Komodo National Park: The Archipelago of Wonders
KOMODO NATIONAL PARK
The Archipelago of Wonders
May 14, 2023
Turns out, the cheapest way to get from Raja Ampat to Labuan Bajo – the city closest to Komodo National Park – is to fly all the way Jakarta – a city on the opposite end of Indonesia – only to fly all the back to the center of the country, effectively doubling the travelling time.
Or at least that was the plan. After we were dropped off at the airport, I had to wait some three hours before I could check in, at which point I was cordially given four boarding passes – meaning I had two additional connections I knew nothing about. Also, the gate number on the boarding pass differed from the one the lady at the check-in counter, the monitors, and the staff at the boarding zone mentioned. You’d think staying at the top of your game and asking the staff multiple times to confirm would be enough, but you’d be oh so wrong.
After boarding the first of four flights, the flight attendant kindly let me know that I was probably on the wrong flight – the language barrier now a major issue. The new flight number scribbled on the boarding pass by the lady at the check-in counter didn’t quite check out. After everyone had boarded and my seat was the only one left vacant, it transpired that I was indeed on the right plane. Finally sat down, I could now appreciate the PA announcement stating that stealing the plane’s safety jacket is a criminal offence and that carrying drugs is a crime punishable by death. Lovely!
Gateway to the Dragons
Three more flights, and the zombie that remained of me had finally managed to get to the next destination, Labuan Bajo – the gateway to the Wonder of the World!
Located in the East Nusa Tenggara Province, Komodo National Park includes three major islands – Komodo, Rinca, and Padar – along with numerous smaller ones. Covering an area of 173,300 hectares with the majority being marine, the sea here harbours 260 types of coral and over a thousand species of fish. The land surface, on the other hand, is dominated by savanna, featuring the distinct Asian palmyra palms.
That, I’d be visiting the following day. For now, I’d get to enjoy my stay in Labuan Bajo. I’d only have the afternoon there, and, given how exhausted I had been, going out didn’t even feel like an option. Instead, I decided to make good use of my luxurious (and cheap) hotel room, with a balcony lending itself a wonderful vista of the bay right below me.
Reawakening the Doctor
First things first, I set myself about getting my life in order. I had to scrap my Balinese adventures and changed my flights to leave directly to Malta as soon as my next adventure would be over in order to make the surgical residency interview. Needless to say, my bank account was by now sobbing.
After sorting all that out, I finally got to rest a bit, and then, much like I had done all the way through my trip in Latin America, I lost myself journalling – a tradition I had sorely missed. Then, much like I hadn’t done through my trip in Latin America, I downloaded all my notes and spent a couple of hours studying for my interview.
After a year away from medicine – the first after seven years – my knowledge was rusty to say the least. I think, in part, my hesitation to go back to medicine stemmed from this. Whilst I had always been at the top of my game, I now found myself struggling to remember things that I’d previously consider basic. That said, it didn’t take too long for me to fall back into the same rhythm as before, my well-rested brain now absorbing more information than ever before.
I have to admit that while studying on holiday might not be ideal, I found myself excited at the prospect of going back to something familiar, something I excelled at, something I felt really passionate about. In a way, it felt like this part of me had gone to sleep and was now being reawakened once again. The very act of studying had reassured me that my love for medicine was still there.