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!