The boat was quieter as we woke up without the company of Ally, Mike and Echo. Darryn had promised to save some of the best dives for last and he didn't disappoint. First we went to Batu Balong or Hole in the Rock. Here we saw thousands and thousands of schooling fish, moving beautifully together as if they were one organism. Blue streak fusiliers, golden damsels, sergeant majorfish... There were also some HUGE fish: giant trevallies, dogtooth tunas and napolean wrasse. We saw turtles, sharks, nudibranchs, giant puffers... What a dive.
We had booked rooms at the dive centre itself, just out of convenience really, and it ended up being a great decision. Labuan Bajo was a bit of a dump, with very few accommodation options, and the rooms at the dive centre were really fantastic! Big, very clean, great balcony and lovely view out to the ocean. It felt amazing to have a real shower and a lie on the cool clean sheets.
We chilled most of the day, having a beer at the pool and chatting to Uncle John, who was feeling much better and regaling us with his stories as always. Once it got cooler, we went for a walk, looking for the night market we had heard about, but with absolutely no idea which direction to walk and not really caring. I wanted to get a feel for this town and see more of it, scruffy as it was. We ambled past small shops and stalls, chickens and children running in the streets.
We turned towards the pier and dock around sunset and eventually asked some tourists if they knew the way. They pointed us in the right direction and we walked quite far, finally reaching the fish market. Interestingly, most of the fish was dried, and the market stall owners were quite proud to show us their wares and be photographed. Once we had had enough of the smell, we continued walking and found the night market, where small restaurants displayed their fresh fish outside. You can choose your fish and they prepare it freshly for you. Tourists and locals alike sat at the plastic tables overlooking the ocean. My stomach still wasn't feeling great, so we decided to rather not eat at the market, although it would normally have been something I would be keen to experience.
Our last dive of the trip was called "Mawa", it was dive 50 for me and Werner and it didn't disappoint! It was without a doubt the best manta dive ever! The first two we saw were doing a sort of mating dance, very graceful and beautiful. Then later we were surrounded by 5 mantas, all swooping around like the birds of the ocean, riding the currents. One manta flew directly over Uncle John, and he raised his hand and almost touched it, holding his breath so as not to scare it. We also saw a teeny weeny yellow whipe coral shrimp, I have no idea how Darryn spots these things, lots of squids, and many other amazing fish.
After finishing our dives, Ronnie cooked us up a last feast: chicken and his excellent chips. We had a beer to celebrate our wonderful time on the boat. Darryn became very pensive and quiet, clearly concerned about what was happening with the repairs of his boat and the impact it might have on his upcoming tours as well as his planned holiday with his Aussie girlfriend... We motored back to Labuan Bajo and said goodbye to Ronnie and the crew, then headed up to the dive centre.
We chilled most of the day, having a beer at the pool and chatting to Uncle John, who was feeling much better and regaling us with his stories as always. Once it got cooler, we went for a walk, looking for the night market we had heard about, but with absolutely no idea which direction to walk and not really caring. I wanted to get a feel for this town and see more of it, scruffy as it was. We ambled past small shops and stalls, chickens and children running in the streets.
Instead, we walked some of the way back and found ourselves in the "best" restaurant in Labuan Bajo. Strangely enough nearly all the restaurants were Italian! So we ended up in Made in Italy, high up some stairs and also with a great view. Uncle John and I shared a huge pizza topped with delicious shellfish - big prawns! Van had a yummy pasta dish. Van was feeling really tired, so we finished our evening with ice creams we bought from a shop as we walked back to our comfy rooms for a real nights sleep.
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