Friendly Welcome On Familiar Ground

The ferry from Lombok arrived in Padangbai on the Indonesian island of Bali just in time for the afternoon wet season down pour. Once again the wet weather gear was put on and as I rode off the ferry the drenching began. I got about twenty metres off the ferry and I could see Michael out in the rain picking up two pieces of the Mini's exhaust. As I have previously mentioned, the Mini sits a little low to the ground and the exhaust bottoms out on the uneven ferry ramp when exiting from ferry crossings. This time the complete exhaust system from the extractors back had been neatly removed in two pieces and left laying on the dock. I continued past the Mini and sat waiting on my bike under an overhanging section off a terminal building out of the rain.

Soon enough I could hear Michael's Mini coming, the Mini now sounded like a full blown race car with a statue some what larger than a Mini. With the exhaust now positioned inside the Mini, we continued into Padangbai to find a hotel, the rain was bucketing down relentlessly though, so we spotted a nearby bar / restaurant and settled in while until the rain eased.

Padangbai is a very small town with a hotel and restaurant strip situated along several hundred metres of lovely cove beach front, so our extremely noisy entry into town and along the beach front in search of a couple of hotel rooms drew the gaze of quite a few hotel and restaurants occupants.

 

The following morning it was time for Michael and I to go our separate ways, Michael was firstly heading down the road to find a vehicle repairer to assist him in refitting the Mini's exhaust, then South West to Legian to leave the Mini with friends for a paint job and refurbishment while he returns to Australia for work commitments. I was heading North to the sleepy coastal town of Amed where I thought I might spend Christmas.

 

On the way to Amed the road lead me to the spectacular Water Palace Taman Tirta Gangga, where Amlapura's water loving rajas built the palace of his dreams. Built in 1948 the palace has several swimming pools and ornamental ponds which serve as a fascinating reminder of the days of the Balinese rajas.

 



 

 

Once in Amed I investigated what attractions were on offer before deciding whether to settle in for Christmas, I found most interest centred on diving the reef's just off the coast.

 

 

 



Though and on this particular day when venturing along a rough narrow tarred valley road I managed to find one activity satisfying the local men's interest and need for gambling and that was cock fighting.

 

 

 

After the owners anger the roosters by ruffling neck and tail feathers while each rooster is in a face off with the other rooster, they are let loose to fight it out to the death. It may sound cruel but generally the contest was over very quickly when the razor sharp spur attached to one leg of each rooster severs a vein of the opposing rooster and it bleeds to death. The winner takes the leg with the spur, the looser has Soto Ayam (chicken soup) for dinner.

 

Amed proved a little too sleepy for my liking. It has beautiful coastal views and my hotel of choice was superbly located to take in those views, but I was in need of at least a little human interaction over Christmas and it was not going to happen in Amed.

 

I made the decision to return to Ubud for Christmas. Ubud was a highlight during my 12 day stopover while waiting for my bike to be shipped from Darwin to Dili and I was confident it would be a suitable town to spent Christmas.

 

I packed my bike and plotted a course that would take me along several back roads, providing a picturesque ride through the rice fields and forested areas of Culik, Duda and Sideman before entering Semerapura, turning North and on to Ubud.

 

 



 

 

 

A little internet research before arriving in Ubud enabled me to find my hotel of choice without too much trouble. My accommodation for the next five nights was at Ubud Bungalows, situated centrally within noisy and busy Ubud, yet the long narrow block housing the bungalows provided a quiet retreat away from the hustle and bustle within a lush garden setting. It was a great choice and the young staff were very friendly, helpful and always up for a chat. 

 

Christmas eve was spent bar hopping, following several live music gigs from an acoustic session early in the evening to an in house rock band belting out the tunes till early Christmas morning. Christmas day was subdued, sleeping off a mild hangover.

 

During the days following Christmas I enjoyed conversation with a restaurant waitress and coffee shop barista whom remembered me from my previous visit to Ubud and some good food including an exceptional meal at an Queens Indian restaurant, a visit to Warung Garasi for a meal also proved worthy of a photograph or two for its interesting seating and décor.

 

 

 

I also took in a little Balinese culture, being entertained with The Great Mahabrata Epic and The Best of Classic Dance of Bali at the Ubud Palace.

 





 

 

After a relaxing Christmas period in the familiarity of Ubud it was now time to pack my bike and ride to a destination within Bali to see in the New Year.



Beaches, Resorts & Expats

The ferry from Sambawa docked in Labuhan Lombok on the Indonesian Island of Lombok about lunch time, so after spotting a clean looking Warung, Michael and I sat and enjoyed a tasty Cap Cay Ayam (steamed vegetables, chicken & rice) lunch.

Our destination for the day was Sengiggi, a small resort town located just North of Lomboks capital city Mataram on the Western side of Lombok. The island of Lombok is very small, it only takes a couple of hours to get from one side of the island to the other, so there was no rush.

My motorcycle required fuel though, I had travelled just over 500 kilometres since refuelling last and I had never exceeded 500 klm's in range before. The first petrol station I stopped at had no fuel, then a second again had no fuel, I was beginning to think I would have to stop and refill at one of the numerous road side homes selling fuel in bottles, the risk with that option is that some sellers combine kerosene with the petrol to increase their profit but it decreases the already low octane level of the fuel commonly used in Indonesia. Eventually, with the trip meter reading just over 550 klm's I stopped at a third petrol station, they had fuel and feeling relieved I filled up.

The sky ahead looked black and threatening so I put on the plastic wet weather jacket and pants before exiting the petrol station. It can be a tough call to dress in the plastics, ride on with no plastics you get wet through, but that also cools you down in the tropical heat. Dress in plastics you stay mostly dry, but the plastics form a bit of a sweat suit which can be uncomfortable and physically draining. So far I have chosen to use the wet weather gear and remove it as soon as the skies clear. there was no chance of the sky clearing today, I rode on and on in the constant rain all afternoon, then as we approached Mataram the vehicle traffic became dense, slowed and we crawled into the outskirts of Mataram, we continued to crawl in dense traffic as we skirted the city on our way to Sengiggi. Not far North of Mataram the traffic thinned and the road begun to hug the coast, the view made up for being wet and tired, and soon enough we were in Sengiggi.

 



Michael has friends living in Sengiggi, so after a quick phone call for a hotel recommendation, we were checked into two very nice hotel rooms and I had dried off ready to head out and about. Sengiggi is home to quite a few expats and it easy to see why, beautiful coastal views, clean and tidy street scape and a cheaper cost of living in comparison to Australia. We had a drink with several Aussie / Kiwi expats at a bar owned and run by a New Zealand women. Apart from Michael and I, there was also another Mick, so for that evening we had Mick 1, Mick 2 and Mick 3.

There are many hotels and resorts in Sengiggi, most occupying prime real estate along the coastal strip. There are also a few top notch restaurants, some of which provide a spectacular view while dining, backing on to the picturesque black sand beaches along the Sengiggi coast. Michael and I were keen to sample some fine dining, so after a little internet research a few notes were made and we had a list of the dining establishment for the next few days. Rather than head to the number one listed restaurant in town first, we ate at one within the top ten. When fish is not available I also like a curry, I was not disappointed with the restaurant choice or my choice of curry, it was exceptional and would prove hard to beat. We ate at the number five listed restaurant the second night, I had fish and it was also exceptional, night three it was time to try the number one listed restaurant in town, and it proved a little disappointing, to be honest, it was forgettable, literally I can not remember what I ate that night. Let me just say, at the risk of sounding like some sort of food snob, the restaurants main meals I ate were valued at less than ten dollars each, cheap compared to Australia.

Apart from some great eating while in Sengiggi, our boyhood intrigue was sparked after reading an article in a local magazine about a sport played in the area that involved spinning tops. "Gasing' is the sport, played by two teams of six to eight men using timber spinning tops. The spinning tops, in various shapes and sizes, some painted bright colours have one encased ball bearing in the bottom that allows the top to spin for a considerable amount of time on the uneven dirt playing area.

 

One participant from the first team sets his top in motion by winding a thin rope around the upper edge of the top, then while maintaining a hold on the other end of the rope he throws the top to the ground, launching the top into a spin. One player from the opposing team then launches his top into motion with vengeance towards the opponents top, trying to knock it out of the arena, stop its spinning motion or worst case scenario, which happened while we watched, break the opponents top in half. This continues until each teams participants top have been launched at the others. Then it is a waiting game, the team with a top that remains spinning the longest wins.

 

 

After several very relaxing days in Sengiggi it was time to move on from the island of Lombok, a ride / drive South to the town of Lumbar had us boarding another ferry for the 4 hour trip to the Indonesian Island of Bali.





Surfers, Miners and Mullahs

The ferry had us docked and on the Indonesian Island of Sambawa in the late afternoon allowing us time to make it to Bima, a small yet spread out town close to Sambawa's North Coast. We did a few laps of the city centre trying to find the hotel we'd earmarked for the nights stay and after asking several people for directions Michael and I garaged our vehicles and were shown to our rooms.

A short time later we ventured out onto the streets in search of a meal. This proved to be a little harder than expected, while there was many street vendors selling the makings of a meal, there was few that had tables and chairs to sit down and eat. We did eventually find a small Warung, though combined with Michael's disappointment at not being able to find a beer we ate a pretty average meal. It was during our search for a meal, beer and the initial contact with locals while searching for our lodging we discovered Sambawa was quite a bit different to the other Indonesian islands and people we had previously encountered.

Sambawa has a great main road, wide, smooth and line marked, with fewer twists and turns than Flores, but generally Sambawa is less developed and the tone of the people was a little less up beat and friendly. Currently Sambawa appears to remain the domain of "Surfers, Miners and Mullahs". That said, we did have some great encounters with locals. One encounter of note was brought about by the exhaust system on Michael's mini, it was coping a little too much punishment driving on and off the ferry's, bottoming out on steep and uneven entry and exit ramps. So before leaving Bima Michael found a vehicle repairer with a drive over pit and the in house mechanics were all glad for the opportunity to clamber over, under and in the mini, and from what I saw would have happily dismantled and reassembled the whole vehicle just for the fun of it. After a quick adjustment of the exhaust it was time for the photo session, it was a great laugh, every one at Bima Mitsubishi was keen for a photo.

 

 

When we eventually left Bima, our destination for the day was Kencana Beach, situated on the coast just West of Sambawa Besar. Road signs in Indonesia are few and far between and Sambawa was no exception. I made a habit of asking people for directions, not just once either, I would stop and ask at least three separate individuals. I had also learnt not to ask teenage girls, they would giggle and talk amongst themselves and I'd be lucky to get an answer at all, my experience proved that asking teenage boys or young men gained a more positive and definitive response. Today my theory was well and truly proven correct. We entered the town of Dompu knowing that we needed to make a turn to put us on the road to Sambawa Besar and Kencana Beach, Michael stopped and asked directions and the thought of my theory did enter my mind as I watched him asked a group of school uniformed  teenage girls for direction. They signalled straight ahead, and with confidence Michael powered the mini down the road and I followed. About forty five minutes and fifty two kilometres latter we passed the tiny town of Hu'u and the surfing hang out Lakey Beach, which alerted my suspicions, then the road came to an abrupt end. After a discussion with a grader driver my thoughts were confirmed, we had taken the wrong road. A quick decision was made and we back tracked to Dompu to stick with the original plan to stay at Kencana Beach.

 

Not far out of Dompu on the correct road this time we crested a hill, rounded a corner and again were brought to an abrupt halt. This time it was one car stopped in the middle of the road, the occupant waving and gesturing towards a huge boulder about the size of a mini van, surrounded by many smaller boulders and rocks on the road. The occupant of the car said the boulder had just fallen down in front of him and he was not keen to go any closer. Fortunately the huge boulder was sitting smack bang in the middle of the left hand lane, so rather than sit there and wait for the traffic to bank up and cause traffic mayhem I made a quick assessment of the bank where the boulder had dislodged and even more quickly while the locals watch on, moved enough rocks for the mini and my motorcycle to get through. It happened so quickly I missed the photo opportunity.

 

By mid afternoon we made it to Kencana Beach and settled into a couple of beach bungalows at what would have bee a very flash resort when it first opened, now although still a great beach front location with adequate accommodation, the resort was a tad tired and in need of a spruce up.

 

 

 

 

The resort, to Michael's delight sold Bintang beer and the restaurant served up some great food and we decided the guy cooking must have been a genuine chef, he made me two fantastic flavoursome curries with just the right amount of spies. By day three Michael was keen for some fish, which was a little unusual because when I had eaten Ikan Bakar on numerous occasions before, Michael had eaten Ayam (chicken). The chef didn't have fish on the menu, but on Michael's suggestion I didn't have to be asked twice if I wanted fish, so off we drove in search of a fish market. A couple of kilometres up the road our search took us down a back road and into a fish market, the rewarded was worth the search and back at the resort we handed the chef two large fresh coral trout and discussed the cooking options for the evening meal. Their was no thought of disappointment, and as expected the chef did a splendid job spicing and cooking the tasty fish bounty, and the vegetable and rice accompaniment.

 

The next morning we packed and set off for the port town of Poto Tano and another ferry crossing, after a short wait, we rode / drove onto the ferry and were under way on a one hour forty five minute trip to the Indonesian Island of Lombok.

Mountains To Sea

Back on the road for another great ride through Flores, Indonesia.

Leaving Moni and its surrounding volcanic peaks my destination for the day was Bajawa, along the way I dropped down to the coast to the sprawling town of Ende. The road then hugged the coast for a while and I experienced some great views of black sandy beaches and small fishing villages before heading up more twisty mountain ranges for an early afternoon check in at a Bajawa hotel for the night. Bajawa was another inland town surrounded by forested peaks with a very pleasant temperature for an afternoon walk around the busy market area.

 

Up early the following morning for a 7.00 am hotel breakfast, I anticipated a long days ride to my next destination, Labuan Bajo. Not far out of Bajawa I was halted while an excavator and loader cleared the road after a landslide, thankfully my waiting time was short and after snapping a quick photo or two I was rounding up the scooters that had got the jump on me.

 



 

 

Riding on, I reached the mountain town of Ruteng just on lunch time. I spotted a very clean looking Warung with locals eating so I parked the bike, entered and ate a tasty Nasi Ayam. Well nourished and watered, I was back in the saddle to navigate my way out of town, after one wrong turn I stopped for a quick double check of directions from a local and was soon heading the right way.

 

Just out of town, dark clouds filled the sky and rain was a definite so I stopped and put on my wet weather gear. Within minutes the rain bucketed down and rather than seeking shelter I slowed my pace and continued on. On and on and on the afternoon went, both rain and twisties, hill after hill, light rain and heavy rain all afternoon. I reached Labuan Bajo about 4.30 pm, wet through and exhausted from a long day of intense concentration.

 

I fronted up to the accommodation I had short listed, stood ringing wet out side the reception area and asked the attendant if they had a room, a response came not from the attendant but in an aussie accent from a guy tapping away on a computer within the reception area, "no mate, but I am just checking out alternatives for myself on the trip adviser web site". So with that response I met Michael, a kiwi/aussie whom had travelled a very similar route as me after entering Timor Leste in his 1967 Morris Mini. Michael and I discussed the accommodation options and I got back on the bike and headed for the closest one. About half an hour latter Michael turned up after selecting the same hotel.

 

When the rain cleared the following morning a spectacular view of the Labuan Bajo bay dotted with small islands and coastal vista was revealed.

 

 

Sunset views proved equally spectacular.



 

 

Michael, whom had travelled to many parts of Indonesia over the past twenty odd years was a pretty fluent speaker of Bhasa Indonesian, which certainly provided an advantage in communicating with the locals. Michael and I had three days in Labuan Bajo before the next scheduled ferry would transport men and machines to the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, so during our wait we cruised around town in the mini, checked out local bars and eateries including the night market which dished up a delicious version of Ikan (fish) Bakar (bbq) or barbequed fish. The fish on offer was usually a couple of coral trout species, red snapper and cod, My whole coral trout meal was a steel at $5.00.

 

 

Labuan Bajo was also the place to organise a trip to Komodo or Rinca Islands, home to Komodo Dragons. We organised a day trip to Rinca Island, travelling in a timber boat propelled by a chug chug two cylinder engine with no muffler and one speed just over walking pace, needless to say it was a noisy two hour trip their and a noisy slow trip back with a stop off mid way for a quick snorkel over some pretty coral providing habitat for many brightly coloured species of small reef fish.

 

Oh yes, we did see five Komodo Dragons on Rinca Island, most were under the Rangers kitchen, we also spotted their number one meal, Timor Deer.

 



 

 

Before departing Labuan Bajo I took the opportunity to wash the bike at a nearby car wash, the young guy spent about 40 minutes washing my bike then it took about 30 minutes for the photo session, each worker' the owner and his wife wanted a photo on the bike, then one with me in shot, it was all good fun and put a smile on the faces of everyone.

 

After a great three days in Labuan Bajo, it was time to board our 8.00 am ferry to Sape on the Indonesia Island of Sambawa. The ferry journey was about 7 hours in duration, leaving us enough daylight  hours when we reach Sambawa to ride/drive to a town with accommodation. After the Indonesian islands I'd travelled through so far Sambawa proved to be quite a bit different. 

 

Twisty Roads, A Warm Welcome & Good Times

The overnight ferry from Kupang arrived in Larantuka on the Indonesian Island of Flores at about 6.30 am. So I was on the road early and soon discovered that Flores, with it's lush green mountainous rainforest's was where you are able to ride twisty roads all day long, hill climbs, hill descents, twists and turns just go on and on.

I was keen to get to the small town of Maumere for a bit of a rest and recovery, I ate a dodgy Nasi Ayam (rice & fried chicken) on the ferry for dinner, and all I will say is that one squat toilet with a constantly wet floor used by 20 or so other people on a ferry is not somewhere you want to visit as often as I did through that night.

Narrow, yet reasonable quality roads with little traffic meant by mid afternoon I was settled into a Maumere hotel for a one night stay, by early evening I was feeling a little better and required food to boost my depleted energy levels. The hotel was snookered within a residential area so I had to ride my motorcycle to the nearby eatery area for a meal. After eating it was well and truly dark and I soon discovered that in my unwell state I had not payed enough attention to exactly where the hotel was and was unable to find it.  I gave up and asked a teenager for directions, he kindly jumped on his scooter and I followed him back to my accommodation. Turns out I had ridden past the hotel at least three times without recognising it because the signage was not laminated, the hotel looked similar to other houses in the street.

The next morning, eager to get back on the road but still not feeling one hundred percent I gathered my gear and prepared to depart. A quick pre ride bike inspection revealed what I really didn't need to start the day, a flat rear tyre. I had a nail through the tyre, probably from all my circle work trying to find the hotel the night before. So it was out with the tools and off with the wheel, one of the hotel staff doubled me and the wheel to a tyre repair shed and for $1.50 the tyre and tube was removed, a vulcanised rubber patch was installed over the hole and the tyre reinstalled. A quick double back to the hotel for my reinstalling of the wheel and the job was done, I was back on the road.

My destination for the day was Moni, a very small town surrounded by volcanic peaks. I  had pencilled in a two night stay in Moni for a bit of rest and relaxation and I was not disappointed by my decision. Moni proved to be a wonderful place, with an ideal cool 22 - 26 degree climate, a wet season afternoon showers and great views from the veranda of my chosen accommodation at the Bintang Bungalows, I really could have stayed a lot longer.

 

 

Also staying at Bintang Bungalows were three Swiss guys, father Andre, son Eric and Johannes, Eric's mate, they had purchased a couple of old Honda motorcycles (not scooters Eric would say) in Indonesia and were riding around having  great time, they were a couple of well travelled friendly guys always happy to share a story.

 

 

 

While in Moni I rode up a nearby road, parked the bike and after a short walk was on the Western rim of Kelimutu and its three coloured lakes, minerals in the water mean one volcanic lakes remains turquoise while the others fluctuate in colour between yellow, orange and red.

 

 



 

My stay in Moni at Bintang Bungalows provided the rejuvenation I needed. A hot water shower, the first in about ten days was special, along with good food, and an impromptu acoustic session from the resident musician Billy who was a dab hand on the guitar and good vocals to match proved a real winner. I was feeling fit and healthy again, anticipating more twisty roads and friendly locals. 



Barbequed Fish

After riding through the land border at Atapupu, West Timor Indonesia the weather looked threatening with dark clouds filling the sky ahead. I continued on, reaching a small inland town called Atambua just as the rain came down. I stopped at a shop with a large awning, donned the wet weather gear and asked the teenage students sheltering from the rain where I could find a hotel. A volunteer came forward and offered to guide me into town on his scooter, so within a few minutes we reached a hotel, I thanked the young guy and I settled in for the afternoon.

Still keen to make up time I set off after breakfast the next morning for Kupang, the port of departure for my first ferry crossing island hopping in Indonesia. During the days ride I pasted through several small towns and reached the outskirts of Kupang just in time for the afternoon downpour, it is the wet season after all.

My accommodation for the next couple of nights was opposite the water front with a great water view from the raised gazebo at the front of the hotel block.

 

 

I was also fortunate to be close to the night market where I was able to first eat what is possibly the tastiest fish meal I have ever eaten. Ikan Bakar is a whole fish with one side filleted and butterflied off the bone, dipped in a spicy sauce and placed in a folding wire grill. The fish is then barbecued over a flame, producing a crispy skin and tender flesh taste sensation. I backed up with Ikan Bakar the next night and also enjoyed six big prawns cooked using a similar method.

 

 I was in Kupang to catch a ferry, so after checking the departure schedule I fronted up at the ferry terminal early to beat the queue. That proved to be a waste of time, the 2.00 pm scheduled time was not the departure time, but the time tickets begun being sold, departure time was 4.30 pm, so it was a long afternoon. I payed about $22.00 for a ferry ticket for my motorcycle and myself and a further $15.00 for an upgrade to business class which provided me with a bunk bed in a large room containing 22 bunk beds, so potentially sleeping room for 44 people, thankfully there was only about 20 people occupying the air conditioned business class room for my 15 hour overnight journey to my next destination, Larantuka on the island of Flores, Indonesia.

 

 

 

 



 

Finally On The Move

I have picked up my motorcycle after over three weeks wait, the shipping company do a great job securing the bike in the container, are very easy to deal with in both Darwin and Dili, it appears to be the ship maintenance and port availability that causes delays. Now I am on the bike and glad to be mobile again.

While still in Dili, Timor Leste I spent a couple of days checking out the sights. I visited two worthwhile exhibitions that highlight the struggle the East Timorese people went through over many years to achieve independence, one being the Chega Exhibition the other was the Resistance Museum. These people have been through some tough times in the recent past to say the least.

A couple of other highlights in Dili were the water front area where the students hang out through the day and are more than happy to expand their English language skills on an Aussie tourist. Also just a couple of kilometres East out of town is Cape Fatucoma, the Jesus Statue and a couple of nice Cafes along a pretty strip of white sandy beach with clear water for a swim, a great getaway from the hustle and bustle of town.

 

 

 

Due to the delays with my motorcycle and getting started on my adventure, I have had to shorten my time touring Timor Leste, I am on a bit off a schedule after all and if I do not hasten now it may accumulate causing issues down the track.

 

I did have time for a day trip South, inland from the coast, the road up the range out of Dili was a tarred but very dilapidated and pot holed, it did get better about 10 kilometre out of Dili but it still was not great. The main town I visited was Maubisse, a very small town in the mountains with a very pleasant temperature of about 24 degrees.

 

During the two hour ride to Maubisse I came up behind a guy on a scooter riding like he knew the road, so I sat in behind him for a while until he waved me passed. When I got to Maubisse I found a Warung (Café), parked the bike out the front, sat inside and order lunch. While I am eating a young guy walks in, sits down and also orders lunch, I recognise him as the guy I followed by his jacket and back pack and say hello, turns out he speaks pretty good English and we chat away through lunch then he suggests a walking tour of town, what more could I ask for. It also just happened to be Market Day so it was a hive of activity with stalls selling second hand cloths from Singapore, others selling a variety of local fruit and vegetables, and the women pictured selling tobacco and beetle nut.

 

 

My tour guide learnt to speak English while working in a Mission with Foreign Nationals in his home town of Same, further South in Timor Leste. He provided a great commentary for my tour  of town.

 

 

 

I returned to Dili after my Maubisse tour, prepared to leave and the next morning set off for West Timor, and a border crossing into Indonesia. Just before the Indonesian border I diverted slightly, to visit Balibo Timor Leste, which was the site where during the Timorese conflict five Australian based journalists were killed by Indonesian soldiers in 1975.

 

 

 

After a quick tour of Balibo and observing scrum like crowds of men viewing Cock fighting, I exited Timor Leste border with surprising efficiently, and entered West Timor, Indonesia with pretty much the same efficiency and with that my Indonesian adventure commenced.