We take our research very seriously at The Voice of Flores, and pride ourselves on the hours we have spent eating and drinking to bring you this article – a foodie map to Labuan Bajo. However, with Flores growing daily, the list will never be complete so please let us know about any new spots or old faves that we simply must go check out, all in the name of research of course!

The Bida Mitan Weaving Collective in Takaplagar village, just outside Maumere, Flores, is a group of around 30 women who are working hard to preserve their traditional textile art – kain ikat. I recently learnt more about the incredible skill of these women, and the efforts of organisations like the Nusa Tengarra Association (NTA) to help them preserve their invaluable knowledge, and support their communities.

I have met so many impressive people on my travels, including someone I now call a friend, Marsel. For me, the unsung beauty and incredibly rich culture of Flores is perfectly embodied by Marsel. He runs a successful tour business, and spends a lot of time in his community working on ways to improve village life for his family and friends in Flores, and despite all of this he is warm and humble with a killer sense of humour.

There’s a scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where the heroine, Elizabeth Swan, realises she isn’t afraid of pirates and actually wants to be one… I can relate. There are tales of wicked pirates, mutinies, and terrible acts of mayhem, but I prefer the more romantic version of swarthy, swashbuckling, adventurers, free to explore the world one ocean at a time.

Flores is famous for its textiles and traditional weaves. The iconic Ikat weave is recognised all over the world, and speaks to a rich tradition of textiles, weaving and storytelling, passed down from generation to generation. While some of the traditional methods are under threat from new technologies, there are still many dedicated Flores weavers who take pride in preserving their craft.

A while ago, I visited Flores Island, and I absolutely loved the place. It’s not what I expected but exactly what I wanted it to be—green, tropical, with white sandy beaches, mountainous terrain, and tiny islands that seem to have exploded up from the ocean. Flores was originally named Lipa, after a serpent. However, Portuguese traders and missionaries who began visiting in the 16th century renamed it Flores.

If first impressions count for anything, we landed, we drove around a bit, got to the main town and I declared “I’m moving to Flores”! Labuan Bajo is a beautiful clash of new construction next to tin shed shops. It’s calm and quiet and somehow very ordered in its chaos. It’s also completely different to Bali which I wasn’t expecting.

Rumah Sakit Terapung Ksatria Airlangga is a lifesaving health initiative, delivering much needed medical attention and care to people living in some of the most remote locations in the world. It is a ‘floating’ mobile hospital, aboard a traditional Indonesian phinisi boat that travels all over Indonesia, to the outermost edges of the Indonesian border where it meets Australian waters.