Showing posts with label Sumbawa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sumbawa. Show all posts
Lombok to Sumbawa (Indonesia)
April 6th, 2009 - With Kuta in my rear view I decided to hop hop hop-along to the next island, Sumbawa. The roads in southeast Lombok are atrocious. The pavement is so eaten up it would be better if the road were dirt. Notwithstanding the state of the road it was another pleasant drive along the coast. I arrived just in time for the next ferry to Sumbawa.
On board I met an Indonesian gentleman working for Catepillar (technician) on his way to a site. He had a nice company truck (Toyota Heliux) and invited me to sit inside and soak up the air conditioning. It was lovely. After a pleasant conversation we exchanged info and will no doubt connect via Facebook. Ain't social media grand? After disembarking Dimas treated me to a cow brain lunch before we went our separate ways. I do love random encounters like that. Cow brains? Not so much.
Elusive Pulau Moyo (Sumbawa, Indonesia)
April 7th, 2009 - Today was an exercise in futility. My morning was spent driving around in circles . . . literally. I was trying to get to a place known as Air Bari. There is a port there and I read that it may be possible to hire a boat to take me to Pulau Moyo, a nearby island to the north reputed to be beautiful. Allegedly, there is excellent snorkeling.
I wanted to give diving a try but that fizzled (see yesterday’s post). [Author's Note: I later met a Swedish gentleman who confirmed that the island was indeed beautiful and the snorkeling in fact excellent. Damn it.]
So I follow the signs for Air Bari but that only gets me so far (i.e. not far enough). I’d say I took about five wrong turns and made the same loop no less than four times. I did stop to inquire more than once but people seemed to have no idea about what the hell I was talking about (I'm growing accustomed to that reaction). I am having real difficulty making these people understand their own language. How many different ways can you pronounce ‘Air Bari’? Not sure but I think I tried them all (high tone, low tone, with a lisp, etc.). Someone would finally make the connection and say, “Ahhhhhh, Air Bari!” I realize I have an accent but I did not mutilate the name that far beyond recognition….did I?
Island Cruise (Sumbawa, Indonesia)
April 8th, 2009 – Days like today are the reason I bought the motorcycle. The drive across this island was superb and included mountain backdrops, seaside views, and emerald green rice fields. I rode for about six and a half hours, the longest stretch I’ve had on the bike. I likey. I really, really likey.
The Lonely Planet guidebook describes the main road across the island as ‘surfaced all the way and in generally good shape’. Ummmm….close but not quite accurate. Although there are stretches that are on par with roads back home there are also stretches that resemble the lunar surface (Never actually been to the moon but I hear its lovely). Luckily, the latter is the exception otherwise I’d still be driving.
Hazards to be cognizant of along the way: potholes, bigger potholes, large piles of rocks and sand, goats, horses, cows, monkeys, chickens, more goats, shadowy corners, potholes in shadowy corners, people sitting in the road in shadowy corners, cidomos (horse drawn carts), women on bikes stopping abruptly in middle of potholes, and people in vehicles slowing down along side you to say hello.
The last one is a curiosity/smiling hazard. A small car with a family pulled up on my right (two lane road) as if to pass but instead of doing so merely shadowed me so everyone in the car could wave and get a closer look. The most dangerous element of that situation is not driving parallel to me in the wrong lane but forcing me to quell a uncontrollable fit of laughter that would inevitably lead to 'Dukes of Hazzard' catapult into a nearby ditch.
Election Day (Bima - Sumbawa, Indonesia)
this post, go here.
April 9th, 2009 - If yesterday was the reason I bought a motorcycle today is the reason for all the sojourning. A friend of a friend (i.e. a borderline stranger) met me in Bima (Sumbawa) and was gracious enough to give me a tour and introduce me to his family members . . . . all of them. Imin is a decent fellow. He is twenty-three-years-old and teaches English to high school students in Bima.
Unfortunately, his English is not quite what you might expect, especially from a teacher. In fact most of our conversations ended in confusion (mostly for me). Money is tight and you make do with what you have. If I could sit still for more than ten minutes I would spend a few weeks improving Imin's English. Where's the Peace Corps when you need them?
He picked me up around 7:30 am and we headed off to the outskirts of Bima. In all we visited his aunts, uncles, father, stepmother, mother, stepfather, and his brother. We made the rounds. I think it impossible to exaggerate the rarity of a tourist, especially one of a western ilk, visiting villages in the countryside of Bima just for the hell of it. Development workers? Sure, but not a 'tourist'. People did not just stare, they pretty much stopped whatever they were doing and became motionless, at least for a couple of seconds.
Sumbawa to Flores (Indonesia)
this post, go here.
April 10th, 2009 - So the omniscient Lonely Planet indicated that the ferry to Flores will probably leave around 8 am. The guy at the hotel said it would be 9 am. The ticket office did not open until around 8:30 am. I was told the ferry would leave at 10 am. We did not get started until 12 pm. They had to wait for diesel in order to refuel. An excellent way to start an eight hour journey. I am sitting in business class because frankly I’m worth it.
The bench seats are padded and there are air conditioners on the wall. They do not work worth a shit but what I can I expect for an extra $1.50? I’ve spent most of the time hanging in economy class because it is open on the sides to fresh air, 'fresh' as in soaked in diesel fumes.
There are different fares for adults, children, vehicles, cargo, and animals. A horse, a buffalo, or a cow will run you an extra ten dollars each. A sheep, goat, or pig about half that. I saw a rat running around business class. Not sure what the charge is for Mickey.
Why did the chicken cross the road? This question has never had such poignancy for me until I started riding a motorcycle across Indonesia. ‘To get to the other side’ does seem to answer the question superficially but does not adequately explain their motivation. What is it about a road that requires these renegades to risk life and limb for such little reward? Do they realize that eventually they will have to make the return journey? Are they adrenaline junkies with a thirst for danger or just degenerate retards? Why do you do this you stupid muther f****ers?! When someone asked Edmund Hillary why he wanted to climb Everest his response was simply, “Because it's there”. If we could ask these daredevil chickens would they have a similar response? I think they might.
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