6:30 pm sunday 10 october 2010 dompu
We had multiple wake up calls this morning. Sigh. At 5:00 am the Muslim call to worship woke me for about 20 minutes of chanting (although Nash apparently unbelievably slept through it). Then at 7:00 am breakfast was delivered to the room, though we told them to return later, once we were awake. At 7:30 am they returned with breakfast and Andrew begrudgingly took the food and tea. I didn’t budge. At 8:00 am the hotel began constructing doors outside our room – and the power sanding equipment brought me out of my sleep and to the door where I yelled for some peace and quiet. At 8:30 am the sanding began again. The sun rises early in Indonesia – no later than 5:30 am and it sets early also. People start their days early. Breakfast was some rice dish steamed in a banana leaf. I would have once thought that odd – but after living in Vietnam I’m used to such breakfasts.
We checked out of the hotel quickly after breakfast and were on the road as soon as possible, hoping to push across Sembawa to the far eastern coastal port town of Sape. Within an hour of departing we came across the Green View Resort – a lovely (if not strangely so) small resort that appeared so out of place, we had to stop. The hotel is two months old and staffed by about 25 people – we didn’t see a single guest. We enjoyed ginseng coffee in a small pavilion overlooking the sea and tried to determine the rest of the trip – which didn’t really happen. [I later learned that the "resort" was actually just a restaurant. We presume that the idea was to create some tourist infrastructure to compliment the spectacular Amanwana Resort located on Palau Moyo, just across the strait from the "resort". At one point we contacted Amanwana to see if it would be possible to drop in, but turns out the resort costs around US$800 per night! There's nothing else on Moyo besides some EXTREMELY rural villages so I presume Amanwana is mainly used by the rich and famous as a retreat away from celebrity life.]
Back on the road I saw an enormous python squished on the road. We drove hard all day, stopping for lunch in a small dusty hamlet of which the name escapes me. There’s no real reason to go there. All I recall are tremendously friendly but dirty children and a market that would make the most die hard traveler squirm – flies flies flies … and more flies. After a short video that I made with the camera it started to rain again. Hard rain. Maybe this will be a reoccurring theme. [We later realized it was. Best to wake early and travel during the morning and early afternoon. The late afternoon often brought rain to the interior of the islands due to the volcanoes. The only places it didn't rain were on the coast. I later researched and learned that as warm air from the sea rises towards the volcanic peak it cools and condenses into tiny water droplets. These are later released in the form of rain around a volcano. We learned this on our trip over and over and over.] Although it only rained for an hour, we were still dripping wet when we pulled into Dompu hours later. The rest of the drive to Dompu was scenic and magnificent. Winding mountain roads teeming with monkeys and jaw dropping plunging cliffs that tipped down to azure water and small sandy beaches with only local fishermen around.
Mountain Ride
Initially we considered reaching Sape today, but by the afternoon the hope was only for Bima. By sunset Dompu sounded about as good as anything. We were road worn, wet and hungry when we reached Dompu. We did manage to find a small guesthouse for RMB 55.000 and settled in. I’m exhausted but full. The night market here is not bad – we tried some form of Murtabak which is essentially a thick pancake filled with sugar, peanuts and spices. Absolutely delicious. [Over the course of the trip I ate pleeeennnnty of Murtabak Terang Bulan ("full bright moon pancake"). It became a signature dish for me during the trip and I would later learn how to make it. I am now considered the Murtabak King in at least one tiny town in Lombok. Here's to the King.] We also settled into a small restaurant near the hotel that served traditional food. Fried tempeh is still one of my favorites. Tonight as we drift off, the music coming from a nearby wedding is wafting into the room. Goodnight. -b
