Food & drink in Indonesia

I've not really mentioned much about the food as I thought I'd write a separate blog on it seeing as I do like my food!

Since I've been in Indonesia I've tried to eat as much local food as possible. It's cheaper & usually freshly cooked so less risk of getting Bali belly! 

The places to eat for local food are called 'Warungs'. They are usually dirt cheap. I think the cheapest I've had is around 50p for a full meal up to £2. Cheap as chips!

The food isn't particularly healthy with most things fried in oil. They don't eat much fruit or veg. Fruit juices are readily a available & normally pretty good value (from £1). 

They serve rice or noodles with everything! Chicken sate (yum), Nasi Goreng (fried rice with chicken), Nasi Campur (fried rice with a bit of everything they have cooked; fish, meats, tofu, spinach), Gado Gado (vegetables with peanut sauce). I didn't get round to trying the Bakso (meatball soup). They serve their meals with a spicy chilli sauce called sambal. I did try fish but I hate having to get the bones out (I know, lazy!).

I did get to try some of the local tipple (Arak) on the boat trip. It did warm me up somewhat drinking it straight out of an old cold bottle! 

Looking forward to seeing what Malaysia has to offer as everyone I've spoken to has raved avoid the food there. 

Flores 3 night boat trip (Komodo Dragons! )

Got myself to the pick up point after having a mad panic I hadn't been picked up by the boat. Nice & sweaty start to the day running (ok walking quickly) with my backpack on. I discovered that morning that my neighbour at the lovely bungalow's (Louisa from Melbourne) was also going on the trip but we thought it could be different boats as her pick up time was earlier. Once off the first boat we realised that we were on the same boat!  So we waited in the cafe for further instructions.  There were quite a lot of people there, and after waiting over 3 hours they split us into 3 boats. Who was I going to be stuck with for 4 days! I needent have worried,  everyone on our boat was lovely.  The group was a mix of male & females (19 of us plus the crew) & spanned a few countries; Germany, Netherlands, USA, Japan,  Australia, Finland & the UK.  We were shown the sleeping area which was above the main deck & had really flat camping type mattresses,  you couldn't stand up & there wasn't much room. All our bags were kept below the main deck. There was 1 loo and no shower. This was going to be a long few days!

We set sail & everyone got to know each other,  swapping stories about places we'd been, what our lives were like back in the real world etc. We had lunch then later stopped for a swim. As soon as it got dark the captain had to turn the lights out so he could see where he was going. It gets dark about 6.30pm here. I think I lasted 'till 10pm & could only stomach a small beer as the seas were quite choppy. Tried to sleep but the bed's were so uncomfortable I couldn't lie on one side for too long as it hurt my hips. Then it hurt my back if I lay on my back. Then the sea was choppy.  Yeah not a good sleep!

Next morning we were all up about 6.30am (sunrise time). Everyone had had a crappy night's sleep.  We docked & went for a morning swim & snorkel. This was more like it! So peaceful, calm & refreshing. Back on the boat we had a banana pancake for breakfast. Yum! Then back off the boat to walk to a waterfall. Then we had lunch & went to an island which had a gorgeous lake where we went for a swim, and more snorkeling in the sea. 18 hours to our next stop... the fun had began!!

As we sailed throughout the night, we were all shattered from the lack of sleep the previous night but could we sleep?  Well yes until 1am where we all sat upright.  The boat was rocking so much from the choppy sea we were moving up & down the sleeping area.  People were banging into the sides of the boat. My bed had moved & I was practically on top of my neighbour!  It was pretty scary.  I honestly thought the boat was going to topple over. I finally got back to sleep & somehow we made it to morning.  Phew! 

Breakfast was two pieces of white bread with a nondescript jam. At least I was alive! We did some more snorkeling & then went to Kimodo island. This is what we were waiting for.. the dragons!!! The dragon's are actually lizards but they pretty big, and have been known to kill humans.  The Komodo national park is one of the new seven wonders of the world.  I was excited!! We were then told that the dragon's are wild so there was no guarantee we would see one. WHAT? No one had mentioned that before! We walked around with our park rangers, happy they had long sticks to defend us should the dragon's want to attack.  We were told a park ranger had been attacked a couple of weeks ago on Rinca (where we were going tomorrow) and may have to have his leg amputated.  A photo was then shown to the group. I didn't look but from everyone's reactions, it was pretty grim. Now I didn't want to see a dragon! I quite liked my two legs thank you very much!  We walked for what felt like ages in the heat & all of a sudden one of the warden's shouts 'dragon!'. We walk to where he was & there before us was a dragon. We all stared in awe.... and took loads of photos.  Cool. Then back near the entrance we saw 2 more. They really stare at you & I kept my distance remembering the story from earlier.

That night the boat was docked not too far from a vilage, so we had a bit of a party on the boat. Local kids pulled up alongside the boat in their little boats & tried to sell us wooden dragon statues.  Then another boat was the Bingtang (local beer) taxi. Brilliant!  Some people joined us from one of the other boats. I was so tired I went to bed pretty early... quite a few people did the same! Had a good night's sleep that night. My body had adjusted to the sleeping arrangements.

Next day we were all so happy it was our last day on the boat. Shower & comfy beds were almost here! We visited Rinca where we saw more Kimodo dragons. A group of them all fought to eat a rat! They move fast when food is involved!   Later we did some more snorkeling.  Some of the guys saw a stingray! I swam away scared! Finally we made it to Laban Bajo in Flores around 4pm. Everyone had kept all limbs intact.  Life was good.

After eating pretty small portions of Indonesian food for 4 days we decided to all meet for pizza that night.  We went to a restaurant called 'Little Italy' which was lovely. No tomato sauce on my pizza though. Random.

Really enjoyed the boat trip. Yes it was uncomfortable, the food was average, there was no shower & they ran out of bottled water (even though some of us had paid for additional bottles), it was good fun. Not sure I'd do a boat trip for that long again but never say never! 

The Gilies

The Gilies are 3 small islands not far from Bali which are close to each other, all offering different things depending what you're after.  Gili Trawangan (or Gili T for short) is the party island, Gili Meno the quiet island & Gili Air a mixture of the 2. All islands have no cars or motorbikes, you can walk or cycle around them easily & there are no police so it's pretty relaxed (my accommodation offered magic mushrooms as a service!!).

I'm not sure why after my lack of sleep attempting to get to Flores trip, I headed for the party island, Gili T.  I was in bed by 9pm the first night & midnight the second.  Wow I'm so crazy!!  I'm sure I'd have seen it differently if I had gone out!  I heard stories of all night parties, lots of drugs but I was oblivious to it tucked up in my bed with a hot chocolate... actually I had a mojito one night. Rock n roll!

So I had a lazy couple of days on Gili T. Cycled round the island. Read a bit. Chilled at a beach bar. Tried to meet a friend for tea but the electricity went out on the whole island for nearly 3 hours so was unable to get in touch with him. Just shows you how much we rely on the Internet (I didn't have his number). Then I moved for 2 nights to Gili Air. Wish I'd gone there first as I loved it. No one offering you drugs, really laid back, nice beaches & restaurants. Lovely. I met my Dutch friends Rob & Maura & we did some snorkeling. Then we sat at a beach bar playing monopoly on their ipad.... as you do! Was really good fun & let's face it, not a bad way to spend a Monday!  Watched the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen that night.  The water was really calm & the reflection of the sunset into the sea was like a mirror.  There were a group of people doing some type of yoga/meditation close by. It was stunning. Later we met up for dinner with Jane's friend Howard who works in a diving school there. Had a lovely evening but as usual I was tired so it wasn't a late one.

The next day I decided to move accommodation as I didn't sleep well again & the place was pretty grim! Found a really lovely bungalow for the same price,  typical as I was leaving the next day. It was so cute & you could have had a party in the bathroom. Loved it!

Myself,  Rob & Maura decided to snorkel along the coast that morning.  Wow it was awesome!  So many beautiful tropical fish & coral. We swam for over & hour. Great morning!  We met Howard for lunch, played Monopoly again & watched the sunset on the beach. Later we all went for dinner. Was really gutted to be leaving so soon but I had booked my trip to Flores. Would I make it this time? Fingers crossed!

Flores: the nightmare journey

So I'd done quite a bit of research into how to get from Kuta in Lombok to Flores.  There were many options but I opted for booking a through ticket from my accommodation which was slightly more expensive than doing it myself but removed the hassle... or so I thought. This is what should have happened:

Dep 1230 Thu mini bus from Lombok to Mataram
Dep 1500 Thu bus from Mataram to Labuhan Lombok
Dep 1700 Thu ferry from Labuhan Lombok to Poto Tano (on Sumbawa, the next island)
Dep 1900 Thu same bus from Poto Tano to Bima
Dep 0500 Fri mini bus Bima to Sape
Dep 0800 Fri ferry from Sape to Labuanbjo (on Flores the next island)
Arrive Flores about 2pm on Fri.

This is what actually happened:

It was all going to plan until we got to Bima. There we met some guys who had spent the night there as the 8am ferry didn't run the previous day but the 7am had. They then paid our driver about £15 (more tham generous as it's about £2 for a tank of petrol) to leave now so we could catch the 7am one. Oh dear, this wasnt looking good.  We arrived at the ferry terminal which could only be described as a shit hole, and were told no ferries were running today due to the weather. It wasn't windy. We were all a bit confused. Then the locals started trying to sell us a chartered boat, of course for a ridiculous price. Someone in our group was actually from Indonesia (luckily), and said to keep it to ourselves but the bus driver had told her the ferry was going to run today,  at 1pm. Yes he knew this even though he accepted the £15. This is what we were dealing with here in lovely Sumbawa.  You didn't know who to trust.

We hung around for a couple of hours (there was 11 of us in the same situation who stuck together), the locals just staring at us & periodically trying to sell us a chartered boat which kept going down in price. Later we found out the boat's had no radio & were unsafe. Nice. I was shattered as hardly slept on the bus. Then the coastguard turned up. He posted a notice on the wall, no ferries until 12th June because of the weather.  All totally deflated we got the minibus to take us back to Bima. Then the guys on the minibus started asking for more money. They had also taken our tickets from us to 'exchange' for the ferry ticket. We never saw the ticket again & refused to give them any more money. Back at Bima it all kicked off with travel agent office, asking us for money. I was tired, I just wanted a shower & a sleep. Bima is described in the Lonely Planet as 'nobody's favourite getaway'. Couldn't have said it better myself.

One thing I haven't yet mentioned about this delightful trip is that as soon as I got on the first mini bus, my stomach started playing up.  Unfortunately I had to use hole in the ground (gross) public loos, the loo on the bus (barf), the horrible loo where we stopped for food (I opened one door and there wasn't anything to wee into, just a floor... urgh) & it was sponsored by immodium. Thankfully it did pass.

We booked a room at a hotel & showered, ate, slept & used the wifi. Booked the bus that night at 7pm to go back to Lombok. I decided I was going to head to the Gili islands to work out the rest of my time in Indonesia.  We were on the bus & leaving Bima.  Hurrah!  One of the guys tried to buy a beer & was told 'Bima no like beer'. (It's 92% Muslim here).  Fine but do you want tourists!!

About 20mins later the bus came to a standstill. We could see something ahead but couldn't quite work it out. Oh wait, it was a riot! The locals had set fire across the whole road.... the only road out of Bima. At first we were all laughing... then it turned to terror.  What if they turned on us? We stayed on the bus. Bike's driving past us, locals lining the street. I could see the headlines now 'tourist's targeted on bus'. This was like something from a film. We got off the bus & I chatted to some of the locals. They told me not to worry as it happened there all the time & could sometimes go on all night. I wanted to cry but I was too afraid. We planned our escape route just in case. 2hrs 30 mins later it was over & we were on our way. Police lined the street as we passed through. I don't think I actually felt the relief until we were off the ferry. We finally made it back to Mataram at 10am.

Once at Mataram we were hounded to book a taxi or trip to somewhere else. They actually came onto the bus as we arrived.  I had lost the will to live at this point & told a guy I was going to Paris!  People in our group had transport back from Flores they tried to cancel,  no refund.  Trips booked to the dragon island, partial refund.  A bike driver took two guys to airline offices only to take them to the wrong address & demand more money to take them back. If this place wants tourism then they are going the wrong way about it. No one cares, they just want to rip you off. That's how it felt anyway.

I travelled to the north of the island to catch the ferry over to the Gili islands. On the way I decided to book a 3 night boat trip to Flores then a flight back to Bali. I've been told there is no problem with the weather. Fingers & toes crossed it all goes to plan!!

Oh and if you've read this far & in case you didn't get it, avoid Sumbawa at all costs. Pay to fly to Flores or do a boat trip from Bali or the Gilies. You do not want to go to Sumbawa.... ever!

Lombok: Kuta

We were picked up at 10.30 for the transfer to Kuta Lombok. Sooooooo glad to leave the hostel. The toilets & shower were GROSS! Owner was a bit odd too. Expecting the journey to be 3 hours we were pleasantly surprised when it took half that time. Sweet! With no accommodation booked the bus driver took us to a home stay.... 100IDR (aprox £5) for the room including breakfast. Sure it was basic but we had our own bathroom which didn't smell & was clean.  Nice. We booked for 2 nights & went for lunch at a local place round the corner. This was when we were introduced to the bracelet kids: young kids from the area who will hassle you to buy their bracelets. They all speak fantastic English which they later told me they had learned from their customers & have answers to any reason you tell them you are not interested!  They were cute to begin with, and despite us saying no several times, they just sat with you waiting until you said yes or they got bored. In the space of two hours we had probably been asked by about 20 individual kids to buy a bracelet,  even whilst walking down the beach they would stalk you. We kept walking & eventually managed to lose them.

The next 4 days & nights were spent in & around Kuta. Tatiana stayed 2 nights & Rob & Maura left the same day as me. I moved to their accommodation for 2 nights (Kuta bay) which was just within my budget & had a small pool. What a treat!  We hired mopeds twice & visited some wonderful beaches nearby. Lots of surfers. Its so unspoilt here. The guys all had a go at surfing (I watched). We ate at local restaurants. I had my first avocado juice. I was intrigued earlier in the week as I wondered how you juiced an avacado but it's actually mixed with coconut & chocolate.  I'm sure it was 1000 cals but it tasted delicious!

Don't kill me dad but I drove a moped for the first time!  It was near the beach on a very quiet road for about 10mis. Not sure if I'll brave it again but we'll see!  It's such a cheap way to get around & you see so much more. I may have revved it a tad too much & got scared trying to go up a sandy hill. The last night we went for dinner with an Aussie & Swiss guy we'd met at our accommodation.  The bracelet kids sat with us for most of the night & played games on Maura's Iphone.  They are so cute but I feel sad that they have to spend their afternoons & evening's hassling tourists (they do go to school in the morning). We did eat in a vegetarian restaurant in Kuta during our stay which gives 15% of their profits to underprivileged kids in the area. Made me feel a bit better. Next stop, Flores.

Lombok: Sengiggi

So for once in my life I was organised & packed the night before & good job because low & behold my pick up was 7am not 7.30!  No time for brekkie then, I quickly checked out & went to the van waiting for me. We picked up some other guests and then drove to Padangbai for the fast boat to Lombok. I arrived into the ferry port & there weren't many people getting off... Most were heading to the Gilli Islands. I overheard a couple speaking English & asked if they knew where to go, they were only flipping Irish! We shared a taxi and swopped details to meet up later. I got to my hostel where I'd booked to stay 2 nights in Sengiggi. There was a mosque at the end of the street with prayers being chanted really loudly out of a speakerphone.  There were no tourists. Where the hell was I? Maybe I should have done my research before actually arriving but remember this is the new me, living on the edge (erm something like that anyway!).  I was told my bed wasn't ready so I sat in the reception area hoping someone would turn up. A Swedish guy arrived who was pleasant but clearly didn't want to engage in any conversation.  Next thing I'm forced to go & sit down in front of a travel agent across the road to discuss my travel plans (I'd let slip to the hostel owner that I wasn't sure where to go). I was pretty tired & listening to him trying to sell me something was not how I pictured my day but I managed a 'I'll just have to think about it'.

Back at the hostel reception I sat there thinking about what to do & a friendly girl sat down. She was called Tatiana & was from America & had also just arrived & was thinking the same as me. Hurrah! We decided to go for a walk & see what Sengiggi had to offer. Wow, it was nothing like Bali. Really unspoilt.  Hardly any shops, bars & tourists. Later we banged into another few Westerner's (we all stuck out like sore thumbs) looking for accommodation.  We gave them some tips (from the few hours we had spent there), and mentioned we were going for 2 for 1 drinks on the beach later if they wanted to meet up. Things were looking up!

The beach bar was lovely.  Prices were a lot cheaper here than on Bali (I already thought Bali was pretty good vfm). We tried some cocktails containing the local tipple 'Arak', and enjoyed the live music & stunning sunset. We were now joined by the people we had met earlier, Rachel & Justin from the UK & Maura & Rob from Amsterdam. We all sat & chatted about travelling & life in general. What a great bunch. I wasn't quite feeling myself as I had the cold & I was tired from my day so an early night was in order.  Slept ok but the mosque has the chanting from the loudspeaker 5 times a day.... one of these is at 4.30am for 30mins. I managed to put my ear plugs in at this point!

The following day we went to the beach for a relaxing day. Not many people trying to sell you stuff here. This was good. That was until a group of boys arrived to play on the beach.  They were about 11-15 years old & clearly hadn't seen many ladies in bikinis (the island is 80% Muslim). Well they were coming over & wanting their photo with us, trying to practice their English. Then a group of girls around the same age joined them. There were probably 20 people crowding round us. It was funny to start but did get a bit annoying.  I wonder how many photos we now appear in!  We had a nice relaxing day & met up with the same gang for 2 for 1 drinks, then to a live music bar where the band were really good,  playing some U2, Coldplay & Mumford & Sons. Next stop, Kuta Lombok!