7.31.2012
Overheard #1
B: You probably think im pathetic for even caring, for if i was truly powerful, i'd be content without any man at all.
7.20.2012
26hours Bus Ride to Flores
Hi there my fellow blog readers!
It's been a while since I haven't posted anything here, I havent even continue my story about my last trip! Well i guess I shall pick it up where we left off. In this posting I'll tell you about my journey on the road, beginning from Lombok until I arrived in the harbor city of Labuan Bajo, Flores.
After spending couple of nights in Lombok and figuring out the best way to go to Labuan Bajo, Flores, we finally chose to hop on a bus straight to Labuan Bajo (LBJ) which cost us around.... 350.000 something (Correct me if i'm wrong). Flying on an airplane (TransNusa) was an expensive option for us, also considering that the planes used for Eastern Indonesia flights are usually creepy. So we didnt dare to take that option. When I got in the bus, I looked around, the bus was decent, it was okay, not that dirty, pretty comfy enough to be seated in for long hours. There werent many tourist in that bus, there were only 6 travellers (including two of us), while mostly it was packed up by locals who were going to Flores to visit their family, relatives, or to work.
Thus, the journey started in Terminal Mandalika in Mataram, Lombok. We already filled up every little thing we might need on the road: snacks, snacks, snacks, food, drinks, wet tissue, snacks, snacks, and anti-travel sickness pills! Well during the ride, I kept on waking up and falling asleep, so unfortunately I didnt concentrate much on what's on the road. But the ferry crossing from Lombok to Sumbawa was pretty nasty. It was filthy, and smell horrible. I took the opportunity to charge my camera and mobile phone in the cafetaria. In case you havent known yet, in a ferry you can ask the man in the cafetaria counter to charge your electronics and it'll cost you around 2000-5000 thousand rupiahs per gadget. When it was fully charged, then I would just lay my body on whatever space available and sleep.
It was my first time in Sumbawa!!! So curious to see what's on this other part of Indonesia. But since we got to Sumbawa somewhere during the middle of the night, I could barely see anything. It was pitch black. All I can feel was that the road was severely jammed and brutally bumpy. I could never close my eyes and sleep. But as far as my sight goes, I could see that the scenery was draped with coastal lines and savannas. But the road was pretty empty and deserted.
It was in Dompu, somewhere right in the middle of the island, where our bus suddenly stopped. I was sleeping, and I thought that the driver must have had something to buy or maybe it was the rest-area or something. But turned out it wasnt. Turned out that the bus' tire was flat. And it was in the middle of nowhere, at around 12 AM. Sweet.
The passengers have been waiting for so long and they ran out of patience. The bus driver didnt inform us anything, what time we would go again, what were the other options, where we better rest, no he didn't inform us anything. In fact he ran away into the villager's house and left us in the middle of the road there. The passengers kept on grumbling, and murmuring, some even said they wanted to look for the driver and beat him up -_-
Well me, I'm not much of a complainer so I just rolled up a piece of cloth as my blanket, and sleep on the terrace of a villager's house.
At around 6 o'clock, a pick-up truck came with a tire. It was our bus' tire! Yeayyyy. Turn out that the bus company had to drive all the way from Bima, the capital city of Sumbawa, to our location to bring the tire, which took around 5-6 hours. So the tire got repaired, and we continued our way to Bima.
Although we had bought a one way ticket from Lombok to Labuan Bajo, but once we arrived in Bima, it turned out that the bus couldnt even take us to the harbor, Sape. So we had to stop and take a minibus to get to Sape.
So this 'mini bus' which could take us to Sape was somekind of Daihatsu L300. The capacity was supposedly at the maximum of 10 people. But you know how many people who were tucked inside the car? 40!!!! I didnt know how we made it, but the car went anyway. And it was my first time to see a passenger to actually sit on the right side of the driver!!! (In Indonesia, people drive on the right side) And there suppose to be nobody on the right side of the driver. Nobody!
Anyway, me and Aby could actually manage to get out alive and well in Sape harbor. Buuuuuuuuuuuuut there's a but. We were late for that day's ferry. And there were only one ferry for each day. So, after we got jammed up in that 'sardine can', we had to wait for another day to come so we could get on the ferry for the next day. And the rest of the day was filled with looking for a cheap hostel around the harbor and finally, a BED!!!! A pretty proper one.
The next day, we hopped on the ferry to Labuan Bajo. The ferry crossing took approximately 9 hours from Sape to LBJ. Probably the worst PELNI ferry I've ever been on haha. But nevertheless, the view was uh-ma-zing. The blue sky came across green-yellowish hills, all down to the blue and turquoise sea. Didn't seem like I was in Indonesia! There were so many small islands, which seemed 'unearth'. Oh and also, we also had the opportunity to see dolphins jumping up and down near our ferry! Incredible.
Finally after 9 hours, we arrived in Labuan Bajo. It was a beautiful harbor city, with hills and cliffs surrounding the bay, garnished by white houses and small locally run hotels.
And the rest of my trip in Flores, I shall continue on my next posting. Ciao for now!
Stay cool,
Tami
It's been a while since I haven't posted anything here, I havent even continue my story about my last trip! Well i guess I shall pick it up where we left off. In this posting I'll tell you about my journey on the road, beginning from Lombok until I arrived in the harbor city of Labuan Bajo, Flores.
After spending couple of nights in Lombok and figuring out the best way to go to Labuan Bajo, Flores, we finally chose to hop on a bus straight to Labuan Bajo (LBJ) which cost us around.... 350.000 something (Correct me if i'm wrong). Flying on an airplane (TransNusa) was an expensive option for us, also considering that the planes used for Eastern Indonesia flights are usually creepy. So we didnt dare to take that option. When I got in the bus, I looked around, the bus was decent, it was okay, not that dirty, pretty comfy enough to be seated in for long hours. There werent many tourist in that bus, there were only 6 travellers (including two of us), while mostly it was packed up by locals who were going to Flores to visit their family, relatives, or to work.
Thus, the journey started in Terminal Mandalika in Mataram, Lombok. We already filled up every little thing we might need on the road: snacks, snacks, snacks, food, drinks, wet tissue, snacks, snacks, and anti-travel sickness pills! Well during the ride, I kept on waking up and falling asleep, so unfortunately I didnt concentrate much on what's on the road. But the ferry crossing from Lombok to Sumbawa was pretty nasty. It was filthy, and smell horrible. I took the opportunity to charge my camera and mobile phone in the cafetaria. In case you havent known yet, in a ferry you can ask the man in the cafetaria counter to charge your electronics and it'll cost you around 2000-5000 thousand rupiahs per gadget. When it was fully charged, then I would just lay my body on whatever space available and sleep.
It was my first time in Sumbawa!!! So curious to see what's on this other part of Indonesia. But since we got to Sumbawa somewhere during the middle of the night, I could barely see anything. It was pitch black. All I can feel was that the road was severely jammed and brutally bumpy. I could never close my eyes and sleep. But as far as my sight goes, I could see that the scenery was draped with coastal lines and savannas. But the road was pretty empty and deserted.
It was in Dompu, somewhere right in the middle of the island, where our bus suddenly stopped. I was sleeping, and I thought that the driver must have had something to buy or maybe it was the rest-area or something. But turned out it wasnt. Turned out that the bus' tire was flat. And it was in the middle of nowhere, at around 12 AM. Sweet.
The passengers have been waiting for so long and they ran out of patience. The bus driver didnt inform us anything, what time we would go again, what were the other options, where we better rest, no he didn't inform us anything. In fact he ran away into the villager's house and left us in the middle of the road there. The passengers kept on grumbling, and murmuring, some even said they wanted to look for the driver and beat him up -_-
Well me, I'm not much of a complainer so I just rolled up a piece of cloth as my blanket, and sleep on the terrace of a villager's house.
At around 6 o'clock, a pick-up truck came with a tire. It was our bus' tire! Yeayyyy. Turn out that the bus company had to drive all the way from Bima, the capital city of Sumbawa, to our location to bring the tire, which took around 5-6 hours. So the tire got repaired, and we continued our way to Bima.
Although we had bought a one way ticket from Lombok to Labuan Bajo, but once we arrived in Bima, it turned out that the bus couldnt even take us to the harbor, Sape. So we had to stop and take a minibus to get to Sape.
So this 'mini bus' which could take us to Sape was somekind of Daihatsu L300. The capacity was supposedly at the maximum of 10 people. But you know how many people who were tucked inside the car? 40!!!! I didnt know how we made it, but the car went anyway. And it was my first time to see a passenger to actually sit on the right side of the driver!!! (In Indonesia, people drive on the right side) And there suppose to be nobody on the right side of the driver. Nobody!
Anyway, me and Aby could actually manage to get out alive and well in Sape harbor. Buuuuuuuuuuuuut there's a but. We were late for that day's ferry. And there were only one ferry for each day. So, after we got jammed up in that 'sardine can', we had to wait for another day to come so we could get on the ferry for the next day. And the rest of the day was filled with looking for a cheap hostel around the harbor and finally, a BED!!!! A pretty proper one.
The next day, we hopped on the ferry to Labuan Bajo. The ferry crossing took approximately 9 hours from Sape to LBJ. Probably the worst PELNI ferry I've ever been on haha. But nevertheless, the view was uh-ma-zing. The blue sky came across green-yellowish hills, all down to the blue and turquoise sea. Didn't seem like I was in Indonesia! There were so many small islands, which seemed 'unearth'. Oh and also, we also had the opportunity to see dolphins jumping up and down near our ferry! Incredible.
Finally after 9 hours, we arrived in Labuan Bajo. It was a beautiful harbor city, with hills and cliffs surrounding the bay, garnished by white houses and small locally run hotels.
And the rest of my trip in Flores, I shall continue on my next posting. Ciao for now!
Stay cool,
Tami
1.25.2012
Lombok: Gili Terawangan, Bumbang Beach, Kebon Duren!
Heiya! After one semester filled with college assignments, papers, exams, and projects, finally the time has come for semester break! Woo hoo :D One month with exactly nothing to do…. Anyway on this posting and several postings later I’m gonna write about the trip I did last June-August to Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Komodo, and Flores. But let’s just skip the Bali part shall we? It was the usual trip to Tanah Lot, Kuta, Ubud, Bedugul, Dreamland, Monkey Forest, etc.
Gili Terawangan
Anyway, we started the trip in Gili Terawangan, pretty much I didn’t do anything on my third time there *nyombong*. I just lay down under the sunny sunglight, blue sky, on the beach with crystal blue water, wind blowing gently, The Zahir on my lap (my favourite one of Coelho’s) and….. some bules with their bikinis and their perut yang tumpah ruah. Other times I just walked along the shoreline with my friends . Well as far as I can see, the island has developed with more hostels/motels/cottages, bars, and restaurants. More tourists ofcourse. My first time there I guess it was around 8 or 9 years ago and it was still like a pure private island. My second time there was 4 years ago, with more hotels and restaurants, bars, even mini cinema cafe. And now it has grown pretty developed. But apart from all the expensive restaurants, it’s not that hard to find cheap food here. They still have a spot for food stalls. And what I like from these islands is that motorbikes and cars are still not allowed on the road. You’ll find lots of bicycles for rent, or ‘delman’ along the pavements. That’s why the air is still fresh and unpolluted! :D But for you guys who are looking for a serene, tranquil place with less crowd then I wont recommend this island for you. At night you’ll hear the boom-boom-bass from the nearest bar and the crowd never sleeps until dawn. But last time I went there it was on late July during Ramadhan and all the noise stopped at 12. But during other months, this island is like tropical entertainment paradise, perfect for those who are seeking for a spot to meet up and hang around with other fellow travelers.
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| Kaki gue bergelimpangan dibawah sinar matahari |
The road from Senggigi to Kuta was actually one the best trail I've ever seen in Indonesia, the vista was just amazing going ups and downs the hill on the steep side of the cliff overlooking the blue ocean! Gue jamin naik angkot ga bakal berasa kaya naik angkot kalo pemandangannya kaya begini.
Bumbang Beach
After spending three days 2 nights in Gili Terawangan, I met up with my friend’s family and his brother booked a room through Agoda in Bumbangku Beach Hotel, without knowing exactly where it was…… All we knew was that it’s located somewhere in Lombok’s Kuta Region. FYI, Lombok’s Kuta and its Tanjung Aan are my favourite beaches in Lombok! Anyway, we didn’t have any idea where this hotel was located but there were some signs pointing the direction to the hotel. We followed the direction and the road was severely jammed. I bet it used to be a proper road, but it has became an OFF-ROAD. Jumping ups and downs, left and right on the steep, circuitous and unsurfaced road without any proper sign of the hotel, we doubted if it was really the right way to reach the hotel…. But we continued driving though, cause the energy was well paid off with amazing sceneries overlooking the vast blue Indian ocean, hilly landscape with lush green valleys. Finally we saw something looking like cottages and yeay! It was the Bumbangku Beach Cottages! The owner of the hotel greeted us:
Welcome to visit beautiful Bumbang beach which is quiet, unspoiled and far from the developed world
We told the owner about the road we had, and she told us that they actually had a boat-shuttle service where they would pick the guests in Grupuk Beach and take them by boat for 75rb. Ha. If only we knew this earlier. But! Anyway it was such an adrenalin rush and I recommend you to go by land for you thrill seekers! :D.
Far from developed world, Indeed it was. We were welcomed with unspoiled pale sand with clear turquoise water and a long long shoreline to run on. We spent the day by exploring the bay on a boat. The bay was surrounded by huge yellowish hills which made a contrast view to the blue water, the bay was also famous and one of the best surfing points in Lombok and they even had this unique ‘Ocean Bar’, a floating bar exactly located in the middle of the sea where surfers came to rest and relax! We also saw the spawning processes of lobsters, crabs, and seaweed. Where then they would cook the lobster fishes etc for the guests, freshly taken from the sea! :D Not to forget, the sunset was TRE-MEN-DOUS!
Kebon Duren
The next day, my friend’s family went back to Jakarta and then we went to the bus station to buy the ticket straight to Labuan Bajo, Flores (Later we knew that this was such a mistake). Waiting for the departure of the bus, our driver took us to his house and his Kebon Duren. If only I had kebon duren…. I’ll die between thouse sweet-sour-soft durians…. Forget fasting, it’s durian party! We ate em all sampe muak (mumpung gratis!) Somehow lombok’s durian is pretty different than other durians I have eaten *ceritanya pengamat duren* It’s very sweet with more “nyesshhhh” taste like alcohol when you bite it. Nyummmmmmm :p
Well those were our first stories during our long trip to Flores. After having enough of durians and mangosteen, the driver took us back to the bus station. He even offered us some other durians for us to kept for the long journey, but no. Satu bis bakal mabok kalo bekel gue dan Aby adalah duren.
Thus, we left Lombok on the 26 hours long haul bus ride to Labuan Bajo, Flores.
Stay cool!
Tami
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