Take Oranges! Take Mandarins!
Jimeny, we have been out in the wops haven't we? I really don't know where to start...
Last time I posted I was well esconced, in true mincer style, on Gili Meno, an island off Lombok, east of Bali. I really can't complain about my time there - glorious quantities of fresh juice, as well as bottles of Sambal spicy sauce were consumed (not in combination of course) almost daily - but thanks to a strict routine of stretches and snorkelling, I remain in tip top physical condition.
So, after 7 nights there we took off by little outrigger canoe back to Bang Sal - the port town that feeds to the three little Gili Islands. Our lonely planet must be a little out of date, as it said that Bang Sal is a 'lovely place to spend some time'.
It is Hell, on sale.
Between being asked for my T-Shirt, having pens taken out of my bag, and fending off 20,000 Rupiah bottles of water (normal price, 3,000 Rp) I was glad to leave wearing anything at all. One of the favourite tricks seems to be a tout asks if you want anything, if you reply with (oh, woe betide you) 'How much?', they will return with an armful of whatever it is, foist it apon you, and then get angry when you say you don't actually WANT to buy it... What a lark...
Anyway, the day of the 14th was spent mostly on a bus - our driver bribing police as we headed east across Lombok to meet the boat we were taking over to Flores (an eastern island of Indonesia). After some malarky over the numbers being admitted onto the boat, we sailed around 5pm. Our group consisted of Me (Gilligan), Ben (the Skipper), Sean (the guitarist from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, apparently), Anna (I want to say Xena, but that's only cos she's not here), Jules (ok, she can be Xena), Tim, and Beth.
Tom, although you are 5 days smarter than me, I believe I can lay claim to being the first band member to spend 4 full days on the high seas. We were aboard a diesel motor boat - no cabin, except a little enclosure for the salty old captain - and just some covered decks outside. We basically plodded slowly along the coast, stopping the first night at Moyo (Princess Di and Nicolas Cage stayed over there, don't you know), the second night - well, the second night we didn't actually stop at all, and I slept in the deep deep slumber known only to those who actually live in a diesel engine.
Our third day, we made it to Komodo, home of the mighty dragon, wOOp wOOp!!! Now, we don't really have too many lizardy-crawly things down in little ol' New Zillund, but I know these things are pretty freakin' large. We stopped to see them on both Komodo (dry, little, everyone asleep) and Rinca (dry, big, lizards sneaking up behind you sniffing the air with their forky, forky tounges - I've never felt so much like a big piece of sashimi in all my life) Islands. We arrived a day after the dragons had finished dining. They're not really the fastest moving of animals, and just lie around most of the time, warming their cold blood, keeping their cold, dead eyes closed, eeeeeewwww
Aside tho, it should be mentioned that all along the way (aside from singing sea shanties, swilling rum, hoisting the mainsail, swabbbing the decks, keel-hauling the boson, and all manner of other 'High Seas' related activites), we stopped regularly for some pretty spectacular snorkelling, and some sort of (surely) illegal fishing, where one guy from our boat took the end of our fishing line, and snorkelled over to a fish - where he just sort of dangled it infront of them until they took the line.
So, after four lovely days at sea, with the end of our constant meals of rice and vegetables, we sailed around a little more before arriving in Flores.
Completely different from the mad touting that goes on in Lombok and Bali, Flores was pretty relaxed, and, well - Mosquey. Many was the time, very early in the morning, when we would awake to the call to worship, which was pretty nice once we got used to it. We took this time as rest days after our boat trip (ahhhh, a toilet that doesn't sway from side to side!) and just lounged about, with one little day trip to Seraya Island. If you're over in Labuhan Bajo, Flores, go over and stay a night or two on Seraya, it's reallllly perrrrty.
And, after all that, we turned around and came right back the way we came. We're in Kuta now, after 38 hours straight travelling by bus, rested, washed, fed - and today is mine and Jule's birthday. Email seems to be working, there are far too many of the worst kind of Australian tourist, and I can't wait to get out of here - Kuta is nasty - in that Ricky Lake shake-your-finger-and-rotate-your-head-like-you're-spinning-a-hula-hoop-round-your-neck kind of way; mullets and handlebar mustaches carrying Bintangs staggering around, pairs of girls from Waggawagga with matching cornrows you know they got at the same time, and thousands of guys all branded with the following compulsory uniform;
bleached hair,
at least one 'tribal' tatoo,
at least one item of clothing with a picture of a surfboard on it.
I never really did fit in...
So, from here, we're regrouping, working out what we're going to do, but the basic plan is to race across Java by bus and train, intending to spend as much time as possible in Sumatra, from where we'll ferry across to Malaysia and go overland up to Thailand. That's all we know, stay tuned...
Sorry I can't post photos, but I can confirm that my hair is longer than it has been in the last ten years (although I still strangely have less than I used to...) and my beard is back in full swing. I can neither confirm nor deny that I am wearing a shell bracelet, but if it's Dad asking - I'm not.
So, I hope you're all well and life is good,
Your man in the tourist trap,
Arch :)
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