April 19th, 2009 - I drove from Labuanbajo on the coast to the town of Bajawa with a sleep over in Ruteng along the way. The drive is perfect for a motorcycle. Scenic, lots of curves, and relatively smooth.
The day I arrived in Bajawa a marching band came parading down the street. I have no idea why. I don't want to know. I love random.
I hired a guide that took me to a small volcano (Inielika) and a traditional Ngada village. Since I was solo Alfonse (my guide) jumped on the back of my motorcycle and we headed off.
The path to the volcano began in a small village behind a church (Flores, unlike mostly Muslim Indonesia, is predominately Roman Catholic). The trek was very mild and took only an hour and a half to reach the volcano over relatively flat terrain. Along the way I saw some big-ass bamboo (I believe that’s the scientific name) and had Alfonse stand beneath it for perspective. Inielika erupted in January of 2001 spilling a bit of lava, charring some of the trees in the crater, and dusting Bajawa with a light smattering of ash. Right now it is quiet and I was afforded the opportunity to frolic inside the crater. Anytime I have the chance to frolic in a volcano I take it. You should do likewise.
