Moni

Whilst waiting in the airport our names got called out on the loudspeaker! This had never happened to us before, so we were quite excited, but it turned out that we had been given the incorrect boarding cards. We sat watching the usual Kung-fun crap on Indonesian TV and spending money on over priced airport food and drink.

The flight, on a prop plane, took two hours and was comfortable with some excellent views of the islands. On arrival at Maumere we got a taxi to the bus terminal for 3000 Rps each and then hopped on a small bus to Moni for 4000 Rps each. Whilst at the bus station I talked to a local chap about the earthquake which had devastated the island a few years ago. He told me that John Major – the then British Prime Minister – had visited Maumere afterwards. I could still see the remains of some buildings, which had been destroyed by the massive earthquake.

The journey took about three hours along extremely twisting, bumpy roads. Flores appeared to be very primitive and I felt we were in for a bit of adventure. The bus driver insisted on playing really loud crappy pop music, and this and the consequent singing gave everyone on board a headache. It was funny though.

We arrived at Moni, which is just a small settlement used as a base to visit Keli mutu, and looked for somewhere to stay. The "main" guesthouse was full so we stayed in a place called "Amino Moe 2". It was very basic, but the people were friendly and it only cost 5000 Rps per night. We ate a buffet at "Aminoe Moe 1" in the evening for 3500 Rps each, which was very nice, and chatted with the locals and other travellers. I was really surprised at how many travellers were here. I had expected Flores to be a bit more off the beaten track, but it seemed like every backpacker in SE Asia was here. We returned to our room to find it full of rat droppings. As I tried to sleep I could hear the little buggers scurrying around. – Something I can never get used to.

The weather was pretty grim, but started to clear up a bit later in the evening. The plan was to get up at 3:30 a.m. and see if it was clear. An old man told me that if we could see stars, then we should make the journey to the top. If it’s clear a truck apparently picks people up and takes them to the top at 4:00 a.m. This sounded OK, but there was a huge backlog of travellers waiting to make the ascent after a week or so of unpleasant conditions. We didn’t really fancy staying in Moni too long and were hopeful that we’d get up there the following day.

Dibs was getting restless all the time and I was starting to get a bit worn down too. I think we were starting to fool ourselves into thinking we could take lots more travel, when deep down we were both getting pretty drained and weren’t making the most of our experiences. Flores, like Sumatra, is a place for adventure and for taking plenty of time, yet I could feel that we were going to rush through the island. As I was lying in the bed, listening to the rats scurry around, I began to convince myself that we should have gone straight to Australia. Our spirit for travel was oozing away, and Dibs in particular would break-down at the slightest challenge. I did, however, decide that now that we were there, we would at least see what we had planned to before we left Asia.

We woke up at around 3:30 a.m. as planned and went outside. It was cloudy and drizzling, but not too bad – stars were visible – so we decided we’d go up. When the truck arrived at 4:00 a.m. it was already packed full of people – it seems that we were the last pick-up point. There must have been a hundred tourists packed on board! I managed to get a seat on one of the benches in the truck for Dibs, but I had to climb on top where I clung on underneath a tarpaulin A bit of fun I suppose! It was wet and miserable – I tried to have a bit of a laugh bit most of the people on top of the truck seemed pretty pissed off!

After a while the truck stopped at the entrance to the "park" and everyone got off to pay their entrance fee of 1000 Rps. Rather than rush to pay like the rest of them, I just hung around, chatting, and was one of the last to pay. This was a bit of a mistake as all the seats and all the roof space was taken! I had to spend the rest of the journey – around 40 minutes – clinging to the side of the truck as it struggled up the steep rough trails.

Backpacking is a great way to travel and the best way to meet people from all around the world – but on this damp, dark morning no-one gave a toss about each other. People were rude and unhelpful. I tried to put my bag in the truck, but the people inside – all young travellers like myself ignored me.

I remember at that moment feeling very sad. Not sad for myself – I didn’t care too much if I had to cling on to the side of a truck – it was a good experience and a bit of fun - but sad at the lack of help, and the lack of enthusiasm these people had. I could see it in their faces. These young people should have been happy at the thought of seeing Keli Mutu and the fact that they were travelling in remote parts of the world. They should have taken up the spirit of the moment – we were all backpackers – we should have been laughing and singing - but no, it didn’t happen. As I peered into the crammed truck I could just see long, miserable faces. People were "guarding" their little spaces and trying to keep themselves dry. No one was talking. What a shame.

I was soaked wet, covered in mud, and I was constantly battered by branches, but it was good fun in a way and I decided it was better than been crammed into the truck with everyone else. I had a bit of a laugh with the driver and his assistant – who tried to shake me off the side at times. It cheered me up.

Keli Mutu is a dormant set of volcanoes. There are three craters, each with a lake in it. The marvellous thing is that each lake is a different colour. The green lake is very bright – almost an emerald colour, and the turquoise lake, which we got the best look at, was the most beautiful, and it was as if you could take a cup of it and it would be the same colour. There is also a black lake (which used to be red). It’s all due to Algae I think. Anyway – the whole setting is like you are on the moon, although it isn’t easy to get to the waters edge, as the crater walls are steep – as many unfortunate souls have discovered. I was told about a Dutch lad who’d disappeared into the lake a few weeks ago. His parents were still in Moni searching for him, but the locals told me that the "evil spirits had taken him". I suspect he’d just tried to get too close and fallen in.

Although the weather was grim, the cloud cleared enough for us to get a decent view, but it was a long way off being a good day to be up there. This was a "been there done that" sort of trip and if we’d felt better, it would have made sense to re-do the journey on a clearer/quieter day. In hindsight I think I would have hung around a bit longer.

We took the truck back to Moni rather than walk, but the con-man driver wanted another 3000 Rps! I told him that there was no way I was paying more after clinging to the side of the truck for most of the way. He didn’t understand – but I didn’t pay him. I even resorted to fibbing by saying I had bought a return ticket and had lost it! It was getting to that stage!

Back at the guesthouse we ate breakfast and chatted to a really nice Dutch couple who’d also been travelling for several months. They had followed some of our route, expect they had started off in China rather than India. We dried off and decided to leave Moni and head onwards across the island.

 Ende

We took the bus later on in the morning to the next town – Ende – and on the advice of the Dutch couple we stayed in the "Ikhas guesthouse", which cost 9000 Rps for a decent room. It’s quite a nice place. We rested for most of the day, making up for the early start.

The following day we awoke refreshed and set off on a walk to the nearby Mount Meja. We got lost after about half way and ended up in thick jungle. It was very hot and humid with more insects than Id even seen before. We walked as much as we could and took in some good views before descending back down. Ende is surrounded by beautiful mountains and is next to the sea – with equally beautiful beaches, All in all – a beautiful, quiet place.

We walked back through small villages and stopped to chat (or attempt to chat) with the locals. They were very friendly and some of the kids hadn’t seen "white man" before. I think they were happy to see us visiting Ende (rather than passing through) and taking in the local villages and hills. These people were every different from Bali, or anywhere else in Indonesia for that matter, and were more like the Aboriginal people of Australia – dark and thick-set with afro type hair. Indonesia really is a huge mix of different tribes and people. I read later that Flores (according to Darwin) was part of Australasia not Asia – as far as fauna and flora were concerned!

At one stop we were besieged by school children who went wild when we offered to take a photograph of them! Everywhere we went people would smile and say "hello" and were extremely helpful. I made a mental not to remember this afternoon and that it was only the money-grabbing bemo and taxi drivers who were the unscrupulous characters.

In the evening we met up with the Dutch couple, a Swedish girls and British couple and had a long night chatting and swapping stories. Most travellers, like us, had been on the road for some time and were heading to Australia. There was a certain air of anticipation. The Dutch couple were flying to Darwin in a couple of days and we planned to keep an eye out for them when we got to Cairns, as they were hoping to be there at the same time. The Dutch guy was dreaming of eating cheese and good bread! We found out that the Kupang-Darwin flight was running after all, but we were glad in a way to have already made our arrangements, as things were kicking off in parts of Timor (where Kupang is).

 Bajawa

It took five hours on a bus to get to Bajawa. The views along the road were stunning and diverse. The first part along the coast was through jungle and small straw and mud villages, then we went into the mountains and past pointed volcanoes and high peaks, before we dropped into a spectacular valley – a sort of mini African Savannah – lined with cloud piercing volcanoes. It was hard to believe that we were travelling on a relatively small island. It pissed it down with rain for most of the way, but this would have to be the most spectacular journeys in Asia.

On arrival I found that my rucksack hadn’t been covered on the roof and my gear was soaking wet, although I did manage to salvage clothes – and the important stuff had been stored in a waterproof manner anyway.

We decided to stay at "Anggrek Losman" in the village. 10000 Rps for a nice little room, although it’s a bit damp and smelly. The water, for the first time in Flores, was clear and not a yellow urine colour. Most travellers flock to the Sunflower hostel, but we wanted to stay away from the hoard. We didn’t have a Lonely Planet guide, but those who did seemed to follow it like a bible. Don’t get me wrong – The Lonely Planet guides are, in my opinion, the best travel books, but too many people use them for everything – staying and eating in every place they recommend – rather than looking around for themselves. Quite often the recommended places where overpriced and running on their reputation – but people still flocked to them. It was much easier to get a good and better service from a hotel/restaurant that had not been recommended.

Bajawa is a pretty quiet little town in an attractive landscape. Shame the weather wasn’t more pleasant as Flores would be a great place for longer walks/ treks.

Travel in Flores is slow and sometimes difficult, and accommodation and facilities are fairly basic. It’s the sort of place I would like to visit on a more specific trip, rather than a place we were passing through.

We got up early the following day and had a very early breakfast – because it was Sunday and the locals were rushing off to attend church (Flores is mainly Christian). We sat reading and chatting to a Swiss bloke for some time while it continued to pour down outside. And then went to a local place for lunch. We ordered "meat" and although it was OK I was curious as to what it was. It was in fact dog-meat! Apparently dog is the main meat in Flores and other parts of Indonesia. Oh well – it wasn’t too bad.

We did a good long walk around Bajawa and then visited the local market – which was interesting. I noticed the dogs whimpering in cages at the meat stalls. I suppose it’s quite alien to us westerners, but then eating dog isn’t really any different to eating sheep or pigs.

We spent a few more days in Bajawa – it didn’t stop raining once, but the temperature was pleasant and it’s not a bad place to speak to locals and spend time wandering around the surrounding country and villages. Take a raincoat!

The following day we boarded an early bus to Labuhanbajo – our final destination on the eastern side of Flores. The cost was 10,000 Rps and it was estimated to take 10 hours to travel a mere 250 km or so! In the end the journey was closer to 12 hours – a real epic ranking equal first with the Prapat- Bukkitinggi journey in Sumatra. The journey took us through some interesting countryside and friendly villages and we stopped many times, including once to change a tyre – conveniently near to a beautiful volcano called Mount Innerie – a classic shaped cone.

The driver did load the bus to capacity – as expected and the entire bus and roof was loaded up with smelly vegetables and fruits. We shared company with a young Australia couple – Belinder and Guy – which helped while the hours away on the cramped little bus.

 Labuhanbajo

We arrived tired and starving and again the rooftop tarpaulin had failed to cover our bags and the entire contents where soaked through. Everything item of clothing went straight into the laundry and the rest of our bags contents were laid out to dry. We decided to stay at the "Bajo Beach" in a nice room for 15,000 Rps per night. It’s a pleasant place with plenty of character and the town seems like a nice place.

After a day "resting" we had decided we’d do some exploring of the nearby islands before making our way onto Komodo Island, but Dibs became ill and she soon developed a full blown fever. We decided she should rest up for a few days seeing that the accommodation was fairly good. I enquired about trips to Komodo and spent the days walking around the surrounding area, swimming and chatting to other travellers. I also organised a better room rate for our longer-term stay at 8000 Rps per night. Good value!

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