Indonesia | May 5-6 2023 |
The end of my Flores trip, back to Sumbawa on the night ferry. I got a sleeper bunk and slept like a rock for the 8hr journey, awesome. This route was all back-tracking as I had ridden this track on my way to Flores. But backtracking is not a bad thing IMO, you get to see things in each direction. And I got a much clearer view of both the twin volcanoes on Sangeang Island of Sumbawa, as well as a clear view of Tambora, one of the world's great volcanoes ("great").
I stayed one night at a decent place called Alffiah Hotel, the manager could not speak one work of English, and it had the best internet connection I experienced in 3 months in Indonesia - basically, in the middle of nowhere, go figure.
Of note: Aiapaya is becoming renowned for whale shark viewing boat trips, ecotourism they are developing in Sumbawa that is becoming quite famous with international tourists. While it looked interesting, I didn't go, as I had recently dived with a whale shark in Thailand, and the 3:00 am start time and high cost (due to low number of people registered - they bill based on 10 people in a boat, if 3 register you pay 1/3 of the 10-person price). But I had been told that it is a great experience, certainly worth it if you have never seen a whale shark, or never will otherwise.
Ride: 192 km / 13 hrs ferry & ride
Stay: Alffiah Hotel $20 / 4/5
