Indonesia | May 2-3 2023 |
The initial goal of the day was to ride 3 hours from Moni (Kelimutu) to Maumere and probably stay the night there, prior to starting the ride along the north coast to Riung the next day. But once I got to Maumere early in the day, and realised it wasn't really jumping out at me as a place where I wanted to stay, I decided to take the leap of faith and head west.
One thing to consider about the northern route of Flores is that there is very little information about it. Warren at Motorcycle Paradise was the only clear recent info I could find, and that was from 2018 (excellent site BTW). Locals advised me that the road was being improved, but may not be fully rideable. Whatever, I like a challenge! So off I went for the additional 5-hour ride through the largely uninhabited but amazing territory. Indeed, much of the road was poor - sections were almost non-existent - and there was a lot of rough gravel and rocks. Definitely, the worst roads I had yet experienced in Flores. But the Aerox was up for the task, and made it through every challenge (though I almost dropped the bike in a creek crossing).
After what was becoming an excruciating long 8.5 hour day, I made it to Riung. Only stayed one night, as the key hook for travelers there is island touring and snorkelling, and I had just finished 1 month of diving in Komodo National Park. The highlight of my stay was a cat that had an absurd mustache like a French inspector in a 1950s crime noir film.
Ride: 311 km / 8.5 hrs
Stay: $18 / 3/5
