Onward to Labuan Bajo, Flores

When we were unable to get into the volcano anchorage at Adonara at the end of our first day out of Alor, it mean that we had another 36 hours to sail to reach Labuan Bajo (pronounced Ba-Jo). It was disappointing at first to have to face two more nights of night watch instead on a full night's sleep at anchor, but the nights both proved to be smooth sailing, with a quarter moon and only the intermittent lights of nighttime boats keeping close to the coast.

My morning watch at 6am gave me the gift of having the approach to western Flores all by myself. The many-layered vista of islets and mountains in tawny shades of grey warmed as the sun rose. This is the region of the Komodo National Park. The climate is quite dry, and the islands wear their winter brown with only a few trees on their tops and perhaps, like a green petticoat, a fringe of mangroves around the water's wedge.

We pulled into the anchorage off the beach to the south of the town of Labuan Bajo proper. Our "cruising guide" -- 101 anchorages in Indonesia -- promoted this as a peaceful alternative to downtown. No mosques in sight!