as far away from the lights and clouds of the city, we made it to Hilleoya, but alas, conditions were extremely windy and cloudy, and I only managed these pictures:

Night 3 - The weather forecase was clear, with low wind and temperature of -8 degrees. I stood outside Wendy's (my hostess) apartment and looked up for the lights. Now knowing how to spot them, the moment the lights started their show, Wendy and I went down to the nearby pier, away from the city lights, and got our cameras to work. And what a show it was....

Night 4 - Again outside Wendy's apartment, but it was cloudy, and within an hour of waiting, snow began to fall...

Jumping Crocodiles!

I was not thinking of getting up close with large reptiles since my trip to Komodo Island, but another opportunity arose as I found myself in Darwin, Australia for work in September 2012, with a couple of offdays to explore the city.

Darwin is said to to be the drop-off point for the mining and offshore industry in Australia, and is also currently being used by the US Navy as a base for its Asia Pacific ops. This has resulted in a few things - rapid development of the city, better accessibility by budget carriers, more cultural diversity, and a lot more bars!

Upon further online research, I also discovered Darwin is the gateway to the Top End of Australia's nature parks. Due to time constraint, I opted for a full day tour of the wildlife and natural landscape of Litchfield Park, which included a jumping crocodile tour.

I'd have to admit this was possibly the best day tour I've had in my travels. The tour began at around 0630hrs in the morning with the crocodile feeding, and it was quite the experience cruising down the river and watching crocodiles jump over 1.5m high to grab a slab of ribs. A flimsy aluminium grill on the boat seperated us from the crocodiles, and had any of us tourists stuck an arm out beyond the grill, it was definitely going to be crocodile food. I'll let the pictures below do the describing. It was also interesting to know that the crocodiles were attracted by the sound from the boat motor, and had become "trained" to approach the boat whenever it brought its daily batch of tourists and meat.





The tour then continued with a visit to giant termite mounds, where the guide gave an extremely (information overload!) detailed account of how the termites created the mound, how they regulated the temperatues within the nest, breeding habits, why the mounds faced the sun etc... After an hour of his droning, roasting in 40 degree Celsius temperature and taking lots of pictures, we proceeded to have lunch at Wangi Falls, a lake fed by 2 waterfalls. The swim was refreshing, and the park rangers did a good job of keeping the crocodiles away. It was also nice to see a couple of attractive tourists get half naked and wet in the water ;)



Magnetic termite mounds - thought to have been built according to the Earth's magnetic field



Wangi Falls

After lunch it was a drive to the Buley Rockholes for some relaxing in the divepools, and then the long drive back to Darwin for a sunset champagne and shrimp dinner.



Sunset at East Point

Like I mentioned - Best daytour yet!

Komodo National Park - Dragons and Diving

Since young, I have always been fascinated with the Komodo dragon, Varanus komodoensis. I read articles about them in Zoo-Ed during primary school, visited them at the Singapore zoo, and always thought it would be amazing to see them in their natual habitat - much like how people went to Africa to see the lions and elephants.

The Komodo dragon is only found on a few islands in the Flores region of Indonesia, east of Bali. Their population is now considered vulnerable, and the dragons are a protected species by Indonesia law. Only recently did I find out that the Komodo National Park was an extremely popular area for diving, and access to this "remote" part of Indonesia was not as difficult as initially thought, with tourist facilities (basic accomodation, tour and dive centres) operating for more than a decade.

The big dilemma about going to Komodo was the diving. I had just completed my Open Water Diving course the previous November, and I read that Komodo had some of the best diving in the world, matched with some of the strongest down currents. Some dive operators I approached in Singapore, most internet resources, and all my friends discouraged me from diving in the waters of Komodo, as they were meant for experienced divers with at least 50 dives (I had just seven). It would have been a great pity to make the journey there and not experience the diving, and yet again, the dangers were true, where divers had been known to have been swept away by the currents, never again to be found. I decided that I would purchase my underwater camera, then speak with the dive operators there for an "expert opinion", and if they said no, I'd have to be contented with snorkelling.


I made my way to Komodo National Park in late April 2012. I gave myself 6 days to get myself there and back in one piece, to see the Komodo dragons and perhaps get some diving and snorkelling. Took a (Jetstar;3hrs) flight from Singapore to Bali, then a domestic filght (Lion Air/Sky Aviation;1.5hrs) to Labuan Bajo, a harbour town on the western edge of Flores.

Labuan Bajo is a small town with the bare necessities for tourists - a main street lined with not more than 10 bars (with wi-fi) and restaurants, a few simple hotels,and another 10 or so dive and tour operators to get them to see the dragons. I took the first afternoon to settle in a USD20 a night bamboo hut, booked my Komodo dragon safari tour, and spoke with a dive operator about diving in Komodo's infamous waters, and by evening I had the remaining days planned out - I was to go on a 2 day 1 night Komodo dragon tour with the following itinerary (very standard package almost all tour operators carry - approximately IDR 600,000 if you bargain well):

- depart Labuan Bajo by boat to Pulau Rinca for hiking/looking for Komodo dragons
- snorkelling at Pink Beach (Pantai Merah)
- sunset whilst awaiting thousands of flying foxes to depart their cave (did'nt happen that evening though, much to my disappointment)
- sleeping on the deck of the boat in a sheltered bay
- Hiking/looking for dragons on Pulau Komodo
- snorkelling with manta rays
- snorkelling at Angel Island (Pulau Bidadari)
- return to Labuan Bajo by evening

The remaining two days (yes, just two) in Labuan Bajo were to be spent diving and relaxing.

Joey, the dive instructor at Divine Diving, told me that they assessed tidal current conditions before every dive, and with a dive master to personally guide me (at an additional IDR 200,000 per day), that diving in Komodo's waters would be a relatively safe and amazing experience. And amazing it was, as the pictures will show...

Despite not having seen the flying foxes leaving their caves in the evening, and not seeing any manta rays at the Manta Point divesite, it was still a most fantastic trip. I had seen the majestic Komodo dragons in their natural habitat/kingdom, survived the strong currents, saw some amazing marine life, had my first attempts at underwater photography, and met some really interesting people, local and fellow tourists - Julian and Imogen - father-daughter team on a round the world trip; and Marie the French-Canadian - great company each evening over dinners and beers.



Komodo National Park

The peaceful harbour town of Labuan Bajo



The living conditions of the locals - simple and not the most environmentally conscious as yet

The locals were friendly and never bothered tourists

That's the closest I got to a Komodo dragon - Pulau Komodo

Eagle ray!

Diving at Siaba Kecil



Diving at Castle Rock