Kids are off school.
Left to Java again, or right to Sumbawa.
Had phoned the Captain of Bali Hai the day before and he reckoned the swells between Bali-Lombok were pretty small so a right turn out the front gate it was.
Up at sparrows, and arrived at Padang Bai around 7 am to get a ferry before the wind kicked in for the day.
The car, myself and 2 kids Padang Bai-Lombok Rp.335,000 o/w. Smooth sailing on a half full (vehicle deck) post WWII rust bucket arriving in Lembar around mid-day. As usual waited for an hour or so to berth and disembark.
Stayed the afternoon at Singgigi and the night in Ampenan. Lombok seems to be a lot busier than I was last there, a year or so ago.
We were on holiday, so no rush.
Next day over to Sumbawa Besar, (ferry cost 212,000 o/w) once again calm sea and an almost empty ferry. Sumbawa Besar (as it always seems to have) has over-priced crappy accommodation, and often pretty high occupancy is the administrative center for the region. Ended up staying at the "Tambora" at a heavily negotiated price of 200,000, a/c, TV, "hot" & cold (trickle) water and a pretty grotty bathroom, but all in all not a too bad pub to stay in, considering the options.
Next day to Bima about 300 klms away as we were intending to fark the car in Sape, take the boat to Flores then double back to see some Komodo on Rinca (island). After leaving Sumbawa Besar (and filling up the tank) we discovered there was an acute shortage of petrol at all points east, with huge queues (kilometers of them), with riot police, at the 4 gas stations we saw including the two in Bima.
The drive between Sumbawa Besar and Bima is spectacular, a lot of it winding along the coast of what ever that huge bay is called, with Mt. Tambora in the back ground.
Incidentally, quoted from the link below:
A similar phenomenon occurred in April of 1815 with the cataclysmic eruption of Tambora Volcano in Indonesia, the most powerful eruption in recorded history. Tambora's volcanic cloud lowered global temperatures by as much as 3 degrees °C. Even a year after the eruption, most of the northern hemisphere experienced sharply cooler temperatures during the summer months. In parts of Europe and in North America, 1816 was known as "the year without a summer."
Bima is a real dorp, (although we did see a KFC???) and we discovered that the ferry's from Sape to Labuan Bajo are only running twice a week at present and we were not prepared to sit around for a couple of days waiting. Sape is about 60 klm east of Bima, and is the eastern port of exit from Sumbawa.
Doubled back to Dompu - Wojo (about 60 klm away) and took a left to Hu'u which is about 30 Ks south. Hu'u is the site of the world famous Lakey's Peak surf spot. About 6 or 7 bungalow businesses, all beach front all ranges from scumbag to 1 star with pool.
We stayed at Any (Annie) Lestari's for 75,000/night for a big double room, with bathroom, a couple of fans and reasonable quality mozzie nets, (and a negotiated price of 14,000 for any big bintangs I might possibly order, thrown in).
Lakey's is a good spot. Safe swimming for the kids, fantastic surf, nice people, and cheap great food (Rp.18,000 pizza solved any meal indecisions for the kids). Pity about the beer price though, averages around 17,000 for a big frosty binny (no small on sale anywhere - clever people those Sumbawans to boot).
Lots of surfers and 3 kite surfers, a few reef scars evident. Surf running constantly around 4-5'. Its pretty much high season and I'd reckon there were about 150-200 foreigners staying in Lakey's, many Kiwis.
If you go there, take books, mozzie repellent, mortein (as the mozzies come out big time on dusk), and a deck of cards or two.
It gets pretty hot around mid-day, and there's not a lot to do other than self entertain or watch endless surf videos that all of the 5 or so restaurants seemed to play non-stop day and night.
The one place, the one with the pool has satellite TV (and Rp. 21,000 bintangs) so we were able to watch the Yarpies trounce the Aussies. Shame Aussie, shame!
All goods are expensive, there are no shops to speak of and only a few stalls set up under the beach front trees selling stuff thats not available in the restaurants. Prices are exorbident, to say the least.
After a few days of doing not too much and thoroughly enjoying it, we decided to pull a runner to Lombok in one day. This is quite a haul, about 350 klm and a ferry ride. We left around 10 am and other than a 45 lunch break in mid-afternoon in Sumbawa Besar for a graze, went straight through arriving at the McDonalds (the incentive for the kids to do the long day in the car) at the Mataram Mall at around 8pm.
A night in Ampenan again (we stay at an office/house the company I work for has), then next morning we hit another filthy probably pre-Boer war ferry to Bali. Calm waters, and the quickest trip I have ever had across the Lombok Strait (on the ferry) at just on 4 hours roll on-roll off.
Back to the hectic life, bad driving, and aggressive attitudes on the roads of Bali, the one thing that is totally absent on Sumbawa. In fact vehicles are pretty absent on the roads of Sumbawa.
The roads are pretty good by Indonesian standards, considering how far from anywhere the place is, with the odd bad stretch, which is more than compensated for by the scenery.
No drama trip, and will, for sure drive back that way again one of these days.
Exactly 500 klm of road from Lakey's to Legian.