Komodo Island + Win a 3D2N Trip!

Exactly a month ago, I was lucky to be invited once again by the Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia to visit Wonderful Indonesia :) This time round, I had the chance to visit  Komodo Island (one of the new 7 wonders of Nature!) and Bali (more about it in another post)! I was super thrilled and hyped up for this trip cuz it was an International Bloggers Trip with bloggers from all over the world, including far away countries like Spain, France, England etc~ More than that, I was looking forward to my first ever visit to Komodo Island and my virgin encounter with these wild Komodo Dragons!
We finally reached our destination after an approx 2hrs++ flight time from Singapore to Bali, followed by an hour of local internal flight to Labuan Bajo, then a short 10mins car ride to where we would be staying - La Prima Hotel.



Awesome views from the room's balcony!


& witnessed a beautiful sunset together with Frans!






We had our dinner at Tree Top Restaurant and that was my first encounter with the rest of the friendly bloggers/photographers! Retired early for the night cuz we had to wake up early the next morning to visit Komodo Island!




Look at this!! Not sure who's that doing the jump shot but so cute lah!! Lol


Took lots of selfie while on the speedboat to kill some time! It took us almost an hour to reach Komodo Island from Labuan Bajo~





Finally arrived at Rinca Island after an hour and here's a shot of Charlene, Frans and I!!







Just a mere 10mins into this island and we spotted our first Komodo Dragon!! Can you spot it in this picture??


The dragon didn't seem too bothered that there were so many of us around?? It just slowly inched forward towards us~


Yeah and it kinda just walked past us, climbed across the pathways to another part of the island. 
Honestly, it didn't look as intimidating and big as I thought it would be! But still, I can't discount the fact that these are really dangerous animals! If bitten and not treated within 24 hours, it can be very life threatening. So guys, really got to be careful!! Cuz the nearest hospital to treat such bites is at Bali which means you still gotta factor in the flight time and all.




More Komodo Dragons spotted~

I had initially thought that they were very active & aggressive reptiles and would chase anything it sees like birds/their preys/humans etc? It turned out that 95% of the dragons we saw were just chilling and sleeping.  Lol really not as scary as what I expected at all!




We took the short trek up and slowly trekked up Rinca Island! It was about a 40mins hike? Not that bad at all!


Frans and I coincidentally twinning in the same Nike kicks except in different colours. Hahahah






OMG JUST LOOK AT THIS VIEW!



Photo credits @adingattamimi_photography


Wearing a LACEANDEBONY top! Quote 'SHENNYXLE' for a 10% off!

Finally reached the peak of Rinca island to be greeted with this amazing view... Mother Nature never fails to surprise me :)



Then it was a 30 mins speedboat ride again to Loh Liang to have our lunch!






& even more Komodo Dragons here at Loh Liang! Omg they are like... e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e!!!
YUCKZZ AT THE TONGUE??? It's just soooo gross. Omg. I hate lizards!!!! And this is one incredibly huge lizard man.




Attempted a few shots at the lovely jetty in Loh Liang too when we were all done with lunch~ Photo credits to @larrymarshallphotography


Finally a decent shot with Frans! Photo credits @charlene22!
Then it was a mere 5-10mins ride again to PINK BEACH!!! Pink Beach was probably what I was looking forward to the most the entire day!

Just look at how crystal clear the water is!!! 


Wearing @walkincuteness! Get this dress for only $15, what a good deal :)
On a side note, I was honestly a lil disappointed that the sand were not as pink as I thought it would be?? I mean I googled pics of the pink beach before and well, the pictures look promising!! Not sure if it's cuz of colour edits lah but yeah the beach was PINK. This time round, the sand was only a mild pink-ish tone! Heard that it really depends on the weather and season so I guess we were just not lucky enough to spot the pink sand! Nonetheless, it is still a lovely beach! The sand is soft and fine, water is crystal clear and clean!

Bikini baes, paparazzi shot taken by @charlene22!




Finally it's snorkelling time!! Oh btw, I was told that you'll be able to spot Manta rays over here at Pink Beach, especially so if you're diving! OMG RIGHT... MANTA RAYS!?!?!? Again, guess I was down in luck so no rays for me to see :( Probably the next time?


The water is just so crystal clear omgawd!! Look at these photos taken with the GoPro!



Snorkelling buddy, Charlene






A short 10mins walk up the slight hill on either sides of the beach, you'll be greeted by this panoramic view of Pink Beach!

Omg yesss I know, this view is to die for!!!! Photo credits to the amazing @dayuhatmanti cuz I was too busy snorkelling in the water and totally forgot to climb up the hill to get this shot! Lol


Before I knew it, it was dusk and it was time to set off to Labuan Bajo again~


Ohya! I decided to stay on at Pink Beach to snorkel and well, to just chill by the beach cuz I am more of a beachy-person. However, some others went on by boat to another nearby island called Padar Island which was really amazing as well!

Here's a shot of Padar Island, photo credits to @defickry

It was then an hour of speedboat ride back to land, which turned out to be the best speedboat ride in my entire life thus far. I had the chance to witness this magnificent sunset while sitting on the boat.... doing nothing but admiring Mother Nature doing what she does best in. The feeling I felt then was just... indescribable. This world is just so beautiful, and Indonesia is really wonderful :)


This sunset colours... to die for. And nope, #nofilter. It was really this stunning!


Totally this emoji --> 


Thank you Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia for having me once again! This is definitely a trip I wouldn't forget in a long time :)
And now, they would like to extend a GIVEAWAY to our readers as well! A total of 10 winners would get a chance to visit Komodo Island and experience all of the above that I have experienced!

• A. ELIGIBILITY
  1. Contestants must be at least 18 years old as of 26 October 2015 to participate in this Contest and come from around the world (excluding Indonesia).
• 2. The following persons are not eligible to participate in this Contest: (a) Indonesian citizen, employees of The Ministry of Tourism of Republic of Indonesia, its regular contributors, agents and contractors, the promoters, and individuals connected with any company involved in the competition, including for the avoidance of doubt employees, and the competition partners and members of the immediate family of the persons stated above and (b) any persons who are prohibited under the laws of their country of residency or domicile to participate in this Contest.
• 
  
  B. CONTEST PERIOD
  1. This Contest starts from 00:00 hrs (EDT) on 26 October 2015 and ends at 23:59 hrs (EDT) on 26 November 2015 (4 weeks)
• 2. All entries received out of the Contest Period shall be automatically disqualified from participation. MOT Indonesia is not liable for any lost, delayed or misdirected entries.
• 
  
  C. PRIZE
  1. Nine best videos plus one most favorite video by public will win this contest. A total of 10 winners will go on a three day trip to the exotic Komodo Island, Indonesia, one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature.
• 2. Each winner will get one (1) return air tickets to Labuan Bajo, Komodo Island, Indonesia and a three (3) days,two (2) night's hotel accomodation in Labuan Bajo, a pocket money of Rp 5 million. Meals and local transportation during the trip are also covered by MOT Indonesia. The airline for the air tickets and the departure city may be requested by the winners and shall be approved by MOT Indonesia in its sole and absolute discretion. The winner must take the trip taking place within 2015 and cannot nominate another person to take the trip in his/her place. If the winner cannot make the dates of the trip, the prize will be forfeited and offered to one of the runner up winners.
• 3. Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable for cash or other benefit-in-kind. MOT Indonesia reserves the right to replace any prize with another prize of a similar value.
• 4. The trip to Komodo Island will be held on December 4rd ~ 7th, 2015. All winners should share their holiday experiences during this trip on their social media channels.
• 
  
  D. CONTEST'S MECHANISM
  1. Contestants should create a 30 seconds to 1 minute of creative video that covers: introduction about themselves and why he/she should win the trip to Indonesia.
• 2. Contestants should upload their video on Youtube, then submit the Youtube link on the website www.indonesia.travel/inatopbucketlist. Contestants should share its Youtube link video onto their social media accounts, such as Facebook (www.facebook.com), instagram, twitter, google+, and blog. Required "hashtags" are as follows: #INAbucketListContest and #WonderfulIndonesia
• 3. A 10 winners of the contest will be selected by this mechanism:
• A 9 best videos ‘s score is calculated based on the following criterias:
  > Originality
  > Quality
  > Creativity on creating the video: Throwing together a few of your photos is a good start, but how can you get creative with your video clips and storyline? What out-of the-box ways can you convey a travel spirit to your audience?
  > Message: A clear, sincere message is crucial to a reason why you have to win Komodo/Indonesia trip video, whether as a literal story, a narrated, montage of photos, dance, flash-mob, or just a direct, honest 'Support me' in different languages. How will you use text, imagery, and/or narrators to express your message?
  
  > Like and Follow the Official Social Media Account of Wonderful Indonesia :
     > Facebook: Indonesia.Travel
     > Instagram : @indtravel
     > Twitter : @indtravel
     > Google+ : Indonesia.Travel
  One contestant’s video with the most "Likes", RT, Loves on his/her social media account will win the prize as the 'Most Favorite Video'
• 4. Videos submitted must be the contestant’s own original work and must not have been published previously or been obtained from a secondary source.
• 5. Videos that feature any corporate advertising material or messages may be disqualified from entry.
• 
  
  E. WINNER NOTIFICATION; CONFIRMATION OF ELIGIBILITY
  1. Winners will be announced on Nov 28th.
• 2. Winning the prize are subject to meeting all eligibility requirements and full compliance with these Term and Conditions and other terms and conditions that MOT Indonesia may consider in its sole and absolute discretion.
• 3. Jury decision is Final and that in all situation. Neither the jury nor the organizer have to justify their decision.
• 4. MOT Indonesia's decision is final and no correspondence will be entertained.
• 5. At the conclusion of the Contest, the winners will be notified by MOT Indonesia in person or by way of phone, email and/or mail.
• 6. If a Winner cannot be reached after two (2) attempts within three (3) days after the contest by MOT Indonesia or its representatives, is found to be ineligible by MOT Indonesia for any reason, cannot or does not comply with these Contest Terms and Conditions, or if any prize or prize notification sent to a Winner is returned as undeliverable, that Winner may be disqualified and an alternative potential Winner may be designated at MOT Indonesia's sole and absolute dsicretion. If any potential Winner is found to be ineligible, or if such potential Winner has not complied with these Contest Terms and Conditions, at any time during or after the Contest, such potential Winner may be disqualified from the Contest.

In a nutshell, all you have to do is to 1. Create a 30secs to 1 min video on why you should win this trip to Komodo Island 2. Upload it onto your Youtube account, and submit the vid link to http://www.indonesia.travel/inatopbucketlist/ 3. Share your Youtube video link on your social media accounts using the hashtags: #INAbucketListContest and #WonderfulIndonesia 4. Contest ends on 26th November 2015. The 10 lucky winners will be announced by 28th Nov! The trip to Komodo Island is held from 4th Dec to 7th Dec 2015 (Fri-Sun). Easy peasy right!I guess this is the best giveaway yet! A fully paid 3D2N trip!! And a chance to travel and make friends from all over the globe! This is such a good opportunity not to be missed!

So, BEST OF LUCK to all who has already taken part in it, and to those who are going to take part as well! More information over on: http://www.indonesia.travel/inatopbucketlist/

Till then, here's hoping that the travel bugs will bite you! Love, Shenny