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.