Getting from the plane to the terminal involved waking out on the tarmac (fairly standard) but then through an active construction site (huh), winding up a concrete ramp with no railing or signage, scootching between a fence and the back of the terminal, and in through a door by the baggage conveyors. The terminal itself? Brand spanking new and quite stylish. Looks like the town is preparing, but not quite ready, for a serious tourist onslaught. I'm a bit skeptical about whether that's actually coming, but at least there will be a shiny new airport sometime soonish.
Our hotel is also under construction, a buzz of saws and hammers amid bamboo scaffolding. After dropping our bags, we headed out to explore the town's single commercial strip and confirm transport out to the island resort where we'll spend the next four nights.
So the first time we poked into the in-town office of this resort, the door was unlocked and open sign out, but nobody in sight. Witnessing out predicament, a friendly passerby came in and walked past the counter to rap loudly on the door at the back leading to living quarters. Must be sleeping, he shrugged. We let the shopkeeper rest and walked down to check out the mosque at the end of the street.
Try two at the shop, I ventured back to knock and shout yoohoo. Finally I heard a shower shut off and a startled naked man said hello. The guy came to the counter a few seconds later dripping wet in a towel so skimpy he was showing a V of thigh to the waist. In fairly limited English, he said he knew nothing about our boat to the island and gave us a number to call. Back at our hotel, the number was a bust - it didn't even have the right number of digits. Third time, the guy was fully clothed in a t-shirt adorned with a Komodo dragon, and he called on his cell to connect us with the home office. They'll be picking us up at our hotel at noon tomorrow. No problem.
Then we wandered down to the docks. It's clearly a working port, with respectable piles of shipping containers and smallish boats of all sorts docked along the piers. Saw a trio of local girls gigglingly taking photos of each other in front of a flowering bush. Tourists disembarking after a dive. Teenagers playing a hard fought soccer match on a dirt field. Guys on motorbikes taking smoke breaks.
At sunset we sat on the balcony of our little "boutique" hotel with cold Bintang beers and watched the sky and water light up lavender. The call to prayer from the local mosque filled the air with a melodic male voice. We discussed religion and youth and the patterns on the surface of the still harbor and how deeply lucky we feel to be able to travel to such places.
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