The overland trip as advertised exactly suited us. Having previously enjoyed three overland trips we knew what to expect and the route as published covered areas of the world we had yet to experience. The Silk Route has a special magic and Nepal was a particular interest for business reasons.
It was the ideal trip for us, especially as it was likely to be our last long overland adventure.
All the places visited were interesting for their particular and varied reasons, and it is reasonable to say we enjoyed the trip greatly. Additional places were visited that were not on the itinerary, this was much appreciated especially as the timescale was likely to extend without significant extra kitty cost.
The truck was well built, comfortable and had excellent visibility. A novel feature was the forward balcony, positioned over the cab with access from the passenger area, which provided an excellent viewpoint.
However there were significant differences with the management of this trip and the three previous overland trips we have enjoyed.
I make the following comments to highlight what I see as shortcomings and obviously they are my personal opinions based on facts from a single trip. Anyone planning on embarking on a trip with EOE should consider these points and preferably refer to EOE for current policy as it would be reasonable for improvements to occur as the company matures.
1. Information and communications.
The general plan for each day was explained by our driver before we set off for the day.
During the day we had little contact with the Tour Leader who travelled in a separate vehicle following the truck. I would assume this circumstance to be exceptional.
It was often the case that lunch stops, shopping stops etc. would be open ended. Without a return time specified it meant some of the group would be waiting for others to return not knowing if they had time to venture forth themselves.
Once at our destination we often hung around in the truck while accommodation was found. On one occasion we arrived to find the intended accommodation had closed down two years previously. With mobile ‘phones and comprehensive guide books it would have been possible to check accommodation in advance, even if firm bookings were not possible. It fact we booked our own accommodation by ‘phone, from the moving truck, on several occasions.
2. Hygiene.
I commented at the first meeting that I believed truck hygiene was important. I was surprised when no emphasis was placed on this once the trip began. Those leaving the truck for the toilet or any other reason simply climbed back on board without washing their hands. Eventually I purchased a spray which was filled with disinfectant and hung near the entrance so that hands could be cleaned. This had always been standard practice on previous trips, and I believe necessary to help keep ‘bugs’ at bay.
The truck is equipped with two large water tanks which are filled from whatever source is available, be it garage forecourt or mountain stream. These sources of water are of unknown quality especially in the third world. Dispite much sickness our driver declined to treat the water claiming it would then taste unpleasant, and he didn’t believe any of the sickness was due to the water. Most of the group then started treating their own water or purchased bottled water. Eventually, weeks later, the truck water was treated.
3. Included items.
A number of things were listed as included. City tours and national park entrance fees amongst them. One of the city tours didn’t happen, no explanation. We had to pay for a car and driver to take us on a tour. Park entrance fees are usually quite inexpensive, the cost arises in the provision of transport around the parks. Although theoretically you could explore on foot, it is unusual to do so primarily because of the distances involved. The ‘included entrance fee’ is therefore very misleading. Our previous experience had been that ‘included entrance fee’ meant the cost to visit the site, not just to be able to stand on the other side of the gate.
One big surprise was an additional cost of several hundred dollars per person to go through China. This made an unexpected dent in our budget as we were already en-route before being told. Naturally there is ‘small print’ to cover this.
4. Use of truck.
The truck really only provided the minimum of transport. In cities it would be parked in out of town truck parks and we would have to make our own way to the hotel, this really had to be taxi. Another unexpected expense. The truck was only used once to take the group into a town we had camped on the outskirts of, and then the driver had his own reasons for the trip.
5. Cook groups.
One of the interesting aspects of an overland trip such as this has previously been the planning, buying and cooking of meals for the group. This was a good opportunity to meet local people and find out about local food and cooking. The arrangement on this trip was that the tour leader planned the meals and went shopping, with the cook group playing a minor role, primarily fetch & carry. For us this was a disappointment. However the food produced was excellent, probably about the best of all our overland trips.
Summary.
99% of the trip is the places and peoples you see en-route, for this you have to make sure the time spent in any location is fully utilized and in this respect we had a fantastic time. The other 1%, the poor management, we pushed into the background and refused to let it have a significant effect on us.
We occasionally felt a bit like baggage rather than paying customers. An added difficulty, although not a fault of the company, was the attitude of some of the passengers who seemed to be content to do nothing but hang around with the truck or in the nearest bar. Then there were the ‘bossy boots’, those inadequate people who have small brains and big mouths. We had many a private laugh about them.
Dispite the forgoing I am sure you have gathered from our blog that we had a great trip, met some splendid people who we now consider friends and would love to keep in touch with.
You may consider it significant that of the 30 people that set out from London only 13 made it to Sydney. Our previous three overland trips, all long trips up to eight months, ended with all the passengers that started.
One final word. The management style, the countries visited and our own desire for comfort contributed to make it dramatically more expensive than anticipated based on our previous experience.
Overland travel is a superb way of seeing the world outside the tourist hot spots.
Pat & Brian King
Homeward Bound.
Our original plan had been to visit friends in New Zealand and Tasmania, also perhaps spend a week or two at our home in Florida before returning to the UK. However as the time taken to reach Sydney was two months longer than expected we decided to save those adventures for another time. Instead we devoted two weeks after our arrival in Sydney to exploring the route from Sydney to Brisbane.
But Sydney is a big place and we devote three days utilising the superb public transport system to explore the area. The ferry services centred on Circular Quay were a delightful way of getting around.
We were lucky enough to be in Sydney for the White Album Concert at the Opera House. John Waters, Jon Stevens and Jack Jones made a splendid job of performing the songs from the Beatles 1968 album. We visited Paramatta and Manley, explored the shops and ate in the restaurants, watched street artists and visited public buildings.
An excellent few days doing exactly as we pleased. Decided on a return date to the UK and booked our flight. Replaced broken shoes and tatty clothes. It was time to head north.
So we hired a car and left the luxury of our hotel overlooking Sydney Harbour Bridge to head inland to the Blue Mountains.
The town of Windsor was honoured with our presence as we drove through the Hawkesbury valley then through Wollemi national park where evidence of the forest fires was all around. Grey ash covered the ground, and blackened trees stretched to the horizon, but tiny green shoots were popping up everywhere.
Through the Blue Mountains national park and into Lithgow where we stayed in a comfy motel and thanks to a TV equipped with an AV socket were able to look though our days pictures and relive the lovely scenery.
Next day and the Great Western Highway, Evans Lookout and Hartley Historic Village. Did some shopping in Katoomba before going to Echo Point for a great view of the canyon and the Three Sisters. A walk near Wentworth Falls through some woodland full of outstanding blossom and seed heads.
Tourist Route 15 took us to Wisemans Ferry, where after tea and cake we crossed the Hawkesbury river on the free ferry. A pleasant drive along the riverside then Highway 1 to Wyong and The Entrance. The Jetty Motel provided our bed for the night. A late start but we had another full day. Toowoon Bay, brekky while watching the pelicans, Nora Head and the lighthouse, Lake Macquarie and a thickshake in McDonalds.
It seemed like a good idea to explore the wine area. Many of the vineyards were closed but we visited Blueberry Hill and Bimbadgen Estate for a taster and bought a couple of bottles to keep us going for the next few days.
We drove through Broke and into Singleton for a look at what is supposed to be the worlds biggest sundial and after lunch of pie and chips set out for Tamworth. Areas of opencast mining gave way to horse breeding farms around Scone. We tested the wine we bought at Bimbadgen Estate that evening and next morning checked out the 12 metre high Golden Guitar which is a giant sized copy of the Country Music Awards golden guitar trophies.
After struggling through the traffic jams in Tamworth we made tracks for Armidale, past cattle stations and kangaroos lying at the side of the road after an argument with a truck.
I love some of the place names we have seen, Wagga Wagga, Poison Swamp Creek and Goonoo Goonoo stick in my mind.
Our guide book told us that Wollomombi Falls were Australia’s second highest at 220 metres, when we got there the local sign said 260 metres. Nearby was Chandler Falls but both were less than spectacular due to the low volume of water, but the adjacent picnic spot provided a suitable place for lunch.
This area is waterfall country and a short way along the road are Ebor Falls on the Guy Fawkes River. Needing a break from waterfalls, tea and cake in Fusspots Café seemed a good idea and their second hand book sale benefited by a few dollars too.
Carried on along Waterfall Way into Dorrigo, which proudly proclaims it is ‘A tidy town’, and to Sherrard and Newell Falls. Lovely rain forest in this area, giant leaves and luxurious ferns.
Coffs Harbour looked a bit tacky so we pressed on to Woolgoolga and had tea at a bistro just down the road. Delicious lamb chops washed down with a beer, what a way to end the day.
Time to see what the coast has to offer, so we walked to the beach for a rummage around in the rock pools and just generally watch the world go by. We looked at lots of pretty shells on the beach while a young lady hovered over our heads suspended from a hang glider.
On to Grafton Tourist Information to collect some local maps and information for the next leg of our journey north. Stopped in Ulmarra for a beer in The Commercial Hotel, a quaint place on the Clarence River where water skinks shuffled about in the undergrowth and the high street buildings had rails to tie the horse to.
So we plodded along the Pacific Highway past and turned off into Yamba for some time on the beach and to use the internet before finding a hotel for the night. Landed on our feet, it had a jacussi and a pool.
Woke to a wet and gloomy day, said goodbye to the Aston family and their hotel, and made our way to Angourie. After a giant breakfast in ‘Frangipans’ we braved the mud and visited the Blue Pool. Some local teenagers were trying to pluck up courage to jump into the pool from a rocky outcrop, but they found enough excuses to chicken out without losing face and went for a swim in the sea instead. Pat and I strolled along the shoreline rocks to Point Beach then back to the town past the new signboard proclaiming ‘Surfers Reserve’, the first beach in Australia to be protected for the use of surfers. I have to admit I don’t quite know what that means.
After a quick look at Spooky Beach, which I didn’t find spooky at all, we set out for Maclean, a town with strong Scottish connections. Every lamppost had been painted with a different Scottish tartan. As it was a Sunday most shops were shut, but thank goodness for Spar from where we purchased some biscuits to fortify us on our way up the Pacific Highway.
Past the usual collection of dead kangaroos we arrived in Evans Head and parked up overlooking the sea and a low tide sandbar. A number of fishermen were collecting bait by digging in the sand and a family played cricket while the pitch got smaller as the tide came in.
Back to Broadwater and the Pacific Highway into Ballina where we went to the pictures and munched popcorn and maltesers while we watched ‘Holiday’.
The open air cathedral just out of Bexhill is a lovely place. With a stone altar, lecturn and cross the green painted log benches look out over the valley. Placed here in 1958 it hosted it’s first wedding in 1974 and since then over 400 weddings have taken place in this beautiful setting.
A complete contrast in Nimbing which since the Aquarius Festival in 1973 has become a bit of a tourist attraction. The colouful main street full of gayly painted shop fronts many selling the usual range of hippy paraphernalia, and a weird museum with bits of old VW campers and other assorted junk. After a lunch of salad and milkshake we had a last look in some of the shops run by ageing hippies selling bongs.
Blue Knob, Clarrie Hall Dam, Murwillumbah and Chillingham, with great views of Mount Warning, saw us into Tweed Head. Next morning we visited the tourist information office where Ken from Monmothshire gave us an enthusiastic and uninterruptable story of his life and a few clues about what see in the area. A brief trip into the local shopping center for some essentials was enhanced by a chap selling snake bite dressings. His sales pitch was to have a number of Australia’s most poisonous snakes in sacks which he opened and handled the snakes with some caution while explaining what nasty effects a bite can have. I think we watched for a while hoping he would get bitten so we could see the benefit of the dressing he was selling. A bit like watching car races hoping for a crash. But no bites and the crowd sneaked away as soon as he got to asking for money.
Through Banora Point and into Kingscliff for lunch at the Bowls Club rounded off by coffee and cake. A walk along the red hot beach, where the dry sand squeaked and whistled as we walked over it, finished our day out and we returned to our motel for a swim in the pool.
The Narang Road takes you to Natural Bridge where the waterfall crashes though a hole in the roof of a shallow cave. Surrounded by dim glowworms we read the long explanation of how the waterfall creates the cave. The Wunburra Lookout gave us a good view to the Gold Coast and it’s high rise hotels, further along the road a shop sells soap and fudge. They look quite similar and we nearly bought some soap to munch while we drove to the ‘Best of All’ lookout.
More good views and waterfalls as we made our way to Purlin Brook Falls where an old pumphouse is still standing. It was completely empty and could easily have passed for a derelict garden shed. However the falls and the walk though the surrounding woodland was very pleasant. Along the Mudgeeraba Road which winds down the escarpment in a long series of ‘S’ bends. They are tight corners and a lorry we followed often put the trailing twin rear wheel over the edge in the struggle to negotiate them. It reminded us of our journey along the Karakoram Highway, Pakistan, and the roads in Yunnan Province, China.
We saw them from a distance but now we are smack in the middle of them. High rise hotels in Surfers Paradise line the beach. We check into one of the few remaining Motels, most have sold out to property developers, and walk along the beach. It is a fantastic beach stretching as far as the eye can see. Lots of people swimming but all crowded into a few yards of beach between yellow and red flags overlooked by a lifeguard. Spent a while on the beach watching some surfing classes, from their enthusiastic start the learners seemed to tire quickly and having failed to surf for more than a couple of seconds at a time trudged back up the beach with long faces. Someone must have told them it was easy, but its not.
We knew we were near to the home of the brother of a good friend and hoped to call in to see him, but it was not our lucky day and he was about to go away for a few days. Never mind, next time!
Took some time out to get the diary up to date, and made a note of some more great place names. How about Bewobble and Wonglepong.
On to Tamborine National Park and pie and chips at Curtis Falls restaurant. Nice weather so we sat outside and watched the cream and brown Kookaburras on the fence nearby. A small child in a highchair at the table next to us was just about to munch a piece of beefburger when a Kookaburra swooped down and snatched it from his fingers. Hardly stopped laughing when another bird tried the same trick with Pat’s pie, they are surprisingly big birds with chunky beaks but failed to steal any pie. Thought it would be a good idea to try and get some video of the pie snatcher but despite waving some pie on a fork they refused to be tempted. I had already spent the £250 from You’ve Been Framed.
To the Botanical Gardens, lots of interesting plants and lizards which ran away with their front legs held high.
Only a few days remain before we need to catch our flight back to the UK so I booked into a hotel in Hatton Vale, and easy drive from there to the airport in Brisbane, and we sorted out our luggage. Our tent, self inflating beds, and a host of other bits and bobs went to a charity shop in the town or the rubbish bin. Anything the hotel cleaner might find useful we left in our room. I bought a spring balance to check our luggage would not keep the plane on the ground and we spent the next two days winding down.
Visited Laidley to catch up with emails and blog, Toowoomba for the Waterbirds habitat and Japanese garden, and then Brightview for lunch in a tavern that still had the early space invaders game table. I recall when they first appeared in the pubs a game would make hands sweat and the heart race. This time it didn’t, seemed a bit old hat really! The ‘pokies’ or one armed bandits were more fun, and we even made a profit.
So its off to the airport, the usual routine we are all too familiar with. Rather surprised my spring balance was deemed an offensive weapon and confiscated, I suppose threatening an air hostess with weighing may be called offensive. On the plane I thought I would have a vegetarian meal for a change, no problem they said, and brought me a very nice pasta dish with a chicken salad. Not a good start for Royal Brunei, and I have trouble understanding the crew. The seat in front of me is broken and always reclines so the notice which says ‘Pasang Tali Keledar Semasa Duduk Jaket Keselamatan Dibawah Tempat Duduk’ is too close to focus on. It was a relief to get to Bandar Seri Begawan on the shores of the South China Sea and change to a better aircraft.
I didn’t see anyone take advantage of the ‘direction to Mecca’ indicator. Next stop Dubai and we had a good laugh in the transit lounge where some inexperienced travellers somehow misunderstood the instructions to go though the metal detector and all put their hands up while in the queue and didn’t lower them again until they had passed through.
We get quite bored on long flights, Pat is able to sleep and was lucky enough to get a whole row of seats to herself, I can’t sleep so I watch the films.
Had a grand plan of getting a hire car at Heathrow for a couple of days while our own car was brought back into service. After paying less than £15 per day in Australia I was a bit shocked to be asked for £170 for two days. We got the bus. Very smooth trip except in Cambridge where our bus change was disrupted by an accident on that horror of a road the A14. Worked in our favour however as the driver detoured to avoid the A14 and dropped us off in our village.
Now we are at home. I have cleared away the cobwebs and reestablished relations with our cat and wonder of wonders the car started first go once I had put the battery in it. Now all I need to do is sort out the 8000 photographs and 27 hours of video!
I hope you have enjoyed reading our blog. Our comment and critique page will be added later.
Truck News 7
We made it! London to Sydney Overland. It took a bit longer than we thought
and we have really enjoyed the experience. Our driver Will achieved his
ambition to drive the whole route, though he missed out on Indonisia and, as he
predicted in Budapest, only 13 of us were there at the end though I don’t
think we were they 13 he thought would make it. The older contingent, which
included us made it, and most of the girls. The ones who claimed to be true
overlanders gave up to go to meet prior arrangements and others gave up to have
longer adventures and go different routes. It has taken just under 9 months
crossing this fascinating world and living in a close knit group. Some fellow
travellers I could happily have strangled as they payed little interest to the
world around them preferring to drink and sleep and clean the truck. Others
such as Nicola and Laura we will greatly miss as their positive attitude
reflected our own, trying to make the best of all opportunities. I will also
miss Dave and his swearing and his teasing. He has been good company. We wish
them all happy experiences as they return home via the Trans-Siberian railway.
We wish Mel a happy future in Cambodia with Among, his new partner, and hope
Mike gets something back from all his hard work filming us as far as Bangkok.We
missed Lesley and Steve as they dashed off to see in the New Year in Sydney.
They nearly made it! We are looking forward to meeting up in UK or Florida with
all our travelling friends and going over the masses of photos and memories of
our epic journey. I hope relatives and friends have enjoyed reading our tale.
Pat
Australia Part Two
Next morning the replacement tyre arrives and we are on our way to Adelaide. Not by the itinerary route through the Flinders Range of mountains but straight down the so called ‘Explorer Highway’. Another disappointment as we now see more barren landscape while the Flinders mountains tease us on the eastern horizon. We stop in Pt. Augusta for the ‘drinkers’ amongst us to load the truck with cases of beer.
The landscape gets greener, the trees taller, sheep and llamas graze, and we pass signs warning of kangaroos. Further on and roadside houses advertise home made jam and antiques.
Pt. Pirie and the first sight of the sea on our right. Novel roadside markers show the location of accidents, green for injuries and red for fatalities.
Our last bush camp before Christmas and the overnight temperature drops to a chilly 10 degrees. Next morning and into Adelaide, all suitable campsites are full but we land on our feet when an out of town campsite offers us the use of a redundant golf clubhouse.
This is splendid good luck and gives us a perfect venue for our Christmas celebrations. I book Pat and I into a deluxe apartment as our Christmas treat. Our travelling companions pitched tents on the rough ground behind the clubhouse.
In the clubhouse I gather together enough tables and chairs to make one large table for our Christmas meals. We put some decorations up around the walls and installed our cooking gear behind the bar. All set.
For our evening meal we cooked my orange & lemon chicken with some vegetables including hot beetroot which raised a few eyebrows. Mince pies for pudding. After clearing away, some drinks and a chat, Pat & I retired to our room and watched ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ on dvd.
Christmas Day and I gave Pat an opal bracelet Christmas present. Still our cook duty and we went to the clubhouse and cooked everyone egg, bacon, sausage and mushrooms. After breakfast a short walk to the White Horse Sports Bar for our Christmas day beer. It was free, compliments of the landlord. The plan for Chistmas dinner (not our turn to cook) was for about three in the afternoon, but the White Horse shut at eleven, so we watched Fahrenheit 9/11. Michael Moore certainly doesn’t like Bush!
Our Christmas dinner at 3 o/c was brilliant, superbly prepared by the three girls cook group. We had all the usual goodies but substituted chickens for turkey as we could buy them ready cooked.
After dinner we had our ’secret santa’, we all took turns to sit on our drivers knee as he took our gift from the sack. We had previously drawn a name and purchased a gift for around ten dollars. The recipient had no idea who purchased their gift. Some laughter, especially when a particularly vocal member of our group received a packet of bulls***.
Our afternoon was spent enjoying games. Our Austrian friend taught us ‘leg wrestling’ and ’squirrel up the pole’, we also played the old favourites; pass the parcel, cards etc.
Leftovers for tea and mince pies.
Boxing day, also Proclamation day for Australia, and we had breakfast with the group before Pat & I set off to make the best of our short time in Adelaide. So via Paralowie, Salisbury and a couple of busses and trains we got to the city centre. We met an elderly Dutch couple whose accent was so strong we thought they still lived in Holland but discovered they moved to New Zealand thirty years ago.
Thanks to a leaflet from the tourist information office we had a walking route to follow that took in the significant sites. We ended our day with a tour of the museum and a walk along the riverside.
So our Christmas is over and we set out again in our truck. Following the ‘Princes Highway’ we pass lagoons and salt lakes, while offshore the Younghusband Peninsula creates the perfect environment for birdlife and we see large flocks of birds and some pelicans. Driving through the Coorong National Park we spot water skinks crossing the road. From the ‘Southern Ports Highway’ we park up in Robe and have a bag of chips for lunch. Next is Mount Gambier and we stop for the night at the ‘Central Camp Site’. A beer goes down well after tea and just down the road from the bar is ‘Cave Gardens’, a sinkhole turned into a pleasant garden. Later we walked to Umpherston sinkhole where at dusk, as the parrots make a racket overhead, the possums come out to feed on visitors tit-bits. The sinkhole originally contained a small lake and an island to which visitors were taken in a row boat, but the falling water table took the lake with it. The sinkhole now is a terraced garden, illuminated at night and equipped with picnic tables and bbqs. Watching the possums grabbing offered food and sometimes not offered food was great fun.
Back at our campsite we use the internet terminal to get emails and bank accounts up to date. It is located in the laundry building which was once the towns first bank, the National Bank of Australia, opened in 1860.
Next day, as we leave Mount Gambier, we drive down Bay Road to Watson Drive and circumnavigate the ‘Blue Lake’. Laying in a volcanic caldera it changes colour throughout the year due to minerals in the water. It was certainly blue today!
In Portland while the cook group bought the food for the next day Pat & I walked along the shoreline on Bentink Street. Continuing our journey we have lunch in Port Fairy and walk to Griffiths Island across the Moyne river. The nearby beach has soft white sand and we sat and drank a ginger beer while children built sandcastles.
Past the camel rides, their passengers looking worried as the gawky animals kneel for their riders to alight, and back to our truck to continue on our way along the ‘Great Ocean Road’. The Warrnambool cheese factory, commonly known as ‘Cheese World’, tempts us to stop, and from this point on the aroma of cheese drifts around the truck.
The ‘Great Ocean Road’ is a lovely route, rock pillars, grottos, deep blue sea, glowing beaches and brilliant white surf. The Twelve Apostles attract coachloads of package tourists, it is a pity that means giant car parks, fences and helicopter rides, but a lovely spot nevertheless. Irresistible picture territory although some of the Apostles seem to be on holiday.
Driving through the woods we spot lots of Koalas in the trees. They are sweet little creatures that spend most of their time sleeping thanks to the low nutrition diet of eucalyptus leaves. They watch us struggle to get a decent picture through the branches.
We overnight at Bimbi Park on Cape Otway. More Koalas in the trees and bunny hopping on the ground. One sits on a branch and relieves itself on a tent.
On the road again over Smythe Creek and Sausage Gully, past Split Point Lighthouse towards Melbourne. Lots of place names remind us of other parts of the world as a consequence of the colonisation of Australia, we see Anglesea and Torquay for example.
Into Melbourne and we need somewhere stay. Asking directions at a bowls club they suggest we stay with them, they even have a ground nearer the centre of town on a tram route. So they guide us to it, make us honourary members for life and open the clubs facilities for us to use. The membership of the Flemington & Kensington Bowling Club are a splendid group of people, and we spend some evenings with them in the club bar.
Each morning of our four days in Melbourne we left the comfort of the bowls clubs for an easy tram ride into the city centre. A compact city centre we were able to walk between areas of interest. There was also a city circle tram which provided a convenient, and free, way of getting around.
A relaxed and friendly city we enjoyed the parks, the buildings and the shopping malls next to the south bank of the Yarra river. Of special note is the new museum, built adjacent to the now disused Royal Exhibition Building (a world heritage site) in Carlton Gardens, which has beautifully presented displays. In the east of the city centre is the William Barak bridge. It has loudspeakers built into it’s sides, each playing a song from a different commonwealth country. Walking across the bridge was an interesting experience, and a good view of the Melbourne skyline.
Our New Year would be spent in Melbourne and thanks to an interesting chat with a park ranger we decided to watch the fireworks on new years eve from the grassy knoll of Birrarung Marr. An excellent fireworks display, an early display for the children, then an impressive one at midnight. Three barges in the Yarra and the city’s tallest building launched the synchronised display. Large illuminated balloons were floated above Federation Square and a remote controlled airship dropped glitter. The outside drinking ban was flouted by a few young men who were quickly caught by the police patrol and had to watch their drinks poured onto the grass.
The late trams were free and efficient, and we got back to the bowls club in time to join with them for a continuing celebration of the new year. More beers, games and hilarity, in bed by 4am.
Our last day in Melbourne, new years day, and while many nursed hangovers we caught the number 57 tram to it’s terminus at Flinders Street. An old fellow sat by the tram stop, a tamborine tied to each foot, tunelessly playing a penny whistle while stamping his feet. It was obvious why he wore ear defenders and his hat only had few coins in it!
We spent the day at the National Gallery of Victoria and in the Royal Botanical Gardens where we met a family who have a mutual friend in England; small world. For tea we walked along the riverbank to Southgate Mall for a Chinese meal, then to Crown Plaza for drinks and to watch the huge Christmas display clock from the comfort of our seats in the Atrium Bar of the Crown Casino. Carousel, acrobats, fairies and reindeer performing every half hour.
So now it is the last leg of our trip with the truck, to Sydney. We set off along the Hume Highway, through Hollbrook, the submarine town, with the big black submarine half buried at the side of the road.
We have another blowout, so once again we have to run with one tyre on the twin, but we make it into Sydney. So over two months late we have done it, just twelve of the original group, and we set off party poppers as we cross the bridge three times. Park up in Lane Cove River Tourist Park. No farewell party has been arranged so everyone goes there own way. We sort our kit, book into the Harbourview Hotel, with it’s fantastic view of the harbour and bridge, and get a taxi to transfer all our kit to the hotel.
Bye bye truck. Our next post will be for our independent trip up to Brisbane.
I hope you found our trip from London to Sydney interesting. Once we have settled in back in the UK I may write a summary/critique of the trip which I would advise anyone planning a similar trip to read before making expensive decisions.
Brian
Australia at last!
A pleasant flight to Darwin with lots of legroom and although quite short we had drinks, lunch and cake during the flight.
For the first time ever I used the video to record the take-off, some views and the landing and I look forward to showing the grandchildren.
So we have made it to Australia. Not overland as there were no ferries from Timor to Darwin, and not even in the truck as poor planning had resulted in a truck design too tall for any of the Indonesian ferries.
Our truck, shipped from Singapore to Darwin, languishes in quarantine waiting to be cleaned to the satisfaction of the Australian authorities. We check into the ‘Youth Shack’, for an unknown time awaiting the trucks release.
However we decide not to waste our time in Darwin and first stop is the Tourist Information Centre in Mitchell Street to collect leaflets.
We are immediately reminded of America and Canada by the general appearance of Darwin. The clear pavements, the smooth road and the overall tidiness is a stark contrast to Indonesia and many other Asian countries.
A priority for us is food. For a month we have longed for western food. Nasi Goreng became Nasty Boring and won’t be missed! Next to Youth Shack is a bar cum restaurant called Shenannigans. Our dream good meal, ‘T’ bone steak for me and bangers and mash for Pat, followed by a cheese board, was great. Then to Hog’s Breath for a beer sitting on a comfortable chair.
Our efforts to fully occupy our time in Darwin began next morning with a good breakfast. Then to ‘Lyons House’, built in 1925 for the telegraph company, it is a good example of local early architecture. It currently houses an interesting exhibition of photographs of Darwin. Nearby is Lamaroo beach but no swimming due to the box jelly fish at this time of year.
In the evening we walked to the botanical gardens ampitheatre for an open air carol concert and firework display.
Back in Darwin city centre the ‘Hookers Ball’ was just getting underway and the streets were full of strangely dressed young people. We went to bed.
Over the next few days we visited the majority of the local sights and attractions. This was greatly assisted by the bus service being free!
As our truck itinerary didn’t include Litchfield National Park we booked ourselves on a day trip which included checking out the crocodile population. A great day out, swimming in waterfalls, seeing some wildlife and feeding the crocs, interspersed with good food!
Florence Falls, Wangi Falls and Buley Rock Holes were great places to cool off. Champagne and giant prawns while we watched the sun set off East Point was a superb way to end the day.
The Museum & Art Gallery, Casuarina for the Coastal Reserve and shopping centre, Aviation Heritage Centre, Parap Market, Botanic Gardens and a whole range of other minor interests occupied our time. We went to the cinema and to an outstanding free concert arranged by Amnesty International to mark the signing of the Declaration of Human Rights on 10th. December 1948. Wonderful Aboriginal and African dancing, great music and finally some superb singing by Leah Flanagan.
We get word that our truck has been released from quarantine so just the MOT and insurance and we can be on our way.
Next destination is Kakado National Park.
Our first lunch stop with the truck for six weeks is at ‘window on the wetlands’. A free visitor centre and viewpoint on a small hill looking out over some wetlands and bush. A substantial bush fire could be seen in the distance. We had lunch sheltering from the heat of the midday sun under a large tree.
At Ubirr we stop to look at some rock art. The sort of work you would see on the wall of an infant school classroom. A guide at the site told us that the local people had drawn over the pictures many times.
Back on the truck and we set out toward Jabiru. A few kilometres down the road we set up camp in an official site. Luckily for our kitty there was nobody on duty to collect the money. A hot and sweaty night, no breeze, sleep was hard to find.
Next day we went into Jabiru town centre. Good job it was signposted, a collection of grey ‘prefab’ buildings was the town centre. Deserted except for a dozen ‘locals’ sitting in the shade of a large tree. Only one shop was open before 9am, the café, so we had a cool drink while we waited for the rest of the town to wake up. Pat bought a book on Aboriginal art in the supermarket.
Further along the road we call in to the Bowali visitor centre. A good display of flora and fauna, plus useful leaflets. Spotted a Whistling Kite in the trees, the ranger tells us it is quite common but the only kite that does not have a split tail.
Norlangie Rock is the next place to see lots of rock paintings. A slightly different style to those at Ubirr. Went up to nearby Gunwarrdehwarrde lookout for a good view of the surrounding countryside.
Anbangbang is a billabong that attracts plenty of birds and the occasional crocodile. Walking around there were no crocs to be seen but lots of birds. A complete circuit took less than 30 minutes.
A cruise on the Yellow River (Ngurrungurruljlua) was our next activity but we had to wait three hours so we amused ourselves swimming in a lovely pool at the resort. The cruise was pleasant, very relaxing, and we saw two separate instances of crocodiles attacking large fish. It was good to see live action and the way the croc rolls over to kill its prey. Also watched a huge flock of Magpie Geese chattering on the bank and the occasional Black Bittern.
So now we are half way through December, nearly two months after our original end date and still with about another month of the tour to go.
After a really hot night and consequently little sleep we set out for Katherine Gorge. It is a long drive. The road trains, giant units pulling three or four trailers, overtake us. Large areas of bush, burnt black and still smouldering, rush past. We get to Katherine Gorge and discover we have missed this boat also. So as we did yesterday we killed time by swimming, in the river this time having been assured there were no crocodiles nearby. The Katherine River runs through a series of 13 gorges here, we have booked a short cruise to take us through the first two which covers about half the distance of the whole series.
Good to see a freshwater crocodile with it’s slim snout. Lots of white cockatoos, and wallabies with babies.
Another silly hot night. We are told this is unusual weather, the knowledge doesn’t help. Next day we all try not to be miserable and snooze on the truck. Through Mataranka, past flocks of bright green parrots, termite cathedrals and wallabies.
Salvation. Daly Waters and a great pub full of things left by the many travellers who pass this way. ‘T’ shirts, shorts, hats, knickers, badges, number plates, bras, business cards, coins, bank notes and photographs, pinned to just about every inch of wall space. Pat & I added our pictures. Fully revitalised by two pints of beer and a plate of sausage and egg we hit the road again, leaving behind the world’s most remote traffic light and the customer parking lot occupied by a derelict helecopter.
Tennants Creek, our stop for refreshments, was a horrid place. All the shops had grills or bars at their windows and we bought our drinks through a hatch in what looked like a prison cell. We soon saw why when a group of what the police call ‘indigies’ started fighting outside the ‘bottle shop’. Shouting and yelling they soon attracted the attention of the police who, wearing rubber surgical gloves, restored order.
Camped at Bonney Creek with yellow crested cockatoos flying overhead. A hot night, the temperature went all the way down to 31 degrees!
Stopped next day to look at the Devil’s Marbles. Took the expected silly pictures holding them up or pushing them over. Forward to Ti-Tree Roadhouse and we bought ice cold drinks at the place military convoys stopped en-route to Darwin during WWII.
Made Alice Springs by lunchtime Sunday and raced around to see the Flying Doctor HQ and the ‘School of the Air’. Our taxi delayed by a collision with a motorcycle but we cadged a lift in a tour bus with a group of Americans struggling with the rules of cricket.
Evening in ‘Bojangles’ for a pleasant meal of camel kebab, crocodile rissole, buffalo medallion and kangaroo steak. Kangaroo lovely, camel tough.
The indigenous population once again hang around trees drinking and shouting, however a few elderly ladies sit nearby displaying some local art for sale.
We travel the Mereenie Loop. A tour which takes in a number of significant sites. Ellery Creek for a swim, Ormiston Gorge for a walk and the wildlife, and after buying a 2.2 dollar permit to enter Aboriginal land on to Tnorala, a massive meteor inpact crater. The Aboriginal story to explain this crater is about the Milky Way women dropping a giant baby, hence the crater.
Uncomfortably hot as we drive through endless spinifex grass. Dromidary camels, donkeys and horses graze by the corrigated dusty red road. We pass the Santos oil and gas field and on into Kings Canyon Resort. Time for a swim in the pool and an evening candle light carol service.
Walked along King’s Creek next morning and were fortunate to meet a park ranger who told us about the local flora and fauna. King Brown snakes, the world’s 5th. most deadly, and the red berry mistletoe. Later we pass Mt. Conner, often mistaken for Uluru [Ayres rock] from a distance, and after an overnight stop at Curtin Springs paid our 25 dollar fee to visit the Uluru-Kata Tjuta national park.
A cloudy morning so there was no colourful sunrise at Uluru. A free guided tour took us to see some rock paintings and sacred sites. We learn of Aboriginal law and punishment, such as spearing legs, also that ‘white man’s’ law also has to be complied with. Nearby is Kata Tjuta, previously known as ‘The Olgas’ after a Bavarian princess`s beehive hairstyle, where we strolled along Walpa Gorge.
As we continue south the landscape is bleak, the days are hot and we camp in roadside rest areas. One camp is on the border of Northern Territory and Southern Australia. Our first Emu races across the road
We cross the dog fence which extends for over 2500 kilometres and is designed to keep the dingos from the grazing land.
At Marla we turn off the Stuart Highway onto the Oodnadatta Track which takes us towards the Flinders Range. The track runs alongside the remains of the old Ghan railway line and wooden sleepers are scattered around. Some have been arranged into words on the embankment by previous visitors. We consider arranging then into Merry Christmas, but I calculated even ‘merry xmas’ would require moving nearly 40 sleepers, not a task to be undertaken lightly.
With a loud bang that made us jump in our seats and a cloud of dust we lost the front nearside tyre. We replace it with our last spare. As the tyre was a new one purchased in Bangkok we assumed the high temperature in the desert had overinflated it, so we reduced the pressure in all the tyres. Five minutes and only a few kilometres later there is another bang, another cloud of dust and bits fly past the windows. The offside front tyre has blown. This one took out part of the mudguard and air intake. No spares left, so we have to use one of the wheels from the rear twin. Now we are in trouble, we can cope with one more blowout by stealing a wheel from the other twin, but after that we would be stuck. Our only comfort is the knowledge that both blowouts were the new Kumho tyres we bought in Bangkok, were they fakes?
We drive cautiously into Williams Creek, population two. Adriana and her husband made us very welcome at the Williams Creek Motel. Thanks to our conversation with them and not wishing to get stuck in the desert we change our plans and head to Coober Pedy where the chance of getting a new tyre is much better.
Coober Pedy is a centre for opals and the town is surrounded by opal mines. It is still possible to stake a claim here and dig for your own opals. The weather is silly hot here and many homes, shops and bars are built underground to keep cool. As you would expect everyone is trying to sell you opals and we did buy a small pendant from a Chinese fellow who has his own mine in his back yard. A history of opal mining here is displayed in a long underground passage beneath the Desert Cave Hotel.
There was no suitable tyre for our truck in Coober Pedy, but with little choice we had to pay double price to have a tyre bussed in from Adelaide.
The rest of Australia tour next time!!
A very Happy New Year to all, and look forward to seeing you soon
Pat & Brian
Indonesia
The Other Islands
Mr. Perama, owner of the boat, joins us for the first section of our cruise to his private island. While the crew attend to the beach bbq of tuna steaks and corn cobs, we browse the shore looking at the fragments of bright red coral and assorted shells, under the watchful gaze of Mt. Rinjani. After we had dined the crew entertained us with music, song and dance.
We are ferried back to our boat in the little panga and slept well on a rough sea while we made overnight passage to Satonda.
Satonda is a little known island, and we arrive next morning to see the monkeys on the white sand beach running to hide in the jungle. We land and head into the jungle ourselves. Satonda is an ancient caldera, the crater has filled with water and, as it has no outlet other than evaporation, the water has become very salty. The result, rather like the Dead Sea, is an odd place to swim thanks to the increased boyancy. In the trees adjacent to the lake were many stones, bits of coral and bottles suspended by strings from the branches. These are supposedly good luck charms placed by nearby islanders. Pat added a piece of coral for our own good luck.
Back from our swim, we breakfast on the beach and snorkle over the coral surrounding the island.
Our next destination is Donggo. The sea becomes very rough with the boat climbing the crest of a wave to crash down into the trough that follows it. Superb snorkling at Donggo and a lovely beach to laze on and watch the sunset.
Overnight we sail to Komodo island, famous for the fearsome Komodo dragons. I awoke early and saw the sun rise twice as we sailed past other islands. We landed at Loh Liang, the entry point for the Komodo national park, and accompanied by two park rangers armed with forked sticks went in search of dragons!
The rangers kitchen produces enticing aromas and the komodo’s long yellow forked tongue detects these smells. Consequently there are always dragons nearby. So these were the first we saw. One six foot dragon decided to run off while I was videoing him, why he ran in my direction I don’t know but the result is some very chaotic video as I dodged out of his way. We walked through the jungle in search of more but only spotted one as he was returning to his burrow. However much other wildlife was in evidence; white cockatoos, boars, deer, wild chickens, oriols and a big bird which constructs a giants earth nest on the ground which our guide called a Megapod. Later on our walk we spotted a flying lizard and some green parrots.
At the jetty we hurried through the crowd of hawkers selling carved wooden dragons and took the panga back to our boat. A few kilometres round the island is the Red Beach. It’s colour is caused by the red coral growing off shore. A lovely place to laze and snorkle. Lots of brightly coloured fish among the coloured coral.
Next stop Flores, and the end of our cruise. We spend the evening on board in the harbour of Labuan Bajo with the crew who provided an excellent farewell meal and entertained us until 11pm.
We booked into the Mutiari hotel. A shambles of a place run by a little fellow with big ears. However it seems to have the only air conditioned room in town. Next morning I sit by the beach writing my diary waiting for breakfast. It didn’t arrive. I watched the strange little crabs with one giant sized claw squabbling amongst the plastic bags and other rubbish in the low tide mud. Another sack of rubbish comes flying from an upstairs window. I go for a walk.
The one comfortable place to eat in town is only 50 yards from our hotel so we spend time there planning our next step through Indonesia. Still not in the mood for the cramped minibuses provided in lieu of the truck we hire a car and driver to take us across the island to Ende, from where we already have ferry tickets to take us to Kupang on Timor Island.
As we had some days to spare in Ende we decided to visit Rinca, the second biggest island in the Komodo national park. I hired a boat and with three friends we had met at a restaurant we set off for Rinca. The noisy diesel engined boat took us on a lovely ride through a calm sea with a beautiful view of the islands as we go past. The sea was so clear and smooth I could see little blue fish.
The Loh Buaya jetty on Rinca was the scene of a brief fight between two komodo dragons(varanus komodoensis) and we had to wait for them to calm down before we could walk past. At the ranger station we met ‘Uncle Louis’ who was to be our guide. He was a lovely fellow, called us Mama Pat and Papa Brian, and was always jolly. Armed with his forked stick he took us on a five kilometre walk. It was baking hot. Pat and I used my zip off trouser legs as additional protection for our backs. We watched an encounter at a water hole between a buffalo and a dragon. The buffalo walked close to the basking dragon and they stared at each other for ages, just a couple of feet apart, then the dragon moved aside and the buffalo passed. We were hoping for some action!
Saw perhaps ten other dragons lazing around plus some monkeys before we got to our boat. On the way back to Labuan Bajo we stopped at a very small island with a white beach, clear water and corals just a few metres out. Snorkled to see lots of stripy fish and it was even possible to stand on the sandy bottom and watch the fish swim around your legs. Continuing our journey back we watched a grumbling dark storm cloud throw spears of lightening into the sea.
Back in Labuan Bajo we had an excellent evening at the Gardena Restaurant with some friends dispite the bad attitude and slow service of the staff.
No sign of the rest of our group who are making their way by minibus and ferry, however we reserve accommodation for them at big ears place, the only hotel with sufficient rooms available. I wonder why?
Next morning I managed to get some money from the bank and a dv tape for the video camera. Walking back to the hotel I bumped into some of our other group, they had had a nightmare journey arriving in Labuan Bajo at 3.30 am this morning. So glad we took the cruise! A search for decent internet facilities failed, 35 minutes to receive one email is stupid and I refused to pay.
Tried a different restaurant for lunch and landed on our feet. Not only did they make an excellent club sandwich but the water glasses were sparkling clean, a rare treat.
A long evening chat with fellow travellers didn’t help us with our decision regarding travel to Dili, East Timor. Whilst I suspect the stories of violence are exaggerated by the media as usual, it is difficult to get any accurate information. We decide to keep our options open until Kupang, West Timor.
Time to go, and 7am next morning I pay my hotel bill(big ears got it wrong but as he was so useless I didn’t bother telling him) and our driver picks us up to start our tour of Flores. His name is Patrice, and he seems to know everybody. We visit what is locally known as the ‘mirror cave’. In fact it is simply a partially open cave system with stalagtites and stalagmites that contain mica flakes and consequently sparkle. Our guide gave us some torches, in need of fresh batteries, and we spent 30 minutes disturbing bats and taking pictures.
Stopping later for fuel I bought eight boiled eggs and ten doughnuts for about 75pence from a couple of girls who had set up a stall between the petrol pumps. We munched our way through them during the day.
The countryside is stunning. The ferns, palms and poinciana trees are beautiful, and we stopped to photograph some outstanding flowers at the roadside. Macadamia trees abound, and we ate a few nuts we found on the ground. They cost less than 40pence a kilo in season, a bit cheaper than in the UK!
As we climbed into the hills the temperature decreased and it was comfortable outside the car, which was fortunate as we had a puncture. While Patrice fixed it we strolled up the road to a small café, met some chaps from the UK, and had a good chat about our travels.
A rice paddy is usually either terraced or, where the land is level, roughly square. Near Cancar the fields have developed radially from a central point. Locally they call these Lingko fields, but for the benefit of visitors they are called spiders web fields. From a small hill in the village, where we were taken through the cassava plants by an enthusiastic band of children, it is possible to look down on the fields and see the five interlocking spiders web patterns.
From there into Rutang and we stopped for lunch. It was horrible. Gristle and bone meatballs, glass noodles and two bits of pastry floating in hot grey water. Pat thought she would play safe with cheese toast, but the cheese was missing!
We found a hotel and then got Patrice to take us to the cathedral, it was shut. In the grounds some local lads were having a game of football, all wearing football shirts but from all over the world. How they knew who was in which team I can’t imagine.
We had been recommended the ‘Merlin’ restaurant. So we went there for our evening meal. The Chinese chef turned out some edible food, but the best thing about the restaurant was the salt pot worked! It is the humidity that gums up the salt pots and it seemed like weeks since we had one that parted with it’s contents without violent agitation.
The walk back to the hotel in the dark was the tricky bit. Apart from dodging unlit mopeds you need to watch out for the man traps, three foot deep holes into the grey water of the partly covered sewers.
In the morning after a breakfast of boiled egg and some sweet tasting bread smeared with an unidentifyable equally sweet tasting brown substance, we set out for Bajawa. Macadamia nut trees and cashew nut trees fill the valleys. The cashew nuts hanging below their sweet pepper shaped fruits like a cedilla. Later in the jungle we see an arak still, a crude arrangement of pottery vessels heated over an open fire. Bamboo pipes cool the vapours and it drips steadily into dirty old five litre plastic containers. It is sold to passers by in one litre drinking water bottles for about 20,000 Rp(just over one GBP). It is potent stuff, not recommended unless you want a serious headache!
Near Bajawa are the Mengeruda hot springs. Full of local people washing themselves covered in soap bubbles, we made our way to the source of the water. Still clear as it bubbles through the gravel before it reaches the soapy people, it was very relaxing. Stayed for 30 minutes until a family of 13 arrived, stood over the bubbling source, and proceeded to blow their noses and clear their throats into the water. As these little packages floated past we made a quick exit.
Meanwhile Pat had found a cooler stream nearby and was chatting with a local family and sharing their drinks.
Back to town and a meal at the Lucas restaurant. The rest of our group arrived by public bus a little later and we hear horror stories of travel sick children in the usual cramped conditions.
Also heard that ‘big ears’, the hotel owner in Labuan Bajo, had had a fit when it dawned on him how good the deal was he had given our group. He demanded more money and got very agitated when shown the receipt he had signed. Threats of violence and attempts to throw hot coffee at our group should ensure he gets no more business from travellers like us.
A highlight of our private tour was the visit to some Ngada villages. The Ngada people number less than 100,000, and live only in the Bajawa area. We visited Bela, Bena and Wogo. The houses are built each side of a central area in which the Nhadhu and Bhaga are erected. These structures represent the families ancestors, male and female respectively. Houses traditionally have a tall thatched roof with either a figure of a man or a little house on the top to signify ownership.
The older ladies chewed beetle nuts the juice staining their remaining, often pointed, teeth dark red.
A source of income is the making of Ikat cloth. Patterns and styles of weaving particular to villages or islands give a varied range of scarves and shawls. They are produced on simple looms, usually located on the front porch of the woman’s house. As the loom is quite narrow shawls are made of several strips of cloth sewn together. We bought a few examples.
Lunch in Boawae then on towards Ende with views of Gunung Meja. Stopped at Penggajawa for the Bluestone beach where villagers collect and grade the pale blue pebbles. Hundreds of sacks of them line the roadside awaiting purchase for less than three GBP per sack. The beach is in some turmoil thanks to the endless sorting.
The coast road on into Ende offers some good views of Pulau Ende, Ende Bay and Gunung Iya at the tip of the peninsula.
The Dwi Putri hotel would be home for the night and once we had deposited our luggage we gave Patrice, our driver, the rest of the afternoon off. I walked down to the market next to the beach and was shocked to find such a disgusting mess. I have seen some very dirty places but this took the biscuit. The market obviously used the beach to dump all their waste, it was piled high with plastic bags and boxes, rotting vegetables, carcases and fruit. Small streams of grey water ran through it to the sea. Such a shame when the view out to sea across the bay is of beautiful sand fringed islands and wooded hillsides. The next day I asked our driver about the filthy beach, he pulled a face and said ‘It’s a Muslim market’.
Our evening meal in Istana Bambu was good and we met up with some of our group and fellow travellers previously met in Labuan Bajo. Adjacent to the restaurant was a hairdressers, with an interconnecting door. So after my main course I took my beer with me into the hairdressers, had a haircut, and popped back to the restaurant for pudding.
Walked back to the hotel past a two metre high pile of smelly bones, mostly buffalo skulls with the large horns. The small clocktower near the football field commemorates the 1992 earthquake with it’s concrete clock set at 1.30, the time the earthquake struck.
Off to Moni, and en-route visiting some villages. Puufoe is a busy place, the whole village engaged in producing Ikat cloth. It was here we were able to see the entire process. Spinning the yarn from kapas, setting it onto a weaving frame and the multiple tye dye process using strips of leaf to bind groups of threads into a pattern. We purchased a shawl from a lady we watched weaving a similar one, she told us it could take six months from spinning to the final product.
At another village we visited we were given a splended explanation of village life and customs by the chief’s daughter. We sat in the gloom of the village meeting hut while she spoke. One unusual tradition is the testing of a baby for intelligence and suitability to be a future chief. Step one, the baby is placed alone on a high shelf in the meeting hut. If it cries it is intelligent, if not it is stupid and moves on to the next test. Step two, the baby is offered a selection of chicken innards. If it chooses the heart it is intelligent, if not it is stupid and moves on to the next test. Step three, hit it with a buffalo horn. If it cries it is intelligent otherwise stupid and certainly not fit to be chief.
So back on the road to Moni. A road built by the Dutch in 1925 and doesn’t seem to have been repaired since! Houses here often use interleaved half bamboo for the roof. Bamboo is so vital to so many aspects of life here, from building houses to making baskets.
Stopped at a waterfall and watched children returning from school jump in to freshen up before going home. The water, crystal clear, ran over a few small waterfalls before mixing with some bright pale blue spring water.
On into Moni and stayed at Watugana, a sweet little hotel for three pounds a night including pancakes and fruit for breakfast.
At a nearby café we had some food and chatted to other travellers and villagers. We discover there will be some dancing and singing later so after tea we are shown into a small courtyard and the villagers perform some traditional dances and lovely singing. A pity no tapes or cds were available.
Up early next day, 4am, so our driver can take us to Kelimutu, the volcano with three lakes. A very rough road and a long walk saw us at the 1600 metre viewpoint. The three lakes are coloured by minerals and over the years have changed colour. To my eyes it looked like one green lake and two black ones, but I am told one is the colour of CocaCola.
A local fellow calling himself ‘His Royal Highness’ was at the viewpoint selling coffee from a flask. He should do well as it was a bit chilly in the wind as we watched the sun rise over the crater rim.
Back to the Watugana for the promised pancakes and fruit salad, and very good it was to.
An easy drive back to Ende and we gave our driver a good tip and sent him on his way.
We are very pleased with our tour of Flores. It is a beautiful island, the scenery lovely, a postcard around every corner. The people are very friendly and it is only the big towns that let the island down.
So our last evening on Flores, and we stroll down to the market for a last look. I check the ferry time is still 8am and the correct jetty to get it from. Then a meal in Istana Bambu where we know the food is safe. The last thing we need is dodgy food when we have a long ferry ride to look forward to.
Bright and early we get to the ferry jetty with plenty of time to spare. Then we discover the ferry, the Awu, is not due until 10am. So we have three hours to kill sitting on our bags in the shade of a tatty building. Sure enough at about 10am the ferry is sighted, a small white dot on the horizon.