6th - 8th February 2012
Most of the day gone and only an afternoon of rain to look forward to we didn't manage to get much done. Djalma had the sniffles and try as we might we couldn't get a scooter to rent that was actually a reasonable price. It was rather disheartening although we found out later that the reason that people charged so much to rent out their bikes to foreigners was because they were worried that there would be accidents. We ate at the same restaurant I waited in, Bintang Restaurant, it was crap, not a chili in sight. In our cosy room we settled in to watch a couple of episodes of Dexter before getting an early night for a potential 4am start the next morning.
That 4am start never happened, I wistfully thought I heard rain but it was just a breeze rustling leaves, I got up to look out the window and thought I saw clouds, an hour later at 5am I could see them and we slept until 6.30 before getting out of bed. A 6.30am start seemed like such a luxury, we sat outside on our little porch and had an egg roll for breakfast with some coffee that kept us buzzing for most of the morning. We set out in a bit of ruch to get to Mt. Kelimutu and its three lakes, after some negotiating, (how I long for fair fixed prices!) we jumped on the back of a couple of scooters and were taken up the winding roads and the 13km to the old volcanic lakes.
The sky was cloudy on the way up but when we reached the crater rim there was plenty of blue sky even if it was chased away by fleeting clouds. The sight took my breath away. We were expecting the three lakes to be different colours from each other, the turquoise one was a constant, but there were another two which changed colour over time, they could have been dark green, yellow, orange or red depending on many different factors. There were two craters next to each other separated by a steep thin wall and in both were lakes of opaque turquoise. It was incredible, it looked surreal and to get a better look we climbed over the railings and made our way carefully to a higher vantage point.
My heart was beating loudly in my chest and I was a little scared to be near the edge, it was a long drop down to water I didn't want to land in. Clouds raced across the sky and we waited for the intermittent light to shine on the water and make it sparkle, when it did it was breathtaking. After plenty of photos, more than half of which I had to delete, not because they weren't great just because there were so many of the same thing – I'll admit that I did get a little snap happy.
We climbed back down just as carefully, and hurried onto the the viewing platform, a long walk up a hill with views out to all three lakes, including the one which, on previous occasions, was black. Today it was dark green and although not as striking as the turquoise lakes, when the sun hit the water it looked quietly spectacular.
We got talking to the only other tourist, a lady from Italy who spoke great English and called me 'Darling' (I though she was great). We sat and watched the sky change and the clouds drift over hills in the distance, it wasn't long before the sun stopped and it was time for us to walk back.
We raced down the many steps Katie style i.e. running and made it back down to the beginning in record time. We stopped for a quick drink and got directions from the friendly old guy who sold it to us. We followed the road for a couple of kilometres walking through clouds, which I decided was excellent fun, until it started raining and then it was, wet.
In between the bouts of rain we took off our ponchos and admired all the green, much of it was similar to the flora in New Zealand, plenty of ferns for starters. There were also lots of pine trees, the air smelt incredible, so fresh and clean. That didn't last long, the heavy rain washed away the smell and filled up our trainers with water, we trudged for an hour in the downpour, dry except for our shoes which more than made up for the rest of us. At some point we turned off the road and followed a dirt path which was steep and slippery in plenty of places but looked out over some beautiful scenery – most of it we enjoyed on the go, it being too wet to stop and take many photos. I did manage to snap a few on the way down though, inbetween keeping my balance and getting muddy legs worthy of an adventurous 7 year old, the views were too good not to.
At the end of a steep and moss covered concrete path we came to a short fat waterfall and crossed over via some strung together bamboo poles. Err, they were a little too bouncy and some of them a little old looking for the walk across to be casual but in the end it was fine, neither of fell in even though Djalma did goof about a bit for the camera. Naturally.
A few minutes after climbing back up to the main road we were back in Moni, the rain stopped and we decided to have a wash before getting some lunch. The girl at the restaurant came out to see if our food was okay, it was, and gave me the once over announcing that I had beautiful hair and a slim figure – it made me grateful I wasn't bald and fat, she certainly would have commented on it and told me what she thought! She had two small, cute, bare bottomed kids who smiled and waved from across the restaurant before returning to their toys. We spent the rest of the afternoon resting our legs, listening to the rain and watching Dexter, feeling tired in a good way.
That evening we tucked into a prearranged dinner, three dishes including; mountain rice, smoked vegetable soup and some banana flower served with fresh grated coconut. It was delicious and a nice change from all the Padang food we eat whenever possible. The knowledgeable cook stopped by to have a chat and his photo taken. We were in bed and asleep by 9pm.
Up early the next morning we watched the sun come up from behind the mountains and had a rather odd breakfast; a slice of cake studded with sweets, fried and served with a savoury omelette. We were hungry so we ate it and washed it down with some good coffee, we said goodbye to Mama who sat in her porch in the bungalow next to ours and went outside to wait for the bus to Ende.
While we waited for our bus small kids dressed for school stopped to say hello or just stand close and have a good look while the more confident ones practised their English. We only waited half an hour for our bus and we were then treated to the front seat and some incredible mountain views on the three hour trip to Ende.
At Ende we got a bemo to another bus station across town and then cooled our heels for an hour waiting for the bus to fill up with a few more people. It wasn't the worst place to wait, there were a few stalls with some chatty people and we sat with them with the sea behind us and a few curious goats and loud cockerels scratching round in the hot morning sun.
The views were almost as good but we snoozed for most of the ride, we pulled up in a small town a couple of hours later and after lunch at a Padang restaurant we hitched a lift the rest of the way to Riung. Sitting in the back, we had to hang on to keep in the truck, there wasn't any falling asleep. The first section of road was potholed and slow going, then we hit tarmac and picked up some speed whizzing past green fields and hills. Layers of clouds rushed across the sky and after a little wait we whipped out our ponchos and braced against the rain which, when it came, came quickly. We waved to children, returning smiles and hellos as we sped past roadside villages.
The guys dropped us off at a cheap Losmen (cheap hotel/home stay) and after a wash we decided to stretch our legs and explore the little village.
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