INDONESIA - bali - legian - 2012

LEGIAN BALI 2012 WITH FAMILY

From Sumbawa we caught a car, a plane then another car to Legian. The trip went smoothly.

We checked into the Kumala Pantai Hotel. We were staying for one night and I stayed for two nights.

We spent our time, shopping, wandering along the beach and eating. The weather was great and there were no problems, incidences or anything except relaxing.

On the second night the family flew back to Australia and were picked up by limousine for the journey home.

BALIAN 2012

The night after the family left I drove by car to Balian. Balian is on the west coast of Bali. The journey took about two hours.

I got a room at Ayu’s for 100 000 rupiah with breakfast. The room was on the second floor with a view over the surf. Inside there was a shower area and a large bed and fan. The room was simple but okay.

I spent most of my time surfing and wandering around.

I met some nice younger people from Sweden, Italy and New Zealand. We had a few beers, meals and wandered around the area.

Generally, it was quiet and easy going.

I stayed a week then drove back to Legian.

LEGIAN 2012

I drove back to Legian to stay for two nights before flying back to Australia.

I spent my time quietly eating, relaxing and wandering.

I went to Tanah Lot in the afternoon.  I hadn’t been in 30 years. It has changed a lot but it is still pretty. I had a blessing and wandered around. The restaurants were very touristy so I had a cocktail and drove back to Legian.

One last stop at the bintang supremarket and the action heated up. When i was leaving a guy said to me 'taxi?'  'Do you use a meter?' ' no 20 000 rupiah' ' no thanks' 'well you can get fXXXXd' why are you speaking like that?' 'there are no police around so you can't do anything about it'.  My my someone was in a bad mood or was it his true thoughts on tourists surfacing.

i cross the road and get a taxi to the hotel. he didn't have change of 50 000 rupiah. 'hold on and i'll get change in the hotel' 'give me my money you fXXkin cXXt tourist' he gets out of the cab and rants and raves and other indos in the street. i ignore him get the change and give it to him. 'thank you' he says. (not an unusual scam to try and coerce you in to giving them the whole 50 000  rupiah)

Well that was about the last drama. I had a good laugh and went on my merry way back to Australia

No dramas getting to the airport or boarding the plane. Back to the land down under.

INDONESIA - sumbawa - lakey 2012

SUMBAWA LAKEY 2012

After Balangan, we (family) flew to Bima Sumbawa for a week at Lakey (Hu’u).

The flight was fine and there were no problems until we went to get into the car for Lakey. The car was old with no air conditioning. Not what we paid for/expected. It seemed to be a massive problem to get another car for us. The biggest problem came when they put the surfboards on top of the car. The rack was old and rusted and couldn’t hold the boards. They only had one old strap to tie the boards on with and it kept breaking as they tried to fasten it. A stalemate was reached. Eventually, they gave in and got good rope and tied the boards to the roof rather than the rack. J wasn’t happy with the car but I felt better about the boards.

We got to Aman Gati hotel in Lakey with no dramas. I complained to the manager about the car but he just stared at me through his dark glasses and made no response. I asked him if he cared and he said he did. But that was the end of it. Great manager!

On the way to our room, some guests told us that there were electrical problems and the air conditioning wasn’t working or working intermittently. It was working fine in our room though it did stop occasionally. We complained to the manager, who told us that he knew and that many people were complaining and it was very difficult for him. After his sob story I told him I cared.

Those dramas happened on day one and after that it was fine for us.

We have been to Lakey before and love the place. It has beautiful white sand beaches, nice locals, a sleepy  feel to it, a few ’restaurants’, good food, a variety of reef surfing breaks, good snorkelling and a mixture of western tourists.

I did a lot of surfing, swimming and snorkelling. Chloe joined me for some snorkels. There was a lot of fish and some nice corals. We snorkelled at Nungas and Lakey.  I even snorkelled out to the surf break and videoed guys surfing form the water. Lots of fun! At low tide, we walked over the reefs which are mainly flat.

The surfing was good and the crowd spread out over a number of breaks which are accessible by walking and motorbike. You can hire bikes or a bike and a driver. I chose the latter as they look after your gear and take photos/videos. On one day, we hired bikes for all of us and rode around the villages in the area. It was a lot of fun. I met and chatted with a few of the elders in one village as they were leaving the mosque. They were about the same age as me but a bit contrast in looks and dress but a commonality in friendliness.

The walks were great at dawn and sunset. The locals come alive in the morning with fishing boats setting off, people collecting seaweed and others getting ready for the day. In the evening everyone tended to relax, talk and sit around.

The social scene at the Aman Gati was the pool. There were lots of people to meet from various parts of the world. We met people from Australia, England, Brazil, France and Indonesia. It was mainly small talk but after a number of small talks you got to know some people better and even shared meals together.

We met a number of people who had interesting stories to tell:

The donut lady

One of the local ladies sells donuts and gives massages. Her English is limited and with my limited Indonesian I managed to work out that she had two children. A son and daughter who go to university in Lombok. She pays for their fees, living, etc through her two businesses. She sells donuts for 2 000 rupiah so that’s a lot of donuts to make ends meet. The university fees were relatively very high. What we do for our kids!

The yachty

I watched a young fellow disembark form a tinny on the beach. Later, I met and chatted with him at dinner. He had been sailing his yacht around the Indonesian islands for the last 5 years off and on. He doesn’t charter the boat but his wife and friends join him at various times. He was a very pleasant fellow who had set himself up very nicely for his dream. Good one!

The bike guys

Along Lakey, there a numerous guys hiring bikes to tourists. I’ve gotten to know a few of these guys better over the last three visits, especially, Harry, Jay and Mickey. These are not their real names but I haven’t as yet been able to get their true identities. Harry mainly works in the fields and comes out on his bike when I’m there. His English is very limited and I kind of liked that. We have had some good rides around the area – met his family, visited his rice fields and sat around and talked. This year he only turned up sporadically. I found out that he thought he was dying but he had only a sore throat so I visited him at home in Hu’u and gave him a pre mixed bottle of betadine gargle. In a few days he was fine. I saved Harry’s life! He owes me!

The little girl

While snorkelling with Chloe we met a small girl on the water’s edge. Chloe and her struck up a friendship and I  translated when possible. The amazing thing was her size. We thought she was about 7 but she was 11. She also was stunned to hear Chloe was 16. As it was most times we were at Nungas she would appear and sit and chat with Chloe.

The other kids in the area hung close by and seemed keen to join us. They appeared a bit shy. After a day or two, I spoke with them and their families where the land meets the sea and had a few basic conversations.

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All in all a good trip - no big dramas, relaxing, good surf, good snorkelling and nice people.

indonesia - bali - balangan 2012

Balangan 2012

After Padangbai, we drove down to Balangan which is on the Bukit.

I
t is a very pretty area with a long white sandy beach with a reef running from one point to the other. Good waves run along this reef that section in a few places, though some waves can run right through. The beach is lined with warungs, restaurants and bungalows.

At one end of the beach, is a temple with steps leading close around the bottom of the cliffs. There are a number of bats living here as well. I had a walk up the beach and through the temple on an early walk. On another day there was a ceremony being held there.

The other end of the beach was calmer and had reasonably okay swimming and snorkelling though there wasn’t much to see.

We stayed at Balangan Seaview Bungalows. The rooms were nice and clean and the staff friendly. It had a small pool which was the focal point of social activity. There were a number of people staying here, mainly from various parts of Europe.  We had lots of small talk conversations.

The restaurant was spread out and served good food. There were also a number of other places nearby to eat and down on the beach but we never got that far.

The hotel was above Balangan beach with a large field in between the hotel and the cliffs. There were often cows grazing in this area. The walk down the beach was via a grassy path until it reached some steps

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We picked up my other daughter from the airport on the first night.

Not much happened while we stayed here. We walked, swam, snorkel, ate. The steep cliffs aggravated my foot so it got very sore. I tried a surf but it was a disaster. My foot was swollen so my balance was out.  I tended to lean too far forward when I stood up and added to this the big surf and I spent a lot of time paddling, falling, rolling down the wave face, picked up by the wave, dumped down again and dragged along in the white wash. It took me two hours before I finally had had enough punishment.

As it was, my daughter who is a studying physio gave me the opposite advice to the insurance company medical team and the doctor from Flores and after a few days it was getting noticeably better.

Balangan was a nice place.  It was a good choice for a family get together though a bit punishing for a surfer who couldn’t surf and had to watch.

Next stop Sumbawa… !

indonesia - bali - padangbai 2012

Padangbai 2012

I spent two nights in Legian then picked up my wife and daughter at the airport and we drove up to Padangbai.

I did have a few adventures in Legian.

Padangbai is a pretty port town with a mixed atmosphere of local and western tourists plus the locals living their daily lives. There are people arriving, waiting and leaving on the ferries to Lombok, fast boats to the Gilis and the slower boats to a variety of destinations. There are boats for fishing and diving leaving at various times of the day.

The beach is white sand and clean and there is a reasonable snorkel in the harbour. In the afternoons, the locals gather down the beach for a swim and in the mornings they are sitting around chatting.

The village spreads out from the seaside and up the hills. Close to the water most buildings are for tourism, either being hotels, restaurants, warungs, shops, travel agencies and dive centres. Further away the buildings are more for locals.

The big attractions at padangbai are ‘Bias Tugal’ (which is a pretty one sand beach to the south for swimming), BlueLagoon (for swimming and snorkelling), the temples (a series of which are on the north headland) the waterfront, the local market, the hotels and the transport facilities to Lombok, Gilis, etc.

We stayed at the Puri Rai Hotel in a family fan room. The hotel is nice with three pools.

Generally, it was a pretty quiet stay but fun.

So what happened…..?

Legian robbery

I usually go for an early morning walk, starting just before sunrise. I find the atmosphere quiet and the locals are just starting their movements for the day. I was walking down the gang (laneway) next to the Kumala Pantai Hotel like I have done heaps before. I was near the end of the gang where it meets the road that follows the beach when I heard a motorbike coming down the lane behind me. I moved to one side and waited for it to past but it stopped so I kept walking. The next thing I knew, a hand comes around and grabs me on the testicles. I turn around and this girl with massive breasts leans her hand round my back. I stepped back quickly and raised my hands up and wide to protect myself. She grabs my arm and wrenches at me to knock me over. I didn’t move so she tried again and this time she backed off when I didn’t fall.

I walked to the beach road and there was a Balinese guy who had watched the whole thing. He said ‘that girl likes you’

‘That was no girl mate.’

I checked my daypack and the zip had been opened. Nothing was missing.

Amazingly, the girl/boy was still in the gang looking at me. This whole scene took about a minute. I was dramatised! This wasn’t the first time, the ladyboys have approached me. My guess is grey hair, older guys with a daypack or wallet in the early mornings is a potential good victim. Maybe one day it will be a real girl.

Since then I have avoided quiet laneways.

Legian stories

Sitting around the beach, I was told a number of stories by Indonesian girls. I believe them all in part but my friend Nyoman keeps telling me I need to see through the bullshit. So this time, after listening, I added my conversation killer

1 I am all alone in Bali and my mother lives in Jakarta and is very sick and I need to send her money – what is your bank account details and your ID card – no bank account and have lost my ID card just give me cash – how will you get the money to her? – thinking...thinking…my brother will take it.

2 my mobile is broken and I need a new one to call my mother – sure, what phone do you want? – an I-phone!

3 my mother is sick I need to fly to Borneo – when did she get sick? – Today – what is wrong with her – needs medicine – what is wrong with her? – She is in hospital – but what is wrong with her? – Never did get a straight answer

4 I like older men – SURE! I didn’t need Nyoman’s advice on that one!

5 I am hungry – sure where would you like to eat -  take me to the ‘Cocoon’.

6 why don’t you have a women with you? – I have a wife and she is in Australia coming tomorrow – so why don’t you have a woman with you?

Back to Padangbai

Blue lagoon

We walked over the hill and spent the day at Blue lagoon sitting in the sun and shade, short walks, swims and snorkels. The snorkelling was very clear and as usual there were lots of fish and nice corals. While snorkelling with my daughter, I dived down and was touching a large fish sitting passively on the flat coral. Chloe said that was cool and so she dived down to do the same. The fish had other ideas and actually chased her a short distance when she tried to touch it.

Padangbai markets

Chloe and I had an early morning walk through town and over to the markets. It was very traditional and cool. The locals were either friendly or indifferent but no one seemed to mind my videoing.

Padangbai temples

On the northern headland are a number of temples. They attract a lot of Balinese making offerings and ceremonies. We went for an early walk to watch the sun rise from one of the cliff side temples. We walked down the steep steps to the temple which is perched on a flattened area above the water. The view over the coastline is excellent but the sunrise is electric. The sun rises over the offshore islands near Candidasa and as the sun rises it burns its way into the break of day. Very, very cool.

Padangbai is one of my favourite places to stay in Bali. It is close to other relaxing places – Candidasa, Tirtagangga. It is vibrant in a sleepy way which makes every trip here like it was the first time.

indonesia - lombok - gili trawangan 2012

Gili Trawangan 2012

The plane was delayed 5 hours in Maumere Flores to Denpasar, Bali. They did not charge me for my surfboard as compensation. My foot was sore. Five hours was a test of my endurance so I stayed in a VIP lounge. Beige walls, beige lounges and chairs, beige curtains…one person’s heaven is another person’s hell.

I finally arrived at Denpasar and Nyoman was there to pick me up and take me to the Grand Kumala hotel. I spent the rest of the day wandering around in small doses as I couldn’t walk for too long. By the evening, I thought I needed to be somewhere easy, pretty, flat, bike hire, good food… Gili Trawangan! I booked a ticket and pick up for the following morning. I then rang around and eventually found accommodation at Quiet Water Park Hotel in Gili Trawangan.  I spent the rest of the evening, sitting on the beach, drinking cocktails and eating. It was then back for some pain killers and sleep. Too easy!

In the morning all was going to plan…picked up on time, comfortable drive, boarded the Gili cat for Gili Trawangan, smooth ride, no problems on arrival and someone from the hotel met me halfway and carried my gear. Too easy!

I settled into the room. It had fan, aircon, comfortable bed, frig and tv. I arranged a bike for the week at 30 000 rupiah per day. I was the only person in the hotel, though a couple stayed there for a night a few days later. Too easy!

 he owner was a pleasant lady in her fifties came from Lombok mainland. She spoke no English but I managed to find out that her husband had passed away, she had two children (both at university), she lived in a small hut at the back of the village while on GT, she liked to go dancing and went to the all night parties. Generally, it was a nice place to stay.

I spent a lot of time on the bike and walked only short distances. My foot liked that! Snorkelling was an okay activity as well as I wasn’t putting any weight on my foot. So I spent a lot of time swimming and snorkelling. Most days I’d snorkelled for a while north of the pier and just off the beach and drift along with the current. The coral was okay and there were fish.  While snorkelling, one had to keep regular vigilance for boats motoring to shore. They seemed to be unaware that people were snorkelling.

The bike was the best part of the stay. I cycled around and through the island a few times, sometimes leisurely and once to see how fast I could do it.

I met lots of people, which is a big part of the fun.

Lots of big and small adventures happened so I’ll relive a few that stick in my mind the most.

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I went on a snorkelling trip around the islands for the day. It was pretty good and enjoyable. There were nice people on the boat and everyone was in a good mood. While we were snorkelling at Gili Air. A lady on our boat noticed that a guy from another boat was in trouble. I noticed that he seemed very exhausted and was being dragged along and over the reef by the swift current. There were two people helping but they were making no headway. No one form the other boat was doing anything. The crew were watching but doing nothing.

 I put on my snorkel gear and swam over to the guy. His helpers were looking tired too. I told them to swim back to their boat as soon it would be three people needing rescue. The guy was incoherent, big and exhausted. It took awhile but I managed to get him close enough to his boat so they could throw him a rope and pull him in the rest of the way. Good deed for the day done!

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The guesthouse was quiet but straight opposite was another guesthouse. There was one lady staying there from Lombok. I met her one morning while about to go on a bike ride. She wasn’t a tourist and didn’t live on the island but she was here working on the island. ‘Oh, are you working in one of the restaurants?’

‘Not really’

 ‘One of the shops?’

‘Not really’

 ‘What do you do?’

‘You know… with a coy smile.  

To be honest I was baffled. Why would I know?’ No. I don’t know’. She did a few hand gestures and I said, ‘ah. I know. Sorry, I’m going for a bike ride.’

She must have had good hearing or I’m very noisy as every morning she was there to meet me the moment I stepped out the hotel. She was persistent to say the least. I just kept ‘acting’ thick. Anyway, on my last morning she dressed up quite nicely and joined me to share a pot of tea. She told me her story.

 She lived on Lombok mainland, her husband had left her (she was glad as he use to hit her), she had a young daughter who was being looked after by her mother , she missed her daughter a great deal, she worked the bars and parties for work and when she had enough money she returns home. She was an interesting and nice person. I didn’t envy her work but one must do what one must do.

Still being persistent her final words centred on cleaning my house in Australia and ‘you know’.

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While cycling around, I noticed the signs for ‘magic mushrooms’. I felt that it would be good for my foot so I tried it for medicinal purposes. I went back to my room slightly paranoid of the upcoming effects! About 20 minutes later, I started to feel that adrenalin was pumping through my body. I needed to do something. A minute later, I was on the bike and cycling at a breakneck pace around the island. Previously, I took care going through the sandy parts but this time I had a record to make. The bike was writhing unpredictably through the soft sand but I managed to stay on. I passed a number of people who called out to me ‘hati-hati’ but I was relentless. Eventually, I was on the strip leading through the ‘urbanised area’. I passed a window front and the reflection was a shirtless guy, dripping with sweat and splattered with sand. Not a pretty sight! 

Back at the room, I showered and eventually returned to the land of the normal. I rang my wife to tell her the story in retrospect. I thought she would be proud of my bike time but she said I was an idiot. Where’s the support???

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One morning, I met and chatted to a guy. He was one of those noble human beings of this planet. He was scruffy looking but his story was one of kindness. He travelled a lot going from place to place helping people. He presently was looking after a friend hotel, fixing things and sorting out all sorts of problems for free. He was on his way to Bali to babysit, while another friend was in hospital. He spends two months of the year teaching English for free in poor areas. The list went on and on. He spoke fondly of his wife, eventual he told me she passed away a few years ago. His final words ‘live life being good to others and enjoying them as they may be there for only a short time!

I haven’t written too much on this guy but I have been greatly impressed by his exploits and inspired to lead a similar life but I’m just a tad too selfish to be that good.

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A tradition on GT is to go the south of the island and watch the glorious sunset. I cycled down ordered a beer and sat at a table enjoying the view and activities. The closer to sunset the more the crowd grew (but not too much) and people seemed to let go a little and were running, jumping and skipping along the beach. It was heaps of fun to watch. The sunset was magnificent!

A guy on the table next to me read a book the whole time. Must have been a good book!

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After a week, it was time to move on back to Legian, meet my wife and daughter at the airport and wander off to Padangbai.

indonesia - flores - maumere 2012

Flores 2012

I left Lombok with a connecting flight to Maumere Flores that afternoon. The flight from Lombok was four hours delayed. It was a fine line but I went through domestic customs and back through for my flight to Flores with ½ hour to spare. I made a mental note never to book interconnecting domestic indo flights again.

The flight to Maumere was on Lion Air. No problems. At Maumere airport my driver Mathus was there to meet me and off we went for an hour or so to Ankermi Guesthouse. We were pretty close to the guesthouse when the road was blocked by bamboo being cut. This is was something that occurred a few times with the loppers asking for money - 2 000 rupiah - to move the bamboo to let you pass. Once we passed the bamboo was placed across the road again. Mathus explained they do this to get money to buy arak. Very enterprising!

Ankermi's was great! Six rooms close to the water with nice gardens and restaurant. The views over the bay were very pretty with a small jetty to walk along to get clearer views. The room was nice. It had a comfortable bed, fan, mozzie net and an outside shower. NICE!

The rooms were 254 000 rupiah per night with breakfast. The meals were tasty and you could order from the menu and sometimes they had a small smorgasbord.

The place gave of the ambience of tranquillity and calmness.

Kermis was an Indonesian born in Java and he moved to Bali and later Flores. He is a nice pleasant guy. His wife Claudia is from Austria. She came a few days later with her mum and son. She was very pleasant.

While in Flores I had a number of local walks and snorkels, caught boats out to the islands, had a day trip around the area, checked out Maumere and talked with heaps of locals and tourists.

Well, this is the background and my plan was to stay a few nights at Ankermi, then Moni for volcano climbing then on to Ende for a flight to Sumba. Sometimes, plans just don’t happen. Usually, there is a good reason that comes out after time.

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Mathus was a good driver so I hired him for the whole of the following day to take me on a day trip around Maumere and Sikka.  ‘What do you want to see?’  he asked. ‘Surprise me!’

It cost 600 000 rupiah and was worth every cent. His English was okay and he was heaps of fun and he went out of his way to show me what he thought was worthwhile seeing.

We drove along the main highway with Mathus tooting his horn to get people’s attention which made for good videoing. Our first stop was arak making. He went on ahead to check it was okay to watch. We got the okay and I watched the older guy drink six glasses before he declared the brew drinkable to perfection. I was feeling woozy smelling it. He was obviously an experienced brewer and drinker.

Next stop was a school where the camera caused a mini riot.

After that, the next stop was the seminary, which was calm and very quiet.

We stopped along the beaches on the south coast on the way to Sikka. The surf was wild with onshore winds.  There were also a number of friendly people around ready for a chat and a photo.

Sikka was at the end of the road. The car was park at the bottom of the steps leading up to the church courtyard. I walked up the steps and eventually someone came to open the church for a donation and a promise to look at their weaving later. The church was old with huge timber supports. Nice!

Outside the church I was greeted by the friendly ‘you promised to buy lady’. She led me down the quiet stairs that  were lined with about 40 women holding their weaving in silence.  I looked at them and they looked at me. I took a deep breath and walked down the stairs. I saw the weaving and bought a nice piece of ikat. I handed her the money and she handed me the ikat and then all hell broke loose. The walls were echoing with the catch cries – you buy from me, you buy from her you buy from me, that ikat no good, my ikat good, buy, buy, buy!!!!! Ah! I put the blinkers on and made a bee line for the car. Ah!!! Where’s the car? It was now at the end of the street and the road was lined with more ikat sellers. The crowd that was following me was now three to four deep with sellers.

Suddenly, one leans over all the rest, and with a ‘sexy’ look, meaning glance and wink says in a voice not unlike ginger from Gillian’s Island‘s ‘hi, you must buy from me’. This was a different sales pitch and I was stunned and so was everyone else. But only for a moment then they all charged at me with an even greater ferocity. I got to the car, closed the door, then saw a very pretty ikat that my daughter would like. I leaned over and got it but before I could pay the lady, she was swept aside by the crowd. I cried ‘’who do I owe the 50 000 rupiah to?’ A lady lunged over the top of the crowd and said ‘me’ and took the money. I wound up the window and told Mathus to hit the speed.

Once we were a safe distance and the world became calm, I asked Mathus ‘why did you move the car way down the road?’ He told me that a group of the women surrounded him and in a threatening manner ordered him to move the car. Mathus was afraid! I understood.

About ½ hour along the road, we were stopped by the ‘bamboo across the road for arak extortion scam’.  This time they were swinging around machetes and were totally pissed. Mathus paid 2 000 rupiah and some guy on a motorbike who didn’t want to pay was persuaded to when two of them started dancing in front of him swinging their machetes in a friendly not manner. Good move bro!

The next part was amazing, we went up and up a number of small narrow roads and eventually came to small car park which was the beginning of the’ stations of the cross’. A small path leads across the ridge to an amazing statue of Mary that changed colours in the light and as one changed position. Not unlike RIO. The view from the mountain edge was inspiring.

On return to carpark, we met the caretaker who was a lovely lady who emanated serenity and oneness with the universe. She collected parking fees and sold trinkets from a small shop. She lived up there all year on her own in one of the small boxed rooms reading books.  She had no family but was very content with her life. I don’t know why but I felt I had met someone that was unique and a friend. On speaking to Mathus he said he felt awed by her.

The second last stop was the waterfront at Maumere.  It was now raining but the guys in the boats were friendly and put on a bit of a show for the camera.

The last stop was a late but delicious lunch at a small restaurant owed by one of Mathus’s relatives.

Back at Ankermis, and I asked Mathus if he wanted me to pay him now or add up all the drives and pay in one lot. He said pay in one lot. ‘Good I said ‘as I haven’t the money on me now as it was in the hotel safe’. Mathus went white… ‘you have no money’…’yes I have money but it is in the safe’…’oh’.  10 minutes later and back in my room and there at the door is Mathus with Kermi. Mathus wanted to be paid. Obviously, 'oh' is indo for - you have no money so I’ll get someone to sort this out.

An excellent day!!!

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On the following day, all started well, I hired a boat to the islands for a snorkel trip (450 000 rupiah). The boat motored over the calm waters to the distant islands. Once there, I had some reasonable snorkelling and wandered around the deserted island. All pretty cool. We then motored to another snorkel spot. The current looked strong but the captain said it was fine, I said ‘ if I raise my hand you come and get me’... ‘Mengerti? ‘… 'Ya, mengerti'.

Well, in I jumped and within a short time, I was a long way from the boat and I could make no headway back. I drifted very quickly further and further aay. I raised my hand and he waved back. The boat didn’t move. I waved again and he waved back gesturing to me to return to the boat. I waved more frantically as I was now off the reef and floating over the abyss. Finally, the boat started to move in my direction. I wasn’t very happy when I boarded but his cheery words ‘good snorkel?’ and my answer that ‘ya, good snorkel ‘ made me feel better.

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This is when plans changed… I was walking just a short distant from the hotel, took a small jump onto the sand and bam!!! I hurt my foot and I hurt it badly. This is a long story so I’ll write in short form.

Ring insurance… need medical advice… need to get x-ray and see doctor… arrange car and drive to Maumere hospital… road nearly washed away due to river flooding… just got the car through..three hours later in hospital have had x-ray, saw doctor and it would be okay in a few days… stop at supermarket for chocolates,/chips… road back only wide enough for motorbike…Mathus arranges a bike to take me across… back in hotel… indo pain killers and two bottles of red wine...life is good

The bone was bruised above the heel and it took three weeks before I could walk on it without pain.

My plans had to change. I was booked to fly from Ende to Kupang West Timor and the following day to Waingapu in Sumba. No way I could do that as Sumba is a rough but beautiful journey and not to be attempted with injuries. As it was Merpati, had cancelled the flight from Ende to Kupang so if I hadn’t of hurt my foot, I would have driven 5 hours to Moni, said goodbye to the driver, have no flight, would have needed to get back to Maumere to get a flight to Kupang.

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There guesthouse had a number of interesting and very different people staying.  I met a Swiss couple on the first night and shared the table with them for dinner. They were very nice and we had a pleasant night chatting. This was their second visit to Ankermi and they had stayed for quite  number of weeks just reading, relaxing and unwinding from the stresses of euro life.

On the second night, another fellow arrived and joined us at our table. He wasn’t very happy and was rather grumpy. We ignored his grumpiness but after awhile he began to relaxed. As he became relaxed he grew quieter and seemed to be withdrawing into himself and thinking. At one stage he slowly raised his head and said ‘ I’m an empty shell. I feel nothing. Why am I here. I planned to do this trip with my young daughter. I am always so busy working. This was to be our time together. My wife and I had split. She changed her mind and would not allow me to take her. So I went anyway. And now I am here, where I don’t want to be without my reason for being here. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to do anything except stay in my room till I need to go home.  I am an empty shell.

To say the least, we were all stunned! What to do! What to say! Was there anything to say? We said nothing and he talked for a long time until he had no more to say.  I felt compelled to help, this was a sad, sad story and I didn’t want the ending to get any sadder.

I felt this was probably the reason I had hurt my foot so for the next week. We talked heaps, we snorkelled, we walked and eventually, he smiled and started to talk about the positive things he was now going to do to set things right. That smile made my foot saga worthwhile.

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I went to Flores last year and loved it. This year I loved it again. There is no much to see and do - people to meet, experiences to have and adventures.

indonesia - Lombok - ekas 2012

Lombok 2012

We arrive at the ‘wherethefxxkarewe’ wharf at Lombok from Sumbawa. There were a number of locals standing/sitting around the end of the wharf as the car from tropical took the remaining guests from the boat to the new airport. It was pretty quiet after they left and we sat there for awhile before the car from ‘Heaven on the Planet’ (HOTP) resort turned up.

The drive to ‘Heaven on the Planet’ was excellent. We drove along quiet roads and through small villages until we finally reached the dirt/mud/quagmire road that turned off the bitumen to HOTP. It had been raining a few days ago and the road was wet, slippery, and muddy rutted with pools of water. The car slid this way and that with mud spraying everywhere.  To me, a great car trip!

We arrived and settled into our rooms then went for surf. The waves were excellent. Later, we met the other four guys staying there. Amazingly, the four guys were the same guys from Melbourne that I had met there two years previously. They had arrived the day before but the road was unpassable when they came so they were shipped in by boat.

We/I spend the week, surfing, walking and cycling. The weather was very ugly for about four days with the wind blowing ferociously.

Commenting on the week, I decided that dividing it into the dark and bright side was the best way to describe my experience at Heaven.

The dark side of HOTP

The owner Kerry wasn’t there when we arrived. He stayed a few days then left again for a few days. Consequently, nothing actually got fixed or worked on while he was gone or not watching.

There were a lot of things to be fixed as the resort had been closed for the last few months. The beach was strewn with rubbish. This was partially cleaned up and the rubbish burned sending a plumb of smoke over the resort.

The pool was filthy with a resident frog population living there happily. It was worked on partially each day but after a week it was still unusable.

As time drew on other problems beset the place.

No water – water tank had a crack – so a water truck had to deliver water…remember the road!!!

The staff went on strike just before breakfast was ready for Paul and I so we had to cook our own breakfast. The only time I ever get seriously pissed off is when food is involved.

We asked for mountain bikes and they arrived after ½ day with no brakes on one bike. More bikes arrived the following day but Paul had left.

I asked for the windsurfers but they never arrived.

The roofs partially blew off a number of buildings.

Local repair work was hopeless and caused more mess/problems.

Certain foods ran out.

The usual spiders, scorpions and centipedes were in the rooms.

You had to firmly ask and persist for the boat to take us out to the breaks as the boat guys preferred to sit on their arse all day.

The laundry took a few days to come back and when it arrived it was still damp.

Okay, okay… what was I doing there if it was so bad??? Well that was the darkside and every darkside has a brightside

The bright side of HOTP

The owner, Kerry is a really nice guy. I like it him and despite the problems I consider them to be part of the indo experience. Kerry had me in stitches the way he would go off at the workers and later talk so fondly of them. He loves the place, his staff and locals. He treats them with the respect of a father-figure and they treat him like disobedient naughty children. I liked the way the good, the bad and the ugly blended together so well. Though I was pissed off about breakfast!!

The scenery at HOTP is very, very beautiful. The coastline, beaches and jungle are so pretty. There are so many paths/tracks leading all over the place. The walks along the beaches and through the jungle are an adventure.

When the mountain bikes finally arrived, I went on a long cycle ride through fields, villages, along the coastline and over flooded roads. It felt so remote yet safe, adventurous and fun.  Early in the ride, I nearly tipped over and fell on a local lady. Her friend was laughing but she was clearly unamused. She called me ‘bodoh’ ‘idiot’ and gestured for me to go far away from her. I was very apologetic but I think it lacked true sincerity. At once stage, the road had disappeared under a lake. Luckily, an enterprising local solved my problem with a raft.  He swam the raft with myself and the bike on top across the water for 10 000 R to where the road continued.  At this point, I had started to have lots of talks with locals (not many people around for the first hour) – where are you from, why are you here, etc. I also had three marriage proposals. My wallet was very attractive, I think or am I wrong and it is just my natural charm and babe magnet techniques… nah it’s the wallet.

The surf can be okay to really good and lots of fun. The first two days were excellent – glassy with sizeable sets.  There were only 6 of us surfing there in total. At the other break, there were only two of us out and when everyone had left there was only one out (moi). On the last day, the surfing was big and a bit scary with drowning a possibility. It was that big that the boat that normally motor out in tranquil waters barely made it through the shore break! The boat peaked over one wave at a 45 degree angle and landed with a thump that I thought would break it in two. They sit on their arse but they did a good jog ‘kerja baik’ that day.

There were people there for a while but most of the time I was there by myself. I quite enjoyed that time. It gives one time to be introspective and do the things you want to do when you want to do it.

Kerry gave me two free nights at a later date due to ‘problems’ that occurred.

This was my second time at HOTP and despite the problems ‘I’ll be back’. The first time there were no dark side problems. Luck of the draw like anywhere. The time on my own gave me the time to start feeling the Indo experience and adventure - talking with the locals and doing things that were different.

My trip was changing!

indonesia - West Sumbawa - tropical 2012

This part of the trip was surfing, walks and looking around the area.

We booked ourselves into Nomads Tropical Resort. Not cheap but I hadn’t stayed at a surf camp before so it looked good on the net so we gave it a try.

We flew from Bali to Lombok, where we were picked up by car and driven to a jetty somewhere in east Lombok. From there, we boarded the speed boat which took us to west Sumbawa. We were met by another car which took us to Tropical Resort.

The resort was large, had pool, restaurant and bar. There were a number of other facilities e.g. gym but I didn’t use them. The rooms were good with plenty of room and a bathroom.

Straight in front of the resort were two surf breaks. The right didn’t really get any good the time we were there so we mainly surfed the left which was fun. The waves varied in size to ½ head height to double head height. It was a bit out of control when it got bigger. The reef is flat and I only hit it three times. One time hard which cut my foot though not badly. The crowds varied from just a few to way too many.

We looked at the other breaks in the area but they looked too intimidating to me.

One day, when it was small, we took a speed boat to a right hand wave down the coast. I really liked that wave though the paddle back out after a wave was a bit heart pumping. The waves broke sort of in three sections. When you pulled off the wave you were sort of in the impact zone of the next wave section if a set was following. I got caught a few times but it wasn’t too bad.

There were three of us surfing. One of the other guys got caught inside for ages after a drop in/fall off in front of me. Karma!!!

We snorkelled at the reef at Tropicals but the currents were strong and it wasn’t that good.

On a number of occasions, I went for walks along the reef and beach at low tide. These times were quiet and enjoyable. The scenery was very pretty and the hills of the point were high and covered in jungle growth. The beach was white sand fringed with thick jungle growth.

We went on a number of road trips to check out the surf breaks and local villages. The area is generally well off compared to other spots in Indo. The nearby mines provided well paid work and the feeder industries provided services for the local communities.

The resort is by itself so the people we/I met were on the beach or visiting the resort.

The people working in the mines had very interesting stories on the mines dealings with the local people. Most problems between the two seemed to stem around money. In one instance, problems arose due to the job interview process. The locals didn’t like it that they didn’t get the jobs after the first interview.

Most conversations were small talk. Some people did some interesting things. One guy travelled around Indo as a sort of intermediary between locals and companies. Another guy worked in the mining school. There were few western girls. One group of American surfers had hired a car and were travelling throughout Indo – the car must have been crowded when fully packed.

The hotel staff were locals and nice. The management positions were mainly westerners from Portugal, South Africa and Australia. One of the owners was from Indonesia with an Australian husband who built pools around indo. The husband was a quiet, interesting and nice guy.

Well, it was an enjoyable experience being at Tropicals but overall it wasn’t the place for me.

indonesia - bali - legian 2012

Legian 2012 part 1

Me , Paul - when the grey skies turn to blue

Off to Indonesia for 2 months. The plan … surf west Sumbawa, surf Lombok, snorkel and volcano climbing in Flores, surf Sumba, meet up with the family, snorkel padangbai, surf Balangan, surf east Sumbawa, family returns home, surf Ballan. Well, this was the plan roughly with the main focus being surfing. Funny, how you think and plan a trip for ages and then it all changes.

This was one of those trips where the unexpected happened. My plans were all changed. What I wanted to do didn’t happen but I enjoyed all the changes… the bad and the good. Sometimes bad happens but it is for good reasons that unfold with the passage of time.

So what happened… in a trip the scenery counts, the adventures count and the people count… I’m still counting.

I started the trip with my friend Paul, who is an artist. We left Australia and arrived in Bali with little drama. Paul managed to have himself searched very carefully at Sydney airport. Later, he couldn’t find his visa ticket on arrival at Bali and consequentially blocked the customs exit with all his gear. Eventually, the customs offices highly amused waved him on.

Nyoman, our driver and a friend of mine for many years was there to pick us up and on we went to Legian. It was good to see Nyoman again but he was pretty stressed out. He bought a new second hand car, a house and land near Tabanan and he needed the new tourist driver license. He was in debt beyond his wildest dreams/nightmares. He asked me if he had overdone it. I tried to be diplomatic but basically yes he had overdone it. The interest rate for the bank loan was 20%. Yes he had overdone it. This story unfolded more with each visit I made back to Bali on this trip.

The following day, we went surfing at Keramis, had good waves and later changed money, bought indo sim cards, etc.

So far, everything was going well. Paul wasn’t impressed with Bali beaches and the amount of rubbish on the beaches, in the water and piled up towards the road. Oddly enough, I see it too but it doesn’t offend me.

The following day, we were off to West Sumbawa and Nomad Tropical Resort.

CENTRAL COAST - Brisbane Water - Woy Woy Inlet - kayak - 26 february 2012

Warm sunny morning. I went for a kayak at Woy Woy Inlet.



There were a number of places to launch the kayak but the boat ramp was the easiest.

I paddled south into Correa Bay. There was a amazing number of birds foraging in the mud flats. The creek ventured further but with the low tide crossing the mud flats was not an option.

I followed the north edge of the inlet going into Horsfield Bay and Phegans Bay. At the eastern tip of Phegans Bay , I paddled ashore onto a small beach. After a rest, I paddled back to Correa Bay boat ramp.

It was a nice kayak. The highlight was the birdlife.

CENTRAL COAST - Liss'n Sweetie - Hardys Bay RSL - 19 February 2012

Sunny and warm Sunday afternoon, off to listen to 'Liss'n Sweetie'.  My old college friends Helena and Tony were playing.



It was a great afternoon with the music either flicking me back to the past or pulling me forward into the present.