September 27, 2025
Travel day! We head to Labuan Bajo today which is where we are staying when we visit Komodo National Park, aka Komodo Island. Everyone is fully recovered from any sickness and we got all our laundry done, for a normal price, by the hotel so we are ready to go!
I got in a quick swim before we headed to breakfast. Then back to the hotel room to make the kids do a bit of school while we packed up. There was a little confusion about what time our driver was picking us up for our flight but we all eventually agreed on 11AM. The flight was not until 3:45PM but with our experience on the Bali roads who knew how long it would take to get there.
As we were loading all the stuff into the van, I asked the front desk if I could borrow the Scoopy one more time to get a video riding with Ollie. They said it was no problem so the two of us took off up the driveway. The video of the actual ride was a bit of a flop but Ollie’s intro video was worth it.
The ride to the airport was as brutal as expected, three hours. The night we arrived it was an hour and forty-five minutes with no traffic. We made it with plenty of time and had time to sit down and eat a surprisingly good airport lunch. A chicken schnitzel Caesar salad and a very good chocolate protein shake. Odd combo but it was delicious!
When we landed at the Labuan Bajo airport Lenny wanted to confirm the country, we were in. He said, “Are we in Do-Knee-shuh?” We reminded him the country was Indonesia but a funny and understandable mistake.
The airport was tiny and there was one small baggage claim belt. It was one of a few moments on this trip when I was reminded that people are animals. Everyone crowded around the baggage belt so closely, before it was even moving, that it was impossible to see what bag was coming once they did start. The boys are keen to use all their might to get our bags off the belt which usually sends them tumbling off and onto the ground. Normally we try to help and make sure no stranger is injured but not today. I let them push their way to the front and was even slightly hoping a flying bag would crush someone’s toe while I stood in the back waiting.
After some brief confusion over if we should take the hotel shuttle or there was a private transfer arranged, we made it to the hotel. Only a 10 minute ride from the airport! The hotel was lovely, Katamaran Resort. When revising the SE Asia portion of the trip to better fit our budget I recalled keeping this hotel in as it looked so nice, and it was! The views from the lobby, pool area, restaurant, and our 2-bedroom apartment were stunning. Through the beautiful views were not a cure for grumpy travel exhausted children.
We relaxed a little in the room before heading to dinner. The boys were in heaven with the TV setup in their room which easily connected to Netflix. While they watched I explored the hotel solo for 20 minutes to find where the two pools, two restaurants, gym, and kids club were. I also found the ballroom on the top floor that was not being used so it was empty and dark.
We went to dinner where their behavior further devolved. Once we ordered I took them around the hotel to show them what I found. They liked the pool on the lower level and its daybeds that were on platforms surrounded by water. It was like Mario having to hop from smaller platforms to reach the big one with the daybed. The kids club got their approval as it had a small climbing wall and slide into a ball pit. Finally, I took them to the ballroom which I repurposed in their minds as the haunted tower. They acted tough but when the elevator doors opened into the pitch black room, they clearly did not want to speed too much time there.
Back at dinner we ate quickly as they complained or refused to sit still. A family at the next table had a young child in a high chair who was very interested in the boys, waving and smiling at them. Lenny acted silly back and Ollie would smile and wave every time I reminded him, she was still looking at him and must really like him. This led to us telling them the games we used to play with them as babies that they loved. Most notably the napkin over their head game where we would say, “Where is Ollie/Lenny?” and then pull off the napkin quickly, personalized peak-a-boo.
