Labuanbajo has been an interesting place to stay the past few days. Although my posts have focused on the spectacular diving and Komodo dragons, every day has begun and ended in Labuanbajo. It’s a small squalid little seaside town; dusty, dirty, and poor with a ramshackle little harbor. But at the same time, the view from the hills looking down into bay is amazing and the sunsets over the islands are a great too. I was going to write how everyone is really kind and friendly. But then we ran into this guy in town, Tony; short and stocky black guy with long dreadlocks. He recommended a hotel, which we ended up staying at. We saw him in town a few more times and our second to last night, he tried to sell us a boat tour to Rinca, which we said we’d think about. We ended up going through another middleman that offered a much better price. When he found out we bought it from someone else without consulting him, he was pissed and offered a few choice names and words for us, before he stomped off. So I couldn’t blog that everyone in Labuanbajo was kind. But then we saw him again and he came up to me, apologized, shook my hand, which turned into a hug before giving me a few pats on the back and reiterating he was sorry. So now, again, and in good conscience, I can say everyone in Labuanbajo has been very kind and friendly.

its a poor little town, like most on Flores and in Indonesia in general

but also like much of Flores and Indonesia in general, scenic