The Journeys ... The Current Trip

Yes, I know, in my last travel log, I have already said that we have left Perth and arrived in Bali – but that just never felt like where we wanted to be. Now it does.

I don't want to rant on Kuta too much. Let us just say that it isn't for us. It doesn't feel like it has any culture except for consumerism and while the beach is very nice, I don't like sharing my beaches. Of course, Bali is not Kuta and Kuta is not Bali. Still, I cannot imagine that we would find what we are seeking even outside of the greater Denpasar area.

So, it is futile to say that we were not unhappy when we left this morning. We had last minute errands to run and were, as always, stressing to get to the airport in time. Trust me, running around Bali is serious work as it is very muggy and the sweat flows easily. But we made it in time and anxiously started the check-in process, fully expecting to again shell out hundreds of dollars for our excess luggage. Once all our luggage had been checked, the clerk turned around and told us that we had 37 kilos of excess luggage and had to go to another counter to pay for it. Our fears seemed to come true. But then we discovered that we have arrived in Indonesia for real. While the 29 kilos of excess luggage in Perth has cost us 435 AU$, the 37 seven kilos from Denpasar to Maumere cost us a full....65 bucks. Wow. Cool. Thank you Merpati!

The plane made a short 45 minutes stop in Sumba and we sort of liked it there. It was definitely was very different from touristy Bali – even just in and around the airport. But we had another 30 minutes flight to Maumere ahead of us.
Once we had arrived in Maumere, we were swiftly encircled by hotel touts and taxi drivers. Half of them disappeared when they saw the sort of baggage that we were carrying. We had several offers for a hotel and decided for one in town that came with a recommendation. Once there, we found the hotel full and opted for our second option, a beach 'resort' a few kilometers out of town. Initially, we didn't want to stay there because of the distance to town and we might have to go buy some bits and pieces for our bikes tomorrow. But as it was our next best option, we opted for it anyhow. And what a great choice the Gardena Resort is. It's located seven kilometers out of town on a nice black beach with views over the bay, a lovely and spacious bungalow for 12 AU$ and that includes breakfast for two.
We just came back from a lovely dinner of fresh vegetables, steamed rice and a couple of Bir Bintang. All of that overlooking the bay and watching crab collectors wading through the low tide. Very relaxing and beautiful. It very much reminds me of Siquijor Island in the Philippines – one of my favorite places I have ever visited. I guess, that puts Indonesia into a good light so far. We'll see if it can keep it that way.

Tomorrow we will have to put our bicycles together, test them and quickly head to the PELNI (Indonesian ferry company) office in Maumere to buy some tickets to Sulawesi at the end of May. If our bicycles are in working order by tomorrow evening, then we will start riding on Thursday. Exciting! Although, the mountains surrounding us are a little bit daunting. So is the intense heat and humidity. But, hopefully, we will get used to that.

I don't know how frequent and reliable Internet access is on Flores. So, I can't promise when my next travel log will be. Until then, enjoy.

Adrian