Tuesday 1st May – Komodo/Flores Boat
Trip – Day 1
Up
at 6 a.m. and ready at the pier for the boat at 7 a.m. Except where’s the boat. Thankfully a local spotted me and pointed me
to the ’correct’ pier which was just the beach 100m away. Got the boat to Bangsal on Lombok where two
guys shouted ‘Perama Bus’. Perama
usually send someone from the company to meet you when you change bus or boat,
so I handed over my bag and followed them, only to quickly realise they were
scammers and going to charge me to take my bags 200m down the road. I grabbed my bag and ticket back and told
them as politely as possible where to go.
Then shouted at them. It’s just
frustrating. So many people in Indonesia
are genuinely helpful, but others aren’t
It’s so hard to work out the good from the bad.
Once
the bus came it took us to Senggigi where we started the tour proper. This was not the tour I was expecting. We had a guide on the bus who gave us loads
of information as we drove along. We
made a quick stop in Mataram, the capital city of Lombok, to pick up the rest
of the passengers and buy some supplies.
Not an easy process for me. I
went into a shop, pointed at what I wanted and the guy refused to sell it to
me. Baffled I explained again and this
time he told me to leave and go to the shop next door where finally I got
served. That guy was worse than all the
passport officials.
Back
on the bus again we next stopped at a small village, Masbagik, which is famous
for its traditional pottery making. We
watched an elderly woman make a large bowl in a matter of minutes. It was very impressive. In the village only the woman make the
pottery and it’s a skill passed down from generation to generation. At one time a New Zealand company seeing how
they made the pottery – spinning the base wheel with their toe - shipped over
the mechanical pottery wheels. They were
quickly ditched by the locals as useless and they went back to the fully manual
method. The shops nearby had some
amazing pieces, but unfortunately there was no way I could buy anything – how
would I get it home?
Finally
it was time to get the boat. We went to
Labuan Lombok, en route stopping off for some banana fritters at the Perama
Office before boarding. Here we were
introduced to all the crew and got to meet the other tour members. I had booked a cabin. There was the option to sleep on the deck
each night, but not knowing what that would be like I opted for the cabin. In hindsight the cheaper deck option would
have been fine. But the cabin was
great. Efficiently designed when it came
to space that’s for sure, but I get a free basket everyday with snakes and a
Bintang beer.
After
lunch on board we set sail for our first island – Perama Resort. It was a two hour trip before we hopped in
the small speedboat that transported us onto the beach. The first activity was snorkelling. I saw so many colourful fish and the water
was crystal clear. After we were told
about what Perama was doing on the island.
They are trying to help the regrowth of the coral and we helped out by
grabbing a piece of coral each, swimming out to the reef and planting it. It felt good to help out with the regeneration
project.
A
beach volleyball net was set up so myself and a few others passed the time
playing. It was my first time ever to
play. I wasn’t exactly the best player
as I never saw the ball until it was about to hit my face but it was a lot of
fun. Then I sat down and relaxed with a few
beers along with Karal, Omar, Graham and Ole.
Graham filled me in on a very interesting story. In March 2011 a Perama boat sank on this very
tour while trying to dock in Komodo in bad weather. Everyone survived but the boat didn’t. The reason I booked Perama was because they
seemed like the most professional company.
Hopefully they have learnt from their mistakes.
After
we had dinner on the beach, a campfire was lit and guitars played for a few
hours before it was time for us to learn the Indonesian form of line dancing
called the Poco-Poco. It was weird but
fun.
Exhausted
after a long day travelling we made our way back to the boat, I whacked my head
to the extent that I almost passed out and decided it was time for bed. We will be sailing through the night to our
next island – Satonda.
Wednesday 2nd May – Komodo/Flores Boat
Trip – Day 2
It
was an uneasy sleep last night. I woke
up so many times because of the rocking of the boat but at least there was no
feeling of seasickness. At about 6 a.m.
I was woken permanently by a girl in the room next to me screaming. I had no idea what had happened but later found
out that it was because she had seen a mouse in her room. Could be worse I suppose. A mouse I can handle – rats are a different
story.
At 9
a.m. after breakfast we went onto the island of Satonda and made our way to a
natural salt lake. It was a beautiful
setting nestled in between several rock faces.
The water was surprising warm and refreshing and because it was salty,
easy to float and relax in. After a swim
I sat by the rocks close to the shore and within a few minutes was surrounded
by tiny black fish biting me. These are
little fish that eat the dead skin on your body. It’s a very weird sensation – kind of feels
like getting tickled but sometimes they bite a little harder and it feels like
a nip. A really cool experience.
After
snorkelling and relaxing on the beach we headed back to the boat for lunch and
started sailing for seven hours to our next island, Kilo. This was a strange stop. We were supposed to snorkel on Dongoo Beach,
but when we got on the island a crowd of locals approached our guide and after
a discussion we all just sat on the beach wondering what was going on. No snorkelling happened and after we all watched
the sunset we made our way back to the boat.
After
dinner I spoke with Jenny and Oli who live in Singapore. Jenny is originally from Cookstown which is
very close to my hometown in Ireland (I thought she was Scottish!). I asked them lots of details about Singapore
as although my final flight home is from there I’m undecided as to whether I
want to spend any time there. From what
Jenny and Oli say it sounds like a very intriguing place and something to
experience if just for a few days. But
very expensive.
We
sail through the night to Komodo Island and hopefully see what is sure to be
the highlight of the whole tour – the infamous Komodo Dragons!
Thursday 3rd May – Komodo/Flores Boat
Trip – Day 3
After
going to bed last night at 10 p.m. I woke at 1.30 a.m. and noticed that the
boat was not moving. Curious I got up
and took a walk out onto the deck to find the captain relaxing. I looked around and spotted we were docked in
a harbour. I asked, ‘Are we at Komodo
already?’ He replied, ‘No. We are having
engine problems but don’t worry we will be moving soon again’. As a result we would be arriving at Komodo
Island about two hours late which gave me a chance to have a lie in. Later I was to discover that ‘engine problems’
was actually an engine fire when an oil pipe broke. I’m starting to wonder if Perama have
actually learnt anything from their sinking boat experience.
With
the delayed start we made our way onto Komodo Island at 10 a.m. I was excited – very excited. I have seen them so often on natural history
documentaries and now I was going to see them in the flesh. Walking towards the entrance of the national
park it felt like we were about to enter Jurassic Park. We were given a briefing by the two rangers
who would walk us around the island. The
dragons are not too dangerous as long as you respect the rules. The last tourist was killed in 1975. But only a few years ago a young boy in a
village was attacked by one. Komodo Dragons
do not kill when they attack. They bite
and then leave. But the bacteria in
their mouth causes the flesh to rot and they return a few days later to eat the
dead flesh. The little boy died. They was nothing they could do to stop the
bacteria. Amelie, a Canadian girl on the
tour, knew a lot about the dragons as that is the area she studied in at university. She was telling me that it has been known for
Komodo Dragons to reproduce without mating.
If there is no male a female will create eggs that hatch live mail
offspring. These creatures really are a
marvel.
It
wasn’t long before we came face-to-face with them. After only walking for five minutes we saw
three about 10m metres away basking in the sun.
The guides approached with care and one stood up and walked away,
another stood up and eyed us with interest while sticking out its tongue to
smell us. It was an incredible
sight. They are huge. The largest of all monitor lizards. On the island they eat deer and water
buffalo. As wd walked further along we
came across a deer. I could only think
that his days were numbered.
After
walking for one and half hours we approached the end of the trail and another
dragon was waiting for us. This time we were
able to get much closer. As I crouched
down behind it for a photograph every muscle in my body was tensed and ready to
jump and run if it so much as flinched.
Thankfully it didn’t. Seeing
these was a moment I will not forget. It
was like seeing a living dinosaur. Maybe
the idea of Jurassic Park is not as hair brained as Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ian
Malcolm think. More investigation is
definitely needed there I think.
Once
back on the boat we headed to Red Beach for the best snorkelling of the whole
trip so far. The water was much colder
but the fish more plentiful and spectacular.
While sitting on the beach I spotted that Graham and Ole were investigating
a fish in the shallow water, It turned
out to be a stone fish. If you get stung
by this you have six hours to get medical treatment or it’s all over for
you. It’s a good job Ole spotted it so
we knew to stay clear of the area. It
was then time to set sail for Labuan Bajo on Flores.
My
plan all along had been to jump off the boat at Labuan Bajo and cisit a crater
on the island of Flores which has three multi-coloured lakes. While approaching Flores I read a little more
about this in The Lonely Planet and realised it was 15-hiour journey there, a
6-hour trek and finally a 15-hour journey back.
A lot of effort for a small reward.
Once we docked at Labuan Bajo I got off the boat and went in search of accommodation. I looked for about 30 minutes and after
finding nowhere decent (too horrible for the price or too expensive) I went straight
to Perama office in the town and booked myself back on the boat for the two-day
return journey to Lombok.
Back
to the boat it was for me. Some of the
group did stay on Flores and new guests joined us. After dinner we had a few drinks and while
talking to Karel and Omar I looked over their shoulder to look at the boat we
were docked beside – it was only about half a metre from our boat – and I asked,
‘What are they?’ Cockroaches! More than I have ever seen. Huge and swarming all over the other boat. As we watched them some jumped onto our boat
but we knocked them off. But they kept
coming. Finally the crew spotted it and
within minutes the engines were on, the anchor raised and we moved as quick as
we could away from the infested boat. I
have to say great work by the crew to move so swiftly otherwise we could have a
serious problem over the next two days.
I
was really glad of my decision to get back on the boat. All the guys on the
boat are good fun and making the whole trip a great experience. The end of the night involved a few drinks,
more guitar by the crew members before heading to bed. The boat will stay in the harbour tonight so I
am hoping for a good sleep before we sail at 5.30 a.m. for Rinca Island to see
more Komodo Dragons.
Friday 4th May – Komodo/Flores Boat Trip
– Day 4
We
reached Rinca Island at 7 a.m. and made our way on to go on the hunt for more
Komodo Dragons. We weren’t so lucky this
time and on the trek only managed to see a couple of water buffalo having a
bath in mud pools. As we stood there and
watched them I felt that we were Peeping Toms and they looked like they were
embarrassed having been caught in the bath.
The trek lasted about one hour and at the very end we finally saw more
dragons. I was glad we did as it would
have been very disappointing for the new members of the group who did not see
them yesterday.
Next
it was off for more snorkelling at Gili Laba.
As we made our way there on the boat I sat and talked to Janet, from New
York but now living in Sanur in Bali, about music. I love meeting people with a passionate
interested in music and having a detailed conversation. We talked about our favourite bands, gigs,
festivals. And our worst and most
hated.
Once
we reached the island I was more interested in climbing up the mountain behind
us than the snorkelling. Myself and Joel
did the climb not knowing what we would see.
It was further than we thought to the top but only took about 15 minutes. What we saw over the other side was, to say
the least, unexpected. Dinosaurs – lots
of them. A pterodactyl swooped down on
an Apatosaurus as a herd velociraptors attacked a stegosaurus. All this frantic activity took place in a
beautiful bay with a white sand beach by a shaded blue sea. We wanted to stay longer but fearing they
might attack and also because our boat was about to leave we hurried down
again. On the boat we prepared ourselves
for the long journey to Moyo Island.
This sailing would take the rest of the day and night.
After
I had a shower and wandered back up to the deck I thought there had been a
mutiny. The boat was deserted! Everyone had crashed. After sitting by myself for a little while
Amelie appeared also wondering where everyone was. We sat and talked about everything. With her being a French-Canadian and me
interested to know the history we talked about that for a long time. Then an in-depth discussion about
environmental politics. Thankfully we
both sat on the same side of the fence on the topic. Amelie has a lot of educated knowledge in
this area and I learnt a lot from her.
In
the evening Amelie, Joel, Omar, Karel and I passed the long voyage by having a
few Bintang and playing Shithead into the night.
Saturday 5th May – Komodo/Flores Boat
Trip – Day 5
Our
final day on the boat. The morning
activity was on Moyo Island. We walked
for 30 minutes to reach a waterfall with a swimming hole at the bottom. All along the way, from stepping onto the
harbour until we reached the waterfall, we had a welcoming committee of local
kids. They are so friendly and cute,
waving all the time and shouting ‘Hello Mister!
Hello Mister’.
Once
at the waterfall it was time for a swim.,
A rope swing was at the top of the waterfall to swing out and plunge
in. I gave this a miss while Karel, Omar
and Joel did their best Tarzan impressions.
I did jump off the four metre high rock wall though. After hitting the water and making my way to
the other side, Karel and Omar immediately asked, ‘Did you hit the rocks? Did you hit the bottom? We did!
It hurt’ I wish they had told me
that before I jumped. I was ok though
and got out unharmed.
The party kicked off when we got back on the boat. It would be our last sailing as we made our way back to our starting point of Labuan Lombok. Everyone was in a hyper mood. Karel and Omar scaled the heights of the mast to jump into the water. Yesterday I was only brave enough to do it from a little way up the mast. Then all the crew climbed the mast and started dancing. They were soon joined by Janet while Amelie and I sat on the ship’s bow with the rest of the crew singing and playing guitar. This went on for about one hour and was a great way to end the trip.
For
the final activity of the whole tour we sailed to the very small island of
Keramat. After a brief snorkel, Janet,
Amelie and I walked around the island.
It was going to be a long and thirsty trek and we made sure we took
supplies in case we ran into trouble.
Not having a compass was a worry but we decided that the risk was worth
it. On the way we found sand
dollars. I had never seen these before –
very pretty shells with star shapes on them.
We also saw countless hermit crabs darting across the sand at breakneck
speed. They looked more like flies than
crabs as they were so tiny. We survived
the trek and after an arduous four minutes reached the point we had started
from. We all patted ourselves on the
back having managed to circumnavigate the island’s rugged coastline.
As
we approached Lombok, Rinjani was in full view.
As I stared at it I wondered how I ever managed to climb it. It is huge and the standout landmark on the
whole island. I had an overwhelming sense
of self pride. I think I’m allowed that
– it is the second highest peak in Indonesia.
When
we reached Labuan Lombok we all transferred from the boat to a bus and were
transported back to Senggigi reaching the town at 10 p.m. After checking into Roy’s Hotel, Joel, Karel,
Omar, Amelie and I went to a bar close by called Marina for a few drinks. Needing money I walked to the ATM. As I approached the ATM machine the town was
plunged into blackness – the electricity had gone out and I had no money on me. I turned on my heels to make my way back to
the bar along the dark footpath. At one
point I took a step and noticed something out of the corner of my eye. A gaping hole in the footpath about one metre
deep! Just as I was about to fall in I
managed to quickly side step and skip over it – my heart pounding. This was followed by three similar holes. Indonesia is worse than San Jose in Costa
Rica when it comes to holes in the road and darkened streets just add to the
danger. Eventually the electricity came
back and I got my money.
We
all left the bar at about 3 a.m. and I went to bed not knowing what my next
move would be. Stay in Senggigi for a
night? Go back to Bali tomorrow? I’ll decide in the morning.
Sunday 6th May – Back To Bali It Is
As I
woke at 8 a.m. I decided I would make my way back to Bali today. I needed to get there anyway and getting the
journey over with as soon as possible was the best idea. I went for the breakfast included with the
room. I sat at a table and quickly moved
before the ants occupying it whisked me away to wherever they were busy trying
to get to and dissected me for dinner.
The supplied breakfast was as ever disappointing. I’m not sure why in Indonesia the task of
making toast seems to be a little beyond their capabilities. This toastie was just a shade above warm
bread and somehow the guy seemed to have forgotten that the idea of a toastie
is that it contains some sort of filling other than air.
I
headed to the Perama Office and booked the bus/boat back to Bali. On the trip I was joined by Janet, Amelie, Karel
and Omar. The journey was painless
enough.; We played cards on the boat and
I swapped my Marching Powder book for the life story of Pablo Escobar. A story I’ve always wanted to read especially
since hearing and seeing so much about him during my time in Bogota. Once we reached Padang Bai I decided to go
back to Sanur and relax there for a few days.
As Janet and Amelie live there they suggested a hostel to stay at,
Little Pond but it was full so I found another one called Yulia I. The room was more expensive that I wanted but
I bargained them down to 140,000 Rp if didn’t include the breakfast. I’ve arranged to meet Janet and Amelie on
Tuesday night for a few drinks and to see a local cover band.
Hungry
I headed to Street Café for a quick bite to eat before crashing while trying to
listen to the football commentary on the internet.
Monday 7th May – I want it – but it’s
not mine
At
7.30 a.m. I got a knock on the door of my room.
I opened it to find a guy holding what looked like a perfect
breakfast. I had to tell him it wasn’t
mine but I wanted it so badly. I think
they did it deliberately to rub in the fact that I got a cheaper rate by not including
breakfast with my room. Nasty.
After
getting more and much needed sleep I took a walk to find a place to get my
laundry done and came across a parade. I
have no idea what the parade was for but it was enchanting with very relaxing
music. Abbot 30 minutes later another
similar parade came by. I think they
were Buddhists but I can’t be sure.
I
spent the rest oi]f my day writing my blog and went to Little Bird for some
food in the evening. A day of rest after
so many days travelling.
Tuesday 8th May – Kenny Rodgers Followed
By Iron Maiden?
I’m
really struggling to sleep in the heat and desperately want a proper night of
rest. Most of today I did nothing. I went to Green Leaf for lunch and was
entertained by some very strange background music. First it was covers of Bob Marley done in a
lounge style, then Benny Hill theme tune as played on Spanish guitar and next
the snooker theme from the BBC, again on Spanish guitar.
Needing
to make plans to hit Java and see the rest of Indonesia I accidently discovered
that Perama do a four-day trip to Yogyakarta which stops at the Ijen Plateau
before continuing to Cemoro Lawang for one night allowing me to do the Gunung
Bromo sunrise trip. This is
perfect. Ijen Plateau looks special and
Gunung Bromo is supposed to an amazing sight and high on my list of places to
visit. My sister Orla has raved about it
and insisted that I go there and follow in the 15-year-old footsteps of her and
her husband Damien. Tomorrow I will go
to the Perama Office and book this tour.
At
8.30 p.m. I headed to Lazer’s to meet Amelie and Janet. I had a great night. The band was excellent and they played a huge,
if rather eclectic, variety of music.
The Beatles, Kenny Rodgers and (upon my request) Iron Maiden at the very
end. When they played The Gambler I
resisted the temptation to do my dance.
After plenty of drinks, music and pool their friend Michelle took me the
happening club in Sanur – Zoo. Well if this
is happening place I’d like to see the quite place. It’s probably a collapsed building. But we had a dance and made the most if
it. I made it to bed at about 2 a.m.
Wednesday 9th May – Bromo Booked
I
didn’t stir until noon and my first task for the day was a new bag. The one I have been using has been a loyal
servant. I got in Thailand eight years
ago for the hefty sum of £1.50 and it has lasted me ever since on any travels I
have made. But over the previous three
months it has started to show its signs of age and various zips and straps have
ceased to function. A shop around the
corner supplied the perfect replacement for 150,000 Rp (his starting price was
450,000 Rp!). Content with my purchase I
bid a sad farewell to my old bag as I placed it in the bin of my hotel room.
Next
I made my way to the Perama office to book my Ijen-Bromo-Yogyakarta tour but
with no success. It needs a minimum of two
people and I’m the only one that wants to go.
So I have now booked a very similar tour, it just doesn’t include the
Ijen part. It leaves from Kuta in Bali,
stops in Cemoro Lawang for one night for the Bromo sunrise trip and then it’s straight
to Yogyakarta. I’m not bothered about missing
out on Ijen as it wasn’t even on my list of things to do until I saw it mentioned
on the Perama website.
Feeling
very content and excited about my next adventure in Indonesia I walked along
the beach, stopped into a café for food and then went for dessert – a Magnum. It was a hot day today and it was perfect for
an ice-cream. I opened it and within
seconds I watched in horror as it slide from its stick. I grabbed at it but to no avail – it fell as
if in slow motion to the ground. I
stared at the chocolate mess on the footpath and almost cried. It was my treat for the day and it was gone –
not even one taste. Dejected and mournful
I slouched my way back to the hotel before going to Little Bird for a coffee
and ending the evening and my last night in Bali with food at the Street Café.
Tomorrow
I move on and the next adventure begins in Java.
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