I've returned!! Five weeks of ass numbing travelling from Bali to East Timor and with relief I can say the last ten days of our adventure in Indonesia will be spent on a beach!!! Where do I start??? It has been one hell of a trip, island hopping from Indonesia's number one tourist resort down to Indonesia's number one hotspot!!! I don't want to seriously bore so I'll be as brief as I possibly can.

After a week of snorkelling, dolphin watching (We felt like we were on a killing mission - too many tourists all hoping to get that Kodak moment!), volcano climbing and sunbathing, it was time to hop along. We arrived on Lombok and headed north west to the Gili Islands. Gili Trawangan has a reputation as a party joint - Gili Meno is for the honeymooners and Gili Air is for the boring reserved people amongst us who want a bit of peace and quiet. Guess which one we decided on - BINGO!! It takes about an hour to walk the whole island which gives you some idea of the size...tiny!! Perfect for partying. The beach during the day and the bars during the night....excellent schedule. We had plans to do a PADI diving course as it was relatively cheap but by the second night of serious drinking and dancing, we gave up on the idea. Six days later, after tackling the whole island's supply of Mcdonalds Whisky, we departed for the mainland. Recovery time!!

BACK TO LOMBOK ISLAND

We rocked on the tourist bus all the rocky way to Tetebatu, a mountain region on Lombok and it was here we met up with Alison, an African/British american. We spent an afternoon cycling around to the local traditional villages and watching the various arts and crafts of the area being made...very interesting. We ended up buying beautiful pottery from a local womens' cooperative and some wood carvings and masks from other villagers. It was unbelievably cheap...almost disgustingly so. Just to think what I'd pay for it at home makes me want to buy so much more but my back is hurting!!! My backpack is now over 22kg. Cycling in the intense heat is just a little stupid, wouldn't you say. I suffered as a result of my foolishness and spent 24 hours in bed with heatstroke! Not nice. We'd hoped to catch a ship up to Sulawesi and travel through there for two weeks but various factors were against us.... 1. The dreadful forest fires 2. An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale. 3. Ethnic fighting amongst the Chinese and the Muslims in Ujang Pandang.

We placed our cards on the table and came up with the island-hopping plan as far as Flores. From Lombok, we ferried it across to Sumbawa and bussed it across the island in two days...nothing of significance on this isle..the land is barren and the scenery isn't all that thrilling.

DRAGON GAZING ON KOMODO

Onto Komodo Island for a glimpse of the Komodo Dragons!!! These vile looking creatures are the largest lizards in the world and far off relations of the oul dinosaurs themselves. My first encounter with one of these terrifying things was around the base camp on the island. Alison decided on Arthur as a petname and was set to become friendly with the reptile until it got up slowly, turned its ugly head around and came charging at her. She, as is the done thing in these circumstances, ran for her dear life. The island itself is hilly and dry...desolate looking.

About three hundred or so inhabit this island along with the local human population. From time to time, islanders have been attacked and we heard some horror stories of tourists taking off into the wilderness and never been seen again. These lizzies can devour a goat in a few minutes. I had to shake myself every now then...."Are you sure you're not watching an asian version of 'Jurassic Park'????" It was definitely an experience but do you want the truth???? I was more scared of rats and iguanas creeping into our hut during the night. I'm just your typical woman of the world!

From Komodo, We met up with four lovely german guys and headed to the island of Flores with them. I kept remarking on how one of them, Carsten reminded me of my german friend, Volker and Lynne wondered if I had taken a shine to him!!! Alison took one look at both of us and roared laughing. "Get with the program, girlfriends!!!!! Carsten and Alex are a couple"!! What a shocker and a total disappointment!!! Why oh why?????????????? We chartered a boat and took off to our very own paradise island for some first class snorkelling...all too soon we were kissing our wonderful gay couple goodbye and our bodies were getting into gear for our eight hour journey to Bajawa.

Another traditional village tour awaited us in Bajawa and some more purchases were made!! Oh lord!! This is NOW turning into the definitive guide to shopping in SE Asia!! My bank account is hurting!! From Bajawa, we headed to Moni, the site of the three crater lakes which change colour from time to time - Kelimatu as it is called. We got up before dawn to see sunrise along with other half crazed lunatics or rather sunatics. It was quite spectacular......to be on top of this mountain and see the three different lakes in front of you as the sun crept up. This time round the colours are milky blue and black. Last time, they were blue, aqua green and white...pretty cool considering that science cannot come up with a reason as to why they change colour!!! They just do. So there!!!!!!!

My computer time is up. Okay, Catch you next time and I'll fill you in on our travels in East Timor!!

Take care
Ita