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.
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