Dragon hunting, volcano treking, and island hopping

Does the title say enough? Each day I am simply amazed with the natural wonders, cultural diveristy, and pure beauty of Indonesia. How can I explain my experiences in words? I'll try the best I can while typing away at this internet cafe in Bali. This is the second time I find myself in Bali for the night, only to leave the following morning. But this time, I will get a slice of pizza from Pizza Hut and fries from McDonalds (they deliver 24 hrs) just because I can!

Flores was spectacular! I flew to Ende because of my tight schedule to meet Mikal, my friend who I met at VSO training in Ottawa. She is volunteering in Bajawa (town in the middle of Flores) with a farmers co-op helping to market their cashew exports. So, when I arrived in Ende I was immediately swarmed with guides shouting "Transport!" "Obama!" "Transport!" "Obama!" A guide who could speak English caught my attention and I agreed to ride the 2 hrs to Moni on the back of his motorbike (with my 13 kg backpack)after I learned he is "friends" with Mikal. Other than markets, Ende is less than exciting, so I decided to make a direct trip to Moni to trek up Kalimutu. Its a volcano that has three colored lakes that change colors. The road to Moni was spectaular. Waterfalls are a definate advantage to rainy season...in one panoramic view I saw 8! Rice fields, monkeys, buffalos, villages with thatched huts, satellite dishes and elaborate tombstones. I opted for a homestay to get a true village experience and I helped to cook rice and papaya leaves over a fire and then watched TV. The contrast was surprising. That night the guide took me to hotsprings in the middle of a rice field. Scorpians and 6 inch preying mantas (sp?) didnt allow me much sleep before my 4:00 am alarm to start my way up the volcanoe to see the lakes at sunrise.

The topography was similar to my Mt Wilhelm climb in PNG. When I arrived at the lakes they were a turquious, chocolate latte, and dark green color. They have been red, blues, orange, greens and black. (Two days after I left I was told by another tourist that the green lake turned red!!) Their changing colors remains a mystery, but some say its the spirits while others say its disolving minerals and/or the changing seasons.

After Moni, I headed back to Ende to catch a 4 hour bus to Bajawa. Party buses, thats all I can say about that...other than Two Live Crew at insane decible levels. Bajawa is inland and has two volcanos..I climbed one, the other is too dangerous during the rainy season. Bajawa is also known for its traditional villages and ikat (sarong) weavings. The carvings in the village and the men and women "houses" were as beautiful as the mountain top views. There are hobbits in Flores..I felt like a giant sitting next to the tiny woman as we pounded coffee beans.

Mikal's VSO experiences is a far cry from the expat lifestyle I live in Madang. No running water, bucket baths, and trantula spiders climbing the walls. We took a bus to a nearby village so I could see cashew processing. I had no idea so much work went into cashews...I appreciate them on a whole new level now. They grow from the bottom of a fruit that looks like an apple. Once the fruit falls to the ground, the cashew is ripe. then it has to be dried, the cracked, the dried again, then peeled, the dried again. But the process of cracking and peeling is dangerous and if you dint wear gloves your skin will itch like a bad case of poision ivy. We went to the head of the village (because that's where all the business is done)so I could get my hands on some cashews. And of course, they made it look simple. Alignment is essential as broken pieces are worth less than whole cashews.

Some other highlights of my trip were the beautiful rainbow over the volcano after an afternoon rain shower, the waterfall deep tissue massage in the hot springs, and my stroll through the market which lead me to fried tofu! Yummy!

After 3 days in Bajawa I boarded yet another bus to Labwaunbajo, for some of the world's best snorkeling and Komodo Drangons. Plastic bags were handed to each passanger. I soon realized why and was thankful. 10 hours later I arrived just in time for the stunning sunset over the harbor. The hotel was filled with travellers seeking the ultimate dive spots and the only island in the world with Komodo dragons. They appeared to me more like dinosaurs verses lizards. Either way, I stayed close to the guide whose only protection from these dragons was a stick! Komodo drangons can run 15 kms per hr and can weigh 50 kgs. They hunt goats, wild horses, buffalo and other dragons. Their saliva is poisonous and after they bite their prey they lay in the sun and wait for them to die. After two hours on Rinca Island in the intense heat hunting dragons I caugh the boat for snorkeling. I may be biased, but I think the coral and fish in Madang are much better!

The next morning, Mikal and I began our 30 hour journey across Lombok to the Gili Islands. We took a 10 hour public ferry with chickens and goats and smoking poker players, then a 2 hour bus to the Bima coach bus for a night bus. At dawn, the bus drove onto another ferry for 3 hours, then we drove off and across Lombok where we took yet another bus to climb onto a horse and buggy that took us to another boat to Gili. All in all, 30 hours later were were on Gili Meno, an isolated paradise. There were only a handful of tourist and for 3 days and nights we felt like we were on a deserted island. We snorkeled with turtles and manta rays (the coral is still better in Madang in my opinion. Body surfed, watched sunsets and built bonfires on the beach. The Gili's are a chain of three islands off Lombok. We opted against the "party island" but took the island hopping boat to Gili Air where we rode bicycles across the entire island and drank Bintang beer in a bungalow overlooking the white sand beach and turquois water.

We decided to pay the extra money and charter a ferry and bus to Bali (we deserved it after 30 hours of people puking in plastic bags). The sea was rough and transportation was cancelled, but 8 hrs later we arrived at the Bali Hyatt (thanks Nolan family!!!!) Pure luxury in every form. Wine, bread, cheese, olives, lattes, smoked salmon and scallops. White sheets slippers and robes, cable TV, and spa. I splurged for a 5 hour Balanese spa treatment complete with steam room, jacuzzi, sauna, facial, body scrub, scalp massage, milk bath, hair treatment, massage and gourmet lunch! Worth every precious US dollar!!!! Too bad I had to carry my backpack across Bali's Poppies District tonight looking for a homestay.

For the next week I plan to tour the temples and observe Balanese cultural dances and artifacts. Stay tuned.....